This has to be my favourite video of yours - ever. Really resonates with me and some of my studio /life decisions lately. Love the honesty and the new place looks perfect.
This happens when you've bought gear without understanding why you "needed it" in the first place. Life is a journey of self-knowledge, nothing more nothing less.
Stop being a gear lusting audio hipster. You do it for the gram, lets be honest with each other. You watch old videos of a kanye or some 90s house producer making bangers on an asr 10 or something so you run out and buy one so you can put it up on the gram to show how cool you are, but you dont understand what you are doing so you pirate fruityloops and then you spend the rest of your days using fruityloops and telling people you are using all that cool gear but secretly it keeps you up at night. Just stop, you drive prices up for people that actually care.
@@jonathansoko1085 Gram? you mean instagram...lol? No...he does it for UA-cam...IG is the proper abbreviation, not GRam..u confuse with Telegram! lol a back channel internet... no money there....only YT!
Exactly... I've hit prestige mode as well but I noticed going back to less reminded me why having certain equipment is a blessing. These plugins emulators are cheaper than some hardware but they tax the 💩 out of you cpu and if you don't have a great interface you're dealing with all types of issues (my komplete audio 6 interface is trash as I become a better engineer). I plan on buying 3 sets of plugin bundles (I already own a few and I rather collect the rest so I don't need more outboard gear), 1 to 2 warm audio eqs and a mastering processor to wrap up my final mixes. I know I'll be on the road and going to other studios so I might buy another maschine mk3 (or mk4? If it comes out) controller so I can be on the move (that if NI doesn't allow me to install it's software on my laptop). I basically gave people some a lot of my gear that said they needed it. My goal is to make music the best way I can without going through what I'm experiencing now with my setup. Later down the lines I want one of the new Mac pros so I can be complete updated but at the moment I'm using my 2010 Mac pro that I hacked to be stronger than a regular Mac pro for video production.
I've found that whenever you think a piece of gear is exhausted, some one comes along with a new way of using it that you didn't think of, proving that it's your imagination that's limited, not the gear. Computer work flows can suffer the exact same fatigue of imagination, that's not exclusive to gear. Computers do make life easier though, less cabling, everything in one box.
Well said but to say ya bored with a machine and all I see in a machine is a lifetime of possibilities he went bad not the gear and talking about replacing a computer every few years where gear last a lifetime sometimes
Even writers. You wouldn't think that it would matter if he were dipping a quill or clacking away at an electronic typewriter, but in fact it completely changes how you think. I've written things on paper that I never would have thought to write while sitting at a computer. There are probably ways to manipulate how you think without changing the medium, but it certainly is a quick and incontrovertible aspect of the creative mind.
@@Selrisitai Going for a walk... going to a club... going to work at a day job... traveling.. Change inspires ideas, and yeah a new or different media definitely inspires... But also, think about a guitar or a piano and the seeming infinite ideas that have come from only having a single medium.
So so true I used to buy everything now I only have logic and complete it’s not more gear it’s about makeing music not buying the latest gear sampling makeing your own sounds cutting up loops I would love to hear your music thanks some finely see’s what iam talking about
I got rid of all my stuff - I have much more fun recording real instruments only (that includes analog synths) - very liberating just banning all midi controllers and digital sound sources/sample packs. If it comes through a microphone or a TRS cable it's good fun :)
I prefer to watch and listen to people doing this kind of thing as well. I find digital-only music to be "all well and good," but it hasn't yet beaten the genuine airy blast of a trumpet or the commanding thump of a drum-stick on the kit.
Just build a eurorack. And try audiotool. You'll probably like it. It's like a hybrid between digital hardware and regular daw. You see everything digitally, but you connect the parts through a visual interface.
Good to downsize on the digital midi controllers etc, but nothing beats hardware. Computer screens and software just don't do it for me. Different strokes.
I'm going the opposite way. I bought a Prophet Rev2 and just love the unquantized feel of recording into my interface with real keys. I got so bored of soft synths and i love the tactile process of designing a patch from the ground up on hardware.
With you on this one. I think the difference is the level of stuff I've been getting too, last year bought a Virus TI2. I think thats where it can really make a difference with analog stuff especially synths; you get what you pay for. Obviously creative process is a different discussion but I feel ya.
What an interesting journey you’re on. Something must have dramatically changed inside you to get you to pull the trigger on selling everything. A leap of faith.
Hardware shall be that a unit has something that is not accessible ITB, or not as good as. I have a few hardware synths, where most can't be replaced by any software. That shall be the reason to have hardware.
Thanks for being honest. I know a lot of us get GAS and hyped about new gear, even tho we don't really have the cash and/or need for it. Most of the time they are a headache anyways because they are not ment for certain DAWs that you might want to switch around so you have to keep tweaking midi settings which takes out all the fun/motivation and time you wanted to put into your music and not into making something work. I sold most of my stuff and just keep a small drumpad and a small keyboard. Mostly because I just like the tactile feeling of both keyboard and drumpad. But that's about it. My advice to anyone out there is, you don't really need much more than either a good drumpad and/or keyboard which is geared towards your favorite DAW. Don't get fooled by the idea that this other gear will make your music any better. Anyways good luck to everyone.
I have too many guitars and too much other gear. All I need to keep is my Parker Fly, my bass and my old Yamaha keyboard. Having less gear helps you concentrate on actually making music. Good for you...you're very brave and a little stupid in equal measure. Very best wishes. I just hope that you didn't loose too much money.
Thank you for posting this. It sounds like you are finding value in the open spaces! Congratulations on releasing the instruments that don’t serve you anymore. You have inspired me.
