Manage Your Gear

Before you play with your new gear, make sure you keep a record of its vital stats

by Craig Anderton

When you buy a piece of gear, of course the first thing you want to do is have fun with it! But think about the future: At some point, it's going to need repairs, or you might want to sell it, or it might (and I sure hope it doesn't) get stolen. As a result, it's a good idea to plan ahead and do the following.

1. Buy some kind of storage system for saving all the various things that come packed with the gear. This includes rack ears you might use someday if you rack mount it, the owner's manual or a CD-ROM containing any documentation, any supplementary "read me" pieces of paper, that audio or MIDI adapter you don't think you'll use but you'll need someday, and the like. For storage, I use stackable sets of plastic drawers you can buy inexpensively just about anywhere; for gear that comes only with paper and no bulky accessories, I have files in a filing cabinet packed with manuals and such. A more modern solution for downloadable files is to have a “manual bookshelf” in your iPad.

2. Register your purchase. Sometimes it's a hassle to do this, but it's important to establish a record for warranty work. For software, it can mean the difference between paying for an upgrade and getting one for free, because a new version came out within a short period of time after you purchased the program. I always check the "Keep me notified of updates" box if available; sure, you'll get some commercial offers and such, but you'll also be among the first to find out that an update is available.

3. Record any serial numbers, authorization codes, etc. Also record your user name and password for the company's web site, as with software, that's often what you need to access downloads and upgrades. Also record when and where you purchased the gear, and how much you paid. I keep all this information on my computer, and copy it to a USB stick periodically as backup.

4. For software, retain all firmware and software updates. If you ever have to re-install a program, it may not be possible to upgrade from, say, Version 1 to Version 3—you may need to go through Version 2 first. I keep all upgrades on an data drive in my computer, and backed up to an external hard drive. With all this info at your fingertips, if you ever go to sell the gear, you'll be very glad you had these records. What's more, if any problems crop up with your gear, you'll be well-prepared to deal with them.

Craig Anderton is Editor Emeritus of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.