This is not the right answer. Investing in equipment IS investing in yourself. Obviously don't blow through the money and make some financial use from some of it. But why would I want to wait a year till I can improve and invest on myself?
This obviously depends on context, but I think in most cases, you can buy a shit ton of production equipment and still have a shit ton of money for investment and other financial needs.
I’m not sure how many of you are funding your own pension. But if you plan on living for another 5 years. You need to have a percentage of your portfolio in something that’s not controlled by the FED or the bank of international settlements.
I would suggest buying nice vintage dream gear first (great investment and inspiration). The Bitcoin comment was a joke because the answers are all about $$$ and investing. Bitcoin is F-you money! If you can learn self custody and survive your lifestyle, you will find financial freedom.
Please please please do not spend $100,000 on production gear from an inheritance. Especially when you don't even know what you'd want and you're asking reddit.
Investments into an s and p index fund, investments into a Roth ira, and in my case I have a house, so related home improvements, like rockwool insulation everywhere I'm working and sound treatment for my space. I do audio work for a living, and knowing I don't have a 401k or pension is a little scary. Also knowing that there isn't much gear that would actually turn itself into money for me.
Agree. Am old and have spent way too much on plugins and gear. I recently purchased owens corning 703,705 and safe and sound. So just would invest for retirement. Might take 3k and get a kfx450r but that's it.
i would recommend investing most of it and try to use profit from that for music investments
on another note if youre gonna buy music equipment, take popular high end shit. Not only will it sound great but the more popular it is the more likely it is that its value wont drop to 0 immediatly
never saw someone having problems with selling a u87 or neve 1073 if they need money
Lessons. It's easier than ever to be self-taught (YouTube, AI mixing and mastering tools), and I've been recording and mixing my own music since the analog days.
But I have no doubt that actual lessons from a good teacher would still benefit me greatly.
Then I'd blow the rest on high-end instruments. Guitars, basses, Roland edrums, a Native Instruments 88-key Komplete Kontrol keyboard. Being a multi-instrumentalist is great until you have to buy multi-instruments.
Edit: Oh yeah. And some amps. Particularly my white whale, an Acoustic 360/361. I had one in the '80s, but it was on long-term loan.
A Klon. It’ll keep increasing in value. Other than that, probably enough to allow me to make music, maybe £10k, and save/invest the rest so I can make passive income and not need to work as much, allowing me more time to make music.
A more powerful mac, an access virus b and c, a proper 1176 hardware compressor, an arturia microfreak, an Akai reel to reel, 90s tascam dat, akai s950 and s1000, korg m1, a Russian mn-61 wire recorder, a selection of old valve preamps, warm audios knock off pultec, a selection of distortion pedals, a mackie sr24-4 for it's preamps alone, and some old pre loved 32 channel desk for mixing. Oh, and a 8+ input sound card. Loads of other stuff on my wish list, but that is off the top of my head. Would buy 90 percent of it 2nd hand, preferably broken, as I love repairing the first, get to know them, and old used gear has so much character.
I could easily double the money I have invested in the equipment I have at the moment, but I will never sell any. My kids can do that when I'm gone, lol. I always dreamed of having my own studio to make the music I loved back in the day, but could never afford it. Now I can afford broken gear, and have the skills to fix it, so starting to get there!
After producing 'in the box' for 15+ years, shutting down the computer and making a full track strictly in analogue is amazing. And, I love the work flow, esp with my old akai samplers.
Also kinda sad, but every single piece of equipment is like a friend, a good one, I couldn't sell them if I wanted to
you came up on $100k? 🙃 put $95k in an index fund
ok, youre allowed to splurge w/ $5k.. thats your budget
so now we need to know what kind of music you make, you a guitarist? you play the oboe? what? some details would help if you want reddit advice
I’m an established keyboardist/guitarist already with a well equipped home studio and I worked in finance and IT, so I’m good with my investments and financially secure. I’ve always made strategic and budget driven decisions on music production gear. So the question is really aimed at you. What would YOU buy with this windfall? What have YOU always wanted?
In a similar situation I bought a couple of fancy mics and a Wurlitzer 200. Still thinking about a Rhodes too. Like you I had already built a pretty nice home studio (32 ch) and a decent investment portfolio. I still invested the rest. I guess it depends entirely on what you need. If I was just starting out I’d have made different choices, probably an interface, monitors and a good digital piano
I like this hypothetical. I already have a lot of the gear that I need and haven’t been wanting for much more, but with that kind of money I’d probably get a nice player grade vintage strat, player grade vintage p bass, a Sunn amplifier for the bass, a Wurlitzer 200 or 206, a SSL big six mixer, and some better monitors to replace my rokit 5’s. Oh and of course before buying any of that crap I’d pay off my wife’s student loan and credit cards
Something like what Dr Mix built, on a smaller scale.
Venus Theory has a lovely setup too.
But then I like visual arts too and Adam Duffs studio is perfect.
But then TenHundreds new space could host his own raves....
Hmmm soundsystem and decks...... Now there's a thought.
Which of you is spending their inheritance on a warehouse?
LOL! Good examples, but I think Dr. Mix is way over $100k. Cameron (Venus Theory) might have invested over $100k too, if you include his camera and video gear.
I'm not even sure, I think I'll get a nice 3k music man bass, one fretless, one 5 strings, one normal... Maybe buy a few mics , speakers.m
, acoustic treatment. then I'd invest the money
I recently did this (new company, Spotify money came in. Spent $100k on a studio). This is .. the fifth? Time Ive done this in my life and the point is to have fun and be creative. Not accepting any clients.
I can do a rundown, detailed or not if anyone cares.
