Here's the most expensive gear in my home studio (shocking: it's NOT what you think)

Published: Wed, 10/21/15

I had a party last weekend and at one point I was hanging out with some friends in my home studio.

One of them told me:

I'm always curious about all your gear and what the most expensive thing in here is?

He's a law school graduate, not an engineer so the price tag of the assorted equipment around my studio is foreign to him.

I asked him:

Well...what do you think it is?

He looks around at all my gear and reluctantly points to my interface, a UAD Apollo Twin.

I say, "good guess. It's definitely one of my more expensive items but....the most expensive thing is that."

And I point to my split unit air-conditioner!

He can't help but crack up laughing.

In a way it makes total sense.

Those split unit heating/cooling systems are worth a fortune!

But there's not a single piece of gear in my studio is worth more than about $800.

And I think people tend to forget that.

Not just people that aren't in the industry, but also working engineers.

They stick to the old chestnut of having better gear means making better sounding music.

When in reality it's actually having better skills that makes you produce better music.

Doing it again and again will improve your skills and make a $100 mic sound just fine.

The $100 mic won't sound better the longer it stays in your studio.

It's you who gets better.

So remember that next time you're worried about making your mortgage payment because you bought a $1,000 microphone.

Maybe just stick to the $100 mic, pay your mortgage and make better music?

I've got advice on how to make the most of the equipment you already have in my Recording & Mixing Strategies tutorials.

And even if (big emphasis on IF) you need to actually buy some gear, I have a tutorial on how to get the biggest bang for your buck when you're shopping online.

Check it all out here: