My best guess is professional knowledge relates to school or education of some kind. Its a very, very weird thing to say.

[quote=fishbulb;18171401]To add to the confusion he has been working in the music production field for over 10 years. Presumably not professionally though?[/quote]

Yeah, that didn't trip me up that much. "Professional", to me anyway, just means "paid money to do it." I can totally see somebody making that distinction.


[quote=fishbulb;18171401]This is another thing that caught my eye. What if the client is an awful musician or terrible writer? I don't think you can polish a turd into a top notch professional quality record.[/quote]

I chalked that one up to advertising hype. It might not exactly be the truth (for at least the reasons you mention), but it's kind of like saying "you won't find a lower price" or something similar. You're mostly just trying to look good for potential clients.


[quote=Seafroggys;18171548]My best guess is professional knowledge relates to school or education of some kind. Its a very, very weird thing to say.[/quote]

That's something to consider I guess. I figured that being a student was the polar opposite of being a professional, in the sense that you're paying to do something, rather than the other way around. But maybe that's just my own viewpoint skewing things.

[quote] [B][SIZE=3]TASCAM DM-24 DIGITAL MIXER CONSOLE - $600[/SIZE][/B]

if you see this mixer then you know what it does. fantastic mixer in the studio and live. the screen needs to be repaired/replaced (pictured below).

comes with the following upgrades:

adat card installed

cascade card installed

tdif card installed

will included the desk thats in the videos for a little extra $$!

No lowballers

No shipping

Only contact me is you are on the way to buy it!!

you can see videos of the actual console in use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90jjjj6oZ_s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwR_m-FgNjg

[B][pictures not included][/B][/quote]


One huge problem with this ad:

[quote]Only contact me is you are on the way to buy it!![/quote]


Assuming that "is" should be an "if" and you hopefully can see my point. Not only do we not know where you are (they only give a rough idea of location), but even if we did it wouldn't matter. Sending you an email (via craigslist no less) and then immediately setting out to your location provides no indication that you're actually going to be there. A phone call would be way more appropriate here: maybe you should provide a number we can use.

[quote][B][SIZE=3]New Studio! Great Rates! Great Samples![/SIZE][/B]

Isn't it apparent that none of these studios have no samples? That means they suck...I do have samples and have just gotten my first major label release last week. Anyways If interested I will send you examples of my work and I am currently charging $40 and hour which is a steal granted my skill and HQ equipment. Sorry I cant offer 20/hr Im just too good for that.

Hit me up if interested[/quote]There's a lot here that we can talk about, but before I do, let me point out that I'm pretty sure this poster has been covered before (I think twice, actually, maybe more times): this genuinely seems to be somebody who doesn't quite "get it" when it comes to advertising.

First of all, the whole "telling the people what they need to hear" thing? That's what a used car salesman does. The whole "no samples = you suck" bit doesn't work here. Why? Because there is no link to samples! You're not providing any more content than the people you're complaining about. If we trust in your own logic, that must mean you suck.

For the record, I have heard the demo tracks from this guy, and of the two he made available, 1 was actually really good and the other was pretty "blah." So take from that what you will.

Let's continue, though:

[quote]have just gotten my first major label release last week[/quote]Great! Who was the talent? Or at least what label are you talking about? I'm willing to bet you're either not yet at liberty to say, or you can't confirm it until the release date. That's as good to a potential client as not having done the session at all.

The big one though is when we start talking price again:

[quote]I am currently charging $40 and hour which is a steal granted my skill and HQ equipment. Sorry I cant offer 20/hr Im just too good for that.[/quote]Okay, "HQ" doesn't necessarily mean "high quality", even if you think it does. It often means "headquarters." That could suggest your equipment is not necessarily always the same (i.e., "headquarters" equipment versus other stuff). I'll concede that I'm reaching on that one.

The real problem is that you don't list said equipment. Or let us hear your "skill." Just like all those other guys...who suck (the implication is pretty strong on my end for this). Oh, and they charge less than you do. So, what exactly is piquing our interest here? Is it the fact that yet again (he's the "kick the s**t" guy) you claim to be better than everyone else on the scene, unsupported? Is it that you've got a chip on your shoulder redeemable for a sizable cash sum in a Vegas casino? Or is it your insistence on an awesome demo that you don't seem comfortable letting just anybody hear?

he's just too good for that... lol

[quote]I'm looking for indivisuals who know music composition well and are able to [B]articulat1e[/B] there musical thoughts into beautifull sound with there instruments.[/quote]

Okay, this is just a small snippet from an ad that's not terrible other than blatant spelling problems. I've bolded the one the one that I just had to share. Given this passage, the only way this could have been more poetically erroneous is if instead of a "1" they had punched in "[B]♫[/B]" by mistake.

Yes, I'm glad you can articulate your musical thoughts. But that's kind of in contrast to your regular ones...

So something kind of weird has been cropping up as of late...

[quote] [SIZE=3][B]Our music will make u care bout Jesus or make u become evil,GUARANTEED[/B][/SIZE][/quote]


Okay, so this is the title of one of several ads posted by a Christian rapper claiming to be the only "noncorny hardcore" rapper in area (possibly the world). I'm not really going to comment on that particular aspect of it, but I do want to talk about this ad title.

First up, let's assume what's being said here is true, and let's also assume that the Christianity worldview is correct (for the sake of the discussion). If that's the case, this is hilariously short-sighted. By choosing to listen to this music, you will either start caring about Jesus, or you will become evil ("GUARANTEED").

It's possible that this is some kind of weird pseudo-commentary on Christian-inspired music. Based on the actual text of the ads, I doubt this very much. No, what's really being said here is:

"There is only two outcomes after you hear this music. Either you start to care about Jesus or you will become evil."

So, what if you're already a practicing Christian? You can't really "start" to care about Jesus if you already do, can you? Well congratulations, you're now evil. Enjoy your eternal damnation.

It gets even stupider if you don't assume the viewer is a practicing Christian, but then we're getting away from the main theme of the thread.

Bottom line: if you believe this claim, you probably won't listen to the music. If you [I]don't [/I]believe the claim, then you probably think this is a crazy person, and probably will also not be listening to the music.

Another one that popped up this week from the same guy:

[quote][SIZE=3][B]They Gon hustle ur money, God wants to hustle ur soul!!![/B][/SIZE][/quote]

I don't even know what this is supposed to mean.

Okay that is hilarious. We get Christian posts on my craigslist all the time but nothing as ridiculous as that.

[quote=Moseph;17075898]...there was some kettle-stirring over a studio run by a young guy who apparently inherited a fortune and set out to try and live the "producer's dream life."[/quote]

Okay, I was searching through some old emails and found I had more info about this story. This was all between 12/08-01/09.

First, two CL ads posted by the kettle-stirrer:

[quote][SIZE=3][B]can anyone recommend a decent recording studio?[/B][/SIZE]

We are a five piece working band. We require protools to complete our project. We need a studio with at least one sound proof room so we can record three members at once for base tracks. We then over dub the rest.

We have tried [B][problem studio][/B], it was awful, the enginneer took 2 1/2 HOURS to mic a 4 piece kit, didnt have enough cables, was out of DVD's, etc... Just in general was the worst engineer ever. This is NOT a studio, its someones former attic bedroom, its run by teenagers, and it sucks.

[B][2nd studio][/B] isnt too bad but we were getting over charged.

[B][3rd studio][/B] is awesome but they dont use protools.

Anyone got a suggestion? We have only 4-5 tracks to go and about 600 bucks to cover the job.[/quote]This next ad:

[quote][SIZE=3][B]BEWARE OF [studio] SCAM !!!!![/B][/SIZE]
Field of HORSESHIT !

I recently tried to record there, dealt with Eric[B] [last name redacted][/B]. They have two ways to pay there, one is an hourly rate of $25 dollars and then he offered a $200 dollar package for 6 hours.

I told him our bands requirements. We have a 5 piece live act. We needed to record 4 tracks to complete an album. I explained to Eric that we would like to lay base tracks for Bass, Guitar and Drums in our first session and that these would be together and then leave with recordings to practice to and for a second session we would lay overdubs of sax, vocals, harp and some miscellaneous percussion. He agreed he could accommodate us and that the 200 dollar package would work for us. We then scheduled a date.

So he tells me he will have his engineer call us to confirm details which he did a few days later. I gave the same instructions to his board engineer. He said he would be ready.

So we show up at 9pm on a sat night to record and they are woefully unprepared. The house is painted in crayons. They expect us to cram into an attic bedroom converted into a cruddy poorly soundproofed studio. The engineer expected my drummer to play alone in this room and that this was his understanding of our requirements which was nothing like I explained to him initially. First of all on this board they have only two inputs for headphones so it would not be possible to setup three band members in this room even if we could fit. We started discussing options. There is another larger room in the basement but Eric did not have a snake to setup in there. He claimed it was in another studio and did not offer to get it that night. We renegotiated this deal I thought where since we were there and unpacked we would try to do something else possible in the space with the equipment he had there. He offered to work something out then he then left for the night never to return.

We arranged to record two tracks completely instead of using two sessions since these tracks required less instrumentation and pay by the hour and this was fine with the engineer. My agreement with Eric was that we did not pay for setup time which is a good thing since the engineer was TERRIBLE! He didn't know what he was doing it seemed and he took at least TWO AND A HALF HOURS to mic a small drum kit. My drummer knew more than he did about his equipment. He had mics but not enough cables and borrowed cables from us. We then spent the next four hours working with what we had to finish the tracks and paid $100 bucks to him.

But then he didn't have any DVDs to burn the recordings on. I arranged for him to mail one to us and sometime in the wee hours we left, pretty satisfied we at least got something done. But we decided not to record there anymore.

So here it is a few days later and there is nothing in the mail so I called. Eric [B][last name redacted][/B] was a total ass demanding we pay another 100 dollars per our original verbal agreement which he was unprepared to deal with and despite his earlier offer to "work something out" he refused to release our recordings, could not even accurately articulate the original project specs in this call (which was the beginning of the problem), he talked over me almost the whole call, told me to blow and he would just delete our tracks. I offered to contest him in court, he responded with "I'll eat you alive". He carried on and on painting me as the bad guy for bringing five band members in the door. (What's wrong with that? We are a band and we all have input, he claimed I had an attitude that night, etc…) I was very polite with him while there, I didn't even bitch at the engineer all that much. I think the worst thing I said all night was gee it's too bad the accommodations are so minimal this trip. Eric quickly escalated to a highly defensive posture, refused to negotiate, denied half the things he told me initially, refused to part amicably, was swearing by the end of the call.

So it was a total waste of time and money and dealing with Eric was exasperating and unproductive.

Anyways- all you guys thinking about [B][studio][/B] be advised our experience was a clusterfuck that cost our band 100 dollars and many hours of aggravation and we got nothing but shitty attitude and denial from the people there. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

Pass it on [/quote]Now, there wasn't any particular linking between these two, except they were both bitching about the problem studio and how long it takes to mic a drum kit.

Smelling opportunity, I quoted both ads in the following email:

[quote]Hi,
First off, I want you to know that I'm writing because I believe that the two ads posted below were both posted by you. If not, I apologize and will fully understand if you're not looking for an alternate recording experience.

I'm 24 and run a mobile, computer-based recording rig that is capable of handling 18 simultaneous inputs. I do this first and foremost as a passion (I have a regular day job), so I have always chosen to work very inexpensively. I do not typically make "deals" regarding costs because I believe I am already delivering a better product at a better cost than all my main competition (home studios and part-timers like the [B][problem studio][/B]): $15/hour, and possibly a small travel stipend if you are located very far from me.

Unlike the other home recordists, I cannot typically host a loud recording session myself (I live in a townhouse), so I have developed my rig to be completely mobile. I can get all the necessary gear into my car and take it to your door for the session to take place wherever the band usually rehearses. I've been doing this in adapted environments for about 5 years and have gained a lot of experience making things work on-location.

I can also comfortably stand behind my pedigree in formal experience. In college, I spent a couple of years working as a tech in world-class facilities while I got my degree in signal processing. This gained me loads of technical experience, both theoretical and hands-on (I've both designed a digital equalizer and wired up 3 separate pro rooms), and great behind-the-desk experience. I've worked with the vast gamut of talent out there: frat rock bands, academic composers, professional jazz groups, even a Grammy winner or two.

I'm a straight-shooter in all aspects of my life, and work very hard to bring you tracks you can be proud of. I maintain a number of working conditions on each session I work on, each condition designed with the intention to keep things professional and to protect the interests of both me [I]and [/I]my client (I can present you with the full list if you're interested to explore this further).

Because of my day job and non-audio life, I generally am only available to work on weekends and holidays with at least a few days notice (preferably about 6-11 days). All I really need to get started is a space large enough to do the tracking, shelter from the elements, a working 3-pronged outlet, and a safe spot to park my car during the session. At $15/hour, you can get a full 40-hours of work out of me, which I think is plenty to get you the results your after.

There is one small catch: I don't use Pro Tools. However, I've never considered this to be a big deal. I can put together your data into a format that can be easily transferred to any computer program you want, including Pro Tools. Any engineer worth the time to schedule a session should be able to take your data and work from there. I can also put together stems, alternate mixes, whatever you need to get your project to the next stage, be it another round of recording, mixing, or mastering.

Please have a listen to some samples of my previous work at my MySpace Page: [B][URL redacted][/B]

For a list of past and present project experience (where I acted as lead engineer in some capacity), please see my Curriculum Vitae here: [B][URL redacted][/B]

If you have questions about my equipment, feel free to have a look at some sample setups based on past projects:[B] [URL redacted][/B]

If you have any other questions, comments or concerns, please let me know and I'll do my best to address them for you ASAP.

Please get in contact with me and let me know what you think (even if you'd rather not work with me). I'm eager to here about your project.

Thanks, hope to hear from you soon!

[B][name redacted][/B][/quote]

The response?

[quote]thanks Dan [B][note: my name isn't Dan][/B]. I have actually got an outpouring of support from the craigs list community, [B][problem studio name pun][/B] excepted, and I do thank for for your kind offer.
I will keep your info on file for other future opportunities because for some things it sounds like a really good deal to me. We did our first recording in a basement studio with pro tools and it sounded better than what we did at [problem studio]. Even though many formats out there are fine to use (we did a previous project at [B][3rd studio][/B] which uses Nuevo and it was an awsome result) unfortunately Pro Tools is sort of the industry standard and our label requires us to submit our masters in this format so we have that as a restriction we work with currently.

[B][problem studio][/B] really screwed themselves with this poor attutude since we are all very professional and connected in lots of music circles. Its just an amateur operation, kind of looks to me like some brat got a big inheretance and decided to follow a producer dream with it but I doubt it will amount to much if this is the way the treat clients. I was pretty shocked at how nasty this turkey got and how fast he got that way. It was all about us until we got there then it was all about him and how fast he could take money and run away. Lesson learned.

You know its funny that you connected the two ads (they are mine) It just lends weight to our position that we gave our specs properly and up front at the start. He claimed he didnt hear any of this yet there it is right there in our ad. We are going to have to finish this up at Avalon this time around. I was after the quick and dirty session but that was probably my mistake.

Live and learn i guess. I might hassle him in a small claims suit just to be as annoying in return. too bad. They should just be honest instead of inflating their capabillities so much.

Johnny.[/quote]


So I got two things out of this:

(01) I wasn't getting a gig out of this guy.
(02) Clearly this guy's situation didn't develop from a meeting of great thinkers.

I sent him a cordial and professional response with some suggestions about how to resolve his situation, he sent back a "thank you" and that was the end of it. But I did notice some stuff.

[quote]They have two ways to pay there, one is an hourly rate of $25 dollars and then he offered a $200 dollar package for 6 hours.[/quote]


There's no reason to take that package deal. 6 hours at $25/hour works out to be $150. The fact that this "special" was offered, and then accepted kind of indicated to me that neither party was really on the ball with basic math.


[quote]So we show up at 9pm on a sat night to record and they are woefully unprepared. The house is painted in crayons. They expect us to cram into an attic bedroom converted into a cruddy poorly soundproofed studio...it would not be possible to setup three band members in this room even if we could fit. We started discussing options...We renegotiated this deal I thought where since we were there and unpacked we would try to do something else possible in the space with the equipment he had there. He offered to work something out then he then left for the night never to return.[/quote]


Another key point: nobody forced you to unpack and do the session after you found out about the problems. If you're not comfortable with the situation or there's a surprise change of plans, be upfront about it, but keep in mind that you can always walk away before money exchanges hands (though I've made this mistake myself, and recently: maybe another time to tell that one).


Also, [COLOR=Red][U][B][I]NEVER[/I][/B][/U][/COLOR] (emphasis on purpose) leave things open-ended like this. This Eric guy apparently fed them some lines about "working things out" and then left, and they agreed to that. That's no good. Particularly if there were already unexpected issues before the session even starts. Get it in writing first. So you can avoid this:

[quote]So here it is a few days later and there is nothing in the mail so I called. Eric [B][last name redacted][/B] was a total ass demanding we pay another 100 dollars per our original verbal agreement which he was unprepared to deal with and despite his earlier offer to "work something out" he refused to release our recordings, could not even accurately articulate the original project specs in this call (which was the beginning of the problem)[/quote]


All that other stuff, about how Eric was awful and Johnny was a saint? I don't really believe that. It's really easy to paint yourself as the good guy/martyr, particularly with a neutral audience that's looking to benefit from the situation. I also kind of focused in on this bit:

[quote]I didn't even bitch at the engineer all that much...I might hassle him in a small claims suit just to be as annoying in return[/quote]


Truly you must be the pinnacle of professional excellence.

[quote=Moseph;18213103]So something kind of weird has been cropping up as of late...[/quote]


Okay, this guy is back, and is decidedly less crazy this time:


[quote][SIZE=3][B]So you think God isn't in Hip Hop?[/B][/SIZE]
So you think God isn't in Hip Hop? Well what do you think about [B][name redacted][/B]? [B][website redacted][/B][/quote]


The comparison here is stark.

we found on CDbaby this one - it's funny, but still true:
http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/2010/10/10-great-tips-to-help-you-fail-as-an-independent-artist/?utm_source=DIYNews&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=102710

10 Great Tips to Help You Fail as an Independent Artist

Article by Scott James of The Independent Rockstar Blog originally posted in Echoes on 10/14/10.

We’ve all seen and read posts and eBooks about how to ‘succeed’ as independent artists and to be honest, I’ve even written a few. But what about those of us who are bent on failure? Those of us who would like to know how to shoot ourselves in the foot as efficiently and painfully as possible? Those of us who would like to be more unsuccessful and confused? Well this post is for you!

Some of these things I’ve done myself, and I can assure you – they work amazingly well! Others I’ve merely watched in admiration as true masters of blunder and confusion have performed their magic before my very eyes.

So here it is, my guide to failure for the independent artist:

1. Steal Your Own Thunder
Got a new CD in the works? Awesome! Make sure you release every version of every demo and every mix you record during the process on Facebook, Reverbnation, Myspace and anywhere else you can find. Try to confuse your fans so that they’re not really sure if you have a CD out yet or not. Don’t set a release date well in advance or plan your promotion to build anticipation. Try to make your release as flat and confusing as possible!

2. Don’t Sell Anything!
You’re definitely going to get signed by a huge label in less than three months anyway, so why bother?! It’s much better to just wait for other people to come in and straighten things out. Taking responsibility for your own career is hard work and it might lead to success, so try your best to avoid it. Try to keep it real and stay as broke as possible. If you have any money then you’ll be less needy and you’ll have more leverage, which could lead you towards success, so stay away!

3. Hide Your Best Stuff
Try to make sure that people have a hard time getting to your best songs. Hide them on your online music players by either shuffling your songs randomly or putting them way down on the list. This will make sure that they’re less likely to get the best possible first impression.

Also, make sure you stop playing your best songs live as soon as possible in favor of new material. Remember, new is better than good. After all, you’re sick of your best songs by now anyway, so why should you go out of your way for people who haven’t heard your music yet? Besides, that would just draw in new fans, so don’t do it.

4. Don’t Deliver For Your Fans
It’s generally best to reach for the stars and swing for the fences as soon as possible. Try to see if you can drag all of your fans out to the ‘big venue’ in town well before you’re ready to play there. That way you can make sure that your fans overpay to see you at a venue that doesn’t care about you and will cut your set short. Bonus points if your fans have to pay for parking. The whole experience should go a long way towards loosing your audience.

It’s always best to make sure your relationship with your fans is based on them doing you favors as opposed to a mutual exchange of value. People will willingly come back to see you if you focus on their experience and deliver the goods, so it’s best to make sure you focus more on having them do you favors.

5. Impress People With the Volume of Your Content
If it’s good to have a YouTube video on your home page then it’s great to have 37! Try to mix in unprofessional and amateur content as much as possible. If you’ve done it – then why not show it! Obviously the big record companies are going to be way impressed when they see just how many ‘things’ you’ve done. If people have no idea how to digest the massive amounts of unorganized content on your page and tend to leave in frustration then you know you’re on the right track!

6. Don’t Tell Anyone Your Name
When people come to see you it’s best if you keep a sense of mystery about yourself. Whatever you do, don’t give yourself away by showing or telling people the name of your act. Try to make them work for it. Remove any visual evidence that you even have a name and try to make sure that if you mention your name you do it in a way that’s garbled and difficult to hear and understand. Bonus points if your name is hard to remember like Anne Kalshzyagrakaviczich. In that case you can tell them your name once just to dare them to try and remember it. They won’t be able to! If they like you then this should piss them off. Awesome!

Also, try and secure a confusing URL for your website that’s spelled strangely and has numbers and dashes and is not memorable. Extra credit if you can make sure that the URLs for your YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter account and other social networking sites have nothing in common with each other. If someone wants to follow you then you certainly don’t want to make it easy for them!

7. Don’t Let Anyone Have Anything for Free
Whatever you do, make sure that no one gets their hands on your music without paying you. If more people got a hold of your music then you might generate more demand, so cling to your music with an iron fist. And whatever you do, if you ever do give away any of your music, make sure you don’t get an email address in return. That might start you in the direction of adopting habits that lead to more money and more people coming to your shows.

8. Don’t Facilitate Long Term Relationships
Your relationship with your fans should be all about one-night stands. Anything beyond that will just ruin the experience. If you actually look for ways to stay in contact with them like collecting their email addresses and finding creative ways to engage with them on Facebook and other social networking sites then one day you might wake up and find yourself gaining positive momentum and building a sustainable path of continued growth and success. So make sure people don’t have an easy way to stay in the loop or to find out when and where you’re playing next. If they do find you online, say on your website, make sure that it’s confusing and doesn’t have any dynamic content or a reason or means for them to stay connected.

9. Try Your Best to Be Vague and Confusing When Describing Your Music
When someone asks you what you sound like, try to make sure they won’t understand, remember and/or be excited about what you say. You don’t want to be painted into a corner by a concise and interesting description of your music. It’s best to try and give them a long-winded summary of every way to conceivably describe everything you will ever play. And whatever you do, don’t compare yourself to anyone else to give people a frame of reference. It’s best to tell people that you don’t sound like anyone and that you’ve invented a new kind of music. This should sufficiently confuse and frustrate them to the point that they don’t care to find out any more about you.

10. Talk About Yourself. A lot.
Finally, it’s a good idea to make sure that you don’t talk about anyone or anything else besides you and your career. If you stop promoting yourself for even a minute and start talking up others and remarking about interesting subjects then people might actually start to think you’re a real person and listen to what you have to say and want to hear more from you. It’s best to avoid this scenario by incessantly blasting your ‘friends’ and fans with promotion. This should lead to nausea amongst anyone who decided to give you a chance – a great weapon in your quest for failure.

For bonus points, throw in a few complaints and guilt trips into the mix. This should make sure that even the few people who tolerate your interpretation of how to use social media won’t like you or want to see you succeed.

So there you have it. 10 powerful tips that are sure to help you fail! Use them well and use them often. Try and combine different tips and see just how quickly or painfully slowly you can run your career into the ground.

someone do this up nasty:

[url]http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/muc/2036703177.html[/url]

Invest....in what?

Pouring money into "talent" (I didn't check her out so I don't know if she's honestly good or not) doesn't do anything in of itself.

[quote=Xomblies;18262484]someone do this up nasty:

[url]http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/muc/2036703177.html[/url][/quote]


First, for posterity's sake:

[quote][B][SIZE=3]FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST SEEKING INVESTORS[/SIZE][/B]

Music Link [B][ReverbNation link redacted][/B]
Facebook Link [B][Facebook link redacted][/B]

Hot new face to the hip hop scene [B][name redacted][/B], very talented, very real...... looking to take career to the next level only serious inquires only..... No she is not looking to sell her soul...............

[B][Cheesy and obviously airbrushed promo photo redacted][/B][/quote]


I definitely see where you're coming from with your distaste on this one: the photo is lame, and the ad doesn't give you anything more than the same tired cliches you hear every 2 days from whoever wants to make it big that day. The whole "next level" thing doesn't mean anything, but it's such an overused idiom that I basically chalk it up to the expected hype. I've mentioned the problems with stating "serious inquiries" only before, but it certainly doesn't hurt anything.

Beyond that, from the viewpoint of "strictly technical" aspects we're talking about in this thread, it's not a terrible ad. I think a phone number would be smart to leave, and maybe a better idea of location.

But beyond that, the rest is just aesthetics. The picture sucks (the touch-ups are obvious), but it could be worse (we can at least see her face). She gives her name, and she gives links to help you figure out what she's all about.

Would I be inclined to invest in her career? No. In fact, I doubt craigslist is a good place to try to find that sort of financial backing. But I don't see any [I]huge[/I] missteps with the ad itself, just the missing phone number.

Are you seeing something big that I'm not?

[quote=Seafroggys;18262498]Invest....in what?

Pouring money into "talent" (I didn't check her out so I don't know if she's honestly good or not) doesn't do anything in of itself.[/quote]


I'm pretty sure the idea is that you foot the initial bill for recording/gigging and then she pays you back based on future profits. Or maybe it'd be a profit-sharing thing, whatever.

I don't know how common it is in [I]any[/I] small business, but it doesn't seem like there's anything too weird that couldn't be worked out in writing to me.

This next one is interesting. For somebody looking to join an existing group, it hits on all the right notes, but the execution is bad. It's pretty long, so I'll break it up:

[quote] [B][SIZE=3]Another freakin' bass player??[/SIZE][/B]

Let me pay you the compliment of being direct as not to waste your time:

ME: late 40's classically trained bassist. I can read AND play. Have pro equipment and have played everything from classical (double bass) to jazz, funk, blues and my latest gig, trop rock - Buffett covers. [[B][management company name redacted][/B] was our management company so I know the ropes.]

I play all forms of bass, fretless and stand up, guitar, keys, harmonica and percussion...but I'm truly the bassman and don't aspire to be anything else. Can't sing worth a damn...so you should probably hire some hot MILF to front the band...if you know what I mean.

YOU: An established band of like aged contemporaries. Serious about playing, putting on a good show and being "professional" - like showing up for gigs and putting on a good show.[/quote]

So far so good here. There's a bit of personality, which isn't a bad thing. Most importantly, you have a good idea of who this guy is and what he's all about.


[quote]Not looking to start a new band and not looking to share band management/booking responsibilities. The band currently has gigs that pay something to cover the gas and we "all" have enough chops to hang.

Money's not important, playing good music without the prima donna syndrome...is.

I"ll be happy to be a contributing member for the greater good but I don't want to be in charge. I want to set up, play, have a great time, get paid, maybe hang a little with the band and go home. I don't mind ONE BIT, playing Mustang Sally, Give me Three Steps and Brown Eyed Girl until my freakin' fingers fall off because that's what people want to hear.[/quote]

Okay, the "no responsibilities" aspect of this thing might set off an alarm or two, but the recovery is pretty good here, I think. I don't think it's unreasonable to want to be a hired-gun, especially if you're as good as this guy says he is.


[quote]If you want me to play your original music, I’ll be happy to do that…right after you go platinum.[/quote]

Okay, here's the first real interesting one. It's totally cool to want to play covers only. But saying it this way is [I]incredibly[/I] condescending. It comes off as anything from "I know your stuff is shit" to "I refuse to learn any new songs." Not a good first impression to make.


[quote]I'm not a choir boy and don't expect the rest of the band to be. Just some semblance of normalcy (and above average musical skills) will suffice. Won't tolerate drug addicts, alcoholics or other propped up personality types. {Last gig, harmonica player fell over drunk in the middle of a song in front of 300 people. The road crew is still trying to fish my Fender headstock out of his bottom.}[/quote]

This is kind of filler to me. Particularly since "normal" to him might be very different than "normal" to anybody reading this. He also continues to harp on "above average" musicianship, which I guess is fine, but after a certain number of repetitions it comes off as nagging.


[quote]NOT me:
I am not looking for another touring band. Been there, done that…several times. Have the scars to prove it. If the band has more than 4 people...unless the 5th is the aforementioned MILF...I'm not interested. You won't make enough money to cover the gas.[/quote]

Wait, I thought money wasn't important? "Gas money" ain't expensive if you're not touring. Unless you're driving a suburban assault vehicle, you'll probably never need to drive farther than 1 tank of gas in a night. That's what, $20-40/person? So a band of 5 would need to claim $100-200/night. If they're at the level this guy is aiming for, my understanding is that $100-200 isn't in the stratosphere.

Also, keep count at home how many times he mentions having a lead singer he wants to bang. My thoughts: the first time is a joke, the second time is crude, and beyond that I start to wonder about your priorities.


[quote]I’m not looking to fund another band's demo/CD/Studio sessions. Got a stack of those. Over priced coasters at this point in my life.

Let me emphasize this one: I am NOT - AM NOT - funding another band's PA and lighting systems. I am currently “part owner” of four bands sound and lighting reinforcement. Musical equipment depreciates faster than a Kia driving off the lot at [B][local car dealership redacted][/B]. Either the band has it...or "we" rent it but I'm not buying into it. Every band is a temporary gig. Like it or not.[/quote]Look, that recording aspect thing isn't unreasonable. You know how you say that, though? "I am not interested in recording, I only want to play live covers." Phrasing it like this guy has will make you sound dismissive at best, and even more condescending at worst.

But on a bigger note, being a part of band suggests that you should [I]share[/I] in the bands expenses. It's a real a-hole move to show up and expect to never have to chip in for anything. What was that bit about prima donna's again?


[quote]Big pet peeve: I have about one or two charity gigs a year in me. That’s it. Won’t play anything having to do with some inane “Save the Whales, Club the Seals, Hug a Tree or Eat a PETA” rally or fundraiser. I recycle, love animals, hate big oil, hate big anything (well, not big EVERYTHING. Remember the aforementioned MILF? Now we’re talkin’!)

However, just so you don’t think I’m a total heartless bastard…I’ll gladly play charity gigs for real people causes where the money raised goes directly to the people its intended to help. Not the Red Cross or some other organization that will spend most of the money on staff salaries or a new phone system. Nothing would make me happier if I could play a charity gig and see the money collected for some poor family and the organizer turned right around and hand the money collected directly to the persons who needed it. That’s what charity is about, not this 503c, tax refund driven bull shit. I don’t ever need a tax write off that badly.[/quote]

I've read this section a couple of times, and it just looks like you're a jackass. You're looking for paying gigs, nobody is gonna [I]assume[/I] you'll work for charity nonstop. More to the point, don't belittle every cause you can think of. That's a horrible first impression. And it will alienate anybody who believes in those causes right off the bat. Even causes that aren't what you hit on but have similar cost issues. For example, I donate annually to a locate charity that funnels money to keep music education in public schools. The whole [I]point[/I] of that charity is to cover costs of staff salaries and equipment. This ad offends [I]my[/I] sense of charity, and it didn't even mean to.


[quote]A bass player has to know his limitations: Mine are - Can't practice more than once a week and only on the weekends.[/quote]And apparently not looking down your nose at other musicians, original music, your own band mates, and charity causes.


[quote]If your practice sessions outnumber your gigs, I'm not interested. Weekend/holiday gigs are my only options unless they are planned WELL in advance.[/quote]

Really? Isn't the [I]point[/I] of practicing that it happens [I]more [/I]than your gigs? When exactly were you planning on learning the songs? What about working out problems from the last gig? A 2:1 ratio of practices to gigs doesn't seem that far-fetched to me, especially when adding a new member (gotta make sure everybody is on the same page, song-wise). Somebody who's "above average" should probably be aware of that: you don't get above average by not practicing. If you've been playing the same repertoire for 3 years with the same gigging group, I can see practice being rare. But at this point you're looking kind of lazy to me.

The weekend/holiday thing is fair enough, since it probably means "day job", and that might also be the case for other members of a cover group.


[quote]If "you" and "me" match up...drop me a line and I'll send you some session work and live cuts from other bands. If not...I'll keep looking.[/quote]

Links would be better, but this is alright, too. I think the real problems lie in the middle sections of this post.

[quote][SIZE=3][B]Studio Time Holiday Special[/B][/SIZE]

Holiday Special: 2 Hours Studio Time Only Thirty Dollars.[/quote]


There are actually many contexts in which this is a good inclusion. However, this isn't one of them: that's the entire ad up there. We get no name, location, website, phone number, or email address.

Beyond the 2-hour special, which does present some other questions about the special, we have no idea what we might be dealing with here.

[quote]I'm a 24 year old drummer looking to play post rock, math rock, indie, shoegaze or anything else of interest. Please note: I AM NOT LOOKING FOR COVER BANDS OR ROCK.[/quote]


This is an excerpt from an ad that's actually pretty solid. But I found this intro funny. How do you argue that a genre isn't "rock" when it's name has "rock" right in there?

I don't think this is a satire ad either (like I said, the rest of the content is pretty good). Plus, he caps it off with this:

[quote]Music I like: American Football, These Arms Are Snakes, Mono, Sigur Ros, Tortoise, Piglet, Don Cab, Fugazi, Shipping News, Since By Man, My Bloody Valentine, The Appleseed Cast, Bjork, Sunny Day Real Estate, Arcade Fire, Engine Down, Denali, The Blood Brothers, Blind Pilot, Death From Above, Iron and Wine, Liars, Imogen Heap, Maserati, Medications, Koop, Pretty Girls Makes Graves, Glassjaw, Refused.[/quote]


I'm not familiar with all those acts, but I count at least 6 acts in there that I would call "rock" and be comfortable with that label.

hahaha yeah that is pretty funny. Although I think there's been an association that "rock", in of itself, with a certain genre or even era. When you think modern rock you think Daughtry and Nickelback, bands that don't get good rep among musicians. Then a lot of people also think 80's glam.

[quote=Seafroggys;18306322]When you think modern rock you think Daughtry and Nickelback, bands that don't get good rep among musicians.[/quote]

You're spot on with this assessment. In fact, Nickelback was mentioned by name (among others) as the "ROCK" that the poster wasn't interested in.

[quote][SIZE=3][B]STUDIO???[/B][/SIZE]

AND WHOEVER IS HATING ON MY ADS REPORT THEM TO SPAM HOW BOUT YOU HAVE A VOICE AND EMAIL YOUR HATE....

As I always surf Craigslist I find people constantly looking for either a good recording studio or an producer to produce there project. Will here I am to offer my services I have been producing for over 8 years now and worked with tons of known and independent artists. I have all the top of the line equipment and software to produce /record your next hit or if your just starting out I'm the perfect person to show you the ropes of this business. Down below you will find my links to work I have done and so further. I do alot as well as Photography, Cd Duplications, Graphic Designing and etc...

My rates are not to be outrages but not down right cheap neither. So this is only for serious inquires only!!!!

[B][website and youtube site redacted][/B][/quote]


When you look at it objectively, while this isn't the worst ad I've every seen, it's far from the best. Lot of fluff, very little strong evidence (website notwithstanding) to look into things.

The big issue is the first two lines. My local area happens to have a flag-happy population of craigslist users. It's actually why I set up an RSS feed to handle things because sometimes an ad will be posted and then almost immediately flagged (seriously, like within 8 minutes).

I've been keeping meticulous records of the RSS stuff for almost 2 solid years now. Those first two lines? Those are bald-faced lies. The number of ads for people [I]seeking[/I] somebody to help them put together a project has plummeted since 2008, and the number of ads [I]advertising[/I] audio services has gone up about 200% (granted, that's discounting the fact that most ads are flagged away within 24 hours).

But the big kicker? Based on the website info, I've never heard of this guy before. At all. Two years of keeping detailed records and that website doesn't turn up a single time before this ad. This is literally his first presentation of himself, and he starts out angry and follows that up with a lie about how people are "constantly" looking for engineers/producers (maybe they are, but not via craigslist ads).

Hopefully the problem with lying is self-explanatory, but if not, let me clear something up for you: don't lie. People don't like that.

[quote][SIZE=3][B][business name redacted].....Record your next project here~~~ [/B][/SIZE]

Hey [B][name redacted] [/B]here just wanted to say Hi and tell you about our new 2011 deals.....We got Package deals to work with you budget if doing more than 2 songs.....We also are offering services in recording/production/songwriting/arrangement/studio musicain services.......all of these services for only $40 an hour.....

No why go with us as opposed to the other studios offering similar services? The answer is clear....Not only do we have over $30k worth of gear... I as a producer am simply better than them, I also am better than most engineer/producers in the major studios around the area....

Why can I say that?

Because music is a talent that you are born with....your EAR for music is something you are born with not something you can go buy at Guitar Center for $200 and call yourself a producer...... notice why these other adds dont have samples?.....think about it...

