I'll take a killer performance on a casio 4 track anyday over a shit performance at The Hit Factory. Good production isn't about the gear, anyway, it's about the production itself. And while we would all prefer to have banging mixes recorded on great equipment; at the end of the day that extra 1% that you'll get out of boutique stuff doesn't much matter. You look at a band like The Grateful Dead and that fact really comes to light...there are thousands of bootleg tapes out there are cherished by their fans: mistakes, poor production, shit equipment, and all. Britney Spears' stuff has a pretty decent level of production in it, but no one's gonna give two shits in ten years.
I'm not trying to be conceited or say I'm better than anyone else (because I truly don't believe I am); I'm just going to state a fact here: I'm probably one of the only people on this board who actually makes a decent living solely by producing his own music. In it's entirety, my studio has cost me a bit under $20k. You can't squeze too many Apogees, Neves, or Neumanns into that (count NONE). I won't upgrade any further until I've advanced my artistry beyond my current equipment....(or get uber-rich overnight...I mean we all still LIKE GEAR).
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