As a producer on the come up, I don't have the benefit of working with major budgets on the regular and most of my set up comes out of pocket from small projects here and there. Funds are low, yet I still need to make sure I have a set up that I can work on with very few limitations. As a result, I've become one heck of a finagler when it comes to acquiring new gear. Here a few things I learned that may help you in your search for new stuff.

Tip #1: Buying gear at a major retailer store should be a last resort.

Major retailers usually charge a premium for new gear. I've learned that unless there is a sale, I need an item IMMEDIATELY, or the item is relatively cheap ($50 or less) nine times out of ten I can find it elsewhere for significantly cheaper. It's possible to price match at some places (like Guitar Center) but they only honor authorized dealers who may have lower prices but not by a margin that can be found elsewhere. What is elsewhere? Well that leads me to...

Tip #2: Online shopping is freaking amazing. Use the internet!

If you are patient and have done your research, there are plenty of places online where you can by gear SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper. The three sites that have saved me some funds of epic value are Amazon.com, Ebay, and Craigslist. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE HOW POWERFUL THESE SITES ARE!!! I've also shopped at some online retailers like Music123.com and have saved tons of money taking advantage of their online coupons/promotions. Make sure you are buying from somebody who is a respected seller (check their rating). If they selling an item online but are based locally, take the time to visit them and check the gear out for yourself. I purchased my M-Audio Project Mix I/O interface for $650 from a local seller on Craigslist. It was in great condition. That leads me to my next point...

Tip #3: Don't be afraid to buy used gear.

So what if somebody has owned it before. There's a lot of gear out there that is marked down significantly after some gentle use. Do your research on the item and see if it is something that stands the test of time and works fine after some gentle handing. You have to be funny about things with sensitive parts like mics, tubes, speakers, and gear. Its not uncommon for expensive replaceable parts to be damaged or swapped out with a cheaper alternative. Use your discretion and you will find some gems.

Tip #4: Take advantage of being a student.

Are you a student? If you answered yes there probably is a discount just waiting for you to use. Take advantage of Amazon Student Prime Membership privileges. In 2011, I purchased 33 items off of Amazon.com taking advantage of the free two day shipping. If you don't mind waiting the two days, it makes physical stores even more obsolete... and guess what... it's sales tax free. Sites like Studica.com or Sweetwater.com offer great student discounts pending you provide the correct credentials. I saved over $100 on my Propellerhead Reason 6 purchase and almost $400 on my Pro-Tools 10 purchase (not to mention I get four years of free upgrades too!).

Tip #5: Friends are great resources.

This one is a short one... long story short, foster healthy relationships with those who work for resources. You never know when they might have an extra employee discount just lying around. I've had a few friends hook me up and saved anywhere from 15% to 50% on brand new items courtesy of their Employee Purchasing Programs.

Summary

These are just a few of the ways I have saved money while buying gear. We don't have to break the bank to build our set-ups. A little frugal shopping can go a long way. DO YOUR RESEARCH and i'm sure you'll find some great deals out there that will last you a long time. I hope these tips are of benefit to you and best of luck in your new acquisitions!

Rejection is an amazing thing isn’t it? It’s something that we all have to face on a daily basis. Sometimes we see it coming… sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we could really care less about it and at others it's one of the most earth shattering experiences that can happen to us within the span of our lifetime.

Whether it’s that woman you’ve grown fond of who doesn’t reciprocate, that job that doesn’t want you anymore, that professor who swears up and down your paper wasn’t good enough (when you know it was and they just wanted to pull rank), or that person you were in a relationship with but had a sudden change of heart… whatever… somehow it always manages to sneak into any one of the million facets of our lives and the bottom line is that it's something that we have to deal with.

I’ve started to think that rejection is God’s and nature’s way of just telling us what we think is meant for us really isn't. Just a way to point us in the right direction should we choose to be attentive enough to listen. In this maze we live in called life many of the things that we want initially are not exactly what we need and in our pursuit of getting them, we are lead ourselves further away from our true destiny.

