Somehow, I'm never impressed with someone's software collection but if they have a rack full of old analog gear I become a kid looking through the candy store window again.

Me, I'm picking up analog gear again although I'm now looking for good buys on used higher end gear.

Mod Bod


Me, I'm picking up analog gear again although I'm now looking for good buys on used higher end gear.

Used high end gear always returns its value.

I appreciate all the insights here. I am going to be looking for a rack mount compressor for Bass/vocal tracking mostly.

I never had much of an outboard collection even back in the days of tape.... 

But I hear that some guys who have and still use the outboard stuff will swear by it as sounding better....kinda like vinyl vs CD's....

I currently am totally inside the box....and facing the dilemma I knew would arrive eventually. My system works fine, and does what I need but as far as any kind of upgrades..... I now must look carefully before I buy something because my system is XP/32 and everything coming out now seems to be W-7 64..... so I'm soon to be stranded o a desert island in the sea of music with all the new plugs and DAWs being incompatible with the OS. 

At some point..... I know I'll have to upgrade but maybe if I wait long enough and the computer hardware keeps running for a while..... maybe my next machine can run Windows 12 at 128bits.... 

I rely heavily on having nice mics, preamps and comps going in. Cause if it's s*** going in, it's gonna be s*** coming out the other end. Check my sig...

Fender guitars and Amp $500 = Worth more now- still running- not obsolete
Mike Collection = $ 1000 Still worth the same - Still working - not obsolete
First PA system $ 100 - Bogen and Altec - Broke - Obsolete
Second PA Yorkville - $3,000 still working sold $ 1,000
Third PA Yamaha - $3,000 still working - not obsolete
Miss PA equipment - $3000 - some still working some broke
Yamaha compressor - $800 sold for $100
Yamaha EQ units x2 - $1200 - sitting gather dust ( no market)
Tanoy PM 5 Monitors - $600 - Broke
Yamaha NMS 10 - $600 not broke , not obsolete.
Alesis Midi verb $500 ?  Broke
Korg Poly 800 $1500 - broke
Various Roland, Yamaha and Korg MIDI sound modules- $ 4,000 - Gathering dust or gave away.  
Roland MIDI patch bay - $ 400 ? sold $50
MIDI sync generator - $ 300-  Gathering Dust
Yamaha 12 CH mixer $1,500 - sold $ 500
Mackie 1402 - $ 800  sold $ 200
Yamaha 01v - $2,800 still in use ( 1 dead channel)
Berhringer  Xeyna ?12 channel 5 years old and broken.  
Marshall JMP 1 rack pre amp  $ 1,000 - sold $ 500
DIgitech 24 bit Delay - $ 1000 sold for $ 100
Roland delay - $ 600  sold $ 200
Art Delay $ 500  broken
Yamaha 4 track cassette - $800  sold $ 100
Tascam 8 track Cassette - $ 1800 sold $ 500
Tascam 1/4" 2 track R-R - $ 1500 sold $ 1,000
Sony DAT recorders x 2  $ 2000 sold $ 200
Philips CD Recorder $ 800 - gathering dust
Yamaha 4 track Mini disk recorder - $ 800 - sold $ 400
Yamaha 8 track Mini disk recorder - $ 1400 gather dust
Dozens of CD players ,  Cassette decks and intigrated Amplifiers. - $ 3000 gathering dust or broke
Analog Tape and recording medium ( that's right, you used to have to buy storage) $ 2,000- some gather dust - some lost - some sold.
Digital Storage ( DAT and Mini Disk ) $ 1500
Guitar EFX. Stomp box - $ 2000 - sold 1/2 ( $500) rest still working
Guitar EFX Pedal boards _ $ 3,000 most broke, sell $300
GR 50 Guitar Synth $ 1500 - still kinda works
 Atari Computer - $ 1,500 1986- 2004
Music Software for Atari $ 1000 used for almost 20 years.
PC computers 2000 to present  around 6 = $2,000 ( I recycle my sons)
PC Music Software $ 1,000   

I'm mostly guessing at figures but I don;t think I'm that far off, And this list is missing a lot more but my fingers are tired.

pdlstl


I rely heavily on having nice mics, preamps and comps going in. Cause if it's s*** going in, it's gonna be s*** coming out the other end. Check my sig...

That's pretty much where my head is at as well but I'm still considering a single dual channel compressor and maybe an EQ to use for a 2 bus option if I want to go out and then back into my DAW.   I'm not one of those who want to use a bunch of hardware as inserts to tracks because I'm not convinced that the juice is worth the squeeze but on final mix, I feel like it makes a bit of difference.

Resale value depends a lot on whether you're talking about analog or digital hardware. A 50-year-old 1176 is worth far more today than it cost new, but nobody wants a 12-bit digital reverb.

I have been lucky and all the hardware I have bought has ROCKED hard. I can't imagine selling my Slate dragon Comp,
It beats all plugs. I have an Avalon 737 worth every penny and some others. Recently I bought a presonus  ADL 600, It gets a great sound on everything. But I do research hard before I spend more than a grand on one item.

Ever since software companies started disappearing / dropping products that I had purchased in GOOD FAITH for a not inconsiderable sum of money, I have totally rethought the way I purchase musical equipment - I look for older good quality interesting outboard gear, be that processor or say synths, then work these into my set up - if they go wrong, you just get them repaired - unlike software that stops working - once this happens its just rubbish - the list of stuff I have been "caught" with seems forever growing, but just to mention a few:-
NI Kore and lots of expansion packs
Steinberg - nearly everything I ever purchased from them!
Muse (gigasampler)
TC Electronics Powercore
Kjaerhus - all products

and many others that just depress me too much to remember!!!!!

And an added bonus to going hybrid software / hardware - hardware looks better, has more flashing lights and oh those touchy / feely knobs!!

Cheers
Nigel