I'm a classically trained pianist and been a studio musician (pianos, synthesizers and keyboards) for many years, and currently do a fair amount of home recording as well.
Lps2cd brings up a good point about the ceiling on pro interconnects and wiring but remember in context weve already invested $10,000 in a single vintage Neumann large diaphragm microphone, $6,000 each in AKG414s, and $5,000 in Avalon mic preamps, not to mention the thousands invested in Pro Tools plug-ins (that dont work LOL). On top of that, each microphone lends distinct colorations to the source that the engineer must understand and leverage as an artist, not a workman.
We may need to choose between 8 - 10 different mikes for close-mic'ing a nylon string guitar, and select from a different 8 - 10 mics for tomorrow's voice over.
As far as monitors go, I dont know of an engineer worth his salt who hasnt gone through tens of different monitors for just their near-field requirements and even that being said, a lot of us still use NS-10s for an isolated, particular purpose. We all know they arent "uncolored, ruler flat" speakers, but that isnt the reason we check mix with them, and no one in the business uses them as primaries. And I'd NEVER use my home speakers (Maggie 3.5's) as my primaries, either.
Rives Audios post is like a well driven nail There is a lot the audiophile community could learn from "pro" gear. However, the goals of the two are not the same at all. Take the design of a studio control room vs. a listening room. The studio control room is designed to give the engineer exactly what is coming from the mics with no coloration (I might add, with a full understanding of the signal chain's inherent coloration) due to the room, and usually in a small environment. That's the voice of experience talking.
I would also gently commend audiophiles to be careful not to lump all recording studios and engineers into one homogeneous group to excoriate. Yes, Ive met a few studio owners who look at equipment just as tools to make money. But in my experience this generalization is the exception rather than the rule. Most engineers at good studios (Fantasy in Berkeley, the old Hyde St. Studios in SF, Integrity in Alabama) have far better ears than the audiophiles Ive met, and are also more concerned with providing a supportive, interactive relationship with the artist than with the exact, precise soundstage placement of that one ride cymbal.
Finally, no matter what I listen to on optical or vinyl, the more aesthetically pleasing experience is always sitting down at the piano and improvising through Stella by Starlight for two hours. There is no audiophile system Ive heard that comes close to duplicating the real musicians auditory experience of, say, playing in a small ensemble, or even playing cocktail in a small bar.
Your mileage may vary.
Lps2cd brings up a good point about the ceiling on pro interconnects and wiring but remember in context weve already invested $10,000 in a single vintage Neumann large diaphragm microphone, $6,000 each in AKG414s, and $5,000 in Avalon mic preamps, not to mention the thousands invested in Pro Tools plug-ins (that dont work LOL). On top of that, each microphone lends distinct colorations to the source that the engineer must understand and leverage as an artist, not a workman.
We may need to choose between 8 - 10 different mikes for close-mic'ing a nylon string guitar, and select from a different 8 - 10 mics for tomorrow's voice over.
As far as monitors go, I dont know of an engineer worth his salt who hasnt gone through tens of different monitors for just their near-field requirements and even that being said, a lot of us still use NS-10s for an isolated, particular purpose. We all know they arent "uncolored, ruler flat" speakers, but that isnt the reason we check mix with them, and no one in the business uses them as primaries. And I'd NEVER use my home speakers (Maggie 3.5's) as my primaries, either.
Rives Audios post is like a well driven nail There is a lot the audiophile community could learn from "pro" gear. However, the goals of the two are not the same at all. Take the design of a studio control room vs. a listening room. The studio control room is designed to give the engineer exactly what is coming from the mics with no coloration (I might add, with a full understanding of the signal chain's inherent coloration) due to the room, and usually in a small environment. That's the voice of experience talking.
I would also gently commend audiophiles to be careful not to lump all recording studios and engineers into one homogeneous group to excoriate. Yes, Ive met a few studio owners who look at equipment just as tools to make money. But in my experience this generalization is the exception rather than the rule. Most engineers at good studios (Fantasy in Berkeley, the old Hyde St. Studios in SF, Integrity in Alabama) have far better ears than the audiophiles Ive met, and are also more concerned with providing a supportive, interactive relationship with the artist than with the exact, precise soundstage placement of that one ride cymbal.
Finally, no matter what I listen to on optical or vinyl, the more aesthetically pleasing experience is always sitting down at the piano and improvising through Stella by Starlight for two hours. There is no audiophile system Ive heard that comes close to duplicating the real musicians auditory experience of, say, playing in a small ensemble, or even playing cocktail in a small bar.
Your mileage may vary.