GAS-ing Myself

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reasonsuser88
Posts: 272
Joined: 29 Apr 2019

29 Jun 2019

I think GAS can be misunderstood as a shallow and materialistic desire to simply accumulate more but I think the psychology behind this phenomenon runs a lot deeper. I started making music in Reason and I was determined to polish my sound in Reason throughout the years even before Rack Extensions. I made some pretty decent progress in my journey but I eventually began venturing off into the unknown. I never thought I would be where I am today dipping into high end plugins and hardware. I ordered a couple more decent pedals last night for my drum machine and my synth. It made me really think about what I'm doing and why. If somebody is really working at a craft, their desires are going to change based on an uptrend of knowledge and skill. I think having different and possibly better tools leads to more effective expression in regard to creativity. That might hurt some people but the truth shall set you free. I'm really a minimalist by nature but there has to be some kind of compromise when it comes to craft development. Now should we be ashamed of GAS or should we embrace the madness as we celebrate our progression into the unknown?
The time has come for you to take care and comb your hair. :wave:

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TritoneAddiction
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Joined: 29 Aug 2015
Location: Sweden

30 Jun 2019

I don't have a problem with GAS-ing myself as long as I actually use the stuff I buy. I mean I've made entire EP projects based around using a certain RE. A lot of these has been just to justify my purchase so that I don't feel like I've wasted my money. But besides that many REs have influenced how my music has turned out.

Also I hardly even use any Reason stock devices anymore. They've pretty much all been replaced by different REs that I prefer to work with instead. So I can't be too hard on my GAS-ing. And there are some of my go-to REs that simply cannot be replaced by stock devices, Carve, Disperser etc.

Sadly we are all gonna buy stuff that hardly gets used. But the way that I look at it is this. It takes time to figure out what you actually like. It's a process and a learning curve. There's going to be some dumb purchases along the way.

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MrFigg
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30 Jun 2019

I Have GAS when it comes to musical equipment. Absolutely. Way I see it though is it’s not money thrown away. I’ve got instruments all over the house which I’ve seen and thought why not? When my kids come to stay they can disappear into my home studio and plunk away on whatever they want for literally hours. Better than sitting watching crap YouTube videos on their telephones I think. All three can get music out of nearly everything from didgeridoo to violin. The only thing that’s still lying unused is a flute I bought a while back. Pretty sure somebody will play it eventually. If not me or the kids then future grandchildren. So yeah GAS to your heart’s content. In my current situation it’ can only be positive.
🗲 2ॐ ᛉ

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motuscott
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Location: Contest Weiner

30 Jun 2019

If I had had kids I would have tried to do it like you're doing it.
Poll: Does MrFigg rock or what?
Who’s using the royal plural now baby? 🧂

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MrFigg
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30 Jun 2019

motuscott wrote:
30 Jun 2019
If I had had kids I would have tried to do it like you're doing it.
Poll: Does MrFigg rock or what?
Aaaaawwww!!!!! Man!!!! You rock too :).
🗲 2ॐ ᛉ

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NekujaK
Posts: 631
Joined: 09 Oct 2016
Location: USA

30 Jun 2019

I posted the following on another forum where a bunch of folks were expressing anxiety over their GAS...

I'll share my own personal insights in the hopes that it might help take away some of the stress and hand-wringing associated with GAS...

I used to constantly fret about obsessively buying plugins and would get overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices I had accumulated. But I'm finally at peace with all of it after coming to some simple conclusions:

1. Quite honestly, if I wasn't buying plugins, it would be something else. There's usually one primary interest in my life that occupies most of waking thoughts, and that's where I funnel my money. When I was into video production, it was camera gear and effects plugins. When I was into cars, it was accessories and tools. When I was in a rock band, it was guitars... oh so many guitars. When I was into golf, it was clubs, lessons, and golf fees. When I was into video games, it was... well video games. When I got out of college, I frequented poker rooms several nights a week. And so on... Provided I have the funds, it's always something. And even when I've been cash poor, I still somehow find a way to siphon off a little money to feed my current "habit".

