How can people afford such expensive stuff?

[rm5]

I've always heard that Berklee is the place to go if one is interested particularly in jazz, and that if one is more oriented towards classical music, that Juilliard was the spot for them. I think the conservatory in Philadelphia (I forget its name) is also more focused on classical music, training their students to sing opera. NYU has a good music school, too, and I think it is one which appeals to those who are interested in jazz and contemporary music. So, yes, it makes sense to home in on a particular school or several schools when one is specifically interested in one or two genres of music as opposed to others.

Berklee was "founded as a jazz school" in the 1940s, but didn't take the name "Berklee" until it became the Berklee School of Music in 1954. In 1970, it became the Berklee College of Music. Also in the 1970s, several students created (and illegally sold) the Real Books, which were "made legal" in the early 2000s by Hal Leonard, and now of course, they're the go-to book on sessions. But now they offer programs in a wide range of areas. Berklee is unique in that there is no specific program for an instrument. You audition on an instrument, and then if you are accepted, you then choose a specific genre (or multiple genres) to focus on for a period of time. Then, you are assigned to the appropriate studio. I believe that's how it works, in talking to a few Berklee students.

For example, when I auditioned on piano, I played a standard, Have You Met Miss Jones, and I explained during the interview that I am primarily a jazz musician, and that was perfectly acceptable. However, as you say, historically, Berklee has been a jazz-focused institution... not so much anymore though, as they've entered into the film composing industry as of late, with Orchestral Tools' new Virtual Orchestration YouTube channel.

 

[vigilant]

I'm just confused about how people (anyone) can afford super expensive gear, whatever it might be—computers, audio interfaces, sample libraries, etc. I understand that sometimes, the company they work for gives them the product, but I would imagine this doesn't happen all the time, or does it? How does one acquire something like a fairly specced-out 2019 Mac Pro, or something of the like? Or Pro Tools, too, which is a very expensive DAW if you go for the top-end version.

Personally, I feel like I've been criticized by some professionals for not having the most high-end stuff that they have. And to that, I always tell them that I make it work with whatever I have, which is true. And then I see videos, read articles, etc., and see everyone have all the high-end stuff, and then I feel kinda bad for not having it. I know this is very stupid, but as I'm getting more experienced in various fields, especially music production and film composing, I'm slightly worried about this. I used to be able to use the “I’m too young and so I can’t afford it” excuse, but I think that’s sort of “drying out” at this point, now that I’m gonna turn 18 tomorrow and people will treat me as such, not as a 14-year-old inexperienced producer, you know what I mean?

Thoughts?

I think it all comes with age, and need.

I’m a Sales Engineer, so for me, that means if I can run a POC faster and turn it around faster it’s to my benefit to upgrade. More POCs, more closed deals, more time with friends.

But it’s different for everyone though. I grew up broke, and slowly as my career evolved, I was able to do more of the things I want that can help me stay sane and productive.

 

[vigilant]

The other thing I should add is that Berklee (College of Music) has an abysmal graduation rate—I believe it's like 60% or something. I know multiple people who go there, and they say the whole place is a false narrative, that it's not what it used to be. They're accepting more and more inexperienced musicians and not giving them scholarships, which really makes me think that all they care about is money and not having really good musicians go there. I want to be challenged wherever I decide to go. I'm sure that any place will be challenging, which is good, but Berklee seems to be pretty low on the list of challenging/rigorous institutions, at least that I've applied to.

I'm not trying to hate on Berklee or anything, but I honestly think what I've said is true. The good thing about Berklee is that they have a MUCH more expansive curriculum and course offerings compared to other places I've applied to. They offer courses not only in jazz, but also in production and film composing, which is something I'm also interested in, and enjoy doing.

The reason for Berklee's low graduation rate (it seems to me, from what I've read), is related to:

• The people who get "big breaks" in New York, LA, etc. who leave and don't come back
• The people who just hate the place so much they leave
• The people who love it, but it's just not a good fit for them, because of its large student body and somewhat poor infrastructure

If anyone is familiar with this and I'm actually wrong, please let me know, but most of this information is from people I know who have gone there, or are currently attending.

So that's a more immediate concern I suppose, but I'm gonna leave that one to the side for a couple more months until I have to commit somewhere...

Colleges and Cities to live in can heavily be tainted by horrible perspective. I went to an average state school, and I hated it. Not because it wasn’t a good school, but rather it’s because I was just over school in general. It just wasn’t fulfilling.

