I have downsized to just Octatrack and SYNTRX (and pedals and some FX). They’re more than enough for everything, especially with samples on the OT. It’s easier to concentrate on creating when you have a stable, minimal setup of gear that’s versatile and you know well.
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After downsizing for a while, I moved my gear to the (dry) basement. I added a matriarch, because i missed it. Good to have a more staight foreward synth next to the Buchla. I am afraid I will add a sl six and a Dfam.
Maybe not minimal anymore, but still with a lot of focus (only direct machines + dt2 + fx
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Do you make industrial techno or dark ambient?
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What kind of techno is this?
And some ambient 
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Dungeon synth would be a good fit to your studio space too!
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The reverb thing you could solve by resampling on the DT2 (different reverb settings on the DT2 or fed through ST FX). Or add an small reverb pedal.
The Arp thing you could think about getting a minikeyboard like that from Arturia. Would still be small focused setup.
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My Music contains a lot of reverb, even if i turn off the reverb 
(isolation will be solved soon)
Possibility wise I could, but often I end up with one device at a time and not always in the same place either, so found (regarding flexibility) that i more often disconnect them soon after connecting them.
Arp wise a keyboard would be an option as well but “one box” do make things easier. Thinking more about IF I would go with a Push I might try to keep the ST. Both as a small box to have fun with + Push would do sampling, and I can connect ST to Push for processing.
Being conflicted is usually a good sign to just do nothing and see before spending any money 
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Maybe get a Move, it grows in functionality every month, and you get all the stuff you just wrote as of now. And it connects wirelessly with a laptop if you put a CME WIDI dongle, as I do 
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Not a bad idea. I’ll take a look at it!
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Can’t seem to make up my mind about whether I want in or out of Eurorack. Due to second baby on the way I’ve been feeling less and less comfortable with the space taken up by my music gear and trying to declutter in general. Also woken up to the fact that mentally for me there is a huge difference between ‘something can fit in the space’ and ‘something feels nice in the space’. My desk is so much nicer without the Eurorack case there and the mess of cables and visual clutter it creates.
However when I’ve sold and tried to maximise my DT + DN setup, I’ve found it gets a little uninspiring at times and I long for something more hands on and tactile (my Eurorack is strictly knob per function). The other thing is even pairing back I struggle to let go of the DFAM, but without some sort of midi > cv module I can’t really use it with the other boxes.
At the moment I’m making less music than I used to but work at the desk every day, so I think the benefits of a cleaner workspace will be felt every day, whereas the drawbacks around music making will be felt less frequently. There are also some benefits in having a leaner setup to master given the less frequent use.
Yeah I think as I type I’m talking myself into selling the Eurorack… again. I will probably hold onto the DFAM and take it out once in a while for sample creation for the DT and deal with the suboptimal CV tools for clocking it.
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only over 4 trillion combinations per page
OT is endless, and in the context of downsizing that turned out to be the only instrument that did it for me
That’s awesome man!
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This was one of the contributors to me getting rid of my modular. Something about the mess of cables and even the way the module designs clashed caused me some amount of subconscious stress.
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Been downsizing and re shaping the setup over the last 6-12 months. In some ways to downsize the budget tied in gear but mostly to simplify my gear to suit my workflow and goals.
Sold:
- Prophet 6
- Prophet X
- OP-1F
- DT2 (in progress)
I won’t go into my long Prophet history here. Still love both those machines but the TEO is keeping me satisfied for much less. It doesn’t feel like I had to “Settle.” It’s just a great synth.
Now have:
- TEO as my only synth
- Erica Perkons as my only drum / percussive unit.
Selling the Digitakt2 now. Great little thing but the culmination of my years of trial and error have reminded me I prefer simple things that feel more like instruments rather than hubs or brains that can do lots of things.
Especially since I still primarily do all of my work in the DAW.
The Perkons gets me a vibey rhythmic backbone that I want to add my other gear to. It’s easy to pilot and get happy accidents with instant mojo. The way it’s designed keeps me from getting overly committed to a pattern or kit. I just tweak, and save snapshots. I don’t care if I overwrite them or worry about naming a track. It’s always only 3 knob twiddles away from giving me something new I like.
That’s all I want and need from hardware.
On Digitakt (and most elektrons,) I’d often get sucked into groovebox mode and make full songs on them, not using the other synths I have that I like more.
Regrets:
I might have sold the OP-1F in haste, but it still had trouble getting useful material from it and found that I fought the workflow more than I’d have liked.
I had a short soundtrack gig that would have been PERFECT kind of vibe for the OP-1F but it ended up just being more of a hassle than a creative limitation.
That said it was still the best portable device I’ve owned.
Next up?:
I feel like it’s a good sign of my setup consolidation that the only things I’d want to add next are supportive items.
- Portable Sketchpad that’s also useful as single voice in the home setup.
- Realtime FX unit for perkons glitching
I’m thinking I can achieve both of these from the OP-XY. There’s much I liked about the OP-1F but that tape deck had me raging more than it had me inspired.
Well see though, at the current prices, it’s a far off “someday” item. Happy with what I have currently, but that feels like it could slot right in without stepping to much on anything elses toes.
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After downsizing properly last year, i’ve gone up and down in the first half of 2025.
Another thing happened also this year. I spontaneously stopped drinking in support of a friend that really needed to get things under control. I was not an abnormal/problematic drinker myself, at least not according to what is considered as normal by 99% of people.
That said, I’ve been a recreational drinker for about 26 years now (and tasted other chemical pleasures as well) and not drinking (nor using other drugs) for about 8 months made me especially aware of other addictive patterns in my life.
I came to realize that - although I still love music and occasional bedroom DJing - my main pleasures in producing have come from the dopamine rush associated with hunting for and purchasing new stuff.
I did really enjoy participating in the Hip Hop battles on this forum, but I am not sure the latter was specifically due to me making music. In fact, I am starting to think that for me it was more about interacting with like minded people, the joy of learning new things and the usual dopamine rushes associated with likes from other people/rankings etc.
I am coming to a point where I will likely give up the production side all together for now. I did that with videogaming about 5 years ago (after 30 years of gaming) and I haven’t got back into it. Zero interest.
I can always fire up Ableton//Logic when I feel particularly creative.
My hardware is already gone, except for my Cirklon v2 that will hopefully find a new owner soon.
I hope you all find a way that is right for you!
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That sounds wonderful! I like having sequencers that save all my notes, sounds etc. But it can also be a burden at times to have all these projects that are 70% there, waiting to be finished.
Take a look at the SP404mk2 too. Satisfies both of these needs and is a lot of fun. (Sorry for suggesting adding something in the downsizing thread, btw)
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Downsized everything to get DNII AND DTII thinking it was all I needed. But 2 months later I rebought a SP-404MKII. And 1 month ago a Wavestate MKII.
I love both SP and Wavestate. But the 2 digis I’m not sure even if they have their magicals. Thinking of selling them for an OP-XY which should pair so well with the SP.
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Yep, hard to put a finger on it until I was doing some cleaning and moved the modular from the desk and realised how much lighter it felt. We are funny creatures!
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