You can have hardware comp or FX. Run shit out of box and back in to analog it up a bit.
Run the output into…say a Heat. Nice 
No spaghetti mess, nice and simple.
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Half the problem with synths is they can be so fun, which is probably why so many end up just playing rather than ‘working’ with them.
Work is really a whole other matter, it’s a more methodical, focused approach. Not to say it can’t be fun doing work. It makes me think that what makes DAW’s work best is a proper studio environment, because it has this specific location focus. ‘Going into the studio’ is a nice thing to be able to do, you’re there to do just that. Perhaps a topic for another discussion.
All the best!
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I’m making a prediction. In a years time you will be bored of Ableton.
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Exactly the place I am in lately!
These last weeks, I’ve been working on some beats for a rapper. The idea was to really push the way I use hardware. But I quickly got frustrated: “I need this synth but it’s boxed in my closet / the synth is unboxed but I can’t find the right cable / I need a good organ sound for the hook but I have nothing to make it etc.”. I’ve realized that with the money / time / space I have now, working solely with hardware is a bit of a deadend for me.
Soooo… strongly thinking about keeping OT only, and pairing it with Maschine as a giant soundsource.
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My recommendation as always is to put your hardware aside for a while and see if you miss it, unless you need the money, because you might lose money if you bought things new. And then when you realize you miss any of them you do not have to go and buy the boxes again. Give it as months or two.
I also use Ableton for a long time and still do, but also enjoy making music OTB. Always going back and forth.
But I also know that I spent way too much money lately because so much great stuff has been surfacing, this is what I need to control. G.A.S. Sucks big time…
Excuse the ignorance but what does OTB stand for?
One of you put your finger on it - FUN. Music making has to be fun, like any creative endeavour.
But of course - hard work cannot be escaped, and depending on the type of music you make, the exact nature of that hard work differs.
As a video editor, I know that my ‘fun’ bit is throwing footage onto a timeline, making a mess, moving it around and seeing those magic moments that click, that work, and the whole thing starts coming together. The work, much like most music projects I’d imagine, comes with refining, changing, undoing, reworking, restructuring, etc, to get the project DONE.
I went DAWless because the amount of work involved was getting in the way of just basic music creation. Going off grid, with just a DT, has been hugely rewarding as I get back to what I love most - making music. But of course, I’m far from making finished projects.
I’d imagine one day I’ll look at ways of feeding my DT experiments / playtime into a DAW environment for at the very least, mastering and basic structuring tweaks. But even here I might choose a hardware multitracker. I like the idea of laying down tracks, mixing and then BOOM. Track done, move onto something else.
The same thought pops into my mind time and time again - that these days, we have more technical power on our phones than the Beatles ever did. It reminds me that the tech side of things is just a gateway. Everyone has to unlock their potential in a way that’s perfect for them.
Out (of) The Box
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Over Teh Bridge 
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When we went into lockdown here in Paris, I thought it would be a great opportunity to make something with my Octatrack/modular only. I tried for a while and ended up totally depressed from my lack of success.
Went back in the box, bought a nice synth (NI’s Super 8) and made so much music that I released an album the month after and felt much better than when trying the OTB thing.
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I think the key is to find what works for you (the tricky part) then don’t worry about what other people are doing, be it ITB, OTB or a mixture.
I do think that the old FOMO can influence our decisions, I stopped using DAWs years back and use exclusively a hardware setup, every now and again the temptation to add a DAW comes into my mind, it would certainly make a lot of things easier.
However I remind myself that I don’t enjoy using a DAW, I find the unlimited options stifling, (“no one man should have all that power” ) and the need to keep on top of updates, OS patches, routine maintenance etc. are a source of stress to me, and to a certain extent the “disconnectedness” of the experience - obviously this can be somewhat mitigated by appropriate controllers and what not, but it isn’t for me.
There is definitely a certain amount of pressure that we perhaps place on ourselves, reading other users positive experiences of using gear that we don’t can create a desire, and feelings of needing to be current/competitive/professional/serious or whatever can influence decisions.
Sometimes it is good to look to the past and think of all the great music made with much more humble equipment than we all have today, and remind ourselves it isn’t about the gear.
I hope that everyone can find their optimal workflow, I don’t pretend to have found mine, but I tend to over complicate things and am a bit OCD, still I get very close some of the time, so that is good enough, my mantra is perfection is a mirage 
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I am totally with you. Had the same frustration this summer. What I disliked most from hardware that if it comes to midi sequencing it’s very rare you can just play them so it would be easier to do it ITB but then all this cables and setup time when you don’t have a studio space … right now I have all my synths set aside into boxes - trying to start from 0.
At least I have now everything super tidy … boxes for MIDI, audio, power etc. pp. - and then I think: If I went ITB now I would have bought all this for nothing… I will keep everything. But I also don’t need the money right now. So I would only sell if I had important investments to make.
