Minimising gear

[subduct]

@DaveMech

Definitely very important to me. Trying to get the most out of as few instruments as possible. Any synth i can’t or don’t use when performing live i use as sample sources. This way it’s pretty safe to add a synth every now and then. Just having these 2+ hour sound design sessions, where I sample the sounds / arps etc. into Octatrack / Digitakt / DAW for later use, works really well. You learn your ayntha on a deeper level without losing focus on the song / track making machines.

And the nice thing is that you can of course do the same with vst’s

This is totally the way forward. When I treat synths or anything else as sample sources to go into my fixed performance system of OT & Rytm, all the brain mush about routing, MIDI, setups and covering all bases with synths pretty mush disappears. It’s like killing a bunch of processes on my laptop to free up RAM, leaves my brain free to think on the ideas, progressions and performances. Which is where I need the practice!

Right now I would use OT, Rytm, 303 live - everything else would be sampled.

@spec3oh

The ‘right’ answer is just so obvious when I’m working with 8 tracks on an Elektron box.

YES @spec3oh

@Octagonist

When you sample, what do you sample? Notes, chords, patterns?

Patterns for now, until I get better at OT sequencing tricks! And following this sound advice, thanks @DaveMech:

@DaveMech

Like giving yourself 15 minutes per sound. After the 15 minutes you need to make sure you stop and move on to the next sound. After a while you’ve crated a bunch of sounds from which a few will be good enough to further explore and finish.

I also found that putting OT & Rytm only on the front row of my desk, even though I have space for other gear (and more gear packed away) helps me to reinforce this system. Every sound flows through these two now.

[P580C]

Another thing - at least for me - is I need to find somebody to collaborate with. That would bring me energy.

[mj12]

Oh, song lacks energy? Must be dynamics, break out all the compressors! Or maybe I should stack a seventh high hat loop on this track, just to give it a little more life… panned hard left /right with one channel delayed to increase the stereo image. Or maybe I just need a third arp going from this analog synth racked up next to my four other analog mono’s and run it through my reverb chain (not to be confused with my delay chain sub mix), or maybe I should dig around in my 200GB sample library for a great vocal ‘yeeeeeah’ sample. THAT’S why this song lacks energy….

I can relate to this so much.

[chaocrator]

minimised.

[0mega]

What if I don’t get rid of gear but just make 3-5 minimal setups/stations? Does that count?

[johnl]

Something that came up on another thread, was the person’s massive dropoff in productivity when going beyond one piece of gear… plays in well here.

[johnl]

I realised that having presets on drum machine (ND2) and analog mono (Sirin) was putting me off trying things, since the Digitone also has presets.

Reconnecting the basic Volca Beats and MB-33 for some simpler sounds.

[Martebar]

Discovering the power of the Ipad at the moment, incredible what you can do with this, I have a mixer, a few sequencers, a synth, a sample player and some effects and everything runs together smoothly, I have so much fun !
Bought it to make some music during my commute to work and time flies so fast !

[igtheflig]

Since getting a DN I haven’t used my A4 or AR. I can imagine wanting drums again…but I don’t know. Family changes mean I might have to sell my AR and A4 anyway, but I think I got carried away, and because I could afford these things, I bought them

Now looking at what I want from toys, and what I enjoy, I think a DN + AH + something drums/sampling is enough. If that something is OT or AR I don’t know yet.

But I like minimal, I’ve spent a year buying and trying a lot of things, and in the end, I think I want less.

[PeteSasqwax]

Pre-pandemic I had aspirations of doing this:

Go Deeper, Not Wider

Alas, once the world went sideways for a while, retail therapy charged up my GAS and it absolutely didn’t happen, but I’m there again and I’m trying to persuade myself to get to the point where I only have 1 monosynth and 1 poly. It’s tricky and I might have to accept that 2 monos is my minimum because I want the Moog sound my Werkstatt offers but also love the west coast entry level stuff my 0-Coast provides. I’ve just bought a Peak, which is my first poly (arriving this week), so that and the WS/0-Coast should provide me with all the synth I need for a lot longer than just a year.

All I need to do now is decide when my depth year actually starts… and commit to it.

Anyone else done this?

