Beyond the Saturation Point

Friends,
 
Grinch post. Just to drive the thorn in deeper, but got a continuous nagging perspective that I try to resurface every once and awhile at the expense of being branded as “uncool”.  Not trying to, and not likely to make many friends with this, but…
 
Question confronting me is when is enough finally enough.
 
My case, recently retired and on a vegetable social security budget. Doing well, but makes you think twice about frivolous expenses.
 
Examples are the PSP new whatever compressor, only $59. One warrior posted that he had to evaluate if it was worth having another clone of the same thing.
 
Some company has an Ilok string library for a dollar until January. Evidently sold for megabucks back in the past. Comment was wondering if even a dollar was worth the 16 GB hard drive real estate. Looked and listened to the YouTube vids, and some nice violins, but I’m already out the Yin Yang with strings. Then looking at the 30 step Ilok installation process. With my past crash and burn Ilok experience,  decided to let it go.  And know what…not missing a thing I can’t do with too many options already to keep track of.
 
May be a lone wolf on this, but is there anyone else out there that has hit the saturation point?
 
My three nephews, great musicians in a heathen hell bound Christian gospel group. They got a Presonus sound card with Studio One Artist, a crippled teaser for the upgrade. Studio Artist has some basic effects, but can’t integrate external vst/vsti plugs until you shell out the money.
 
Urged them to go with Cakewalk, with Reaper, with a Studio One upgrade to take advantage of third party plugs. Whole universe of effects being denied to them.
 
Response was, what does any of these have to offer.  Studio Artist already has a compressor, flanger, phaser, a neat synth.
Question was turned back on me as to why I felt the need for such redundancy. Was made all the worse as they sent an arsenal of high quality mp3’s done on Artist. I had a hundred fold software arsenal, but was spending all my time spinning knobs. Was on my part a combination of hiding a lack of real creativity and the scapegoat idea that some client may come in some time in the future and demand a niche.
 
So, a really black and bordeline forbidden topic, but when is enough finally enough? Anyone else hit the brick wall end of acquiring more?
 
John

Collecting and experimenting with plugins is part of the fun for me. I am younger and my job affords me the ability to do so without jeopardizing feeding the kids or pulling them out of school. Do I sometimes feel like I'm over the top? yes. Do I have everything needed to make music? yes. Will I stop? hmmmmmm. I do honestly think I will slow down in 2017. :)

. . . thought I was at some kind of "saturation point", having one or two of everything I need, feeling content, enough to make some great music, maybe the occasional upgrade needed . . . then I watched the online video of that damn new iZotope Neutron mixing thing . . . resistance is futile, weakening day by day.

It's easy to spend more time perfecting your tool collection than using them.
I think it's all about balance.
Can't say I achieved that in 2016 - for myself the last year has been skewed towards acquisition mode, hope to change that in 2017.
 

While owning most all the colors in the big coloring box is fun and, at least in my case, client inducing (read tax write down) one could cover most needs of any project with just what comes with SPLAT. There are occasional plugs that pop up that can really do something different...Neutron, for instance...or are amalgams of plugins rolled into an easy, simple interface...IM Pusher or Scheps Parallel Particles, say....that can really make a difference to your workflow. But you can do perfectly adequate mixes without such. If you know how to use the tools Sonar provides, that is. If not...ain't nothin gonna help ya.

I'm pretty much full of VSTs, although I'd love a replacement for Alchemy on windows.  I almost bought a granular-style synth for Christmas on sale, but after a day or two I decided I didn't need it.  I've got a lot of other stuff I haven't worn out (and I ain't programmed anything on Alchemy in a while, so...).
 
Now hardware.  That is another matter and no longer a sub-$100 impulse buy.

It can be a stupid viscous circle. I'm pretty much good for the moment. Waiting for a great sale price on the Pro R, but I can wait. Everything I got recently has been on my list for a long time, like over a year. I waste so much time looking at things, and the smallest thing has me doing it.
 
I picked up the Mini V Filter on the freebee, discovered I had an account with NI, and in it was the the auth codes for the Minimoog Original from years ago, but no download option. It's been update twice, but a sent a message to support. Having picked up the installer for Filter, I gave the demo a whirl. looked at reviews, They came back and with a link to download. Warned is was not supported on recent Windows. I had found that in the demo I couldn't map Breath controller in the midi mapping page, so asked them about it. They didn't reply, but I have a feeling this is why I never used the original from years ago. Guessing that hasn't changed and my interest fell. I wasn't even looking for a analogue type synth though, just wasted time faffing around with idea. This was just before Christmas.
 
Then there is a thread running about Cake vs Waves SSL, and it twist off into Softtube ProChannels, which I had ruled out for iLok reasons. Then I found myself looking into the option, watching videos. I'm good for PC compressors and EQs. I have three option for each. More time faffing and not doing. I have to learn sometime. 
 
I did a clean install while back and just didn't install half the list in the command centre for Sonar, nor Rapture Pro or Session. I don't need massive drop down menus to go through and faff with even more.  I can't say I'm at saturation point, because I don't have masses of things. But I am happy with what I have and have a range of good option. I'll add some bits over time, but things are a different perspective than before.

Dang, I thought this was going to be about a new saturation plug. I only have eleventy-four of them and was on the lookout for just juan more. 

I think I am at the saturation point as well.  I could probably write a really long article on my feelings about this.  No time though.
 

I'm hoping my plug collection will be worth more than I paid for them in 20 years. They are my children's inheritance.

bapu

Magic Russ
No time though.
 

Surfing the web for that final deal?

HA!!  That's the funniest/most ironic post of the month.

Friends,
 
Brought this up because listening to a bunch of YouTube vids of the ancient masters. Guys and groups most of the young have never heard of, but have shaped the nature of what we hear.
 
Eddie Van on some good morning america program in ragged jeans. Had his axe with a cord going into a small portable and evolving the matrix of Hare Krishna on steroids with nothing added.
 
Facing the fact that I'm a lousy guitarist. Can hold my own in a studio and mimic most of these guys on demand. Slick and to the nuance, but have only touched the silver rim of mediocrity.
 
Tried to bury my sound into something signature. Effects, but did not work in the absence of true testosterone driven genius.
 
Don't know how many others share or are afflicted by this state, Sonar forum or elsewhere out there in the depths of cyberspace..
 
John

You're this forum's Dyonisos, John.

He's this forum's Diogenes.