2025 Gear Purchase: Hits & Misses

The Lounge General Discussion
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Wow I had a more chill buying stuff year than I’d realized. I guess I was mostly saving up and selling things to get a digitone II, which is a huge hit for me. I’ve had so much fun with it and I’ve still got so much to learn.

I think the only other thing I bought this year (unless you count an ipad and a bunch of music apps, which I probably should) was a Roland s-1, which was a miss for me. I know people love it, I think I just don’t vibe with little plastic boxes.

I love my setup right now. I’m not gonna say I’ll never sell stuff and get other stuff, but rn a dt1, a dn2, a nymphes and a hydrasynth keys feels like all I need, I feel excited about each one and love them together… Although im really only using the dn2 solo rn. Not gonna do no new gear 26 though because, while this ibanez as73 is a great guitar, I’m afraid it’s not an iceman

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Hits:

  • Neumann kh120 ii : i stepped my monitors up from the Adam t7v and these have noticeably more depth, clarity, and less fatiguing despite being a smaller size. There’s dsp tech built in to adjust the monitors to your room (with an additional accessory) but I’m in no rush to do that since they are so good already

  • udo super 6: it’s my only synth right now (not counting the op1f) and my favorite I’ve tried amongst several. I wrote more about it in the dedicated thread but in summary it has the best balance of all the things i look for in a synth; sound, ui, immediacy, depth, build quality , key feel etc.

  • komplete kontrol s61: it was not the easiest to set up at first but now that it’s done, everything has been smooth. Just a nice set of poly AT keys without faders and drum pads i wouldn’t use. I like that the knob labels are visible at all times as well unlike some competitors.

Misses:

  • op-xy : Devices like this are for focus and limitations but the xy had too many i didn’t want to live with like having to play from the first bar when working on a pattern and weird sample management. I prefer the ko2 which doesn’t have either of those issues

  • matriarch: sound is really nice but i need presets for the way i work; for recalling specific sounds and having different starting points, so i don’t have to build from complete scratch each time. I also like flipping through to audition until i get something that sounds decent with whatever I’ve recorded far , then tweak from there. Thinking of getting a subsequent 37 back in my life or a messenger even :thinking:

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Hits:

Circuit Tracks - I think the device is simply genius. I’m slowly getting to know it and moving towards making my own pack of customized synth sounds. It’s also a nice guy to run mono synths into as a mixer with reverb and delay. It works great as a sound module sequenced by the Deluge. I’m planning to get a metropolix solo to pair with it. Great fun.

Pioneer EFX-500 - Huge and junky DJ fx box that makes your gear sound cheap, but great for kids and does some really weird stuff if pushed to the limit. Hidden loop function that’s hard to tame. Pretty sure the knobs will break off because they wobble a full cm in every direction. Just charming. There’s a sequel to the RMX-1000 coming soon, and I think pioneer really needs to put some thought into marketing to synth crowd, they have some magic.

LXR-02 - Love the sound and the sturdy box. Such a quality machine for $400. Beautiful labor of love kind of vibe. I do find it too complex for the family and myself to be honest - I would rather have some macro fx knobs, the editing is very deep. Probably won’t keep forever but made me realize that sliders on a drum machine are fantastic. Probably getting a TR-8 next. Kids loved the sliders.

Mixed:

Digitone mk1 - I am not a huge FM fan, but this thing screamed quality and I now understand why everyone loves elektron. It just feels special and solid. Sold, but saving for the Digitone II.

Electribe ER-1 - Second time I purchased it. I think first gen electribes were genius, but I just didn’t like how it sounded and the kids made really bad beats on it that they didn’t like and got frustrated. Very charming in the right hands but it’s with a better home now.

Ableton Move - Sounds amazing compared to the Circuit Tracks and the UI is incredibly well thought-out. But somehow didn’t upstage the Circuit Tracks on performance and playability. The key issue for me is that note quantization requires a button combo - too much for the kids and me. The less sophisticated snap-to-grid behavior of the Circuit Tracks made it the clear winner for live sequencing. Hoping that Ableton hears my complaining to the void and updates, then I’ll buy again.

Circuit Mono Station - Everything I love about the Circuit Tracks sequencer in a sick mono synth. But I don’t like the sound. Maybe I’m an idiot, because everyone loves the bass station 2. But it sounds too buzzy to me. Waspy, even. I still have it because I think it’s too weird and special to sell. Patch flipping a weird drum beat is wild on it and nothing else does it so quickly.

