GAS
It is almost over. One more to go. Today’s prompt was easy. This is reference to Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Some people spend more time planning new gear purchases than using gear they already have. Not me. I don’t have that problem.
It is time for new year's resolutions. Rather than resolutions I set themes and goals for next year. When I get good ones I start immediately rather that wait for year to end. Next year's goals are to get finances in better shape and learn to use gear rather than hoarding it. I started some of that already and some I will start some time in January.
Stopping hoarding gear will have to wait until January. I want to get one delay and reverb before I put music purchases on hold until couple sample libraries are on sale again. I try to stay away from new synths for whole year. Only upgrades. If something really interesting and cheap comes during next year I will reconsider this. This shouldn't be too hard since I upgraded to Arturia's V Collection 6, bought couple synths I have tempted to buy for a while and U-He is giving update to Zebra 2 soon and Zebra 3 is on its way. Zebra 3 counts as upgrade. Ableton Live 10 also count as upgrade.
This should also help getting my finances in better shape along with similar plans on camera side and purchasing new music. Right now on camera side there is one lens on shopping list. Other items there haven't been announced yet. I am pretty sure GoPro Fusion won't be my first 360 camera and I am not sure if I really have use for drone. Motorized slider would be nice but it can wait until I have my finances in better shape.
Learning part started with one year pass to MasterClass. The one with Hans Zimmer, Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese. I will get similar pass to other online courses later next year. I haven't decided which one yet. I will get it later because I don't want all annual subscription fees to hit same time.
If this works I can start planning bigger eurorack this time next year. This will make harder to make most popular videos on my channel. Videos with new synths get most views. I just have to get better at other things to compensate this.
Now after I made Black Friday and other sales without taking more loan. I am starting to get picture of next year's investments. This is because I checked what I already have and what gear and software I already have can do. It started from checking what my choir library can do. I found out I had older version and there was free update with many new features. Which was nice. I started to do same for everything I have. Turns out I probably have no use for gear I have wanted. Polyphonic analog synth shouldn't be first thing on my shopping list even when Deepmind 12 module has tempting price at the moment.
I can get all analog polyphony I need from my three analog synth. Rest of the polyphony will come digitally. Now when I know how amazing pads Albions and Gravity and Gravity packs have I don't need another analog synth to give them. On analog side I will get two semi-modular synths. Those will complete my modular set for now. Bigger Eurorack have to wait. On software side I will concentrate on sampled instrument which I have overlooked for some time. I will get Albion 5 and few others from sales.
On camera side there is 360 camera. Possibly GoPro Fusion if it turns out to be as good as advertised. Sigma is releasing 16 mm F1.4 which I probably have to get since it is focal length and aperture I have lot of use. Sony's E-mount doesn't have too many fast wide angle primes. I am not sure about drone. One would be nice but I don't know if I really have need for it. If Sony releases follow up to A6500 with 50 fps 4K it will go to my shopping list. I will probably get better microphones. But that is about it on camera side.
Instead of putting money on gear I will put it on tutorial. Those aren't that expensive but give much better cost benefit ratio. I probably should have done it much earlier. I would have saved lot of money by learning to use gear I had than getting something new which does same thing as what I already had.
This was kind of new year's resolution. I just didn't want to wait one month to get there. These end of the year sales made me reconsider my money usage. I planned to buy Native Instruments' pro versions of Session Strings and Session Horns only to realize I had basic versions of them. Then I found libraries I could have used in one video instead of searching free samples from internet. I guess I really should concentrate on what I already have.