Sorry, bro. I’ve got too much gear. A whorish amount actually. I want to lower it down to an intimate level.
I’ll still have 3 Elektrons, an OP-1, a circuit and an iPad. So still pretty extravagant, honestly. If I miss the ARs BOOM I might replace it, or get a Volca Kick per @Prints suggestion
No kids here, but a wife and very demanding cats. 45+ hours of work per week. Other hobbies like drawing, mountain biking, and cooking. Can’t imagine throwing kids into the mix. Already feel I hardly have any time for music.
I think it’s also hard to work on a computer all day in a dark little room, pushing buttons, staring at screens… just to come home and sit in another dark little room, pushing buttons, staring at screens. It’s not very natural feeling. With limited free time it’s always tempting just to say “screw it” and sell everything and then spend spare time outdoors on a bike or with a sketchpad.
I constantly fret about expensive gear sitting around unused. I am a minimalist and very frugal in all other areas of life, so having expensive music gear feels a bit unnatural to me. I’ve sold my Analog Four and Rytm. Bought another Rytm a few months ago though. Got rid of a ton of gear. I concur with advice to get an OP-1. Truly portable and straightforward device. Great for stealing moments here and there. I wouldn’t sell everything, but slimming down can be a blessing. Eases the guilt and focuses your attention and you might even be more productive when you have a moment for music.
I keep a little notebook with me at all times and write down things I need to do when I’m in the studio. This focuses my studio time to a great degree. It’s a very inexpensive way to boost productivity.
When life gets busy, another great thing is to have DAW templates. I have made templates for different genres of music I make with all basic instruments, fx, samples, and routings loaded and ready to go.
I am feeling you in all things. Day job, girlz, almost same hobbies here, etc.
Yeh Im finding setup times kill everything - mood, spare time, flow, all that kind of thing. Templates in every situation are shown to be essential in this kind of scenario - not just DAW, also the OT, basic synth patches on AK for starting points, etc.
Need to get back to it right now in fact 
@wouzer As a father of 3 I would like to give you my advice and oppinions 
To start let me just say - I found a way to balance it all and make it work !! You don’t have to sacrifice everything for family and I think if you hear me out, you’ll find that your music can even BENEFIT from your kids, wife, work.
The economy hasn’t been the greatest this year so I’ve been working long hours and 7 days a week. Luckily I can work sometimes from home which allows me to make sure my family is a priority.
I have an adorable and clever 3 year old boy and a beautiful little sweetheart baby girl who’s 10 months and looks just like her mum. Both these kids came after a long break of single life because I was divorced very young after I had my first son who is now 17. Crazy story, I know, I won’t go into details. After my divorce I was single for 10 years - I pissed that time away drinking, hanging with buddies, playing video games, dating random chicks etc etc. It wasn’t until a few years before I met my current wife that things started to get awesome for me. I changed my lifestyle, starting tooling around with music again, starting being a more outdoorsy person and a happier man in general. Well then I met the most amazing woman in the world … and after literally saying to my friends many times “I’ll never again get married or have kids.” … well here we are ! I’m married again for 4 years and have 2 more kids ! K enough backstory - here’s where it gets insteresting for you:
When my wife was pregnant with Quentin my 3 year old - I became very contemplative, creative, and inspired. My brain was looking for an outlet - so I channeled it into a DAW (ableton). I never had much time to work on music - only an hour here and there, but it was enough to get a few songs together to play for my wife. She really like them (even though they weren’t great hahaha) but that was enough motivation to push further. Just after Quentin was born I discovered this awesome little DAW in a box synth called OP1 hahah. Well when he was a few months old I started sampling his sounds and making them into synths. This was further inspiration. I became enthralled with writing, but still there was this problem: I could only ever get 1hr max
I was still satisfied enough just tinkering around when I finally bought my first elektron - the RYTM 
Still only playing here and there, but really having fun writing songs. Now I have 4 elektrons OT, AR, A4, and MnM and I found a secret. I bought a notebook. Every day while I’m at work - I know I’m only going to have 1 hr - 1.5 hrs that night after all the kids and my wife are sleeping so I very carefully plan my time out and write goals for the day. I keep the goals realistic IE: 1) design badass bass sound 2) make a bass pattern to go along with badass beat 3) record sample for listening the next day and re-evaluating. dingdingding This was a game changer. 10 months ago my baby girl was born. In that time using what I call my “goal oriented jamming” I’ve managed to write 23 new pieces. I channeled all these just a week ago into a 1hr live set.
It IS possible to have a 7 day a week job, juggle 3 kids, other hobbies (I also skateboard every day for exercise and fun) and friends and family too. As long as you have passion and simple goals you keep your elektrons and keep making music, brother.
peace,
Walter
Appreciate the reactions a lot. Yesterday i connected overbridge and started to jam. I think the idea about realistic goals fits very well with my plan. Tonight i have 2 hours… i will make some goals (a groove, one 6 min take)… and i record it in Ableton. Tomorrow the bassline… etc…
Yes, preparation is key for me. If I don’t have a clear idea of what I want to accomplish it gets messy and I lose focus quickly in the studio. My wife says my true hobby is plugging and unplugging things. I spend way too much time trying different routing and instrument combos when I should be, you know, writing actual music.