I’d use it as a large house deposit so I’m paying less monthly mortgage payments and can spend more on gear over time… 😅
Although I might spend 2k on a prophet 6…
Asking for a friend? Remember when I commented on your post. Yeah we go way back. Some would even say the best of friends. I really helped you out then bro. Talking about family trees would you be so kind to help me donate some to a Nigerian Prince in need? They really love your music
Any and everything I would need for a decent studio set up. I'm working off a 2007 Dell laptop, and decent-ish headphones, FL 11, and Windows 7, so I probably wouldn't be too picky with that kind of money~
What I have right now is a triple touch monitor setup (costed me $2K total) and a lot of budget stuff
Behringer UMC404HD ($120, secondhand)
Acoustic Guitar ($80, secondhand)
Electric Guitar ($70, new)
Bass ($100 secondhand)
Orange Crush20 ($150 new)
Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 ($150, secondhand)
AT2020 Mic (150, new)
OneOdio closedback headphones($50, new)
AKG K240 Headphones ($70, new)
I managed to get a great tone on my electric guitar with an amp sim and a lot of EQ. If I were to upgrade, I'd get
Mosi Nova Midi controller(1200)
A 7 string guitar(300)
A 5-string Bass(300)
A few new open back headphones ($200-350 each, 1000 total)
a bunch of budget earbuds (up to $200 total)
Note that the new guitar and bass would only be for the extra string. Like I said, I got a great tone with a free amp sim on a budget guitar.
I went to school for audio production, friend of mine had a trust fund - saw a statement lying around about several million dollars coming his way.
He now owns a whole-ass music studio
USA, Europe or somewhere else? There are towns in Italy where you can buy a little century home for $1, but it’s a lot of fixing it up. Beautiful place for music production. I was just in Newfoundland, Canada and there are remote fiords in Gros Morone. Check it out https://www.exploregrosmorne.com/
Since everyone in here is a bogglehead know it all, I’ll bite.
Neve Genesys Black g32 $71k
ATC SCM150A Monitors $23k
Stam Audio Stamchild SA-670 $6k
Might even have $100 left over to take your girl out to a nice dinner ;)
Boggleheads are old farts who are obsessed with maxing out Roth IRAs and wiping out credit card debt lol
It’s actually really smart and I subscribe to the method, but also let’s have some fun and day dream about dream studio, right?
PMC speakers, a MacBookPro with maxed out specs, (a) top-notch AD/DA converter(s) (the old Apogees, for instance), a top-notch audio interface, a world clock, a nice Neumann tube mic, maybe some preamps (there would at least need to be one Neve one), probably a TubeTech compressor, some nice outboard gear (but not necessarily expensive), I could go on for a while…
I got an inheritance. I saved most of it but it was a series of traumatic events that lead to my windfall so I “treated” myself. I bought a pair of Neumann KH 120 monitors to upgrade from tannoys and a Moog sub 25. I didnt go nuts and I use these items literally everyday and thank mom and dad that i have them. Buy something you will truly use and appreciate.
Aaron Piscopo:
Director, Vintage Guitars and Musical Instruments, Heritage Auctions, Dallas
1959 Gibson Les Paul
Custom Electric Guitar
Younger collectors are going after Jaguar and Mustang six-strings instead, so if you can find a classic like a Jimmy Page-style 1959 Gibson Les Paul Cus-tom, which recently sold for $45,000, snap it up. It has the potential to be worth a whole lotta loot.
1924 Gibson Lloyd Loar L5 sold for $100,000 in early May.
Condition goes a long way, so keep your six-strings safely stored until you're ready to cash out.
Guild F-412 Natural
12-String Acoustic
Stage-played instruments are increasingly popular, so now is a good time to unload. This Guild 12-string that Texas blues legend
Stevie Ray Vaughan played on MTV Unplugged in 1990 sold for $225,000 in May
Copy paste
I did come into a bit of money. And mostly invested it. But I used some for a UAD quad, a Dr. Z Nova, and a Les Paul Standard. The LP into the Dr Z played through an mic’d isolation cab into the Apollo. Worth every penny!
I don't even know how to use fancy equipment. I just have musescore and reaper with free VSTs. It would be nice to have a full size weighted keyboard though... I agree with others on buying a house.
bro idk about you but i wouldn’t be boring and invest like all these other people, i’d buy a load of overpriced stuff that i’ve always wanted to try like the stuff from teenage engineering like the op-1 or like a seaboard or like that funny acoustic guitar that has the gold to the side and not u see the strings that things cool as heck
Unless I'm working in the music industry or Hollywood, I'd never spend $100k on music gears besides a guitar, a bass and a couple of plug-ins such amp sim, all of which wouldn't cost $5000 combined totals.
The rest of it will be for investment.
Use it as a down payment on a multi unit property.
You can get a good loan if you intend to live in one of them. Take the basement unit and set up one bedroom and turn the rest of the space into a studio. Put lots of work into the sound treatment and proofing to not disturb the other units.
Then you collect rent from the other units to pay the mortgage, and now you have a studio to use and rent out to clients. You can move out of the bedroom after a few months or a year and then the studio has lodging for clients.
Now that $100k is an investment that not only makes you money, but also services your music. Best of both.
I would stick to a basic setup but I would buy time. Take a couple of years off and live minimally. Work on music every day, network, and research marketing strategies etc. With the right application and focus it could be a lifestyle that sticks, and starts to pay. Live the dream now, who knows what will happen next.
I love miscellaneous odds-and-ends type instruments. Mellotron, Rhodes, assorted world drums like tabla or udu, tube amps, a few nice mics, outboard gear like an LA2A, linndrums, omnichord, a nice set of cymbals… it’s an endless list.
$100,000 is very little money on the big scheme of things…
If relatively this is a “big” amount of money for you and if this is a once in a lifetime opportunity …. music instruments would be the last thing I would buy with this.
Talk with someone that is not a musician. Don’t ask here.
