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

[Amram]

You can see here too

viewtopic.php?t=496415

[codec_spurt]

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

No need to apologise. If people just posted normal observations like this rather than really really witty one liners, then this forum would be a richer place.

As for keeping up. I can't. I've got too much. An insane amount of software now.

Multiply that across several computers. It's unmanageable.

If you want to play this game, you have to take on the mind set of a fighter jet pilot. Your plane will be in the air for only an hour, and that will take 9 hours of maintenance. I roughly spend 80 percent of my time building computers, downloading, updating, organising. And the other 20 percent making music.

But soon, I'm going to cut the whole lot out. I'll be selling a few bits of software too - something I've never done before. I've only ever given software away if I don't need/want it. Sometimes people even say 'thanks'.

Even though I've got a serious boat load, it will all get use. But I really am at the end of the road now. I'm getting older. The years are getting shorter. And I want to concentrate on music and consolidating the decades of hard work I have spent on mastering my craft. I'll be giving a lot of it away as well. Better that than it all getting chucked in a skip when I die. It's not like I will ever have any success with it all anyway. But that's ok. It's personal success and accomplishment I'm interested in.

I've got a pretty massive loop library I'll make available. Also lots of guitar. Sounds. Experimental stuff. Songs even, from a wide range of genres. Time is getting on and I'm not getting any younger.

It's been quite disappointing - this whole musical experience - I love it deeply, but the music 'scene' attracts a load of crackpots and sharks, and other 'types' - let's just leave it at that. I'm ok with that too. At peace now.

It's a shame we couldn't work it out together, but such is the tragedy of the commons.

As for all this software I've accumulated? I bought the full version of Melodyne a while back. Still not installed it. It will be obsolete and I'll need the next version before I get around to it. Life gets in the way.

So much software I've bought that I've not even downloaded. Absolutely saturated with the stuff. Ironic really, to think what a little crack-head I was back in the day. But it was a different age then. I won't get in to that argument here. But suffice it to say, I've bought every single piece of software I ever 'tried before buying'. And more.

I recently bought the Melda auto dynamic EQ. I have the other version anyway. I know it won't get much use, but it's nice to have, because it fills a niche, and I might need it one day. Besides, I don't mind chucking a few quid in the pot when the price is right, not like some of these devs need it anyway. Some of them are starving artists, but some of them are coining it. No matter, I'll still chuck a few quid their way. Vojtech helped me out once and gave of his time. And that is the most precious thing one human can give to another. It's a currency beyond money. It's just a small token to repay that sometimes.

I'm in the process of building another XP box. Plus my first WinX box. I'm also duplicating and building my 4th Win7 machine for redundancy. I'm getting in to virtualisation as well which adds to the mess.

But one day...

One day, I'll have it all sorted out. All music is sound. All sound is sine waves.

Close your eyes and listen. Like WB said, it's not like any of these new things make any sounds different to what the old stuff did. I paraphrase.

I like companies who are generous. The recent D16 Nithonat give away was very sweet. I've wanted to get that for a long time but never bit.

That 'generous' business model is what the whole Native Instruments marketing thing is based on. Just overload them, give them everything they need. But keep back the good stuff, they want. It's clever. It works.

I mean, it's not like anyone will even have the time to download this shit let alone install it or use it, right?

On how many computers?

I envy those of you that just maintain one box. Or one box and a laptop. I just love to build computers, bring old computers back to life.

Anyway.

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

[sl23]

I know how you feel though. I have the same impulses, but can't afford to purchase all this stuff! I realised long ago that after some time, the desire, the craving, passes and you no longer want that item. As Spock said in an old classic Star Trek episode...
"Having is not such a pleasing thing as wanting!"

I think that it's the desire to work towards something that drives as human beings. Often people exclaim that it's about the traveling not the destination. Life is like that. Life is about wanting to experience life. By fighting cravings you're going against life, unless that is what you wish to experience. Do what thou wilt. Que sera sera. Just accept it's the way it is. Trying to change can be like trying to remember what's on the tip of your tongue! The more you try to remember, the more you forget. But once you let go and some time has passed, you recall what you had forgotten. Stop fighting it, don't stop trying, just stop the fight! Let it be what it is, a craving. The hard part is ignoring it to allow time to pass so that the craving subsides.

As with any habit, the best way to beat it is to distract yourself from the craving. If you see a piece of gear you want more than life itself, focus on getting a haircut or something!!!
Seriously though, change what your doing, what you're thinking and your problem will subside.
DON'T keep looking at new gear!
DON'T follow NAMM shows or similar!
DON't watch YouTube vids of gear, unless it's something you have and wish to learn something!

