The term Gear Acquisition Syndrome, known simply as GAS, refers to a style of spending habit which is more often than not based on poor judgement. It affects many audio engineers in our industry and is very much a complex that many don’t realise they have until someone points it out to them, usually a spouse or close friend will have this privilege.
In our industry GAS is generally triggered by impulses to spend money on new and exciting tools for our recording studios which we feel will improve a great many things in our workflows. The trigger can be as simple as a fleeting social media ad, a short “how to” video or even a friendly recommendation. For GAS sufferers these influences and triggers can be enough of a reason to reach for their credit cards. May it be studio gear or software, the motivation behind GAS is simple in our industry… to spend money on improving one’s studio setup that we believe will improve the sound of our work. Items which hook GAS sufferers in often turn out to be fairly useless to them which can lead to the dreaded feeling of buyers remorse…
Over the years, from the comfort of social media, I’ve witnessed many audio engineer friends sink huge amounts of their hard earned cash into their studios which has made me wonder if their choices were rational or emotional. There is a big difference between the two. It’s easy for our hearts to make purchasing decisions as these are emotional decisions which often drive GAS spending. Rational thinking, which is done with our heads, is the smart way to combat a GAS spend.
I’m no angel when it comes to studio gear purchasing, far from it. There has been many a time when I had moments of GAS and still to this day recognise occasional levels of GAS rising in me (excuse the pun). It takes a lot of willpower and humility to be able to restrain one’s self from a potential GAS purchase. Luckily there are a few tips we suggest you try for yourself if you feel your purchasing decisions are typically made with your heart over your head. The next time you find yourself aimlessly crawling through online pro audio stores in pursuit of the “next big idea” purchase that you believe is a fast track to improving your studio then stop, take a step back and consider these suggestions… they may very well save you a lot of money and buyers remorse.
Plug The Holes In Your Racks If You Are A Studio Outboard Gear Junkie
If you have a tendency to overindulge your studio racks with expensive outboard gear then there’s a cheap cure you can try to remedy the pain you may feel when you see empty spaces in you racks. After all, gaping holes between lovely outboard is at times difficult to bear especially if you notice them everyday. Buy rack blanking covers, in fact get a few spare in both 1u and 2u sizes that you can use to plug the holes. These are quite cheap, costing around $5 each and could save you from feeling the need to buy more gear just for the sake of making your rack look full. Another major benefit of vented blanking strips is they allow your gear to breath. Many equipment manufacturers recommend that you leave a 1U rack space between their pieces of equipment and the next, especially if the gear has tubes or valves in it.
I took this advice for myself back in 2017 when I finished my studio build. After I paid off my final builder’s bill I found myself browsing for outboard gear as a means to celebrate my newly completed build. I thought to myself “what’s another £2,000 on outboard gear after spending nearly £30k on the build?”. I recognised this thought process as GAS so decided to help myself by ordering rack blanking covers. This little idea tricks my mind everyday into believe my rack is full and complete. Seriously, I haven’t felt as though my rack is missing anything since having these in place. These simple blanks have, in some small way, contributed in the effort to save me from frivolous outboard gear spending.
Face The Urge And Get The Christmas Day Feeling Out Of Your System By Any Means
GAS can cause us to fixate on the gear we long to buy for our studios. This urge needs to be recognised and dismantled if you suspect GAS is at play but it’s not as simple as parking the idea and urge to bury something neatly away in our minds. How then can we scratch the itch of a new studio gear purchase without handing over our credit card details?
A simple solution is to try the gear or software that is tempting you. Force yourself go to a dealer who has these products on display so that you can find out if the gear will really serve a purpose in your workflow. GAS often wants you to buy things on face value, try to recognise that aspect if you find yourself going to buy something that you don’t know all the information about first.
If studio software is igniting your GAS dilemma then you should be making full use of trial periods before adding anything to a digital cart. Testing and demoing products is a very good business practise. Not only do you get a free opportunity to see if the items in question tick all the boxes for your workflow, you also get the chance to face the urge to buy caused by GAS head on.
I have borrowed gear left right and centre over the years which can feel like Christmas morning when the delivery man knocks at my door but when those moments pass I am able to have a clear and level head to make an informed decision on whether or not to commit buying the product. More times than not, I pass, not because the products I’ve tested aren’t any good but because my workflow doesn’t really call out for the gear I have on loan.