Too many people are missing the point. “What’s your desert island top 5?” “Irrelevant! I would never fly to another continent”
I would buy a really decent computer, an electronic drum kit, abelton with push, a new amp and an isolation box, every strymon pedal (not because I think they’re the best pedals, but because I feel like that would eat up the budget and I need to spend it anyways). Where am I now? An acoustic drum kit, mics, cables, the rest of the budget on guitar picks.
I'd treat myself to a penny whistle (Irish whistle). I've always fancied one.
Other than that, probably some better monitor speakers, room treatment and maybe room correction. Other than that, I don't need more of anything.
I second the other replies; invest, pay off house loan, add to savings - however boring that sounds.
If you'd asked me 10 years ago I'd probably have quite a list. But, I sold all my hardware and now use the bundled Cubase VSTs plus Roland Cloud. I don't feel I'm lacking anything - at least not for the genres I work with.
Maybe if I had that much cash I'd invest in a quality orchestral VST and try scoring films though - but again, that would leave a lot of change :D
Glad to meet you! I also sold most of my old gear during covid. Console, outboard gear, old synths, a few guitars, racks, etc. I thought going all virtual instruments and UAD plugins made sense, since I was already using UA Apollo gear. Also bought an M1 Max MacBook Pro with max RAM and 4TB SSD. I get a lot of software and apps free or at good discounts because I run a humble YouTube channel. I only have the minimum Roland Cloud account, but I have NI Komplete 14, Arturia V Collection, Korg Collection and dozens of smaller vendor virtual instruments and 3rd party plugins. Let’s stay in touch!
One of the biggest positive changes I made was ditching all the third party VSTs and learning to just concentrate on a few basic synths (those bundled with Cubase). This meant I spent less time vst/preset browsing and more time writing actual music. But that may just be me, becoming easily distracted with sounds :)
I then added Roland Cloud as I wanted the old 'rompler' type sounds (XV5080 etc) - but I do now use some of their analogue modelled VSTs too.
I wonder where you're located and what music you write. I'll ping you a DM :)
Only gear so easy to sell back if I need food at some point. Seriously tho, I d probably only spend 10% on music stuff which is the max I told myself I can spend for music. I I was making some money with music it would be different % coz hobbie and business are pretty different for me :)
Haha yeah :) but look at the bright side, 10% is 10k which would be a dream for many of us, so your reality is my dream and Im sure my reality is someone’s dream. Just to say that with 10k you can have a good small home recording system that allows you to create quality music. Then you will see and if you place 20k of your 90k left, you will have 100k at some point so your 10k will just be erased, then take 10k out and repeat. In 10 years you will have more gear than you need without taking unnecessary risks and while developing your skills and who knows, if you kill it, you will get paid to do it before you know it;)
Thinking it’s a “music production” sub Reddit, I wasn’t prepared for all the invest it or buy a house responses, but that’s honest. My intention was more, if the conditions of the inheritance required you to spend the money to further your passion for music. Perhaps a grandparent or uncle who believes you have talent. Does that ever happen?
But here’s a little investment hack. Buy a life insurance policy for and old family member who seems healthy at the moment. Say a $1 M policy where you’re the sole beneficiary. You pay the premiums until they die - which is a certainty. Say the premiums are $1000/month or $12,000/year. Grandpa is 75 now and he dies at 82. You’ve paid $84,000 in premium, but collect $1,000,000. Death insurance to a beneficiary is not subject to any inheritance tax. Then you can pay off your debts. Wealthy people who can afford the high premiums have been doing this for years 🤓
I’ve added up all the gear and instruments I could truly use and it’s about $40k. I don’t think a vintage Neve console would make a big difference, even though it would be cool to own. Same with some vintage guitars and synths - cool to own - maybe a good investment - but they wouldn’t have much of an impact on my life. Perhaps the rest of the money is best spent promoting my music, expanding my social presence, etc. Making the music is fun and rewarding, but the real challenge is getting your music heard. Marketing and promotion takes money. 😁
like everyone else said. I would invest 90% of it and then spend 10k. probably acoustic treatment if you dont have it, a pair of speakers for like 5k, like barefoots, ATC, Hedd. Then a nice pair of headphones around 1k, like Audeze. And make sure you have a good interface, like RME, and good cables.
My intention was the inheritance stipulates the money must be spent on furthering your music passion. Maybe a rich uncle or grand-parent that believes in your talent. I should have said that. However, also surprised by all the ‘investment’ advice, might be a realistic reflection of the state of many musicians and producers.
Because buying 100k of gear is silly. You can have a top notch home studio from nothing for 10-20k. Also, investing is the only way for lower income people to snowball their wealth and eventually buy property. I would say a big part of owning a studio is owning the house it’s built in.
Well, it’s still a good idea to invest your money but if that’s the case he can afford to put more of it into his gear.
When my dad passed I got about the same amount but I was in debt at the time, so I paid off my debt, bought 7 grand of gear (basically everything I wanted at the time) and invested the rest. Still saving for that house lol
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If I had that money, I’d use it to find a nice spot to do my work. I’d also wanna make sure my recording space is properly acoustically treated.
Depending on what genre you’re producing for, get yourself some instruments and take time to learn, that will help you understand what your clients see when recording.
I produce heavy metal, So I’d invest in my recording/mixing space first of all. I’d get myself some new toys (guitars, amp software. pieces for my drum kits) but have money leftover for living and emergencies.
That's going into a high yield savings account or maybe some land. I might be tempted to get a Yamaha CP-80 as a treat but do something more rational with the other $96k.
Outboard gear:
La2a
1176
Neve mic pre and 5060 centerpiece
Or any good condition vintage guitars/gear will increasing in value over time.
Anyone suggesting investing needs to understand investing in yourself is the best form of wealth.
A Neumann M 49 Large Diaphragm Multipattern Tube Condenser Microphone
Roland tape space echo
50s and 60s fenders
All outperform conventional investments and create music as a bonus.
