8. The Truth About Expensive Toys

In this post, drawing from my personal thoughts and experiences, I want to explore a question for both myself and you as readers: how many software and hardware do we actually need in our music studios? Do we genuinely need that specific VST or synthesizer we want, or are we simply grocery shopping on an empty stomach? I aim to analyze this behavior. When writing on the blog about topics with two sides to the story, I use the process to turn inward, organize my ideas, and convey them consistently. Therefore, even if it seems a bit selfish, my goal is to provide clarity first for myself and then for you.

Studio & Recording Gears

When watching interviews with score composers, orchestrators, arrangers, and producers we appreciate or admire, where exactly is your focus? Do we really listen to what they are saying first, or are we looking at the studios in the background and the equipment they use? On your favorite composer's social media account, do you look longer at a photo of them taken outside, or at a natural photo taken in their studio? Let's narrow it down: does a photo of that composer with an orchestra in a recording studio draw more attention, or one of them sitting in their own studio? Although I know there might be slightly different answers, you are not alone. We all make this mistake, which is not a major problem (for now). We all love cool and expensive toys, or at least we used to. Actually, this is not just a simple urge to buy that is always within us. It is more than just going to a mall and picking up an appealing shirt or dress. I believe the main reason for our fondness for studio equipment is that we have caught the bug of thinking our favorite composers achieved their success because of that gear. I have made the diagnosis my friends, you have this flu too. I am writing to you as someone who has recovered from this flu and gained immunity. Success and careers have nothing to do with that equipment. I will even go a step further. I know notable composers who do not know how to use half the equipment in their studios, and seeing this is a real disappointment. But then other questions arise and make you think. If you do not know how to use it or understand its full capacity, does a synth where you never adjust a knob or even browse the factory presets serve any purpose other than decoration? No. Is there any need to buy a 16 channel audio interface for a home studio built solely for composing music? Is there any need for a hardware compressor or limiter in a room where you will not be mixing, mastering, or recording live instruments? No.

The conclusion we all arrive at is clear: purchasing studio equipment based on your actual needs will always be the wiser choice. This will protect you financially while also ensuring consistency in the planning and creative quality of your music design. I want to emphasize this for those who are just starting out, whose ear reflexes are not yet established, and who have not yet discovered their stylistic preferences in music. Buying active monitors the size of the room for a 7-square-meter space will harm you both financially and acoustically. On the contrary, allocating a solid budget to a MIDI instrument you are proficient with is a much smarter solution that directly contributes to your projects. I want to state a principle here that I will also repeat for software shortly. From my personal experience, I want to tell those who are new to this field and spending hours browsing studio gear websites: do not buy anything until you truly need it. Beyond helping you make the right choices regarding the two issues mentioned earlier, this mindset will push you to use what you already have to its full potential. Even if you feel limited at first, this patience will eventually make you one of the most capable users of your own equipment.

Plugins & Sound Libraries The addiction to and desire to purchase tangible studio equipment has recently evolved into a massive surge of interest in plugins, VSTs, sound libraries, and various software, thanks to advanced software developers. In this landscape, I would humbly point out that having 30 different piano sound libraries from different developers sitting on your hard drive just for the sake of owning them makes no sense at all.I highly recommend that young, aspiring composers think carefully before purchasing. Remember that the audio demos on developer websites are specifically written with the sole purpose of persuading you to buy the product, and promotional videos on YouTube are curated and shared under the most ideal scenarios. Although the luxury of instant downloading encourages impulse buying, that new plugin will often just become another star tossed into a massive black hole that does nothing for your actual music production.

As with the example I gave earlier, knowing exactly what you have in your sound libraries, understanding their limits, and mastering them completely is far more effective and professional than constantly buying new ones. This approach will increase your efficiency and shorten your delivery times on projects of any size. However, if your idea or project requires a specific sound library that absolutely cannot be achieved with what you currently own, only then do I advise buying something new. This mindset will help you spend your budget wisely, prevent unnecessary hard drive clutter, ensure you use your current tools efficiently, and actually boost your creativity by forcing you to work within limitations. A true example of this is how, for many years, I met my need for a distorted electric guitar with genuine satisfaction by running a high-quality cello sound library through guitar pedals. My apologies to my clients, many of the electric guitars you have been hearing for years were actually a cello.

So, What is the Formula?

Although it might seem like I am advising you not to buy anything throughout this article, I actually want to suggest a purchasing filter that I apply myself. It makes more sense to ask these filter questions sequentially in a hierarchical order.

1. Do I really need this? (Can I not produce this sound otherwise?)

2. Is the budget for this purchase coming from an income? (Or is it entirely because I just feel like it?)

3. Is it possible to allocate this budget to a higher priority need in my studio?

4. Is there a software version of the "thing" I want to buy? (Do I genuinely have a reason and the physical space to buy hardware?)

5. Do I consider this product a useful investment for my studio and projects in general?
   

By applying the filters you set for yourself based on these questions, there is a chance you might start shopping for a "cool" DAW controller and end up buying a reverb plugin instead. When that happens, know that I am waving at you from somewhere.