Gas, downsize or writer's block? Share your thoughts

The Lounge General Discussion
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Hey folks, why don’t you help me freeing up my mind a bit about my situation?

Along those last couple years I cycled through a bunch of gear. I was starting from scratch, so that was expected and it was very formative. I learned a lot about what I like and I’ve come up with my “perfect” studio arrangement some months ago.

Gear list for context:
  • Hapax
  • DTII
  • DNII
  • ST
  • 303
  • Micromonsta2
  • Minifreak
  • Hydra Explorer
  • Microcosm
  • Doctor A
  • Echosystem
  • Behringer XR18+iPad and Aum

It’s all I need and I love all the possibilities that such setup can bring to the table. I don’t strictly feel gas for anymore gear, more the contrary indeed. And that’s the issue:

Since I put together all those lovely stuff I stopped using them. Maybe It’s a life thing, as I’m finding new job/social life routines due to some big changes in the last year, but seeing me spending a lot of free time more on Elektronauts and YouTube “consuming” music stuff rather than sitting with my gear makes me think that the problem could be rooted elsewhere, namely the friction I feel to just thinking of switching on the 'studio" even to simply jam a bit.

So given this stagnant situation I started wondering to reduce the gear to a more manageable setup, but here comes into play the Elektron fragmentation.

I’d like to keep using one single Digi (with a poly synth and the 303) but I really can’t decide which one, as you all know it’s a tradeoff between samples, polyphony, analog and all the other minutie of the different approaches between the digi-trio slightly different functionalities.

So in this analysis paralysis I started evaluating the usual one box for everything suspects, like Deluge, OPXY, Trackers, MPCs and so on, but being really committed to the Elektron workflow nothing seems to really fit the bill.

And then we had this crazy week of drops, with TV, TR1000 and Live3… And my gas started being fueled again with the mirage of finding the machine that can make me sell almost everything within one of those 3 new boxes.

So here I am, in search of suggestions, experiences and general brainstorming about what to do.

I like to make a bit of ambient and dub techno, think Substan, Martin Sturzer, State Azure, Carbon Based Lifeforms… Long reverbs, plucky arps, delayed 303 lines, that kind of stuff. But I also enjoy the usual 4/4 kick with a lead, bass and some textures thrown in.

When TV was launched I thought it would cover a lot of bases for me, and I really love its architecture. But bugs and the missing QoL pushed me in the wait and see limbo about it. And despite being a lovely concept, I see it as a piece to use with at least a drum machine and other synths. Sort of a more fitting DTII in my setup as is. So not really a consolidation piece.

Then when the Live3 dropped I started really thinking again about the concept of one machine to do all. But I
really can’t weight how the MPC workflow would impact on my way of doing things.

I’m quite comfortable with Elektrons and I love the Hapax, and my main goal is to jam and improvise more than making full arranged songs… But the idea of switching on a single device and maybe add just a synth to multisample when I feel to it’s very attractive.

But, and that’s the whole point of all those words, how’s really an MPC to handle?

I wasn’t able to find many videos of people using an MPC to make genres that I like, and being the workflow more tailored to chop and make beats I’m really having an hard time envisioning it to be capable to do the stuff I’d like to make.
I can see it being so powerful to make pretty much anything, like you’d do on a daw, but for simple jamming some dubby/ambient stuff could it be also fun?

And to the other side of the spectrum there’s the TR1K, that’s very limited being a drum machine, but the fun factor is off the charts to me. I had n 8S and I had a great time with it (and an MC-707) and this new one seems to be as fun as that, but finally with a great UI and that “premium feel” that has its weight in the joy of use and possession. And the crossfader that I miss since my OT days.

I’d have to probably put together a small setup, like 303/Micromonsta2/Syntakt and call it a day, but then I’ll miss the Hapax magic, someting with a keybed, samples…

Or ditch everything and keep DT/DN/303 but I’ll still miss the MM2 and the hydra, and the Hapax and and and…

I’m actually feeling guilty and a bit stupid being lucky enough to have all those lovely stuff and not finding my way to enjoy them :confused:

If I had the space, both physically and mentally, I’d probably made two or three “gear islands” around the house, focused on a purpose each, to see what really woks for me, but that’s not possible, and that “one box on the sofa” idea is hard to keep at bay.

Thanks for your thoughts :pray:

On my endless quest for the be all end all groovebox, I

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Feels like you’re gassing for gas.

a more explorative answer.

Advice is hard to give because as we all know, there is no perfect device no matter how hard you look.

If you can afford to have a lot of gear then it’s an option, if you can’t then it isn’t. If you want essentials a computer can do everything but it doesn’t have the elektron workflow.

Any elektron device has the elektron workflow, but none of them can do everything.