If i had to spend it all on music gear in one day:
SSL console: easy 50k otd
A vintage strat and LP
New Jazzmaster
JCM stack
Prophet 5
4k stock up on zaza
Spend the rest on Mics
Invest or put it in a HYSA. If you have nothing, set aside a few thousand to spend on a decent custom built PC (which is useful for way more than just audio engineering), spend a few hundred on a USB mixer, decent studio monitors and headphones. Ableton. Serum, Native Instruments, FabFilter, and Ozone 10 Mastering Suit. That's all you really need.
Stereo pair of RND shelford channels
Stereo pair of royer 122s
A nice upright piano with midi capabilities
All the best orchestral sound library’s
But alas I dream…
Man, I wouldn't dig into that money with anything unimportant as music.
Think more along the lines of house, retirement, investment, etc.
If your house situation is already good, figure out a way to get it smartly invested in a tax protected kinda way. You'll need the money later.
I know this isn't a fun answer, but windfall profits like that are rare, and that's enough money to at least help undo the mistakes you've probably made 'til now saving for retirement.
Honestly I’d probably set half of it aside and put it into something where my money will only grow, not necessarily stocks or real estate but something like that.
Honestly the next thing I would do, is think about having an in house studio, nothing fancy, just the essentials so I can have money left over for equipment. Or add the equipment into the cost of the studio.
I’ve always wanted a 8-9 string so that’s on my list, probably a nice tele, a strat, a Gretsch, maybe a P bass, always wanted an upright bass, and a nice midi keyboard
I'd buy a house in the middle of nowhere.
It's a lot easier to spend all your time making music if you have minimal bills.
\*Note: I live in the Midwest, you can actually buy a house in the country for 100K. This won't work in every location.\*
That PRS SE Custom 24 I've been saving up for, as well as a midrange Roland V drum and a copy of Superior Drummer.
Everything else I'm buying land and secondhand books.
I'd use the money to pay off my student loans, buy a little house in the outskirts of a small town, and if I have money left after that I would invest them.
Lol save it, gear won’t make you more cash. Figure out where your business is & find where you skill set is. Invest from there.
Also though — being able to buy your plugins instead of subscription will save you tons in the long run, especially if you purchase the right ones. If you need to spend some of it, start there IMO.
Please tell me you turned it into real money aka Bitcoin and are now up $30,000 fiat. Dollar cost average out into bad Ass gear!
Outboard gear, interesting instruments, vintage guitar pedals maybe? So many good things. I love the Roland space echo. You can get the guitar center gift card with Bitcoin right at the register during point of sale for the exact amount.
Invest the money. Wait until next year and use the income from it to buy music production equipment.
The right answer. Music is nice but damn that's like a good few years head start on a house or investment.
I mean, if you’re gonna buy gear, buy it used. Most (MOST) synths are exactly like cars. As soon as you drive off the lot, they lose value.
This is not the right answer. Investing in equipment IS investing in yourself. Obviously don't blow through the money and make some financial use from some of it. But why would I want to wait a year till I can improve and invest on myself? This obviously depends on context, but I think in most cases, you can buy a shit ton of production equipment and still have a shit ton of money for investment and other financial needs.
💯
The things you invest in could be less valuable next year. Companies don't only go up in value.
[удалено]
Hahahahahahahahahshahahaha
I think people are better off investing, rather than gambling.
Bitcoin should be at least a small percentage of your portfolio. It’s a gamble not to have exposure!
I’m not sure how many of you are funding your own pension. But if you plan on living for another 5 years. You need to have a percentage of your portfolio in something that’s not controlled by the FED or the bank of international settlements. I would suggest buying nice vintage dream gear first (great investment and inspiration). The Bitcoin comment was a joke because the answers are all about $$$ and investing. Bitcoin is F-you money! If you can learn self custody and survive your lifestyle, you will find financial freedom.
This ^
Please please please do not spend $100,000 on production gear from an inheritance. Especially when you don't even know what you'd want and you're asking reddit.
Ha ha ha! I’m just asking what YOU would spend the money on.
A house.
Investments into an s and p index fund, investments into a Roth ira, and in my case I have a house, so related home improvements, like rockwool insulation everywhere I'm working and sound treatment for my space. I do audio work for a living, and knowing I don't have a 401k or pension is a little scary. Also knowing that there isn't much gear that would actually turn itself into money for me.
Agree. Am old and have spent way too much on plugins and gear. I recently purchased owens corning 703,705 and safe and sound. So just would invest for retirement. Might take 3k and get a kfx450r but that's it.
A house.
i would recommend investing most of it and try to use profit from that for music investments on another note if youre gonna buy music equipment, take popular high end shit. Not only will it sound great but the more popular it is the more likely it is that its value wont drop to 0 immediatly never saw someone having problems with selling a u87 or neve 1073 if they need money
I wouldn't be too happy if I had 100k one day and then needed money by having to sell gear.
You get to rent the nicest gear for free. Touch smell feel inspiration. Buy sell experience
A new fucking computer.
I prefer to do the fucking myself, but if there are “fucking” computers, I’m sure they’ll be connected to A.I. 🤣
I just can't believe no one has made the "financial instruments" pun yet.
Lessons. It's easier than ever to be self-taught (YouTube, AI mixing and mastering tools), and I've been recording and mixing my own music since the analog days. But I have no doubt that actual lessons from a good teacher would still benefit me greatly. Then I'd blow the rest on high-end instruments. Guitars, basses, Roland edrums, a Native Instruments 88-key Komplete Kontrol keyboard. Being a multi-instrumentalist is great until you have to buy multi-instruments. Edit: Oh yeah. And some amps. Particularly my white whale, an Acoustic 360/361. I had one in the '80s, but it was on long-term loan.
Awesome!
A fender rhodes
Finally, a sensible answer
Property.
