An old saying goes: “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. There is always a catch. All the same, free software for music production is going through a veritable renaissance in the past few years. Nowadays, there are plenty of free titles of such quality that, in most cases, you can completely avoid buying often overpriced commercial solutions. The free software has become the main and frequently only way of expanding my virtual collection, which I have been patiently building for many years, often with financial difficulties.

I wouldn’t discuss developers' motives for offering something for free that they could potentially be selling otherwise. Instead, I’ll mention a big problem that often targets us who use technology for creative purposes. I’m talking about GAS or Gear Accumulation Syndrome, of course. This problem is equally possible with tangible and virtual purchases. In both cases, it can be quite dangerous, both for finances and frustrations.

As I always have a somewhat limited budget for gear expansions, I like to think I’m pretty much immune to this. However, if I look around my studio, especially in the side rooms, I come across many things that mostly collect dust. I bought these out for various reasons, mostly while thinking I’ll need them at some point so it won’t hurt to have them at hand. But most of my new purchases were made while hoping for a fresh inspiration that new gear could bring along.

Of course, I think quite differently these days, especially regarding software. You can pile it up to such a degree that choosing what to use at a given time becomes a real nightmare. This is even more emphasized by the number of free titles available in more recent times. Their quality has also greatly improved, so it’s very difficult to avoid the temptation of checking them out and making them a part of your growing collection. However, you should first ask yourself do you really need this and remember everything you already have.

For a long time, I’ve been a user of “Komplete” by Native Instruments. This industrial standard is one of the foundations of my gear for music production. Despite its quality and tradition, this package is still “not perfect”. Not so much in a technical sense but in being more or less suitable for specific music styles I’m pursuing. Therefore, I have invested in 3rd party Kontakt libraries over the years. But lately, I’m filling out the gaps almost exclusively with free solutions. Unfortunately, this often leads to stockpiling and creating dilemmas about what to choose and use. This can slow down or disrupt the creative process quite significantly.

After all, we’re all just kids who are looking forward to each new toy we see or get and can’t wait to try it out. I feel the same whenever I learn about a promising new free virtual instrument or software. While many of those remained a part of my toolkit, there has to be a limit somewhere. Therefore, I’m rather selective and tend to delete everything that I don’t really need or it doesn’t meet certain criteria. But there is no doubt. Today, you can get most of the required software for free, without needing to sacrifice the quality in the process. But please, don’t be a packrat at the same time.