[igtheflig]

In my career, for sure. Not in other aspects of my life. I should though. My career changed completely 2012-2015 cos I focussed on one thing only. I ended up being a kind of expert on it. Took a lot of energy, and I had to resist a lot of things (say no a lot). But yeah, I like the idea for music too.

I think it has been shown also that an initial phase of anything (sport, career, study) should be broad and wide ranging and shallow, to get an idea of WHAT you want to focus on for depth. I think that is my last 18-24 months. I tried SuperCollier, Max, Ableton, hardware, guitar. And yeah, It think DN + a drum/sampler is enough to go deep on.

we might actually crack that Margaret Atwood trilogy rather than tell ourselves we’ll get to it someday

Lol, dude, come on, those books are a joy and pleasure to read. I’ve read that set (I assume he is talking Oryx/Crake trilogy) maybe 3 times already.

And reading is a great example. Back in the day, when a book was a rare and expensive thing, people re-read the same book scores of times.

I really appreciate this article, thanks @PeteSasqwax

[christianlukegates]

minimal is the best way to go, for me anyway, and less gear = more focus = more ‘finished’ tracks, rather than the lots of unfinished loose ends that i always end up with when i try and have too many things involved at the same time. the more synths i have on my desk the more i feel obliged to shoehorn them all into a track regardless of whether they are actually needed (and they usually arent). DN + OT is my current setup and this combo strikes just the right balance of minimalism and flexibility for my needs. whenever i see the ‘your setups’ thread and stacks of synths, all powered on, covering a desk (usually with dubious ergonomic sensibility), my first thought is always along the lines of ‘how the hell can anyone actually manage to get anything done with that madness on their desk’?!

[igtheflig]

I am thinking OT + DN (can I keep my AH??)

[christianlukegates]

@igtheflig

can I keep my AH??)

you can absolutely do that : )

[PeteSasqwax]

The absurd thing for me is that I have an insane range of options already - more tools than majority of my favourite records ever utilised or even had access to - so why is it that I should be remotely hesitant about drawing the line and saying that enough is enough? It’s fascinating on some levels; vaguely horrifying on others!

[korpinen]

I’m currently weighing the pros and cons of selling two very nice instruments that just haven’t become key pieces in my music: the Prophet 12 desktop and the Vermona Perfourmer mk2. Both are really, I mean, really nice but for a couple of reasons I just haven’t enjoyed or ended up using them as much as the real key pieces of my setup (Octatrack, Machinedrum, Matriarch and, increasingly, Monomachine).

In fact, for the most part this year, I’ve enjoyed single-box setups (OT, MD or MnM standalone) which I can’t do with the P12 and P4mer. The UI of the P12 also doesn’t exactly invite me into creating the complex patches I know it’s capable of. Meanwhile, as much as I like the sound of the P4mer and have done a ton of jams on it, I just struggle to come up with stuff that I’d find interesting the day after…

Still, I think I’d miss both the minute I’d let them go - a stupid kind of FOMO, probably. The P12 is now discontinued and steadily rising in price so I don’t think I’d buy it again at a higher price. Then again, the pragmatic me keeps saying I should just let them go and not look back. So what if an instrument doesn’t click with me?!

Just thinking what I’d gain by selling them since I don’t need the money - except for maybe buying some new toys (like a Prophet 6). That’s just the reality if I suddenly found an ”extra” 1k on my bank account. As it now stands, there’s a bit of gear guilt not having enough time to use all my gear extensively but nothing too bad. And as much as I love the silver Elektrons right now, the day will undoubtedly come when I want to play with something else…

Sorry, just thinking out loud here.

[CCMP]

@PeteSasqwax

All I need to do now is decide when my depth year actually starts… and commit to it.

Anyone else done this?

I’d like to do this too… I feel like I’ve gone through a GAS buying stage in the last 12-18 months that I’ve come out the other side of with an expensive lesson. If I could go back and start again I’d know exactly what to buy and in what order… I even think I’d know what to focus on… hindsight 'n all, but how do you move forward with it?

I’ve discussed it with @igtheflig, I feel we’ve bought similar gear at similar times in the last year… but I like how he’s moved a lot of gear on… I’ve not really sold anything yet, which brings it’s own form of stress.

