Wow. Nathan.. Thank you so much for making this and being honest about it all. This reminds me a lot of when I had 24 inputs with everything sync'd perfectly and I would press space bar to get the whole rig going and I'd have no clue where to put down the first note.. I made 0 finished songs with that setup.. Then in the summer my garage got WAY too hot and all I had was my MPC 4000 and made LOADS of tunes and put out 3 EPs on just that one box.. It was a big reality slap in the face.. also, sick hat haha! I appreciate it. I'm happy to be Sub #81!
How do you stop trying to “make it all work together” once you realize it though ;) I keep breaking my studio down to simplify it and then slowly drifting back to a cable-y monolith
Thank you Ricky! Really appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment. Big fan of your channel I’ve learned so much from you over the years! 🙏
Have you seen what some people with no hobbies do with their money? I personally am unable to make popular music, but the experimental crap that I do make is a source of happiness when it happens. Due to my craft being unmarketable, I have a day job doing high end painting in very nice neighborhoods. Many times I have witnessed large scale kitchen remodeling projects that turn out beautifully. To my surprise, the remodel starts over. All of the subtle complaints about workers always being in the house and the remodeling taking too long, only to start again. Acquisition syndrome seems to have various forms that never produce any music at all. If the kids are fed and it makes you happy, is a wall of test equipment really that bad?
You're not wrong. I think the issue here is defining what you want to get out of the hobby. If your goal is to make music it's easy to go astray focusing on gear. However I think collecting equipment can be a main part of the hobby in itself. I think it's worth considering what one's goals are and reevaluate from time to time.
I think it’s just everyone has a “thing” they do for hobby/enjoyment. I have a friend that collects guns, another that collects Jordan sneakers and another that buys Jeep parts to go off roading on weekends so they break and need to buy more. Always the same high, the “latest”. Their collections are very very pricey. We are here because music is our common denominator and if it’s not, we go to the next “thing” of acquisitions.
there's nothing wrong with collecting gear, if it makes one happy and as long as the collector's aware that he's just a cog in the wheel of a hobbyist industry that make turnover by having people believe that they can matter as a pro musician too, but it's actually nothing to do with music since real musicians actually don't care too much about gear acquisition, because they're too busy with actually making music that matters. The only thing that grinds my gear (what a pun!) is the endless stream of g.a.s.-triggering cheapo plastic crap that's spamming the planet, exploiting people and destroying small business, while nothing significant will ever come out of it music wise. I refuse to fall for that.
I think about this a lot. No judgement on anyone but I don’t smoke or drink. I drive an older car with no payment and have a modest home mortgage. Our kids are older and out of the house and I don’t have any credit card debt. The amount I spend on synths seems high but they are all sellable if needed and the amount of enjoyment I get from making sounds is hard to put a price on. That said, eurorack is very expensive. Try to avoid it if you can. It really is next level compared to all in one synths though and I’ll never get tired of experimenting with modular sounds.
I thought it was looking ok when he did the initial tour, a few too many synths/keyboards and excess grooveboxes/samplers perhaps but then as soon as I saw the MPC and the test equipment I knew he had a big GAS problem. I guess its more difficult in the US where the houses are far larger so you can continue hoarding without realising its an issue. I personally would go back to a DAW and simply layer a few analogs with softsynths to get the sound needed then get rid of at least half of the test kit and stuff on the floor as the room would look so much nicer without it. I dont use a lot of hardware regularly as I prefer using sofsynths but i'll bring out a hardware synth from storage for a month or two to see whats its capable of then store it away again after I get bored and swap it for something else for another month or two and if anything didnt inspire me then it gets sold.
There is some deep psychology behind this issue. I feel it too for sure. It’s a perfect example of how something so positive and exciting can turn on us. Things we think we need in order to protect us and create a successful outcome. People do this with food, sex, money, drugs, attention and now ….gear. It will take away talent because the high isn’t coming from the creating journey anymore but from the building journey. These are toys and we are children and we mustn’t spoil ourselves. We must give. And in this video, my friend, I see you giving.
I saw in the comments that a person claimed to be the 100th subscriber just 11 hours ago, this kind of growth of your channel due to the subject matter has me thinking you've got a kind of support group thing that might be growing. So, let me be the next person to say, "Hi, my name is John, and I might be a gearaholic too."
Amen brother! I'm a drummer sitting with his bass player mate watching this video nodding our heads off in absolute agreement with everything you said. We feel you all the way here in New Zealand. Brothers in GAS
Thank you for sharing this. This very much resonates with me. In the past I got high off just buying a piece, currently I have more than enough gear, and truth is, I use VSTs 80% of the time. I do appreciate sharing your candid talk... I know so many who struggle, and it's hard. All adding more gear had done is create more technical problems which I have a harder time solving since there's so many places the tech issue could be located. Less is more.
Appreciate it man! Apparently it’s something a lot of people relate to as my channel completely blew up from this video. Crazy! Miss being in your live streams I just have to get to bed before 9 these days unfortunately. Always catch the replays on my lunch though! You’re the best dude I super appreciate you watching and sharing your thoughts. Hopefully be able to chat again soon.
GAS was a coping mechanism for me, I had other issues in life and buying gear was one of the things that made me happy. Making music is fun and for a while I tried to go the dawless route, which is fine and very rewarding, but in the end was getting too much of a hassle. You just keep buying gear to solve problems, but the problems never really go away. Plus if you keep on buying things you feel you don't know your gear very well (not all of it at least). The last two years I've been on a mission to simplify it all. I still use my elektron boxes, some mono and poly synths, a couple of pedals and a mixer. I've sold pretty much all the major pieces of equipment about 2.5 years ago and I haven't bought a new piece of gear in over a year now. Everybody should decide for themselves, but for me. I just want to be happy with I have.
I feel the same with video games. I have a bunch that I’ve put less than a couple hours into and then something new comes along and I utter the words, “I’ll get back to this game later”
Thank you! Yeah it needs to happen. A deep overhaul and organization needs to happen soon first. Appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment.
i'm glad that the algorithm pointed me towards your video, GAS is a real thing and its refreshing to see a video talking about it and not pushing gear. It seems like every youtuber got a MPC X SE last week and became a MPC guy overnight it can be triggering, i agree limitations breed more creativity and helps you find your workflow. From One GAS sufferer to another i champion your video and wish you all the best and i love your set up by the way peace
Been there... thanks for sharing. Thankfully, I was selling gear as I went along, and tried new gear that came out. I did buy back a few things I had sold. I learned that you can always buy that same gear again pretty much, if you really needed it. Best wishes.
This has developed within myself this past year. I completely understand. since got into music I can stop buying every thing see that makes sound. nothing top expensive, but Ive accumulated so many organs, keyboards, guitars and so many random things, and I really feel lost sometimes when I want to start something. everything you said I 100% understand.
You’re always stopping by the channel and showing love, so it’s dope that the algorithm flipped the script and put you in my feed 🦾 Great video man. I’ve mentioned before in my videos that I’m blessed in a way because unused gear gives me anxiety these days. It keeps me from functioning when I get something I don’t use so I sell it and I feel instant relief. I wasn’t this minimalist until I was forced to sell all my gear 12 years ago and move 700 miles to another state with only what I could fit in my SUV. After that I started to feel like my possessions started to possess me by requiring so much space, maintenance and security. I settled on the MPC as my home base, and everything else just feeds it. That might be a good solution for you. Just feed the instrument you’re in the mood to use into the fun, choppy place that saves everything in one tap. It’s done wonders for my organization and peace of mind. Salute to you being a single dad as well 🫡
geee.. i was beginning to question my GAS... lol, but after seeing your gear... my acquisition of gear pales in comparison... so i feel alot better knowing seeing your tour *smiles look on the bright side... you can still walk through everything!! *smiles
I see a Conar Model 500 three band amateur radio receiver from the 1970s up on the top shelf of your End of the World Machine. I didn't own one of those, but did own the matching transmitter that I built from a kit back in the early 1970s. Also looks like a Collins 312B-5 VFO station console that's missing the VFO dial next to it.
Thanks for sharing and allowing us all to contemplate a challenge we all face. You have so much cool stuff but you struggle with organization as we all have / do. Here's what I do when I redsign my work space. First I take as much equipment out of the space as possible. Experience a blank canvas again. Then I focus on what kind of tables, racks, etc. I will use so I can re-imagine my work areas again . I like to think of in terms of workstations where I have gear that will need to work together (modular, 90's vintage, analog, gutiar, etc.) grouped so as to allow me to focus on one part of my eclectic collection at a time. When I tried to mix it all together it never worked for me. I map it out on paper, take pictures, take measurments, make drawings and formulate a vision. Then I put all my tables and racks are in place. Next, I focus on electrical. I Mount power strips everywhere. You will always need more outlets than you think. I hard mount power strips so they are not floating around. I velcro tie all my cables to keep them as neat as possible. I don't like zip ties as it makes reconfiguration harder. Now I bring back only the gear that will fit in my new space in an uncluttered manner. Eronomics are critical. Each piece of gear is placed where my hands can develope the muscle memory to know the functions without having to look. Overall, the space has to look and feeling good. Less is more as you stated. Lastly I wire in all my audio (and Midi) cables. I use as much velcro as needed to keep my cables neat. I look for natural paths where the cables want to sit. I try to aggrigate individule cables in bundles (snakes) that lead back to patch bays, mixers, etc. Of course there's so much more to the process but maybe these tips will help someone reading this to get started organizing so they can get back to making music again.
Thanks for these tips! 🙏 I struggle with organization and time management *_a lot._* I'm finally living on my own, and it's only gotten worse. Reading this reminds me that I need to work on it ASAP. 😕
@@crnkmnky Time management and orginization walk hand in hand that's for sure. For example, I do not do well with unstructured time. I need the structure imposed on me by the outside forces in my life to be productive muscially and otherwise. It's been hard to admit, but without these boundries, I get little done on my own. Just as organizing the workplace creates a space for creativity to happen, so does organizing ones time. For me I have to get all my commitments handled before I can even attempt musical creativity. This does not leave much time for music, but I find the time I do have to delivers a much more focused, intense creative experience. To be honest, I only have about two hours of high quality music in me each day. So what am I gonna do with the rest of the day? Might as well build a stable life and be of service to those I love. Maybe this approach sounds tedious (and it is at times) but, overall, I am a happier person and able acheive a higher quality of musical work with this philosophy. Stay the course, you'll get there.