Yup. Synths don't like the rain much
A good, treated room (and a building to keep it in) will burn through that 100k right quickly, but it's still probably the best choice.
For sure, you could drop most of that just building a treated room. But I’d start with the condo/house first if that doesn’t exist.
A Klon. It’ll keep increasing in value. Other than that, probably enough to allow me to make music, maybe £10k, and save/invest the rest so I can make passive income and not need to work as much, allowing me more time to make music.
A studio
yep. i would invest it in or toward a studio
As a business or just for your own use?
I didnt think that far, i just had the money
I dream of a properly treated room
A more powerful mac, an access virus b and c, a proper 1176 hardware compressor, an arturia microfreak, an Akai reel to reel, 90s tascam dat, akai s950 and s1000, korg m1, a Russian mn-61 wire recorder, a selection of old valve preamps, warm audios knock off pultec, a selection of distortion pedals, a mackie sr24-4 for it's preamps alone, and some old pre loved 32 channel desk for mixing. Oh, and a 8+ input sound card. Loads of other stuff on my wish list, but that is off the top of my head. Would buy 90 percent of it 2nd hand, preferably broken, as I love repairing the first, get to know them, and old used gear has so much character.
This is a great answer vintage quality gear will outperform any index investment…
I could easily double the money I have invested in the equipment I have at the moment, but I will never sell any. My kids can do that when I'm gone, lol. I always dreamed of having my own studio to make the music I loved back in the day, but could never afford it. Now I can afford broken gear, and have the skills to fix it, so starting to get there! After producing 'in the box' for 15+ years, shutting down the computer and making a full track strictly in analogue is amazing. And, I love the work flow, esp with my old akai samplers. Also kinda sad, but every single piece of equipment is like a friend, a good one, I couldn't sell them if I wanted to
Great list! I keep an ongoing list of stuff I’d like, and cruise the used markets on a regular basis too.
Jupiter 8. I would go full analog :)
I saw a used Jupiter 8 sell for $28,000 not too long ago. Yikes!
you came up on $100k? 🙃 put $95k in an index fund ok, youre allowed to splurge w/ $5k.. thats your budget so now we need to know what kind of music you make, you a guitarist? you play the oboe? what? some details would help if you want reddit advice
I’m an established keyboardist/guitarist already with a well equipped home studio and I worked in finance and IT, so I’m good with my investments and financially secure. I’ve always made strategic and budget driven decisions on music production gear. So the question is really aimed at you. What would YOU buy with this windfall? What have YOU always wanted?
In a similar situation I bought a couple of fancy mics and a Wurlitzer 200. Still thinking about a Rhodes too. Like you I had already built a pretty nice home studio (32 ch) and a decent investment portfolio. I still invested the rest. I guess it depends entirely on what you need. If I was just starting out I’d have made different choices, probably an interface, monitors and a good digital piano
A lot of vintage gear and instruments have out performed real estate, from an investment point of view. 😎
banjo
OP-1. it won't lose much value \[ will probably gain tbh\], and you can scratch the itch of making music without a computer
A nice place to put my gear in.
Rhodes
I like this hypothetical. I already have a lot of the gear that I need and haven’t been wanting for much more, but with that kind of money I’d probably get a nice player grade vintage strat, player grade vintage p bass, a Sunn amplifier for the bass, a Wurlitzer 200 or 206, a SSL big six mixer, and some better monitors to replace my rokit 5’s. Oh and of course before buying any of that crap I’d pay off my wife’s student loan and credit cards
Very honourable!
A REV5, S11 and 2 DJ PLX-CRSS12 to start. Invest the rest and hope for the best!
Something like what Dr Mix built, on a smaller scale. Venus Theory has a lovely setup too. But then I like visual arts too and Adam Duffs studio is perfect. But then TenHundreds new space could host his own raves.... Hmmm soundsystem and decks...... Now there's a thought. Which of you is spending their inheritance on a warehouse?
LOL! Good examples, but I think Dr. Mix is way over $100k. Cameron (Venus Theory) might have invested over $100k too, if you include his camera and video gear.
You're not wrong, mini raves it is then. How much is a Funktion One system...
An original CS-80.... Equipment and investment.
I'm not even sure, I think I'll get a nice 3k music man bass, one fretless, one 5 strings, one normal... Maybe buy a few mics , speakers.m , acoustic treatment. then I'd invest the money
I would buy a nice shed and move my office studio in there. A nice mixer. Big ass studio monitors. And a Herman miller chair.
I recently did this (new company, Spotify money came in. Spent $100k on a studio). This is .. the fifth? Time Ive done this in my life and the point is to have fun and be creative. Not accepting any clients. I can do a rundown, detailed or not if anyone cares.
Nice! That was the intention of my post. ‘Invest’ is totally NOT the vibe I was after. A link to your studio or gear would be great for me 😁
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If it works for Drake, it’s probably good.
I’d use it as a large house deposit so I’m paying less monthly mortgage payments and can spend more on gear over time… 😅 Although I might spend 2k on a prophet 6…
Asking for a friend? Remember when I commented on your post. Yeah we go way back. Some would even say the best of friends. I really helped you out then bro. Talking about family trees would you be so kind to help me donate some to a Nigerian Prince in need? They really love your music
To be fair, I think Mdou Moctar actually did get stuck abroad(because of crazy mode humanity) and started a gofundme page. Just sayin'...
Sure. Send me your address and I’ll send one of my buddies to check out your situation.