I don't like having too much gear either. I once sold all I had, but after awhile I realised why I got hardware in the first place. I don't enjoy clicking around with the mouse while using software, and I often end up being lazy and just use the same automations for changes throughout the same project instead of grabbing a controller and record it in. With gear I find it more enjoyable and organic sounding recording while turning the knobs. Using fx like pedals are also very important to me. Especially for delays. I actually wanted to dubmix while recording a whole track, but I've realised that's just too much for me with a 16 to 24 channel analogue mixer. I have ADHD, so putting my attention to several things at once is not my strong suit. That also means visually. So if there's to many visual distractions I'll feel less motivated to use the gear. Also my ADHD gives me OCD like traits, so in case of gear, it also has to be visually pleasing. I can try to ignore it and get used to it, but over time it'll still annoy me, if it's not. And it has to be said that I make music in my 1 room apartment, so I have to look at it every single day. Under- or overstimulation is not what I want. But yeah I'm in the middle of buying stuff again. I realised that recording one thing or a few things at a time may work better for me. And then process further and edit in Ableton. The new combing feature should be great for this. Being only daw or only hardware becomes too limiting for me.
It's not about your "best work" or "best production", it is about having fun playing with gear, isn't it? My iPad makes great music almost automatically but I never pick it up.
My 2 cents: I’d say it depends on your end goals. Some want to just have fun and don’t care about “commercial success” or making money. Some people want to be a content creator like the UA-camr Zen World (as I type this Multiplyer literally just said the same thing at 9:04 lol). Zen directly states he doesn’t want to be a “successful/career musician”, he wants to help people achieve that goal with tutorials and selling sound packs, etc. it’s how they pay the bills. Then, some people want to try and be a successful musician, get signed to a label, tour, etc. in this case most successful people will tell you you have to work it like a 9-5 job, and even if you have days/weeks where you lack inspiration or even feel like you hate going into the studio, you do it anyways because quote “you’ve got a job to do.” There’s days where “fun” is the last thing I’m having in the studio lol, but I’m there anyways trying a achieve a goal.
If it's your business, I'm pretty sure the only thing that's truly important is that your workflow isn't horrible. Whatever works for you. I can fully understand how 'making your best work' is the most important thing for you. When I create, I'm only truly happy with it when I believe it's the best I could've done.
@@WillyJunior why do you say that? What can you not create using a laptop, an iPad Pro, a sound card, a set of headphones, microphones, a pair of monitors, and a few midi controllers. Every sound can be reproduced with an iPad and software. Any song can be tracked, mixed and mastered with only the previous described stuff.
Welcome back mate. An yeah, what a weird year...18 months.... whatever its been. Welcome to the ITB approach. 9:40 has been my battle, But who care really in the end. Id rather sit here an say "This is me and my POV" Than stack up on gear I dont like.
Spent around 1.5 years in this loop: buy gear / get bored / sell gear / buy new - this video is soo accurate illustration for this. Sure, I’ve learned a lot from all that gear, but eventually it boils down to «cool, now I should do this in my DAW as well, so what should I buy next when I sell this thing? »
More important than hardware equipment is the workflow process needed to create......so if Scalar 2, Melodyne and Serato Sample are an important part in the songwriting process, then a workflow process is created where hardware is integrated into the workflow. The hardest part to creating one's optimum workflow is learning how to design and construct your personalized workflow.
This is a really good and reflective video. I have been thinking the same since Apple released the M1 chip. The rationale for using hardware and offline effects is I found that creativity was stifled because eventually the CPU an memory crapped out in the DAW but like you I have a lot of stuff that I simply don't use anymore because other newer stuff came along and piqued my interest.
so many people commenting about doing the same thing because their gear wasn’t “doing anything.” gear doesn’t do anything y’all: you do stuff with gear. if it’s sitting there unused, it’s because you’re not using it; if you have $10K in gear that isn’t “doing anything,” it’s $10K you’ve spent on stuff you didn’t need or actually try to learn or use all that much after all. it’s one thing to use stuff to the max and decide something else will fill in some gaps or alter a workflow, but if you’re selling off two dozen analog synths in a few months, chances are high you never actually dug into any of them, which isn’t the gears’ fault.
I've been doing the same but "inside the box" way, getting rid of anything I don't use and setting up the workflow focusing only on the Creative Process, the mental process behind creation. Lots of organization marathons worth doing.. selecting fewer and better samples, presets, plugins and so on.
Flume had an interesting interview on this. Said all he needs is a fast computer and a good set of monitors in a treated room. Maybe a midi controller. I tend to agree. Minimalism FTW. Limitation = freedom.
for me, i like physical devices BECAUSE they limit my choices. In a DAW i can go any which direction and that's too much for me. Obviously, i'm not very experienced in the production side. And i'm sure that's a contributing factor.
limitation = freedom is often an argument for owning hardware. there's infinitely many things you can do with a computer. not so with a box that has a fixed featureset.
You're One of many who have inspired me to start attending production school. I been wondering where you went for the past year and I am personally really excited to see you back on the internet! Congratulations on the life upgrades like the new Home, I hope this means the internet world will see more of you soon?
I relate to this very much. It's hard to write a track with all that gear looking at you. And many times I want to start something new, but cant bc I'm still working on something that requires a slightly different signal path and I end up not doing anything. I started doing my sketches in DAW. It's much less distracting and stressful .
Its all about having the RIGHT gear. And, respectfully, I think you didnt have the correct gear. If I had yours I will sell it too and buy usefull pieces.
Im totally with you, it is just a nice to have - but usually creative is created in the brain and not what kind of expensive gear you own imho - often people comfort themselve with big studios - but ofthen there is too much focus lost through out - so for me: Desktop PC - Midi Keyboard - Empty Desk - Headphones - Scarlett 4i4 - Ableton 11 and many vsts
Glad to see you again. I’ve always been against hardware. I think hardware is pretentious. 99% of the time it’s just about telling people you have the gear.
New creativity doesn't mean you have to sell everything, otherwise most producers from the 90s should just go to sleep. Creativity is a mind tool, so you can still use all your analog synths and make better use of them. Do you want an example? Richie Hawtin, 30 years making music and still doing weird stuff with his analog gear. I will never sell my synths and drums, i want them to grow old with me.
I hear wat you saying I got 4 samplers maschine ,akai s3000xl and akai s5000 and mpc one , the mpc one is go to sampler now ,I’m in 2 states of mind to sell or keep
I wrote hundreds of things on my four track and I’ve written about 10 things on my d.a.w. with its thousands of sounds and options (and headaches/frustrations/tears……yes, tears). What I have been enjoying though recently is the novation circuit as it is so portable and fun!
