I guess I'm lucky to be predominantly a live, gigging musician.

My studio needs are just enough to make backing tracks for my duo and aftermarket styles for Band-in-a-Box.

For live performance, pristine sound is not necessary. It's a noisy environment, no one is wearing headphones, and the rooms are not acoustically correct (often, just the opposite).

What is important is to get the timing and the mix of the backing tracks right. Other duos use karaoke tracks, but I don't.

I find that doing my own tracks allow for a better live mix: Exaggerated groove if necessary, more bass and backbeat, and nobody on the track playing the solos. Leave the solos to the solo hog (that would be me).

Also, I can put the songs in our key and rearrange them to be longer, get to the hook quicker, or whatever experience and instincts decide would work better.

All the studio work I have done has been as a 'sax for hire' person. I'm at home on the other side of the glass.

Even though I'm a musician, I don't really listen to the nuts and bolts of the recording. If something is excessively off, I'll notice it, but I really want to hear the music.

I want to hear the performance of the vocalist and other musicians, I want to hear how the parts they play interact with each other, I want to hear what they are playing that I agree with, and I want to hear what they are playing that I disagree with (so that I don't do the same thing). Most of all I want to hear the music move me.

I've heard the music on technically poor recordings by today's standards that I love, and I've heard the music on pristine recordings that have bored me.

Sorry to go off on the tangent. I'll get to the point.

With everything, there is a point of diminishing returns.

When you buy something, if you look at beginners gear and better gear. X amount of dollars gives you a giant gain. Then as you go to even better gear, the same X amount of dollars gives you a noticeable gain, but less than the first one.

This goes on and on, and each identical X amount of dollars gives you less and less gain as you go more upscale.

I've got a Parker guitar. I could have spent $1,000.00 more to get a fancy finish, gold hardware and other bling, but the basic guitar, tuners, frets, and pickups would be exactly the same. That's where the point of diminishing returns was for me.

But for each person, and each purchase, the point of diminishing returns is different.

That's what you have to evaluate for yourself. What is the point where X amount of dollars doesn't buy you what you find important.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
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