The hard part about cities is they CAN get very over hyped around one thing or another. I lived in Nashville for about 5 years, and people were moving there to break into the music industry. The reality is theres so many musicians there, it’s saturated. If you hustled for like 3 or 4 years you may be able to get booked in Downtown Nashville bar shows unless you have a friend with connections.

 

[rm5]

So the other thing I haven't mentioned is that I have no method of self-promotion at this point. Many other musicians (and artists in general) have websites, Facebook pages, etc. I haven't done that yet, for a number of reasons... but I think that is a super important thing that all artists should do to promote their work and self-worth, and of course, the services they offer. So I think when I've done that, hopefully more people will know who I am and what my experience is.

However, I think it's important to mention that at this point, my résumé is pretty lacking—but at the same time, there's no way I can put every single venue I've played at, while also keeping it to less than a page (or is there?), and so what people are seeing is just a fraction of everything I've done. But I've put on all the "big stuff" like my video editing and production work.

Also, I did a gig for several months at this eatery. The owner was very rude, no one would EVER come (because she never promoted her restaurant properly...), and they didn't pay me a dime. Meanwhile, the older folks (even some of the musicians in their 20s) are getting gigs at good places like Vernon's, Scalo, and Q-Bar, which are high-paying. How did they do this? I just don't get it. I guess this is turning into me complaining, so I'll back off on that one...

Also, I think it's worth restating that as much as I love doing video work for nonprofits, churches, etc., they just don't pay me a dime either, which is getting a little frustrating, because those are the only organizations I can have a longstanding relationship with.

EDIT: should add that the gig at the eatery was with a VERY inexperienced vocalist who had no idea what she was doing. And she hired me, an experienced musician (I can safely say), to do this non-paying gig for MONTHS. I think this was a little unfair.

 

[Mousse]

Also, I think it's worth restating that as much as I love doing video work for nonprofits, churches, etc., they just don't pay me a dime either, which is getting a little frustrating, because those are the only organizations I can have a longstanding relationship with.

Volunteer work that isn't related to your job is okay. Drop hints that you're available to do gigs to the organizers. Networking is one way self promote.

EDIT: should add that the gig at the eatery was with a VERY inexperienced vocalist who had no idea what she was doing. And she hired me, an experienced musician (I can safely say), to do this non-paying gig for MONTHS. I think this was a little unfair.

Why are you working for free?!🤦‍♂️😒 Unless there is fair compensation, you shouldn't work.😤 You'll get a reputation as exploitable.😩

I do not work for free, except in the case of family or close friend. And only if I would get joy out of it. I've photographed my nephew's birthday for free. Of course I got cake and had a lot of fun. If it's gonna feel like a job, I'm gonna treat it like a job. Show me the money.

 

[MacRazySwe]

My first advice that I can give you is to learn the difference between an asset and a liability.

An asset will generate money for you.
A liability will only detract money from you.

Rich people invest in assets. Poor people buy liabilities.

Believe it or not, but the people with the latest and greatest cars, tech, et.c. usually fall under the second category. They are most often not rich, but only appear so. Oftentimes they are even using credit to finance those depreciating assets, which is pretty much the worst financial decision you can make.

Secondly (it kind of goes hand in hand with number one) - learn the difference between costs and expenses.

- Costs = Money spent that you will never get back.
- Expenses = Outlay.

Some people can't grasp this very simple concept.

Real life example - I have a friend who deemed it too expensive to buy a 300k house. So he chose to rent another house at 1k/month instead. 2 years of renting cost him 24k USD. That's a cost - money he will never get back. Another friend bought a similar house for 300k and sold for 400k two years later. The actual costs (interest, monthly fee, et.c.) were well covered by the appreciation, so he ended up making close to 80k. So which was the expensive option?

That same friend who deemed the 300k house too expensive then bought a brand new car at 30k USD, costing him 15k in depreciation.

This is why the poor gets poorer and the rich gets richer.

 

[rm5]

Volunteer work that isn't related to your job is okay. Drop hints that you're available to do gigs to the organizers. Networking is one way self promote.

Why are you working for free?!🤦‍♂️😒 Unless there is fair compensation, you shouldn't work.😤 You'll get a reputation as exploitable.😩

I do not work for free, except in the case of family or close friend. And only if I would get joy out of it. I've photographed my nephew's birthday for free. Of course I got cake and had a lot of fun. If it's gonna feel like a job, I'm gonna treat it like a job. Show me the money.

