You already got some nice advice so I’m mostly just repeating what was already said but anyway.
This is not a scientific or statistical fact or anything but it seems many of the most productive people on Elektronauts, for example, use a fairly minimal setup or only a portion of their bigger setup at any given time. I feel it already helps to have less stuff visible/on the table, so that you don’t have to start your creative sessions by choosing which pieces of gear you’re going to use.
Before New Year, I also boxed up two synths that I really like but wasn’t using that much lately, the Perfourmer and Matriarch. I didn’t plan to box up the Matriarch but having such a huge item on the table when my purpose was to use mainly OT/MnM/MD already felt like a distraction even before I’d once even powered up the setup. So in the box it went and out came my Subharmonicon for some of the same Moog analog goodness. For a long time I thought it doesn’t really matter how my setup looks but now I realize appearances really do matter.
I’ll let this year show what’ll happen with the Matriarch and Perfourmer and if I’m gonna sell them or not. If nothing dramatic happens, I’m not gonna sell either this year.
If you feel like boxing up some stuff isn’t enough, maybe consider selling a couple of things that you haven’t been using/enjoying AND is still easily available (new or second hand)?
Or maybe it’s just time for a short break on synths and time for that death metal stuff you were talking about when you bought the BC Rich?
Definitely not. I think my point is that whilst there are connections to instruments and synths etc., ultimately music and art comes from within. You and your music are not your things and they don’t define you. If you have no things then you are still the same artist. All this is irrelevant for those who have no issues with their material things, but if they are causing you anxiety and stress then you need to take a step back. Which is probably the whole reason for the NNGNY thread.
NGNY folks, I’d like to share something that’s helped me a lot in the last 12 months, that may be obvious to many, but;
RECORD YOUR MUSIC.
Make this a priority. Try to record anything of significance that you are playing/working on, and it will help you in numerous ways, and assist you with the GAS issue.
Get yourself a Soundcloud/Bandcamp (or anything that lets you upload your music and access it remotely) and start uploading.
Upload all those mixes sitting on your computer right now. Then create playlists and categorise your own styles.
Remember, it’s easy to keep your uploads private, so you don’t have to be precious about what goes up there.
When you start to have more than a few tracks uploaded, you’ll start to see:hear your gear patterns. You hear what works for you, and the ability to experience your music remotely and in other listening environments is extremely beneficial… it’s a big part of why we make music, and it’s a positive move in making what you do REAL.
Go for a drive, enjoy your own music, appreciate yourself.
This process encourages your focus to be more on the music than the gear, and I guarantee you will start to feel more connected to the gear you use the most.
Anyway, just a Sunday ramble to try and keep us on track.
While I understand what you are saying, I would argue that it makes perfect sense to love a tool, that let’s you express things you can’t express in other ways.
I’ve been playing drums my whole life and switched to guitar in 2011 bcs I wanted to make my own music, not to tell people what to play from behind the drum set.
I switched to synths bcs in 2014 I had an accident that destroyed my left wrist badly (I’m felty) and I wasn’t able to play anything that requires two hands in many years bcs it needed many operations which were years apart for each other.
I knew nothing about synths and wasn’t initially interested at all of them. I thought they we’re kinda lame. They we’re the only one-handed instrument I was aware of. A friend brought an ipad for me to the hospital and that’s when I discovered that there are some synth apps I was able to make noise with, with both of my arms casted lol.
Now that my hand is somewhat not in chronic pain, although it’s mangled, crooked and full of titanium, I’ve decided to pick up the guitar again and learn how to fingerpick since strumming is out of the question for me and forever will be.
I’m glad you are better now. Your story beautifully illustrates my point - it’s not your things it’s you. While they may inspire you and you ‘love’ them, they are just things. You found a way to be creative despite your injuries.
@subduct seems to be in a bit of a rut and everyone’s advice here is roughly the same - reduce your equipment and get back to playing rather then obsessing over gear.
Thanks for your kind words!
