Too much sweets...is bad for your teeth

Christmas time is drawing near and we all love presents, right? Especially in these times filled with difficulties and uncertainties. If you are into music but don’t have the fortune of being surrounded by loved ones full of understanding or in a position to give you some adequate gift, your best bet (as usual) is to go online. The developers of music software are traditionally more generous than usual at this time of year. This is the most evident in tempting discounts (figures), but they may occasionally surprise you with some kind of nifty present as well. Will this be something that you always wanted (or not), is entirely up to you.

In an earlier text, I wrote about the (dubious) usefulness of freebies, particularly when it comes to the sample libraries. You don’t look a gifted horse in the mouth, but it’s a fact that those are most often limited versions of otherwise commercial products or some kind of follies to keep you entertained for a short while. Of course, this is all relative. In creative and skillful hands a masterpiece can be formed, even from the most unlikely ingredients.

Though free virtual gifts are nothing new, lately there seems to be a somewhat different trend. Some music software companies tend to give away usually commercial products without any strings attached. This can be during a promotion period or holidays. Such gifts are still relatively rare, though, especially those that could prove as interesting even to the owners of larger commercial virtual instruments collections. Yes, it’s the thought that counts first, but some usefulness can’t hurt either. ;)

Joke aside. Nowadays you can find a plethora of top-quality free software, sounds, and tutorials for musicians, composers, and producers. Never before was a more favorable time for beginners in all of these fields, at least when it comes to the available resources. Indeed, there are gems that can successfully divert you from spending your money on “yet another indispensable piece of software you simply cannot do without”.

Truth to be told, after several years of slow but constant buying of new sample libraries and other software, I decided to take a longer break from it. Not only due to financial reasons but also because I feel it’s time for me to start exploiting what I already have to the maximum. Yes, there are still some gaps in my toolkit, but those can wait for a while (and will have to). In the meantime, I plan to comfort myself by gorging on some quality freebies I come across this season.

However, overindulgence is a bad thing, even when something is free. You can only get a headache (or bellyache) from so many possible choices. It’s still difficult to resist a nice gift, regardless of your situation or age. Though nothing can beat something neat and tangible underneath the Christmas tree, if this is not possible, there are always some virtual alternatives available. Merry Christmas and go easy with the sweets! ;)