I don't blame you. Recording on 4 track back in the early 90's was my most creative prolific fun period of songwriting and recording. You'd actually rehearse and practice your instrument before you actually pressed record cos space was rare. With digital you end up about 50 guitar & vocal takes that you'll later sift through but never get round to and when you do it's a chore. I was gonna re recorded what I recorded on 4 track on a computer and do it properly. 25 years have gone by and It hasn't happened. Think I'll just clean up the tape versions in audacity. The definitive versions. Now I know why Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers) also dismantled his home studio. He never knew when a song was finished. 😁
Really, _reallllllly_ helpful. Thanks. Could anyone advise which equipment is necessary for sampling guitars and making beats? I am so confused on what I actually need. I just want record for myself, so what else do I need besides a DAW? Do I need a midi? Thanks so so much in advance. Any feedback much appreciated.
hopefully you already found an answer. but yeah if you have electric guitar you need soundcard with audio inputs. for beats, if you prefer to "play" them with fingers, there are controllers with "pads", yeah. as for midi, it depends cause some controllers/instruments support midi via usb, in that case usb is enough.
It always impressed me more to see / hear musicians create music with a very small setup, and so it inspired me to invest more time in refining the creation process than in what instrument to get next. Maybe it helps you too to focus more on that aspect, maybe not too much on sound-design vs sounding good, and much more on spontaneity and fun.
Honestly, both are necessary. Yes digital is immediate but analog brings a "lightning in the bottle" value that is unmatched. What has worked for me is making sure all my analog gear has a purpose, so I don't have a crap tone of analog gear. Also, setting up this gear to be able to be recorded to capture those special moments without delay. Personally, I think you may have just had too much gear. If you kept a 3rd of the gear I think you'd kind value from the limitations.
Man, I did the same thing. I've been DJing since middle school in the '80s and the pandemic completely upended my life. I stopped doing gigs, started a family, and transitioned to grinding out as many mixtapes as time allowed as my primary musical output. Quickly, I realized that I could make great mixtapes in a box using MixMeister. After a year of that, I sold nearly all my DJ gear. I kept one controller in case a gig ever pops up and one of my Technics 1200's for vinyl ripping and flipped everything else to eBay. The only small upside is that my gear was mostly pretty new so I got good resale prices because of pandemic-related electronics shortages. Cheers.
You haven't abandoned side chain compression I hope? I took a groove3 course and you taught me that is the key to everything. Do I need to change my approach.
I sold my complete studio 5 months ago even down to my acoustic panels and cables. Probably about the same amount of kit as yourself. Same scenario really but I was using Cubase 11 and could create a decent track ITB within 30 mins with no midi headache and latency issues. But...It all went including the Cubase, sold that lot! So moving on 5 months later....I picked up an MPC X a few days ago. Back in the cycle again as I missed it. No software this time just the MPC to jam on. I can't say I won't buy any more kit as I'm now looking at a Norand Mono this morning. You sound fairly local. I'm down in Bournemouth.
Just a note about the broken gear. After burning out some power supplies I started using line conditioners (like the APC Line-R). They smooth out the voltage hitting the gear and can protect the circuitry, and made a real difference in reliability. I think these are important if living in a place with older power lines, etc.
I can't see myself without owning at least one sampler,one keyboard (midi or not) and a DJ set with a loop station (software or hardware doesn't matter). Sampler is in a way the instrument of a producer.Something like the SP-16, the MPC-2000/Live,the SP-404 or even the ASR-X are pieces of gear that you can use them when you take a break from your computer and you just mess around with sounds,not necessarily making music,just doing sound design, of drums, fx sounds or somekind of instruments/melodies samples.Doing things that even though PC can do,PC can't teach you,anyone with experience on ensoniq gear can get what I am saying. The DJ set with a loop station (in my case being either Ableton or Boss RC-505) is another kind of instrument that it is just healing,picking up forgotten tracks or even vinyls and giving your go on mixing them just for yourself,picking up things that you can loop and build up on that loop,that's a thing.Both the sampler and the DJ set are things that you can do outside of the pc and then either use the knowledge you got from them to the PC or just combine them with your DAW and do things.They offer too much and they are not holding you back the same way a whole bookshelf full of gear would. Finally the keys is just a confort that I feel like I need to have around even if I am not using it.It is the kind of tool that comes in handy out of nowhere.
I can relate so much, I almost threw up watching this. Compared with the house's construction, that equipment looked like cheap junk to begin with. By the way, your home needs an animal.
Total can relate! I had a studio full of gear and, at one point, I realized that I don't use much of it anyway and that I much prefer working in the box. Once I started traveling, it was an obvious decision. Sold it all and haven't looked back. Now, I see any additional purchase of gear as potential baggage that has to hit the road with me. Music through minimalism works best for me, and glad to see it work for you too! Thanks for this video, really resonated with it.
a table of gear or more is so cumbersome... but a nice stack of tiptop happy ending kits on a small rack stand, filled with interesting fx, filters etc. beside the monitor goes a long way :D
i think small eurorack setups are adorable. no need to go huge (unless you try to play "live" the whole song so you actually need 8-10 sequenced parts at once - e.g. see venetian snares)
I have just moved house also, I am in the process of filtering through my gear to reduce the ridiculous amount of cables, adaptors, and keyboards etc I have. You may need a gear demo corner somewhere but keep it away from your creative space.
