Over the years, my view of gear has changed but that’s somewhat because the quality of budget-friendly gear has improved. I used to get starry-eyed when I’d flip through the Sweetwater catalog or walk the floor of the trade shows. The more expensive, the better, right?
The $100 Ebtech Swizz Army cable tester was the thing to get. You could run over it with a tank and not hurt it. Contrast that with the reality of how we should treat our gear. Do you really need to spend the $100 when you could grab something like the Hosa CBT500 cable tester that does more for half the price?
And here is where I might lose some of you. I love a great high-end mixer and I use one myself – a blessing for sure. However, for any church on a tight (small) budget, the Behringer X32 can’t be beat for the amount of functionality for the price.
This doesn’t mean you should buy all budget-friendly gear. I won’t look at low-priced wireless microphones or speakers. They have too many problems and/or the quality of the audio suffers.
When it comes to mixers, I’m all for getting the best you can…as long as it fits your budget.
Before you make your next gear purchase, consider what your money is getting you.
Thought? Questions? Comments?