Yeah, but in my case, it's the fact that work for one nonprofit leads to work for another... and they never pay me, which is okay sometimes, like you say. I get it, they're small companies/organizations, they can't afford to hire lots of people for work, but at some point, the line has to be drawn. I think the reason why I work for free is because I want to be respectful to everyone... and I don't want to impose demands on them.

You're absolutely right about my reputation being regarded as "exploitable," I completely agree—and it's already happened, trust me.

And yes, absolutely, networking is a super important aspect of this! But a challenge I have is my shy and introverted personality, which makes me afraid to ask favors from anyone, or offer services to them. I know this is really stupid, but it's true. And of course, I've been working on being more outgoing towards people and really having them understand the things I can offer.

 

[laurima]

You're still incredibly young. It's much more normal than you think to start at the bottom credibility and money-wise. Also most wise professionals will tell you that professional tools/gears don't matter that much. It helps, but you don't need them.

Edit: A good portfolio and website/self-promoting platform speak a lot for potential clients. Networking will help too.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

I work in an elementary school, so expensive gear for professional use isn't really something I can relate to, but in the recreational space I do own a decent amount of expensive audio gear (I started getting into audiophilia when I was in high school). For me it's really just been a matter of saving up for it and buying the right things when I could. It's not something I could do all at once. It's taken me years to build this collection of vinyl records, headphones, amps, DACs, etc. I'm also constantly weighing priorities, like "do I need X if that money could go toward Y?"

I agree with those who say that a lot of people are living beyond their means. Even I have sometimes charged this stuff and taken a while to pay it off. It can be managed properly, but it can also quickly become a problem. The key is not to rush into anything, not to spend more than you can reasonably afford, and not to buy things just because other people have them.

 

[rm5]

I work in an elementary school, so expensive gear for professional use isn't really something I can relate to, but in the recreational space I do own a decent amount of expensive audio gear (I started getting into audiophilia when I was in high school). For me it's really just been a matter of saving up for it and buying the right things when I could. It's not something I could do all at once. It's taken me years to build this collection of vinyl records, headphones, amps, DACs, etc. I'm also constantly weighing priorities, like "do I need X if that money could go toward Y?"

I agree with those who say that a lot of people are living beyond their means. Even I have sometimes charged this stuff and taken a while to pay it off. It can be managed properly, but it can also quickly become a problem. The key is not to rush into anything, not to spend more than you can reasonably afford, and not to buy things just because other people have them.

Makes sense. I mean like I've mentioned before, I need to stop comparing myself to people who are much older, because it's taken them their entire career to build up the skills and equipment that they have.

And I think you're absolutely right—weighing your priorities is super important, and something I need to learn how to do better.

I also think that as much as I learned from owning hardware recording equipment, had I jumped into a DAW like Logic WAY before I did (which was in 2019), that would have been good... but at this point, it's all about gaining experience to the point where I can build up my sample library collection even more!

 

[Herdfan]

My BIL is a 25 year overnight success in Nashville.

He started out as a guitar tech for a fading former star, ended up as her tour manager and mixer. And then, by sheer luck, at a huge music festival a mixing engineer for a top band got sick and their manager asked him if he could fill in. The band thought they sounded better than they ever had, so he got that gig.

He now as 2 CMA's and both Emmy and Grammy nominations as a producer/audio engineer.

Took him 25 years and he came to Nashville with a pretty good resume from living in LA for 15 years.

It isn't going to happen overnight. FYI, Darius Rucker was told to go away and fix his s*** before he made it in Nashville. Twice.

 

[rm5]

Coincidentally a number of professionals here use Apple devices as means to make a good living on.

I think in the music industry, a person could make an equally good living working on a Windows PC; I understand that doesn't apply to all industries, but from what I've gathered, it's true of the music industry. But I think my point still applies... how can people afford such expensive stuff, even at my age? Of course, people have given great, useful answers in this thread that I've appreciated... but thinking back to the Film and TV Scoring Program I did in LA this past summer, everyone in my group of students had some sort of expensive software or hardware. Running down the list (starting with me), other people in subsequent list items:

1. M1 MacBook Air w/ 16 GB of RAM (that's what I used during the program), and a half-decent 61-key controller That's pretty much it.
2. Another guy had a 14-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro with 64 GB of RAM
3. (This guy had an awful computer but an amazing collection of libraries) 2013 13" MBP, but he had probably $4000 worth of samples
4. Another guy had an 14" MBP (dunno it was M1 Pro or M1 Max) with a FULL LICENSE of Pro Tools, several good sample libraries, and a nice controller

You see my point? Most of these guys aren't even professionals! Here, I'm not comparing myself to people in their 40s, I'm comparing myself to people my age.

