I find that I develop a workflow that generates a specific output. At some point I want to generate a different output. I lose enthusiasm for that “sound” that my workflow produces. So I go back to the beginning, and in that process, I rekindle acts of discovery that my workflow obscured.
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I see. Actually, I can relate to that.
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If you want to be easily inspired, work on your mind not just your setup. 
I wish there was a shortcut to it but there really isn’t. I treat my music as a meditation these days and yes I have spent years on arriving on a setup that works well for me and it still doesn’t work every time but that’s just part of the journey… And you really have to enjoy the journey, yes even the lousy parts of it.
Theat it all as gaining experience and it will serve you well in the long run. If you have too much of an agenda that may hinder you in the short term, but if you keep a positive attitude you may reach your goals quicker and go way beyond them. Maybe not in the way you imagined, but that’s okay.
I hope I don’t come across as too patronizing but this is my experience and that of others who have taught me a lot too.
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Some good knowledge in those videos. I’ve downsized a lot this year. (Downsizing Your Hardware 2024 - #615 by subduct)
But I’m still left with several setups, and only limited time for music, it totally makes sense to just have one setup like he says, then whatever time you have adds to the same knowledge/skills you already developed. I also really identify with the “stop thinking about it and go and do it” point he makes. Why is it so hard for me to do that!
I think I’ve felt closest to this with sp404mk2. Less technical hurdles to learn than other kit, easy to leave lying around and grab for a quick 15 minutes or whatever.
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Similar challenges to you here with work, kids, trying to prioritise gym/health etc. Leaves too little in the tank some days for the music and I’m trying to take that for what it is rather than let it get me down. I sometimes think adding more pressure to be doing something is unhelpful even if well intentioned.
Re the gear, why not just sell the Hapax? It sounds like it’s a bit of a drag based on your post rather than fun.
I went through something like that with Eurorack, wasn’t using it enough, decided to really lean in and commit to it. Spent three months trying and just could barely muster a track from it. So I tried to go the other way and put it away for a bit and suddenly was writing lots of tracks and having a lot of fun. I just sold all of it after that and it was pretty liberating really. Gear can be a lot of fun but realised for me a pretty lean setup is much more fun and productive.
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Definitely less is more. Even if you rotate setups to keep things fresh.
I thought this was a good book for ideas on approaching music… 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers.
It’s been out a while, and probably seen it but it’s worth DLing free from Ableton’s site:
Links to the PDF, mobi and ePub formats halfway down the page:
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This is another good lesson - I downloaded this ages ago but never bothered to read it.
I should do that instead of watching gear videos on YouTube!
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Seconded 
I found it to be very good too. It covers a lot of common problems that, albeit abstract, very well.
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I’m quite new to the whole YouTube thing, so it’s still very weird for me to come across one of my videos when randomly reading a forum thread. 
But glad to hear they’re helpful.
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Go with the flow and don’t fight it. If you’re not feeling it right now, that’s cool. For me I have phases of creativity and the worst thing is to try and force it. Another strategy is to try something completely different to what you’d normally do style wise. That makes me think differently and approach the whole process from a different angle. It’s easy to get stuck in a musical rut
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yes mainly after starting a new job late last year and working way too many hours and spending time getting my garden ready for summer. It kept me at least from buying any new gear. I will come back and use it again.
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I’d suggest checking out this guy’s channel. It may get you inspired again. He makes awesome jungle and his whole thing is that he doesn’t have much time to make tracks, so he moves quickly and keeps it simple. He explains it all in different videos. He also has a catalogue of releases, and is very very good.
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Don’t stress. Forget about music for now. It’s an ebb and flow, like every aspect of life. It’ll come back.
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Thanks Bunker, love this. I’ve managed to keep it simple this week and keep to one device and my Hapax sequencer and that seems to be helping. Back to basics and keep simple.
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Thanks, felt good reading this.
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Sounds familiar mate, hope the new job is good too!