Your biggest Dead-End Spend & why

[JerGoertz]

Yeah, Sonar for me, too. I started at 2.2 and upgraded 3 times... hoping they would fix the audio engine dropouts. Then I (re)discovered Cubase and Live. Bye Sonar!

[Armadillo]

Over the years I've been enticed the bi-weekly BOGOF sales from East West and bought Voices of Passion, RA, EW Gold / Silver, Ministry of Rock, StormDrum 3.

I think combined I've made 5 tracks using the libraries.

And you can't resell them either, which sucks.
Because there would be plenty of people willing to take them off of your hands, if you could.

Wait....are you the same Ben H as on VI-control?
Funny, without knowing you've quoted me on both. I go as 'R. Soul' over there

Yeah, I'd definitely have sold most of them if I could. I guess it's a lesson learnt on sticking with devs that does allow licence transfer.

[Zombie Queen]

Adobe CS2 full package, back in a day it would cost me arm and leg, considering circumstances (was like three months worth of my income). Updates were pretty pricey too, so I skipped two or three, then when I started considering an update, it turned out than my version is too old, I would have to pay full price again, that was CS4 or CS5 I think... Now the support servers went belly up, there's no way to re-activate it. Anyway PS is acting weird in Windows 7, so I'm locked down to XP partition for as long as hardware holds up. Not that I haven't used it a lot and it wasn't and isn't very useful. But it was a big spend and it went dead-end.

Recently, I've been rather good at avoiding big spends, mostly for the lack of free funds. In software, latest would be Arturia's emulations, I remembered drooling for those couple years back and picked them blindly, second hand at KVR. Installed, played a couple of minutes, never used again. The overblown interface put me off and doesn't sound so good as I remembered. Not a big spend, but a dead-end, not really worth selling again.

In hardware, vintage Hohner suitcase drum machine. Very cool, but it needs service... something humming inside. Until I find someone to handle it, it's no use, even for sale.

Sonar was actually a great spend for me. With a promo combined with groupbuy, the update cost from my ancient Sonar 5 was $25. It works pretty good, I can't complain. Much love for Cakewalk here. Especially compared to Adobe situation.

[funky lime]

Not the biggest actual expense by any means, but the biggest not-worth-it for me: a Mogami Gold guitar cable. It did absolutely nothing for my tone. I wish I had spent that money on a lesson or two instead

Also along those lines... when I was starting to get serious about my drumming, I blew through so much money on various expensive "artist signature series" styles of drumsticks. But my technique was so bad that I was breaking at least one stick at every practice. Another "should have paid for lessons instead" kind of thing. Nowadays I always opt for the $3 Music-Go-Round pairs. I still break them all the time, but I feel a bit less guilty about it now.

But the biggest, I have to say, is the years of drugs and alcohol, and how they were supposed to make my music sound better...

[Ben H]

Wait....are you the same Ben H as on VI-control?
Funny, without knowing you've quoted me on both. I go as 'R. Soul' over there

Yep, same one.

[machinesworking]

Three different string libraries, but only mediocre solo instruments in any of them. Cinestrings, KH Strings 2, and EW Symphonic Library. Don't get me wrong, I think they all sound good for different reasons, but I don't use strings that much, and would easily trade 2 for solo instruments...

Biggest single spend would be the 15" Eon PA system I bought before my vocalist quit.. three years ago.

[EdSevered]

Possibly every piece of music hardware and software I have, including my laptop.

[donkey tugger]

12 string guitar. Got so pissed off tuning the bastard that ended up never using it., and ended up selling it for about half what I paid.

[andrew71]

Adobe CS2 full package, back in a day it would cost me arm and leg, considering circumstances (was like three months worth of my income). Updates were pretty pricey too, so I skipped two or three, then when I started considering an update, it turned out than my version is too old, I would have to pay full price again, that was CS4 or CS5 I think... Now the support servers went belly up, there's no way to re-activate it. Anyway PS is acting weird in Windows 7, so I'm locked down to XP partition for as long as hardware holds up. Not that I haven't used it a lot and it wasn't and isn't very useful. But it was a big spend and it went dead-end.

An "unlocked" version of CS2 was released by Adobe a few years ago when the activation servers were turned off. It spread like wildfire when people realised they could basically get the whole suite for free. I'm not sure, but you might be able to get it from Adobe if you have a legitimate serial number.

[Bombadil]

A Les Paul Studio. One of those under €1,000 solid mahogany models with P-90s. We had company the day it arrived, so I didn't have a chance to give it a good try that day. It seemed ok. So, I go to lower the action, and it starts buzzing like hell. Fine. I get a luthier to do a fret-dressing. He's a pro, and has made all my guitars better. Except this one. I get it back, and it is still buzzing. He shrugs and says that 'it's a Monday guitar.' Which, to me, doesn't make sense. So, time goes by, I pull the LP out once in a while to re-affirm that it is, for me, unplayable. So, I ask him to do a re-fret. He does it, perfectly, and there is still freaking fret buzz at a completely reasonable string height.

So, I decide to cut my losses and sell it. My costs, including first fret-dress and refret: €1,060.

I got €400 for it on eBay classifieds for it. I accepted that amount because, after a while, I just wanted to get rid of it. Ouch.

I've never had a good relationship with Les Pauls. And they are now completely off my radar.

[shonky]

I'm a cheapskate and so the only piece of software I regret buying was Breaktweaker but then it only cost me just under £40 so will just chalk that up to experience. Can find a use for most things I've bought and nowadays tend to ask myself a) do you really need this? and b) Reeeally???? which has saved buyer's remorse on numerous occasions.

Do remember many moons ago buying and selling guitars and amps, mostly back to the local shop I bought them from, who welcomed me like the obvious cash cow I was. Own two guitars and a bass now, no plans to increase my collection, they do most of what I need.

[Aleatoriac]

Continuing to live.

Because it's pointless, death appears to be inevitable.

Cheers!

[kevvvvv]

What dead end spends have taught me is to get more from the plugs I really do like & use.

So now I ration myself to one new synth per year, and will only spend small bucks on sample sets, other than Komplete upgrades.

[mumpcake]

Synthmaker. Never got around to learning how to use it.

[mumpcake]

Also DOD flashback fuzz. Bought on a closeout for $20. Tried it on guitar, bass, through a whole bunch of amps and simulations, sounds weak through them all.