So once I learned to be okay with my spending habits, what to do with all these plugins?

2. I accepted the fact that I'm simply never going to use every single plugin and library I own. For the longest time I stressed about making sure I got my money's worth out of every plugin, which created needless pressure and stress, and often led to creative paralysis. Once I arrived at #1 above, I realized that some plugins I bought simply because I enjoyed the research, the acquisition, the collecting. And now at least, if the need arises, I have the option of one day delving into a new library, but in the meantime, it's perfectly okay to just stick with what I know works.

Which brings me to the next point...

3. Sort of like creating a starting lineup in baseball, I established my core music production libraries and plugins, and accepted that these would form the baseline sound of my studio and music. When the need arises, I'll consider a new rookie plugin, and if it's absolutely phenomenal, I'll work it into the starting lineup. But my core lineup always gets the job done, and most importantly, I'm intimately familiar with this palette of tools, which enables me to work quickly and confidently.

So in conclusion, I'm continuing to buy libraries and plugins (as long as I can afford to) without guilt or regret, knowing full well that I'll realistically only ever use a fraction of my new acqusitions. And that's okay, because I have a core set of music creation and production tools that I'm intimately familiar with and continue to serve me well.

Enjoy what you enjoy, and go make music!
wreaking havoc with :reason: since 2.5
:arrow: https://soundcloud.com/nekujak-donnay/sets

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aeox
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Location: Oregon

30 Jun 2019

motuscott wrote:
30 Jun 2019
Poll: Does MrFigg rock or what?
Yep.

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aeox
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Joined: 23 Feb 2017
Location: Oregon

30 Jun 2019

reasonsuser88 wrote:
29 Jun 2019
I think GAS can be misunderstood as a shallow and materialistic desire to simply accumulate more but I think the psychology behind this phenomenon runs a lot deeper. I started making music in Reason and I was determined to polish my sound in Reason throughout the years even before Rack Extensions. I made some pretty decent progress in my journey but I eventually began venturing off into the unknown. I never thought I would be where I am today dipping into high end plugins and hardware. I ordered a couple more decent pedals last night for my drum machine and my synth. It made me really think about what I'm doing and why. If somebody is really working at a craft, their desires are going to change based on an uptrend of knowledge and skill. I think having different and possibly better tools leads to more effective expression in regard to creativity. That might hurt some people but the truth shall set you free. I'm really a minimalist by nature but there has to be some kind of compromise when it comes to craft development. Now should we be ashamed of GAS or should we embrace the madness as we celebrate our progression into the unknown?
I don't personally have GAS, but I easily could if I had more money!

I've got a lot of the tools I need to make music. Though I'd be lying if I said that I don't want to start a huge distortion pedal collection :D

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reasonsuser88
Posts: 272
Joined: 29 Apr 2019

30 Jun 2019

aeox wrote:
30 Jun 2019
I've got a lot of the tools I need to make music. Though I'd be lying if I said that I don't want to start a huge distortion pedal collection :D
I'm getting the Elektron Analog Drive on Monday and I'm hoping this will cover those bases for me.
The time has come for you to take care and comb your hair. :wave:

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reasonsuser88
Posts: 272
Joined: 29 Apr 2019

30 Jun 2019

I like the general response of acceptance even if it results in a loss on paper. Would I be spending money on something else? Most likely. I've been wanting to go to the casino lately so it's very possible that money could just evaporate. I'm also kind of using this as a reward system and motivation for alcohol abstinence. The social aspect of hardware is also something to think about.
The time has come for you to take care and comb your hair. :wave:

reggie1979
Posts: 1181
Joined: 11 Apr 2019

04 Jul 2019

Gasing is something I used to do A LOT. Nowadays, Mr. Wallet says no but I don't want anything anyways. The list of RE's and VST'S is just about right (maybe a little overkill) and I don't feel I'm missing anything.

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