Drowning in a sea of possibilities

The Lounge General Discussion
#26

There is a magical feeling when you get a new piece of desired gear: in your hands you’re holding potential. It’s nice. Which is more exotic being dropped in a foreign country or going down a street you haven’t been down? People in New York could spend their entire lives trying something new and never have done it all, yet hear people probably go on vacation too.

It’s fun and it’s a good feeling- and is synonymous with the universe. The ever expanding and collapsing of the universe. You chase the possibilities and build a kingdom, desire simplicity and narrow it all down to the bear minimum.

I’m approaching a collapse period, myself- but getting a new piece of gear took a massive amount of work and overtime before I could order it. And second hand at that. So when that box comes in it’s like an accomplishment, like a trophy(except I can make weird sounds come out of it) also I’ve always been kinda a loser, so the notion winning in that boxes feels like redemption.

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#27

For me, I just never push it.
If all I can hear is crap instead of music I turn everything off and go do something else.
And then there are days like last two weeks where I just can’t wait to turn everything on and keep working/learning etc.
I realized less pressure from myself to do SOMETHING = better results.

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#28

pick your favourite piece or if you may your least favourite and unplug it from the rest and take it somewhere else, garden may be and toy around with it.
All the other pieces are distractions and by removing them you might get more focussed and you have to deal with the given piece…
Of course this works much better with hardware.
I do this at least once a week with my OT and I leave the computer and mobile behind so I can concentrate myself on making music…
Trying to handle all the stuff at once is like being a circus director in a menage full of lions and tigers and fleas…

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#29

Never really had a problem with having too much software. Have been focused solely on Reason for the last 10 - 15 years and only picked up Reaktor last year because I wanted to go even deeper. Have never had the urge to buy any other softsynths.

HW is a little bit different because of the hands on aspect. Had terrible problems with GAS over the past few years, but that changed dramatically when I moved into a small bedroom that could only comfortably fit a tiny study desk + some storage shelving.

Since I need that desk for more than just music stuff, the few toys I have stay packed away and I only pull an item out when I want to actually use it - which has turned out to be a fantastic way to go.

#30

So just what I said above. Fooled around for a couple minutes with my Digitakt and A4 and then posted something on SC. I kind of wish I used my Rytm instead of my TR-09 though. In another life I guess.

I have all the gear I need but I kind of want to see what the Electribe Sampler is about and maybe mess around with something like JU-06 or JP-08. ugh

https://soundcloud.com/djadonis206/surface

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#31

It’s not a bad thing to want new gear. I forget how many interviews Ive read with artists saying they always bring something new in for each album etc. For inspiration/variety/avoiding going through the motions. But other factors always come in to it also. Life vs art :wink: Like if you don’t have enough free time to learn AND write AND record AND mix (And prepare/rehearse for shows if you play live), then continuing buying a bunch of stuff is going to slow things down/become a weird headache. Especially if it’s inspirational gear that spits new ideas out at/from you. It can become like ‘wow, this is fun and everything sounds amazing. But I’m not really getting anything done/finished’. Can take a while to adjust your ‘buying vs learning/using what you have’ to where it’s at something resembling a peak for productivity. Everyone has different circumstances so it’s a different equation for everyone… The whole problem/option is a luxury really tho :wink: People with tons of gear make great music but so do people with just a laptop or minimal hardware… Both circumstances require time/focus in different ways…

#32

yeah… new gear…
I just remember Depeche Modes “Sounds of the Universe”
So much analog gear they acquired for that , so much crap came out of it…
Of course everyone will find an example of its own theory.

In my case I see the power in reduction. Go with what you already have.
I break this rule if:
I return gear very soon after buying it. If it doesn’t ft into my workflow it has to go…
Live is complicated enough without gear that makes my mind hurt :slight_smile:

#33

This, really. I miss that spur to creativity (though it probably also leads to buying new things, because they’re just the thing for the next gig too - especially guitar pedals… and amps… and smoke machines… and strobes… and funny clothes).

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#34

having tons of stuff is great when you’re experimenting and kick starting inspiration. But at some point you have to realize its a way of making you procrastinate endlessly, and delaying the process of finishing music. The key is to really know the end point; what kind of song you want to make, and then you and then work backwards - what pieces do you need to complete the puzzle? Direction is key.
Look at somebody like Nils Frahm. One Rhodes, and one Juno 60. that is it. Usually a song doesn’t need too many synths , less is more. So what are the essentials to get those pieces down fast?
Having said all that, when I’m bored of my music and approach, I get more gear. But then i try to make music with JUST that gear for a while

#35

In my case, when i lack focus, i over-prepare huge amounts of potential material, literally hundreds of 4 bar loops.

