Are You (Really) Missing Out?

'Tis the season for massive audio gear discounts and music software deals centered around Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the year-end holidays!

The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is an effective marketing tactic and none of us are immune to it, myself included. Despite the fact that I already have a basic library of sounds and stock plug-ins that came with my DAW, I also have several amp & cabinet simulations along with a half-dozen variations of the same vintage compressor and classic plate reverb.  Don't even get me started on drum samples.  But instead of using what I already have, I still spend time looking for more. Looking for something new—or at least, new to me.

Part of this has always been new sounds. I've found that what you hear can influence how you write or perform your music. If you're a guitar player, hearing just the clean, DI electric guitar signal likely won't let you create that epic solo as easily as if you were to run the same guitar through an amp and distortion pedal to hear that very different sound as you play. Tone is important and, while I'd argue that a lot of the tone comes from the person playing,  the right gear and settings can certainly contribute to the overall sound being produced. Furthermore, a Fender Strat can sound different than a Telecaster or a Gibson Les Paul.

With virtual keyboard instruments, you can scroll through dozens, if not hundreds, of different preset synth sounds in your sample library—each one probably reminding you of another song or specific riff that featured a similar sound. That connection can influence the performance and can lead you to a  totally different place. If you're just fishing for new sounds to use someday, that's fine and it can even be a fun afternoon. But if you're trying to develop or finish your song, you want to find the right sound and move on. 

If you're not careful, an hour or more goes by while you're just auditioning different sounds for one part.

You need to have a defined reason for adding that part or you can find yourself going in circles.  A sustaining pad underneath the other parts or maybe something to add excitement or movement over top?

It's all about instrumentation, arrangement, and overall production planning. But with more options, we suddenly have more decisions in front of us.

It's when we're not moving forward that we search even harder for something else, without knowing what we're looking for. We quickly lose sight of whatever spark of inspiration or intrinsic joy we had when we first sat down to write or play that day.

Recognizing that I already have what I need, I've become more intentional about what I add to my music workflows, especially during this time of  year. 

There are going to be some good deals, as there almost always are. You can use the opportunity to upgrade your current setup or expand your capabilities but  I'd encourage you to be strategic and intentional if you want to spend your money wisely and avoid the analysis paralysis that comes with too many options in the studio.

Whenever you add a part to your song, you should have a defined reason or role for that part to play.  Likewise, you should have a defined purpose for adding any new piece of gear or software to your arsenal of sounds.

I tried very hard to apply this recently when IK Multimedia celebrated their 25th anniversary by offering 25 products for the price of one. Yep. I bought two products and got 48 products for free—tons more plug-ins, sample libraries, and virtual instruments that I didn't even know I wanted or needed. While I already have some of their products, there was a lot of stuff I never knew they had—which was probably part of their plan for this offer in the first place. 

From the list of products to choose from, I actually took time to consider two important things:

1. What will this allow me to do that I can't already do?

2. How will this help me do XYZ faster/better/easier than I can now?

Suddenly my list of must-have items became much shorter and the products I did end up choosing are much more likely to be useful to me.

Be strategic with your purchases and commit to learning them and integrating them into your existing workflows for making your music.

Making music is why we do what we do. Focus on the WHY and avoid the million distractions of HOW.

What piece of gear or software are you really missing in your workflow? What's really holding you back from finishing your next song? I'd love to hear what you've been working on. Tell me about your music!

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I’ll be taking some time off to visit family & friends but will return in 2022. I will be posting less frequently but am always available to help you with your music.

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