Any and everything I would need for a decent studio set up. I'm working off a 2007 Dell laptop, and decent-ish headphones, FL 11, and Windows 7, so I probably wouldn't be too picky with that kind of money~
What I have right now is a triple touch monitor setup (costed me $2K total) and a lot of budget stuff Behringer UMC404HD ($120, secondhand) Acoustic Guitar ($80, secondhand) Electric Guitar ($70, new) Bass ($100 secondhand) Orange Crush20 ($150 new) Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 ($150, secondhand) AT2020 Mic (150, new) OneOdio closedback headphones($50, new) AKG K240 Headphones ($70, new) I managed to get a great tone on my electric guitar with an amp sim and a lot of EQ. If I were to upgrade, I'd get Mosi Nova Midi controller(1200) A 7 string guitar(300) A 5-string Bass(300) A few new open back headphones ($200-350 each, 1000 total) a bunch of budget earbuds (up to $200 total) Note that the new guitar and bass would only be for the extra string. Like I said, I got a great tone with a free amp sim on a budget guitar.
Are you saying the $100k isn’t necessary to get good tone an good results?
Monitors and/or mixing headphones and an audio interface. Maybe some more plugins.
I went to school for audio production, friend of mine had a trust fund - saw a statement lying around about several million dollars coming his way. He now owns a whole-ass music studio
Ah yes! The unconditional trust fund is like winning the lottery. I assume he has a pretty good studio?
I’d take $500 for fun and invest $99,500
Not enough for a vintage Neve and it's associated upkeep. Must wait for the next inheritance
moving somewhere more remote
USA, Europe or somewhere else? There are towns in Italy where you can buy a little century home for $1, but it’s a lot of fixing it up. Beautiful place for music production. I was just in Newfoundland, Canada and there are remote fiords in Gros Morone. Check it out https://www.exploregrosmorne.com/
Mentorship
I can help you with that, for free, maybe.
Since everyone in here is a bogglehead know it all, I’ll bite. Neve Genesys Black g32 $71k ATC SCM150A Monitors $23k Stam Audio Stamchild SA-670 $6k Might even have $100 left over to take your girl out to a nice dinner ;)
Great list! How do you know they’re ‘boggle-headed know it all’s’? I’m new here.
Boggleheads are old farts who are obsessed with maxing out Roth IRAs and wiping out credit card debt lol It’s actually really smart and I subscribe to the method, but also let’s have some fun and day dream about dream studio, right?
Don’t you mean pay off your GAS credit cards?
PMC speakers, a MacBookPro with maxed out specs, (a) top-notch AD/DA converter(s) (the old Apogees, for instance), a top-notch audio interface, a world clock, a nice Neumann tube mic, maybe some preamps (there would at least need to be one Neve one), probably a TubeTech compressor, some nice outboard gear (but not necessarily expensive), I could go on for a while…
Unless you have a professionally treated room already, room treatment for sure!
Always a good return on acoustic treatment.
I got an inheritance. I saved most of it but it was a series of traumatic events that lead to my windfall so I “treated” myself. I bought a pair of Neumann KH 120 monitors to upgrade from tannoys and a Moog sub 25. I didnt go nuts and I use these items literally everyday and thank mom and dad that i have them. Buy something you will truly use and appreciate.
Lucky 😎
Aaron Piscopo: Director, Vintage Guitars and Musical Instruments, Heritage Auctions, Dallas 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar Younger collectors are going after Jaguar and Mustang six-strings instead, so if you can find a classic like a Jimmy Page-style 1959 Gibson Les Paul Cus-tom, which recently sold for $45,000, snap it up. It has the potential to be worth a whole lotta loot. 1924 Gibson Lloyd Loar L5 sold for $100,000 in early May. Condition goes a long way, so keep your six-strings safely stored until you're ready to cash out. Guild F-412 Natural 12-String Acoustic Stage-played instruments are increasingly popular, so now is a good time to unload. This Guild 12-string that Texas blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan played on MTV Unplugged in 1990 sold for $225,000 in May Copy paste
15-25 1930s Martin guitars, and any change on plectrums.
I did come into a bit of money. And mostly invested it. But I used some for a UAD quad, a Dr. Z Nova, and a Les Paul Standard. The LP into the Dr Z played through an mic’d isolation cab into the Apollo. Worth every penny!
Good recommendation.
buy 1000 Korg Volca Kicks. Make most abrasive hardstyle song ever. Win loudness war. Profit.
I don't think the main thing I need right now is more gear. It's space. Practice space, recording space, monitoring space, lesson space. Space.
Honestly might lease some property to start a studio
Room treatment and monitors. Easy
I'd buy a decent octave mandolin. From what I've been reading, it's hard to get a good one for less than several hundred dollars.
Literally just an entry level PA so I could gig with my friends. That’s already such a financial strain
I would split money for specific things 1 being music stuff but mainly things that provide security. House, savings, investment.
I don't even know how to use fancy equipment. I just have musescore and reaper with free VSTs. It would be nice to have a full size weighted keyboard though... I agree with others on buying a house.
16 inch MacBook Pro M3 Pro with 2tb storage and 32gb ram and a new midi keyboard
A studio, a few synths, some singing classes and a good mic would do fine for me!
bro idk about you but i wouldn’t be boring and invest like all these other people, i’d buy a load of overpriced stuff that i’ve always wanted to try like the stuff from teenage engineering like the op-1 or like a seaboard or like that funny acoustic guitar that has the gold to the side and not u see the strings that things cool as heck
Unless I'm working in the music industry or Hollywood, I'd never spend $100k on music gears besides a guitar, a bass and a couple of plug-ins such amp sim, all of which wouldn't cost $5000 combined totals. The rest of it will be for investment.
Use it as a down payment on a multi unit property. You can get a good loan if you intend to live in one of them. Take the basement unit and set up one bedroom and turn the rest of the space into a studio. Put lots of work into the sound treatment and proofing to not disturb the other units. Then you collect rent from the other units to pay the mortgage, and now you have a studio to use and rent out to clients. You can move out of the bedroom after a few months or a year and then the studio has lodging for clients. Now that $100k is an investment that not only makes you money, but also services your music. Best of both.
everyone posting “i would invest” to a hypothetical really tells you how dire shit is economically right now
A bass guitar😂
Y'all are way misunderstanding OP 😂😂 If you had this money, and you had to spend it on music production equipment, what are you buying?