Now, I guess my argument for having "less good" equipment than the others is because I'm not a full-time producer, so I haven't invested as much into producing stuff.

EDIT: While I'm thinking about it, it's almost as if I have more justification to buy a $4000 Nord Stage 3 rather than $4000 of samples... it's true.

 

[KaliYoni]

how can people afford such expensive stuff, even at my age?

1. Helicopter parents.
2. Trust funds.
3. Stealing/Nicking/Fencing

 

[rm5]

You're still incredibly young. It's much more normal than you think to start at the bottom credibility and money-wise. Also most wise professionals will tell you that professional tools/gears don't matter that much. It helps, but you don't need them.

Edit: A good portfolio and website/self-promoting platform speak a lot for potential clients. Networking will help too.

Very true. But I guess my argument here is that I've been on the music scene for nearly six years already, which is great, and I've had wonderful opportunities, but I think soon enough, people are going to start laughing at my sub-par gear. Look, I have a Yamaha P-115, which is an awesome keyboard, but something has to be said about how few sounds it has, and the old "DGX-650-esque" sound engine (that's not the name, I can't remember what it's actually called lol) That hasn't happened yet, but I think it will pretty soon unless I upgrade.

And I think you're absolutely right—a good portfolio is a requirement I'd say! And that's something I've been actively working on, too

EDIT: Just talked to a guy (who's in his 20s) at the jam session last night, and he told me about this company who hires people to play weddings... I should look into that. But there is a little risk in doing that, because since the music scene is so competitive, I question if I would actually get anything in return.

 

[rm5]

The other thing about me not getting any gigs (outside of working with that inexperienced vocalist who had no idea what she was doing) is that all the young people I've talked to go to the university (which has a very weak music program...) and I think THAT is where they're getting all their gigs from. I just don't know enough other young people to be able to do that. I know a bunch of older people, but they already have their older "companions" that they work with.

EDIT: Although I was asked by the bass player in the house band last night if I could play in the house band for a couple weeks while the regular pianist is out of town... so that's one opportunity, but I guess, like with all the other gigs, if he actually follows through with it.

But not to stray from the topic at hand—adding to my point from earlier today: I think that those people in LA who had really good equipment were really invested in the producing realm. For me, it's harder (or is it not hard and I'm thinking about it wrong... as I think about most things) because I'm both a performer AND a producer, and so money has to go towards both places.

 

[Noynoy]

I think in the music industry, a person could make an equally good living working on a Windows PC; I understand that doesn't apply to all industries, but from what I've gathered, it's true of the music industry. But I think my point still applies... how can people afford such expensive stuff, even at my age? Of course, people have given great, useful answers in this thread that I've appreciated... but thinking back to the Film and TV Scoring Program I did in LA this past summer, everyone in my group of students had some sort of expensive software or hardware. Running down the list (starting with me), other people in subsequent list items:

1. M1 MacBook Air w/ 16 GB of RAM (that's what I used during the program), and a half-decent 61-key controller That's pretty much it.
2. Another guy had a 14-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro with 64 GB of RAM
3. (This guy had an awful computer but an amazing collection of libraries) 2013 13" MBP, but he had probably $4000 worth of samples
4. Another guy had an 14" MBP (dunno it was M1 Pro or M1 Max) with a FULL LICENSE of Pro Tools, several good sample libraries, and a nice controller

You see my point? Most of these guys aren't even professionals! Here, I'm not comparing myself to people in their 40s, I'm comparing myself to people my age.

Now, I guess my argument for having "less good" equipment than the others is because I'm not a full-time producer, so I haven't invested as much into producing stuff.

EDIT: While I'm thinking about it, it's almost as if I have more justification to buy a $4000 Nord Stage 3 rather than $4000 of samples... it's true.

Maybe their folks are rich? I wouldn't take that against them though. University aint cheap so students with moneyed parents to be able to buy whatever tools that will give their kids a leg up in life because they prioritize it.

Windows vs Macs are now more on duplication of workflow so the user/operator does not have to understand and work around incompatibilities. This is why even if Linux is free since the 90s it has failed in the desktop/laptop relative to even Macs.