Hybrid is the way to but to each his own ... analog synths ... digital synths and apps .. acoustic instruments is where I flow the best... have no issues using amp simulations drum loops etc
This is why I've shifted to gear like Virus TI and Elektron Overbridge. Lets me play the physical gear seperately, but it gets used often in my DAW as it's as easy to connect with VST. Gear is best for live perf tho
I did the same in 2016 to travel, speedfly across the west coast U.S. $25,000 of gear, I got $3,500 for what I sold. I gave a bunch away to friends and goodwill and my record collection wasn't even accounted for. Just started rebuilding a studio this year, keeping it very simple this time. I get it, I felt held down to my studio for 15 years
Interesting to see, but I use my hardware devices all the time - so I'll keep it. I actually went the other way compared to what you just did :-) --- I find the idea of sitting in front of a computer screen in order to make music frightening to be honest. But... I guess since I am an amateur, as in "doing it for the love" as opposed to professionals as in "doing it for the money", I have no interest in being economic. So I do not need instant and total recall, portability and gazillions of features. I work a fulltime job, mostly in front of a computer, so I want to use instruments for making music. The only computers in my setup are the "computer controlled" TB-303 and TR-808. I don't even like MIDI that much as I found DIN sync to be more solid and reliable. I love that these machines just need to be turned on. No long boot-sequence, no updates needed, no internet connection and what-not. That being said, I am not interested in having a room full of gear, even if it would be all the classics like JP-8s, Memorymoog or huge modular systems. My setup is like 1 meter wide, three tiers within a Jaspers rack, me standing/dancing in front of it. I got all the basics right for enabling myself to make the music I like. Acid techno / house / techno. I do have a macbook, I am an Ableton Live user since the first beta versions pre v1. I know that programm pretty well. I sketch out stuff with it sometimes, but I always get tired after like 30 minutes, whereas creating music with hardware makes me excited and awake. What I don't understand to this very day is why people in electronic music judge the tools so hard in financial regards. I mean, do piano players go crazy like that? Those are instruments, for most of us here, we're using them as toys in our spare time. Why is the money/features-ratio so important? Anyways, have fun guys and girls 😎
Basically, you sold a heap of stuff you didn’t need and shouldn’t have bought in the first place. What an expensive and wasteful way to discover that you are merely a laptop ‘musician’. If you think the laptop isn’t going to ‘funnel’ you down paths just as much as any other input device, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
I thought you were gonna say sold everything and invested in crypto.
Hahahahha yeah
lmao
SayVzThyEthaz!!
That's exactly what I thought!
I'll give it another year and his rooms will be filled with gear again 🤓
The GAS is always too strong.
Agreed. Lol!!!!
Nah. He’s completely right. If you enjoy playing with bits of gear fine, but it’s basically superfluous.
You bet. I experienced it myself already.
We‘re doomed. Total victims.
I always feel like my workflow/creativity suffers when I don't have my midi keyboard/headphones.
Homie looks like he's going to put out a video on the importance of mental health in a few weeks
yess killa video bro ! i agree in many ways.. good to see you again ! keep it up you are killer inspiration for us
This has to be my favourite video of yours - ever. Really resonates with me and some of my studio /life decisions lately. Love the honesty and the new place looks perfect.
Same thing, bro! I’ve sold everything except upright piano and stage piano. Cause ton of gear is not about music. It’s about collecting.
This happens when you've bought gear without understanding why you "needed it" in the first place.
Life is a journey of self-knowledge, nothing more nothing less.
I call bullshit, this happens when you evolve.. no rules.
bruh.. you’re mad annoying 😭
he explains most of the gear was free or broken when he got it.
Stop being a gear lusting audio hipster. You do it for the gram, lets be honest with each other. You watch old videos of a kanye or some 90s house producer making bangers on an asr 10 or something so you run out and buy one so you can put it up on the gram to show how cool you are, but you dont understand what you are doing so you pirate fruityloops and then you spend the rest of your days using fruityloops and telling people you are using all that cool gear but secretly it keeps you up at night. Just stop, you drive prices up for people that actually care.
@@jonathansoko1085 Gram? you mean instagram...lol? No...he does it for UA-cam...IG is the proper abbreviation, not GRam..u confuse with Telegram! lol a back channel internet... no money there....only YT!
No matter what, you'll always need a good pair of monitors or headphones.
He doesn't need that anymore. He knows what the notes sound like.
@@tomburden 😂
I agree, but I would add a good sounding room to that.
paperCombeHayeBrushLyleBlaxBukWeavMorseConeENinx!..
Just headphones. And an iPhone to check the translation of sound.
My Favourite part "If you sell all your stuff, YOU GET TO BUY NEW STUFF!!!"
I did the same thing with my setup and never looked back. Keep up the good work 🔥
Pretty much, you hit prestige mode :P
For real!
Exactly... I've hit prestige mode as well but I noticed going back to less reminded me why having certain equipment is a blessing. These plugins emulators are cheaper than some hardware but they tax the 💩 out of you cpu and if you don't have a great interface you're dealing with all types of issues (my komplete audio 6 interface is trash as I become a better engineer). I plan on buying 3 sets of plugin bundles (I already own a few and I rather collect the rest so I don't need more outboard gear), 1 to 2 warm audio eqs and a mastering processor to wrap up my final mixes. I know I'll be on the road and going to other studios so I might buy another maschine mk3 (or mk4? If it comes out) controller so I can be on the move (that if NI doesn't allow me to install it's software on my laptop). I basically gave people some a lot of my gear that said they needed it. My goal is to make music the best way I can without going through what I'm experiencing now with my setup. Later down the lines I want one of the new Mac pros so I can be complete updated but at the moment I'm using my 2010 Mac pro that I hacked to be stronger than a regular Mac pro for video production.
so stoked you're back king
This video felt somewhat nostalgic to me! Glad to see you’re doing fine Multi! Keep the good work and stay safe.
used2doBeatAroofenNezelf!!
Come on dude, how can you sell your main monitors? I would sell everything but the main monitors, unless I'm upgrading.
I've found that whenever you think a piece of gear is exhausted, some one comes along with a new way of using it that you didn't think of, proving that it's your imagination that's limited, not the gear.
Computer work flows can suffer the exact same fatigue of imagination, that's not exclusive to gear.
Computers do make life easier though, less cabling, everything in one box.
And fx processors like simple fx pedals with knobs you can turn is definetly also a way of changing things up.
completely agree
Well said but to say ya bored with a machine and all I see in a machine is a lifetime of possibilities he went bad not the gear and talking about replacing a computer every few years where gear last a lifetime sometimes
Even writers. You wouldn't think that it would matter if he were dipping a quill or clacking away at an electronic typewriter, but in fact it completely changes how you think. I've written things on paper that I never would have thought to write while sitting at a computer.
