too much gear... sucks

[roygbivs]

I've gone through and wasted my money on countless drum machines, synths, mixers, audio interfaces etc. only to realise none of them helped my creativity!

I have streamlined my studio now and rely on the 404sx, microkorg, ableton and my vss30. I have just bought an ipad as beatmaker 2 is awesome! But that will get used more when I'm travelling, rather than the studio.

I went this route too. Waisted too much money but figured out a lot in the process. Now I'm down to just an og404, numark pt-01, and iPad as my synth. I use reson or reaper to track stuff in when it comes that time.

[Gary_Rock]

Its as much about knowing what I'm not missing out on as finding a bit of kit that works and doesn't obstruct me from the end result.

I found that the MC808 has known issues with sustain cuting off between pattern changes making it useless in song mode (but it does have a great lib of sounds and FX).

The MV8800 was like taking an engine apart with a haynes manual in a different language. Its just so complex because it apparently does everything. I couldn't make it do anything.

The MPC5000 doesn't allow me to just plug in and record my samples (bass riffs) and get it looping without a microscope and a whole lot of 'is that right now?' moments. And is the size of a bloody studio in a metal box that could crush you to death as soon as offer song making functionality.

The KP3 loops like a dream but only has like 4 banks and I didn't like the tempo affecting the sample length thing. So that is an almost but not quite there for me.

The 555 has the guitar input and the best FX so I knew I wanted to use it as the main sampler and once I cracked the loop capture and got past the issues I had with it I realised that it does 99% of what I want. And the pattern sequencer seems far more accessable all of a sudden now my riffs are of the correct length. But if I hadn't had all the other trouble with the other bits of kit I probably would have given up on it a long time ago.

I feel like its been a journey but probably one worth walking. I tried a Line 6 audio interface but that didn't feel any different to using a 4 track and I wanted being a solo guy making music to be a plus and organic and not just a recording of me playing guitar with some computer generated drums.

I'm pretty happy with my workflow now and I want to get a bare bones simple proof of concpet track finished and up on here to hopfully get some constructive critique from you guys some time soon.

[Rabot]

Simpler is often better, that's why so much people use 404 and 303.

To be honest, it's pretty much all you need and a sound source, a synth or radio, turntable, casette deck.

you might want somehting to record what you do also, but beyond that....

[GBREAL]

The only hardware item I have is the SP 404. Useless when it comes to recording because the right output is broken which is fine because I use it like a sketch pad.

I make the tracks using software (Hydrogen). I don't see myself getting any new gear anytime soon.

[timmytoga]

Unless I'm hurting for money, the more gear the better. I never know when I'll wanna bust out the MPC or fire up the software.

I regret selling my mpc 2000 xl. Bought an mpc 2500 recently, but don't like it as much as the 2000 xl :[

So hold onto your gear until you're absolutely sure you don't need it. I have an MPC 2500, Microkorg, Serato, SP 303, SP 404 sx, Novation DrumStation, and my laptop. I don't necessarily use them all in tandem, but I do go through phases where I like using different gear. So I try not to sell any of my gear anymore. :[

Too much gear sucks because it takes up space and it can get confusing and overwhelming. I like gear though because I like physically turning knobs and pushing buttons and plugging in wires and figuring out how to make all your gear work. You don't have to use all your gear together all the time. Sometimes you gotta rethink where in your chain of audio your sampler or synth is going to go. It's a puzzle. Can be fun.

[BOOMSLANG]

ya im got over the macbook software, computer music and tons of gear do suck. My set up now is sp 303, technics 1200mk2 with mixer and vinyl.......haha im getting a streetbox zoom with all the generic drumkits as a sample bank to use to layer and fatten up sampled drums, it also has some basic bass notes on it ..got of e-bay for like $50. Gonna put a beat up once i get it!! booom boom bap

pink flashing lights all night with my red laser beam eyesight
souuuuuur
word

king boombox slang banga

[tdae]

I like having gear for dedicated functions.
I'm rocking electribe er-1, novation mininova, dsi tabletop evolver ---> all into
simple behringer mixer with the kp quad as the effect send for the mixer ---->
into the 404sx.

This way, i can use the 404 as a sampler in several different ways. Adding samples onto electro-compositions, sampling and chopping said compositions, or just straight recording and resampling with layered efx. Sometimes the options get to be too much, but I can always take any of the pieces and just work with those. Everytime I want to simplify I have to admit to myself that I love/need layered synth action.

tl;dr- Drums, digital polysynth, analog monosynth, effects, sp 404life

[tdae]

As much as I love simplicity, I just love to program stuff. Starting any program from scratch whether it be rhythms or synths is usually a euphoric experience, even if I'm straight. Blazed is a whole nother game.

[Astromass]

Hey
I'm new here and have a sp404sx on its way to me.
I couldn't agree more with this thread.
I have a Mac, running ableton suite, complete with an akai apc40 and an akai mpd32....too many options...
The thing with using the computer is that it's TOO easy to cut/copy/paste/tweak/manipulate.....everything ends up sounding the same! I miss the days of squeezing every possible ounce of juice out of simple gear....running a dr.rhythm into a cheap stomp box, then recording onto a cassette 4 track...then bouncing tracks......
I'm really looking forward to getting back to that aesthetic.
Glad I found this forum!