Hey Brotha this video was amazing. I literally sold a lot of my gear the other day because of this same thing. I’m glad that somebody spoke on it much love.
this topic is deep and I never thought about it like this, GAS is actually like an addiction and it does stop you from creating music if you don't learn the gear
I find having to go to work hinders my creativity, not having too much gear. More is more and will always be. Nice walk through thanks. Heinbach has a lot to answer for. (its good to have you back!)
Thanks for this, I can empathise, having become a "sufferer" of G.A.S for a while. I've brought a halt to buying for now, and this post is a reminder to have a clearout...
From the early years of playing I had this problem of being hungry of new Ibanez guitars... Gibson acoustics... and Fender basses... I'm still fighting a little bit but I decided to speculate on used instruments... buying and selling... to at least profit on it, to the point that I no longer play guitars , but I enjoy the look of them . But I would agree that UA-cam has changed a lot... it is a very addictive place... f.e. multi-effects sound better on YT than in reality and better than guitars on many classic albums . Even the fact... that YT algorithm suggested me this video (from your tiny chanel) shows best that YT knows me very well...
nice video, man - we all have the GAS problem the good thing is you still use most of it and you are having some fun, clutter and annoyances aside 🙂 keep up the good work
Great vid, appreciate the sentiment. I have had pump the breaks on plugins. I open my DAW and the number of vst3 options is getting overwhelming. I made a spreadsheet of all the basic options. Say Delay, Filter, Reverb, etc. And the i listed every single plugin that meets that criteria. So when a "must have" plugin hits my rader or goes on sale i look up my spreadsheet, and i can see hey i have 4 plugins that do exactly this! I am happy to say i did not purchase a single thing from the recent Plugin Alliance sale!
Well said,Thank you for sharing, I finally narrowed my gear down to what kinds of sounds and tones I wanted to make as an artist, what I do and what I`m good at and love. I had way to many options and like you said ,soon as I got something I was already researching something else. It has been a long road I know you know.Nowdays I just want the best of what I mainly need,Its been hard to let some things go. I have learned alot about the products though, It`s an expensive education,lol.thanks For the video.
this video is soooo spot on and accurate that its scary that I'm not the only one who suffered(s) from G.A.S. My GAS is so out of control it can be scary
Thank you! I’ve gotten much better recently but it’s still a struggle. Wish you the best just try to make some music with a few things and focus on that. It really helps.
I use to have GAS back in 2005. I had the MPC 2000xl , triton rack , asr X, a bunch of sound racks. And then the computer got more powerful and I developed GAS really hard for plugins and DAWs. Long story short after years of just thinking “ only if I had more gear my sound will sound better”. I realized and told myself get rid of all this stuff. “ then I just focused on one or two piece Logic Pro and a handful of plugins. Creativity flowed and I still live by that lesson learned. I keep it minimal and when I feel like I’m getting back into GAS I stop. Lol it’s hard but still I don’t need all that stuff to get good sounds.
I don’t think people talk about the other side of GAS enough. That one piece of gear really CAN change your entire process and help you achieve your (logical) goals. The Octatrack was that for me and it makes it so hard to tell yourself “no” to that next piece of gear.
My advice is sell most of it keep literally what you need and the pieces you like most are have learned the best. Ive done this and i can't tell you how big of an impact this has had on music making. There is a saying all gear no idea and its true.
wow, man. I could hear and feel the despair in this video. the problem with GAS is people tend to think it has something to do with music. it has absolutely NOTHING to do with making music. I was struck by the justifications you were still making throughout the video, and could see and hear the patterns of behaviour that led you to this point creeping back up. seeing a Linnstrument and keystep pro on the floor, seeing the MPC X SE come into focus (which I would not be surprised if you do not use at all....) - it's an addiction. you said "but this stuff makes me happy" .. it's making you miserable. you've built a fortress of bad decisions that you need to face and justify everyday. I hope you're able to talk to someone and address the underlying issue here. and I think it would be beneficial for your health if you got rid of the almost all this stuff. powerful warning to all who fall down this rabbit hole. thanks for posting.
Thanks. Yeah it’s the option paralysis that really messes with me most. The MPC first the One and now the X SE are actually what get used most besides the Elektron stuff. Most all tracks I’ve made for the channel the past couple years were started on the MPC.
The title caught my eye, so I had to watch. Subscribed as well. As much as I can relate to GAS, to be honest, I don't think the amount you have is that bad. Here's what I would suggest: 1: Tidy up the room and reorganize everything. My main rule is to keep everything off the floor, which makes it so much easier to vacuum and keep everything clean. So I have shelves on the walls. No desks, as everything is on a shelf. For my MPC X, mixer, keyboards, etc, I have big 60 or 70cm deep shelves, and then 30cm deep shelves above those for monitors, rack gear etc. Basically, if you have empty wall space, put some gear there and hook it up to a patchbay or mixer! Like your ASRX, Yamaha drum machine etc. Where your computer is for example, I would put a shelf there that stretched to the wall at the left, and even an extra shelf below that, but above the Hydrasynth. And find ways of having all the gear permanently connected, so if there's something you need to use, it's ready to go. Look at BT's studio for inspiration. He has loads of gear, all connected. 2: Make your new MPC X the centrepiece of the studio, and have everything connected in a way that anything can be routed to its 3/4 audio ins. I do this with my MPC X by having all my other gear connected a stereo line mixer and Yamaha desk. The group outs from the desk go through an Alctron 'Neve' style stereo preamp into those 3/4 inputs. And that preamp can also be switched to mic inputs. I have everything hooked up, even my old Yamaha VSS100 sampler from 1986, and a little QY10. 3: Your Elektron setup looks nice. I would keep that totally separate from everything else. Give it its own mixer even. A little Mackie perhaps. 4: If you no longer feel the need for the MPC One now you have the X, take it out of the studio and use it elsewhere. In the living with headphones for example, and anything you create with it, you can bring into the studio on an SD card and load into the X. Hope this helps. But as I said, I think your main goal should be to get it looking tidy. Use cable ties on any leads that don't need to be visible. Remove all the clutter, and find a place for everything. Also, unless there's something totally essential you need, set yourself a goal of not buying anything new for at least a year or two. And document your progress here.
Thank you for posting this vid. I think G.A.S. is a legitimate issue that can stifle creativity as you had mentioned. More folks need to know. I’m sure it was not easy but appreciate the look inside your world. I wish you the best on your musical journey.
Nice video, interesting to hear someone with experience on this matter. I agree, it's best to strip down to bare essentials, which also helps forge a signature sound. It appears to me like you've earned the indulgence of exploring a myriad of electronic instruments considering your history, occupation, long work hours, and serious responsibilities that you meet the demands of. It's impressive you find the time and energy to be creative, well done.
I knew I was fUp when I sat in front of a Sp1200, akai Mpc 3k and a couple of synth… it was fun banging but I’ve always accomplished more on one system. That was mostly the mpc 4K. Most underrated in my opinion. It’s the goat. Stay up thanks for the inside
That’s a lot of gear my friend 😌. I don’t have have any hardware myself (other than a couple controllers) and I feel bad for spending so much money on software… I have also come to realize that for every instrument that we get, even software instruments, we really need time to learn it well. But there is always something new and cool out there. It is hard to be practical and disciplines… your video is very relatable. Thanks.
Wonderful video, well articulated points, definitely the down to earth talk we all need to hear from time to time. Can't believe I wasn't already subscribed to you, just fixed that!
Hardest thing to do is let go of your GAS, hanging on to gear you've out grown and arent using anymore. I was never of the Collector mindset and ive owned lots of gear over the past 50+ years and I still buy new tech but i always try to apply it to my sound. haha. It is fun learning new tech and figuring out how to apply it to your music/writing. It also helps you defind your sound. Redefind the music and create working setups is what I really enjoy doing. My lastest little rig is completely battey powered as well so I can hopefully do a little busking with it this Summer/Fall. That's what I do brother hahaha Having a blast too! I really enjoy setting up systems and exploring their potential and it always boils down to the groove for me. There are so many ways to use electronics with music, I'm a fan too and glad i saw your video. Thanks for sharing and it will cool watching and hearing more of your jams... 🎶💯
This comments section is one giant support group. We don't value our possessions as much as we should, because they are too easy to obtain. 100 years ago, a guy would save up to buy an accordion, violin, saxophone, or guitar, and he would master it and keep that prized possession in tip-top shape. And he probably made better music than any of us. I had a consumer-model Casio keyboard, an Ensoniq Mirage sampler, an effects machine, and a drum unit, and I recorded dozens of albums with that gear. After 25 years, I decided to "treat" myself by researching synths and building a "proper" studio... and I've barely recorded anything. I am deeply ashamed of my inactivity. Maybe I bought too much at once, and got intimidated by the learning curve of a dozen new machines. The act of researching and acquiring the gear became the new hobby that replaced the act of composing music.