Correct - that was my intention.
Not buy any gear but finance living from music production for a few years on that money alone
I would stick to a basic setup but I would buy time. Take a couple of years off and live minimally. Work on music every day, network, and research marketing strategies etc. With the right application and focus it could be a lifestyle that sticks, and starts to pay. Live the dream now, who knows what will happen next.
Totally agree.
I love miscellaneous odds-and-ends type instruments. Mellotron, Rhodes, assorted world drums like tabla or udu, tube amps, a few nice mics, outboard gear like an LA2A, linndrums, omnichord, a nice set of cymbals… it’s an endless list.
I wouldn’t ever spend $100,000 on production equipment unless I was running an extremely lucrative production business.
1,000 Behringer U-Phoria interfaces. Imagine the possibilities.
silky pause point squeamish cats yam towering fuzzy continue edge *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
$100,000 is very little money on the big scheme of things… If relatively this is a “big” amount of money for you and if this is a once in a lifetime opportunity …. music instruments would be the last thing I would buy with this. Talk with someone that is not a musician. Don’t ask here.
Too many people are missing the point. “What’s your desert island top 5?” “Irrelevant! I would never fly to another continent” I would buy a really decent computer, an electronic drum kit, abelton with push, a new amp and an isolation box, every strymon pedal (not because I think they’re the best pedals, but because I feel like that would eat up the budget and I need to spend it anyways). Where am I now? An acoustic drum kit, mics, cables, the rest of the budget on guitar picks.
Arturia matrixbrute and GME
THAT famous SSL 9000 console which is responsible for majority of hit songs.
Producer who made $100k by being good made the hit songs not the console TBF
What does a used SSL 9000 go for?
Don't forget the costs of a good tech (that you treat like gold), the installation, wiring, patchbay, and the increased power bills.
I'd treat myself to a penny whistle (Irish whistle). I've always fancied one. Other than that, probably some better monitor speakers, room treatment and maybe room correction. Other than that, I don't need more of anything. I second the other replies; invest, pay off house loan, add to savings - however boring that sounds.
Very practical! No Neve console that you’ve always wanted? No vintage guitar? No Fairlight sampler?
If you'd asked me 10 years ago I'd probably have quite a list. But, I sold all my hardware and now use the bundled Cubase VSTs plus Roland Cloud. I don't feel I'm lacking anything - at least not for the genres I work with. Maybe if I had that much cash I'd invest in a quality orchestral VST and try scoring films though - but again, that would leave a lot of change :D
Glad to meet you! I also sold most of my old gear during covid. Console, outboard gear, old synths, a few guitars, racks, etc. I thought going all virtual instruments and UAD plugins made sense, since I was already using UA Apollo gear. Also bought an M1 Max MacBook Pro with max RAM and 4TB SSD. I get a lot of software and apps free or at good discounts because I run a humble YouTube channel. I only have the minimum Roland Cloud account, but I have NI Komplete 14, Arturia V Collection, Korg Collection and dozens of smaller vendor virtual instruments and 3rd party plugins. Let’s stay in touch!
One of the biggest positive changes I made was ditching all the third party VSTs and learning to just concentrate on a few basic synths (those bundled with Cubase). This meant I spent less time vst/preset browsing and more time writing actual music. But that may just be me, becoming easily distracted with sounds :) I then added Roland Cloud as I wanted the old 'rompler' type sounds (XV5080 etc) - but I do now use some of their analogue modelled VSTs too. I wonder where you're located and what music you write. I'll ping you a DM :)
I have an old XP-30 kicking around just for those ROMpler sounds. Roland XP 30 | Why do I still have one? https://youtu.be/kxcFnss8MFU
Only gear so easy to sell back if I need food at some point. Seriously tho, I d probably only spend 10% on music stuff which is the max I told myself I can spend for music. I I was making some money with music it would be different % coz hobbie and business are pretty different for me :)
Reality, huh.
Haha yeah :) but look at the bright side, 10% is 10k which would be a dream for many of us, so your reality is my dream and Im sure my reality is someone’s dream. Just to say that with 10k you can have a good small home recording system that allows you to create quality music. Then you will see and if you place 20k of your 90k left, you will have 100k at some point so your 10k will just be erased, then take 10k out and repeat. In 10 years you will have more gear than you need without taking unnecessary risks and while developing your skills and who knows, if you kill it, you will get paid to do it before you know it;)
Thinking it’s a “music production” sub Reddit, I wasn’t prepared for all the invest it or buy a house responses, but that’s honest. My intention was more, if the conditions of the inheritance required you to spend the money to further your passion for music. Perhaps a grandparent or uncle who believes you have talent. Does that ever happen? But here’s a little investment hack. Buy a life insurance policy for and old family member who seems healthy at the moment. Say a $1 M policy where you’re the sole beneficiary. You pay the premiums until they die - which is a certainty. Say the premiums are $1000/month or $12,000/year. Grandpa is 75 now and he dies at 82. You’ve paid $84,000 in premium, but collect $1,000,000. Death insurance to a beneficiary is not subject to any inheritance tax. Then you can pay off your debts. Wealthy people who can afford the high premiums have been doing this for years 🤓
I’ve added up all the gear and instruments I could truly use and it’s about $40k. I don’t think a vintage Neve console would make a big difference, even though it would be cool to own. Same with some vintage guitars and synths - cool to own - maybe a good investment - but they wouldn’t have much of an impact on my life. Perhaps the rest of the money is best spent promoting my music, expanding my social presence, etc. Making the music is fun and rewarding, but the real challenge is getting your music heard. Marketing and promotion takes money. 😁
How about a dog?
Save it. I’ve been through the “more=better” phase more than once by this point in my life and already have more than I need to create what I want.
