Ever buy a piece of music gear and end up leaving it sitting there, never used? Well, that’s what I’ve done with the Tascam DP24 multitrack recorder. I’m sure it’s a great piece of gear, but I don’t know that for sure… Yet.
I bought it so I could have something I could record with that doesn’t require a computer or DAW, etc. Now, I already own the Zoom H4n hand-held recorder, which offers multitrack recording, but I wanted the physical faders and such. I even bought a tutorial on DVD created by the guy who hosts the Pro Audio EXP YouTube channel. And I have watched that tutorial and also bought his Boss DR-880 tutorial. He’s a great educator – I’m subscribed.
Good To Go But No Forward Motion
So, I’ve got what I need to really dive into this thing and crank out some tunes, but so far, I haven’t. I’ve done this with several other purchases in the past (even the DR-880 to some degree). I don’t know if it’s laziness, depression, fear, or a mixture of all three. I’ll say it’s a mixture, and looking at the contents of this mixture, I don’t think I’d serve it to anyone I know.
Maybe One Day
Hopefully, things change for the better in the future, and for the better. I’m sure they will. I’m not looking for any musical, financial, or psychological success with what I’m doing on this website and my social channels. I do hope to create a path toward becoming a consistent creator who offers useful content to his followers. Maybe I’ll create a course in the future, or sell some sample packs. I don’t know. But I’m not naive enough to think music and/or financial “success” would ever happen in the short run of things. So, you would think then, what’s the hold-up?…
I’ll Just Keep on Writing It Down at a Minimum
I don’t know. That’s why I’m writing it out a bit. Maybe the more I get the frustration out of my head and onto some form of media, I’ll create some room for motivation. Who knows?… I keep thinking, “Ok, this weekend is it. I’m turning it on and having a go!” The weekend comes… And the weekend just keeps right on moving along… But the Tascam never gets turned on…
The Tascam Isn’t the Only Piece of Dusty Gear
And again, this goes for quite a few pieces of my gear. Do you see the ADAT in the background? Now, I DID use that piece of gear a few times when I first got it back in the late 90s, but after that… For those who may not know, ADAT stands for Alesis Digital Audio Tape (ADAT). The tapes look exactly like VHS tapes, and I guess for the most part they are. They use Super VHS tapes, but they’re basically the same thing.
Guitars Too
I have guitars that I forgot I had. Don’t get me wrong. I DO NOT have tons of money. I’ll just spend recklessly at times on things I shouldn’t. I guess many are guilty of such behavior, but mine has been excessive.
I don’t have lots of guitars either. I have around twenty (20+), or so, which is more than some, but not a drop in the bucket for others. The right idea when it comes to guitar playing is to spend more time learning how to play instead of constantly letting yourself be tempted by a really cool-looking or sounding guitar. Let a new guitar be the payoff after you’ve achieved a certain milestone in your playing.
Whether it’s recording gear, guitars, guitar pedals, amplifiers, drum machines, synthesizers, MIDI controllers, or all-in-one audio production workstations, I shouldn’t continue buying more gear until I’ve (somewhat) mastered the piece I bought earlier. But that doesn’t seem likely to happen…
Well… I have plenty of items I can use in YouTube videos…
‘Till Next Time,
Featured Image: My Tascam DP24 Multitrack Recorder. This one doesn’t have the CD burner, so all recordings would need to be transferred to the computer via an SDSD card or USB.
