How often have you put off purchasing a piece of equipment (whether it was technology, instrument, or office-related) that you knew would be beneficial to your workflow or teaching?
There are many reasons we make decisions to purchase (or not purchase), which are important in being a smart consumer!
Perhaps most of the time, the decision is based on financial reasons, but it may not be so much about spending the money as it is the question floating through our minds… is it REALLY necessary? Can I get by?
I’ve had quite a few items over the years that I’ve put off purchasing for these same reasons, but once I did, I regretted waiting so long. Today I’ll share five of those with you.
Smartphone Tripod
Life is much easier when you have technology equipment that isn’t finicky!
After using several tripods over the years and jerry-rigging setups using music stands, etc., I finally purchased this iKlip Smartphone Tripod, and wow, is it well-thought-out!
It extends to a nice 24″ height, doubles as a “selfie stick,” has a Bluetooth shutter control remote, and collapses nicely compactly.
Label Maker
As organized of a person I am, it’s somewhat unfathomable how long it took me to purchase a label maker (especially when I have mediocre handwriting!).
Of course, now I’m addicted and kick myself for not buying one sooner.
My filing cabinets put it to work the most as that’s where I keep my student files and repertoire.
It’s also handy for labeling manilla folders for receipts and bills.
I’ve been very happy with this Dymo Letra Tag Label Maker.
High-Quality Microphone
When I started recording tutorial videos, I got a quick lesson in sound quality. I’ll admit, I definitely deliberated on this one, but once I bit the bullet and put the money into the equipment, I don’t regret it at all.
I have a Blue Yeti Microphone and absolutely love it. The sound quality is excellent. Be sure and purchase a pop filter that helps reduce popping or puffing sounds created when we speak plosive consonants such as /p/t/k/ and such.
Large Cutting Mat
A self-healing cutting mat will be incredibly handy if you download many games requiring a lot of cutting and trimming.
When I first opened my studio, this was one of those items that I waited and waited to purchase.
Unfortunately, in the meantime, those early days of my studio were when I was doing all the work downloading and cutting out games. When I finally decided to buy one, I was pretty well set on all my game supply-building.
Moral of the story: Don’t wait – especially if you are just starting your studio!
Professional Laminator
Once again, having a heavy-duty laminator is really nice if you’re big into downloading, printing, and cutting out your own music games.
I love my Apache laminator and have used it heavily over the years.
What items do you wish you would have just bit the bullet on and purchased sooner?
Share in the comments!
