OP-Z, Model: Cycles, because they hit my personal sweet spot complexity wise and they’ve helped me to achieve better results with the Analog Rytm, which currently is my favorite standalone Elektron Machine.
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Learning drums, bass, guitar and keys all helped me creatively, but a microphone to record everything is probably what has helped me most since I was never interested in just playing those instruments.
Also probably a looper pedal… I basically learned guitar with one.
Sp404 helped me move into electronic production and that resampling workflow really helped when I graduated up to the Octatrack, which helped me understand production and to develop my sound.
At this point Ableton is what helps advance my creativity the most, which ties into my first comment. I love the fun and immediacy of playing my hardware instruments but my desire is to make compositions with all that, and Ableton has been the best thing for me to make that happen.
I’ll also throw in my old EHX Deluxe Memory Man. That thing inspired albums of material because I was so in love with its sound when I got it. It is still my favorite analog delay I have heard.
I don’t think I’d be able to do what I can today, especially in a daw, if it weren’t for the years I spent making tunes only with Elektron MDUW+OT and other hardware.
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That’s very true, but that also is one reason that makes me very productive with it, since I’m mainly focussed on making tracks with it. The interface is just not well used for making deep sound design possible (unfortunately - I has the potential to just work like elektrons with parameter pages).
But for me it’s such a great sketching, writing tool - the best I used so far - so I accept the weaknesses in sound design options. I either go with presets or macros with more complex synths - or I have mapped few virtual analog synth like TAL Uno and Uhe Repro with the most essential parameters I’d use for most of my patches… If you stay within 4-6 parameter pages it’s totally usable for me, also for making sounds from skretch.
Thanks. Yeah I’m always on the endless search for finding the best groovebox, so I try and sell quite often 
OP1 was great fun. But too expensive for what it is imo. With the OPz I was too afraid that it would break.
But the TE products are super innovative and fun to use
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My eurorack system is #1.
I sit there, start patching and always something happens.
I don’t pretend to be truly creative, simply eurorack makes me feel better and sometimes I enjoy my noise.
Currently my setup is minimal, the only other gear I own is DT, but it’s not my #1. I love it off course, but my relation with the swedish sampler it’s challenging. In eurorack I feel home, with DT I struggle a little.
I’m happy to own few instruments. I’m winning my war against GAS and feel better now. I’d only wish time to play more music and to dig my gear. I costantly feel that I’m only scratching the surface. I want more time! 
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Software:
- firstly Propellerhead Reason and later MaxMSP
Hardware:
- firstly Monomachine and later Octatrack and Lyra 8
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Without a computer, my poor, trailer park dwelling younger self would have never been able to make music.
That and fruity loops 1.3.
Steinerg Neon (thick bass like two crickets kicking each other in the nuts).
More recently, the Record Button and Ableton Live as the hub of everything.
My hardware is inspiring and keeps it interesting but the DAW is what brings it all together.
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aside from a daw and a computer – digitakt. saved my life really musically.
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Korg EMX1 and ESX1, got me playing live for the first time after my interest in DJing waned.
3 years later they had been replaced by the silver Elektron boxes…and so on and so forth 
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Bitwig studio. I’m much more productive inside the box but felt zero spark with my old DAW. Bitwig got me finishing tracks again.
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Computer.
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Probably my patchbays. Made me experiment much more.
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Digitone Keys. So richly sound and great arpeggio produce a nice pattern for seconds. Every finished track used to start from that buddy.
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I agree. The Digitone is a magic box
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I’d say something I am not owning yet: A digital patchbay so I can have like 32 send & return tracks for all of my future outboard FXs. I mean seriously isn’t it all about immediacy when it comes to creativity? If you wait too long the good idea / motivation fades quickly. So it does make a different from getting the pedal FX from the cupboard …look for the power chord / wallwart – think about which of the two send/returns in your mixer you will salvage … wouldn’t it be better to have it all connected at all times? Will this make me the musician I want to become? 
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Only one way to find out.
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Mechanical keyboards are now back in fashion for gamers. Ah the irony of it all
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Absolutely nothing more sexy, pleasant and precise than using a mechanical keyboard. The soud and sensations are incrédible, police station atmosphere!
I regularly refrain from buying a full black HappyHacking keyboard because the price is totally insulting.
Maschine - nothing has remotely come close.
I went from almost a decade in the wilderness doing nothing to making hundreds of tracks - nothing super final but enough to scratch the itch and proud of again.
So great to be tactile again - while at the same time getting the benefits of ITB processing power.
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All my music starts with Korg Gadget. Can’t live without it really!
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Wow, really! I own it and loved it for plane trips but use it less at home.
Do you export MIDI and process elsewhere?