That last part is huge: research and acquisition replaced performance and composition. Social media has affected many human activities in a similar way…
Apologies for the squeaky chair! The sad part of this video is I actually have an upstairs smaller studio I don’t show that is piled up with gear so much I can’t even use it at the moment 😢
I feel as if collecting the things that make the sounds that make the music, and learning how they work, or watching others working with them; can be just as interesting as painting a picture with the paint brushes you already have. My two favorite examples of minimalism done genius are Chelsea Wolfe's "The Grime & The Glow" (recorded straight to Tascam 8 track), and Bon Iver's "For Emma..." While it's perfectly possible to create great music with nothing more than good monitors and a good microphone, it doesn't mean that this is all the tools we should use, either. Something we CAN do is double-over our collections and see what it is that we can actually live without, without regretting it. I have two electric guitars, each with slightly different characteristics, but I can afford to live without one of them and not regret it. Then there's a drum machine that does SOME things, but not all the things this other one does, and a lot more. I can consolidate the sale of those items for a down payment on a house, put it in an investment portfolio, retirement account, or... I've been desiring a 10,000-ish dollar outboard, analog mastering set up. I have it all planned out. I want it, so much. I can empty my checking account right now and get most of it, or I can just pace myself, get just one piece or two, once a year when the taxes come back and make Diligent, Purposeful Cuts all year long to help save up for it more responsibly. What you're saying is so true, about how this synth over here needs to have it's software updated... now this MPC does as well... and then this other thing could use a firmware update, and heck, I could clean all of this equipment, too. Restring this guitar, and that one... it could become a chore in itself to maintain the space, and the equipment too. My salesman from Sweetwater called me up not long ago, "Do you need anything right now?" is the basic question. Not necessarily, as I am right now, even a year later, STILL learning how to get more deeply involved in the menu-diving, functionality or sound design aspects of the two items I bought A YEAR AGO! lol I feel as if G.A.S. manifests So Greatly in the synthesizer community, for the simple reason that this machine over here has a characteristic sound that another one doesn't, and in most cases, the easiest way to get that sound is to just buy that thing with those specific sounding filters, or chip-set. But if one is patient, they can find somewhat similar sounds, or perhaps even ones that are more pleasing to one's ears ultimately, with the synth they already have; and often times, it's that folks in the synth community aren't taking the time to learn synthesis themselves, relying mainly on presets, or perhaps playing no more than arpeggios, or using the sequencer feature. There are many videos of synth collectors who could afford to spend 30,000 dollars or more on synthesizers, but they buy this other one over here because "It Does X!", and I'm seeing a synth they already have that CAN accomplish that task already, but they just don't realize it! But at the same time, I don't think judging is the way to go either, unless one has gotten to the point of losing their house. Then, by all means, try to go a bit cheaper. And, anyhow, perhaps as a regular exercise; we should all put every single piece of equipment we own into a hat, drawing 2 or 4 pieces and vowing not to use any other piece of equipment but those 2 or 4, for an entire 12 song album BEFORE buying anything else. This way we can ensure we absolutely know the limitations of our devices, know for sure what colors we have on our palette, or do not, before buying more paints. As much as I personally would hate to lose any piece of gear I ALREADY own, the plus-side to owning equipment that maintains it's value (or increases over time), is that if the worst possible situation were to occur, just selling one or two pieces of gear guarantees an entire month to find a new job, buy some groceries, whatever- and is, in a sense- a guarantee against homelessness. As someone who had found themselves homeless in their early 20's, because I was- like most people- living "paycheck to paycheck", just losing one paycheck meant I was literally on the street. So this is also, kind of how I view the equipment I have in this room at times, lol ... A sort of, extra guarantee. A sense of Peace Of mind. And also, in a sense, why I may find it easier to say to myself- like right now off and on I have been, "this mastering compressor is 3,000 dollars, that's a lot of money, I should be more responsible... but I can always sell it, and that's two months not on the street, that's two months to find a new job, etc. etc." I think it also comes down to how we view money, in general. And, perhaps, even more intangibly; our sense of finding demonstrable/measurable emotional, psychological value, or worth in Things. One time, I needed a "bell" or "chime" type of sound, but I didn't want to go digging in digital synthesizers or take the time to make it in the analog world with a synth either; so I just picked up my coffee cup, hit it with a spoon, placed a little reverb on it, lowered the volume, and it was EXACTLY what I was looking for, in the nearest mic. So, I think we should also be Okay with thinking like that, as well. And there's always a sense of the fact that, no matter what our age, life is short and we must enjoy it. We must also place emphasis on Quality Of Life matters, as well. My Father was dying, as a diabetic in the hospital. He had approx. 6 months to live. He wanted me to get him some Jack In The Box down the street. I did, but didn't want to. He realized he was going to die anyway. I was in denial. He realized: what is this going to cost me... a day? two? a month? Would that month on hospital dialysis of been any better than that combo meal or those tacos? really?! G.A.S. is such a deep, philosophical question. Some of us also have watched Bob Ross, and have never really got into painting. Dali was discouraged from getting into Surrealism and became the most famous of the bunch. DaVinci in his later years burnt all his works he considered would lessen the affect of his legacy over a fire, things that would be considered priceless to us, today. Some of us have jerked off to the Cindy Crawford work out tape from the 90's. A lot of us have perhaps also done this, and not yet admitted it out loud. Other people favour the Richard Simmons work out tapes. Ultimately, who am I to judge?
Many of us are creating and recording music alone, which is not always a bad thing, but it often means the creativity suffers from too many distractions.
The cool way is before start to jam for the track, just in the beginning limit yourself the numbers of gear, 3-5, than chose and jamming some period of time only with this instruments. It can lead to right direction
Glad to see your video blew up with all these views! Clearly too many of us tend to overemphasize the tools rather than craft or the outcome. Limiting the gear options for any given creative effort helps with focusing on just getting to work on the task at hand. Using a random number generator can be one way to select which tools to employ on a new musical endeavor.
Thanks man! It’s crazy how this blew up I had no idea haha! It was meant for the few people that followed me and it blew the channel up. Seems insane but I’ll take it haha!
Thanks for sharing this Nathan, I was having serious GAS, even after I stopped buying hardware gears, I started to collect midi controllers... all kinds from all brands... Now I decided to sell most of them and come back to instrument playing and composing, it can be REALLY helpful for curing one's GAS. (Also making videos bashing on stupid gear design makes me move forward too 😄) Tbh, most groove boxes overlap with each other functionally, using them all together is like you're trying to sync up GarageBand + Logic Pro X + Ableton Live + Reaper + FL Studio all together, and they're all in lite version. For me for now, I only need a GarageBand.
I didn’t have the time and money to get that deep. But I went through plenty of gear. I was fortunate that I had a goal and the elektron Octatrack with a few external pieces and software is more than enough for me. I’m glad I was able to get past this. Best wishes on your going forward.
back in the 80 in Mexico city american style supermarkets started appearing and they were the "thing " to shop. As it was so expensive most families stuck with a more traditional diet, in a way that prevented us from eating processed crap. Is a balance to be found between the most written comments in UA-cam: "i buy new gear for every project" and "just learn one box and that is all you need" peace. thanx for sharing..
Sick man. Its all about the passion and love for music and man do you have a bunch of stuff to fiddle with. Great video and we need to get together when you have time and hang out.
This is a honest man. describing things perfectly. my issue i had to downsize living accomadation. so half my stuff is in boxes. A pleasure and a curse. Note to self Think first 🎶buy later.👍✌️ . nice talk. minimal set up is always good.
My dad and grandpa had photography GAS and I now have a huge collection of vintage cameras they left me. 😂 Hobbies can become obsessions, and if you have an addictive personality, it can go on and on and span multiple hobbies and 10's of thousands of dollars each hobby. 😂❤
The most prolific period was when i was in a small student room with 2 guitars, a small audio interface and a DAW. Yes there's frustration and hurdles with DAWs but the ideas got done! No shuffling around with cables, picking the right amps, pedals, drum machines etc, just plug it in, pick an amp sim and go!
Such a brilliant video and so well said. GAS is legit, and I can’t believe I have it haha. I need to just focus on a few things and get epic with them.
The most relatable video ever. The less gear I had, the more music I made. The more I get, the more I realize it isn't necessary. I think possibly accumulating gear gives me some feeling of control in life which is lacking? Yet, at the detriment of a productive and healthy relationship with music. ...and possible insanity. For instance, I'll check a tracking number like a fiend, and then once it arrives, not open the box.🤷♂️ Genuinely curious about what exactly makes the Marantz deck special. I always liked the look. Embarrassingly, I have 2 of them which I've yet to use... for years now. One has a defect with the rotating head / auto-reverse mechanism, which sort of put me off using them- and I do realize that *no one* is still reading this comment.🤦♂️
Hey, I was still reading. The tape deck probably could've been a secondary comment, but it fits with the G.A.S. theme. I have several pieces of gear that I've only tried once, although I still have big ideas for them. I frantically bought a KeyStep 32 on Reverb, for controlling my Neutron semi-modular. But I never opened the package in 3 years, because I can't find the Neutron's power cable. Then I decided that I'll never be truly productive until I have a KeyStep Pro to finally give me flexible enough sequencing. 🤦🏿♀️
@@crnkmnky Haha, I feel you!! I frantically bought the Korg one (SQ-64?) when they were real cheap on Reverb, and it's just not going to cut it. ...but hey, just in case you didn't know, that Nuetron power supply is a pretty common one that a lot of other gear uses. You can probably find one cheap, if you don't already have one around from another piece of gear. It's standard 12v DC, center pin positive, 1A, and pretty sure it's the common barrel size (2.1 x 5.5mm). ...or any of those universal power supplies would do the trick (with the different sized barrel plugs and a little dial to select the voltage). Aside from this totally unsolicited information, thanks for the nice reply, sorry for this long one... and I hope that Keystep Pro solves ALL of your GAS 😉👍
Hitting the nail on the head Nathan! At some point late last year I effectively gave up being a guitar player (of 40+ years) so I could become a guitar pedal player instead. Just like you said, you get one, barely even take time to figure it out before needing the next. Glad to say I turned that all around a couple months ago after getting my Ibanez RGKP6 (has a built in Korg mini KP2) and I have barely even touched my overflowing pedal board ever since. Practicing every day and now my callouses are growing their own callouses and I have gained much confidence in my playing overall. "Bob" said, "Too much is always better than not enough." I hate to call Him wrong, but apparently he also never had to deal with GAS! Power to you bro!!!
Based SubGenius reference. But you know that if ol' J.R. were still around, he'd be going door-to-door trying to sell us new pedals that we don't need, at double the price.
