I found trying (yet failing) to keep GAS in check with fellow Nauts helped me a lot.
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I did the no gear year and it did help. It didnāt stop me from buy new gear but helped me realize what I needed to be creative rather than wanted because it looked cool!
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I feel like Iāve been here and probably havenāt solved it 100%, but what has helped is streamlining and simplifying.
Your problem is not with hardware you have or need, it sounds like you just need to get out of your own way.
Make that easier for yourself and keep things simple for a while. Get your guitar and 2 pieces of gear you already own that you really enjoy and put everything else away for a while and see where that goes.
Make things as simple and quick as possible, set up a template if you need to, have things ready to go, remove as much friction as you can.
You may decide you want to try using something you put away, maybe swap it for something you have out, or add if that seems right, but try to keep it manageable for a while and revisit this.
There isnāt anything youāre going to buy right now thatās going to solve your problems. Even if it could, you would feel the same way and be right back here in short order.
If money was no object and you could build the perfect instrument, custom made just for you to your specifications, whatever you wanted, do you really think that would be the last thing you bought, given where your headās at right now?
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This is true with most things in life!
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I think of all my synths Iāve had over the years, the OP-1 and Deluge have been the closest to the ājust play meā ideal.
Theyāre both portable, have built in speakers and mics, and make it easy to quickly lay down synth and drum parts.
Yeah, you can muck about with settings and parameters etc, do sampling etc, but the interfaces on both do a remarkably good job of just getting out of the way and inviting you to play it.
A note on the Deluge: If you want to dig into all the capabilities of the Deulge, the interface can get complicated if you want to/let it, but exploring all the complexity is by no means required. It really is SUPER EASY to just quickly lay down a drum pattern, make a couple of variations on it, and then muck about with some synth lines.
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Coming back to the original question : keep it simple !
It is really the amount of time that you spend with your give that give them some values. The more you keep on exploring them, the more they will turn into an instrument. So it is best to have a single piece of hardware for a few months. Then you will see if you truly need something else.
It seems that you found your way with the SP404 : so just keep it, and sell the rest of your equipment.
If after a few months you feel that you really really need a synth, take a digital synth that is self sufficient and feel like an instrument with a keyboard, a sequencer, nice FX, and a nice look and UI : korg modwave or arturia mini-freak for instance or just your laptop and a single VST such as the Virus TI VST (forgot its name).
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Going for the ākeep it simpleā too. But the expensive simple.
After a few years of buying/selling stuff, I came to the conclusion that Iād rather have three big boxes instead of ten small ones. One sampler/groovebox, one drum machine, one synth. Iām slowly going this way myself, knowing Iāll end up with just a AR2, a Modor DR-2 (or another big drum machine) and one deluxe FM synth that still have to be released.
For your specific need, I would go for a Perkons : you can get both rythmic and melodic stuff out of it. Very playable and direct, very jam-oriented, no project management or menu diving or whatsoever. The Modor DR-2 or the AR2 would do the trick, too.
Itās maybe another solution to your āproblemā: sell everything and buy one machine thatās so powerful and expensive, probably bulky as well, that can do all you want and will be a pain in the ass to sell. Forcing you to commit to it. Something like the new Polybrute for example. But of course, that would mean selling and buying, which isnāt really what you should focus on but rather make music.
Deluge
- small
- looks like mid-century modern furniture
- does fucking everything
- enough stuff to keep you busy for years
Guitar looping
Groovebox
I really wouldnāt look at buying more. Sell anything you know you donāt really use or that doesnāt bring joy. If it makes me happy I keep it, if it doesnāt it goes. Currently Ableton Note is the most productive tool I own and it cost five quid
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To help save your wallet, Iād also recommend trading your gear for new gear. You can pin point what you want and ask for that, or throw your stuff up and see what people got.
Iād also recommend diving into synthesis. Not sure how familiar you are with itās nuances, but itās a really rewarding and addicting thing to do. If youāre not too comfortable with it yet, pick a preset you like and look at all the values, understanding how it makes the waveforms sound the way they are. Since youāre into Ambient, opened envelopes and slow modulation are a main stay. This may rekindle a love for gear that youāve lost interest in.
Explore sound recordings and get wild with the sound manipulation, warping them into completely different tones. Record yourself banging things together, your walks, a car engine, etc., and see what you can do with it.
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You know what ?
The best thing about doing an album and setting a rule to force you to do it, is not the album in the end.
Itās just that you can, at some point for your future self just compare what you are doing with what you have done in the past.
Being able to say : thatās shit, or thatās dope, or that meeehhh.
You donāt have to release it or promote it.
But it could be something.
And it can take a week to do, nothing more.
A track produce in 2 hours max as a rule for example. And shitty allowed 
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There are a lot of good ideas already but try to separate instrument building and making music. I love modulars but I get analysis paralysis if I donāt make it simple enough to play. The patch is the same thing again on a smaller scale, set it up for when you play. I often patch with a silent synth simply because itās meditative and at some point I canāt continue without listening. Thatās a good time for a break and then playing the thing.
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the rabbit hole must be gotten out of yourself
we can only shout down the tunnel
you will be the one who reaches the exit
It sounds like youāve sold the Octatrack? My suggestion would have been to give it more time - personally I find it very immediate and performative, but weāre also coming from different skill sets.
With a good template you know how to work with, and quality samples at the ready, setup only takes a few minutes. I often use mine as a drum machine and live looper, but it does lean toward the programming side like most Elektron boxes. If you hadnāt tried the recorder trig transition method used by many, it was a game changer for me.
Otherwise, yeah, stick with the SP - the best gear is the gear you know the best, or whatever.
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Similar journey. MPC Live 2 with the 3.0 beta firmware has been great for me. The new firmware really smooths the workflow.
It has very playable pads, and is truly standalone with battery and actually good speakers.
I am time poor at the moment, so I either make a quick beat standalone with excellent (paid) plugins, or if I have more time, I connect it to my studio mixer and record jams and loops with external guitar/bass/keys.
Sometimes it is hard to separate the music technology hobby from the music hobby itself, especially when time poor. Good luck!
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First of all, be kind to yourself 
Youāre doing great. Find ways to validate your actions and do something that feels good
Gear related
100% sell everything and buy a Deluge
Itās incredibly approachable and quick to use, while also being virtually limitless in many aspects. Works well by itself or with other instruments. Great with guitar and piano. Awesome looper if you want to get into that. (Compared to the SP it is wayyy more of an approachable instrument, imho).
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Reading your post again ā¦
Exactly this:
I got a Solar 42 and can tell that I spent hours just noodling around. But itās quite ambient or drone like. IMO itās more versatile compared with Lyra 8, which is also in my studio.
This setup might do:
- Solar 42
- some rhythm making machine
- you on your guitar
But I wouldnāt sell everything else. Maybe a good synth and a sampler might be nice to have as well 
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I 100% expected this thread to be about modular when I read the title.
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