No longer feel like Gollum sitting in a darkened rooms guarding “His Precious”?
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It’s incredibly liberating. I never had as much to sell as you have but when I shifted it all I felt great. I’m nearly entirely back ITB just writing shitty tunes in Maschine right now. Quite happy with that. Still got the MPC Live which I’m happy to keep for now. Might even take to the pub tonight while watching Scotland make an arse of things in the football…
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Same! The hardware devoured so much of my time and attention! It was like money didn’t mean anything! Worked a hell of a lot of overtime or worked a second job serving- and just tossing hat into music equipment!
Thankfully I’m getting better and better with adapting to computer made music, so that midi keyboard and push 2 and I’m pretty golden!
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I find myself looking at the Rytm MK II, Akai MPC Live, Pioneer w DSI filters. I love my Rytm, but I do long for simplification, sampling, stereo sampling and more ease of use. In my recording and music work I do everything- guitars, bass, dums, synth, vocals, drums, production; so sometimes a couple months go by that I do anything with drums and Rytm, so I feel like I have to somewhat relearn the Rytm all over again.
BUT, I am unwilling to give up the Rytm’s analog processing. I have used it to reprocess previous drums, make big vocal choruses- both using Overdrive, reverb and delays.
I am not seeing effects on the Akai MPC live.
Hope everyone is having a fine Friday!
For me, there’s an ebb and flow between making music and not, being ITB (just controllers) and not. At this point, it has almost nothing to do with sound quality, I’m just in a gear phase again and liking having lots of buttons and knobs to chose from. Especially things with sequencers. I was never a hardware sequencer person before, but Elektron changed that.
Really no right or wrong to it all, but I’m definitely gravitating to having physical equipment again. I’ve gone through this cycle a couple times. No where near the amount of kit I had in the early 2000’s and probably never will, but enjoying a hybrid setup for sure. I’ll have my limits, but I like being able to pick from 2-3 pieces of hardware and combine it with a DAW. I keep my focus limited by not having everything all setup at once (physically can’t due to intentional space constraints) and force myself to either use those modules the whole time or record it and move on. Fun times. 
I was not ready to read something of this magnitude. This… is… me… in every single way. I need to go lie down.
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Right! I think it’s this chasing over the euphoria of “NEW”. An electronic makers kingdom is his/her collection of gear(at least for me it was). But you get wrapped up in it.
Since ive moved ITB- there’s not a lot of software I need, so chasing “NEW” is basically creating new tracks.
It’s feels good
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Lately, walks in the forest have really furthered my creative impulse. I wasn’t lacking before though, as I’m feeling very creative these days.
I’ve been on and off again about gear lust. Having no extra funds for new gear helps a lot! But I think coming from a “traditional” background musically helps with gear lust for me. I have my stringed instruments, my voice and an OT. There’s really nothing else that I need. I also hate chasing technology. Music tech is often no different than any other consumer technology. It’s mostly a revamping/repackaging of something that’s been done before, but now in a different way. Why do we NEED to reinvent shaving or household cleaners or any of thousands of products that claim that they are now new? Probably because most of us are neophiles at our core: If it’s new, it’s instantly more attractive to us.
For some, this repackaging of the old can be the difference that gets them making music, which is great. But I have been doing music for too many years to keep getting caught in a loop where I convince myself that I NEED this certain new piece. Life is too short for that 
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I easily obsess over the hypothetical use of gear, but I seem to be able to reach phases where the tools become “set” for a while. So it’s like I’ve spent a couple years getting ready, and now I’ll focus on actually using the tools. Almost like building a studio and using it until it stops being useful. So it might be the weather changing and where I am in life right now, but it’s also how I’m starting to have problems keeping up with the debt–so for me, I can’t wait for the Octatrack MkII, and I just went with an Analog Heat, and there were things I was hoping would be out (Malekko Mr.D, for example) that aren’t, so I’ve adapted, made the decisions, and committed.
