There comes a point in every musician’s, audiophile’s, cinephile’s, or content creator’s journey when you would desire to take your passion seriously. Especially for musicians or content creators, in today’s fiercely competitive market where both quality and quantity matter, the quality of your work can make or break your career. Compromising on what is best for your brand has consequences, frequently being TIME and ENGAGEMENT lost.
It is important to realize that in the fiercely competitive music industry, you are competing with millions for musicians (with just as much talent, often more), and not one of you has the luxury to afford time to be lost. We are no longer just standing by, demo in hand, hoping someone will give it a listen. Your entire career revolves around the listener’s time; minutes—seconds, even—of someone’s attention. Those 3 ½ minutes of your song that you hope a listener will stay hooked and find an emotional connection with? That’s time they will never get back. So if they do not immediately recognize quality, they will move on. And no amount of marketing can save a poor quality song. So let’s dive into why you need to invest in your sound quality the right way from the get-go, if you’re serious about your career in music or content creation.
If you’re a musical artist or a producer, a basic microphone and an acoustic foam setup isn’t going to cut it. And don’t be misled into thinking that just a sound card and microphone equals quality content, even if “studio packs” are marketed as such. With today’s demands for consistent content, it’s crucial to prioritize your investments to give you the best returns in terms of quality as quickly as possible. You’re playing the long game, with a lot of content going to have to be released before anyone hits the big time, and luck has lesser to do with it every day.
Before you start investing in anything for your studio, recognize this:
your end results don’t depend solely on your sound card or outboard gear, if the quality of your audio capture is compromised by the acoustic anomalies of your space. It cannot be “fixed in the mix”
In fact, for any mix or recording to be great, the most critical factor will always be the room’s acoustics. No amount of high-end gear, mics, monitors, or digital audio converters can deliver good results if the acoustics are bad. Acoustics is often deprioritized commercially because it does not create a frequently returning customer base. Investing in good-quality acoustics can ensure you don’t need to upgrade your setup again for a long time. There can be many mic upgrades, monitor upgrades, and sound card or plugin upgrades, but in comparison, acoustics is often just a one-time investment done right. And a serious investment in professional acoustics can REDUCE THE NEED FOR EXPENSIVE GEAR, and more you more in-the-box! This is the lesser-known secret, the crux of it all—the industry’s “secret sauce,” and coincidentally what we have seen with the Mix-Mastering Engineers who own our E Flat “Premium/Elite” Home Studio!
The truth is that even an intermediate or entry-level standard of gear, sound card, and monitors, paired with great acoustics, will yield better, more radio-friendly quality faster, than expensive gear in a poorly treated acoustic space.
Before you plan your studio or creative space, consider that you can achieve better results faster and with less investment over time by prioritizing acoustics first. And it all begins with great quality Acoustic Panels. The importance of this will be explored in detail in another blog.
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