Miss:

I bought a few things that were too expensive and too serious for goofing around in the living room with, so I’ll keep my mouth shut.

The biggest miss this year is there weren’t enough grooveboxes released. I need a Deluge II, Circuit Pro, Electribe 3, and Machinedrum mk3 by this time next year.

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Hits

  • Selling more stuff.

Misses

  • Model Samples. It was nice enough, but just a distraction…

Jury’s out

  • AR mk1. Possibly just another distraction, but we’ll see.
  • Euro Buchla. Early days still, need more time with it.

Plan for next year:
fight any gas that may appear!

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Hits

  • Neumann KH80 + KH750 + MA1 – room calibrated studio monitors made a huge difference in my listening enjoyment and mixing accuracy

  • Roland TR-1000 – not perfect but I love how it sounds and the Roland TR workflow really clicks for me

Misses

  • OP-XY – Definitely wasn’t ready for prime time when I picked this up at release. Went back to the retailer within a couple of weeks. From what I read here it’s improved by leaps and bounds, but definitely left a sour taste in my mouth.
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Tell please why micromonsta2?

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On paper it’s all specs and the form factor is really nicely small so it’s like “what a great little tool” but in practice the workflow felt very clunky and wasn’t fun for me. It sounds good, but I would not say so amazing that a different similarly featured synth won’t also sound as good so in general if you aren’t very dedicated to its tiny size there’s no specific reason that it’s the best 3-osc VA/wavetable thing.

Basically it just felt like a chore building patches on it and if you just want to build presets that you recall and play it works and sounds excellent but the interface doesn’t make it very playable in a live way to me and I enjoy being hands on with my synths while playing them. It’s so small that I kept it on my desk for awhile and played it at lunchtime sometimes but playing it just didn’t ever seem to lead to feeling very creative/inspired so it was better to let it go. My knobby synths are much more fun for me.

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Hits:

TR-1000: finally, an analog incarnation of those beloved 808/909 sounds straight from the source. Everything I hoped it would be and then some, sounds superb and is a lot of fun to play. Things are looking grim for my AR. And I haven’t even used the sample part on the TR.

DT2/DN2: significant upgrades over their predecessors with enough of everything for my taste (LFOs, tracks, voices); work very well standalone or as a couple. If I had to pick one, I’d say DN2 is the more impressive upgrade. It feels a bit like DT2 was designed to leave space for a real flagship sampler in the Elektron portfolio and I don’t think it’s Tonverk.

Waldorf Pulse 2: I was foolish enough to sell the one I had. It just sounds magnificent. Picked another one up when Thomann did the special edition. Who the hell signed off on that color combo???

MBP M4Max: finally made the transition away from my previous Intel based MBP and not looking back. They should really lose that display notch, though.

On the fence:

Tonverk - I haven’t spent enough time with it to properly gel with it. I’m looking forward to multisample a bunch of VSTs in conjunction with Ableton’s chord device. MIDI sync timing seems still to be off and as long as that’s the case I’m not ready to commit.

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Hit: Zoom F3.

Bought this as a simple way to record samples off the internet/tv/radio/etc. Got some mics for it spur of the moment and now I’m regularly out and about having adventures doing field recordings and exploring the world in a different way. It’s also a nice and simple way to sample the internet without having to deal with convoluted ipad processes.

Meh: Zoom H5 studio.

It’s perfectly fine for what it does and it’s got it’s uses so I’ll hang onto it now. But I prolly would’ve been better off exercising a little patience and picking up more mics for a stealth rig based around the F3. This thing feels like a cheap plastic toy in comparison.

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Hits

Hologram electronics chroma console
Behringer sy1

That is pretty much all i bought…

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This year i didnt spend too much on gear. I was looking carefully at gear. Like the bento, i had my doubts on release. Wrongly marketed. That left my a bad taste about gear in general. Overpriced products with barebones software/hardware. Same with TE XY.

