When I have been in that situation I always buy the new gear while still keeping the old, just in case that shiny new bit of gear doesn’t sound as good as the old rusty bit of gear
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The good news is … music is made by humans and not by machines … and … it’s about the creativity and the skills of a musician and not about using expensive gear 
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I’ve only skimmed through this thread so i’m sorry if this had already been said.
There’s a lot to be said in favour of limiting yourself to very few tools and learning them completely. For a while I was buying lots of new gear, thinking that it would add something to my music, but in fact it just meant another piece of equipment to learn and probably not use to it’s full potential. For a while i started using a computer (Logic) and the possibilities opened up x1000 but it felt overwhelming having that many possible options for marking new sounds. It’s also very distracting because you’re constantly thinking about the next thing you want to try, rather than master the thing you’re working on at the time and getting the most out of it. So I pared down my setup and made an album using only the MD and MM but pushing them to their absolute limits. All tracks were recorded “live” in one take with manipulations and changes made on the fly, and I think it’s the best music I’ve ever made.
I now have four Elektron boxes working together, which can be very overwhelming at times, but I’m forcing myself to work on just one at a time and completely master it before moving on to the next, then I take what I’ve made and try to get it to fit together, in the process a lot of stuff gets unused but the process is way better for my mental health.
My advice to anyone with GAS or a creative block it to choose one machine and find out what you can do with it, without touching your other machines, and you’ll probably be very surprised with the results.
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Wisest words.
Right path to creativity.
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Hear what you’re saying and that’s good that it works for you and others, but I’ve never found the single piece of gear that gives me the range of sounds I’m looking for, so I get the opposite experience when trying that - focusing on one piece of gear just bores me and I get uninspired.
But I suppose this thread is most helpful to people who come with a problem, which luckily I don’t. Regardless, it’s a good thread and people are sharing good ideas, which is always great.
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Knowing what kind of sound my gear can or cannot do is a path I’m always walking on.
I discovered that trying to reach a sound was not working as much as experimenting along the way, in my case…
But everyone his own path, and advancement on this path I guess.
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That exactly is the truth … know your tools as good as needed to know about their strenghts and weaknesses and use them well.
We don’t need to become the absolute expert, to dig deep to the very last level of every feature, to be creative, but it takes a decent understanding of our gear to choose well, if we want to be productive.
Sometimes it’s better for our creativity, to take a trumpet as is and accept that we will not get the sound of a violine from it. The same goes for synths or other gear 
I try to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of my gear, then when I’m making music I can say, ‘The DPO will do this best’, or ‘This is a job for the A4’, or ‘That will work best using Reaktor Prism’ etc etc. I suppose I don’t regard it as a completely unrelated coincidence that most of my favourite producers have studios stuffed with gear - Mathew Jonson, Demdike Stare, Mumdance, Wolf Eyes to name a few.
Just to be clear, I’m not arguing that you are wrong, but disagree with that statement from a personal perspective. [quote=“LyingDalai, post:179, topic:41086”]
Right path to creativity.
[/quote]
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Indeed, there isn’t such thing as wrong path to creativity 
I meant : this is a good path to get more creative, any other might be as good but this one I know is a right path.
My English words don’t always reflect my mindset, sorry.
Anyway, it seems we totally agree on the fact that basics are to know your instrument!
^^
Oh, and I see a difference between the moment when I’m starting from scratch, and the time where I need to add something to a composition…
Later is closer to what you describe, in my case.
Less experimenting than adding the right piece.
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On a different subject : I read somewhere that it was more “productive” to use your evenings to synthesize and experiment, and mornings to create.
I cannot use my time this way, but when I’m too tired I work on sounds and such so that I can use them right away when inspiration is kicking
It works.
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Yes, I have read a lot of times that people seem to be more creative in the mornings.
For me there isn’t much difference between synthesizing, experimenting and creating though. Most of my music is an experiment in synthesis of one sort or another. But I can imagine if you are making linear-type, composed music, that could be a good approach - make the sounds one evening, then create using them the next morning.
I wish could afford making music in the morning 
Unfortunately they expect me to appear at work.
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You could always get up earlier
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I am maybe adding to what others have said, but I have recently gone OTB with an OT, RT, couple of synths and FX boxes recording into a portable recorder. Forcing myself into that and only that has really inspired me musically. I had previously been (and still am) an Ableton nut - I know that stuff, and the seemingly limitless options, so well that a more limited palette to work with is great. I am trying really get to know those four devices intimately before expanding.
But.
I still have GAS, oh do I have GAS.
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from my own experience, while it’s true that inspiration seems to always go hand in hand with limitations, that doesn’t mean any set of limitations will inspire me. inspiration isn’t just about constructing ideas, it’s also about longing and desire: i want to play (with) this.
so i’d say it’s more about connection with an instrument/set of limitations – you can unmistakably feel it when it happens, but i wouldn’t know how to force it, other than trying out stuff. it took me seventeen years to find the dreadbox erebus.
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I stopped caring and focus on making my work better.
MPC 1000 is great, don’t care about the new ones
Octatrack is great
Analog 4 is great don’t need other synths.
Reason is great, make sounds to sample into hardware and track stuff into.
A small keyboard to play on and a guitar and amp.
It’s no longer about GAS for me but about what I need to make things better and at this point other than a small controller for mixing I am covered.
As a matter of fact I am debating if I can’t replace the analog 4 but I doubt it will go as I am 80% hardware and guitar to write at the moment.
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only theoretically
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I used to always stay up into the wee hours of the morning drinking too much caffeine while programming, tinkering with sounds, routing, and all things tech. Then in the afternoons I’d turn everything on and just play music with what I programmed while the sun is shining. Naturally that just felt right to me for the energy of each activity. I’d probably still do it but I get up and go to bed much earlier lately…
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A few years ago I ditched the computer, and started swapping out hardware.
I finally limited myself to a dark trinity, deco, stupid mixer, q49.
I decided I’d finish some music with that.
I had a really brief modular affair where I felt like I was collecting HO scale train stuff again.
I’m almost done with this EP kind of thing.
Probably gonna sample the A4, sell it, and get a fucking Erebus + 0 coast, and wish I still had the A4 cv sequencing plus transposing.
Each one her/his rhythm in life 
Just wanted to point out that when you feel drowning, when you’re out of energy or don’t feel creative, it’s a good time to work on sound and preparation.
Makes it easier to focus on creation once the mind is inspired 
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