There are probably ways to manipulate how you think without changing the medium, but it certainly is a quick and incontrovertible aspect of the creative mind.
@@Selrisitai
Going for a walk... going to a club... going to work at a day job... traveling..
Change inspires ideas, and yeah a new or different media definitely inspires...
But also, think about a guitar or a piano and the seeming infinite ideas that have come from only having a single medium.
keep one single analog monophonic, one controller(your favourite) and buy a COUPLE OF BIG (video) MONITORS.
Dude!! Have been wondering where you’ve disappeared to! Glad to see you’re alive!!!!
So so true I used to buy everything now I only have logic and complete it’s not more gear it’s about makeing music not buying the latest gear sampling makeing your own sounds cutting up loops I would love to hear your music thanks some finely see’s what iam talking about
Good for you dude this is awesome! That new place looks amazing!
I got rid of all my stuff - I have much more fun recording real instruments only (that includes analog synths) - very liberating just banning all midi controllers and digital sound sources/sample packs. If it comes through a microphone or a TRS cable it's good fun :)
I did this exact same thing and I'm making the best music I've ever made. And I'm having the most fun doing it. I just record everything as audio.
Workflow is fast too that way. I do the same thing but add a bit of digital spice in there sometimes. Endless fun.
notStuffJungleePeepPol!!
I prefer to watch and listen to people doing this kind of thing as well. I find digital-only music to be "all well and good," but it hasn't yet beaten the genuine airy blast of a trumpet or the commanding thump of a drum-stick on the kit.
Just build a eurorack. And try audiotool. You'll probably like it. It's like a hybrid between digital hardware and regular daw. You see everything digitally, but you connect the parts through a visual interface.
Good to downsize on the digital midi controllers etc, but nothing beats hardware. Computer screens and software just don't do it for me. Different strokes.
computer is bad with its big bad screen, I'd rather use many different hardware with many tiny good screens.
@@ruslanr.6171 Lol are you just trolling everyone who enjoys hardware with this exact comment? You’re boring.
@@HotStrange i enjoy hardware too, but i don't blame computer screens for my GAS. modern computer screens are awesome.
@@ruslanr.6171 sure but you’re commenting this as a reply to people that gave perfectly reasonable explanations of why they prefer to use hardware.
GoodyGoodyHumUhmzErdNooseLayTelyeezBuzBomzMooSics?
When Ableton 19 doesn't work on the M.4 neural drive and won't install under Windows 128bit. You will miss the simplicity of the MPC-60.
i mean, some people still use Amiga trackers.
I'm going the opposite way. I bought a Prophet Rev2 and just love the unquantized feel of recording into my interface with real keys. I got so bored of soft synths and i love the tactile process of designing a patch from the ground up on hardware.
great synth. incredible sound. you'll never get that from a plugin. or a novation peak, for that matter
With you on this one. I think the difference is the level of stuff I've been getting too, last year bought a Virus TI2. I think thats where it can really make a difference with analog stuff especially synths; you get what you pay for. Obviously creative process is a different discussion but I feel ya.
If only you could have bought Multiplier's gear! Perfect exchange. 😂
@@TonsOfFun411 the Virus isn’t an analog synth.
@@HotStrange It’s got analog output transformers and that makes a noticeable difference.
Yeah, it's more fun thinking about buying gear than actually using it. ;)
I sold 90% of my gear too when I realized my best music was made entirely in the computer.
You don't have any instruments that you liked enough to keep?
What an interesting journey you’re on. Something must have dramatically changed inside you to get you to pull the trigger on selling everything. A leap of faith.
intelInsideEeteezNutEnsayenedDohMooSicMainMameManMoonyzNuh!!
Probably because everything he had was Guitar Center-tier crap. He even pointed out 6 pieces that were broken
Hardware shall be that a unit has something that is not accessible ITB, or not as good as. I have a few hardware synths, where most can't be replaced by any software. That shall be the reason to have hardware.
Thanks for being honest. I know a lot of us get GAS and hyped about new gear, even tho we don't really have the cash and/or need for it. Most of the time they are a headache anyways because they are not ment for certain DAWs that you might want to switch around so you have to keep tweaking midi settings which takes out all the fun/motivation and time you wanted to put into your music and not into making something work. I sold most of my stuff and just keep a small drumpad and a small keyboard. Mostly because I just like the tactile feeling of both keyboard and drumpad. But that's about it. My advice to anyone out there is, you don't really need much more than either a good drumpad and/or keyboard which is geared towards your favorite DAW. Don't get fooled by the idea that this other gear will make your music any better. Anyways good luck to everyone.
I have too many guitars and too much other gear. All I need to keep is my Parker Fly, my bass and my old Yamaha keyboard.
Having less gear helps you concentrate on actually making music. Good for you...you're very brave and a little stupid in equal measure. Very best wishes. I just hope that you didn't loose too much money.
Thank you for posting this. It sounds like you are finding value in the open spaces! Congratulations on releasing the instruments that don’t serve you anymore. You have inspired me.
fawkesWayTartzThyzAflyENmazeSoox!?..aintESP!..
I like having the option. My gear for 30min jam and my daw for a mouse jam..
I always end up finishing or remaking anything i make on hardware in the box... but it's still fun to play with the hardware!
I don't like having too much gear either.
I once sold all I had, but after awhile I realised why I got hardware in the first place. I don't enjoy clicking around with the mouse while using software, and I often end up being lazy and just use the same automations for changes throughout the same project instead of grabbing a controller and record it in.
With gear I find it more enjoyable and organic sounding recording while turning the knobs. Using fx like pedals are also very important to me. Especially for delays.
I actually wanted to dubmix while recording a whole track, but I've realised that's just too much for me with a 16 to 24 channel analogue mixer. I have ADHD, so putting my attention to several things at once is not my strong suit. That also means visually. So if there's to many visual distractions I'll feel less motivated to use the gear.