Anyway some of my samples can be found at [B][website redacted][/B]

Email me or call me at [B][phone number redacted] [/B]to set up an appointment... [/quote]I've talked about this guy before. The key difference for this ad is that this time he put in a picture:

[quote][IMG]https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B32AbTOw3ecZODJmZWI1ZWItNjdhZi00NTQyLWIzYTMtZGRiYTA2M2ZkMTIw&export=download&authkey=CIXssusG&hl=en[/IMG]
[/quote]


He got a board that size for only $30k? Nice work! This piqued my interest as to what exactly he was using, so I actually went to his website. No explicit gear listing, but there were exactly two pictures. One was of his wall-mounted guitars, and another was what I'm assuming is his actual recording room...

[quote][IMG]https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B32AbTOw3ecZYTYxY2NiYTktYTk0Zi00NzYzLThiZGUtNzA2ZDkwZGViYjQ0&export=download&authkey=CLbBr6UJ&hl=en[/IMG]
[/quote]


I'm not sure if I'm getting tired of dragging this guy through the mud or not.

But the actual point I think is valid. Don't go shooting your mouth off when you're obvious lying about something. Why wouldn't we assume you're lying about everything else as well.

There's also the little issue of the fact that he stole somebody's studio images, presumably without permission. This can be a big deal, depending on who you're ripping off.

The big problem though, is that people might assume you're trying to scam them, even if you're not. That's definitely not an association I want potential clients to have before they even make first contact with me.

John Scrip of Massive Mastering also wrote a pretty good blog post about why this is an issue:

[url]http://www.massivemastering.com/blog/index_files/mastering_scams_buyer_beware.php[/url]

Now, the CL drama has gotten interesting...
 

So this popped up in my RSS feed today:

[quote=Published at 9.34am][SIZE=3][B][Studio A] is a rip off! The worst:([/B][/SIZE]

My experience with them is that they took my money up front and gave me a horrible product...The space was not what they said it would be...it was dirty and the engineers are some of the worst I have ever seen in my 10 years career. Their sound was soo awful..Just a warning so no one has to experience how horrible and a waste of money [B][Studio A][/B] is....[/quote]

I'm sure this sometimes happens all on craigslist sites every once in awhile, so normally this doesn't ring any bells. It is a little strange, since Studio A has been (over)posting for at least 14 months and hasn't had this happen before (that I can recall), but whatever, it happens.

But the next thing in my feed was this ad:

[quote=Published at 9.58am][SIZE=3][B][Studio B].... finished products blow...[/B][/SIZE]
Just wanted to let you guys know not to waste your time with [B][Studio B][/B], while it was an ok space, the gear and sound was aweful...Just make sure you check your samples and what not before you commit to a pretty picture and promises of grander .[/quote]

So in the span of 30 minutes we have two very similar ads blasting two different studios (Studio B has been around, but unlike Studio A hasn't been constantly posting for almost 2 years), and they're about the same length, hit the same basic points and feature the same middle-school punctuation errors (check the ellipses)?

To top it off, the next two ads listed in my RSS feed are from "Studio C", and they were posted at 10:01am and 10:03am respectively. Which also talk up the points where apparently Studios A and B aren't up to snuff. Oh, and they have the same punctuation issues. All 4 ads got flagged within the hour, as did this follow up:

[quote=Published at 10:18am][SIZE=3][B][Studio B]...Worst Experience ever[/B][/SIZE]

My experience with [B][Studio B][/B] is the worst I have ever had...Not only are their engineers a joke and take 7 times as long as any other engineers I have worked with, the final product sounded so chincy an unprofessional. do yourself a favor and look somewhere else[/quote]




Even if Studio C isn't the one publishing these, people will certainly think that's the case. I did. I'm not alone either:

[quote=Published at 10:24am][SIZE=3][B]RE: [Studio A] is the worst[/B][/SIZE]

This is a smear attack. This moron has never been a customer. Why don't you respond to this so you and I can meet face-to-face. You won't do that because you are a coward who hides behind his computer screen![/quote]


I can't prove it, because technically CL is anonymous, but I'm confident that this is the guy behind Studio A (like the guy who posts as much as 12x a day isn't going to respond?).

So what we now have here is a pissing match between at least two people in the very venue they're hoping to drum up business. That makes them both look bad.

Best case scenario? The flaggers will knock out all ads/smears/arguments from [I]both[/I] sides before any potential clients can see them. Worst case? People will see this nonsense and start flagging the ads from both sides just because of it. At minimum, a lot of readers of the ads will get the impression that Studio C doesn't think very highly of their intelligence.

I take away 3 lessons here:

(01) Don't do this kind of crap in the first place.
(02) If somebody tries it against you, don't respond.
(03) Be judicious about what other posts are made in an open forum before you plop down your ad.

Studio C could very well be innocent in this (in this case, he's not). But posting ads so soon after the smear attacks suggests otherwise (there have been more Studio C ads within minutes of more smears/argument posts since this: the guy isn't on-the-ball about this stuff).

[quote][SIZE=3][B]Pro Tools Mixing and Mastering $25-50 and FAST[/B][/SIZE]

I am offering mixing and mastering services in Pro Tools. I will mix your track for $50 or master it for $25.

I am currently using Pro Tools 9 which is backwards compatible with any other format of Pro Tools session. Email me for samples of other tracks that I have mixed/mastered.

My turnaround time is very quick, usually 1 to 2 days for a master and 2 to 3 days for a mix.

1 set of revisions is free, 2 sets of revisions is $10 and 3 sets of revisions is $20.

We do not have to meet up, we can share files completely online through my iDisk account and you can send me the money through PayPal.

I have an extensive list of outboard gear (API, Brent Averill, Distressor, many Reverbs) as well as a great list of plugins (Waves, McDSP, Focusrite, PSP, etc.)

I've worked with various grammy-award winning producers and engineers. My experience is second to none in the [B][location redacted][/B] area.

Let me know if you think we can work something out.[/quote]


On the whole, this ad is just mediocre, rather than completely terrible: it lets you know what services are available, and for how much, and also hints at a good product and lots of experience. It also doesn't give a name, a direct contact/website, or any particular samples.

I'm dubious about the pricing considering the list of gear that is claimed to be had (though if the intent is $25-50/hour, then it's right in the normal range).

