How do you keep up with all these music software/hardware purchases?

[LoveEnigma18]

I think if this is not the main driver for purchases, one may lack focus and is perhaps the kind of personality who would try to obtain happiness thru consumption.

Thanks for your post. Pretty much sums up my current mental state. I need to change that and I will. Hopefully sooner than I think I can.

[LoveEnigma18]

Thanks everyone. I think this has turned out to be a really interesting and inspiring topic, courtesy all your helpful tips.

Please excuse me if I don't give a reply to everyone, but I am reading and acknowledging all the posts. It is much appreciated.

[Distorted Horizon]

I'm a victim of "if I buy this plugin, my music will be better".
No it won't.
One synth of each synthesis type and some selected fx + the ones that come with your daw and you have all you need.

Of course there's those specific tools.. For example I have plenty of subtractive synths but only Sylenth can make a certain sounding bass.

[Michael L]

dont buy anything, it's all a scam

The more I think about it, the more I believe it is true

Software is often marketed as "stuff" -- goods -- but it's actually services -- intellectual property -- so we should buy software by calculating the cost-per-hour we will spend with it, and our time is limited!

[jancivil]

I had to make room for Epic Orchestra 2, which I had an immediate use for something in it so I deleted some things (they're backed up anyway) which amount to redundancy. EG: Sitar Nation, well I have India now and I haven't found a use for SN in some 5 yrs. If I ever have more drive space I can be more posh. I'm careful, I make a distinction when I delete based in how easily reinstalled they'll be. Some things won't be to say the least, and I keep those in the cloud or on the backup at least.

I personally find that having better sound makes my music sound better, so... I'm still not all that posh.

[chk071]

I'm a victim of "if I buy this plugin, my music will be better".
No it won't.

There's a point to that, BUT... quality instruments and fx WILL make you sound better. If you have a sh** load of plugins, of course you'll end up with a lot of mediocre, or bad plugins. Simply because there aren't so many quality instruments and effects.

[vurt]

I had to make room for Epic Orchestra 2, which I had an immediate use for something in it so I deleted some things (they're backed up anyway) which amount to redundancy. EG: Sitar Nation, well I have India now and I haven't found a use for SN in some 5 yrs. If I ever have more drive space I can be more posh. I'm careful, I make a distinction when I delete based in how easily reinstalled they'll be. Some things won't be to say the least, and I keep those in the cloud or on the backup at least.

I personally find that having better sound makes my music sound better, so... I'm still not all that posh.

ooh get you!
youll be eating tiny cucumber sandwiches and drinking tea with your pinky out next

[Jace-BeOS]

I’m poor. I can’t buy much of anything anymore. The things I bought when I did have money ended up not inspiring my interest much, so I’ve not gotten so familiar with them to be easy to work with.

Usually a prime feature would turn out to be clumsy (not as accessible or easy to use, or not as reliable in practice) and I’d lose interest.

I continue to try to use what I have, but the feeling of everything being beyond arm’s length (in terms of immediate feedback/control) annoys me and I’ve strongly considered introducing a new paradigm to my existing setup as variety (analog control). Haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Especially now that I’m combatting (and failing) against the invasion of my asshole neighbor’s cigarette filth into my “studio”.

But poverty controls what I buy.

[EDIT] How it came about: SSRI impulsiveness, and a miserable life, caused me to buy most of the hardware (and much of the software) I have now (around 2008). Destroyed my credit (like many people on SSRI drugs). I was victim to the “if I buy this, I’ll have all kinds of new inspiration and options...” No, not really. There was also an element of “my life is garbage, and I need a distraction... and I expect to be dead soon anyway”. I recommend against it.

Most of the things I bought had some unique attribute, so it wasn’t totally random (though still could have been smarter), though refer to my original comments above regarding how those interest features worked out... I’m off the drugs and am myself again, but my credit is still shit. If I weren’t in poverty, I’d be buying more stuff, but much less impulsively. Whenever I have extra money now, I’m actually paralyzed on making spending decisions. Nothing gets done. I usually end up eating the money as groceries or spending it on healthcare for my cats.

[jancivil]

I see people eating in fancy restaurants in a movie or TV and think, I could never do that if I had all the money in the world.
However I naturally extend my pinky because I am just that f**king grand.

[LoveEnigma18]

Because I posted this topic, some of you might think that I buy random and too much stuff. But just to clarify, that's not really the case. Yes, I did impulsive buy some things in the last year, but they were priced only about few 10s of $s. A few purchases I have made recently have been significantly high, but those were actually more of studio upgrade. Most of things I have bought lately have been small sized purchases, but the issue is that I am unable to stop myself. However, I think the posts above will help me in doing that and so will the next credit card statement.

Should I really skip Decapitator at $44? I don't really have good alternatives and the demo sounds really good.

[vurt]

a wise pokemon collector called ash ketchum once said "gotta catch em all!!!"

[Jbravo]

sometimes it's just fun to try out new synths even if it doesn't lead to anything. I don't buy many but I do play with a lot of demos. It is a distraction from actually making music but I don't beat myself up about it

[sl23]

When I got into music, I started with hardware in the late 90's. There were several limitations to the gear that I owned and so craved to be able to overcome those. Sampling was one. So I bought an MC-909 to replace my EA-1 and ER-1 after sampling them to death. This for me was all I needed, but human nature looks for more. We're made to feel we're missing something through the media, truth is you have all you need.

