I mean I bought a job lot about 5 years ago…
Something like this 3 in 1 Magnetic Phone Charger Cable USB 3A FAST Charging Sync USB-C Micro + iOS | eBay
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Welcome, Nina buddy, there’s not that many of us! The only thing I‘m missing is a delay option for LFOs. I’m using the „time“ mod as a workaround, but still.
How do you feel about Nina when it comes to pads? I‘m getting great basses and lead like sounds out of it, but don’t like my pads that much, same for the factory ones. If this feels a bit off topic you could PN me or we discuss it in the Nina thread, where there’s not that much happening.
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2023 was my big expansion year for gear, so 2024 was supposed to be a quick, focused search for a good drum machine to tie everything together, and not do anything drastic. As it turns out, the way to do that was to make a drastic change from Logic to Ableton and get a Push 3.
Hits
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Ableton Push 3 (Controller) + Live 12 Suite: I’m only a few weeks in, so it might still be a honeymoon phase, but I’m loving this thing. Between CV & MIDI tools for interfacing with my semimodulars, MPE for expressive playing, building up ridiculous Max contraptions, and transport/record/looping controls for Ableton, this is now the center of my setup, and I can’t see anything replacing it for a long time.
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Endorphin.ES Plus 3 pedal: making a literal coast-to-coast move across the US meant donating my old piano, and I still haven’t been able to replace it. This pedal was a godsend for making my MIDI keyboard feel a little more like a regular piano and replicate basic pedaling techniques. The fact that it can also be a great VCA/attenuator for modular moves it from helpful to essential.
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Super long cables: kind of weird to mention, but getting a really big L-desk with very long cables for audio, MIDI, and CV has let me spread things out and make a tabletop studio that feels very comfortable, spacious, and clutter-free.
Misses
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Arturia Drumbrute Impact: it’s a perfectly fine machine and a great deal for what it is, but I couldn’t use it enough to justify the space. More importantly, using it taught me that I really like multi-tracking my drums, which was just isn’t feasible with my current setup (not enough inputs).
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Teenage Engineering EP-133 KO-II: haven’t sold it yet, but strongly considering it. I want to love this thing so much, but the limited effects and finicky interface have been frustrating. I’m going to give it a few more honest tries in 2025, but realistically, I’ll probably move on now that I have the Push 3.
Software Highlights
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Fors.FM Max devices: I bought 'em all, God help me. They’re great.
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Dawesome Abyss: such a beautiful, weird, gooey-sounding pad machine. Some of its sounds are so spectrally & harmonically dense that they’re hard to fit into a mix, but they sound so good. I’m really smitten with Dawesome’s designs, and I think I’ll pick up all of their stuff before long.
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Harmony Bloom: this felt like the great feel-good story of music software in 2024. Independent guy makes sequencer that is simultaneously innovative, beautiful, and functional, updates the hell out of it throughout the year, and sells it for a modest price. It seems like it’s been getting a lot of love in year-end lists, and it’s all richly deserved.
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Waldorf Microwave (iOS): Between Pigments and Ableton, I didn’t think I needed more wavetables, but the sale price was tempting. It was worth it. Just half an hour flipping through its tables felt like an education: here’s that sound from that song. I love that feeling of recognition.
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Hits
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KORG EMX-1: Found one in great shape with box. Developed knob jitter after about a month which was an easy fix with the wax paper method and disconnecting/reconnecting the ribbon cable. Works 100% now. Super fun, hands-on groovebox. I now understand why this is held in high regard. Sound can get grimy and glitchy which I like. I really like using it to sequence other gear and layering EMX sounds with other gear. I love it so much that I’m considering buying a ESX-1, but that’s probably a bad idea, right??? I’ve read the loading/file mgmt on the ESX-1 is pain. Plus I already have another sampler…but will see for 2025.
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SQUARP HAPAX: A great brain for my set-up. Straightforward and easy enough for a dummy like me to figure out. I like how the pads feel. It does an have occasional bug but no major crashes. It’s given new life to old gear, like my Roland D2. Having Midi CC knobs for multiple gear directly in front of me is a breeze to work with and when in mixer mode I feel like I’ve playing with a souped-up groovebox. FX section is super useful. Can’t wait for the next firmware update (looks like it’s in beta testing now). Complete machine which I will use for many years.