Gotta Love your honesty. I had to sub, not only for your awesome content, but as soon as I seen the Yamaha DJX ll-B on your table, I was like, that ma’ boi! I have not seen that thing in about 20 years. Thanks for putting a smile on my face. I completely forgot about the existence. It was my first piece or toy that i owned, what got me into this place, lol. My gateway groovebox into gas, so to speak. Awesome tour btw. What a wall you built there. It must have also been a Zeitgeist thing. I witnessed this with a lot of people during the pandemic and then the sudden panic to stop at the ⛽station within the last year or so is pretty remarkable. i'm probably going down a whole other rabbit hole here, but who knows, maybe we all felt this intense rush to pull the trigger on gear during that time because we went through some type of collective trauma of not knowing what to do next with our lives, time and money. so we might as well spend it on cool toys that makes bad-ass noise, right? It felt more or less like a cry or a symbol for preserving time within a box. We were being confronted with ourselves and re-evaluating goals on a global level, all at the same time. Plus I don’t think we just buy for the sake of it, we buy into feelings and when we get the feels, we get the feels. there’s no real explanation to why we need another guitar or sampler other than what we experienced while using it or whilst fantasizing over it. Funny enough once we go back into the flow and hang of normal life-routines again, we suddenly wake up out of our purchase paradise.. with an overwhelming urge to lay low on our spending spree’s. Apart from the odd mpc x here and there 🫣😅 otherwise I can’t seem to explain this need to want to apologize for what we have built up over several years. Speaking of mpc, Autosampling your favorite analog-gear/modular patches into keygroups can also help with cleaning up a little in the back of your mind. it’s by no means the same as the real deal but it can help with creative restrictions, regarding the limitations at tweaking & sound designing. if you haven’t already considered looking into that feature. I guess you’re doing the right thing though by owning up and acknowledging this phenomenon. So thanks for sharing with the rest of us, as this brings people together in order to come up with more creative strategies and solutions. The third step would probably be not to beat yourself up about it and more or less have fun along the way, whilst implementing what we've learnt about our gas observation. Sorry for this book, I just felt I had to share my thoughts on this topic too. Looking forward to more videos on your channel!
Great video! I have a basement filled with gear from over 30 years. I am in it for the love of music making. About 5 years ago I finally made a rule that if I bought some gear I had to make 10 songs with it. It’s been a shockingly rewarding rule (recommended). I never feel anymore that I am wasting money as I always get something out of it. I next added a rule that if I buy something, I first have to sell gear to fund it. That’s been going well for a few years. Don’t get me wrong… I am not perfect or preaching… just trying to share a couple things that have worked for me over the last few years.
@@dcpno nice and good luck! I find that by my 10th song I know if I want to keep the product long term. I just finished my 5th song with my Elektron Analog 4.
Writing 10 good songs with a piece of gear can take years to do if the gear is complex. If you just write some crappy song you’re not happy with, it won’t feel like a song was created.
@@shitmandood Do what makes you happy man! We all have our workflows. I am old and no longer gig, just trying to share what works for me and might help someone else. If you are a young guy just know that for years and years you would go to the studio and make and record music on gear that you had never used before. Probably seems like an alien thought, but lots of amazing music produced on gear folks aren’t experts on.
Those are great rules to follow, Dracul. Reminds me of the Zen concept of "100 Possessions" where a person lives a minimalist life and only owns 100 objects, and if they obtain a new object, they must discard a previous one.
Nice thing about Eurorack (and modular in general), I have a drawer where I put modules I don't use or get tired of using. I'll swap them in/out at times. I will NOT buy/build another case, I just swap modules - 5U as well. Old rack gear (WS A/D, samplers, etc) I get out of the main room. Cluttered workspace == cluttered mind.
I totally relate Nate. I had a position in wich I had every ingredient available to me. As a Chef it was awesome, overwhelming, and at times cumbersome. So much it would make my head spin and I found it to harness or finalize specifity in what I was trying to portray or present. Options are nice though Brother. Looking good ya freak!
Wow, I didn’t know I had a “light skin” brother out there. Indeed, I know the feelings from which you speak. I call it “option fatigue”. As there are so many choices, that likely nothing gets made. I’m definitely at the pull things aside to create a minimal setup for a session. My rabbit hole entry was E-MU racks and gear. As I instantly picked out those around you. When you spoke on the dynamics of getting multiple pieces in rapid succession, I knew we’re related. For me it was the SP404MK2 and MPCKEY61, and something else I’m forgetting. Anyways, I’ve found your channel, and got it locked into the feed. I’m sure we’ll share more in the future. ✌🏾👍🏾✊🏾
@@durtcannon when a black guy called me his Thai brother, I felt very welcome to him, it’s just a very endearing way to say you’re on the same page yknow
This was a good video. G.A.S affects almost all, but in different ways. For musicians it is instruments, gear, pedals, etc. Photographer, it could be more lenses, bodies...gamers...the latest graphics card or their console collection. I think one of the parts that most resonated with me was how we buy stuff and before we even learn it thoroughly, we add more gear. Alot of times, we don't get full usage out of what we have before adding more. I think psychologically, we are getting the satisfaction from the thrill of seeing something we want and then getting it. Deep down, once the satisfaction of getting it wears off, it is no longer exciting. It is like the excitement of opening a gift, and then being bored of it. I think it is fine to buy, collect, etc as long as it brings joy. When it causes problems, gets in the way, turns to hoarding, etc...time to rethink. Sometimes less is more and having less choices is easier to make decisions.
Great perspective... I agree 100%... I came out of a 20 year hiatus from makign music about 6 months ago and it started with an ipad when I was in a hospital for a few weeks then i came out and started buying more and more... I get the ideas to expand then i went DAW and more and more... Long story short my creative hobby has turned into a rabbit hole of credit card debt... 6 months recorded absolutely nothing... OCD maximizing... Good/bad news is my tiny Manhattan lab has become so overcrowded I have to stop adding physical gear... I start to make memos for my days off from work now on what instrument and/or process i will attempt to limit myself to...
I’ve definitely experienced GAS issues since I started a few years ago. I spend far too much time at work browsing youtube and auction sites. It’s easy to see a great demo and think, “Oh, if only I had that I could x” and then start hunting. Thankfully I never started in modular.
Yeah pretty much hit the same thing over here. Had so much gear that my mixer didn't have enough inputs. Kinda hit me it wasn't all necessary to have set up at once. Now I just have some empty spaces on a modular rack for interesting new modules when they come out, but otherwise, I'm content with the setup I have. Even using the computer alone with no synths is enough,
Ive spent the last 12 months gassing , purchasing , assembling and patching similar hardware setup that has grown too large . its taken 6 months just patching and connecting everything . but its coming together . I have started focusing on a few pieces at a time , learning , connecting , developing workflows . then moving onto the next group . I've had periods of less gear with more productivity , periods of writing , producing and releasing a lot more . But sometimes its ok to focus on other things in the process instead of focusing on just releasing music . focusing on learning physical gear , connections , configurations , different hardware can be just as rewarding
A ery important video and my story in Norway, was a 90 with Akai hardware sequencer and Roland, Korg, Yamaha, Waldorf, Alesis and so on. Rebooting right before Covide nowdays 3 Midikeyboard and around 700 VST and more happy with that...
Thanks for posting this very honest video. I agree with you 100%. I remember reading an article in a well known music magazine and the advice was don't sell anything, as you upgrade let your studio grow in power. This was good advice then as we couldn't afford much gear and even big studios had only a few high end items.However, today it is easier to get high quality instruments and audio gear at relatively affordable prices (apart from vintage synths and gear where the world seems to have gone mad). It seems that even before you have learnt how to use something, the new updated version is available. I bought a single Elektron box as I liked the analog sounds, before I knew what was happening I had three others. Great machines with a learning curve thats like climbing Mount Everest. The workflow seems to draw you into expanding. My best period was when I had a Rhodes piano, an Arp Odyssey and a Clavinet. To record, I had a four track tape recorder and a home made spring reverb and compressor. I wrote loads of tracks then. I couldn't get more that 7 tracks down before the tape noise started to drown out the music. Happy days! Still G.A.S is great problem to have and it doesn't hurt anybody. We just need more space and more time to enjoy it all.
The gods of the algorithm saw fit to present me with me your G.A.S. video and I appreciate what you've done here. One note: when you said "Eurorack is expensive," i thought YES! Because that's where my G.A.S. took me at the onset of covid lockdowns (from a background not too different from the way you described yours, in fact.) But I'm pretty sure Eurorack isn't quite as expensive as whatever THAT is you're doing. Looks like you've got as many thousand dollar groove boxes as I have modules ;) Anyway, this is super relatable, even if I don't have as much stuff as you. And there's no doubt that in the throes of a serious bout of G.A.S. I end up doing a lot less recording (or especially FINISHING recordings) than I probably should. Sometimes it feels like it's a cycle, and adding all the equipment leads to a later fertile creative period; OR maybe that's just what I tell myself so I don't feel so idiotic shopping for eurorack stuff 24/7. Great stuff here, glad to start subscribing, looking forward to hearing some of what you record with that stuff.
I feel for ya, I pretty much did the same in the last few years. Sadly, my experience turned into what I believe was like a twilight zone story. There was one about a man that has collected a massive amount of books, and just when he sat down to read, he broke his only pair of glasses! For me, I put together a whole studio and then my illness progressed and now I cannot sit down to play.😲 I wish you well in weeding out all the duplicative pieces. And then, Play On😁🎶🎹🎶🎶
I used to buy a lot of stuff too but not as much as you, but it's still the same thing. I think it's some kind of mental thing, but anyway, I've gotten away from all that purchasing mentality. Now for the last 10 years or so I'm focused on the Akai MPC's and those machines allow me to create music with no limits because those machines come with everything you need, including synthesizers and a drum machine and keyboards, so I'm glad that I'm finally settling down on something that works for me and many other people, by nature, human beings are always trying to improve whatever they are doing and that's OK because if we didn't do that, we still be living in caves and hunting and gathering food.
This type of music gear discipline is what I needed today. I’ve had my eyes on the pulsar 23 and millimetric instruments guitars for a while now, and I’ve somehow managed to say no to myself
Honestly everything with GAS in my experience also applies to collecting VSTs. I have so many VSTs, for years I'd get lost trying to make projects with different synths/effects/sequencers but nothing substantial came out of it. As soon as I restricted my VST use to only my most used it alleviated the friction. Recently started going into hardware setups and I'm constantly trying to keep GAS in check, got some basic kit (minibrute 2s/drumbrute impact and a Minilogue XD) and aside from grabbing myself a mixer and something I can use as a brain for the setup I'm not buying any other kit until im absolutely sure. The temptation is strong but my wallet wont survive lol.