[springwater]

Welcome. Too much gear totally sucks ass for me. Im finally forcing myself to even stay away from samples for that reason. Im rocking a 404sx and sp 555 and a roland gaia. The gaia can make some nice fucking sounds. Pretty digital but it gets the job done. My drums come from a dr-202 and not the extensive drum library i have on my computer and ipad. The fact that i have to take a kick into the 404 and resample to make it dope is way cooler than taking a nice ass processed kick drum from wherever.com and just using it raw. Im beginning to enjoy the grit from resampling and sound degradation. With my current setup i make some dope ass loops and just have to find a way to turn it into songs but when i was using a mpc and a 404 and software, i didnt make shit, not even loops. Was always stuck on drums and pitching samples up and down for hours.

Take it from me, the guy who hasnt made shit since i joined the fucking forums, get rid of shit and work with the basics. Once you get a workflow, work upwards but keep it minimal. The best beats are usually the simplest but you never really notice that cause your too busy loving it. One of my favorite beats is MF Doom is the one he sampled SADE "kiss of life". Like track 1 of the doomsday album with the chick singing. Now listen to Sade's song, you notice that he only looped and added drums ( and a weird turntable scratch for a change up). Simple as fuck and dope as shit. Could have been done with a cassette recorder and a drum machine.

KISS- keep it simple stupid.

[Unfolding]

im getting a streetbox zoom with all the generic drumkits as a sample bank to use to layer and fatten up sampled drums, it also has some basic bass notes on it ..got of e-bay for like $50.

Damn. That's doing preset cheese the right way! You gave me a forehead slap moment then- "That's how you use preset drum sets? D'oh!"

I like having gear for dedicated functions.
I'm rocking electribe er-1, novation mininova, dsi tabletop evolver ---> all into
simple behringer mixer with the kp quad as the effect send for the mixer ---->
into the 404sx.

This is doing a big set-up correctly. Totally 2nd your approach. I love matching devices that do similar things in a totally different way. I'm rocking 3 different rigs at the moment & loving it:
- Got one SP-606 sitting next to an ESX. The two are samplers in name only, everything else they do is different. The ESX has a KP3 running as an FX loop through the extra outs & audio in.
- Got another SP-606 sitting next to the TV & record player.
- Got an OP-1 hooked up to a Nintendo DS (running the Korg DS-10 synth) & Ipod for portable glory.
- Got an SH-32 sequenced by an Analogue Solutions Europa for making B-grade electronica.
- Plus I've been messing around with Reason & a bunch of instruments (bass, melodica, drums, flute, xylophone for shits & giggles) on the side.

^Everything gets recorded into a digital 8-track & occasionally resampled from there. All up that's a small shitload of gear & cables but knowing how to use it all & knowing what I want from everything individually makes it all managable & actually pretty damn inspiring. Each small set-up is isolated from the rest of my stuff so it never gets overwhelming. I'll never be an SP virtuoso ninjawizard but to be honest I don't want to be.

*EDIT* Welcome Astromass! Spring: Dude, you really haven't made shit since joining up? Get in the battles! That'll get you making fire in no time!

[Rabot]

Even questionning the use of my trusty microsampler.

My best beats were made with 404sx and 1 synth.

Resampled.

[springwater]

Well, its not inspiration its more like life is happening too fast for me. A new job in a new city on the other side of the US can dampen anyone's creativity. Im working through it tho. Its not really that i havent made shit,m its that i cant turn anything into a track, just a ton of loops that sound dope to me. Ill get to a point where ill just start posting my shit and saying fuck a full production, this is how i do it. Just havent hit that point yet. Just recently gave up on ableton, too dam easy for me and i like the mistakes i make when i hit the wrong ribbon key on a monotribe and sample the mistake and turn it into a chop.

[formal]

Excuses excuses.... More gear is good, less gear is good. From what it sounds like is that most of ya'll talk it up why yer not making music. Deep down making music comes from passion. If you have shitty gear it doesn't mean you'll make bad music and vise versa with having all the gear in the world. Work with what you got and let the music speak your words. If "life" gets in your way from making music maybe it's a signal to focus on that instead of complaining why yer not making bangers, same goes for having too much gear...... Too many people with passion have nothing..... Not trying to get down on ya'll, but if you have multiple samplers/gear with the time to complain about your lack of time/skill it might be time to put things into perspective. If any gear/software makes creating music "easy" why doesnt everybody have an entire library of tracks to share? ..... Food for thought.

Samplers are samplers..... The user controls the content. There is no magical way to go from somebody else's artistic creation to recording a section of it and making a creative piece for yourself. Gotta do work.....

Don't get me wrong guys, I am in the same group that thinks less is more. I love working with one piece of gear and pushing it to its limits. Bottom line is that when you are determined/creative you'll use what is at your disposal and the work that is created will be amazing. If you have no passion and $xxx,xxx.xx worth of gear the machines will not work wonders for you.

[SadFac3]

I'm just rockin a 404sx which I upgraded to from the OG. Turntables, records, and occasionally a Microkorg or Ensoniq ESQ-1 synth. 90% of the time it's just my SP.