Impulse Buying

[thehadgi]

Am I the only person that recklessly spends money on music stuff and then later has to sell other stuff to make payments for rent and such?

Any recommendations on what to do when you get that itch for just having to buy something? I think part of my problem is I confuse seeing a good deal on craigslist and ebay with thinking that I need to buy it just because it's on sale. This only happens with music equip though, I don't spend money on anything else Help me out with some tips to slow my hand-to-wallet speed down



I can't wait to stop being a broke ass college student so I can afford things, budget, etc

Edit: I suppose this could belong in the general dj forum also now that I think of it...

[ezelkow1]

I had alot of GAS (thats the general term, gear acquisition syndrome) for plugins in the past year but have drastically slowed down lately. I find its better to stop, take inventory of what you have, then compare that new purchase to what you already own. See if its covering existing ground and then think really hard if your going to use it and if brings something new to the table that is really that much better than what you have. You can always tell yourself that something just like it will pop up later anyway, so if you decide down the road that its something you really want, that deal will still exist somewhere. That also gives you more time to look at alternatives, get a better idea of what exists in the marketplace in the same area, and decide if thats what you really want.

Also if you have something similar, start playing with that before you buy the new thing to remind you of why you got the first item to begin with. Usually when I do that I end up realizing what I already own can do what the new thing can and more already

Luckily I never got into a situation of not having the money for it (being out of college helps, I couldnt imagine doing it in college), but I could easily see going over board quick when you find a good deal to want to snatch it up, and once you move into doing that in the hardware realm easily going broke real quick

[login]

Yeah I have that craving from time to time, then I just remember all the stuff I already have (that is not much in reality) and how I am not using it all the time that I should, and also that's a hobby.

So I just launch ableton and start messing around until I realize that I have not scratched the surface of all the synth's, samples and fx I already have in Live or third party.

So, for me right now I have everything I need and make the commitment to learn it inside out, make music, have fun, learn to play an instrument and not buy anything until I am totally bored of my current set up and I have spare budget to burn. I hope it's not going to be soon or at least I have the goal to not buy any software till december (also because of the sales in november and christmas a lot of developers have).

That being said there is one thing I want a lot: an iPad for controlling apps and things like polychords, soundprism and morphiwiz which are a lot about playing with music.

[disparate]

I'm the opposite, I spend hours researching, comparing similar systems, reading reviews, thinking about how it'd integrate into my setup, then eventually deciding I can't really afford it anyway...

A bit of that is good but you can get too bogged down in the research, you never really know til you buy something and spend time with it.

[Austin GoGreen]

I went through a phase like this for about 2 years. I wanted to buy everything. I had the money for it but wasn't saving for shit. I had a ton of lights, a dj mobile booth, and all kinds of stuff.... Eventually I woke up, sold most of it and I've been saving this year.

Now if I can stop spending so much on my obsession with sneakers.

[Mystic]

I've always been the type to deeply research a product before I buy it because I've been burned too many times in the past by products that turned out to be junk. This also gives me the reality of budgeting because when I finally choose a product and see it's price, I can then spend some time working out what bills need to be paid and how much I have left before I can just buy it.

[login]

The problem with researching a lot is that reviews and hype can make your gas stronger.

Must of all the time I download the demo's and see if it is worth the price, if the developer puts too many restrictions it turns me off quite soon.

[SummitAudioDJ]

Guilty Keep telling myself I will stop buying. Maybe after another pair of intimidator spot LED 250's and Yamaha DSR115's I will.

[ezelkow1]

The problem with researching a lot is that reviews and hype can make your gas stronger.

Must of all the time I download the demo's and see if it is worth the price, if the developer puts too many restrictions it turns me off quite soon.

For reviews of audio stuff I almost always go way more by whats in forums than whats on sites. All the reviews in magazines and online shops Ive seen are way too forgiving when it comes to audio stuff. Usually forums I find give a much better perspective for where the short comings are and where it stacks up

[thehadgi]

The problem with researching a lot is that reviews and hype can make your gas stronger.

Must of all the time I download the demo's and see if it is worth the price, if the developer puts too many restrictions it turns me off quite soon.

Exactly!

Also, I just bought a vocoder unit and filter box on ebay because it is a pretty good deal. Man, can't even keep it together for 24 hours