I've started to noticed these hardware products in the $500-$1000 that don't really solve any problems. See the $500 digital album art frame that sold out and I do not think ever shipped. Or the Orchid synth which is a $600 musical toy with an amazing amount of included modules and bugs. Patreon and Discord support channels filled with issues and help requests, being met with radio silence or asking for patience or "an update is just wrapping up", all while just feeding the social networks more 5 second clips of people playing an arpeggiated chord and announcing a second drop.
I guess people crave purpose and perhaps a bit of connection too; and they’re willing to spend money in a slightly misguided attempt to find it. Speaking as a person who owns too much music gear.
It's true and I'm no different and in constant contradiction. I'm envious of both the creators of the Orchid and its customers. I don't have money for these kinds of purchases, so these products are not a consideration for myself. Not everyone shares that luxury. Instead, I spend way more time than I'm worth hourly than that $600 fighting the web audio context to make something similar.
I don’t know if you want advice so skip this comment if not; for anyone who is in a similar situation and does:
I’d skip expensive gear and use cheaper replacements or whatever I already have. Pick an iphone, ipad, ableton lite, acoustic guitar, or any other tool or instrument. Use that to make music and have fun. Optionally show my music to other people.