Templates can be tricky for me as well because sometimes I get too caught up in perfecting the one true golden template. But it’s still better than nothing.
Recently I have listened to a guy, who said … your studio time should be as valuable as any time spent in a commercial studio, which you have to pay for. I only can agree. Making clear goals is indeed the key, to get things done.
But TBH, sometimes I allow myself the"goal" of creative playing, checking out this and that instrument, or to play until a new idea for a song strikes … 
I try to be almost disciplined, but I need to let the child in me play from time to time too 
(and it’s so much fun ;))
I call this “practicing” !!
Is it legal in your country to sell children?
Exactly … 
Right on man ! I think you’ll find as I have our little (or is it big ?) community has ALL types and we all share similar struggles and pains. Everyone in the world who has love of music will somehow find their way to make it happen, even though at times it can present challenges. You are a music maker … and your family will nurture and grow that love. Mine has - my wife sent me a video today of my son breakdancing to my music … this any many more amazing things are what you have to look forward to as a parent, and musician. Always remember lots of small goals and steps towards something great will before you know it become a LARGE achievement.
Cheers friend 
You’ve made the same choice as I did - AK and AR. I find it quicker to do music ITB but I do love having some hands on control - Overbridge is the perfect marriage of the two. And planning your scarce time like you have done will do wonders. Key thing is that you are finding time to spend on music - that’s what matters most! (other than your family and kids of course…!)
New chapter in life, 2 kids (1 & 4)
When I am not with them
I prefer silence
I was on my own for a week, looking forward to make music for a week
Rytm mk2 and four mk2 were there
But that week I didnt touch my equipment at all
Bucause with So much noise all around me with my demolosion kids
I prefer silence
I know this situation exactly.
Happens to me all the time. Lots of anticipation for that precious free time and then… …I don’t bother. But then, completely out of the blue, I get the urge to grab one of the Elektrons and I get something nice.
Good to know that obviously there are a lot of us out there. Mostly males as it seems. I got 2 children 11f 15m and one baby on her way. For me it was the complete opposite:
I was playing guitar in a ska / punk band as a youth. Fiddling synths at home. It all ended until my son was born and I had to stay at home for a lot of time. I didn’t want to spend my time sitting there and watching TV. Fortunately a friend of mine had a Spectralis I borrowed and that was it. Every now and then but not regularly I find myself doing sequences and get this kind of peace like doing meditation. when I’m fucked up by work (60h/week) I chose sequencing over boozing.
It’s VERY rare that I finish a track but just for the sake of sequencing (nice project name) I keep on doing it. It really balances my life. No need for 10machines. Just keep on trading. Buying, selling, and reading about the stuff you like. Even if you are about to sell everything right now, there will be this opportunity to get a machine for a very good price and you’ll start jamming again.
Cheers and congrats
There are probably more woman than you think. It’s just that they learned not to identify themselves as such online to avoid unwanted attention.
A mother here, of a 21 month old. My advice (and this is coming from a mother): don’t sell. Hang on to what you have, unless you need to sell it for financial reasons. From what I’ve seen, you’ll be able to come back to it at some point, and you may be able to get your children involved.
Learn to value the music time that you have and think about investing in something small, portable and battery operated so that when you DO have even 20 minutes, you can either sit down and make a sound or a song (depending on what you prefer). After being involved with this stuff for over 20 years, I realized that I like sound designing way more than making songs. So I spend the previous little time I have accordingly. Learn that about yourself and you’ll be able to maximize what little time you have (and will have).
And congrats. We’re thinking about adding another module to the mix too. 
no no no no noooo … there is ONE thing I did not experience when I was growing up
my parents being HAPPY and loving what they do
…
the more I think about that … there is either : overworked mom and dad who tell their offspring how hard they work so they can have a happy life , but there is no NO time for being in a good mood, and spending happy time with the family.
because all the energy available goes into working
bad examples to see when you are a child.
I d rather have my mom and dad be creative and happy what they do and have time for me.
was not the case…
so:
keep the boxes, strive after what makes you happy AND BE happy around your children… this will influence them their entire adulthood and shape their look on life … probably more than money can buy them …
see daddy happy with his boxes , look at him with a smile, see him smile = priceless
daddy bring home money, dont disturb daddy, daddy is tired from working. why does daddy never smile? daddy thinks of making music all the time but in a bad mood because all he does is working …
get the picture?
I dont have chldren, I know about financial responsibility … but lets ask another question:
would you rather grow up poor(er) with parents who lived loving what they do and have time and interest for you, or nobody around for your emotional needs but money, food, good clothes, proper housing ?
darn hard question. …
for me : I wish I had seen more of my parents.
:`/
In my opinion it’s all about striking the right balance. I believe time and money can only be mutually substituted in a certain interval. For me it’s important to have enough money to not have to worry about it, now or in the future. At the same time, I want plenty of time with my family. It’s hard to pull off, but for me it’s the ultimate goal in life. Unfortunately, the influencing factors are interdependent and more often than not beyond our control. Fortunately, I know for a fact there are ways to make it happen.