Still, it was never just me, it was always me and some gear, always.
It’s a combination of material and immaterial elements, like everything in life IMO.
I would probably make more music than I do now. I am currently working with jus an MPC Live, 2 synths (Micron and Animoog), mixer, reverb pedal, Faderfox and a Keystep. My intention over the next couple of weeks is to learn to live with the MPC’s reverb (and lose the pedal), learn and map the MPC’s internal synths (and lose the Micron, animo and the mixer). I know I can do everything on the MPC+the controllers, and be just as tactile and more productive.
Once again, be gentle with yourself. Maybe it’s time to put it all away for a while and not even think about making music. I had this happen to me a few times, and each times enjoyment came back from just putting all the gear away and focusing on discovering another hobby and feeling like a beginner again. Great refreshment. Another time it helped a lot to focusing on making music fast in the box. But if gear is stressing you out, put it out of sight for a while!
And again, you’re not the problem, overconsumption is pushed on us and we have to deal with it.
I find these metaphysical questions fascinating too and think that these matters are well within the subject matter of this thread, in fact I think this might be in many ways the root cause for much of the mindless spending and the anxiety that follows.
As for where music and art comes from, I don’t know exactly but I’d argue that it won’t be only material or immaterial, within or outside, but a combination. It’s a mix of everything and I’m baffled by anyones attempt to make it be only one or the other.
Some instruments inspire us and others don’t. If my only option for instrument was the kazoo or triangle, I’d stop making music immediately, as would most of the musicians I know most likely.
Couldn’t put it better than myself. That’s exactly why I need this thread! And hopefully by posting about all of this it helps someone else in the future, I’m sure I won’t be the last person this happens to.
I’m going to do both. Boxing up should be easy, I have a good idea of a minimum setup - I have the advantage of also obsessing over this for a long time
Selling some things will be quite easy, I do have some duplicated functions. Selling other things if needed can wait a bit. Part of the obsessional buying was to go for less common/rare/vintage items to gain coveted functions and in all honest to make myself feel good about how cool my gear is. Shallow, but again I bet I’m not the only one!!
I think I have decided that my version of NGNY in 2022 is to do nothing in terms of changing the gear I have, no buying, but also no selling. I can see myself selling stuff, and then feeling like, “well, now I have this chunk of change I should use…” as part of a self-inflicted GAS conundrum. it reminds me of buying something with a rebate, and then I am stupidly feeling like the rebate is actually income or cash on hand. I am in the position of not needing the money from any sale, so I can see feeling differently if I was in crunch for cash for basic living expenses. I am committed to making no changes in my gear for 2022.
Honestly, I was half kidding when I first answered this topic. GAS never was a thing to me. I don’t want to sound harsh or something but I’m actually more concerned about getting food and shelter on a day to day basis than aquiring new gear, and it has been so during the 6 past years. Sometimes I’m really on the edge of selling everything out just to make it through. In some lucidity flash I told my sister to keep everything until things get better. Haven’t touched my gear for months now. So it’s kind of fascinating to me to see people talking about GAS like it is some serious mental health issue. On the other hand I can’t blame people for not experiencing the “rough reality of street life”. But maybe next time you feel like GASing just take a walk around your block and buy a sandwich to someone that needs it, or just a smile and some kind words would do too: it won’t cost you a penny and maybe you’ll put things in perspective a bit. Sorry if I sound like the party pooper here, but yeah sometimes it’s getting on my nerves…
Gotta admit, I’ve done that myself. A couple of Ciat-Lonbarde instruments, the whole eurorack escapade (short-lived, luckily)… The eurorack phase came to an abrupt end when I realized I liked owning eurorack WAY more than actually playing with it. I literally made NOTHING musically, intellectually or artistically interesting with my euro in the eight months I had the stuff. Same with the C-L stuff, I liked the IDEA of complexity, bordering on esotericism. But liking something as an idea or in principle usually doesn’t get you very far.