All I want is one piece of kit. A Roland workstation like the Fantom G6! That to me is almost perfect. But the FX on Roland's synths are shite imo! The MC-909 had a fantastic Master Compressor tho! And the SP-808 had supreme FX like I've never seen on Roland since. The FA6 is great too, but lacks sampling!!! GRRR!!! I want the Minilogue XD, but I have the MiniNova and 3 Electribes, EMX-1, ESX-1, and the newest tribe. The new one is utter garbage compared to the old style! The best thing Korg could do is create a new single electribe with 16 parts that allows you to set a modelling engine for each part. Each engine should be a previous electribe sound engine complete with 3 FX per part and sampling. With ability to sample direct to/from SD card.

See? I look at what I have and what I need. I plan on getting into PC music more with MuLab. I'll keep what I have, EMX/ESX for nostalgia, MiniNova for Vocoder and keyboard, Electribe as a controller. What else is there? I'm only a hobbyist, so I don't need perfection in my music making.

That's another area, which may help, or not. I used to crave the perfect stereo setup just for listening to music. Now I don't really care and am happy to use my TV! So long as the sound is clear, can go loud n bassy and doesn't distort, I'm happy.

How many devices do you own? Sort them out into categories, like VST's. Get rid of what you don't need. Simple as that. Attachment is the only reason you keep them. Attachment serves no purpose. Let it go...

[sl23]

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

No need to apologise. If people just posted normal observations like this rather than really really witty one liners, then this forum would be a richer place.

Thanks

I roughly spend 80 percent of my time building computers, downloading, updating, organising. And the other 20 percent making music.

Similar here. But what's the point in all that if you achieve nothing?

I'm going to cut the whole lot out.

Exactly what I did. Only took me 14 years and the cost of a relationship to learn that though!

But I really am at the end of the road now. I'm getting older. The years are getting shorter. And I want to concentrate on music

Same here! I spent too much time maintaining, downloading shit that all I want is to make music again now.

It's a shame we couldn't work it out together

It's a crying shame, but such is life. I wish people would just work together to get things done music or not, life would be so much better if we did!

I don't mind chucking a few quid in the pot when the price is right, not like some of these devs need it anyway. Some of them are starving artists, but some of them are coining it.

That's why I'd rather support smaller devs than larger ones. I always wanted Reason but it's too costly to warrant the purchase when I don't really need that sort of power.

One day, I'll have it all sorted out.

Haha! Keep telling yourself that! I do! But for me, I'm very much at that stage now, thankfully.

Like WB said, it's not like any of these new things make any sounds different to what the old stuff did. I paraphrase.

Exactly. So no need to purchase anything new as it's just a rehash of old with improved graphics and maybe a new feature or two that probably won't get much use.

I like companies who are generous. The recent D16 Nithonat give away was very sweet. I've wanted to get that for a long time but never bit.

That 'generous' business model is what the whole Native Instruments marketing thing is based on. Just overload them, give them everything they need. But keep back the good stuff, they want. It's clever. It works.

Personally, I dislike this tactic! I see it as nothing more than a sales tactic, not an act of conscience. It's meant to entice you into trying, get you hooked and make you want the extra features. From my late teens, I learnt not to succumb to advertising, so I loathe anything that aims to push me into buying something I wouldn't otherwise want. Computer Music mag used this model after years of completely free software, they use this tactic to advertise software, make money on top of the extortionate mag price all at the customers expense! That is NOT considering their customers needs, it's considering their own. You could say business is business. Bollocks! They're human beings as we are. We should be helping one another but corporations are taking over, reducing our humanity in favour of the new messiah, currency!

I've spent thousands, tens of thousands in fact, on media, hardware of many genres, etc, none of which I own today! To me, that is money I've been conned out of through desire for these things, desire often created by media and advertising! I don't succumb, generally, but I'm not perfect at it. It's a skill, one that needs to be nurtured. I pay for nothing, yes that means I have downloaded many pirated programs! But in all honesty, I've never used any of them! I downloaded a pirated Portable Reason v5, but to this day, I haven't used it! I had one little go and that's it. I like MuLab too much!

MuLab is easy to use, has almost everything I want and is cheap! It also supports a lone dev who was bought out and kicked to the gutter! By a corporation who wanted to crush the competition! Who this was will remain a mystery due to a NDA!!! That is inhumane, morally disgusting, selfish and generally they're complete and utter c**ts! But as you will never know who this is, you could be supporting them right now by your purchase of a major DAW!!!

