I’ll stick to musical plans. Despite enjoying all this hardware stuff I’ve been doing the past few years, when I look at the future I just see all roads leading into the box. But I’m not planning any major forays into that domain because I want to exhaust hardware experimentation while I have this huge amount of space for a tiny amount of dollars. I’ve been through the standalone hardware enough to know what I’m into and I really feel like I have all my bases covered. While I would gladly accept ALL GEAR if it was free, I’ve reached a point with what I have that nothing standalone truly gives me gas. Lately I’ve been getting into modular which has been both fun and interesting. I plan to continue to mess around that way and see what shakes out. But at some point I will end up paying much more money for much less space and that will curtail a lot of this gear hoarding. This will probably be after 2023 so my plan right now is to continue to make music with my hardware devices while playing around with modular and trying to incorporate it into what I’m already doing. I will continue to use Renoise in its current capacity (mainly as a host for my mastering plugins) and perhaps work on figuring out the optimum midi controller setup for that while making a few tunes in the process. I might even try one of those horizontal DAWs but I suppose that’d be 2024 or even later.
Making my noise more brutal.
Figure out how Max works.
Try to stop all the buying/selling.
Make another album.
Try to take over the world.
At least 2 tape releases, hopefully a CD and a few tapes.
Band has a studio booked in a month, probably won’t get it out next year but at least I want to make the best album we can.
Hopefully solo shows, but at least I want to tour the baltic states with the band.
Concentrate on yoga, running and gym. Work less and spend as much time with friends and family as I can.
• Quit Smoking
• Continue process of getting my swagger back (already feeling it return, just gotta keep nurturing it)
• Cut back on coffee/weed
• Finish more tracks (instrumentals)
• Write more songs (Pen game is on point rn)
• Get feedback from a few Elektronauts when they’re finished but be prepared to release good tracks warts and all.
• Fuck Bitches (haters, not women, other than my wife ofc)
• Get Money (hate it, but need it, need to learn to stop hating)
• Be kind to others, help when I can.
• Notice the signs and tune in to the higher frequencies when possible. (this is not supposed to be musical)
• Expand and Elevate, but remember that you are only one God.
• Go with the flow (find and maintain at least an illusion of balance)
• Try to see the divinity in everyone and everything even when there is ugly on the surface level.
• Stay humble and grateful even during a storm (play in the rain).
• You are getting older, wiser, slower, but more focused. Embrace change.
Edit: Maybe #10 is applicable musically too in a way, as I have a habit of ignoring the high end sometimes in my music and staying in the mud. Hmmm.
I will learn Fm synthesis inside out.
continue to cycle, buy an ebike
- take that exam that makes me a baker, officially (oh, how I fear exams)
- actually summon up the courage to finish a bunch of non-half-assed tracks (oh, how I fear finishing anything)
- less fear & anxiety
- don’t lose focus, stay irrelevant
My goals for 2023 are rather basic, and includes the following items:
- Release more music.
- Buy less music equipment.
- Sleep and exercise more often.
- Continue professional and educational pursuits.
- Reallocate investment portfolio.
- Get a pet.
- Write more complex music, (less AFX, more Plaid).
- Write some weird fiction short stories.
- Finish writing my compiler for a programing language I’ve been working on.
I’m excited to see what crashing vintage synth prices will bring our way in 2023. Already a lot of stuff on my list is like 50% the price it was at during the pandemic highs. Maybe everyone else will finally lose interest and we will be able to pick up some deals for once :-).
play more shows!!
I recommend taking a look at the Max courses on Music Hackspace. Theres quite a few on there, lots of different subject areas, different ability levels, easy to follow and much less dense/drawn out than a lot of other resources ive tried
Keys keys keys.
I’m starting to feel more comfortable playing a keyboard and want to spend even more time practicing this year. Before I was always leaning on synths or pads with a scale mode, but the learning I’ve been doing alongside my kids’ piano lessons has felt immensely rewarding.
Heck. I’ve been looking at the scales on my Syntakt to play them on my Opsix keys.
I’ve also half-assed making it a point to practice every day last year, even if for only ten to thirty minutes. I plan to stick to that more tightly this year.
I just had a 7 year relationship end. I was raising her kids and doing everything around the house while she sat around drinking and smoking. I haven’t been able to focus on music or myself for a long time.
My plans are to focus on me, my house and music. My house has gone to shit so I will be fixing up everything in my house including turning the largest bedroom into a proper music space. Currently I am crammed into the smallest room of the house.