Totally agree! I also had long pause in music making, around 8 years. And then I was producing absolutely in box, only mac, Logic Pro and thats it =) I knew Logic 100%, used only Logic’s synths. And made some great bangers. Then I started to buy bunch of cool vsts and what you think? I stopped to create. Everything what I used to do - is moving sliders, learning new things, but new things was a lot… In last year, in August 2022, got Push 2 with Ableton Suite. Also got Novation Mininova and Behringer TD-3. It all runs through UAD Volt476, so particularly all ins used. And you know? It again interesting to make music. Mininova great synth for performance. Arpeggio, modulations, fast patch changing via clip in Ableton Live. TD-3 I think don’t need to be commented! =) I record loops from synths via Push2, selecting next patch, recording. And it all work, without walls of gear. I want to purchase Roland TR8s, but I know how I will use it in Live performances adding flexibility over percussions. Sometimes it’s impossible to make multitasks on Push2. TR8s can help me for faster drum parts changes. Or for add the flavor =) Thank you for your video! You talking about right things
To give everybody here more perspective. Maybe the most innovative/unique electronic artist of the last decade Sophie only used a Elektron Monomachine. Her mastery of that machine yielded some of the most incredible sounds in modern music. Limitations breed creativity.
True GAS right here! But great taste. What's your plan to be able to create? Focus on 1 piece of gear might be worth it....maybe even outside of this room. Again, great taste and good luck 🙏🏾
Wow. Nathan.. Thank you so much for making this and being honest about it all. This reminds me a lot of when I had 24 inputs with everything sync'd perfectly and I would press space bar to get the whole rig going and I'd have no clue where to put down the first note.. I made 0 finished songs with that setup.. Then in the summer my garage got WAY too hot and all I had was my MPC 4000 and made LOADS of tunes and put out 3 EPs on just that one box.. It was a big reality slap in the face..
also, sick hat haha! I appreciate it. I'm happy to be Sub #81!
Literally the same thing I'm dealing with smh lol. U got this Ricky 🤌🏿😂
How do you stop trying to “make it all work together” once you realize it though ;) I keep breaking my studio down to simplify it and then slowly drifting back to a cable-y monolith
Bro i love your channel cheers from Uruguay 😊😊
Thank you Ricky! Really appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment. Big fan of your channel I’ve learned so much from you over the years! 🙏
Haha i thought ive seen that hat somewhere.
This is like a warning from myself in the future. 😂
Came back in time to save humanity from GAS 😂
It's a warning to my past self... may I never return to that dark place
@@lordmatthewlukeobrien u readin deleuze?
I read you loud and clear
Have you seen what some people with no hobbies do with their money? I personally am unable to make popular music, but the experimental crap that I do make is a source of happiness when it happens. Due to my craft being unmarketable, I have a day job doing high end painting in very nice neighborhoods. Many times I have witnessed large scale kitchen remodeling projects that turn out beautifully. To my surprise, the remodel starts over. All of the subtle complaints about workers always being in the house and the remodeling taking too long, only to start again. Acquisition syndrome seems to have various forms that never produce any music at all. If the kids are fed and it makes you happy, is a wall of test equipment really that bad?
You're not wrong. I think the issue here is defining what you want to get out of the hobby. If your goal is to make music it's easy to go astray focusing on gear. However I think collecting equipment can be a main part of the hobby in itself. I think it's worth considering what one's goals are and reevaluate from time to time.
I think it’s just everyone has a “thing” they do for hobby/enjoyment. I have a friend that collects guns, another that collects Jordan sneakers and another that buys Jeep parts to go off roading on weekends so they break and need to buy more. Always the same high, the “latest”. Their collections are very very pricey. We are here because music is our common denominator and if it’s not, we go to the next “thing” of acquisitions.
there's nothing wrong with collecting gear, if it makes one happy and as long as the collector's aware that he's just a cog in the wheel of a hobbyist industry that make turnover by having people believe that they can matter as a pro musician too, but it's actually nothing to do with music since real musicians actually don't care too much about gear acquisition, because they're too busy with actually making music that matters. The only thing that grinds my gear (what a pun!) is the endless stream of g.a.s.-triggering cheapo plastic crap that's spamming the planet, exploiting people and destroying small business, while nothing significant will ever come out of it music wise. I refuse to fall for that.
I think about this a lot. No judgement on anyone but I don’t smoke or drink. I drive an older car with no payment and have a modest home mortgage. Our kids are older and out of the house and I don’t have any credit card debt. The amount I spend on synths seems high but they are all sellable if needed and the amount of enjoyment I get from making sounds is hard to put a price on.
That said, eurorack is very expensive. Try to avoid it if you can. It really is next level compared to all in one synths though and I’ll never get tired of experimenting with modular sounds.
@@ericMT you described me !
thank you
I couldn’t agree more with this. The creativity paralysis that comes from too many options is very real for me
I thought it was looking ok when he did the initial tour, a few too many synths/keyboards and excess grooveboxes/samplers perhaps but then as soon as I saw the MPC and the test equipment I knew he had a big GAS problem. I guess its more difficult in the US where the houses are far larger so you can continue hoarding without realising its an issue. I personally would go back to a DAW and simply layer a few analogs with softsynths to get the sound needed then get rid of at least half of the test kit and stuff on the floor as the room would look so much nicer without it. I dont use a lot of hardware regularly as I prefer using sofsynths but i'll bring out a hardware synth from storage for a month or two to see whats its capable of then store it away again after I get bored and swap it for something else for another month or two and if anything didnt inspire me then it gets sold.
There is some deep psychology behind this issue. I feel it too for sure. It’s a perfect example of how something so positive and exciting can turn on us. Things we think we need in order to protect us and create a successful outcome. People do this with food, sex, money, drugs, attention and now ….gear.
It will take away talent because the high isn’t coming from the creating journey anymore but from the building journey.
These are toys and we are children and we mustn’t spoil ourselves. We must give. And in this video, my friend, I see you giving.
Keeping up with the joneses can hit us fellas hard, we have so many hobbies
Damn….
As I get older, yes, I am finding there is a price you pay for everything (that at some point you thought was perfect).
I think its all about people trying to find meaning in existence
This is really really well put. Thank you!
I saw in the comments that a person claimed to be the 100th subscriber just 11 hours ago, this kind of growth of your channel due to the subject matter has me thinking you've got a kind of support group thing that might be growing. So, let me be the next person to say, "Hi, my name is John, and I might be a gearaholic too."
Amen brother! I'm a drummer sitting with his bass player mate watching this video nodding our heads off in absolute agreement with everything you said. We feel you all the way here in New Zealand. Brothers in GAS
Brothers in GAS… love that… and maybe an ok band name, lol.
Thank you! Amazing to me you are on the other side of the world and watched this relating to it! Appreciate it!
HAHA! Wish I have a brother in gas to share my woes with too :(
Thank you for sharing this. This very much resonates with me. In the past I got high off just buying a piece, currently I have more than enough gear, and truth is, I use VSTs 80% of the time. I do appreciate sharing your candid talk... I know so many who struggle, and it's hard. All adding more gear had done is create more technical problems which I have a harder time solving since there's so many places the tech issue could be located. Less is more.
Appreciate it man! Apparently it’s something a lot of people relate to as my channel completely blew up from this video. Crazy! Miss being in your live streams I just have to get to bed before 9 these days unfortunately. Always catch the replays on my lunch though! You’re the best dude I super appreciate you watching and sharing your thoughts. Hopefully be able to chat again soon.
GAS was a coping mechanism for me, I had other issues in life and buying gear was one of the things that made me happy. Making music is fun and for a while I tried to go the dawless route, which is fine and very rewarding, but in the end was getting too much of a hassle. You just keep buying gear to solve problems, but the problems never really go away. Plus if you keep on buying things you feel you don't know your gear very well (not all of it at least).
The last two years I've been on a mission to simplify it all. I still use my elektron boxes, some mono and poly synths, a couple of pedals and a mixer. I've sold pretty much all the major pieces of equipment about 2.5 years ago and I haven't bought a new piece of gear in over a year now. Everybody should decide for themselves, but for me. I just want to be happy with I have.
I can recognize it did to me with used pa aquisition during these 4 last years. Tyvm Sir. Will be aware of myself more often now. GL
I feel the same with video games. I have a bunch that I’ve put less than a couple hours into and then something new comes along and I utter the words, “I’ll get back to this game later”
Great video. Would still love to see a studio tour, or especially a breakdown of your end of the world machine
Thank you! Yeah it needs to happen. A deep overhaul and organization needs to happen soon first. Appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment.
As soon as you said Electrician by trade, I knew your collection was gonna be wild 😂
Ahhhh there’s that word “justify”. Thank you for this Brother.
i'm glad that the algorithm pointed me towards your video, GAS is a real thing and its refreshing to see a video talking about it and not pushing gear. It seems like every youtuber got a MPC X SE last week and became a MPC guy overnight it can be triggering, i agree limitations breed more creativity and helps you find your workflow. From One GAS sufferer to another i champion your video and wish you all the best and i love your set up by the way peace
Addiction is a powerful thing. Admitting you have the problem is the first step to freedom. Good luck my friend!
Been there... thanks for sharing. Thankfully, I was selling gear as I went along, and tried new gear that came out. I did buy back a few things I had sold. I learned that you can always buy that same gear again pretty much, if you really needed it. Best wishes.
I suffer from this. More equipment definitely doesn't equate to more productive output. It definitely hinders creativity
This has developed within myself this past year. I completely understand. since got into music I can stop buying every thing see that makes sound. nothing top expensive, but Ive accumulated so many organs, keyboards, guitars and so many random things, and I really feel lost sometimes when I want to start something. everything you said I 100% understand.
Appreciate your comment and watching the video!
You’re always stopping by the channel and showing love, so it’s dope that the algorithm flipped the script and put you in my feed 🦾 Great video man. I’ve mentioned before in my videos that I’m blessed in a way because unused gear gives me anxiety these days. It keeps me from functioning when I get something I don’t use so I sell it and I feel instant relief.
I wasn’t this minimalist until I was forced to sell all my gear 12 years ago and move 700 miles to another state with only what I could fit in my SUV. After that I started to feel like my possessions started to possess me by requiring so much space, maintenance and security.
I settled on the MPC as my home base, and everything else just feeds it. That might be a good solution for you. Just feed the instrument you’re in the mood to use into the fun, choppy place that saves everything in one tap. It’s done wonders for my organization and peace of mind.
Salute to you being a single dad as well 🫡
Thanks Sight! Super Appreciate you checking out the vid and sharing your experience man! MPC Gang!!
geee.. i was beginning to question my GAS... lol, but after seeing your gear... my acquisition of gear pales in comparison... so i feel alot better knowing seeing your tour *smiles
look on the bright side... you can still walk through everything!! *smiles
I see a Conar Model 500 three band amateur radio receiver from the 1970s up on the top shelf of your End of the World Machine. I didn't own one of those, but did own the matching transmitter that I built from a kit back in the early 1970s. Also looks like a Collins 312B-5 VFO station console that's missing the VFO dial next to it.
