Hanging in there, I did buy some speaker stands, but needed it for new desk configuration.
We do not have much longer to go just 4 months!
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Remind yourself why that always happens. What was it that you didn’t like about [portable groovebox x] and why did you sell it? Also, share those thoughts here so we can hear it too. 
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Sad GAS ramblings
My GAS has been focused on the same two items in the past four months or so, and the thoughts and conclusions go around in the same kind of circle: Polyend Tracker Mini and/or Ableton Push 3.
Here’s my thinking: I’m having so much fun with the Syntakt, which is about the only thing I currently own aside from the SP-404 mk2 (which never gets any use and should definitely be sold). Particularly the ctrl+all feature of the Syntakt is such an endless source of inspiration and happy accidents. I’ve made more full-sounding songs in the past 8 months than I managed during my two years with the MPC - which, back then, was my most productive period to date. The reason for the increase in creative output is also because I committed to the process of recording jams on YouTube, then mixing in the DAW and moving on to the next idea. Whereas on the MPC, although it was really easy to finish songs there thanks to the full automation and DAW-like capabilities, the songs never left that platform and I didn’t have a YouTube channel at the time so I had little incentive to actually publish (i.e
finish) anything.
However, while the Syntakt has a number of really nice sounding sweet spots, I can’t help but thinking that it’s a bit limiting as a standalone music making device. I sat down with it yesterday to try to recreate a new song that was never finished on the MPC. I immediately missed the ability to easily play nice pad chords, or to dial in a bit more lush and round tones, maybe with some chorus or similar effects. I also struggled with fitting in the sequence into the 64 steps. This isn’t a problem when you make new music from scratch on the Syntakt, but it shows up immediately when you try to recreate something that was composed elsewhere.
More generally, I also miss the occasional polyphonic arp. And even more importantly, I miss the (re)sampling capability which I know leads to so many pleasant surprises - looking back at it, that was probably the most fun part of the MPC.
Why the Polyend Tracker Mini? I’ve always loved the idea of portability and standalone music making devices. I make nearly all of my music in bed (!) up until the point when it’s time for recording a jam and proceeding to mixing. I do wish the Syntakt would have a built-in battery. The PTM does - and it even has a built-in microphone! I’m sure that would be a lot of fun.
But then that would be yet another standalone device that isn’t really doing everything I want it to do. Eight monophonic tracks is even more limiting than the twelve monophonic tracks of the Syntakt. But the idea is then that they would sort of complete each other and that I’d derive more fun from both by plugging them together.
But, and this is a big but, I already know how much I dislike hooking stuff up together. First of all, that totally rules out bedside music making. I can’t stand all the cables and the thought of keeping a song idea across two devices and having to think about how to keep things in sync. I’ve already tried this both with the MC-101 and the SP-404 mk2 and I just know I won’t like that more with the PTM. Perhaps just a tad more just because it’s so small and portable, but the cable mess would be the same.
Enter the Push 3. Now I’m back in MPC land, because this is basically a controller for a full-blown DAW. And it solves my main gripe with the MPC, which is that I never loved the effects on the MPC. Particularly the reverbs felt lackluster compared to anything I could dial in on the Syntakt or my DAW. And when I was doing the mixing, I always felt like I was stuck with a subpar DAW experience (the MPC2 software on the PC/Mac just isn’t a graceful experience) unless I chose to export stems, which was always a massive chore. The Push 3 solves all that because it’s paired with one of the best DAWs in the industry. I don’t care about VSTs and would rather avoid that endless hole of digital GAS (VAS?) and I’ve been perfectly fine with the stock plugins of my DAW of choice to date, Reason 10. I’m sure the stock plugins in Live Suite 11 would be just as good.
The problem? The Push 3 is prohibitively expensive, especially considering that I don’t own Live Suite either. I thought the Syntakt was an expensive investment when I bought it used for around €580. Well, the Push and Live combo would cost 3.5X as much!! And that doesn’t even include the sunk cost of having spent years learning Reason 10 and spending money on that license too…
But then I’m thinking that Reason 10 is really starting to show its age. It’s the last license that doesn’t work as a VST plugin in other DAWs so unfortunately it’s entirely standalone. It’s super sluggish on my top modern MacBook Pro and I’ve always found it annoyingly cumbersome for basic things like sidechaining and effect chains in general. So I’m thinking: maybe I’d be better off with Ableton Live anyway?
But then I’m thinking, what do I do with the Syntakt if I get a Push 3? Would I still jam with the Syntakt on the side or alternate between the two? I remember when I got the MPC, I immediately lost interest in the Digitone and Digitakt combo and got rid of them both. I suspect I’d have a similar feeling about the Syntakt once I had a Push 3 in my lap.
So, round and round we go with the GAS. In conclusion:
- I shouldn’t be looking at the Polyend Tracker Mini because it will be yet another incomplete package that I won’t enjoy using as a companion to the Syntakt. But I can’t stop thinking about it anyway because it looks so fun and accessible.
- The Push 3 seems like the holy grail of “unlimited” grooveboxes, but it’s ridiculously expensive and the thought of shelling out that much for it is off-putting to me. But I also suspect that this is where I’ll eventually end up at some point.
Please help me… 
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Personally I find it a bit worrying how this thread - which imo should be about the challenges of how to avoid buying new gear - continues to be a pro/con discussion of specific gear. It’s been pointed out earlier in the thread too.
