#NGNY22 - Happy NoGear New Year!

The Lounge General Discussion
#2399

Due to a bunch of things happening, but mainly my dayjob, I’ve not had time to be on here since late last year so this is the first time I’m seeing this thread. It’s a great read and really encouraging.

By November I had already decided that this year was to be NGNY for me (although I refer to it as Depth Year, but it’s the same deal).

Why have I made this decision?

This:

Ultimately I spent 2021 downsizing massively. I had amassed way too much stuff and didn’t have a way of utilising it all, so I parted with a load of it. With the cash I raised I ensured that gaps were filled and the last piece of that was the purchase or a Peak.

A friend and I had discussed what we “needed” and came up with a kind of “one poly, one mono, one old sampler & one new one” (no mention of effects, computers or controllers because we couldn’t agree limits there!)

I had a problem, though: I already had lots of monos - I had a Moog GM, an MS-20 Mini, a 0-Coast and a Werkstatt. I changed my rules to 1 traditional east coast mono and 1 oddball mono (he change his rules to one mono, one duo, one para and one poly lol) and sold the GM (heartbreaking but took up SO much room, sadly) and the MS-20 (again, hard to part with but overkill for my needs) and kept the 0-Coast and Werkstatt.

I had a TR8S and a few other bits I didn’t need, so sold them in favour of a CD3000XL to be used with a Launchpad Pro 3 as (in my head) a kind of modular MPC.

Along with iOS gear, a Push 2/Ableton, Norns, ZOIA, & loads of other effects and random bits of gear, I have more equipment than the vast majority of my favourite albums were made with.

I can do this with ease… can’t I?

The caveat:
The only issue I have is that, having bought the Peak, I realise that it’s incredible but total overkill for what I do and therefore I am parting with it. I’m aware that it’s a pretty expensive piece so I’m happy to accept trades in part payment. I don’t view this as being against the spirit of NGNY/Depth Year, but others may almost certainly disagree, I appreciate!

Also I had intended to not purchase any iOS apps or VSTs but then Arturia stabbed me with the €29 offer and I slipped instantly. Made it to March and then :sad:

Instead of taking that as a sign to throw in the towel, though, I’m viewing it as a slip to be recovered from and aim to regain focus.

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#2400

I’ve noticed some “but then I received a really good offer”, “in my local shop I found a bargain”, “I couldn’t resist a really good deal online!” posts here lately.

By imagining simular situations I immediately can translate myself into such a position and feel the GAS coming (and the impulsive stressing thoughts such as “I NEED this!”, “I have to buy this NOW otherwise -insert nonsense reason here-”).

Therefore I decided on january 1 to unsubscribe from all gear and software related newsletters, notifications of second hand marketplace websites (such as Reverb) and music gear related webshops. I don’t visit any physical music stores and avoid magazines as SOS and online gear reviews / channels as Sonic Labs. (BTW, SOS stands for SO much gaS magazine for me).

Less knowing of “bargains” and “deals” and “all the things I think I want” out there genuinely helps reducing the overall GAS and makes the NGNY22 challenge a lot easier for me.

The only exception on all restrictions is Elektronauts as you all are such an outstanding community and knowledge base. I can even read the threads that explode when new gear is released because reading comments as “this new sequencer is the FINAL piece of hardware I need!” also tends to calm me down as I simply know it wil not satisfy this “final piece need” :slightly_smiling_face:

Just my thoughts on this, it helps me to share and maybe it can help someone else as well.

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#2401

I have 5 children, 2 of which are formally diagnosed as autistic, 2 of which are currently going through the diagnostic process and 1 of which has life limiting physical illnesses that obscured her neurodiversity for a long time (but she’s 24 now, long since moved out with a daughter of her own and she’s not remotely interested in even considering her neurodiversity).

My eldest son is 23, was diagnosed initially with ADHD and Asperger’s (back when they used to diagnose Asperger’s). For a long, long time we weren’t sure how possible it would be for him to get a career and gain full independence, but by his late teens he was securely locked into engineering and has a job that pays way more than any job I’ve had ever has done.

Of the three left at home, my youngest daughter left secondary without a confirmed diagnosis because her school wasn’t willing to support her ( initially because she wasn’t at school due to lockdowns and then, upon her return, because “she’ll be gone in a few months so we don’t really see the point”). She’s with ASDAT now and hopefully will get more support through them.

The eldest of my two sons still at home secured 1-to-1 support through his EHCP after spending the first 2 years of secondary school shut away in a room doing worksheets because he was “too disruptive” (remember, kids, it’s not ok to stim in the modern academy system…) and his younger brother is in the early stages of diagnosis.

The person I feel for in our household is my wife, who is the only neurotypical member of the family. I know that living with me is a nightmare for her at times because of the way I do and don’t communicate & the kids are generally more like me than her in that regard, which almost certainly only compounds things further.

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#2402

Thanks for sharing that. What a bundle! And yes, schools…if only they cared about something other than numbers for govt. Required to mask or be excluded is a pretty weak definition of support. I’m sorry for your troubles, but I love to hear how so many of your offspring are making a go of it. And at least you all have each other. My autistic son and I have a closeness too.

