Why are we more interested in buying gear than using it?

The Lounge
#1

I think we all do it. Instead of spending a few hours making music, or screwing around with that drum machine or synth we have, we spend time checking out new gear.

We might read and write about it here on the forum, of watch YouTube videos, etc.

I’ve lost count of the number of threads that begin like, “Last week I bought a Digitone and Digitakt, what should I buy next?”

The correct answer is probably “Nothing. You should box one of them up, and spend a few months using just the other one.”

Why does it happen? I know we call it GAS, but that’s just a description, not the reason. Why do we, people who love to make music, actively avoid making music and go shopping instead?

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#2

it’s not just with music gear though, it’s with everything, any hobby/slight interest becomes a bottomless pit… psychology I suppose…

also, they are probably not aware of #NGNY2023 :slight_smile:

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#3

True. It’s all hobbies. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and my tentative conclusion is that we are helpless to resist the marketing efforts directed at us, either by actual promo stuff, or from synthfluencers, forums etc.

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#4

I think that people can underestimate the amount of time it takes to learn to use their instruments, and hence if they’re not making rapid progress, they look to buy more equipment rather than practice. Took me four years to get to a reasonable level of competence at violin, can’t see why electronic instruments should be any quicker.

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#5

I’m in the middle of potentially switching some things up in my set up. So this is something that I’ve been thinking about.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I think for me it’s pretty simple. When I look at everything I currently own, I can see all of the problems that come with using them. I’ve used them long enough to know their limitations. I know what frustrates me about them.

With new gear, I see solutions. I see this or that feature filling some gap in my set up. And since I haven’t had the new thing on my desk, I don’t know what about it will frustrate me down the line. Because something will frustrate me down the line.

I don’t think that there’s a lot that I can do about that basic dynamic other than be aware of it.

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#6

Buying Gear feels horrible.

If I get a new piece of gear, it has to prove that it adds a very concrete type of sound (generation) I am missing in what I already have (for example, I still miss physical modelling cymbals, but also don’t want to spend >150 Euros just for hihats).

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#7

We’re not though. It might take some actual effort and self control but you can just not buy stuff. If someone is trying to sell you something you should treat everything they say as suspect.

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#8

Because the fantasy of ourselves rarely measures up to the reality of who we are and buying shit somehow tricks us into thinking it will change that.

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#9

This place? :woman_shrugging:

(Seriously, 3/4 threads on here are about buying gear)

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#10
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#11

A big appeal of this hobby is aesthetic. Shiny knobs, metal faceplates, blinking lights and other design touches that make you feel like you’re manning a spacecraft. It pairs well with the music that’s produced. The same thing can be said for a lot tech centric hobbies, as opposed to say, painting, where you basically just have an easel and some brushes.

Anyways this love of the object itself, combined with our lizard brained desire to collect things, makes it hard to resist all the marketing and hype that’s directed our way. Of course there’s also the fact that shopping is just more fun and easy than the grind of producing. You have to learn to tune it all out and push ahead…

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#13

I see exploring new gear and making music as related but separate hobbies. Lately I’ve bought a lot of new gear and sold a few things - I’m the first to admit that some of it has been pure GAS (SH-4d, a couple fancy pedals), but some of it has been practical (typhon, Digitakt). I definitely buy more gear when I am less able to make music, but I’ve never felt like new gear gets in the way of creating what I want to create.

The clutter, on the other hand, is something else entirely.

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#14

It’s probably like this:

  1. You see something that interests you on some web page
  2. You start watching videos, read review, check eBay or your favorite store
  3. At some point you have to buy “it” Because it is exactly what you always wanted but never knew
  4. Once you have it you are bored because you can no longer watch videos, read reviews or check eBay or your favorite store
  5. You search and find something else
  6. Goto 2.

There are variations of this- and of course I made this up completely because I never had such an experience. Ever.

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#15

#NBNY helps
minimalism helps
mindfullness helps
walking outside helps
learning what you want from making music helps
trying to do that new thing with current gear helps
turning on your gear without expecting anything from it helps
setting up a strict saving plan (i.e putting aside an x amount of euros a months) helps

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#16

Brain chemistry.

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#17

Buying new things feels like opening a new possibility space. “This will get me a sound I couldn’t get before! This will be the workflow that matches my brain! This will be my in into a new music community! This will make me not bored of my music anymore! This will motivate me into making music regularly!” I call it the Blank Notebook effect, after the pile of blank notebooks I bought and never wrote in.

Usually, this doesn’t work, because we are the same people with the same habits, and we really need to change our approach to get what we want. This is usually harder than buying a new thing.

(Assuming we’re not talking about collectors, who are interested in history and design)

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#18

Wow. I had no idea other people also habitually did this.

no idea i have is good enough for this beautiful new notebook! :joy:

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#19

I made/played a lot more music when all I had was a shit acoustic guitar and no money!

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#20

Frustratingly, I didn’t! It would be much easier if “buy the new thing” never worked. But because it occasionally works, I’m at risk of getting looped into that skinner box

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#21

Maybe just because it’s fun to buy gear.
If it was free to get new gear but quite difficult to get them it would be similar.
People like gift or just thing which are difficult to get.

I have the same issue with cats in the street.
I want to get them all :blush: or at least try to pet them for few minutes.

I like to play with my gears, but sometime seing a new gear want me to discover it. See how it smell, if the knob/encoder are well made. How it works. How it sound. But don’t want to be expert at it.

The issue is we won’t have ever enough time to explore fully a large set of gear.
And you get more fun in the beginning with all happy accidents than when you know all the pitfall of a given gear.

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