I expect that my last paragraph will elicit a strongly worded response but truth is the consumer buying said hardware or content will determine who is correct or not.

If you want to make a living out of this then almost everyone that matters to your cash-flow wouldn't care what you use.

It is the content or output that matters. It's GIGO regardless of the brand you use.

Think of the food you buy from take out. Does it matter to you the brand of the oil/salt/seasoning/protein/grains that they use?

Or say photography... do you ask yourself if its a Canon/Sony that was used for your grad photo?

This may come off as callous but don't worry. You got this.

Although if I was part of a 1980s cover band then I'd make sure that my keyboard player has a Yamaha DX7 to get that 80s-accurate sound.

I looked at your signature and you sure are lucky to have all that gear at your age.

 

[KaliYoni]

I think that those people in LA who had really good equipment were really invested in the producing realm. For me, it's harder (or is it not hard and I'm thinking about it wrong... as I think about most things) because I'm both a performer AND a producer, and so money has to go towards both places.

You should figure out a way to talk with this guy (Performer: check. Producer: check. Studio owner: check. Outspoken: check!!!):

Steve Albini — Electrical Audio

www.electricalaudio.com

To be brutally frank, how much more advice and insight do you feel you can gather from people gathered on an Apple rumors website? Not many of the responses in this longish thread are from people professionally involved with what you want to do. Perhaps you've reached a limit on what "civilians" can contribute.

 

[rm5]

Maybe their folks are rich? I wouldn't take that against them though. University aint cheap so students with moneyed parents to be able to buy whatever tools that will give their kids a leg up in life because they prioritize it.

Could be, obviously I have no idea though... I honestly think I'm right though about that being because they've invested more into their producing gear, I have to invest in both producing and performing.

I looked at your signature and you sure are lucky to have all that gear at your age.

True. I mean I'm not complaining, and I hope it doesn't come across as me complaining that I don't have all the "good gear." I would say that it is my goal to have SOME of that gear if it means success. But as I pointed out in an earlier post, I don't want to do this yet because of how uncertain the future is at this point (not in a bad way, but you get my point).

I agree, yes, I am lucky to have built up what I have right now, and it's great. And what I'm NOT trying to say is that people my age should have the "good gear" because I don't think that's true.

I guess my whole point with this thread was addressing people who are older than me, so I apologize if it's coming across in the wrong way (see post #1 if you want to know where I was coming from initially).

 

[rm5]

You should figure out a way to talk with this guy (Performer: check. Producer: check. Studio owner: check. Outspoken: check!!!):

Steve Albini — Electrical Audio

www.electricalaudio.com

To be brutally frank, how much more advice and insight do you feel you can gather from people gathered on an Apple rumors website? Not many of the responses in this longish thread are from people professionally involved with what you want to do. Perhaps you've reached a limit on what "civilians" can contribute.

I've actually heard of that guy, and Mike Senior's book Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio (which I've read probably five times—great book) references him extensively, so he sure is well-known in the music industry!

As far as trying to gather information from people on this site—my whole intention of this wasn't necessarily for this to become specific to the music industry, although that's what it has become - discussion of the music industry, which is okay IMO, but that wasn't my initial goal.

I think in terms of answering my original question, that limit was reached (and for the most part, my question was answered) by the end of the first page of responses. But inevitably (partially due to me), people had more and more to say, which is also okay I think.

So I apologize if I've somehow "mismanaged" this thread by causing it to become "off-topic," but that was partially out of my control. Worth repeating "partially."

 

[kaustavsarkar391]

Priority can make a man do anything. The term is what makes our life. If you hold priority over something, then you will take out a minimum of 5 mins if that's the maximum amount of time you can spare out of your super busy schedule. Same goes in the case of buying super expensive gifts. Think if its your daughter's marriage.

 

[Mousse]

people are going to start laughing at my sub-par gear.

Is your gear limiting your creativity or skill? If it is, then save up to used highend gear. If not, who cares what other people think? It's like "Dirty" Harry Calahan😑 said, "Well, opinions are like a*******. Everybody has one." I'll add, "And they all stink."😁

People will either change their opinion really quick when they hear what you can do with that sub-par gear. Or they're the type who uses great gear as a crutch for being talent poor.

I've been using a 20D for nearly 20 years now. I recently got a 50D (10+ year old camera) because I wanted micro focus adjustment.

Windows vs Macs are now more on duplication of workflow so the user/operator does not have to understand and work around incompatibilities. This is why even if Linux is free since the 90s it has failed in the desktop/laptop relative to even Macs.