Eurorack was similar for me, where I filled a large case and then felt like that was static for now, where I needed to know it better before I could make any more changes. So now I’m going to see what on Earth I can come up with using all of this amazing stuff! (And I hope that means I can detach from a daily obsession with what may or may not be a sense that tech will always evolve more quickly than I can afford to keep up with–but for now these are the tools and I’ll sit tight until I know how to do more with less.)
And, yeah, I could totally be in denial. I already got in touch with a friend about some Eurorack modules–but I was vague and made it clear that it probably wasn’t the way I was going to go. So I’m hoping I can spend more time being grateful for what I have and less time obsessing over cool new stuff that doesn’t really exist yet. I can’t take running up any time soon, but maybe I can find focus and walk and contemplate!
Im full
Amen to that.
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I’m one of those that seeks new ways of generating sounds but until I try the unit I don’t really know.
Maybe that’s why my setup is based on older gen hardware simply because I like the way those things sound.
If cash is burning my pockets I just buy it. Don’t click it it then it is returned or up for sale.
I like knobs though. Sound shaping is glorious when you have a lot of them. Probably an art form itself when you think about it
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Even with plenty / too much gear on my table, I usually “only” use up to three instruments at the same time.
But it’s cool to be able to switch from 0-Coast to Blofeld just because I’m looking for a sound the later only can produce…
The key is to take the time to learn the gear, this is where the real durable fun lies.
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I had a major GAS outbreak this week after behaving myself for quite some time. Kind of a perfect storm of 3 items at the top of my list becoming available used for good prices, but I can still admit that I went way overboard. In the matter of one week, I’ve acquired a Machinedrum UW, an MS-20 mini, a Strymon Deco and a Chase Bliss Warped Vinyll MKII. Even though I can afford it right now after a good month at work, I’m feeling kinda guilty so I’m selling on some guitar gear that I haven’t picked up since I caught the synth bug. Can’t wait for the new purchases to arrive so I can dive in and play around with some new synth & FX pedal combos.
Ever since downgrading my setup for efficiency I’ve shifted my brain to think of new gear as tools instead of toys. I think it’s a really clean transition.
Like, all on my list right now is the Digitakt to apply its midi capabilities for my computer creations and to give my A4 some assistance for any jams/performances- I don’t feel the lust for it, but when I’m able to get it, it will be useful and functional.
OP-1 is on my list as a toy, but I can’t reasonably justify it tool-wise.
To reiterate my last comment on this subject, I really believe that the excitement for new gear distracts from the excitement to create new tunes-which is the ultimate point
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the Digitakt and the A4 rocking a bunch of conditional trigs would be super cool fun even without the presence of computer
i’m celebrating the fact that my recent investment choices include one device that is analog and makes sound of its own accord - the mbase11.
the other two don’t immediately make any sound… the OTmkII and the Faderfox … the OT requires content, and the Faderfox elevates the OT workflow experience.
no gear has arrived yet nor been paid for, and yet i still would like to celebrate … but the concept for an idea has been achieved.
some of the best waves i ever surfed were at a time when my surfing ability wasn’t high nor did i really understand surfing equipment.
to go next level with new gear i think it helps to understand some harmony and melody base fundamentals.
textures and pleasures, techniques and treasures.
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when i first used herb and spice racks, i often didn’t know what to do and the choices bemused me to the point of not using any.
nowadays i just go for individual herb utilisations for fun and pleasure, and then store them in a vaguely arranged oval area on the food shelf.
so it’s a scenario of intrinsic valuing of the empirically researched personal experience with each spice or herb, rather than a dazzling array of suggested possibilities being more distraction than a gratifying arrangement of enjoyment.
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Such a good, clear stance to take…
Just need to be careful not to confuse tools with toys
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I think if you feel hungry about certain gear, that’s a good indication that you need to rethink your stance.
Also, if in preparation for your new piece of gear- if you can’t make music while you’re waiting for it, then you might need to cancel your order.
Just throwing out suggestions. Best to keep the spirit clean for the sake of the music(and also, it’s just generally a good idea, but this IS a music forum)