Pro Sound Web: Hi. My name is Craig, and I’m a gearaholic.
I tried to find a 12-step program, but quite frankly if I have to move gear more than six steps, I’m going to need a hand truck because my back isn’t what it used to be. It’s not just that I like gear; it’s that I’m addicted to it.
I fall asleep reading equipment catalogs. I bypass articles in trade magazines, unless they’re talking specifically about gear, to look at the (gasp) advertisements of new mixers, microphones, loudspeakers – you name it. At trade shows, I revel in all of the stuff on display, new and not so new. It doesn’t matter. It’s gear.
6 comments:
It's pretty funny to see all of these signs of a gearaholic written out, because I find myself doing the same things at concerts and often thinking about a show itself rather than the artist playing. I wouldn't go so far as to borrow someone else's binoculars to spy a brand name on any fills, but I do find myself always wanting to find standing room by the FOH so I can watch the booth and the show at the same time. The first thing I do when entering any concert space is find the FOH and check out the rig on stage, way before I start watching the band. Uh oh.
If this is a diagnosable disorder then yeah im guilty. I cant help but check out the gear in concerts and plays, especially though touring shows. I just like to know what they are using to do what ever effects and such. I personally though think of gearaholic being someone who just buys too many tools like a lighting designer having a sliding c wrench and a jesus wrench and an ultimate focus tool.
The fascination with gear I feel can severely limit the creative process in sound design. In my undergraduate career I did a substantial amount of sound design and I found coming from a concert mixing background that it was very difficult for me to divorce myself from the limits of the technology and gear and just to focus in on the aural landscape that I was trying to create. This fascination with specs and technology I feel limited my designs and made them very sterile. With that said I think that if you have a level of technological savvy and intuitive understanding of the gear you can fake artistry by creating really involved effects that wow the audience and make a large impact. However, I would warn designers about the dangers of becoming gear heads. Designers must be aware of what the technology can do and should be conversant in it but you should free yourself of the burden of reality at least in the beginning stages of a design process and you should find yourself an assistant designer or engineer that you trust to know the gear and the limitations of the gear. There is a fine line to be walked here and if you err on the side of being a gear head be prepared to kiss every paycheck goodbye because it becomes an obsession unless you are careful and I have the full range PA system in my basement to prove that.
I have to admit, I have a certain fascination with gear and the way it's used. I do go check out what the FOH console is and what brand PA is hung. But that's me as an audience member. As a designer, I remind myself that the design comes first, and the gear comes second. The design dictates the gear that is specced, not the other way around. I'll call my fascination with gear a healthy one. I enjoy the technology and knowing how to make it work, but I don't let that get in the way of creativity. Yeah, you can make gear do some really cool things, but they'll quickly lose their novelty if there's not a solid design behind them.
In this article Craig Leerman writes about his obsession with audio gear. I am the same way but perhaps in a bit of denial. I am also am sorely financially limited. My relationship with gear was ruined back in college. My friend lived a few blocks from campus and his dad had a really sweet sound system. Paradigm speakers, Yamaha Preamp, Carver amp and Denon CD Changer. (Remember CD changers?) I loved the sound and we would play Tetris and listen to Tom Petty CD’s in audio heaven. He had about $3,000 in that system. For the last 20 years it has been the bench mark where I judge other stereos and very few hold up. Mostly because I do not know anyone who has spent more than $3k on their home stereo. I wanted a system like this of my own and though there was LOTS of shopping I could never justify spending more than $150 and I knew I would not be happy with the results. I would take my old Full Moon Fever CD to Best Buy but nothing would hold up. I did not have $10,000 to make my Marantz/Sunfire/B and W dreams come true. I finally found a compromise. I bought some KRK Rokit 5’s. They are not exactly what I wanted but they were only $150. And with some very precise EQ I can get them to sound close enough. Besides, after 20 years of shop and FOH work. I cannot hear like I did back in college. My wife is happy with the cost and my daughter and I can watch Tinker Bell moves in some with some pretty clear audio.
One of my hobbies is Dj-ing and i would definitely consider myself a gearaholic. Luckily i don't have any where near enough money for the equipment that i really would like to have but that doesn't stop me from checking sales and keeping up with the latest gear put out by the manufacturing companies and reading reviews about the products. I always try and find out what equipment my favorite artists are using and then spending an hour or so looking up each piece of equipment. Its harmless enough now but if i ever acquire a large sum of money it could turn in to a dangerous habit really fast.
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