For all the gear I’ve gone through, if I had to have one device it would be one of the current MPC’s, I can say that now, after the aforementioned experience, with zero hesitation.
At the same time, I would not want to part with my Analog Four or Moog Sub 37 (closely followed by my Analog Rytm, but I could live without this with the MPC). With these 3, with the ability to sample and adding in my guitar side, are more than sufficient for me to make music for the next 20 years.

So why’s it hard to let go of certain gear??

[ghostly606]

Been GASing after the SP404 Mk2 and the M8 and realise I can, and should, get as much out of my current setup (LSDJ, Zoia, Polyend Tracker and Microfreak).

I’m in!

[subduct]

@CCMP

If I could go back and start again I’d know exactly what to buy and in what order… I even think I’d know what to focus on… hindsight 'n all, but how do you move forward with it?

I wish I could start again. I’d get an OT and Rytm and start with those. The problem (for me) is now having acquired a bunch of high quality and in some cases fairly rare boxes, I can’t bring myself to go backwards!

@CCMP

So why’s it hard to let go of certain gear??

I’ve done it in the past and just ended up re-buying most of it!

@PeteSasqwax

All I need to do now is decide when my depth year actually starts… and commit to it.

Looking at you 2022! I just need a couple of modules and a pair of CDJs before then…

I really like this idea though. I’ve got more than enough gear to make any kind of music, in as big a quantity as I want. The article is spot on about the hit of pursuing and buying something new though. Unfortunately in this age of endless choice and connectivity it’s quicker and easier to pursue that instant hit than learning what you have more deeply.

[PeteSasqwax]

@korpinen

Still, I think I’d miss both the minute I’d let them go - a stupid kind of FOMO, probably.

I can relate to this completely. It’s not so much even with the really great pieces, it’s often with the things I’ve not found a place in my workflow for right now - and likely never will - but the prospect of maybe needing them, or just finding a purpose for them, at some point in the future means that I’m reluctant to sell. That’s the hurdle I’m struggling with a bit regarding a few things I want to part with but, for no concrete reason I can point to, haven’t.

@CCMP

If I could go back and start again I’d know exactly what to buy and in what orde

I can 100% relate to this, but I don’t regret the gear I’ve had and then moved on. I’ve read a number of pieces where people are talking about the negative aspects of GAS and how to overcome it, but there’s also that aspect of not knowing how something will work with my setup until I physically have it with me and can see how I get on with it. Also I’ve learned a load through the gear I’ve had and never really lost anything financially, all things considered. I’ve had a Little Phatty, Minitaur, Sirin and Grandmother but the only Moog I’ve ended up keeping is the Werkstatt because it gives me everything I really need in a Moog and it’s fun. The GM especially was brilliant, but comparatively huge and I just didn’t have the space. I learned some interesting things from it though and am glad I scratched the itch even if only to ensure that it didn’t feel like it needed scratching in the future.

@CCMP

So why’s it hard to let go of certain gear??

This! I wish I knew, I genuinely do - I think it would provide me with a fascinating insight into how my brain works that I could apply to other areas of life, but I don’t imagine I’ll ever really know.

@ghostly606

Been GASing after the SP404 Mk2 and the M8 and realise I can, and should, get as much out of my current setup

Yeah, this is a massive thing for me too. It’s trying to become able to rationalise beyond that “New! Shiny!” magpie mindstate, see things for what they can do and become alert to how I can do that with what I have - and I always can. I’ve yet to find anything that I couldn’t either directly achieve or get incredibly close to & perhaps even discover new things along the way.

@subduct

Unfortunately in this age of endless choice and connectivity it’s quicker and easier to pursue that instant hit than learning what you have more deeply.

That’s the killer bit there - especially if I’m feeling a bit shit or uninspired. It’s always easy to hop onto YouTube and windowshop for the next thing. One that I’ve found really helpful in the past is to try to watch YT gear videos about things I own rather than things I don’t. I reckon that will be a useful tool for depth year stuff. Also making statements like these in here instead of just thinking them helps make me accountable to some extent if I need the extra incentive not to give in to GAS!