I'm mostly curious about what everyone thinks about this part:

[quote]1 set of revisions is free, 2 sets of revisions is $10 and 3 sets of revisions is $20.[/quote]

That seems weird to me. I've never heard of charging for revisions before (largely because if the client wants a revision, that means you did it "wrong" on the last attempt). Combine that to the fact that you never actually have to meet this person face-to-face and things look, well, kind of shady. It strikes me as a money-suck operation, where you have to keep paying to get a slightly better mix each time.

Has anybody heard of charging for revisions like this? I don't mean "alternate cuts" (for radio release or whatever), I mean actual "hey this is f-ed up, fix it" revisions.

sounds like homeboy just snagged the waves bundle off pro audio torrents and made himself a template: 20 bucks and i'll run your shit through my plugins, an other 20 bucks and i'll move some faders for you

[quote]I am mixing engineer of about 10 years of experience, hundreds of clients, utilizing a hybrid setup of both digital analog gear. I have other ads across craigslist and found a lot of great musicians looking for a professional mixer at the helm. I specialize in getting that sought after, industry sound[/quote]


A mixing engineer who specializes in [I]mixing well?[/I] I've never heard of such a thing!

[QUOTE=Moseph;18341661]I've talked about this guy before. The key difference for this ad is that this time he put in a picture:




He got a board that size for only $30k? Nice work! This piqued my interest as to what exactly he was using, so I actually went to his website. No explicit gear listing, but there were exactly two pictures. One was of his wall-mounted guitars, and another was what I'm assuming is his actual recording room...




I'm not sure if I'm getting tired of dragging this guy through the mud or not.

But the actual point I think is valid. Don't go shooting your mouth off when you're obvious lying about something. Why wouldn't we assume you're lying about everything else as well.

There's also the little issue of the fact that he stole somebody's studio images, presumably without permission. This can be a big deal, depending on who you're ripping off.

The big problem though, is that people might assume you're trying to scam them, even if you're not. That's definitely not an association I want potential clients to have before they even make first contact with me.

John Scrip of Massive Mastering also wrote a pretty good blog post about why this is an issue:

[url]http://www.massivemastering.com/blog/index_files/mastering_scams_buyer_beware.php[/url][/QUOTE]

that looks like a really nice desk to write with

This isn't exactly in the same vein as the other posts, but I think it warrants a discussion:

[quote]I have a home studio set up for sale. I will accept only REASONABLE offers consider the values of the items

- Dell Computer w/ 1GB Ram, [B]2[/B] 19 Inch Flat Screen Monitors, [B]2[/B] Hard Drives. I will give the exact size, but plenty of space. Keyboard & Mouse of course
- Delta M-Audio 1010LT soundcard included in the computer. This has ample inputs and outputs, also includes mic inputs/outputs. *$199.99 at musicians friend alone*
- Audio Technica Mic. I forget the model, but it's black and goes for about $100 bucks.
-$30 mic preamp, brand new!
-Crappy receiver that you may or may not need. I use it to amplify certain components

- Pop Filter, boom stand, and $8.00 headphones
- Alesis M1 Desktop Active (one speaker has a rip, so bassy sounds don't convey well)

The computer has Pro Tools M Powered, Cubase 4, Recycle, Wavelabs, Fruity Loops 8, Tons of sounds, Ejay Hip Hop 5, Adobe After Effects, Sony Vegas Video, Adobe Photoshop CS, VSTIs like Purity, Halion, Oxytocin, BassStation, Vanguard, etc. So to make beats, WOW! You have way too many VSTIs, you won't need a keyboard/synthesizer. I have tons of RTAs (compressors, isotope, and more!).

This is everything I record with, I actually charge for studio time. So, this is a profitable business if you know what you are doing. I'm getting out of recording for a moment.

[B]Reasonable OFFERS! I will not respond to insulting offers[/B]

[/quote]

So here's the first big thing. If you're going to insist on "reasonable" offers, you can't skimp on the details. That computer? We don't know what it is, other than that it has an M-Audio Delta 1010LT installed. 1GB of RAM? "2 Hard Drives"? They were doing both of that regularly in like 2001. Hell, my dad set up multiple hard drives on our home computer at least as early as 1997 (probably earlier, but my memory doesn't go back that far). So there's a very good chance here that the only part of the computer that's worth anything are the Delta 1010LT (maybe), and the 19" monitors (and if they're pretty old, they might not have any brightness left in them).

A "black" Audio-Technica mic doesn't help us out, even if you did buy it new for $100. Audio-Technica swaps out a lot of their product line every few years, and they sell both dynamics and condensers in that price range. Some of them hold their value a lot better than others.

"$30 mic preamp, brand new"? Show me a receipt, and you'll get at most $20 (and that's only because ATM's don't give out $5 bills).

Here's the other big thing, notice how he's not including something simple like a dongle or transfer for the necessary software (Cubase 4 at minimum, not 100% sure about requirements on the rest)? Either he's selling you something he ripped off from the Internet, or he's selling you a brick and keeping the licenses. Which do you think is more likely (remember, he described his list of VSTi's with an "etc.")?

If you're selling on craigslist, cut the crap: list the details and give us an asking price. By my counts, he [I]probably[/I] could get $225 if the buyer is feeling generous. Seeing as how he is reminding us that the Delta 1010 used to be $199 new (still is at AmericanMusical, but B&H is selling it new for under $170), he is probably thinking he can get close to top dollar for this stuff. Here's my breakdown:

Computer: the value of the Delta (I'm guessing $80)
Computer Monitors: $40/each (i.e., $80 total)
Audio-Technica Mic: $45 (a reasonable guess on what it might be worth)
"$30 Preamp": $20 (because I'm being generous and too lazy to break a $20).
Software: $0 (used software has no street value unless you're transferring a license).


I'm kind of curious what others think of this kind of thing.

I'm pretty much with you on that. A $30 mic preamp...hell, any audio equipment worth $30 can hold virtually no value at all. That's like something you may sell at a garage sale for $5, a price you suggested. Maybe even less.

When I first built my studio computer in early spring 2007, I only put 1 gig of RAM in there. So 1 gig doesn't necessarily mean top of the line in 2001 (I didn't really see 1 gig computers until more 03-04 though). Now it was low even for 2007 standards, but I still did it (I later upped that to 2).

But yeah, two hard drives, our Packard Bell had two hard drives in 1997 as well.

The 19" monitors would be decent, but yeah, age and they're probably 3:4 ratio as well, which I have no problem with but people want 16:9 these days. My studio LCD monitor is a 22" widescreen even.