If you have the money-enjoy! It's a passion, don't regret.
Thanks for sharing and allowing us all to contemplate a challenge we all face. You have so much cool stuff but you struggle with organization as we all have / do. Here's what I do when I redsign my work space. First I take as much equipment out of the space as possible. Experience a blank canvas again. Then I focus on what kind of tables, racks, etc. I will use so I can re-imagine my work areas again . I like to think of in terms of workstations where I have gear that will need to work together (modular, 90's vintage, analog, gutiar, etc.) grouped so as to allow me to focus on one part of my eclectic collection at a time. When I tried to mix it all together it never worked for me. I map it out on paper, take pictures, take measurments, make drawings and formulate a vision. Then I put all my tables and racks are in place. Next, I focus on electrical. I Mount power strips everywhere. You will always need more outlets than you think. I hard mount power strips so they are not floating around. I velcro tie all my cables to keep them as neat as possible. I don't like zip ties as it makes reconfiguration harder. Now I bring back only the gear that will fit in my new space in an uncluttered manner. Eronomics are critical. Each piece of gear is placed where my hands can develope the muscle memory to know the functions without having to look. Overall, the space has to look and feeling good. Less is more as you stated. Lastly I wire in all my audio (and Midi) cables. I use as much velcro as needed to keep my cables neat. I look for natural paths where the cables want to sit. I try to aggrigate individule cables in bundles (snakes) that lead back to patch bays, mixers, etc. Of course there's so much more to the process but maybe these tips will help someone reading this to get started organizing so they can get back to making music again.
Thanks for these tips! 🙏
I struggle with organization and time management *_a lot._* I'm finally living on my own, and it's only gotten worse. Reading this reminds me that I need to work on it ASAP. 😕
@@crnkmnky Time management and orginization walk hand in hand that's for sure. For example, I do not do well with unstructured time. I need the structure imposed on me by the outside forces in my life to be productive muscially and otherwise. It's been hard to admit, but without these boundries, I get little done on my own. Just as organizing the workplace creates a space for creativity to happen, so does organizing ones time. For me I have to get all my commitments handled before I can even attempt musical creativity. This does not leave much time for music, but I find the time I do have to delivers a much more focused, intense creative experience. To be honest, I only have about two hours of high quality music in me each day. So what am I gonna do with the rest of the day? Might as well build a stable life and be of service to those I love. Maybe this approach sounds tedious (and it is at times) but, overall, I am a happier person and able acheive a higher quality of musical work with this philosophy. Stay the course, you'll get there.
Excellent advice thank you!
Hey Brotha this video was amazing. I literally sold a lot of my gear the other day because of this same thing. I’m glad that somebody spoke on it much love.
Thank you!
I'm overwhelmed just looking at all your gear 😂 Thank you for making this video. I've definitely been there.
I really appreciate your perspective. Loved listening to the story of your sybth journey. You got a good way of telling stories.
Thank you! Much appreciated!
this topic is deep and I never thought about it like this, GAS is actually like an addiction and it does stop you from creating music if you don't learn the gear
I find having to go to work hinders my creativity, not having too much gear. More is more and will always be. Nice walk through thanks. Heinbach has a lot to answer for. (its good to have you back!)
💯 work and not enough free time is the true problem. Thank you for watching
Thanks for this, I can empathise, having become a "sufferer" of G.A.S for a while. I've brought a halt to buying for now, and this post is a reminder to have a clearout...
Definitely the truth… too much gear turns making music in to a chore and takes the fun out of it.
Not only a chore but a stressor on the brain and body.
From the early years of playing I had this problem of being hungry of new Ibanez guitars... Gibson acoustics... and Fender basses... I'm still fighting a little bit but I decided to speculate on used instruments... buying and selling... to at least profit on it, to the point that I no longer play guitars , but I enjoy the look of them . But I would agree that UA-cam has changed a lot... it is a very addictive place... f.e. multi-effects sound better on YT than in reality and better than guitars on many classic albums .
Even the fact... that YT algorithm suggested me this video (from your tiny chanel) shows best that YT knows me very well...
nice video, man - we all have the GAS problem
the good thing is you still use most of it and you are having some fun, clutter and annoyances aside 🙂
keep up the good work
Appreciate it SynthAddict!
Your authenticity Make me feel good
Thank’s man
Thank you!
Great vid, appreciate the sentiment. I have had pump the breaks on plugins. I open my DAW and the number of vst3 options is getting overwhelming. I made a spreadsheet of all the basic options. Say Delay, Filter, Reverb, etc. And the i listed every single plugin that meets that criteria.
So when a "must have" plugin hits my rader or goes on sale i look up my spreadsheet, and i can see hey i have 4 plugins that do exactly this!
I am happy to say i did not purchase a single thing from the recent Plugin Alliance sale!
Thank you
Well said,Thank you for sharing, I finally narrowed my gear down to what kinds of sounds and tones I wanted to make as an artist, what I do and what I`m good at and love. I had way to many options and like you said ,soon as I got something I was already researching something else. It has been a long road I know you know.Nowdays I just want the best of what I mainly need,Its been hard to let some things go. I have learned alot about the products though, It`s an expensive education,lol.thanks For the video.
Thanks for watching!
this video is soooo spot on and accurate that its scary that I'm not the only one who suffered(s) from G.A.S. My GAS is so out of control it can be scary
Thank you! I’ve gotten much better recently but it’s still a struggle. Wish you the best just try to make some music with a few things and focus on that. It really helps.
I use to have GAS back in 2005. I had the MPC 2000xl , triton rack , asr X, a bunch of sound racks. And then the computer got more powerful and I developed GAS really hard for plugins and DAWs. Long story short after years of just thinking “ only if I had more gear my sound will sound better”. I realized and told myself get rid of all this stuff. “ then I just focused on one or two piece Logic Pro and a handful of plugins. Creativity flowed and I still live by that lesson learned. I keep it minimal and when I feel like I’m getting back into GAS I stop. Lol it’s hard but still I don’t need all that stuff to get good sounds.
I don’t think people talk about the other side of GAS enough. That one piece of gear really CAN change your entire process and help you achieve your (logical) goals. The Octatrack was that for me and it makes it so hard to tell yourself “no” to that next piece of gear.
This can be true for sure. I’ve been eyeing the Octatrack for years now don’t tempt me lol!
My advice is sell most of it keep literally what you need and the pieces you like most are have learned the best. Ive done this and i can't tell you how big of an impact this has had on music making. There is a saying all gear no idea and its true.
Thanks for sharing this. I went down the rabbit hole during lockdown so I get it.
wow, man. I could hear and feel the despair in this video. the problem with GAS is people tend to think it has something to do with music. it has absolutely NOTHING to do with making music. I was struck by the justifications you were still making throughout the video, and could see and hear the patterns of behaviour that led you to this point creeping back up.
seeing a Linnstrument and keystep pro on the floor, seeing the MPC X SE come into focus (which I would not be surprised if you do not use at all....) - it's an addiction. you said "but this stuff makes me happy" .. it's making you miserable. you've built a fortress of bad decisions that you need to face and justify everyday. I hope you're able to talk to someone and address the underlying issue here. and I think it would be beneficial for your health if you got rid of the almost all this stuff.
powerful warning to all who fall down this rabbit hole. thanks for posting.
Thanks. Yeah it’s the option paralysis that really messes with me most. The MPC first the One and now the X SE are actually what get used most besides the Elektron stuff. Most all tracks I’ve made for the channel the past couple years were started on the MPC.
I like long form gear talks like this!
The title caught my eye, so I had to watch. Subscribed as well. As much as I can relate to GAS, to be honest, I don't think the amount you have is that bad. Here's what I would suggest:
1: Tidy up the room and reorganize everything. My main rule is to keep everything off the floor, which makes it so much easier to vacuum and keep everything clean. So I have shelves on the walls. No desks, as everything is on a shelf. For my MPC X, mixer, keyboards, etc, I have big 60 or 70cm deep shelves, and then 30cm deep shelves above those for monitors, rack gear etc. Basically, if you have empty wall space, put some gear there and hook it up to a patchbay or mixer! Like your ASRX, Yamaha drum machine etc. Where your computer is for example, I would put a shelf there that stretched to the wall at the left, and even an extra shelf below that, but above the Hydrasynth. And find ways of having all the gear permanently connected, so if there's something you need to use, it's ready to go. Look at BT's studio for inspiration. He has loads of gear, all connected.
2: Make your new MPC X the centrepiece of the studio, and have everything connected in a way that anything can be routed to its 3/4 audio ins. I do this with my MPC X by having all my other gear connected a stereo line mixer and Yamaha desk. The group outs from the desk go through an Alctron 'Neve' style stereo preamp into those 3/4 inputs. And that preamp can also be switched to mic inputs. I have everything hooked up, even my old Yamaha VSS100 sampler from 1986, and a little QY10.
3: Your Elektron setup looks nice. I would keep that totally separate from everything else. Give it its own mixer even. A little Mackie perhaps.
4: If you no longer feel the need for the MPC One now you have the X, take it out of the studio and use it elsewhere. In the living with headphones for example, and anything you create with it, you can bring into the studio on an SD card and load into the X.
Hope this helps. But as I said, I think your main goal should be to get it looking tidy. Use cable ties on any leads that don't need to be visible. Remove all the clutter, and find a place for everything.
Also, unless there's something totally essential you need, set yourself a goal of not buying anything new for at least a year or two. And document your progress here.
Thanks! Good advice
Just watched this video and had to subscribe. I appreciate honesty and had to share this with others. Thank you 🙏
Much appreciated thank you!
Thank you for posting this vid. I think G.A.S. is a legitimate issue that can stifle creativity as you had mentioned. More folks need to know. I’m sure it was not easy but appreciate the look inside your world. I wish you the best on your musical journey.
Nice video, interesting to hear someone with experience on this matter. I agree, it's best to strip down to bare essentials, which also helps forge a signature sound. It appears to me like you've earned the indulgence of exploring a myriad of electronic instruments considering your history, occupation, long work hours, and serious responsibilities that you meet the demands of. It's impressive you find the time and energy to be creative, well done.