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TASCAM MODEL 12: Finally got a larger mixer after researching and agonizing for many months. EQ feels kinda weak. FX are okay, but I do like adding some flanger. I don’t have the budget to really splash cash on a dream mixer but Model 12 gets the job done. Layout is nice. I’ve already maxed out my inputs, but I think any more gear would be too much to manage.
Selling/Sold
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CASIOTONE MT-68: Picked up cheap at a garage sale. Analog drum rhythms sound good to me and were fun to play around with for awhile, but I really disliked the synth presets.
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CHASE BLISS GENERATION LOSS MK2: Bought into the hype, but it was all fomo. Sonically delivered on everything it promised but felt too expensive to keep for what it did. Learned that $400 pedals ain’t my bag.
Still In Love With
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ROLAND SP404 MK2: I use this sucker everyday. It’s a great couch buddy…always be sampling. I’m glad so many people buy it and hate bc it keeps the used market fresh for people like me. Got a used one for a great price in 2023 and now debating on a second one. It takes several months to learn and get the in the groove with it. But now I can get super baked and fly thru the menus with no problems. Everything is Shift + “button”. I re-skinned mine to look like a SP-303 so it is easier on the eyes than black on black. Vocoder is fun and vocal FX get used on everything. I’d recommend getting a power bank with USB C Cable and a nice bag/decksaver for taking it on the go. I recorded my buddy at a disc golf course making baskets and got some great “to the chains” sounds. Learning how to use Bus FX 3 & 4 first before BUS FX 1 & 2 was an easier process for me. My only fear is wearing off the buttons too quickly.
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TEENAGE ENGINEERING OP-1 FIELD: It’s all about the visual tape workflow. Trimming bits, layering, redoing a second or third take, punching-in…it all feels like my mind has melded to this machine. It’s a lightning fast workflow. The simplicity of only four tracks makes me really focus on the important parts and cut out the fat or indecision. I don’t find 6 minutes to be a limitation, most of my finished songs are around 3-4 minutes anyways. The OP-1 lives at the end of my chain and never leaves the studio. I don’t use the internal sounds that much really, but will dial in a specific sound when needed (ex. drums/bass line). I’m shocked no other company can reproduce this 4 track tape style workflow in a portable/hands-on device.
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It’s both a hit and a miss for the reasons I explained
Only got three things this year, all hits:
Nord Micromodular: a tad overwhelming, but there’s a million usable patches to start from, and the possibilities are mind-boggling. Already used it on a release, so I guess it’s a keeper.
Genelec 8040B: hadn’t ever had a really good pair of monitors so this is quite an upgrade. Got a crazy good deal too.
Boss BX-800: probably paid too much for it, but it was in pristine condition. I’d been itching to get a mixer for saturation purposes, and this is heavenly.
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Hit: dt2 (best workflow ever)
Hit: intellijel cascadia (very versatile, well sounding and small)
Hit: Buchla easel best sounding synth ever, I love to play it. But maybe the cascadia is enough and maybe my brain prefers to work with 1 synth only
Miss: digitone 2 (I did not like the sound and I prefer to work from 1 sequencer only)
Miss: pulsar 23. I love it though, but not flexible enough, takes too much place for its purpose)
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I guess I can do one of these even though I’m a n00b. This was the first year I bought electronic hardware anything, although I’ve been playing guitar and bass and singing and stuff in bands and also making DAW stuff for forever. Looking back I feel embarrassed about how much fucking shit I bought this year, although I guess I sold a ton too. I’m in love with my setup as it is right now. I think I did a good job putting together a cohesive and great sounding little setup that, relatively speaking, wasn’t actually super expensive.
None of this stuff is new to the world this year, just new to me.
HITS.
Model:Samples. I stumbled across something about the Volca Drum like a year ago and thought it looked cool, went down an r/synthesizers rabbithole, and decided the M:S was a better choice. I was right. Love this little box. Awesome to learn on. After using it for a month or so i started selling old stuff off to get more hardware to pair with it. First up:
Dreadbox Nymphes. Love this little box too. The unconventional interface makes it a funny one to learn synthesis on, but I could afford it and ngl I thought it was cool they dedicated it to women and survivors. I worked in DV for years and whatever nits people chose to pick about that, it seems clear to me that Dreadbox’s heart is in the right place.
