Scaling Up: First Paid Software/Role for Indie Film ($50k-$200k)?

Hey everyone, as a Sound Designer, I've been getting by on micro-budget projects (think short films shot on an FX3 with an MKH 8060, lit with an amaran 150c) using a lot of free tools like Audacity and Blender for basic soundscapes, then assembling in Resolve. It's worked, but I'm looking ahead.

I'm starting to work on projects with budgets in the $50k-$200k range, where we might be shooting on an AMIRA or even an ALEXA 35, bringing on Orbiter lights. This jump means higher expectations for polish.

My question is: when you're moving from that 'scrappy but effective' micro-budget phase to a small indie budget ($50k-$200k), what's the very first paid software or specialized freelance role you'd recommend investing in for the biggest, most noticeable impact on the final product? I'm trying to figure out where to put those initial 'upgrade' funds.