It’s a paradox and any illusion of a perfect setup is just that, an illusion.

I think only you can say what you’re productive with, for me I’m productive with a new piece of gear at first and then I go back to the MPC when I need to write something which doesn’t say much for me or my gas, but I tend to be productive differently on different gear.

If you can have different gear and you use all of it, then good. If you need only one piece of gear and you’re productive with that, then also good. If you don’t know which it is then you’re still exploring and that’s ok too, but don’t live outside your means. That’s the only real rule, I think.

Good luck

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I’ve been in the same boat and my answer ended up being: DAW

One box to rule them all hasn’t worked out for me. I love Elektron stuff to death but I can only use them for ‘bits’ when it comes to full productions.
MPC was too clunky for me.
Live + Push (controller) is my ‘getting things done’ combo. Hardware is for sound design, fun, bits of tunes, ambient noise. etc. D It’s almost like playing with hardware is doing the research and digging through all the noise and then a couple of Fors plugins and a moment of clarity and boom: song done.

Grossly oversimplifying things but it took me about 5 years to realise this.

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Have you considered some kind of tray or case with a power brick? That could get you your one self-contained setup in a form that doesn’t take up a ton of room and is easy to move around the house.

I suspect part of the friction comes from having to setup and break down your pieces, and a case of instruments already hooked up would mitigate that

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I don’t know if this helps, but in terms of figuring out where my heads at I often tend to go back to an iPad with a controller and try building out different setups in AUM. Because of the number of apps I’ve accumulated over the years, and the modular nature of AUM, I can cobble together a rough approximation of the various options I have and sit with them for a bit, switching things in and out to figure out what works for me. Could be worth a go

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I had this figured out 15+ years ago and then I went down the slippery slope of gear acquisition to just find myself back where I started. Used to make a lot more music when my entire studio was a laptop and an m-audio controller than with a bunch of hardware. And now that a lot of the time I’m just sitting on the sofa with headphones and the laptop it’s getting back there slowly but surely.

I guess in my defence the computers are so good now in a way they weren’t back when I stated getting into hardware. Also I now have a pretty big library of sounds / stems / jams I recorded over the years to draw on.

But I’ve found myself thinking a bunch of times recently that I get more options paralysis, bugs, crashes, latency, etc. out of trying to make tracks primarily / exclusively on a bunch of hardware now than I do in the DAW.

Still working out where it goes from here. I think there’s a place for hardware both as a starter - i.e. recording jams - and finisher - i.e. getting sounds where I want them to be and adding seasoning. But for composition and arrangement, the laptop rules.

For me I think I want electronic instruments that are instruments rather than trying to be DAW replacements. The do-it-all “groovebox” is just not for me. I’m happy with using an actual DAW for that. But instruments to play and improvise on and record what comes out will always have a place I think.

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Break down the setup into 2-3 pieces, move them to a different but comfortable place in the house, sit down with them and force yourself to finish some tunes.

Rotate the gear after a few weeks, months, play with them instead of overthinking about how you’ll organise everything to be the unachievable dream setup. Accept that the thought of that is always a moving target, more gear won’t help you to get out of this rut, sell gear only after you really don’t vibe with the jams you had over weeks.

But first and foremost: stop analysing how other gear would help, stop analysing how to cobble everything you already have into the ultimate setup. I know very well that feeling and thought and it won’t take you anywhere.

Make changes to feel more motivated, push that feeling forward with routine and a static setup for a while.

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Stop posting on the internet about what to do and go practice your instruments.
My 2 cents.

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Reduce the gear down to decent controller (Hapax or get a Push 3, or used Push 2), maybe DTII, then add a few 500 series units for some analog outboard shaping… the Elysia 500 series units sound amazing if you run stuff through them, and can be got quite reasonable used. The Elysia Xmax looks great also. Could also add some outboard dub effects for a bit of ‘hands on’.

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i wanna sell a bunch of hardware after learning how to do my regular motions in Ableton.

it’s a huge luxury BUT i do think hardware helps define your sound and figure out what kind of styles and music you want to make.

i find it mostly a distraction from finishing music, but spending a few days on a piece of hardware and then going back to arranging always sparks some kind of new inspiration so i’m torn lol

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I’m a bit confused by your post as you don’t mention how you record/produce/mix and your musical goals seem very nebulous

regardless, what I’d recommend to reduce the ‘friction’ you’re experiencing;

  • stop gear shopping
  • box everything up and put it all in a closet
  • give yourself an achievable and concrete musical goal
  • only get out 1 or 2 pieces at a time for at least a year
  • re-evaluate after gaining perspective
  • become a net seller of gear
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Do you even know what kind of music you like and want to make? Why did you buy what you bought? Asking 50 people “what do I build with this pile of wood?” is going to yield 100 answers.