People on the internet also sure seem to hate the interface, but that hasn’t been my experience - it’s basically shift functions and a menu that’s printed on the front. You have to develop muscle memory for sure, but that’s any instrument ime. I’m no sound design genius but I had (and continue to have) a great time using it. It sounds awesome and loves to be run through old guitar pedals. Looks awesome too, and I managed to score one as B-stock. Still haven’t figured out why it was discounted.
Hydrasynth Keys. I’d been reading the hydra thread here and fantasizing about getting one when I idly searched cl for “hydrasynth” an hour after selling a guitar and found a guy selling one for $500. Posted the whole story here.
I am not a power user lol. I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I’m just stoked to be stoked on making music and not trying to force myself to be a genius to be satisfied. I am constantly reminding myself not to overcomplicate patches on this thing - you don’t have to be @Jeanne to make cool sounds with it. Also I feel like I’ve seen a bit of a backlash against it online in the last year or two. But I’m having a great time learning it and making patches and using presets bc idgaf and making stuff where it has one job and the nymphes has another - nymphes loves to be a bass - and I’m stoked to continue to learn it and go deeper with it and explore. Killer synth for $500 imho
Digitakt 1. I told myself that I needed to upgrade from the Model:Samples, but aside from the fact that I was running out of tracks by sequencing other stuff, it was just GAS. The m:s was doing pretty much everything I needed… Actually that’s not entirely true. Now that I’m used to the DT’s envelopes, LFOs, compressor, and other more extensive sound design stuff, it would be hard to go back to the m:s. Whatever though. I was disappointed to find that the DT can’t record aftertouch, modwheel or pitchwheel data to the sequencer, but whatever again. I don’t need an infinitely powerful setup that can do everything, I just want to make my dumb songs, and the DT has been great for that. It’s another one that I’m going to be learning more deeply for a long time.
Dreadbox Typhon. Another that doesn’t need an introduction from me. Like I said, the Nymphes loves to be a bass, and I enjoyed using it as a mono synth - so it’s cool to have an actual mono synth from dreadbox. (I might love dreadbox.) As I imagine a lot of people do at first, when I got it I went way overboard with effects, but I think it really shines when they’re more subtle. This one doesn’t feel super complicated, just fun and sounds gorgeous.
Bastl Bestie Got a ridiculous deal on this too. Not really using it for the no-input thing much, and i don’t care that it can run on batteries, I’m just using it as a simple mixer. I do kinda wish it could eq stuff but that’s not what it’s for - I’m going to try not to buy anything next year except probably a proper mixer, like one of the Mackie 1202’s, because it would be nice to do some actual mixing. But the Bestie has been great for my humble setup.
MISSES.
Roland E-4 voice changer. Not sure why I thought I wanted this. I’m sure it’s cool for somebody but it’s not really what I do. Made me appreciate that none of my other gear is plastic.
Broken mpk49 I bought on cl for $40. Actually this was a hit, i loved playing it, i just fixed it up and sold it to buy the hydra.
Arturia Analog Experience Laboratory 49. Midi controller from 2008ish that I bought at a thrift store tenish years ago and used with Ardour. Not actually a miss either, just sold it to buy other stuff. Even though the software doesn’t exist any more, it was a great controller.
Keystep 37. Honestly, this probably isn’t a miss exactly, but I think I got synthfluenced lol. The sequencer and chord mode and everything is all great but mostly I just want a sequencer to record what I play then play it back - I don’t need a lot of what the 37 does. And it is so tiny! Like the keys themselves are fine, but the 37 made me realize that I don’t really feel comfortable on fewer than 49 keys. I’ll keep it around, it’s super portable and I don’t hate playing it. But I think the internet convinced me it would change my life. It didn’t.
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Hits:
Getting a real acoustic piano. I play this wonky thing every day and I love it. Sound fills the air.
OTO Boum. Love how this thing makes drum machines sound. Love the compressor.
Model:Cycles. Got one of these again after a long break and this is my favorite piece of Elektron kit. Simple, fun, sounds amazing. Feels like sound is play-doh with this thing.
Adjustable desk. Changed my life.
Misses:
AR Mk1. Turns out this is too much machine for me. I really wish you could name patterns. I found a few things about it convoluted and I never used the performance features.
Didn’t get much else this year, so not much else was a miss.