Also my ADHD gives me OCD like traits, so in case of gear, it also has to be visually pleasing. I can try to ignore it and get used to it, but over time it'll still annoy me, if it's not. And it has to be said that I make music in my 1 room apartment, so I have to look at it every single day. Under- or overstimulation is not what I want.
But yeah I'm in the middle of buying stuff again. I realised that recording one thing or a few things at a time may work better for me. And then process further and edit in Ableton. The new combing feature should be great for this.
Being only daw or only hardware becomes too limiting for me.
It's not about your "best work" or "best production", it is about having fun playing with gear, isn't it? My iPad makes great music almost automatically but I never pick it up.
My 2 cents: I’d say it depends on your end goals. Some want to just have fun and don’t care about “commercial success” or making money.
Some people want to be a content creator like the UA-camr Zen World (as I type this Multiplyer literally just said the same thing at 9:04 lol). Zen directly states he doesn’t want to be a “successful/career musician”, he wants to help people achieve that goal with tutorials and selling sound packs, etc. it’s how they pay the bills.
Then, some people want to try and be a successful musician, get signed to a label, tour, etc. in this case most successful people will tell you you have to work it like a 9-5 job, and even if you have days/weeks where you lack inspiration or even feel like you hate going into the studio, you do it anyways because quote “you’ve got a job to do.”
There’s days where “fun” is the last thing I’m having in the studio lol, but I’m there anyways trying a achieve a goal.
If it's your business, I'm pretty sure the only thing that's truly important is that your workflow isn't horrible. Whatever works for you.
I can fully understand how 'making your best work' is the most important thing for you. When I create, I'm only truly happy with it when I believe it's the best I could've done.
Sounds like you don't really make or release commercial quality music
@@WillyJunior why only commercial music? It's all about ur passion or hobby
@@WillyJunior why do you say that? What can you not create using a laptop, an iPad Pro, a sound card, a set of headphones, microphones, a pair of monitors, and a few midi controllers. Every sound can be reproduced with an iPad and software. Any song can be tracked, mixed and mastered with only the previous described stuff.
Welcome back mate. An yeah, what a weird year...18 months.... whatever its been. Welcome to the ITB approach. 9:40 has been my battle, But who care really in the end. Id rather sit here an say "This is me and my POV" Than stack up on gear I dont like.
Spent around 1.5 years in this loop: buy gear / get bored / sell gear / buy new - this video is soo accurate illustration for this. Sure, I’ve learned a lot from all that gear, but eventually it boils down to «cool, now I should do this in my DAW as well, so what should I buy next when I sell this thing? »
More important than hardware equipment is the workflow process needed to create......so if Scalar 2, Melodyne and Serato Sample are an important part in the songwriting process, then a workflow process is created where hardware is integrated into the workflow. The hardest part to creating one's optimum workflow is learning how to design and construct your personalized workflow.
This is a really good and reflective video. I have been thinking the same since Apple released the M1 chip. The rationale for using hardware and offline effects is I found that creativity was stifled because eventually the CPU an memory crapped out in the DAW but like you I have a lot of stuff that I simply don't use anymore because other newer stuff came along and piqued my interest.
didridallFoSoundengVisionzz!!
so many people commenting about doing the same thing because their gear wasn’t “doing anything.” gear doesn’t do anything y’all: you do stuff with gear. if it’s sitting there unused, it’s because you’re not using it; if you have $10K in gear that isn’t “doing anything,” it’s $10K you’ve spent on stuff you didn’t need or actually try to learn or use all that much after all.
it’s one thing to use stuff to the max and decide something else will fill in some gaps or alter a workflow, but if you’re selling off two dozen analog synths in a few months, chances are high you never actually dug into any of them, which isn’t the gears’ fault.
You don't need to create something new. You need to create something worthwhile that has a personal touch.
Loopop only shows one piece at a time. He has peak credibility.
I feel plugins are similar. Too many plugins to master but they all do the same thing. Just master what you got, don't let marketing fool you.
Stoked to see you back Multiplier!!
I've been doing the same but "inside the box" way, getting rid of anything I don't use
and setting up the workflow focusing only on the Creative Process, the mental process behind creation.
Lots of organization marathons worth doing.. selecting fewer and better samples, presets, plugins and so on.
Yes, very good. For my latest computer gone down to Logic/NI/Izotope - plenty.
I haven't done this process just once, and I keep going through it over time 😆
What virtual synths do you use , besides serum?
Flume had an interesting interview on this. Said all he needs is a fast computer and a good set of monitors in a treated room. Maybe a midi controller. I tend to agree. Minimalism FTW. Limitation = freedom.
for me, i like physical devices BECAUSE they limit my choices. In a DAW i can go any which direction and that's too much for me. Obviously, i'm not very experienced in the production side. And i'm sure that's a contributing factor.
Flume has a lot of hardware equipment.
@@eventhorizon1414 I'm sure he HAS a lot of fun toys. His point on the interview is that all he really NEEDS is a daw and speakers.
and bread and water but I bet he eats other things too.
limitation = freedom is often an argument for owning hardware.
there's infinitely many things you can do with a computer. not so with a box that has a fixed featureset.
Man, have loved your videos for years. Great to see you back. 💛
i always remind myself that Burial made his best music in Soundforge
wailNowAintVatSW!!
Will there be an auction for all the old hardware? I got $5 on the laptop!
You're One of many who have inspired me to start attending production school.
I been wondering where you went for the past year and I am personally really excited to see you back on the internet!
Congratulations on the life upgrades like the new Home, I hope this means the internet world will see more of you soon?
Great Job Neo, You just unplugged yourself!. Don't ever go back!!! 🌋😀😇😎🌋
I relate to this very much. It's hard to write a track with all that gear looking at you. And many times I want to start something new, but cant bc I'm still working on something that requires a slightly different signal path and I end up not doing anything. I started doing my sketches in DAW. It's much less distracting and stressful .
patch bay. done.
@@mattwalsh9413 True, I gotta look into that
how do you provide mixing and mastering without any gears ? laptop and vst on headphones I guess ?