Once I got into PC music, I downloaded every VST I liked the look of! I ended up with hundreds of synths and fx I could never ever have time or patience to learn. Now, I simply use MuLab for sound design and have around 20 synths just for the many patches that come with them. Those 20 synths give me around 50k sounds to pick from. Far too many, agreed, but there's always something fresh.

For fx, I simply pick one or two of each type that is simple, free and sounds exactly how I want. The hardest I've yet to find is a replacement for CamelAudio's CamelCrusher x64. Mainly because I want everything portable. I don't want to install ANYTHING if I can help it. I don't agree that ANY software NEEDS to be installed. The only reason for software to be installed is because the programmer makes that decision! It is wholly unnecessary imho. Everything can be made portable if it is programmed to be.

it's an excuse not to learn what I already have.

This is the exact truth. You, we, are all bombarded by adverts designed to do one thing, make you want something. In order to do that you must be made to feel you need it. For that, you are made to feel there is something missing and this will fill that hole for you. Truth is, you don't need to purchase any VST in existence.

I have bought MuLab and only MuLab. In 14 years of owning a PC, this is the only piece of software that I have purchased as there is always a free version that does what you want. Granted there are the very rare exceptions, the only one that comes to mind is voice changing software/VST.

I really dont know how people cope with the complexity of a new delay or substractive synth (etc) if they already own a different delay or subtractive synth (etc). Must be really hard to adapt to the utterly baffling architectural differences there would be beteween such things. And no doubt, it'll get harder to cope the more delays or subtractive synths (etc) one owns, all those really big differences add up y'know..
And its not as if any sonic differences between them would be manifested in some sort of signal you could immediately detect in some way.

Quite agree! Even the 20 odd Synths I have are too much to delve deeply into, which is why I use MuX to do my sound design tasks. It's as simple or complex as you want it to be.

One last point. Less is more. This has been stated above several times by others. But really, it is. Aphex Twin, for example stated in an interview, which I also know from personal experience, boredom brings creativity. If you have too much, not just software but anything, it dampens your creativity. Have a clear out release your mind from all your possessions, reduce the clutter, focus on non attachment to things and you will find a release from materialism few understand. It is an amazing thing to need nothing! That's why, despite the dire conditions, third world countries have happier occupants overall than developed countries.

If I could I would move out to the middle of nowhere and see as few people as possible! Am I sad or pathetic for wanting that? Tbh, there are so few people on this planet worth knowing! No I'm not egotistical,superior? Quite the opposite. If anything I would say inferior, not to the point of having a complex though.

As I said to someone yesterday, the more people there are, as in cities, the more they take each other for granted and become unsociable. Whereas, the fewer people there are, the more appreciated those few will be.

Wtf has this gotta do with the current topic you ask?
Well, think about it... That same principal applies to everything from people to possessions to software. The more we have the less it gets appreciated. It's almost as if you are 'spreading yourself too thin'.

Bottom line...
You do NOT NEED ANYTHING! It is desire that is creating your trap. That desire comes from a feeling of incompleteness. To apply this to your software setup, simply look at what you need to make music. Pick only one or two FX of each type you like. Then limit the number of synths you use. Don't go paying for stuff when there's a shit load of free stuff!

Even if you use the old 32bit plugins there are some mighty gems here!!! Better than many 64bit equivalents! I've found many FX I like have been irreplaceable in 64bit. Nothing can make up for it. So I still keep a small selection of 32bit plugins too.

A smaller selection means you get to use them again and again. Like with hardware. When you do this, you find that you get to know it inside out, it's flaws become creative boundaries that help you learn to be better. Without these boundaries, we stagnate. That's one major advantage hardware has over software! It's unseen and unknown by many. Limitations are actually a good thing. But not within workflow.

If you need to sample and have no other way around it but don't have access to a sampler, your creativity is screwed! But limitations within the sampling unit can inspire you to break boundaries. Use what you have, learn it, break it down and you will surprise yourself.

All the best and sorry for the massive storybook of a post!!!

[LoveEnigma18]

The more we have the less it gets appreciated.

This is the difficult-to-swallow fact. Honestly, getting more stuff these days has become an excuse for me for not making music. I hate to say that, but I think that is what is happening.

All the best and sorry for the massive storybook of a post!!!

Not at all. I read it completely and I found it very profound, inspiring and to the point. Your point about hardware vs software is so true, as well.

Thank you for your time and wisdom. And best wishes to you too!

[sl23]

Thank you for the respect
Tbh, I've been the same, but different.
I first got a PC in 2005 with the sole aim of music making. 14 years later I haven't made a single track, that warranted my original purchase! Not from scratch anyway, all done from hardware and imported into Muzys and later MuLab, I got sidetracked and lost focus.

Gathering music films and software to fill a 4TB drive! Lately I managed to kill most of those pursuits in favour of more productivity based stuff, and... it's a relief! Make the decision to forego new products and you will feel that relief too.

Good luck