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hits :
arturia minifreak
they might as well have called this the arturia neurodivergent bc
- the mirror vst which it connects to via USB results in not having to deal with cables and weird audio nonsense
- only three initial parameters so you don’t have to obsess over meaningless sound design details
- a million different oscillator types to switch between when you get bored after 5 minutes
it’s the flagship poly for my tiny studio space and i just love to chill with it and make sounds aimlessly when i need to decompress- the new granular engines also rule
elektron digitone 2
i’ve owned 6-7 other elektron boxes. this is the one that i feel they’ve objectively knocked out of the park. i don’t even use the FM tone machine bc tbh nothing is less inspiring than looking at an “algorithm” with numbers everywhere. this isn’t even an issue considering wavetone is essentially adjacent to the analog 4 (digital 16) in terms of workflow
elektron syntakt
my favorite elektron box by purely subjective criteria- it was repurchased after being sold to fund a dt2 (more on that later i guess). details on why can be found here
misses:
elektron digitakt 2
i get in trouble on this forum when i mention my issues with this one, so i’m just going to quote someone else on here that i agree with
i look forward to buying it again if the bugs get fixed- hopefully it can be on the hits list next year!
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Cool to see so many people being happy with a piano. I didnt even mention it, but my Yamaha hammered electric piano is my #1 hit this year!
Not only for me, but also for the family
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HITS:
Torso S-4
Even at its unfinished state this sampler has most everything I’d want and nothing that I don’t. It was so refreshing to turn this thing on for the first time and be able to use it right away. Torso proved themselves to me with the T-1 and I feel confident that they will make good on promised features and probably beyond.
Erica Nightverb
I’ve only spent a few hours with it, but I love the range of sounds and being able to adjust parameters so easily. The morphing feature and the magic patch function are cool too. It can’t replace my Bam for some things, but the Nightverb is way more fun to use.
Vongon Replay
I really enjoy playing this little synth and love the design and feel of the keys. It’s another one that has almost everything I want and nothing I don’t in a small portable instrument. Not too big and not too small and it makes a great companion for the S-4. My only wish would be for a pitch stick or wheel, but zero regrets since I got it.
Roland MKS-50 w/Retroaktiv MPG-50
The Alpha Juno 1 was one of my first synths and was used to make many iconic sounds that I love so there’s a lot of nostalgia involved here. I sold mine to a friend years ago and always regretted it, but I don’t have space or enjoy full size keyboards. I found a MKS50 with new battery and screen for a fair price so I went for it. These controllers don’t always work perfectly with the older synths, but happy to report the Retroaktiv controller works great and feels like it’s actually part of the instrument. It can also chain 2 Junos to make a 12 voice synth so I’m a little tempted to get second MKS-50.
ON THE FENCE:
UDO Super 6 Desktop
I really enjoy this instrument, but sometimes it feels like overkill for me and I’m struggling to find space for it.
MISSES:
AKAI s3000xl
I got this sampler in a trade and it’s fully loaded with the fx and filter cards that were probably pillaged from other AKAI units, maxed RAM, Gotek USB, etc. After spending hours figuring out how to properly format the usb drive so I can save samples and a finding a few unreliable buttons I haven’t really touched it. I’d like to use it to sample from vinyl and then play these samples on Digitakt2 or Torso S-4. The time stretch also sounds amazing and for some reason can’t be duplicated with these modern samplers that I have. I’ll be keeping it as it seems like a pain in the ass to sell and only takes up 3U of rack space. I plan to force myself to take some time with it this winter.
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It was almost the perfect Synth for me. I wish there was more space between the knobs to really appreciate a Live feel. That’s the only thing that made me return it.
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Are you familiar with Akaizer? I’ve never messed with a real Akai sampler, but it sounds pretty much like what I’ve come to learn from hearing it all over jungle tunes. (latest Mac version: https://macdownload.informer.com/akaizer ; latest for Windows: https://the-akaizer-project.blogspot.com/ )
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Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed reading that. Made me think back on when I started to try and sell a lot of hardware a few years ago. It’s just so much fun getting to know shit, just playing things and see if they speak to you personally or not.
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Hits -
Machinedrum UW - never had such an utterly crazy time with older tech. What an amazing machine and so proud of the X. Developers.
Analog Heat + FX - it’s now the heart of the sound I’ve been looking for. Huge central focus to my tunes, only just getting started with the envelopes.
Nightverb - I’ve only just got it, but it’s in a spectacular orbit of its own. I’m going to enjoy the performance aspects in particular.
