Added! 
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My rules:
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I’ll spend no money on music production related hardware or software with the sole exception of replacements needed to make the current setup work (e.g, a broken midi cable)
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no other forms of transactions (trades etc)
Although all these custom rules are interesting, I am personally way more interested in what people will do that will help them achieve their goals. For me:
Avoid/minimize triggers:
- avoid topics such as “my latest purchase” and (video)content about gear I do not currently own (avoid GAS triggers)
Create barriers to impulse buying:
- Make software purchases more difficult by removing my PayPal account from the usual sites/vendors
Put a reward system into place:
- I’ll actively set aside some money each month to put into my “gear for 2023 account”, 2022 will be about finding out whether I really want to add something. If not, i’ll invest it into something like more piano lessons
Support system:
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I’ll visit this thread often, and will use it as a way of externalizing my commitment to my goals
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I’ve told my wife about the challenge, she supports me and we are both thinking about minimalizing on other fronts as well
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I do the opposite now - I just read through the whole Syntrx thread, just because I knew it would be a potential gasboost. But I’m weird that way.
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If I have learned anything about behavioral change as a psychologist, it is that “what works” is highly personal 
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In 500 posts we got a mini glimpse of how religions evolve and splinter into strict puritanical factions and new-age movements. (j/k) 
Anyway, no matter how one interprets the doctrine, the lack of gear distractions will hopefully inspire us all to make better music, improve our skills, and pad our bank accounts.
I’m with @Sleepyhead. I’m really looking forward to learning my gear well this year. I’ll have a bit of a new setup to work with in the coming year, so it’ll be exciting to dig into it. The main two pieces haven’t even arrived yet, so I’m in limbo (which is why I have so much time on the forums these days).
I’ll definitely share my progress with my setup, and look forward to hearing updates from people about how they are coming along throughout 2022 (not with not buying gear, but with how they are using their existing gear).
Oh, one final thing, I think I read something here about this before, but searching YouTube for your existing gear is also a nice anti-GAS strategy. I mentioned I was tempted to buy a new reverb pedal before 2022, but I found some videos of a guy using my reverb pedal (Flint) and it sounded fantastic. It totally killed the GAS. Worth a try for some inspiration.
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Out of curiosity have you bought a lot of gear that you sold? Maybe im being hard on people who have lost a lot of money gassing over new stuff.
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My strategy since yesterday is to think of what I can buy for my Dad or partner each time I’m seriously considering a new piece of gear. I was about to buy my third OTO Bam when I realised I could get my ailing old Dad some fucking awesome gardening motor tools to make his life easier doing something he loves. So I’m off today to Stihl to grab a motor thingy. Every time I want another reverb or mono synth I’m going to buy him another attachment for the motor like a telescopic chainsaw to attack his neighbours trees.
Caveat, I’ll still trade my used gear for anyone wanting to move a desktop Prophet~5/10 or Rev2
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Your a good son. Wish more people thought of the old man more.
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I’m a terrible son. What he wants most is grandkids, but we’re not really interested.
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Over the last two decades, yes. It was a lot worse when I got really into guitar again back in like 2008-11. I went through quite a bit to “find my sound”. The guitar stuff I have now is mostly stuff I’ve owned for many years (including my first ever musical gear from 1991!)
By the standards I’ve read here, I’m not that bad off, I would guess, but by my own standards I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff. I probably spent at least a couple of grand on sample libraries and VSTs in the past year or two, which is crazy given my output. That’s mainly because I went ITB for the first time, so it was a whole new world to me.
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I minimized my setup to just a Digitakt, a Digitone, a CP73 piano / MIDI keyboard, a mixer, headphones and a pair of speakers. Result: The “boot time” of all devices is just a few seconds so the focus is on music making directly, and not on debugging complicated hardware setups.
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Spend time to sort out and minimize samples and patches in my library and focus on a small set I really like. Intended result: I can create a rough version of ideas much faster and can spend more time jamming and experimenting.
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I have some talented musical friends who play piano, bass, guitar etc. Bringing the digitakt and sample them with a small condenser mic is a lot of fun and very inspiring. Intention: Do this much, much more often in 2022.
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I play drums for 20 years and I only swapped a drumkit once: playing your own instrument you know inside out feels very comforting. Intension: Try to recreate this feeling with the gear I currently own in 2022.
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It makes more sense to me when its put like this. I always thought people take a small hit buying and selling equipment. Thanks for the lowdown on just how expensive it can be to some folk.
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so then in your set of rules…is it cool to give your girl the money to go get it for you as a gift?
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We’ll get some hiphop battles going to sharpen our skills, it will be dope to hear you grow into your new setup!
The trick of searching for gear you have is great, not only does it stop gas, it also inspires me to use my current machines in new ways.
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If she chooses to get me some hardware for my birthday it would be rude to refuse
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No gifts allowed should be made clear. Thats unfair on the peeps with no social network. Just a thought.
Maybe we should organise a secret Santa on here?
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When you’re serious about the challenge it would be not so difficult to inform her you don’t want any gear for your birthday right?
For me, the challenge is not buying any gear. Others can choose their own restrictions
(Just saying - I have no idea whether she will buy me any presents at all or what they may be - it all depends on if I’ve been good or not ! And I’m not going to influence her decisions on whether or what to buy me - that seems a bit wrong !)
If you are sure that the GAS monster is not finding an excuse then whatever suits your boot.
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