Its all about having the RIGHT gear. And, respectfully, I think you didnt have the correct gear.
If I had yours I will sell it too and buy usefull pieces.
oscarMaxwellsAmmerNailsYooTuneCruxeefeex!!
@@steveclem7873 aha.....
can affirm that empty table experience, often just keep one or two boxes there - and enjoy having space again.
Great to have you back. Collecting excessive gear can lead to collecting dust as it sits there unused.
YaYaNoKnowENz!!KlookPryTsar!
Im totally with you, it is just a nice to have - but usually creative is created in the brain and not what kind of expensive gear you own imho - often people comfort themselve with big studios - but ofthen there is too much focus lost through out - so for me: Desktop PC - Midi Keyboard - Empty Desk - Headphones - Scarlett 4i4 - Ableton 11 and many vsts
Glad to see you again.
I’ve always been against hardware. I think hardware is pretentious. 99% of the time it’s just about telling people you have the gear.
Pretentious guy over here 👋
Unless they're making *all* their music on hardware like me 🙄🌌
New creativity doesn't mean you have to sell everything, otherwise most producers from the 90s should just go to sleep. Creativity is a mind tool, so you can still use all your analog synths and make better use of them. Do you want an example? Richie Hawtin, 30 years making music and still doing weird stuff with his analog gear. I will never sell my synths and drums, i want them to grow old with me.
Multiplier ! Immediately clicked on this ! Inspiring change of direction ! Looking forward to more videos !
yuh,zo,CauldrenzMaerBrassRite...?ValVozaz!..
I hear wat you saying I got 4 samplers maschine ,akai s3000xl and akai s5000 and mpc one , the mpc one is go to sampler now ,I’m in 2 states of mind to sell or keep
I've gone from pc recording back to a 4 track tape machine, far simpler and more immediate.
I wrote hundreds of things on my four track and I’ve written about 10 things on my d.a.w. with its thousands of sounds and options (and headaches/frustrations/tears……yes, tears). What I have been enjoying though recently is the novation circuit as it is so portable and fun!
I don't blame you. Recording on 4 track back in the early 90's was my most creative prolific fun period of songwriting and recording.
You'd actually rehearse and practice your instrument before you actually pressed record cos space was rare. With digital you end up about 50 guitar & vocal takes that you'll later sift through but never get round to and when you do it's a chore.
I was gonna re recorded what I recorded on 4 track on a computer and do it properly. 25 years have gone by and It hasn't happened.
Think I'll just clean up the tape versions in audacity. The definitive versions. Now I know why Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers) also dismantled his home studio. He never knew when a song was finished. 😁
@@twistedspanner I HEAR you brother!
@@tronlady1 so I'm not the only one who feels like this?
Really, _reallllllly_ helpful. Thanks. Could anyone advise which equipment is necessary for sampling guitars and making beats? I am so confused on what I actually need. I just want record for myself, so what else do I need besides a DAW? Do I need a midi? Thanks so so much in advance. Any feedback much appreciated.
hopefully you already found an answer.
but yeah if you have electric guitar you need soundcard with audio inputs. for beats, if you prefer to "play" them with fingers, there are controllers with "pads", yeah. as for midi, it depends cause some controllers/instruments support midi via usb, in that case usb is enough.
It always impressed me more to see / hear musicians create music with a very small setup, and so it inspired me to invest more time in refining the creation process than in what instrument to get next. Maybe it helps you too to focus more on that aspect, maybe not too much on sound-design vs sounding good, and much more on spontaneity and fun.
I’d say it’s actually more difficult with more gear . No doubt about it
Honestly, both are necessary. Yes digital is immediate but analog brings a "lightning in the bottle" value that is unmatched. What has worked for me is making sure all my analog gear has a purpose, so I don't have a crap tone of analog gear. Also, setting up this gear to be able to be recorded to capture those special moments without delay. Personally, I think you may have just had too much gear. If you kept a 3rd of the gear I think you'd kind value from the limitations.
Man, I did the same thing. I've been DJing since middle school in the '80s and the pandemic completely upended my life. I stopped doing gigs, started a family, and transitioned to grinding out as many mixtapes as time allowed as my primary musical output. Quickly, I realized that I could make great mixtapes in a box using MixMeister. After a year of that, I sold nearly all my DJ gear. I kept one controller in case a gig ever pops up and one of my Technics 1200's for vinyl ripping and flipped everything else to eBay. The only small upside is that my gear was mostly pretty new so I got good resale prices because of pandemic-related electronics shortages. Cheers.
Where did you sale all your gear??? I’m in the same situation right now.. I’m about to list everything on reverb….
I can hear the soft sound of synthdads crying in the distance…
i can hear the soy in this comment
@@christdolphin69 Actually I was high on seitan when I wrote it
You haven't abandoned side chain compression I hope? I took a groove3 course and you taught me that is the key to everything. Do I need to change my approach.
naaaVatsaEvillMainMazeOwENuseTooAllszzInstuookaaMenztolzUh!!Encreeptaz!
having stuff that's essential, have 1 thing that does 1 job is important
I sold my complete studio 5 months ago even down to my acoustic panels and cables. Probably about the same amount of kit as yourself. Same scenario really but I was using Cubase 11 and could create a decent track ITB within 30 mins with no midi headache and latency issues. But...It all went including the Cubase, sold that lot! So moving on 5 months later....I picked up an MPC X a few days ago. Back in the cycle again as I missed it. No software this time just the MPC to jam on. I can't say I won't buy any more kit as I'm now looking at a Norand Mono this morning. You sound fairly local. I'm down in Bournemouth.
Btw thanks for the kick sample pack on splice that costs 0 credits for the entire pack😂
jeezKrizdRuTorkENroBotKashaSimpsonSpringBuMain?..
What controller do You use for keys and drums pads if any?
I am the proud new owner of Multiplier's RE20 mic :) Good luck mate with your fresh start, looking forward to more content from you.
Just a note about the broken gear. After burning out some power supplies I started using line conditioners (like the APC Line-R). They smooth out the voltage hitting the gear and can protect the circuitry, and made a real difference in reliability. I think these are important if living in a place with older power lines, etc.