Hits

Akai MPC live 3
What a device. Full blown. Enough power to enjoy musical journey for years! They looked at many other devices and integrated a step sequencer. They added the clip matrix from the Force. I bring to my singing friend and we just record with the live 3. Its all in there. Full of great FX. Just mindblown. Oh, and multitrack recording into Ableton/logic is just chefs kiss. Well worth the money as you barely need something else (maybe a good midi keyboard attached to it)

Dirtywave M8 model 2
I had the model 1, and didnt like the screen, the battery, the usb port and there was no mic onboard. Well, the model 2 had all these improvements, so i went back on board. Went deep into the workflow and synths. Its just a mindblowning portable music studio. Next to the Akai mpc live 3, you have all the portable gear you need. Great sequence options, amazing sounding. A song mode that tickles your brain to try out different sections. Live mode. Its a full package! Even with the 8 track limitation, its tables and fx lanes gives you so much power and crazy musical results.

Digitone 2
As i had the DT1, loving its workflow. I just miss a synth. So Digitone 2 was a logical choice. 16 tracks. Chords. Amazing sound! Having a special cable i can use it portable with a powerbank. If you love FM with some magical sprinkle, the DN2 is just great.

Misses

Polyend Tracker Mini
I tried the device again this year (3rd time). Because i believe devices can be improved. But just no, it lacks on so many levels coming from the M8. Very limited and very slow loading stuff. Could be great for someone making specific music, its just not for me.

Ableton move
Also bought again. Tried it. Love the form factor, the playability, and its ableton! I just have to accept its a sketchpad and nothing more. Not a box to create songs on it, unless using it as a controller within Ableton Live. Maybe MK2?

For now im settled with gear. No more GAS. Been eyeing on Bento for a while, but just no. Ill just buy a new midi keyboard later down the road and a new synth plugin on the ipad. In 2026 i will not buy anything. Very maybe Tonverk to place next to Digitone 2. Will see. I’m also moving slowly into the box. As i did for the last 20+ years.

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this year i made very few gear purchases, all hits.

Zoom LiveTrak L6 – loooong overdue to myself. it does have some downsides – but all of them are forgivable for its form factor, especially if you’re a gigging musician.

Launchpad Pro mk3 – yet longer overdue to myself. it could be just another MIDI controller – but it has the built-in sequncer which is somewhere in top-3 of the most hands-on sequencers ever, so my Circuit Tracks finally got a companion, and this sequencer combo is suitable for performing with pretty cool hardware setup.

KRK GoAux 4 – unplanned and nearly impulse purchase but any resistance was futile with 50% off. if you’re looking for nearly perfect portable monitors, look no more. these are versatile AF, they have multiple inputs (working simultaneously), a built-in EQ for room responce correction (ARC microphone included), they are connectable via USB directly to a laptop/iPad, and come with a carrying bag. lots of functionality in a small form factor – exactly what i love.

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Hits:

  • Benidub DS-71 - dear gods, this is only a MIDI-input away from being a fully fledged monosynth. The absolute last word in dub sirens. I love this thing!

  • Ableton Move - I liked Note on the phone and it basically feels like a more fleshed out hardware version of that. I waited a year to buy one, by which time the things I wished it could do on the launch had been added and it felt like a really powerful unit. Haven’t actually used it with Live yet, I realise, but as the device that lets me sketch things out for completing in the DAW, it’s absolutely perfect. Also it prompted me to organise my samples, which is difficult to overstate the benefit of. Felt like a great price at 20% off with the Machina discount too.

  • Korg NTS-1 - it’s cheap, fun, sounds great and can do way more than it ought to be able to do. Grabbed secondhand for less than £50, I’m tempted to get more

  • Intech Grid Controllers - took me a while to click with them as the firmware needed updating when I first got them and it felt a bit off putting (can’t really explain much better than that). The power of them in such a small form factor makes them ideal to stick in a bag and take with me wherever I take a laptop or iPad

  • Soundtoys Bundle - no idea why it took me so long to get it. Everything is great but FilterFreak and Echoboy are especially so.

  • Unfiltered Audio Battalion - everything I ever wanted in a rhythm machine and amazing to be able to have the same functions and quality on iPad as within the DAW. Makes for an incredible groovebox too.

  • 510k Seqund - I’ve only had this a couple of weeks and already can’t imagine being without it. Splitting baselines into rhythm and melody is so simple but completely genius and transformational when it comes to my music.

