Not going to down vote you for disagreeing. I think the frustrations stem from the constant closure of apps. Whether it makes sense or not, it is annoying getting invested into a service and then it gets pulled away. I would say it’s essentially inevitable that any app or service you use today will lose support at some point. Google has a track record now of closing apps fairly early. I’m already finding that YouTube Music is getting features that I have no interest in using.

My Mastodon feed is pretty dry. Does anyone have any follow recommendations for active accounts that post about tech stuff Or pictures of critters?

Play Music pulled me away from my alternative sources of music. I used to keep a gigantic library of acquired music. I’m going back to old means now that YouTube music seems to be going down weird routes and adding functions that absolutely do not benefit me. Samples and comments? No thanks.

Only thing keeping me subscribed is YouTube premium. I watch a lot of YouTube content.

A developer wanting to get something in return for their work is a reason. It’s also an option for the user. Sync offers a one time payment for Ad Free and for their “Plus” features. It also has the option for a monthly subscription.

My priority would be to put more resources into the audio interface, controllers, and storage. I think you’ll be fine with just about any modern build. Maybe lean towards the quietest build you can make.

If you’re serious about your work, I would do a separate drive for storage of your media. Keeping the project data off of the OS drive. I’d even do a backup drive. I don’t think there will be a performance benefit. I just prefer a neat file system. Especially if you’re working with audio clips. Audio files don’t take up a crazy amount of space. I feel it’s important to have backups if you’re collaborating with others.