So with that said… although it’s not the greatest things in the world and it's still hard to deal with, rejection may not necessarily be a bad thing. Me personally… I think I’m going to start looking at it as an opportunity to find out what’s really meant for me. Also, I’m realizing that sometimes, these things we want ARE meant for us but it may not necessarily be the right time or we aren’t going about getting them the right way. Its gives us the opportunity to stop, regroup, reevaluate, and return with a new and wiser understanding of the tasks at hand.

Anybody who I’ve been in dialogue with as of late understand that I’ve been having my fair share as of late (and many of them as well). It’s really wearing on me, and at times straight up depressing and disheartening, especially in the last few days. Regardless I’m still trying to keep my head up, stay positive, and understand that there are better things ahead. I also try to let it show every chance I get.

As for those who have been going through their BS keep ya head up. Although it may seem like the end of the world (or pretty close) there are better things ahead and be thankful that you didn’t get deeper than you did.

Anyway… with everything said Imma end it with this quote for you to marinate on.

“Dear to us are those who love us. . . but dearer are those who reject us as unworthy, for they add another life; they build a heaven before us whereof we had not dreamed, and thereby supply to us new powers out of the recesses of the spirit . . . “ ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was in the kitchen looking for a honey bun... chilling right... and on some random stuff I started to think about how much relationships are like occupations.

Think about it... you have the people who are the burger kings of the whole scheme of things. Your first jobs. The low paying minimum wage jobs. Those who you know for a fact won't be long term. They understand it as well but they satisfy your immediate needs for companionship. At the end you learn a enough about them to apply to your relationships in your future, not to mention they fed you a little (mentally, spiritually, emotionally) while you were with them.

Then you also have the Hustles... those "jobs" where u make quick money, often are no good for you, and deep down you know it. They are short term and most likely won't lead to anything positive. Kinda like those people who make you feel good physically, but lack any real substance for you to be around them too long. When stuff goes sour, it really goes bad and you still haven't grown any. In fact have you may have immatured a little bit and are in the same situation you were in before you met them despite the fact they satisfied that one small aspect for that short period.

After you start to grow a little, you start to get serious about what you want to do (who you want to be with in life). So you start looking for that person the same way you would a career. By now you have somewhat of an understanding of what you want to do and what you look for in a career so you start to look for jobs that fit the description of what u want to do long term. You quickly find out that they are way harder to find then the Burger King joints and at times that ideal job seems impossible to find. Either the job is too far away, you find out they aren't offering too much and aren't what they seemed when u first saw it, or it's already snatched up by somebody else...

You use every trick in the book... you go through the classifieds (ie Match.com lol), try and use your connections (making friends through friends), job fairs (the club), and even random walk-ins applications that rarely work (tryin to get at ol' girl on the street).

You find out that others in the same situation as yourself have settled for jobs that are no where near their field and what the imagined getting into. Although they are getting paid decently and treated right, they still aren't completely happy and feel like something is missing. Ever day they contemplate putting in their two weeks notice or start looking for side hustles to fill the void they have.

Eventually, ideally you find something that's kinda what you are looking for... it's in your field so you can definitely relate to it, pays well, there is room for significant growth (god forbid you hit that glass ceiling that happens to folk sometimes), its a long term thing, and most of all... they got benefits (think about it lol.. ). You go into your old age a happy individual.

If you really luck out you can create that opportunity and become CEO of your own company (which is a gamble) using knowledge acquired from past experiences (u can now handpick your relationships... wow lol). However, very few of us rarely are afforded that opportunity and are bold enough to take it there and it definitely isn't stable especially in its beginning stages.

Whats the point of this blog... there really is none outside of it just being a random thought I had while now grubbing on that honey bun... but if I had to add one it would be fairly simple.

Bottom line....

Get on your job!!!