Misses:

  • Boss DM-101 - should have been my dream BBD but I make super slow music and only one of the modes can actually produce delays long enough to give me what I want. Also just didn’t find it fun. I’ve had a load of delays and they all have that immediate thing of “slap it on a send and get messing with it” but this didn’t have that at all. I kept it for 6+ months, convinced it was me that was doing something wrong, but ultimately it just didn’t do it for me. Also arcane button combos to turn on 100% wet mode will always wind me up.

New Arrivals:

  • Hologram Chroma Console - just picked up in the BF sales and very excited to integrate it into the setup
  • Boss MD2W Waza - is this the BBD I’m looking for? Time will tell…
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Hits

  • Analog Rytm Mk1: traded it for a TT-303. Instant love, have made so many jams/tracks with just this. I love the synth machines in addition to the drum machines, and the drum machines just feel right to me, I find them very expressive. I don’t use the sample layer often but it’s neat to have it there.
  • MPC plugins/pro pack: I bought Jura and really like it, rapidly becoming my go-to on the MPC for sub basses and pads that just sound great without calling attention to themselves or competing with other sounds. Super fast to just dial in a nice sound and forget about it. Also got Iona which i do not use as often yet but does everything you could ask of a 101 and a bit more. Still want a hardware 101 clone though. The OS upgrades and pro pack features like clip arranging and -qlink stuff turned my Live 1 into a whole new instrument, worth every penny.
  • Hydrasynth desktop: sounds gorgeous, a dream to program, the small pads are surprisingly expressive, great build quality that is physically pleasurable to use. Nicest synth I have used in many years.
  • Surge XT: this is actually a free synth plugin and you should get it right now. Even though I don’t do a lot of stuff in the computer this is an endless source of beautiful sounds and great fun to program. All the components are also available as modules in VCV.

Misses

  • Bastl Softpop II: there’s nothing wrong with it, but I have been feeling guilty that I haven’t switched it on in months. Sounds very good, very patchable. The faders feel very good and it’s great fun to make drones on. But I got it because I was interested in the 8-step sequencer and the scale controls and wanted a. box to do wild acid noises with the AR. Turns out the AR does this perfectly well, and that I prefer programming my sequences to the semi random/improvisational style of the Softpop. It’s a fine instrument, just didn’t fit my workflow.
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Already sold it couple of weeks back.

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Hits

MB Pro M4 Max: Not bought for music only because it would be way overpowered, but coming from a 2012 i5 it’s been a revelation :smiley: I’ve spent most of my music time in Live this year because of it.

Mackie Passive Big Knob: Utility purchase so I can switch between audio interface and mixer. Big boon.

Ableton Move: Sold my Key 37 to fund this. Only had it for two days so I have yet to fully dive in but it seems to be a winner. The whole intuitive sketchpad thing where you can quickly put down an idea and later finish it in Live pretty seamlessly is awesome.

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Hits

  • DN2 : I think everything has already been said. My first synth, I hesitated for a long time with the hydrasynth which looks quite great too, but already having the DT2 the choice of DN2 was more logical.

  • ZOOM H4 ESSENTIAL : Picked it up yesterday. Incredibly easy to use and 32 bit float is a must.

Miss

  • ERICA SYNTH ECHOLOCATOR : sounds really good but I sent it back after a week of testing because I found it too expensive for the use I would have made of it. I would have kept it with pleasure but for half the price. Too bad.
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For which genre of music would you recommend it, or rather, for which genre would you advise against it?

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Hits:

Roland SP-404MKII
Incredibly versatile and a slick workflow for sampling and beat making. Sure it has some esoteric UI choices for some of the less trodden functionality but the core workflow is fast and efficient and it does so damn much. It is now my interface, sampler, effects/processing box and amp sim. For the price nothing comes close.

U-he Repro
I wanted the prophet sound without having to buy another prophet. I miss my Rev2, and this fills that hole. Versatile and very well made plugin, sounds great and is a joy to use.

D16 Decimort
Replaced my SP-202 for sample processing (I’ve created my own rack that uses Decimort and I’m very happy with the result). Top quality software that doesn’t skimp on features. Will enable me to do some serious bit crushing and textural work beyond what I bought it for.

Misses:

Nothing really, I was more conservative this year with purchases and the things I sold were more due to changes in my workflow or simply that it was time to move it on. I’ve really taken control of my GAS!

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Not half price but it’s 25% off now on Erica website

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