@Defender Stargate Great tip and affordable!
Cheers, I can imagine this is really important for analogue stuff
its much better than usual power strip with fuse?
@@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333 In terms of generally protecting gear they are. They also cost a bit more.
“Oi mate I sold me instrimints and me equeepmint cuz I’m just soer createchiv that I don’t need it”
-Insufferable brit
13 minutes in one sentence lol
I can't see myself without owning at least one sampler,one keyboard (midi or not) and a DJ set with a loop station (software or hardware doesn't matter).
Sampler is in a way the instrument of a producer.Something like the SP-16, the MPC-2000/Live,the SP-404 or even the ASR-X are pieces of gear that you can use them when you take a break from your computer and you just mess around with sounds,not necessarily making music,just doing sound design, of drums, fx sounds or somekind of instruments/melodies samples.Doing things that even though PC can do,PC can't teach you,anyone with experience on ensoniq gear can get what I am saying.
The DJ set with a loop station (in my case being either Ableton or Boss RC-505) is another kind of instrument that it is just healing,picking up forgotten tracks or even vinyls and giving your go on mixing them just for yourself,picking up things that you can loop and build up on that loop,that's a thing.Both the sampler and the DJ set are things that you can do outside of the pc and then either use the knowledge you got from them to the PC or just combine them with your DAW and do things.They offer too much and they are not holding you back the same way a whole bookshelf full of gear would.
Finally the keys is just a confort that I feel like I need to have around even if I am not using it.It is the kind of tool that comes in handy out of nowhere.
dude, you're fucking adorable and i'll always check out whatever you have to say. i've learned so much from you. thanks.
He’s upgrading
There will be a few 'unpacking' videos coming soon! ;-)
Go spend that 10k on a huge modular setup. Job done
That's debatable I think.
Welcome back
I can relate so much, I almost threw up watching this. Compared with the house's construction, that equipment looked like cheap junk to begin with. By the way, your home needs an animal.
Total can relate! I had a studio full of gear and, at one point, I realized that I don't use much of it anyway and that I much prefer working in the box. Once I started traveling, it was an obvious decision. Sold it all and haven't looked back. Now, I see any additional purchase of gear as potential baggage that has to hit the road with me. Music through minimalism works best for me, and glad to see it work for you too! Thanks for this video, really resonated with it.
Nice Vid, I Like All your set ups But your initial Set up was the best, Did u Build Your Desk A Stands for the gear?
a table of gear or more is so cumbersome... but a nice stack of tiptop happy ending kits on a small rack stand, filled with interesting fx, filters etc. beside the monitor goes a long way :D
i think small eurorack setups are adorable. no need to go huge (unless you try to play "live" the whole song so you actually need 8-10 sequenced parts at once - e.g. see venetian snares)
Did you finish even one song with all that equipment?
Give me the link please.
I have just moved house also, I am in the process of filtering through my gear to reduce the ridiculous
amount of cables, adaptors, and keyboards etc I have. You may need a gear demo corner somewhere
but keep it away from your creative space.
Hybrid is the way to but to each his own ... analog synths ... digital synths and apps .. acoustic instruments is where I flow the best... have no issues using amp simulations drum loops etc
what about playing with analogue stuff to get inspiration for when sitting to work on laptop?
so uh... you dont play the keyboards anymore? i understand getting rid of gear clutter but EVERY keyboard?
I'm considering doing the same. Can you recommend where to sell?
This is why I've shifted to gear like Virus TI and Elektron Overbridge. Lets me play the physical gear seperately, but it gets used often in my DAW as it's as easy to connect with VST. Gear is best for live perf tho
I did the same in 2016 to travel, speedfly across the west coast U.S. $25,000 of gear, I got $3,500 for what I sold. I gave a bunch away to friends and goodwill and my record collection wasn't even accounted for. Just started rebuilding a studio this year, keeping it very simple this time. I get it, I felt held down to my studio for 15 years
Interesting to see, but I use my hardware devices all the time - so I'll keep it. I actually went the other way compared to what you just did :-)
---
I find the idea of sitting in front of a computer screen in order to make music frightening to be honest. But... I guess since I am an amateur, as in "doing it for the love" as opposed to professionals as in "doing it for the money", I have no interest in being economic. So I do not need instant and total recall, portability and gazillions of features. I work a fulltime job, mostly in front of a computer, so I want to use instruments for making music. The only computers in my setup are the "computer controlled" TB-303 and TR-808.
I don't even like MIDI that much as I found DIN sync to be more solid and reliable. I love that these machines just need to be turned on. No long boot-sequence, no updates needed, no internet connection and what-not.
That being said, I am not interested in having a room full of gear, even if it would be all the classics like JP-8s, Memorymoog or huge modular systems. My setup is like 1 meter wide, three tiers within a Jaspers rack, me standing/dancing in front of it. I got all the basics right for enabling myself to make the music I like. Acid techno / house / techno.
I do have a macbook, I am an Ableton Live user since the first beta versions pre v1. I know that programm pretty well. I sketch out stuff with it sometimes, but I always get tired after like 30 minutes, whereas creating music with hardware makes me excited and awake.
What I don't understand to this very day is why people in electronic music judge the tools so hard in financial regards. I mean, do piano players go crazy like that? Those are instruments, for most of us here, we're using them as toys in our spare time. Why is the money/features-ratio so important? Anyways, have fun guys and girls 😎
Very well thought out, very philosophical, very insightful. Just stumbled onto this channel, looking forward to seeing more :)
I understand. But it's just the opposite for me. I find ZERO inspiration trying to make music on a PC and DAW.
Basically, you sold a heap of stuff you didn’t need and shouldn’t have bought in the first place. What an expensive and wasteful way to discover that you are merely a laptop ‘musician’. If you think the laptop isn’t going to ‘funnel’ you down paths just as much as any other input device, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
🥶
You don't have at least a master keyboard, audio interface and monitor speakers?
So, have you gone back to buying gear, or not?
I’m in the process of selling all my outboard gear as well.
Will most likely only keep my NI M32