Best:
Sonar
Dimension Pro
Garritan Personal Orchestra
Parker Nitefly
Pod XT
Vetta
Marshall JCM800

Middle of the road:
Presonus Firepod
Trigger Finger
Project 5
cubase SX

Worst:
gigastudio 3
Tascam FW-1884 (Loved the hardware, the support was beyond horrible)
Korg MicroKontrol 49 (What the heck was I thinking, minikeys?!?)
Marshall Valvestate stack (oh boy, what a stinker that was)

Best purchase: Sonar and all my other software purchases

Worst:
the roland vs 880ex, although I really liked it I wish I would've went with software instead of a hardward recorder. The vs880 cost me $1600 and now it just collects dust, I could have bought pro audio and kept upgrading.
Also the stanton final scratch (which cost at the time approx. $499) and I really didn't use it at all. I was going through a period when I was a gear junkie.

Best:
Sonar
Gefell microphone (M930)
Mogami cable
Vox ToneLab LE
Sennheiser HD-650's (headphones)

Worst:
RNC Compressor
Clone Ensemble plug-in
Boss PS-5 pedal [what was I thinking??]

Best: NAD C-cassette deck (the cheapest model,early 80's) The price/sound quality-ratio was unbelievable, Cakewalk Apprentice ( 1,4 mb floppy, came with a SB soundcard, I think, late 80's) That's where my DAW hobby started. I wish I still had it, just for the nostalgia. And the CW products that followed. Addictive Drums, AKG C 3000 mic (sounds so natural)

Worst: Pinnacle Studio (nothing but problems), some Matrox hard drives (died long before acceptable), ASUS K8N motherboard (My mistake, but how could I have known. Works fine, but has 754-socket, so it's not upgradable anymore).

Best: Sonar, Virus TI Synth, Self-built computer, RME Fireface 800, m-audio sputnik

Worst: NI Kore, My current alienware computer (thought it would save me time to have someone else build it for me... my mistake)

Best: Most everything on my Equipment Page <link> was purchased at very good prices and it's all quality gear with just a few exceptions which I'll list below. Right now I'm loving the T.C. Electronics Finalizer 96K. Really taking my mixes and masters to the next level.

Worst: M-audio ProFire Lightbridge. Works great with everything except what I bought it for... and that's allowing me to use my Apogee converters with Pro Tools MP. It has periods of distortion that cut in and out of playback. I've tried everything to fix it. Digidesign couldn't help. No worries... I just consolidate and export PT project audio files into a folder, and import into SONAR for tracking and mixing. When I'm done, I import the SONAR BWF's back into the PT project and deliver to the client. Nobody cares what software I choose to work in, as long as I can deal with Pro Tools studios.

Oh... one more thing. Bass Pod XT Pro. I have no use for that thing. It has interesting effects, but I just don't use 'em. I DI the bass through a Sebatron Tube Pre and mic the cab mult'd through an Emperical Labs Distressor. Why would I want to use a Bass Pod?

Best: 4 bundles of mineral wool panels, burlap and some lumner for making bass traps.. then paying my son $100 to make them!

Worst: Godin ACS-SA nylon string guitar. Purchased for direct recording and midi tracking. IMO, it does neither well. Maybe good for live performing?

---

PS - anyone interested in purchasing a Godin ACS - SA?? Mint!!

ORIGINAL: bitflipper

Worse:
Any headphone in existence.

So what do you drive with your Behringer headphone amp, listed under your "Best" heading?

You're right, of course, headphones are no replacement for good monitors. However, every studio needs at least one high-quality set of phones. You can't judge your mix with them, but you can often hear details that are undetectable in even high end monitors.

Yeah, I was just venting there. I wish that monitor companies would team up with headphone companies and provide a combo pack where the headphones closely responded to the monitors. I have purchased about every headphone set known and they all fall short of reality.

Best: Years of Mix magazine before Stephen St. Croix died. Mickey Baker's "Complete Handbook fo the Music Arranger". "The Nightfly" by Donald Fagen. 1972 Les Paul Deluxe.

Worst: Custom built studio racks by an idiot who made them 1/16th of an inch too tight. They worked...but it was hell getting anything in or out. Early CD duper. Cost us $2500.00 bucks...never, ever (even after three trips back to the manufacturer) worked right.

And, in the one man's ceiling is another man's floor department: Gotta disagree with ol mmarsh, I love my GTR. Go figure.

best: Sonar, FW1082, ADAM A7's, Shure KSM44-KSM27-SM57, AKG-240 headphones (best ive ever heard)

worst: not having enough cash for a universal audio pre and a pair of Nuemanns !