gear vs getting started
I am so, well first, I want to acknowledge how much I have learned and come to understand within the last two years. Two years ago if you put me in front of Garageband, I'd confused and overwhelmed with a sense of not-knowing-ness. I remember holding a MIDI controller and feeling like there was a mini universe in my hands I did not understand at all.
Now, I mostly understand Pro Tools. Is my work flow the speediest it could be? No. Do I know ALL of the hot keys? Also, no. But I can't know everything RIGHT NOW, that would not be FUN for LATER.
I'm also thinking about how someone said "the only way to combat fear is through knowledge." I think my fear is lessening, and more and more every day that fear is replaced by a rabid need to create and create and create. ON MY OWN! WITHOUT PAYING SOME MAN TO DO IT!
Something I've observed, especially after NAMM 2026, is how gear (mics, plug-ins, even what software you use) is an easy trapdoor for the creator at the foot of a project--a entry point for corporations to swoop in to inflict doubt and take the power out of your hands, while, of course, gaining maximum profit. Because it's soooooo easy when you're creating, and perhaps in a more vulnerable state, to say, wait, I don't know how to compress super well, I NEED this xyz plug-in that all of the Youtube men talk about. Or, wait, things would be so much better if I had that specific synth sound. Everything is a business. And then you're distracted from your composition and maybe less inclined to explore built-in plug-ins. There's ALWAYS a sale and a bundle pack to buy. But select them quickly and do it NOWWW!!! Or the SALE will END! (or, you can subscribe for the rest of your life, that's also an option). Thank god I have a friend in life right now who is teaching me-- why do you even need to compress? Just let it clip. Thank you, you're great.
Maybe some plug-ins are super necessary and cool and I haven't yet reached a point where my ears can tell the difference, or mixed enough to realize their functionality. I will say I've mostly observed men talking about the importance of gear, and women are more so about just getting the work done, and done well. The content of the project matters a lot more to me, from a songwriting perspective. Because it's possible to have an empty song with a great mix, and a great song with a bad mix.
But it also feels to me at some point, tech gear--mics, plug-ins, the like, are kind of like the trim of a car. What does it matter if the vehicle still drives you, and shouldn't you be more worried about the actual engine and transmission and all of that? I do have an LE, though (lol).
Also, I know this intuitively, but when you have less, you learn to do more with less, thus you come to understand something for its parts and fundamental structure rather than relying on a tool to do half that work for you. So I am grateful, although it sucks A LOT sometimes, to be in a state where having less necessitates my knowing MORE, because I can't just buy an easy fix for it. That's how I got into this whole mess (audio tech) in the first place. Just rolling my eyes and my sleeves up and FINE!!! I'll do it mySELF!
Isn't that a lovely place to be, anyways?
Especially now, more than ever, when the presence of IA is everywhere (how my mom says it), what resonates more deeply is the content of your creation and not the sparkly algorithms that enhance it.
(though there is a happy medium between the two....and I intend to find it)