I am also going to make music. Dedicate free time to my music.
I have been busy doing everything in a one sided relationship and 2023 is gonna be all about me.
In 2022 I left a decent job in design education in the UK and moved to USA to start a PhD in creative technology and design. Moving continents is not easy! A lot of logistics and adjusting. Our possessions should arrive today after a trip across the Atlantic. We are still waiting on visa stuff for my wife. Overall it has gone well. We are enjoying many aspects of America and baffled by others. So I hope 2023 is more settled!
My top priority for 2023 has to be doing the PhD. Semester 1 went well and I need that to continue. So music will be on the back burner, both in dedication of time and thought—this music stuff is highly addictive!
I also want to do more visual art. I’m probably better at that than music, but I’ve always found music to be an excellent break from being on a computer most of the day. I joined a sketch club at the university and took part in inktober, all of which has been great fun. I’ll try to do more drawing and also get into Lino printing. I don’t think colouring pencils are my thing, (too slow process) but I might try watercolours, which I haven’t done for years. Maybe I’ll try coloured markers, or even get an iPad for digital drawing.
I’m contemplating fusing this art with music: little ambient soundscapes or groovy patterns to go with sketches and post them on Instagram.
Do some more visuals for music. This gets zero traction on Instagram compared to a video of a desk with a synth, which makes no sense but are threads going now about that. I’m more proud of this AV work and will push on with it for tracks I’m proud of or generative visual systems I build.
Learn Unity to make video packs for the op-z. I need to learn Unity for my studies/research anyway.
Oh I’m turning 40 this year.
I’ve signed up to run two marathons this year.
Be more active: do some snowshoeing and maybe some skiing this winter and then hike some 14ers. Keep up the gym climbing and try to head outside to real rock.
In the USA you kind of need a car, so I’ll have to pass a drivers test here.
There is a music hackathon at the uni which I will take part in.
Learn more music theory to be a better song maker.
Also, completely disregard music theory and just have fun with samples.
Accept op-z is my main music making device and stop lusting over other grooveboxes. Unless someone releases the ultimate groovebox!
Try out mc-101, this might be the answer to slightly disappointing op-z synth sounds and 4 part multitimbral makes sense with 4 synth tracks on op-z. However this almost certainly means selling my MicroMonsta 2 and/or Lemondrop.
Possibly buy a mixer.
Might buy a bass guitar, which I had to sell in the move. Currently eyeing a squier classic vibe jazz bass.
Mulling over splitting my music output into different identities with social media accounts and putting stuff up on Spotify or even beatport? Maybe put videos on YouTube.
Less time on this forum, and more generally on my phone, more time making music and art.
Possibly just give up on making music. My life has changed significantly since I started to get back into it just before the pandemic and maybe I need a total break from it.
Same things as every year: eat better, read more, drink less.
Going with the starting over approach again this year. Current plans are:
- Implementing a new diet for the first time in my life
- Jamuary, with the intention of creating 31 sketches to use for,
- A release I can be proud after 10 years of sophomore slump
I think I’ll just copy your list. 
Disregard my previous one. 
Would love to hear a bit more on this (briefly) if you’re happy to share. I’m from the UK and live in London but do sometimes wonder about trying to move to the US, probably California.
Main reasons for me would be career/earning potential (I’m a developer and work for an American company already), relative proximity to mountains/amazing nature (I love to snowboard and hike and London isn’t great for the former especially!) and just change of scene. Things I’m concerned about are cultural differences (e.g. you mention the car thing, I’m so used to walkable cities and think I’d miss this! Also expectations around work/life balance are quite different, though I think my company are pretty chill so maybe not such an issue) and obviously distance from the UK for seeing friends and family.
@tdmusic sounds like you are in a very similar position to me before: living In London and wanting to have a more outdoor lifestyle.
Short version: after 5 months no regrets. I’d seize the opportunity.
Slightly longer version: I’m in Boulder, Colorado and the outdoors here is sublime. Everyone here is very friendly and polite, very genuine. The car would be for getting deeper into the mountains; Boulder is quite walkable and has a decent bus network. The walkability needs a longer discussion as I think it really depends on circumstances. Salaries are nearly double here but they are stingy with the holidays. I think a lot of what I have experienced in Colorado would apply for a move to California.
Longer version: let’s DM!
Awesome, thank you! I’ll send you a DM later/tomorrow 
I’ve heard Boulder is meant to be a great place!