I don't know a lot about wine; only that connoisseurs get really mad because they can tell the difference and you can't, and they hate your ignorance. I guess that's why it's so hard to be exacting about stuff like grammar, because it drives you nuts if you know what's wrong – otherwise you prolly don't care. While it doesn't sound as apt as Murphy's Law and hence(forth) bound to be forgotten easier, there's a related term called the Dunning-Kruger Effect. It makes me laugh so hard reading that Wikipedia page, because I see it everyday in others. I see it in myself! (And only later do I realize it.)
While with many aspects of art, there's subjectivity, yet facts come into play: I believe how many minutes of music you've listened to, along with the quality of that listening – were you immersed or was it just background noise? – make quite the difference on the established base of experiences you can draw from. Another sign is knowing what elements and styles are called, and beyond that, not being confined to that. It doesn't make someone superior to spew weird Italian words to describe track tempo, it's only useful if someone else knows them too, and those terms help you accomplish goals. Which is why, in recent times, births of fresh idioms and problem-solvers like notation for vinyl scratching are exciting.
Some people hoard cats. I hoard sounds. To a point. When I was younger, I was less discriminating. So many sounds were "my first time hearing them". Now, I'm well-acquainted with what analogue drum machines can do, so I no longer feel a pressing need to grab all the 808s/909s in hearing range – rather, I go for established pedigree where I know that not only are the sounds trimmed and treated beautifully, but sorted. There's no more deplorable time-killer than being in the middle of a hot production and not finding the sound you need. I'm particularly pleased with Wave Alchemy's Drum Machines 01 which I graciously received a promo copy of, and you'll hear a lot of it in some upcoming Dream Journal tracks. After I dreamed of classy hotels with the best video (not shopping) arcades the world has to offer.
(I'd also like to share why soundware testimonials should be accompanied by examples of them in action, as well as why we can be increasingly proud to expose what samples we use – rather than obscure them – but that's another topic for another post.)
I'm now more "miserly", and that even isn't the right word, but I wish to get more out of what I already have. Build a fine collection which has extensive breadth, yet fits the proverbial "all killer, no filler". So in my sound design palette, of course I want gorgeous pianos. I covered that (NI Akoustik and the Imperfect Samples Braunschweig, mainly), so I check that off my list. Unless something startling and marvelous comes along. Yesterday, I bought Camel Audio's Alchemy. It fulfills the multi-effect, "super synth" that can create thick sounds so powerful they can fill a mix unto themselves. Thus, it teaches me about how to EQ selectively and make them play nice with others. Like star employees. The presets are proving amazingly lush (I wasn't aware it could do trippy drumkits), and I see all sorts of pictures when I play each. More to come on that note!
Some people relax to scents and candles and lights. I do too, but I also like to put my headphones on and trek through these sounds which I've collected. I've come to acknowledge it's better than therapy.
(Elsewhere on my blog, the Tumblr experiment continues. Don't know yet if it'll be too distracting to have longer, thoughtful posts like this intermissioned by brief clips, nor is it the smooth crossfade of a DJ mix I idealize, but, being new to this, I too, must know by doing.)