Originally Posted by Airchair
at what point do you stop buying gear and just let the "pro's" do it.


When everything is said and done... NEVER (it's just not in my blood) grin

When you have your own tracks, and need a singer:
http://www.demosinger.com/index.php?logout=1
http://www.purevocals.org/indexx.html

Lot's of pro musicians does overdubs online too. You can even have Brent Mason on - beat that! http://www.myspace.com/thebrentmason cool


Originally Posted by Airchair
And does anyone have a studio they could recommend for great demos along with a ballpark price one could expect to spend?


Here's a chosen few:

http://www.garyearl.com/ (Gary Earl knows his stuff)
http://www.reddragonpro.com/ (Scott Gerow is a top notch guy)
http://www.magicshackdemos.com/ (Totally pro sounding stuff from Jason Roller, Nashville a-team players)
http://www.nashvilledemostudio.com/pricing.htm (their prices are including master rights, which means you can get the demo on radio, sell it on CD Baby, or get it in TV/Film (unless they won't take songs with union rates, which actually is the most common in the US)).
http://www.jaysplacerecording.com/ (JPF mentor Marc-Alan Barnette, when you need soul!)
http://www.substudiomusic.com/services.html (JPF mentor Mike Caro, when you need to rock it up!)

Try to use a variety of studios for your portfolio, so everything doesn't end up sounding the same..

justmy2c