I knew I was fUp when I sat in front of a Sp1200, akai Mpc 3k and a couple of synth… it was fun banging but I’ve always accomplished more on one system. That was mostly the mpc 4K. Most underrated in my opinion. It’s the goat. Stay up thanks for the inside
It’s a big problem, thanks for sharing
That’s a lot of gear my friend 😌. I don’t have have any hardware myself (other than a couple controllers) and I feel bad for spending so much money on software… I have also come to realize that for every instrument that we get, even software instruments, we really need time to learn it well. But there is always something new and cool out there. It is hard to be practical and disciplines… your video is very relatable. Thanks.
Thank you appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment!
Wonderful video, well articulated points, definitely the down to earth talk we all need to hear from time to time. Can't believe I wasn't already subscribed to you, just fixed that!
Thanks Free Beat! Appreciate it man!
Same goes for plugins, PAS plugin acquisition syndrome ❤ but you are so right, it's also gotten alot "cheaper" which doesn't help haha, stay awesome
I loved this video. You’re an extremely relatable guy. Thanks!
Thank you!
You had me at asr x pro 😍
Great topic and a really honest take. Great stuff.
Hardest thing to do is let go of your GAS, hanging on to gear you've out grown and arent using anymore. I was never of the Collector mindset and ive owned lots of gear over the past 50+ years and I still buy new tech but i always try to apply it to my sound. haha.
It is fun learning new tech and figuring out how to apply it to your music/writing. It also helps you defind your sound. Redefind the music and create working setups is what I really enjoy doing.
My lastest little rig is completely battey powered as well so I can hopefully do a little busking with it this Summer/Fall.
That's what I do brother hahaha Having a blast too! I really enjoy setting up systems and exploring their potential and it always boils down to the groove for me.
There are so many ways to use electronics with music, I'm a fan too and glad i saw your video.
Thanks for sharing and it will cool watching and hearing more of your jams... 🎶💯
This comments section is one giant support group. We don't value our possessions as much as we should, because they are too easy to obtain. 100 years ago, a guy would save up to buy an accordion, violin, saxophone, or guitar, and he would master it and keep that prized possession in tip-top shape. And he probably made better music than any of us. I had a consumer-model Casio keyboard, an Ensoniq Mirage sampler, an effects machine, and a drum unit, and I recorded dozens of albums with that gear. After 25 years, I decided to "treat" myself by researching synths and building a "proper" studio... and I've barely recorded anything. I am deeply ashamed of my inactivity. Maybe I bought too much at once, and got intimidated by the learning curve of a dozen new machines. The act of researching and acquiring the gear became the new hobby that replaced the act of composing music.
That last part is huge: research and acquisition replaced performance and composition.
Social media has affected many human activities in a similar way…
Apologies for the squeaky chair! The sad part of this video is I actually have an upstairs smaller studio I don’t show that is piled up with gear so much I can’t even use it at the moment 😢
:0 Trust in yourself man I am, you can do whatever you want just trust it, think of it heavily and it will become reality
I can give you my address if you want to get rid of stuff 😊
It stifles creativity.. period. thanks for being real.
I feel as if collecting the things that make the sounds that make the music, and learning how they work, or watching others working with them; can be just as interesting as painting a picture with the paint brushes you already have.
My two favorite examples of minimalism done genius are Chelsea Wolfe's "The Grime & The Glow" (recorded straight to Tascam 8 track), and Bon Iver's "For Emma..."
While it's perfectly possible to create great music with nothing more than good monitors and a good microphone, it doesn't mean that this is all the tools we should use, either.
Something we CAN do is double-over our collections and see what it is that we can actually live without, without regretting it. I have two electric guitars, each with slightly different characteristics, but I can afford to live without one of them and not regret it. Then there's a drum machine that does SOME things, but not all the things this other one does, and a lot more. I can consolidate the sale of those items for a down payment on a house, put it in an investment portfolio, retirement account, or...
I've been desiring a 10,000-ish dollar outboard, analog mastering set up. I have it all planned out. I want it, so much. I can empty my checking account right now and get most of it, or I can just pace myself, get just one piece or two, once a year when the taxes come back and make Diligent, Purposeful Cuts all year long to help save up for it more responsibly.
What you're saying is so true, about how this synth over here needs to have it's software updated... now this MPC does as well... and then this other thing could use a firmware update, and heck, I could clean all of this equipment, too. Restring this guitar, and that one... it could become a chore in itself to maintain the space, and the equipment too.
My salesman from Sweetwater called me up not long ago, "Do you need anything right now?" is the basic question. Not necessarily, as I am right now, even a year later, STILL learning how to get more deeply involved in the menu-diving, functionality or sound design aspects of the two items I bought A YEAR AGO! lol
I feel as if G.A.S. manifests So Greatly in the synthesizer community, for the simple reason that this machine over here has a characteristic sound that another one doesn't, and in most cases, the easiest way to get that sound is to just buy that thing with those specific sounding filters, or chip-set. But if one is patient, they can find somewhat similar sounds, or perhaps even ones that are more pleasing to one's ears ultimately, with the synth they already have; and often times, it's that folks in the synth community aren't taking the time to learn synthesis themselves, relying mainly on presets, or perhaps playing no more than arpeggios, or using the sequencer feature. There are many videos of synth collectors who could afford to spend 30,000 dollars or more on synthesizers, but they buy this other one over here because "It Does X!", and I'm seeing a synth they already have that CAN accomplish that task already, but they just don't realize it!
But at the same time, I don't think judging is the way to go either, unless one has gotten to the point of losing their house. Then, by all means, try to go a bit cheaper. And, anyhow, perhaps as a regular exercise; we should all put every single piece of equipment we own into a hat, drawing 2 or 4 pieces and vowing not to use any other piece of equipment but those 2 or 4, for an entire 12 song album BEFORE buying anything else. This way we can ensure we absolutely know the limitations of our devices, know for sure what colors we have on our palette, or do not, before buying more paints.
As much as I personally would hate to lose any piece of gear I ALREADY own, the plus-side to owning equipment that maintains it's value (or increases over time), is that if the worst possible situation were to occur, just selling one or two pieces of gear guarantees an entire month to find a new job, buy some groceries, whatever- and is, in a sense- a guarantee against homelessness. As someone who had found themselves homeless in their early 20's, because I was- like most people- living "paycheck to paycheck", just losing one paycheck meant I was literally on the street. So this is also, kind of how I view the equipment I have in this room at times, lol ... A sort of, extra guarantee. A sense of Peace Of mind. And also, in a sense, why I may find it easier to say to myself- like right now off and on I have been, "this mastering compressor is 3,000 dollars, that's a lot of money, I should be more responsible... but I can always sell it, and that's two months not on the street, that's two months to find a new job, etc. etc."
I think it also comes down to how we view money, in general. And, perhaps, even more intangibly; our sense of finding demonstrable/measurable emotional, psychological value, or worth in Things.
One time, I needed a "bell" or "chime" type of sound, but I didn't want to go digging in digital synthesizers or take the time to make it in the analog world with a synth either; so I just picked up my coffee cup, hit it with a spoon, placed a little reverb on it, lowered the volume, and it was EXACTLY what I was looking for, in the nearest mic.
So, I think we should also be Okay with thinking like that, as well.
And there's always a sense of the fact that, no matter what our age, life is short and we must enjoy it. We must also place emphasis on Quality Of Life matters, as well. My Father was dying, as a diabetic in the hospital. He had approx. 6 months to live. He wanted me to get him some Jack In The Box down the street. I did, but didn't want to. He realized he was going to die anyway. I was in denial. He realized: what is this going to cost me... a day? two? a month? Would that month on hospital dialysis of been any better than that combo meal or those tacos? really?!
G.A.S. is such a deep, philosophical question.
Some of us also have watched Bob Ross, and have never really got into painting. Dali was discouraged from getting into Surrealism and became the most famous of the bunch. DaVinci in his later years burnt all his works he considered would lessen the affect of his legacy over a fire, things that would be considered priceless to us, today.
Some of us have jerked off to the Cindy Crawford work out tape from the 90's. A lot of us have perhaps also done this, and not yet admitted it out loud. Other people favour the Richard Simmons work out tapes.
Ultimately, who am I to judge?
A lot to consider and reflect about in this comment thank you
Many of us are creating and recording music alone, which is not always a bad thing, but it often means the creativity suffers from too many distractions.
Thanx Nathan for honest words and sharing your experience with gas! Wish you much further creativity with your music! Greetings 🖖☺️
Thank you so much!
The cool way is before start to jam for the track, just in the beginning limit yourself the numbers of gear, 3-5, than chose and jamming some period of time only with this instruments. It can lead to right direction
Your honesty has earner a new follower. Cheers
Cheers and thank you!
Suddenly I don't feel so bad about my own gear buying issues.
Glad to see your video blew up with all these views! Clearly too many of us tend to overemphasize the tools rather than craft or the outcome. Limiting the gear options for any given creative effort helps with focusing on just getting to work on the task at hand. Using a random number generator can be one way to select which tools to employ on a new musical endeavor.
Thanks man! It’s crazy how this blew up I had no idea haha! It was meant for the few people that followed me and it blew the channel up. Seems insane but I’ll take it haha!
Thanks for sharing this Nathan, I was having serious GAS, even after I stopped buying hardware gears, I started to collect midi controllers... all kinds from all brands... Now I decided to sell most of them and come back to instrument playing and composing, it can be REALLY helpful for curing one's GAS. (Also making videos bashing on stupid gear design makes me move forward too 😄)
Tbh, most groove boxes overlap with each other functionally, using them all together is like you're trying to sync up GarageBand + Logic Pro X + Ableton Live + Reaper + FL Studio all together, and they're all in lite version. For me for now, I only need a GarageBand.
Thank you! Enjoy your channel and I really appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment!
Did the same ! Now i've started a band called 999Megabytes but i'm still looking forward to our first gig !
I didn’t have the time and money to get that deep. But I went through plenty of gear. I was fortunate that I had a goal and the elektron Octatrack with a few external pieces and software is more than enough for me. I’m glad I was able to get past this. Best wishes on your going forward.
Thanks for sharing!
back in the 80 in Mexico city american style supermarkets started appearing and they were the "thing " to shop. As it was so expensive most families stuck with a more traditional diet, in a way that prevented us from eating processed crap.
