Sometimes You Just Have to Buy the Thing You Wanted

I remember the first time I saw the ART MX822 line mixer back in 2021. I was in a music store looking at keyboards, and that little mixer was what they were using to connect everything together. I already had a few keyboards at home, and I remember thinking, that would make a perfect submixer.

Time passed.
I still wanted it.
But it just wasn’t in the cards at the time.

That experience has become one of the recurring themes throughout this studio redesign: wanting a specific piece of gear, not being able to get it—whether due to availability, cost, or timing—finding something else that does roughly the same job, and eventually circling back to the original piece I wanted all along.

The Long Way Around (and Why It’s Not Always a Bad Thing)

If you’ve been following this series, you’ve probably noticed this pattern play out more than once.

I wanted Maschine, but it was too expensive at the time—so I bought Maschine Jam.
Later, I wanted a standalone version of Maschine, but it didn’t exist yet—so I bought the Akai Force.
I wanted the Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S61, but again, too expensive—so I picked up the Akai Advance49.

Then Maschine+ came out.
I bought it.
And once I had Maschine+, pairing it with the Komplete Kontrol S61 suddenly made perfect sense.

Same story with mixers. I wanted to connect all my synth audio, so I bought a pair of Moukey mixers. They worked fine. But eventually, I ended up buying the ART MX822 anyway.

In my case, this all worked out. I’ve found uses for everything. Nothing feels wasted. If anything, it feels like a bonus—more flexibility, more options, more ways to work.

The “Just Eat the Cake” Moment

This whole pattern reminded me of something I once heard a dietitian say on the news:

If you really want the cake, sometimes you just have to eat the cake—because otherwise you’ll eat everything else under the sun trying to avoid it.

That hit a little too close to home.

I’d want a piece of gear, couldn’t afford it or didn’t want to wait, and would buy other things to compensate. In the end, I still wanted the original piece—and eventually got it anyway.

Would I change that path?
Honestly, no.

The detours taught me things. They shaped how I work. And in many cases, they gave me tools I still use and enjoy.

The Question Worth Asking

Have you ever done the same?

Wanted one thing but chose another—because of budget, timing, availability, or practicality?
Did that compromise work out for you?
Or did you eventually find yourself right back where you started, buying the thing you wanted all along?

Some people steer their studio builds with laser focus, discipline, and restraint. Others—myself included—take the scenic route.

No matter how you get there, I think the important part is that the journey works for you.

Happy future shopping.