My days of downloading are over. I no longer d/l pirated software of any type. It's too much hassle to use and update in most cases anyway as I refuse to install anything and only use portable software.

I mean, it's not like anyone will even have the time to download this shit let alone install it or use it, right?

I missed the comment somewhere above that said, "time is the most precious thing we have to give." That is astoundingly true!
That's why the whole social structure is designed to take that from you. If you want some incentive to stop spending money on stuff you don't need, search google and youtube for MoneyMasters and look at sites like Get Out Of Debt Free. Research what money is. The secret ways we've been entrapped by this fake thing called money and debt! It's enlightening! Be warned, if you know nothing of this, it may be a shock!

I envy those of you that just maintain one box. Or one box and a laptop. I just love to build computers, bring old computers back to life.

That's me!

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

Nice one!

[sl23]

I should write a book!

[codec_spurt]

But that's the thing though, this isn't just a habit for me. This isn't just gas.

These are tools I need to fulfil my craft.

Like a Blacksmith might have one very rarely seen or used tool. Sometimes, that one tool earns its place in your box.

But yeah, I get it, KVR is a place for autists to obsess over the new latest and greatest and cheapest or even FREE tool. That's ok.

There's probably a few regular posters on KVR who are pretty successful music producers. Be that in the commercial realm or the personal realm. They keep it quiet. But I think the main driver of KVR is obsessive autists for whom the end does not justify the means. The means justify the end. Maybe, one day. Who cares? As long as we get great free shit. And that is a whole other driver in itself. It's ok.

It's what makes KVR great. It's what differentiates it to a place like Gearslutz. It's what makes it unique.

It's hard to respond to a post like this without giving somewhat of a critique towards KVR itself. KVR is a massive driver, albeit at a grass roots level (and sometimes not such a grassroots level) for the music software industry at large. It's good to get a foot-hold here. Just in case...

But what do I know? I've only been coming here off and on for just about over a decade now. I've made two friends in all that time. Pretty good going uh?

This isn't a place for making friends, though it may be for some people. And that's ok too.

It's a place for being informed about the latest software that you can afford. It's a place for irreverent tearing down of tall poppies. Though it swings a bit too hard in that direction oftentimes.

This whole annoying contradictory dynamic is built in to its very core, and that is what makes it a success and irreplaceable.

Some people come here for the social side. But I think most come for the information. Those are a silent majority.

It's a great place, and probably the best place on the entire internet for learning about new software, for selling or buying software from trusted sources.

And here we are, recursively trying to figure out how to handle all that software that we bought, but never downloaded, and therefore never installed, and therefore never got to use.

I like companies that trust and are generous. I don't like companies that just want to data mine me and nickle and dime me. But it's surprising what some of these companies get away with what with their sharp practice. No names. You know who they are. They have a willing base of mug punters.

KVR fellows are above all that of course. Well, most of them anyway. But still, they get fleeced as much as the next man.

But it's an influential ground all the same. Even if you are rich and famous and at the top of your game, just where else would you go to get your news? Your irreverent opinions?

But back to the OP.

I'm all spent. I can keep buying more. You can keep dropping prices. But I can't find the time to download it all let alone install it. This is where brand loyalty comes in. Companies that have been good to you get an advantage. It's down to personal experience a lot of the time. You won't find two companies that polarise opinion more than FXpansion or Native Instruments, but yet, while each have their 'haters', each of them have their 'fan boys'. Just about all criticism I've heard against both of them is valid. And so is the good stuff people have to say.

I really am done now. Probably like a lot of the older posters on this site. Sure, some new great thing at a good price? I'm in! But you are really going to have to try and convince me. You will need to wine and dine me and romance me no end, just to even consider buying your shit now. I don't need it. I don't want it. It's a hindrance to my over all strategy and set up. I really don't need it. I really don't want it.

So be nice, be generous. Give something of yourself. Even if it is targeted towards old timers like me. The young punters will bite at anything, but us old heads are far more discerning. I don't care anyway. I just wish you would leave me alone.

I don't need another EQ, Comp, Reverb, DAW.

The stuff I'd like is out of my reach anyway, with regards to what I don't have. DMG stuff, Fabfilter. Just can't justify it. Don't need it, don't want it, can't afford it. But knock 'em out for 30 bucks? I'm in! But then you reach an iZotope situation where you devalue your product and make clowns not just of yourselves (the company) but your punters as well. I won't ever buy another iZotope product ever again in my life. Top of the shit list.

And companies like Valhalla and U-he avoid all that crap. Not withstanding the latest sales/marketing one-offs that harmed no one at the end of the day. Not like iZotope, anyway. Software is not an investment. You aren't owed any updates. Don't speculate.

Pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels the same way. After a while you get to know the game and see how you are being played.

I don't need your software. I don't want your software. Leave me alone.

Be nice, be generous, give me something that I never knew I needed. Sure. And then I'll probably dip my hand in my pocket, even if I don't need it. Because aw shucks, I'm just another sucker at the end of the day that wants to do the right thing.

The sharp practice and hard marketing will be around for some time yet. But who cares? When you already have 2x all the software you even need.

The game gets harder from here, for them (developers).

But there will always be a need for new innovative software that fills a niche.

If it's reasonably priced I'll probably buy it.

Whether I ever get the time to download it or install it is another matter...


Just my irreverent and uninformed opinon, of course.

[codec_spurt]

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Personally, I dislike this tactic! I see it as nothing more than a sales tactic, not an act of conscience. It's meant to entice you into trying, get you hooked and make you want the extra features. From my late teens, I learnt not to succumb to advertising, so I loathe anything that aims to push me into buying something I wouldn't otherwise want. Computer Music mag used this model after years of completely free software, they use this tactic to advertise software, make money on top of the extortionate mag price all at the customers expense! That is NOT considering their customers needs, it's considering their own. You could say business is business. Bollocks! They're human beings as we are. We should be helping one another but corporations are taking over, reducing our humanity in favour of the new messiah, currency!

...

You feel how you feel. It's not out of bounds most of what you say.

However, I take objection with this one paragraph.

First off, I wasn't saying that this sales tactic was a good thing. Just pointing it out.

And I know you were alluding to my comments on Native Instruments...

But I have to stand up for Computer Music magazine. I think they are great. They provide a whole suite of software to not just novices but experienced producers for next to nothing. I'm sure they don't do anything more than keep their head above the water, with a few at the top being a bit better off, sure, but none the less, they aren't a charity. They provide a real service to anyone wanting to get involved with making music.

They also provide a service for lesser and more under the radar devs to get their work out there. They are an institution. I've slagged them off and had petty arguments with them, but really, they have stood the test of time.

I don't want to get in to that whole debate. But competition is good. Earning money is good. Computer Music share it around. They do good work. They aren't parasites. They earn their living through hard work and promoting others.

Maybe I got you wrong on that point. Sorry, if so.

If you'd just replaced 'Computer Music' with 'Native Instruments' I'd not only have been with you, I'd have been bringing the torches to storm the gate!

It's a small point. But, you know...

This is a thread about keeping up with all the software we have. Not about the rights and wrongs of that other stuff.

[sl23]

I wasn't alluding to NI as I know little about them.
As for CM, I think their mag is great, even if I no longer purchase it. The reason that I don't purchase it anymore is simply that I was only ever enticed by some new VST's on the disc. They lost a customer when they changed their paradigm. No more free VST's only cut down adware! Sorry, that's just how I see it. I've spent several hundred pounds on CM mags, for the VST's, nothing else. Sure I read some articles, learnt some stuff, but for me there were a few VST gems in there!

I don't want to but a mag for a VST that will nag and bitch me cos it's a cut down version, constantly trying to brainwash me into buying it by showing functions you can't use! Advertising is exactly that, brainwashing. It needles away at you until you see it no more or give in to it.

I've seen many bits of kit I'd love to buy, probably around 20k at least could've been spent if I'd had the money as these items were released, but time is a great healer and after a few months, I lost the desire as I came to my senses.

Money is in no way "good!" Yes, it can be used for good, but in and of itself, it is being used to enslave us. There is no doubt, absolutely no question that it can be otherwise. I've had this feeling about money from my teens, I'm now nearly 50, and my views are stronger than ever. When you suffer, you learn about your aggressor, what you learn makes you stronger.

Thanks for your comments sorry if I went off topic a bit!

[LoveEnigma18]

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

You're very welcome.

Yeah, I am sure we all go through such phase. Some recover fast, some take time. But as you said, letting go of things and not being too attached is the key to recover fast and move ahead with focus.

Good to know about your story. Thank you so much, wish you good luck too.

[LoveEnigma18]

You can see here too

viewtopic.php?t=496415

Thanks for sharing. Good read!

[AdvancedFollower]

But then you reach an iZotope situation where you devalue your product and make clowns not just of yourselves (the company) but your punters as well. I won't ever buy another iZotope product ever again in my life. Top of the shit list.

And companies like Valhalla and U-he avoid all that crap. Not withstanding the latest sales/marketing one-offs that harmed no one at the end of the day. Not like iZotope, anyway. Software is not an investment. You aren't owed any updates. Don't speculate.

