Sorry to say that, but the MPC One solves a lot of problems. I can use it with any external gear, its capabe to send CV to the subharmonicon or midi to other synth, drum maschines etc. I was on this live quest also, but it solves that everything has to be connected at the same time. I sample the interesting parts or make a key group of a sound i like. At the end it has only two imputs and i only have two hands, so the amount of control i can do is limited. But i can play over the recorded snips. Every session adds to the sample pool. That is what is so great about it. It is work though, dont get me wrong, it feels like doing a job for free.
I tried to play with partners that helps more than more boxes, it means more compromise but if you gel its worth it. It also removes that work feeling a bit when your meetings are a little party too. (staying sober is good.)
Maybe the force is the better recommendation becaus it alredy streams from disk. (edit) (For me its a bit too large.) but i wait for the streaming update quiete for a while.
I think I understand what youāre going through, @Roger. To me it seems thereās a wide gap between where youād like to be and where you are. Thatās always a source of frustration, whether weāre talking about music, careers, sports, anything.
For most of my life Iāve had goals and Iāve done my best to achieve them but often Iāve failed to enjoy journey. Cos when Iāve achieved something (e.g. graduated from university, released an album), thereās always the question of āthen whatā. In the past couple of years Iāve tried to learn a different approach. And also allow myself a lot more āmistakesā than I used to.
To me it seems obvious that you have a lot of technical skills. However, from your previous thread (Creating a DJ set) I often got the sense that making music for you was often a series of technical problems to be solved. And once one problem was solved, thereād always be another one waiting for you. Iād find it very difficult to get into any kind of creative flow if I approached music like that.
I look at it like this. Even the fastest guitar player in the world only has two hands. Thereās always limitations to what you can do musically. So next time you find yourself unable to bend your gear into doing what youād like it to do, why not take the route that the piece of gear would more easily seem to accomodate? You might end up in a different place musically that you first intended but to me thatās the whole point of creating something new. Let yourself be surprised by the outcome. I can almost certainly promise that many of the surprises will be positive ones.
The No Gear New Year thread might be helpful to read, itās filled with sensible comments and people resisting GAS.
I was on this treadmill for the last 4-5 years if Iām honest, pouring my limited music time into research, acquisition and endless varying setups instead of actually using anything Iād bought. It reached the point of losing interest in an item as soon as I obtained it, in favour of pursuing the next item. Very unhealthy behaviour!
In January I boxed everything up, sold a chunk of stuff and put 3 boxes back on the table, and havenāt bought or changed anything since. Canāt say as my creative output has gone up yet, still nearly zero, but I have at least stopped the financial and mental self-harm that was going on.
A lot of people complaining that their GAS is sucking their inspiration probably started making music with enough money to afford nice gear out of the gate. I started with a shitty 200ā¬ bass and a shitty 300ā¬ half stack, with one distortion pedal. I mean thatās not super cheap, around 500ā¬ worth of equipment but lemme tell you, that was all I could afford and I was so happy to have that gear. Prior to that I always had to loan equipment. Played that setup to death and saved for an upgrade, then bought a really nice 800ā¬ P-bass despite being young and really poor. I loved that bass to death & played it for a decade. Then slowly as I got employed, bought nicer gear while playing, recording and gigging as much as I could, with that shitty gear that got upgraded as I could afford it. Now I have pro-level gear, after 20 years of playing and I couldnāt be happier.
When you start out like that, GAS is a natural thing but it doesnāt get in the way of making music.
I totally agree. The A4 is a real box of delights. I had an AK and sold it for a Moog Subsequent 37 as didnāt really get it - only to then replace the S37 with an A4 mk2ā¦2+ years later, Iām finally spending time with the A4 and discovering how deep it is as an all round bad-ass including an amazing drum synth.
The same can be said for many of the Elektron boxes
100% this. you seem doomed to an eternal wormhole of dissatisfaction. no one piece/combination of gear is ever gonna be the panacea of music production.
even if you find the perfect setup youāll eventually get bored with it and have to repeat the process.
i liked someones comment (but couldnāt find it) about spending enough time with each individual thing to express yourself with it.
then when combining itāll be more fluid than head scratchy.
I startet with a chevy guitar making punk /metal, later when i was into psy i got myself a micro q and rack attack drum synth, i really hated the interface and it took me a while to learn it anyways. I sold it without regret, and bought abelton. i didnt use the push as much as i thought i would , mainly because one cant do everything on it alone, you reach for the mouse quick. NI Maschine was better in this aspect. So from that angle, i say make your setup compact so you can reach everyrhing quick, or automate the stuff that is not in reach. For sure i lived through several phases, but i still hold on my trusty chevy guitar its a nice instrument.
From my perspective, a 2nd year electrician apprentice who makes barely above minimum wage and has 2 kids, GAS seems only an issue because I have no money and any extra money I have usually goes to lifeās mundane expenses. Having no money has forced me to mostly go ITB with Renoise and all the free vst and samples I can find. I only own a M:S and no other gear because Iāve had to sell it all for one reason or another.
So when I reach full journeyman pay scale after my fifth year, you can bet Iāll be going modular and buying all the damn hardware I can get my hands on. GAS being a creative block is bullshit to me. It only hurts because I want new toys and Iām simply forced to endure it because Iām poor at the moment.
I think of it in a similar wayā¦ the majority of devices/tools I have are there to spark initial creative ideas and be part of that process.
I think if you stay in one box, and have to work specifically to that boxes boundaries/limits, then your music is less your own and more the sound/music of that box.
But, as said earlier, this comes down to intentions and expectations.
If youāre in it to have fun and entertain yourself making music, that approach is fine.
If youāre in it to express yourself creatively as an artist, and have a voice/style of your own, sticking to one box aināt gonna cut itā¦ you need more elements, and usually sounds that are personal/unique to you.
I read that bodzin did all of his drum sounds with the sub37, and just sampled the hell out of it. I think learning the instrument is key. He then created his custom interface to gig live, and he can also play the sub37 really well. So its worth to spend your time iterating what is important and what is not.
I think this is a legitimate workflow - if because of necessity or you are driven by a passion for sound design and synthesis. Otherwise, it would be a real drag.
