WHY I'M NOT UPGRADING TO KOMPLETE 15...FOR NOW

So first – let me address why I’m not buying an upgrade to Komplete 15: the bottom line is that I’m choosing to focus on the tools that I have purchased and learn what I can do with them.

Over the years, I’ve bought multiple upgrades to the Komplete Bundle. My first purchase was around 2008 where I regrettably told my wife that this was the ultimate piece of software I needed. After all, it said it all in the name “Komplete.” I foolishly assured her that this would be my final plug in purchase – l mean, what else could I need. That was at least 16 years ago and since then, I think I’ve bought at least 8 different versions of the same bundle, not to mention Kontakt libraries, a Maschine, Maschine expansion libraries and countless other plugins from other manufacturers and of course have had to hear over and over again how much of a misnomer that first “Komplete” was.

Not sure how many of you out there are like me, where instead of just focusing on the music, you find yourself looking for a software instrument that will solve your latest problem. I’ve spent countless hours watching YouTube tutorials, demos or just plain ads from prominent software companies that tell you how much you desperately need the newest emulation of this or that software synth. Don’t know music theory? No problem – here is the latest chord app or midi sound pack. I own multiple DAWs (Ableton, FL Studio, Studio One, Cubase). I’ve bought so many plug ins I can’t keep count and in recent years, have purchased groove boxes and hardware synthesizers that I thought would provide a creative spark that would help move my music along.

Meanwhile, I’ve just scratched the surface of what my existing tool set can do and my wallet/bank account is much lighter than it should be. Progress? Who needs that when you’ve got a bunch of flashy new toys that you don’t know how to use.

So, let me return to why I’m choosing not to buy an upgrade to Komplete 15. Let me be clear, I have nothing against Native Instruments. For the most part, I’ve really enjoyed using their tools and software – have sunk an ungodly amount of money into their products and still heavily rely on their software.

This time around though, I’m choosing not to purchase an upgrade. First, it’s wildly expensive and at this stage in my hobbyist music production career, I simply can’t justify a $200, (Komplete Standard) $400 (Komplete Ultimate) or $500 (Komplete Collector’s Edition) expense without really understanding the value or seeing any real noticeable difference in output.

Going further, I can’t honestly say that I know how to best use all the tools that I have in my existing bundle and adding new and shiny software to my music making arsenal, is likely just going to make my creation process more overwhelming and confusing.

Instead, I’m choosing to go back to the basics. Over the next few weeks or months, I plan to explore the software I have currently, attempt to go into the weeds and finally force myself to learn to use what I have. We all know that modern DAWs alone are great music production tools and anything additional is just that…additional. My plan, as of now, is to do a deep dive into each plug in I own and review what I’ve found I can use it for. I plan to be honest, critical and complimentary (where appropriate) and perhaps include samples of the work I’m able to produce using each tool.

I hope you’ll follow me as I begin to explore how to best maximize the existing tools that I currently have access to and judge for yourself whether you need additional music creation tools or whether you’ve exhausted all the possibilities with what you have.