TL;DR: most of my gear is shelved.
i have 6 to-go machines (Syntakt, MC-101, TR-6s, Circuit Tracks, and two MAM MB-33 Retro) and a closet of stuff that i use occasionally.
never understood dozens-of-synths kind of setup. for me it’s just unhandleable.
I just spent a few months with my studio being partially set up. Ended up only using the OP-Z (which isn’t a part of the studio) these months. This approach is basically the opposite of how my brain works.
I’m actually going to create a template for Drambo loosely copying the OP-Z approach (4 drum tracks, 4 synth tracks) because if I don’t have a template with everything I may need readily available, I tend to spend my time on pointless noodling instead.
I suspect one of the main reasons I didn’t feel inspired when working ITB in the past was not spending time to create nice templates.
But of course people are different, and your advice is totally valid, though not applicable to everyone.
It went like this with most of us:
You start, buy some stuff, put it on a table, make some tunes. Buy more stuff, table too small, buy another table [moment of reflection and introspection] sell some / storage some. Until you find what works for you
It’s a “natural common” process. Lets call it the overall experimental phase before you found a clear direction
Yes was not saying everyone should do it.
Oldschool MIDI is the way.
I’ve started to feel this way myself. 5-6 devices sems like a solid, flexible setup. Anything more than that feels unwieldy and begins to take up an absurd amount of space (at least if I want to keep things ergonomic/ reachable). I think I have the most fun with focused, 3-4 synth setups away from my main music space. I struggle, though, with wanting more variety and wanting it all hooked up at once so I can just fire it up and go. I’ve got a patch bay, but it messes with my ability to build out a good Ableton template when things move inputs frequently, which really kills momentum when I go to record.
The obvious solution is to pare it all down to a manageable number of devices, but that’s a commitment I can’t make yet.
I was just thinking a bit more on this and every studio I’ve been in does not have synth, guitars or whatever always plugged in. Not saying some don’t do it, I just have not seen it.
Perhaps when people see pictures of studios with wired up patchbays they think it’s the way to go, but the reason for those patchbays is because the I/O of the console is on the back and a lot of outboard is racked. So it makes sense to use a patchbay.
For consoles and outboard rack units it makes total sense to have it always connected.
I believe in the process that @johnbitwig said – buy stuff, try it out, then trim the fat. I think people’s music and artistic direction will significantly improve if they decide to stop worrying about gear and just make things with the tools available. That’s why I had to get away from synth youtube, as there will always be a shiny new thing that does something slightly better or different, and you will be goaded into wanting it, when in reality you are repeating the GAS cycle.
When you feel like making music is hard because you have a limited tool-set, try to remind yourself that that’s the learning curve you are feeling, not a signal from the heavens that a new gear acquisition is in order.
Proficiency is earned through discipline, and buying every new thing in the hopes that it will fill some minute gap in the set up is, in my opinion, the opposite of discipline.
So OP, maybe whatever downsizing you decide to do, challenge yourself to stick to it no matter what for a medium-long period of time. You might discover new things or ways to make music that might feel more comfortable.
A while back I started doing that too, and I’ve been much happier and focused. The exception is a custom stand that has 3 of my most used Elektron boxes, but I don’t need to turn them on every time.
I have a space on the desk with for whatever synth I’m taking off the shelf. Whatever is in that spot can be quickly added to the audio and MIDI chain.
One thing that really sucks about big setups is power. I hate dealing with all those power outlets and it really kills my vibe. Even with a smaller setup, I still need two power conditioners and they’re pretty much full.
Also important to keep in mind is that by having everything always on and connected you are opening the door to noise issues. Some patchbays will leak
Discovered this the hard way when I wired up my patch bay! It’s one of the reasons I might revert and downsize. Simplicity = less troubleshooting.
Yeah that’s more or less my plan for now. I’m pretty much done with buying new stuff (at least for now), and I just sold the gear I didn’t need. Considered selling my BS2 as well, but it’s just too versatile and useful.
Even the minimal studio layout I’ve planned is immensely powerful, the Force alone is basically a studio in a box, same can be said about the iPad and of course about the laptop. Some synths may find their way back into the studio sometime later, but for now I’ll just focus on this setup as it’s totally sufficient.
That would explain a lot, my old studio setup with similar complexity had way less noise issues. Honestly with my workflow I’ve discovered that the patch bay is the most useless part of my setup, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find out it’s even detrimental to my setup. Rewiring it all would be such a pain though.
This is what I would point out here. If you really want a pared down setup try using only one of these and build around that.
At least for me, I don’t want to have more than one Studio going at any time. If I’m using the iPad, the computer isn’t part of it, and vice versa.
Some ideas for “main brain” style, pared down setups:
iPad and Oxi One, interface, two synths. Maybe a knobby MIDI controller.
Computer and Oxi One, interface, two synths.
Maybe a knobby MIDI controller.
Force and two synths. Maybe a knobby MIDI controller. Can’t it kind of do all the rest of the stuff the Oxi and an interface can do? Plus lots of pads and keyboard modes etc.
A synth for you might be Lyra8 and your pedals that only process that for instance, and the BS2 using effects from whatever the brain is.
This may not be for you but after going through similar growth and reflection, this is what I’ve come up with for myself.
To echo what others have said: build templates for your chosen brain to facilitate quick use, if you haven’t already.
good point.
as for me, i rather treat my setup as rehearsal space with recording capabilities than as a studio, so decluttering is important.
also, back in the days i was excited about some «endless possibilities» associated with electronic music, but then discovered that limited possibilities work better 
tantrum time
16 years ago I’d bought a home, built an isolated project studio with clean power, integrated room treatment, soffit mounted main monitors… all the gear carefully laid out, patchbays, cable dressing, large analog desk… I spent more time fiddling with details of the space that really taking advantage of what I had built.
For me, limited temporary configurations of gear that I use to an end, then pack up and start again turns out to bring me more consistent enjoyment and productivity.
That makes sense. I will consider taking the computer out of the equation, or at least using it as a separate setup.
To be honest, the iPad isn’t really a brain in my case, I don’t use any synths or sequencers on it, it’s a powerful multifx box. So it can go with either.
Not really, the Oxi and the Force make a perfect combo. The Oxi is great for composing individual patterns, the Force is much better at arranging them into a track.
It’s all subjective of course, do what makes you feel creative and happy! This is all just food for thought. But I think you’re on the right path paring down the setup to begin with.
Fair! I haven’t used the Oxi or Force personally so it’s hard to know exactly how much overlap there is sequencer-wise just from learning about them online.
What do you think about this idea? Have you ever taken a plunge like this?
I’ve never had as much gear as you but my answer to your first question is that is still too much gear to keep.
There’s a lot of missing data here, but based on what we do have, to me it still looks like an overwhelming setup that could be prone to failure in the future given what you’ve already experienced with malfunctioning gear.
You have Bitwig which should do a lot of heavy lifting… so I’d focus on gear that sparks joy.
I have purged my studio a few times. It’s always liberating. I briefly panic about losing hardware I used to make specific tracks, and then become excited all over again about rebuilding tracks with different gear, which usually snow balls into new ideas.
I just sold the last bit of kit I have, and once TE gets around to shipping my KO2, it’ll just be that and a guitar for some time.
Ironic that I mentioned both purging more gear before it becomes “malfunctioning gear” and my excitement for the EP-133 in the same post given all the fadergates and speakergates and what have you with the new release.
It is what it is.