Sometimes you just have to get rid of some unused gear to make room for growth. We all have a piece of gear we regret letting go of. Here, Audrey shares hers and one thing she will probably hold onto forever.

We’ve let a lot of gear build-up at the studio over the years. Some of it used regularly, but the items that are not in regular rotation, end up on shelves in our back room and offices. After several years of this, we needed to reorganize and make room for the gear we did use, plus we wanted some extra cash to buy gear that we felt would help our business grow. So three or four years ago, we decided to part ways with some items that we hadn’t used in several years.

It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that an RCA-44BX ribbon microphone from 1935 was one of the items that we decided to sell. Here I am with my business partners Buzz Kemper and Noah Gilfillan, posing with the RCA for a photo that became our company’s Holiday card that year.

I only regret selling this microphone when I’m recording jazz, which I have to say is fairly often now. However, we were able to buy a used 16 channel Presonus mixer and some used Earthworks QTC40s which we employ several times a week. The minimalist in me likes to only keep what I need around, but there is something to be said for hanging onto something for its aesthetic and this is one of those things. 

While it was easy to pick an item that I regretted selling, it is actually quite hard for me to choose one item that I would never sell. At first thought, I wanted to choose our Yamaha C6 grand piano as one thing I would never sell. We record so much classical music, and acoustic piano music in general, that the piano paid for itself within 2 years. That instrument is as much a part of the studio as any piece of gear is.

However, I can’t predict the future. It’s still relatively early in my career so who knows where I’ll be in 30 years? Maybe I’ll end up moving out west and will need to leave the piano behind. Maybe the studio will have moved to a bigger building and we will end up trading in our 7ft piano for a 9 ft. 

On the other hand, there are so many things that I can see myself using every day, no matter the size of the studio or where I live, such as microphones and interfaces. I started by narrowing down my list by crossing off items that will probably be rendered useless by advances in technology such as my Avid 192s. I also crossed off any items that I could see myself trading in to upgrade in the future such as my Mac Pro.

Eventually, I was left with one item on the list and had arrived on a decision. The one item I could never sell is our Millennia HV-3D mic preamps.

I use these mic preamps for just about every studio session and have even taken them on the road a few times to record orchestras in concert halls. They are transparent and have a huge dynamic range - two things that are important for acoustic music. 

Going into a New Year always makes me reflect on the past and ponder the future. No matter what gigs come, I’m sure that I’ll be hanging onto these Millennia preamps for many millennia to come. 

Get it? That was a bad joke. Sorry, not sorry.