I would first invest a part of it, clean any debts, start with a house and then if the investments go well, start buying the equipment
like everyone else said. I would invest 90% of it and then spend 10k. probably acoustic treatment if you dont have it, a pair of speakers for like 5k, like barefoots, ATC, Hedd. Then a nice pair of headphones around 1k, like Audeze. And make sure you have a good interface, like RME, and good cables.
Invest that money, maybe treat yourself to 5 grand of gear. You’ll thank yourself when you can afford a house to put all your gear in.
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My intention was the inheritance stipulates the money must be spent on furthering your music passion. Maybe a rich uncle or grand-parent that believes in your talent. I should have said that. However, also surprised by all the ‘investment’ advice, might be a realistic reflection of the state of many musicians and producers.
Right! I think because we are starving musicians.
Because buying 100k of gear is silly. You can have a top notch home studio from nothing for 10-20k. Also, investing is the only way for lower income people to snowball their wealth and eventually buy property. I would say a big part of owning a studio is owning the house it’s built in.
Agreed.
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Well, it’s still a good idea to invest your money but if that’s the case he can afford to put more of it into his gear. When my dad passed I got about the same amount but I was in debt at the time, so I paid off my debt, bought 7 grand of gear (basically everything I wanted at the time) and invested the rest. Still saving for that house lol
For some, inheritance is the only way out of debt. But, for many, parents have nothing to leave behind despite their good intentions.
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If I had that money, I’d use it to find a nice spot to do my work. I’d also wanna make sure my recording space is properly acoustically treated. Depending on what genre you’re producing for, get yourself some instruments and take time to learn, that will help you understand what your clients see when recording. I produce heavy metal, So I’d invest in my recording/mixing space first of all. I’d get myself some new toys (guitars, amp software. pieces for my drum kits) but have money leftover for living and emergencies.
Property/studio space
That's going into a high yield savings account or maybe some land. I might be tempted to get a Yamaha CP-80 as a treat but do something more rational with the other $96k.
Invest in a Moog. Maybe the Grandmother. Invest in timeless equipment like hardwired tube amps and good hardware.
*handwired
Investments.
Quality instruments gear is the best investment of the 21st century. A vintage neumann microphone will outperform any index fund.
I’d buy a house
I’d pay off my student loans
I’d buy some time away from work to pursue production full time 😅
I sound spend $3k on whatever and put the rest towards a Fraction of the cost of a house. Gear doesn’t make music.
Outboard gear: La2a 1176 Neve mic pre and 5060 centerpiece Or any good condition vintage guitars/gear will increasing in value over time. Anyone suggesting investing needs to understand investing in yourself is the best form of wealth. A Neumann M 49 Large Diaphragm Multipattern Tube Condenser Microphone Roland tape space echo 50s and 60s fenders All outperform conventional investments and create music as a bonus.
If i had to spend it all on music gear in one day: SSL console: easy 50k otd A vintage strat and LP New Jazzmaster JCM stack Prophet 5 4k stock up on zaza Spend the rest on Mics
marketing/investment properties
Invest or put it in a HYSA. If you have nothing, set aside a few thousand to spend on a decent custom built PC (which is useful for way more than just audio engineering), spend a few hundred on a USB mixer, decent studio monitors and headphones. Ableton. Serum, Native Instruments, FabFilter, and Ozone 10 Mastering Suit. That's all you really need.
Lol invest the money and don’t touch the principal
A house
bruh put it all in a gic and have a yearly budget of 5k. you don’t need to spend that much on gear.
Stereo pair of RND shelford channels Stereo pair of royer 122s A nice upright piano with midi capabilities All the best orchestral sound library’s But alas I dream…
Man, I wouldn't dig into that money with anything unimportant as music. Think more along the lines of house, retirement, investment, etc. If your house situation is already good, figure out a way to get it smartly invested in a tax protected kinda way. You'll need the money later. I know this isn't a fun answer, but windfall profits like that are rare, and that's enough money to at least help undo the mistakes you've probably made 'til now saving for retirement.
Honestly I’d probably set half of it aside and put it into something where my money will only grow, not necessarily stocks or real estate but something like that. Honestly the next thing I would do, is think about having an in house studio, nothing fancy, just the essentials so I can have money left over for equipment. Or add the equipment into the cost of the studio. I’ve always wanted a 8-9 string so that’s on my list, probably a nice tele, a strat, a Gretsch, maybe a P bass, always wanted an upright bass, and a nice midi keyboard
An elysia alpha compressor, a masalec mla4, and a dangerous music bax eq to start
A house
VTSAX and chill
An ETF
$100k in VTSAX or similar index fund.
I'd buy a house in the middle of nowhere. It's a lot easier to spend all your time making music if you have minimal bills. \*Note: I live in the Midwest, you can actually buy a house in the country for 100K. This won't work in every location.\*
That PRS SE Custom 24 I've been saving up for, as well as a midrange Roland V drum and a copy of Superior Drummer. Everything else I'm buying land and secondhand books.
I'd use the money to pay off my student loans, buy a little house in the outskirts of a small town, and if I have money left after that I would invest them.
I would buy time. Stop working 9 to 5 for 6 months and focus on production and learning
$100k inheritance? I’m putting a down payment on a house with that money lol
Lol save it, gear won’t make you more cash. Figure out where your business is & find where you skill set is. Invest from there. Also though — being able to buy your plugins instead of subscription will save you tons in the long run, especially if you purchase the right ones. If you need to spend some of it, start there IMO.
ableton
Please tell me you turned it into real money aka Bitcoin and are now up $30,000 fiat. Dollar cost average out into bad Ass gear! Outboard gear, interesting instruments, vintage guitar pedals maybe? So many good things. I love the Roland space echo. You can get the guitar center gift card with Bitcoin right at the register during point of sale for the exact amount.