That’s a good point.
No offense intended here! Sorry for that. Things might sound strange sometimes as I’m not an native English speaker…
Don’t apologise, your English is excellent! I wish I were as good at another language 
What’s your first language?
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I’m German…
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I had an OPZ for a little while. I ordered it straight from TE and it came bent, like physically bent so it wouldn’t sit even on my desk. It’s a cool idea and I had some fun with it, sending cv to my Koma Field Kits but the novelty wore off after a while. But, just like the Elektron boxes, TE stuff holds it’s value so selling it was not very difficult. Sometimes I wish I still had it for some of the esoteric stuff it can do but, I have more than enough to play with right now.
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Here’s one of many videos I made messing around with op-z and cv stuff. Last summer.
Elektron stuff can actually depreciate a lot… But then once it’s found its second hand value, seems to hold steady. So buying second hand is good, means you can often resell at a similar price. But buying new is potentially pretty painful when you come to resell. The bigger the RRP, the more noticeable it is, obviously – the A4 being a good example actually.
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For me, buying and selling gear has been a mixture of things.
Firstly, there’s the natural development from more entry level gear towards more “pro” gear (selling my Digitakt to buy and Octatrack, for example).
Then there’s the buying and selling of gear in the search for and refinement of my “sound”. This one is more tricky, as it’s not just about personal development, there’s a lot of trial and error in here and a lot of subjectivity. I have to be very careful not to use this as an excuse for pointless acquisitions.
Then there’s the GAS. I kind of accept that at least 50% of why I buy certain gear is because it’s cool and I want it. I think it’s important to acknowledge this, as it helps me not to feel guilty.
When buying gear, I try to make sure it covers all three categories, as in:
- Does it improve on gear I already have?
- What will it add to the sounds I’m trying to achieve?
- Is it something I want to play?
If it doesn’t answer yes to all 3, I don’t buy it.
Of course there are specific circumstances where rules get broken. As an example, having a new baby massively affected my ability to use my studio, so I bought a Model:Cycles for naptime jams and used my pockets of downtime to start learning the Octatrack. In order to pay for those, gear that was just going to be going unused for months (even a year) had to be sold.
Now that the baby has found her rhythm (and much sooner than expected, too), I’m finding that I have more consistent time available to get back in the studio, which has made me realise I sold the wrong gear.
Long story short, don’t sell your DFAM, and if you don’t have a DFAM, bloody well get one.
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I agree with all you said, and it sounds like you’re very aware and considered, which is a great example!
Great news that the little one has quickly found a groove too
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That last line about the DFAM cut to my core. I have denied my DFAM destiny for too long.
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Buy one then.
This will change. And then you’ll have another child. After that, free time will join the likes of Pegasus and the mighty Gryphon – mythical creatures only seldom spoken of in the legends of what once was.
edit to be on topic: I actually currently have an A4 mk2 for sale, but I’m only giving it till the end of the month. After that, I will keep it and commit to diving in and learning it. I actually do like it, but I’m being tempted by the GAS harpies (which will always be there).
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I’ll be having a vasectomy soon to ensure that doesn’t happen. I’ve already got two, and that’s enough thanks.
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Ah - you’re already in the “2x the fun (torture)” club. My little girl is starting to enter that age where all the sweetness evaporates into rage and tantrums. Her brother is also still hasn’t outgrown that point. It’s fun!
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We’ve been blessed with two genuinely awesome kids so far, but then they’re only 3 years and 6 months old. I’m the main parent, so do all the parenting all day and love it. It is nice to get a couple of hours before bed each night to myself though.
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I’ve been known to buy a very expensive synth and play with it for 1 hour, and have it back in the box labelled up for return post the same day. Remorse never had a chance
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I’m in the “cold dead fingers” club. I hope to pass my Elektron machines to my daughter one day if she’s into it. If not, I may have them buried with me Pharaoh-style, just in case…
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I’m over here actively trying to trade my A4 towards something with knob per function capabilities because I’m in a constant state of awe and crisis trying to figure out the OT, let alone another program heavy machine.
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I think that is a great attitude. I think, yeah, if I look at the price of the machine, and the build quality, and all it can do, it should last forever.
Sort of related, but I’ve been thinking a lot about something in the in the preface of Daniel Levitin’s This Is Your Brain On Music, where he talks about how it’s only recently that making music was the preserve of annointed greats. That all through history everyone participated in music music, you didn’t have to be “good enough”, you just joined in. Looking at soundcloud, youtube, bandcamp, spotify etc, does everyone make music now? But it’s not necessarily a social activity.
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Mine were that far apart in age. One started violin at four, the other (fiercely determined to catch up) at three. A bit later, I started cello to be able to play chamber music with them, which was a great joy. You may find yourself sharing that solo time, and sooner than you think.
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