I think social media sucks because people see content from Keinseier (for example) and think “oh I like that vibe” so they buy some gear but they don’t really want to make art like that. They just want to recreate a vibe and when they find out they can’t make that music because it’s hard freaking work, they just buy one more piece of gear hoping it will push them over the edge.

I think you have writers block. But I also think you don’t even know what you want to write. A song? A poem? Fanfic about vampires who fuck footballers? You have to figure that out.

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It might indeed be easier to compose for a trio rather than a full orchestra.

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I’ve been in a similar boat lately. I have a space with all of my hardware and at first, this was amazing - finally free from sitting at a desk using a computer which I do for my day job. Eventually however, the hardware music space began to feel similar in that it is confined to where it is all setup and I stopped using it much - I left it virtually untouched over the summer. So then about a month ago I revisited it and got everything back up and running and ready to go again but that’s as far as it went…

So then I did some things that others have suggested:

  • Decided to make something very different than the raw techno improv jams I had been doing with the full setup and with very clear intent
  • Limited myself to just 1 box: I disconnected the DTII from everything else and brought it wherever I wanted to in the house. So nice to use it in my easy chair or in bed :slight_smile:

I finished a full track in about a week and it was fun again… Progress! Not so fast…

So here I am, at a crossroads. I am just a hobbiest that has been screwing around with electronic music for fun for literally decades (used to have a pair of E-Mu E6400 Ultras, Nord Modular, Z1, etc back in the day). I have no intentions beyond making tracks simply because I like to learn new stuff and it’s fun.

But, it’s not fun to sit at “the mothership” anymore and I am considering selling everything, or just about everything and get an M8 instead. Limited to 8 tracks, totally portable, and I get to continue to screw around on something tactile. If I’m feeling ambitious beyond that, can always hop into Ableton, or Logic, or Renoise, etc. and my Macbook is portable too…

Anyway, my suggestion is to simplify. Less is usually always more.

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Have you mastered any of the gear you have? Found the limitations and then come up with creative ways to get around them to achieve your musical goals?

Or just get an Octatrack. :wink:

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I feel you. For me, the problem is usually option paralysis. I’ll echo what others have said above: setting artificial limitations can break me out. For example, you’re only allowed to use DNII and Microcosm to make a track. This can greatly reduce the friction.

It may sound odd, but the other thing that breaks me out of ruts is the Pomodoro technique. There are Pomodoro apps for any platform you want (Windows, iOS, Android, Max4Live, etc). It helps focus my mind and create intentionality. It might sound small but for me it’s been huge.

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Have you lost your mind? If everybody would do this elektronauts.com would be dead. :nerd_face:

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This is not groundbreaking advice or anything but if I were in your shoes I’d think hard about your next few musical projects. What genre, what sounds, how many tracks, what does the artwork look like, where do you want to release them, etc.? And go from there.

Maybe you have a few pieces of gear that won’t help much. Maybe you have a few pieces of gear that are a good fit for these projects. Take stock. Sell what you don’t need. Get past the gear obsession and get to work creating something that pleases you.

In other words, I’d stop trying to “cover all bases” and setting up a “well-rounded” studio full of endless potential. Narrow down your ideas, ambitions, goals, and find your sound. Keep tools that help you create. Sell everything else, even if it’s a great piece of gear in general, for somebody else perhaps, for some genre you don’t want to participate in perhaps.

If it doesn’t fit in your workflow, or further your goals, or fit with your current musical projects, it’s fair game for the chopping block.

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Like some said here, just stop watching YouTube or elektronauts forum and enjoy your gear. You have everything needed to make music. Start with one machine, jam on it see where it leads you and then if needed ad another and so on.
Join us on “Current sounds coming from your gear” and drop some ideas/sketches/jams

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@Ciaba, you’ve listed a bunch of good gear, it covers a lot of bases. If music’s a hobby for you, don’t worry about writer’s block & don’t sell/replace anything (selling/replacing is an enabler of GAS).

If you really are in a phase of writer’s block, just spend time exploring your gear with zero intent on writing music. Just make those lush dub chords & bliss out to that. Remember why you got into making music, try to get back to that level of curiosity.

New gear won’t solve the problem if it’s a you problem.

Instead find where the friction to using your gear is and slowly think through how to work around that. For me, the problem was setting up & getting started.

This is one of the reasons why I bought a Hapax and now run a hybrid set up with Ableton. I’ve configured both with default templates so when I switch it everything on, it’s ready to go. If you’re not using definition files & a default project in the Hapax, you’re missing out.

All I need to do is start poking at what I own and if I like that, I continue down that path. If I don’t like it after 30 minutes or so, fine. Just reset the Hapax & reload the Ableton session. That’s not time wasted, it was time spent understanding what I like and feel confident about.

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