Zero Cost Fallacy

I wonder if there is a corollary to the Sunk Cost Fallacy. Let’s call it the Zero Cost Fallacy where when you are using something that’s free you subconsciously decide that it’s good enough. Because hey, it was free, right? The thing is, if you had to pay for it and compare it with something else that you had to purchase, it wouldn’t necessarily fare any better. It wouldn’t necessarily win out over the paid offerings. Perhaps the Zero Cost Fallacy makes it rank higher in your mind, and you forgive its flaws.

Where does this idea come from? Things that come with other things. Features added to software to make the package more complete and attractive. That’s right, we’re talking about effects in graphics and audio software. For graphics software, things like Photoshop and Final Cut Pro both ship with effects built in. It’s interesting to me that I rarely see graphic designers and video editors post “Photoshop is All You Need. Don’t buy plugins, learn the stock effects for years.” But you see that quite a bit with the audio software Logic Pro and to a lesser extent, Abelton Live. Maybe it’s because I am more exposed to the conversations of musicians these days.

I honestly wonder if the people that claim they like or prefer the tools that come with DAWs would actually choose them over others if they were not included in the package to begin with. Would you really pay for some of the 25 year old plugins that come with Logic if you had to buy them separately?

How much would you pay for these? Sure, some of them “do the job”.

In terms of what sounds better for basic tools like EQs and compressors, this is subjective so someone would have to create a double blind test, and even then it might be just as tricky as giving a bunch of painters some Cadmium Yellow from one paint brand and comparing it with another brand. Once the paint is mixed with others they might not notice much difference. But with regards to some video plugins/transitions I have bought, I see no way to achieve the effect using Final Cut alone. It just can’t do it. With regards to the instruments that come with DAWs, these are more easily compared.

Another confusing factor is that not all of these effects are truly 1st party — yes I know that usually refers to the hardware and/or OS vendor— that is, “homemade” from the same team that makes the DAW. Occasionally, as was the case with Logic Pro, some effects started their lives as 3rd party and were acquired by Apple and assimilated into the DAW. So things that were available separately are now “stock”. This reinforces the opinion that everything that comes with the DAW is as good as or better than 3rd party offerings. In some cases such as with Steinberg Cubasis for iOS, the 3rd party vendor has retained their branding so you know who makes the item.

Yes, I know there are arguments for including a number of standard tools with a package so it’s more useful out of the box and so you can collaborate with another user knowing exactly what tools they have. Also, buying 3rd party tools can be an extra burden which Apple hasn’t quite solved yet. If you buy some of the newer apps that let you install a version on macOS, you get an AUv3 plugin but it isn’t managed in the way we’ve become accustomed to with .component files in a folder — they’re inside the app bundle which makes things more complicated to troubleshoot. Apple has made it relatively easy to get extra presets or sound packs as IAPs inside those apps, but hasn’t yet extended this to the world of proper plugins, and certainly not for graphics apps. For example Affinity’s extras must be purchased on their website, after which they are visible from within the app if you install it on a new machine and sign in to your account. It would be good if we had the option to centralize and unify this all within the App Store. Perhaps we could have an area of the store which is only visible from within the host app. You’d then only see plugins for that app and not the whole store.

install your addons and assets all from within the app

Somehow I think their minds are on other things. I won’t hold my breath waiting. Until then the only sensible thing to do is try the stock stuff first but don’t assume it’s the best in the world. If you can’t do something you can think of, or think there might be a faster way to do it, search for better tools.