At the very least, I think we should follow @LyingDalai’s procedure of hiding specific gear talk.
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September now, still ain’t bought any new gear.
There’s a few things I actually could say I need, longer midi cables, and some more patch cables, but bollocks they can wait.
My skateboard collection however… seems to have grown a bit…
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The moment you suppress one habit it pops up in another area 
I experienced a similar phenomenon in the spring, when my camera purchasing habits went off kilter. Luckily I realized where I was heading, and started on a more sober path… 
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Kinda but not really. More like just getting back into skating more, and replacing worn out parts, and bought that board I had been thinking about buying for more than a year. So not skate GAS.
Nice thing about no new gear year, is I’m even more happy with my synth collection and studio set up than I was last time I did it. Learning more new things with old things.
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Good for you
Yeah I feel you there, I appreciate what I have so much more.
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I think cables and patches are fine, they are required to make things work.
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Maybe it’s a bit early asking this, but how do you people feel about NGNY at this point - are you just waiting to “get it over and done with” and start spending again, or do you see yourself continuining with NGNY next year as well?
NGNY has worked out so well for me this year that I’m anxious to abandon a great habit. I don’t trust my newfound “sobriety” quite yet Still, I don’t see myself not buying anything again ever lol. Hopefully I’m able to permanenty change my habits to the better and only make well planned purchases in the future. It feels too early to hope for that now though.
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Love Renoise!
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To me, it’s been about ceasing to lurk for the greener grass and focus on what I have, admitting I have all I really need.
I have a lot of reluctancy to get rid of what is superfluous in my actual gear. I feel like I might miss it, while I know it’s rather an obstacle somehow, preventing me to fully dedicate myself to a smaller setup. I should maybe be working on this a bit more.
Anyway, my conclusion is I should just cease buying stuff.
I fell in June, after the Synthfest, exclusively for the gear I tried in situ (fortunately I haven’t the money for a P10, but I was very seriously tempted for a while nonetheless). Which is a sign that as an addict, I should certainly avoid putting myself in a position where I end breaking my oath.
So yeah, trying to go for the long term here.
I’ll do better next year.
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Even though I failed last year and this year as well, it has really helped me to face my former buying habits and affected my creativity and steered my attention away from constantly looking for new stuff in order to make music that means something to me.
It has also made me sell so much gear I wasn’t using and therefore made me happier as a person. Less anxiety and self-loathe.
I was pretty unconditional with my approach in the beginning but that has changed a bit along the way.
Even now that I didn’t succeed I can still feel it’s impact on my choices and I’m happy with that. Moderation and rational behavior is what it’s about for me atm.
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i never participate in No New Gear challenges … BUT.
not buying any new iOS audio software for 2 months 
Probably.
Its good to just keep the set up the same and see how far you can push it, rather than buying new things.
Having said that, if someone said hey, want this synth? I dont want it, sure Id make room for it 
But yes, feeling good about no new gear, and would happily do it again and again.
Yep. I know this. I have an OG Mk1 filter MS20 I barely use, but cant bring myself to sell it. Not buying more gear settles the balance a bit though.
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Still in a musical limbo, I definitely buy less than before, but I also spend much less time making any music.
Feels like I’ve lost the fire…
On another hand, I keep changing my setup on modulargrid!
So thats something, right?
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For me it’s not about not ever buying gear again, but more trying to focus on the creating process instead of lusting after gear I see on youtube, forums etc. Personally, I always think that having a new piece of gear will make me better when in fact it’s actually consistently practicing and working on my art.
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I have enter this challenge knowing it will be really really difficult for me.
But I have for now improved my habbits a lots.
So far, I have made few songs this year, and not feeling that I need additional gear to make something.
And dreaming a bit less of new gears, it sill happen frequently, but it’s not like, I want this now. I’m able to cool down
Still, I like looking at video showing those new stuff and listening to review video.
The good side, is nothing make me really “I need that”.
I have still been really near taking a cheap prologue 16 
The cost was so low on this one, and the Jexus video are really hard drugs for me. Only had the chance that it disappeared quite fast 
I might have took it. But been able to say to myself, cool down, think it really carefully.
I’ve not been too highly focused on achieving the “Best Goal for 2023” but so far, this year 2023 I have not been too bad.
At least, better than any of the five previous year :
- Only the Arturia FX collection which was “sold used” for really cheap in march, and I work more and more with Elektron OB those day + Arturia VST.
- And pigment/minifreak at the early beginning of january when I decide to go more sober and try to be really sober moving on this year.
This is quite difficult, honnestly, it’s a bit like saying : no more dessert
Hope you will all achieve your target goal !
For me, if I reach end of 2023 without more, I will kiss myself
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I’ve been doing pretty well this year. In fact I sold all my music gear besides my computer, and Ableton has accomplished everything I need to make music.
But… In a few weeks I’ll move to another country where music gesr is waaaay cheaper than where I am now. I’ve been thinking in re-buying a drum machine I had cause I enjoyed much more to make drum patterns there, and maybe a midi keyboard to feel more like playing music rather than just programming it in Ableton.
Even if I buy both things I think I learned what I wanted. Both items are motivated by my past experiences and how can I make my music making proccess more fun. I’m not buying them cause of GAS.
Let’s see how everything goes and thank y’all for the spaxe to discuss and learn others experiences about not buy stuffs, in a world where buyings looks like the lifegoal for so many of us.
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I even forgot about it. Sorry. Hidden now.
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