I feel this. I’ve gotten rid of a load of gear recently as was overwhelmed with the amount of options and the little time I had to actually use it all.
Even now it’s trimmed down I’m still finding myself fiddling with bits (probably to get my moneys worth) only to realise it’s all getting in the way of actually doing the work.
A good read 
Ignore synthfluencer, use what you have.
Saved you a pretty long read.
which work?
The sigma grind set?
Thanks P, if the first 4 lines in the link hadn’t already turned me off you would have saved me 
I guess the article was targeting “youse kids” and “wiseguys” so it wasn’t meant for us anyhow…
Terrible article. Uses the standard “shit journalist” technique of assuming there is a normative “we” who think and behave the same.
Actually, says a lot more than that. Made me think about a whole bunch of stuff.
Finishing tracks and getting my music out, hopefully in front of people even if it’s just on the internet.
sounds like fun to me 
But I get what you mean
No not at all, I’m not about that and I know Telefon Tel Aviv who contributes to the article isn’t either.
I can tell I touched a nerve with a few people here and that wasn’t my intent, I’m just putting this article here to maybe make a few of us realise they’re not alone.
I’d like to say it’d make someone realise that all they need is one bit of gear (*cough Ableton) and maybe make them think twice about buying the next bit of kit, but if they’re like me it wouldn’t make a bit of difference and it’s something people have to go through to learn.
I’m sorry, It was just a little banter. It wasn’t meant to imply any insert color pill affiliation.
I daresay some people buy gear because it looks cool, in fact I know a few who definitely do, but so what? If they enjoy doing that it is their money to do what they want with.
I think most people buy gear based on what they need or think they need, rather than what a youtuber is currently showing.
Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think these YouTubers are anywhere near as influential as it is perceived. Most of them will be gone soon too I think, the bubble has burst.
I agree with a lot of points in this article.
We think that new gear will help us making better music in less time but it’s quite the opposite: it takes a lot of time to get to know a new instrument, especially with products like grooveboxes that often have a very unique workflow on their own. on the other hand you learn a lot about your own preferences when trying out new stuff. for example I found out that I need Elektron style step sequencers with parameterlocks in my gear. The Korg Volcas or the Novation Circuit line kind of go in that direction but after using them for a while I know that their implementations of sequencers are just not there (for my taste) and I wont enjoy using them, so I dont buy a new Volca even if the synth/sound engine side sounds interesting to me. same thing with workarounds. I am not interested in working around limitations to get the most basic stuff done. I need more than 16 steps in my pattern and yes it might be possible to chain 4 16 step patterns to get a 4 bar loop but it completely messes with the workflow and I will not enjoy using it, thus this machine is not for me.
Consistent with flow state:
Flow theory postulates that three conditions must be met to achieve flow: …
- The task must provide clear and immediate feedback. This helps to negotiate any changing demands and allows adjusting performance to maintain the flow state.[23]
I fully agree with the article. But there‘s no new insight, I guess most people here know that you don’t need any of the gear we use.
GAS is still real in spite of knowing that
It’s still fun anyway
Not sure why or how you can generalise like that.
100% agree with the article. I personally sold all the hw and invested in one master midi keyboard, good pair of studio monitors and few vsts.
Now, all I can think about is music itself and composition in my head and how to translate it into ableton.
Never felt that light & liberated in a very very long time.
I think this is kind of a non-topic to be honest. Either you make music or you don’t. However you get there is up to you. Talking about GAS and synthfluencers is just a very narrow way of talking about consumerism and late-stage-capitalism, without actually saying anything of any substance.
This isn’t any more relevant to music-makers than, say, people who are into photography, or cars, or gaming, or art, or model trains. It’s YouTube, content algorithms, advertising, third-party data trading, infinite growth, etc. It’s about our relationship to our own society, how we measure value, and how we find meaning in the chaos.
There’s a much more interesting article to be written here imo. I’d think about writing it myself if I wasn’t so busy with my new modular rack.
Actually, for me, the article had substance. It was not just about “consumerism and late-stage-capitalism”
EDIT: It touched on productive workflow, needs versus wants, and avoiding the paradox of choice.
For me, that is.