Great topic. I use hardware as creation and performance tools for live performances, and I’m very drawn to the minimalist one (or two) device approach.
Lately I’ve been preferring less sampled and more synthesized sounds for most everything live, even drums. As a “for instance”, I had added a Circuit Mono Station to my live setup, originally for fat basses and squelchy analog goodness, but started heavily employing patch-flipping and parameter locks for mixed percussion and melodic sequences. My other sample-oriented devices started sounding … not as exciting to my ears. I did a show a couple of weeks ago with just an MPC Live and quite frankly I just wasn’t feeling it.
So that patch flipping and being able to record all 50+ continuous analog parameters on the Mono made me greedy for more. I’m sure some of you can see where this is going: I now have a Digitone arriving tomorrow and am very much looking forward to giving a go to using it exclusively to perform some live sets. Talk about a “minimalist” setup.
I know there will be challenges, but some of the work I’ve seen and heard coming from people wringing the most from just this box alone is astounding.
Also looking forward to getting back into FM type sounds again. I think the Digitone’s hybrid approach to synthesis is a real gem, and I can’t wait to get into the vaunted Elektron sequencing.
Crossing my fingers I’ll be good for a while and can focus on just the Digitone, but I’m hopeful. Some of the design decisions are just brilliant and since my preferred styles are more minimal, I’ll be able to get a lot of mileage from this.
Sorry for the long post, I’m just glad to see others in the “one device” camp and am looking forward to a near-future gig where I can show up with just my Digitone and make some beautiful dance music.