Perkons HD01 - the rowdy younger brother to the Machinedrum, i’m going to tandem the pair. It makes you work hard but the unique heavyweight sound is hard to resist
Misses -
**Digitakt 1 and 2 ** - had 1 for seven years and in the end it’s gone. I don’t miss it but I thank it for making me realise I despise sampled drums. I bought 2 when it first came out, caught in the hype, but bug ridden and crippled transfer was enough to make me get the fear, so it was returned quickly
Behringer Poly D - had it for a year but its weak filters are a core issue. Add no CC’s, boring wave shapes and thin paraphonic sound and it had to go.
Ableton - sacked it off for writing tunes and now prefer my MPC Live 2. Still use it as a way of recording audio for samples, but I’m done with writing tunes in Ableton. They always sound like such weak ideas.
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Congrats!
Perkons and MD are just marvelous machines 
I am also super excited on your experience with the Nightverb as there are some quite mediocre reviews on the Thomann website.
Cheers!
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I love this yearly tradition! This year there were some big ticket items, so I’m glad I had some things that I’ve been needing to sell in order to raise some funds.
HITS
Elektron Digitakt II - This somehow elevated my favorite piece of gear to crazy new heights. I’ve already created some of my best work on it.
Teenage Engineering OP-XY - The XY exceeded my already high expectations. I’m also happy to see the love for it from lots of other Elektronauts. TE’s got another hit on their hands.
Dreadbox Murmux Adept - Gorgeous looks, gorgeous sound. Definitely a family heirloom.
Kodamo Essence FM - I had been admiring this synth for years and finally took the plunge. It’s unbelievably deep and scratches that FM itch brilliantly.
HONORABLE MENTION
Erica Synths Nightverb - Lush and performative, I love it.
ON THE FENCE
Elektron Digitone II - I’m not sure why I can’t seem to connect with this thing. The original Digitone was constantly on my desk and one of my favorite pieces of gear. But I never seem to feel like using the DNII. My theory is that since it does so much more than the original, and has more sound engines, that it has become too unfocused for me. Or I am too unfocused when I use it. I’m hoping I grow into it. The drum engine has got to be a winner.
MISSES
Erica Synths Bullfrog - I really wanted to like it. I love the aesthetic and the cartridge functionality. But it has too few use cases in my setup. That’s on me. I shouldn’t have been romanced by the frog.
Plugins - I really need to stop impulse buying plugins and VSTs. I want to use Ableton to produce, but I’m a classic victim of choice paralysis whenever I try. And the solution of buying more plugins for some reason isn’t helping.
IOS Apps - Koala, Pure Acid, ElasticDrums, Hammerhead, Triqtraq… these apps are so freaking fun and creative, but ultimately I end up just making jams that go nowhere. I can’t seem to integrate it into my hardware workflow. Someday I’d like to figure out how. There’s just not enough time in the day.
Time - I’m 54. How did that happen? I don’t remember how I got so old. I probably look 54. I have the joint pain of a 54 year old. but i don’t FEEL 54. Death is on the horizon and I didn’t really do that much. I should have done more.
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I´m 51 and I think that it´s never too late to do anything/more. Enjoy it, have fun and feel free at the age you feel. It´s just a number.
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HITS
OP-1 Field: I was sceptical, and gave myself a strict deadline to either have a very good reason to keep it or part ways with it. The UX really clicked with me, especially the tape workflow, and within hours I was flying around it. It has become the one piece of gear that I always use as it complements anything and allows me to capture whatever comes out. I have been able to finish many more tracks than usual since then, most of them recorded directly on the OP-1 Field.
Analog Rytm The ultimate drum machine for my needs. The Elektron workflow was already a second nature. Sonically it starts in a space that I already like, which leaves me free to either finesse the sounds if I want to (it’s deep!) or leave it there to focus on other things. The performance features add that last bit of playability that I was missing in the Digitakt. The two complement each other quite well to provide the rhythmic and sequencing backbone of my setup.
MISSES
TR-6S I gave it a try as a portable drum machine for travelling. I loved the form factor, except that it could not send audio over USB to the OP-1 Field. The sound was as Roland as expected, which would have been fine if it was easier to tweak. No ability to record notes for bass lines was another big issue for me. But the killer was the UX: within an hour my brain and hands were hurting and I had consulted the manual far too many times. Digitakt remains my travelling drum machine, I wish it could come in a similar form factor as TR-6S.
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