Linux failed to take off as a desktop OS because of the gawd awful user interface. Linux is a popular server OS because IT people can figure out the unconventional--ie not user friendly--interface. Also most of the open source software on Linux have their own UI quirk. There is no unified UI guidelines like the Mac or Windows.

 

[Kung]

I guess my whole point with this thread was addressing people who are older than me, so I apologize if it's coming across in the wrong way (see post #1 if you want to know where I was coming from initially).

If you're asking how we can afford the expensive stuff, for me, it comes/came down to a few things.

1. Screwups. In the military I blew a lot of money, had a terrible credit rating, etc., and it essentially continued until I met my then-girlfriend/now-wife, and literally fell in love at first sight. (I know it sounds cheesy, but I *KNEW* the minute I laid eyes on her that, if I was lucky, she'd be the girl I would be blessed to marry, and I was!) I then bounced a check, and my girlfriend flat told me "Look - I love you, but if we get married, it's a partnership, and I won't be partnered to someone who intentionally tanks our finances." That pulled me up short, caused me to retool how I did my finances, and now I not only pay all the bills, but we pay stuff off early, and I've got an 850+ credit rating.

2. A decent job. I'm lucky in that I get to do what I love - senior server admin for DoD (you know, I'm one of those gov't employees who 'doesn't work' although my supervisor sure hasn't gotten THAT memo lol). My wife is a diabetic educator for a company she loves to work for, and between the two of us, we do quite well.

3. We're smart with what we buy. Sure, it's not like we never splurge, but we're smart about it. For example, I'm wearing my spiffy new Apple Watch SE2. 3 years ago I bought a brand new Toyota Tundra. I specifically did it then because a) my truck was going south in terms of reliability and the like, and b) I got almost $9K off, which is dang near unheard of. Being as we were all WFH for a year or two, I told her "In return for buying the truck of my dreams, I'm paying this sucker off ASAP" - and I did. I paid it off in 22 months flat. We don't make big purchases unless we *need* them; and we make sure other bills are paid off before we buy our 'wants,' so to speak.

There's probably more to it than that, but the above are the basic 'big' things.

 

[rm5]

People will either change their opinion really quick when they hear what you can do with that sub-par gear. Or they're the type who uses great gear as a crutch for being talent poor.

Agreed! You are totally right! But I have to argue that I've never seen or heard a good musician with sub-par gear, or a bad musician with good gear. All the bad musicians have bad gear, and all the good ones have good gear—that's what I've noticed. And as I'm starting to become (or have already become, according to some people) one of those "good musicians" (I can safely say that), that's just something I've been thinking about...

I think I need to trade in both my keyboards (after fixing the broken USB port on my S750) and get something like a MODX 8—that would solve all my problems.

EDIT: Also, I got all this older gear when I was much younger and wasn't performing as much, if at all. I got my S750 because back then I needed on-device 16-track MIDI sequencing. Don't need that anymore. Got my P-115 as an upgrade from my old YPG-535 (yes, I was using one of those...). I don't have those needs anymore. I'm older, and have two decent computers, Logic Pro, and a dedicated MIDI controller. I get it, people's needs change (including mine).

Honestly I can't believe it's taken me this whole long thread to finally understand how this works, but I think I've reached a better point with this. Here's what I've gathered as far as "solutions" go:

1. You have a good-paying job
2. You trade in your old gear for newer gear
3. Sometimes, your company gives you stuff
4. Being smart with your money; saving it, too.
5. "Getting yourself out there" - finding as many opportunities as you can

I'm probably missing a few things, but anyway...

 

[rm5]

A little off-topic, but the other thing that I noticed from one of the first posts in this thread (after rereading it), is that it is SO IMPORTANT to act professionally and "project a good image," as they put it, to your client. I'm glad that over the last year (from doing my senior project), that I've somewhat learned how to do this, and I've learned what NOT to do, too.

When you communicate properly and produce a good-sounding, well-cared-for final product, that seems to be how you get more work.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Agreed! You are totally right! But I have to argue that I've never seen or heard a good musician with sub-par gear, or a bad musician with good gear. All the bad musicians have bad gear, and all the good ones have good gear—that's what I've noticed.

I can tell you you are wrong. Having good or bad gear doesn’t make you a good or bad musician, producer or anything.
Plenty of people with the best gear who are hopeless. Plenty of people who use the gear they have to the best of its ability.
As we say at work. All the gear, no idea!