I don’t know how to go into this on a public forum, but my wife would 100% agree. Maybe there needs to be a group/forum for NT signifiant others. I won’t say ND is the sole reason we’re separating/divorcing, but it isn’t off the hook either. I am also a nightmare to live with.

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#2403

Ah, man, I’m really sorry it affected your relationship in such a way. The reason my eldest daughter won’t entertain her being formally neurodiverse is because of how much she resented her brother for “getting away with everything” when they were growing up. There’s only a year between our eldest two and, because his conditions were often quite destructive and could lead to violence, she always felt he ought to be punished more (“if I’d have done that…”). Obviously we did what we felt was right and I’m sure we made mistakes (there’s no YouTube tutorials to follow) but I never felt it was right to punish a child for something they couldn’t help.

In an attempt to bring this back on topic, it’s funny the way my own neurodiversity affects my music and my relationship to gear. My wife has always said she hates that I feel the need to sell gear all the time, but she doesn’t appreciate that I can’t know how something will feel until I’ve used it within my setup. It’s a large part of why I flip things so frequently (and why NGNY is both so important and so difficult). I have a thing with textures in my music. I can’t handle things that are clean with no rough edges. I need to reduce the sample rate of my samples so that they have crunch; I need to drive things so they saturate. I grew up with these things thanks to cassettes and 12 bit samplers on all the music I loved & things don’t sound right - don’t feel right - unless they’re less than pristine. I wanted to write a paper on it but didn’t have a formal diagnosis so lacked the “authenticity,” but I got as close as I could & maybe I’ll go there in the future.

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#2404

Crazy amount of respect to all parents of neurodiverse children! Some of the posts above really put my ”struggles” with being a parent (of three) into perspective.

On the NGNY side of things, everything is going fine. After going back and forth with a number of small setups - different combinations of MnM, MD, OT and DN - something clicked today and I laid the foundations of half an ambient-ish liveset with the MnM and OT, the latter mostly being an fx box for the Monomachine and some spoken word parts from a Zoom H2n. Just yesterday I was talking with a friend, saying that I might not be able to make it to the open mic type of gig we’d been talking about performing at in April/May. What a difference a day makes!

On the other hand, my Digitone feels more and more expendable with every day that passes. Selling it now wouldn’t probably be a good idea tho for a couple of different reasons. It’s actually also my latest actual purchase from late November. So it’ll stay in its box for now. Seems NGNY is teaching me patience both as a seller and a buyer cos I also haven’t felt ”compelled” to buy something just because the price has been great.

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#2405

I’d also echo the crazy amount of respect! But I’d extend it to all parents who’re attempting to be creative whilst dealing with all those responsibilities… I don’t have any kids myself and though I’ve been having a bit of a torrid time with my mental health of late I’m definitely finding this thread to be inspiring in so many ways.

And I’m still going strong on this challenge though I’ve sailed very close to the wind today… I’d pre-ordered a reverb pedal back before xmas and when I got notification today that it was going to be out-of-stock for the forseeable I asked them to send me an alternative. I probably should’ve just got my money back but I reckon it still counts as a purchase from last year??? Hopefully…

Also still caught up in re-arranging things to be more productive and so I reckon I need to have another clear out of gear I’m not using so much - but not to be re-invested, I should put it towards the mortgage!

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#2406

I’m out, sorry. I made it to two months of no new gear. The Volcas got me. Who would have thought?

Good luck to everyone else!

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#2407

As others have done earlier on, I just took an inventory of what I have, but it seemed like an absurd amount of text to dump into a response so I’ve hidden it in case anyone wants to see. It was an interesting exercise. It’s hard to argue that there’s many gaps there, to be honest, which is helpful to remind myself if (/when?) I start GASing for something

Kit List

SYNTHS:
Make Noise 0-Coast
Moog Werkstatt (+ Doepfer Dark Link MIDI-CV)
Novation Peak (for now…)
Mutable Instruments Shruthi (Polivoks filter)
Mutable Instruments Shruthi (SMR filter)

SAMPLERS:
Akai CD3000XL
Korg Volca Sample

MIXING DESKS/MINI MIXERS:
ART Powermix I
Fostex Hexamix MN06
Fostex MN-15
Roland PA-120
Yamaha MG 12/4

CONTROLLERS:
Ableton Push 2
Akai LPD8 Wireless
Arturia Keystep 37
Keith McMillen QuNexus
Korg Microkey Air
Korg NanoKontrol Studio
NI Maschine Mk 1
Novation Launchcontrol
Novation Launchcontrol XL
Novation Launchpad Pro Mk 3
Novation Launchpad X
Novation Launchpad Mini Mk 1
Novation Launchpad Mini Mk 2 (x2)
Roli Lightblock M
Slate & Ash Faderbank 16n

AUDIO INTERFACES:
MOTU M2
NI Z2
Roland Um-One Mk2 USB-MIDI interface
Zoom U-44 + mic attachment