Yeah, I have mixed opinions about those sales. I've picked up a few great Waves plugins for <$29 that I use all the time. Wouldn't have bought them at the advertised regular price. On the other hand, it's clearly a sales tactic, showing an inflated regular price while running a perpetual "sale" to trick you into thinking you're getting a great deal.

It must be working, since companies like iZotope and Plugin Alliance are jumping on the bandwagon. I bought the bx_2098 EQ for $23.75 recently, my first plugin from them. Supposedly it's worth $249. Good luck with that. In my mind, every PA plugin is now worth <$30. That's the corner they've painted themselves into.

I got Ozone 8 Standard for $99, use it on every track. Same with Lexicon MPX Native for $23.20. So those deals were actually beneficial for me, but I'll be the first to admit I've impulse bought plugins, just because they were cheap. I think the key is to make a list of plugins you actually need (or at least, desire), and then wait patiently for a sale. Don't buy anything that isn't on the list, and don't buy anything from the list unless it's on sale.

Unlike physical goods, it doesn't cost them anything to produce more of the item. I guess the thinking is that it's better to have 10 000 customers paying $29, than 900 paying $290. Or they want to sell you upgrades and side-grades to trick you into spending more money. It does come across as pretty deceptive, though. If you think your plugin is only worth $29, sell it for $29. Not $299 with a perpetual discount.

[foosnark]

There's a balance to be found. Too much gear gets in the way and/or leads to choice paralysis (to say nothing of money issues). But to find the right gear for you, you either need to get extremely lucky, pick one thing and stick doggedly to it even while knowing there might have been a better choice, or try a lot of things.

I've opted to try a lot of things. But I'm pretty ruthless about reselling hardware that I don't love -- or even hardware that I do love but where the usefulness is too narrow and/or it can be replaced by other things.

I've accumulated a pretty good-sized modular synth system since October 2016. It currently consists of 35 modules -- and I've owned 78 others which have been traded away. It's been many cycles of exploration, refinement and consolidation. In the past 4 months I've made major changes to my rig which cost me nothing, because the new stuff was all funded by selling the old -- but the new configuration does more and I'm happier with it.

It's not that I just buy everything on a whim and then trade it later; I do my research and I get to know the gear that I buy. Everything I left behind taught me something about synthesis, about what I like, or both. So I feel like it was worth it.

A big part of it though is putting in the time. For each new piece of gear I specifically set aside some time to learn it, put it on a scope, push it to or beyond its limits, and try it in combination with favorite gear and techniques and see where it goes. And I jam and record a lot on a regular basis, and release an album every 2-3 months or so.

The funny thing is, trying out a lot of gear and learning a lot of techniques can make you more resistant to GAS. I get excited about a lot of new gear announcements -- and then I remind myself of why I don't need actually need that shiny new thing. Usually it's because I've already got it covered, or because I've tried something else like it and know it doesn't fit with the music I want to make, or because I've tried enough things to recognize when something about the way it works would annoy me. If it passes those tests, then I'm more likely to want to pick it up.

[LoveEnigma18]

I think the key is to make a list of plugins you actually need (or at least, desire), and then wait patiently for a sale. Don't buy anything that isn't on the list, and don't buy anything from the list unless it's on sale.

Unlike physical goods, it doesn't cost them anything to produce more of the item. I guess the thinking is that it's better to have 10 000 customers paying $29, than 900 paying $290. Or they want to sell you upgrades and side-grades to trick you into spending more money. It does come across as pretty deceptive, though. If you think your plugin is only worth $29, sell it for $29. Not $299 with a perpetual discount.

Exactly my thoughts. And such frequent discounted sales have become a huge distraction. Not that I want everything that is discounted, but recently a lot of them were part of my wishlist and this is the first time ever I have been looking at these sales regularly. There are quite a few that recur through years around the same time, and since this time they caught my intention, I was quite excited to jump on the deals.

And about the list of plugins, yes, I do have one and last few months I have been ticking off quite a few of them. Also, I have bought most of them way cheaper than even their normal discounted sales prices, so yes, I completely agree with waiting for sale.

I don't think I have ever bought anything at full price. Because I can't afford them at that price and because I am not a full time musician.

But the main problem is...

There's a balance to be found. Too much gear gets in the way and/or leads to choice paralysis (to say nothing of money issues). But to find the right gear for you, you either need to get extremely lucky, pick one thing and stick doggedly to it even while knowing there might have been a better choice, or try a lot of things.

All points nicely covered in your post, especially the above point.

[InLight-Tone]

You don't, you drown in overload and never finish a track...