Victor Nguyen Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 It seems like there's a new camera coming out Everyday, and the camera that you are using today will be outdated in a year or 2. I'm wondering if that also apply to sound equipment. If I buy a mic, how long until it becomes outdated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Futterman Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 The 416 was invented in the late 70s or early 80s (someone want to correct me? Well, somewhere in that ballpark). Aside from a few minor changes such as a switch from T power to 48v Phantom, it is essentially the same damn mic. Still popular. Most audio gear tends to hold its value pretty well over the years. Recorders seem the most susceptible to obsolescence, but that in recent years has been mostly due to formats being retired. DAT or DVD-RAM anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 I'm still using the 5 Schoeps mics I bought in the mid 1980s. My 416 is from around the same period. I also have cabling and snakes from that time. All the recorders I use are much more recent, have turned over several times over the years, as have mixers to a lesser degree. Anything computer-based only lasts a few years at most. There have been big advances in wirelesses and related technology in the last 10 years, and there will be more changes to that stuff re the reallocation of the RF spectrum. So, really high end mics aside, the more hitech something is the faster it will become obsolete. phil p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Miramontes Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 There are some mics that are over 10 years old that are still being used today. They also hold their value pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmgoodin Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 My 415 T from 1971 is still working every day as a VO Mic at Buzzys Recording services. Still sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate C Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Don't look at any of the new toys coming out and your old ones will always be the bees neez. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 There are some mics that are over 10 years old that are still being used today. They also hold their value pretty well. Uhhh. Try 20- 30 years old Michael. To Victor, think of microphones like a cameraman thinks about a lens. The good ones serve you well, make you money, and hold their value. It is a great VO mic Courtney. Glad it is still working. I have Rodger D's old 415 T. Still has what it has.... Cheers. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb1138 Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 My mikes (T-powered) must be, like, 20/30 years old as Crew says. Sounds fantastic. RF is a problem...but I got what I paid for. I guess if you go another decade back the mikes would NOT be usable now? Like the first shotgun microphones? Stuff before the MKH series? I feel like are we reaching some kind of limit with microphone design? Can they really get any better? Your microphones might never become defunct. - Sawrab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Knowledge and experience are future proof :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaul215 Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Lenses are a good example of camera hardware that lasts decades if taken care of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Matthews Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 +1 Robert and Crew. I look at good mics as a close to lifetime purchase. I would (and did) comfortably invest the most there. My 416 and Schoeps CMC641 will probably last longer than I do. Everything else can become obsolete quickly, especially recorders. Good mixers are a bit more future proof (my 442 is still doing the job for me even though the 552 and 664 have more/better features) and good wireless gear should be good for at least 5 years unless the FCC makes the block illegal to use. This is exactly why I am holding on to my DR-680 for now. Only when I finally get a decent feature or entire season of a TV show (its gonna happen even though I live in Missoula, MT!!) and know I'll have money coming in for a while will I buy a new recorder, either a 788, a Nomad or maybe even a 664 depending on the gig but I'll probably rent first to see what I like the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Rose Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 From the postie's perspective: Good monitor speakers last forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Nguyen Posted September 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 From the postie's perspective: Good monitor speakers last forever. Didn't know you were on here. I bought your book btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benr Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Does it still capture and sound good? Then its as new and lasting as it needs to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benr Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Didn't know you were on here. I bought your book btw. I did too! Two of them in fact! Great stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 wireless systems are not future proofed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonR Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 I have 35-year old Schoeps mics that are still in production today. Microphone technology seems to move very slowly. Many better manufacturers are happy to service their old mics, keeping them in excellent service for many decades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mobilemike Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 I think it depends on the quality of the gear too - the Sennheiser, Schoeps, Neumann,etc mics sound great and hold their value for decades... Some of the cheap knock off brands (MXL, Audio Technica, Studio Projects, etc probably won't be quite as in demand in 30/40 years... If they even last that long. Look at old Studio mics too... Stuff like vintage Neumann U47/67 go for mega bucks today... -Mike Fowler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_bollard Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Quality microphones really do last. I have only just retired my workhorse 416T - in daily use since I bought it in 1989 - replaced by a sanken CS3e. The 416 still travels everywhere with me as my main backup mic. I have a matched pair of AKG 451EBs that still get a look in, in the right circumstances. They date further back to my music studio days. Still great to mic a grand piano or for car interiors with the swivel head attachment. Recorders come and go with boring regularity. Over the same time frame I have gone thru 1/4" Nagras, 16 track reel to reel with various synchronizer interfaces, DAT and timecode DAT, minidisc, and currently recording on zoom recorders, 788 with 442 as my backup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominiquegreffard Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 I recently upgraded an old sanken cs3 to a cs3-e by sending it back to the factory. Mics are a great lasting investement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrd456 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Recording devices have changed the most often,but I think that is going to slow down soon [i don't know] J.D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Futterman Posted September 23, 2012 Report Share Posted September 23, 2012 Recording devices may change, but workflows have stabilized for now. These days, hand a client or DIT or whomever your CF or SD card and download. Done! As long as that doesn't change you can get a lot of years even with something like an FR2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted September 23, 2012 Report Share Posted September 23, 2012 Recording devices may change, but workflows have stabilized for now. These days, hand a client or DIT or whomever your CF or SD card and download. Done! As long as that doesn't change you can get a lot of years even with something like an FR2. The current workflow isn't stable at all--and there are many new developments in the pipeline that will change things. We've only been on CF for a short period of time--not really even as long as DAT (yet) and certainly not as long as 1/4" analog tape, with HD swaps and DVDRAM/-R burns in between. CF is kind of long in the tooth by digital standards these days.... phil p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_bollard Posted September 25, 2012 Report Share Posted September 25, 2012 Amen Phil on the CF. Now that production is happy to take CF cards it seems they are too happy to take them; it's the getting back that can be the issue. Kinda like a consumable but one they don't want to pay for.... Up side is CF cards at getting cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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