EFFECTS:
JHS (John Hornby Skewes) MX-99 Mini-Echotec analogue delay
Mirex Analog Echo EC-500
Mutable Instruments Sidekick
Vermona Retroverb Lancet
Zoom 1201 Multi-effects
Zoom MS-60B Multi-effects pedal

iOS DEVICES:
Alesis ioDock (+iPad 3rd Gen)
Akai Synthstation 25 (+iPhone 4s)
Focusrite iTrack Dock (+iPad 4th Gen)
Focusrite iTrack Pocket (x2) (iPhone 6 + 6s)
IK iRig
IK iRig 2 (+iPhone 5)
iPad Pro 10.5"
Korg PlugKey (+iPhone 7Plus)

GUITAR PEDALS:
EHX Deluxe Memory Boy
EHX Q-Tron
EHX Nano Clone
Frontline Flanger

MULTITRACK RECORDERS:
Fostex X-15 4 Track Cassette Recorder
Vestax MR44 4 Track Cassette Recorder

MISC DEVICES:
Empress Effects ZOIA
Monome Norns Shield
MWM Phase Essential (with NI Traktor)
RPi/PiSound box (MODEP, probably)
Vestax PDX2000 (with MIDI mod)
Zoom H4N

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#2408

I’ve removed you from the list. Now go rock those Volcas :heart:

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#2409

You can exclude me from the list as well as I just ordered a SP 404 mkii. However the delivery takes so much time that I might receive it next year :sweat_smile:

Moreover, I sold my Push 2 in the meantime and my OP-1 is for sale. So -1 gear in total

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#2410

Is that the version in the red perspex with the little hammer and solder iron engraved logo? It’s the only synth I’ve regretted getting selling on… I fugured that having a Shurthi XT with 4 pole mission filter and a polivoks filter in my eurorack would be sufficient. Surprise!!! It isn’t…

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#2411

It might be originally but mine is a DIY affair made by a really talented builder friend of mine. It’s in a black perspex and sounds well aggy (in the best possible way!)

I’m still not sure it’s enough Polivoks though and constantly find myself looking at other options. The only thing that stopped me getting an Elta Filter 2 was indecision abojt whether I ought to just get the desktop instead… And then there’s the Erica unit :roll_eyes: Dear gods, is there any wonder I need this thread?!

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#2412

Ha! Yeah, I know those feelings, hence why I’m here too. Just keep telling myself that I’ve got plenty and I just need to plumb the depths a bit further. Going OK so far!!

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#2413

Hell yeah - we’ve got this! I feel like I have a lot of options that can be whatever I need them to be, whether that’s iPads with the various apps at my disposal, MIDI controllers that can provide tactility that I might identify a need for, or divergent devices like the ZOIA, Zoom pedal, RPi, Norns etc. In a way I’ve got a stack of cheat codes to go at already… I just need to remember that!

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#2414

I’ve been finding your various posts really interesting lately. I recently heard someone say something very similar about “time” lately as well. Basically that things that sit right on the grid really mess with them. They have to have some human element to it or it’s really jarring.

I find it quite interesting the way we are all programmed. One of my best friends/coworkers here in Japan for the last twenty years or more is neurodiverse and his attention to detail with music gear always blows me away. We will sometimes walk into these crowded Japanese music gear shops where it’s floor to ceiling old amps, and he can instantly spot like when a knob has been swapped out or something from across the room. To me the whole room is just filled with so much stuff, I can’t even process the details, so it kills me every time.

It’s definitely a superpower, but it also means that he has very specific requirements for guitars (color and materials). I’m seriously so jealous of his musical chops as well. Incredible drummer, guitarist, bassist. Total badass.

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#2415

This is it for me completely too. Part of my proposed thesis was intended to be looking at where the human elements live in electronic music. Ultimately it became “In Pursuit of Imperfection” which is essentially a study about why lofi approaches are so appealing to contemporary producers, but ideally I’d like to expand it via a doctorate at some point.

The frustrating thing for me is reconciling myself with the fact that most people don’t seem to really care about these things. I just don’t get it, I genuinely don’t. If there aren’t textures to things, I can’t get any purchase on the music - and I don’t know how other people can. Accepting that it’s something I’m very much focused on, but few others consider, makes me appreciate that my music is only ever going to have very limited appeal… but fortunately I’m completely fine with that and used to it by now :wink:

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#2416

I bought a new power supply for my RYTM, still haven’t seen anything I cant live without

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#2417

I’ve been following this whole thread, and really appreciate the discussion. I was going to just lurk, but I want to say how helpful this has been to me. It’s prompted me to commit myself to a simple setup (just Analog Four Mk2 and Digitone) for the whole year, not buying anything or changing what’s on my desk. So far it’s really helped me focus on learning those machines in depth. I’ve been making exciting discoveries and making new music every day. So, thanks everyone! You’re all very smart and awesome. I bet this sub-community is helping others make more music in 2022, even if they’re not part of the conversation.

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#2418

Agreed. I made a commitment on this thread earlier this year. Haven’t succumbed to GAS as of yet lol. Really diving into what I have currently and learning to make the most of my gear. Finding new and creative ways to work. Before I even think of purchasing anything I ask myself if what I currently have in my setup can accomplish the task. This thread has helped tremendously.

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