This sounds like a bit of a gamble as borrowing gear from dealers who are happy to send you stuff for one to two weeks could tempt you further into making a purchase. While there is that risk you need to be safe in the knowledge that loaning gear isn’t the first steps of committing to buying gear. If you do purchase studio gear in the UK and you’ve realised you made a huge error you have the right to return your product within 14 days and receive a full refund. This doesn’t cover all forms of studio gear and certainly doesn’t cover software purchases. It’s always smart to check the terms and conditions and returns policy of any dealer you buy from.
Budget Like You Are Broke
Managing your earnings and overheads is important if you work in the audio industry as we don’t always know when our next paid gig will be, but GAS doesn’t care about budgeting, GAS wants you to spend, spend, spend. A simple way to combat GAS is to move profit out of your main business bank account into a business savings account. This can help protect you from yourself as a second account will mean you need to transfer money from one account to another if the urge to purchase something on the fly strikes.
This method has proved very effective for me over years. I’ve learned to really value and respect my business savings as once upon a time it didn’t really interest me. I would buy studio gear if I had the money and that was that, I would work hard to put the money back in the months that would follow. I now budget like I’m broke which works a treat. Profit that doesn’t get spent on my overheads or wage get moved to a different account that doesn’t have a debit card. This account acts like a silent business partner asking “Are you sure?” when I move money out of it. A business finance tip we have aired many times on the blog is “Profit is what you don’t spend”, this couldn’t be more true.
Read: Your Clients Don't Care About Your Studio Gear - There's Something Far More Important That Matters
Don’t Let Time Limited Deals Pressure You
We’ve already touched on a number of influences that have the potential to trigger GAS spending. The most dangerous influence out there for the GAS sufferers in any marketplace, not just the audio industry, is the time limited deal. These are by design a form of pressure tactic to force us into making a quick decision. I’m not saying that you should avoid these forms of promotions, instead you need to approach with caution as you could be only factoring the bottom line, being the price saving, instead of the merits and features of the product. You may very well save 50% on some studio gear and software deals, but if you don’t end up using the products after a month you’ve pretty much wasted your money. Remember when a deal says “You’re saving 50%” you are still spending 50%. You only truly save money on a deal if you don’t buy into it.
Deals and promotions are brilliant if they come around at a time when you’ve been considering a purchase based on proper research over a long period of time. Deals that catch your interest for price over potential are the promos you should be strong enough to let pass you by.
Form And Balance Your Own Opinions
A way of breaking the cycle of GAS is to thoroughly research negative points of whatever the product may be that’s begging you to buy it. It’s easy to sell yourself the idea of buying new studio gear based on glowing reviews but remember what reviews are, they are words and content based on someone else’s opinion. You need to form your own points of view if you are considering a purchase. To fight off the effects of GAS it’s important to balance your opinions with as much information you can find as these will form the foundation of level headed decision making. Not only should you approach buying studio gear with a balanced set of your own opinions you should also, like time limited deals, give yourself some time to reflect on your opinions. A tell tell sign of a GAS sufferer is to ability to not wait for something, they must buy now with 24 hour shipping. There’s an expression I live by: Fools are easily parted with their money. This simple thoughts always gets me thinking about my choices when I’m considering a new studio gadget.
Read: 6 Tips To Help You Make Great Choices The Next Time You Buy New Studio Gear
Tell Yourself You Don’t Need Anything Else In Your Studio
This suggestion is easier said than done. Tell yourself you don’t need anything else in your studio and stick to it for a few months. To help you through this phase you should learn to appreciate what you already have. If you are in your studio right now whilst you are reading this article then look around you, can you smell the roses and count your blessings for the gear you already own? There will always be a better microphone out there than the one you currently own, same goes for just about anything else you have in your studio but don’t let new products diminish your feeling towards the gear you already own, of which you most likely worked very hard to acquire. There’s nothing wrong with letting the pro audio world spin for a while without you throwing your credit card at it every month.
Are You Currently Struggling With Gear Acquisition Syndrome?
If what we’ve touched on in this article sounds a bit familiar then you may need some help addressing some of the reasons behind your spending habits. It’s important to know that in reality we don’t need a hell of a lot to get great sounding work produced. Read our article Your Amazing Studio Gear Can't Make Up For A Talent Deficit. This raises a valid point that many of us forget when buying new studio gear. A good way to combat GAS is to focus on improving your abilities over improving your assets. The takeaway of this particular article is on point and also makes a fitting to end for this article…
If you want to make a real investment in your recording career, then invest in learning your craft and also find someone who can mentor you. Learning may not be a sexy investment you can show off with on social media but it's the smart one.