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…end of the day, it always needs a daw to finish stuff…
of course it’s way more fun to twiddle along with truu instruments…
but it’s not all about the funfactor…
while gosh, how many lucky dips and happy accidents on swedish gear helped me to get along and leaded to big tracks…
but all otb tracks, hardware only, no matter what u got in use, can’t really compete with where it’s at…
u can be nostalgic and just love it this way anyway…but u’ll never end up with results that really work out there, whenever, whereever, ready to compete…and that remains the goal, if u wanna/have to make a living from it…it’s hard enough these days anyway…
BUT…
…daw ONLY, exclusively itb is, no matter what ur tricks are, also not what makes a good track that can last…
…it’s always kind of a miracle if u add at least one more little thing, that is truuly recorded…
that is exclusively NOT created within the computer only…
so yes…all that hardware OTB hype of the last decade is comin’ to an end…sad but truu…
but ITB only also won’t do the final trick…
i got rid of all my digis these days…
only kept what really makes a difference…
the ot…one mk2 for stage combined with cycles…
… one mk1 for the studio…alongsinde with my forever beloved a4 mk1…
AND…well, the heat…
…last ten years of using a daw ONLY for recording and editing/final mixing are coming to an end here…
all my content came from the outside in first place exclusively, just to be catched on harddrives later…
but now i slimmed back down for good…
took me two decades to finally know what’s really best to use from BOTH sides of the sonic planet…
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My two biggest problems with ITB composition-
Option paralysis: having 100’s of plug-ins and massive sample libraries ends up being just too much and leaves you uninspired. Sitting down with a few hardware devices that have well-defined strengths and limitations is so much more excting for me. There’s something about a tactile interface with an actual instrument that just feels right.
Sound quality: the sonic differences between softsynths and actual analogs may seem close when compared one-to-one, but really starts to add up when you use a bunch of instances in a track. The real deal always sounds better.
That said, having too much hardware and dealing with patching/reconfiguring every time can also be uninspiring. My solution to that is to sample my vintage gear into the Toraiz SP-16 as I go, which compiles and connects those sound sources with my A4/AR setup. Makes it easier for me to get my head around 
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I don’t see it as ITB or OTB, or as a choice - rather complimentary tools.
I think computers + hardware form a perfect hybrid setup.
DAWs like Bitwig and Live and VCV Rack, perfectly compliment hardware like the Octatrack/Modular.
The computer also helps bridge the deficiencies … there are just some (mainly editing) tasks that are easier with a keyboard/mouse and large monitor.
on the flip side, even with my Push 2, Live never quite matches the hands-on nature of something like the Octatrack - its never quite as fun.
same with modular… sure VCVRack can get you to similar places, but its no where near the same fun experience.
Even my Virus, which is very digital, and arguably I have better VSTs (U-he for the win!) is still the thing I will reach to if I just want to play.
for sure, I will agree hardware can be head-scratching at times, though computer software is also not bug/hassle free.
I totally love the computer for what it does best, and of course its much cheaper than hardware.
and hey, if you find computer more enjoyable - thats cool, you can save a load of $
but hybrid it is for me.
note: hybrid systems do bring another level of complexity, and all that entails - so can see its not for everyone (on either side of ‘the fence’)
note2: those saying OTB is a fad, coming to an end…
I don’t think so - I think a large part of this trend has been to do with availability and reduced prices - lots of musicians love ‘hands-on’.
of course, if your primary focus is on productivity, or reproducibility … then the daw has been king for many years… thats not a recent change either.
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Original Post you mentioned an FM synth and no ones recommended Digitone yet 
You love pads, understand OT/A4 and want DAW integration? It’s a no brainer for me. 
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I’m in the same boat. For a long time I didn’t have room for any hardware and tried to work ITB and I could make sounds but for me it didn’t work at all. It was too sterile and kind of boring.
It’s a hassle to use hardware for sure, I spent most of the last few days trying to setup Overbridge in Logic, but once it’s working, I’m much happier jamming OTB and arranging ITB.
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Really lovely music as well, I must say.
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DAWless was always a marketing scam, don’t feel bad! i like a hybrid setup, or different tools for different projects.
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For me, it’s also about taking a break from the computer screen (work) but I’ve recently discovered iPad as a synth to go with my hardware and also a recording / mastering / publishing device to finalize my output and I’ve been really happy with this hybrid approach.
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To me it’s simple. Sequencing on the computer. I make not-so-repetitive music with attention to details (probably due to the use of musical scores for years), and found nothing as nice as a big piano roll. I can even write music without having to hear it, it’s so fast. For the type of music I do the most, I found to hate Elektron sequencers. But for hip-hop and repetitive music, that’s nice.
When it come to synths, I love hardware, but mostly sequenced by the computer. I need knobs, or even better, faders.
For sampling, I’d say I much prefer the computer, even if I never really found back the workflow that I had on Sound Forge back in the days.
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