One favourable thing of this avoidance-disorder, is that in the process of progressing past the initial versions of things, i learned how to apply a few audio engineering concepts, and thereby prepare for better sound eq during live realtime performance.

again, preparing. but anyway. “being is becoming”, so they say. Actually a good friend coined that pun-phrase-aphorism, and he was the body double for Rutger Hauer in The Juggers, classic movie.

Question: at what point is one satisfied?

When is one disappointed?

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#36

That’s my problem too. I come up with tons of great ideas, but making them into a whole song requires a vision and persistence and ability to not get sick of what inspired you. I think it’s why some people bounce ideas off other people… living with your own thing for too long you can end up hating it, but cooperating with someone else renews your inspiration to mess with their bits, etc.

Well, that’s the theory anyway… I’m a control freak and hate anyone touching my stuff…

:unamused:

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#37

There is no easy way out … one truth is that too much gear can on the one side get us blocked, because we are too busy digging at all those technical features new gear comes with. On the other side, I love to have options without hard limitations and I don’t want to be the wizard anymore, who gets a specific sounds done with much of sophisticated tricks, when there is a synth around, which I only need to switch on and I am ready to go :wink: It’ s a luxury, but it feels soooo gooood. :smiley:

I think, one of the most important wisdoms to be considered about gear or new gear is … that gear can’t create music, we humans create music, and gear is only tools. In other words, we just can’t buy to be creative or by getting new gear all the time.

Having many tools available means - if we want to use them well - that we have to understand and master them. This takes time and focus. For me works well, if I - from time to time - focus on one instrument or peace of gear, which I might have already for years, and study it for some hours or even days. Often enough I learn old things new, but new things too. For me exploring and learning to understand gear is fun. Later, if creativity strikes, I know, which piece in the studio will do the job best and I will put exactly this one to work.

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#38

Be like Cenk.

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#39

For me, the driving force for learning and buying stuff had always to with the style of music I wanted to create and what role models I have or had. when I started making music production on the computer, I was a huge fan of bonobo, four tet or amon tobin so I wanted to learn everyhing about sampling, creating drumbreaks. I did 2 albums in that style with my brother. a guitar, a micokorg, a bass and a violin was fine.
But then I discovered the classic warp acts for me. I found videos of people doing old autechre stuff on a machinedrum and other elektrons. Wow i had to get my hands on the OT. Thats crazy. Probably I could do this in ableton (of course you could) but all that hands on jamming dataline and co. So OT and A4 great. Then I started to read about the generative stuff autechre is doing in Max. How exciting! I wanted to learn max but puuhh. You need a lot of time to do that. Everything you create seems to be done already. Reaktor blocks came out. i realized you could do endless stuff with that as well but wow it all exists in eurorack world. So buying a small rack combining it with the computer. it’s great but hardware modules would be probably more fun. I look at a computer screen at work. story continues.
Mixed the second trip hop style album i recorded with my brother 3 years ago remembering we only had a microkorg at that time… I thought, wow it was easier being productive at that time.
long story short. i know even autechre did one of my favourite eps mainly on nordrack only, so I often think this has to stop somewhere. Always being in the believe that, if you get this and that you will finally reach your aims… sorry I’m just writing down what comes to my mind :no_mouth:

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#40

Cenk be like :smiley:

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#41

That’s an important point yes.[quote=“SoundRider, post:37, topic:41086”]
focus on one instrument or peace of gear, which I might have already for years,
[/quote]

Maybe I have to learn that it’s not a catastrophe when some gear is not used for sometime. but I always tend to see the money I spent for it if it’s not used for weeks

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#42

Sort of know what you mean, but to be honest, I like gear and I like having loads of options. I can only pretend to relate to people when they say ‘limitations breed creativity’. I can totally understand that for financial reasons, people can only afford X amount of gear and need to find a way to achieve all they want to with that gear, but I like having a wide range of options and being able to shift quickly to something else if I’m not getting what I want out of what I’m using. Just the way I do things. Perhaps I am just uncreative and like gear to do the work for me, who knows. I know people like cliches about bad workmen blaming their tools etc.

We’re all different, but I wouldn’t agonise over it. Despite my love of gear, it is only gear, and can be bought and sold without death and disease.

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#43

Pretty much entirely ITB

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#44

I buy new gear to prevent myself producing the same formula over and over again. To me creating music is an piece of art that comes hand in hand with curiosity. I have to be prepared to break loose from the old picture of me as a composer. But then again, I never got into the commercial side of music.

The perfect combo must be when you can make your music without compromises and in the same time being successful! The sad part is, most of the artists will then stick to the concept. Everyone is afraid to to lose the fan base. But that won´t work either. After a few albums there will be nothing is new under the sun.

To sum my thoughts, If you can surprise yourself you can surprise others… //Tomas

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#45

Yes. i was happy with ableton when i was trying to learn that stuff