Is a balance to be found between the most written comments in UA-cam:
"i buy new gear for every project" and
"just learn one box and that is all you need"
peace.
thanx for sharing..
Very interesting. Thank you
Sick man. Its all about the passion and love for music and man do you have a bunch of stuff to fiddle with. Great video and we need to get together when you have time and hang out.
Yes man we do! I keep forgetting you’re so nearby.
This is a honest man. describing things perfectly. my issue i had to downsize
living accomadation. so half my stuff is in boxes.
A pleasure and a curse.
Note to self Think first 🎶buy later.👍✌️ . nice talk. minimal set up is always good.
Much appreciated!
My dad and grandpa had photography GAS and I now have a huge collection of vintage cameras they left me. 😂
Hobbies can become obsessions, and if you have an addictive personality, it can go on and on and span multiple hobbies and 10's of thousands of dollars each hobby. 😂❤
The most prolific period was when i was in a small student room with 2 guitars, a small audio interface and a DAW. Yes there's frustration and hurdles with DAWs but the ideas got done! No shuffling around with cables, picking the right amps, pedals, drum machines etc, just plug it in, pick an amp sim and go!
Such a brilliant video and so well said. GAS is legit, and I can’t believe I have it haha. I need to just focus on a few things and get epic with them.
The most relatable video ever. The less gear I had, the more music I made. The more I get, the more I realize it isn't necessary.
I think possibly accumulating gear gives me some feeling of control in life which is lacking? Yet, at the detriment of a productive and healthy relationship with music.
...and possible insanity. For instance, I'll check a tracking number like a fiend, and then once it arrives, not open the box.🤷♂️
Genuinely curious about what exactly makes the Marantz deck special. I always liked the look. Embarrassingly, I have 2 of them which I've yet to use... for years now. One has a defect with the rotating head / auto-reverse mechanism, which sort of put me off using them- and I do realize that *no one* is still reading this comment.🤦♂️
Hey, I was still reading. The tape deck probably could've been a secondary comment, but it fits with the G.A.S. theme.
I have several pieces of gear that I've only tried once, although I still have big ideas for them. I frantically bought a KeyStep 32 on Reverb, for controlling my Neutron semi-modular. But I never opened the package in 3 years, because I can't find the Neutron's power cable. Then I decided that I'll never be truly productive until I have a KeyStep Pro to finally give me flexible enough sequencing. 🤦🏿♀️
Thanks for watching! The Marantz just has incredible sound. The best of my many tape decks machines and recorders.
@@crnkmnky Haha, I feel you!! I frantically bought the Korg one (SQ-64?) when they were real cheap on Reverb, and it's just not going to cut it.
...but hey, just in case you didn't know, that Nuetron power supply is a pretty common one that a lot of other gear uses. You can probably find one cheap, if you don't already have one around from another piece of gear.
It's standard 12v DC, center pin positive, 1A, and pretty sure it's the common barrel size (2.1 x 5.5mm).
...or any of those universal power supplies would do the trick (with the different sized barrel plugs and a little dial to select the voltage).
Aside from this totally unsolicited information, thanks for the nice reply, sorry for this long one... and I hope that Keystep Pro solves ALL of your GAS 😉👍
@@traitortotheliving Thank you! I guess I should maybe plug it in 🙃
Hitting the nail on the head Nathan! At some point late last year I effectively gave up being a guitar player (of 40+ years) so I could become a guitar pedal player instead. Just like you said, you get one, barely even take time to figure it out before needing the next. Glad to say I turned that all around a couple months ago after getting my Ibanez RGKP6 (has a built in Korg mini KP2) and I have barely even touched my overflowing pedal board ever since. Practicing every day and now my callouses are growing their own callouses and I have gained much confidence in my playing overall. "Bob" said, "Too much is always better than not enough." I hate to call Him wrong, but apparently he also never had to deal with GAS! Power to you bro!!!
Based SubGenius reference. But you know that if ol' J.R. were still around, he'd be going door-to-door trying to sell us new pedals that we don't need, at double the price.
Thanks Captain!!
@@CommunityGuidelines good point! All part of the process.
Gotta Love your honesty. I had to sub, not only for your awesome content, but as soon as I seen the Yamaha DJX ll-B on your table, I was like, that ma’ boi! I have not seen that thing in about 20 years. Thanks for putting a smile on my face. I completely forgot about the existence. It was my first piece or toy that i owned, what got me into this place, lol. My gateway groovebox into gas, so to speak.
Awesome tour btw. What a wall you built there. It must have also been a Zeitgeist thing. I witnessed this with a lot of people during the pandemic and then the sudden panic to stop at the ⛽station within the last year or so is pretty remarkable.
i'm probably going down a whole other rabbit hole here, but who knows, maybe we all felt this intense rush to pull the trigger on gear during that time because we went through some type of collective trauma of not knowing what to do next with our lives, time and money. so we might as well spend it on cool toys that makes bad-ass noise, right? It felt more or less like a cry or a symbol for preserving time within a box. We were being confronted with ourselves and re-evaluating goals on a global level, all at the same time. Plus I don’t think we just buy for the sake of it, we buy into feelings and when we get the feels, we get the feels. there’s no real explanation to why we need another guitar or sampler other than what we experienced while using it or whilst fantasizing over it. Funny enough once we go back into the flow and hang of normal life-routines again, we suddenly wake up out of our purchase paradise.. with an overwhelming urge to lay low on our spending spree’s. Apart from the odd mpc x here and there 🫣😅 otherwise I can’t seem to explain this need to want to apologize for what we have built up over several years.
Speaking of mpc, Autosampling your favorite analog-gear/modular patches into keygroups can also help with cleaning up a little in the back of your mind. it’s by no means the same as the real deal but it can help with creative restrictions, regarding the limitations at tweaking & sound designing. if you haven’t already considered looking into that feature.
I guess you’re doing the right thing though by owning up and acknowledging this phenomenon. So thanks for sharing with the rest of us, as this brings people together in order to come up with more creative strategies and solutions. The third step would probably be not to beat yourself up about it and more or less have fun along the way, whilst implementing what we've learnt about our gas observation. Sorry for this book, I just felt I had to share my thoughts on this topic too. Looking forward to more videos on your channel!
Appreciate your thoughts thank you!
Great video! I have a basement filled with gear from over 30 years. I am in it for the love of music making. About 5 years ago I finally made a rule that if I bought some gear I had to make 10 songs with it. It’s been a shockingly rewarding rule (recommended). I never feel anymore that I am wasting money as I always get something out of it. I next added a rule that if I buy something, I first have to sell gear to fund it. That’s been going well for a few years. Don’t get me wrong… I am not perfect or preaching… just trying to share a couple things that have worked for me over the last few years.
I like your strategy, I'm going to try it out, especially the idea of writing 10 songs with any new piece of gear.
@@dcpno nice and good luck! I find that by my 10th song I know if I want to keep the product long term. I just finished my 5th song with my Elektron Analog 4.
Writing 10 good songs with a piece of gear can take years to do if the gear is complex. If you just write some crappy song you’re not happy with, it won’t feel like a song was created.
@@shitmandood Do what makes you happy man! We all have our workflows. I am old and no longer gig, just trying to share what works for me and might help someone else. If you are a young guy just know that for years and years you would go to the studio and make and record music on gear that you had never used before. Probably seems like an alien thought, but lots of amazing music produced on gear folks aren’t experts on.
Those are great rules to follow, Dracul. Reminds me of the Zen concept of "100 Possessions" where a person lives a minimalist life and only owns 100 objects, and if they obtain a new object, they must discard a previous one.
Nice thing about Eurorack (and modular in general), I have a drawer where I put modules I don't use or get tired of using. I'll swap them in/out at times. I will NOT buy/build another case, I just swap modules - 5U as well. Old rack gear (WS A/D, samplers, etc) I get out of the main room. Cluttered workspace == cluttered mind.
Just want to say I’m a fan of your music and video creations. Please keep ‘em coming! Looking forward to that acoustic sampling project 🤘
Thank you!
I totally relate Nate. I had a position in wich I had every ingredient available to me. As a Chef it was awesome, overwhelming, and at times cumbersome. So much it would make my head spin and I found it to harness or finalize specifity in what I was trying to portray or present. Options are nice though Brother. Looking good ya freak!
Wow, I didn’t know I had a “light skin” brother out there. Indeed, I know the feelings from which you speak. I call it “option fatigue”. As there are so many choices, that likely nothing gets made. I’m definitely at the pull things aside to create a minimal setup for a session. My rabbit hole entry was E-MU racks and gear. As I instantly picked out those around you. When you spoke on the dynamics of getting multiple pieces in rapid succession, I knew we’re related. For me it was the SP404MK2 and MPCKEY61, and something else I’m forgetting. Anyways, I’ve found your channel, and got it locked into the feed. I’m sure we’ll share more in the future. ✌🏾👍🏾✊🏾
That is crazy! Gosh!? These light skin guys not only create the equipment but they also use it too!? Who knew!!!!
@@showbread9366 shut up man
@@showbread9366 that's not what he meant. But yeah, we are all brothers who have something in common.
@@durtcannon when a black guy called me his Thai brother, I felt very welcome to him, it’s just a very endearing way to say you’re on the same page yknow
@@BorisBidjanSaberi11 Yes it is.
This was a good video. G.A.S affects almost all, but in different ways. For musicians it is instruments, gear, pedals, etc. Photographer, it could be more lenses, bodies...gamers...the latest graphics card or their console collection.
I think one of the parts that most resonated with me was how we buy stuff and before we even learn it thoroughly, we add more gear. Alot of times, we don't get full usage out of what we have before adding more.
I think psychologically, we are getting the satisfaction from the thrill of seeing something we want and then getting it. Deep down, once the satisfaction of getting it wears off, it is no longer exciting. It is like the excitement of opening a gift, and then being bored of it.
I think it is fine to buy, collect, etc as long as it brings joy. When it causes problems, gets in the way, turns to hoarding, etc...time to rethink. Sometimes less is more and having less choices is easier to make decisions.
Appreciate your thoughts thank you
Great perspective... I agree 100%... I came out of a 20 year hiatus from makign music about 6 months ago and it started with an ipad when I was in a hospital for a few weeks then i came out and started buying more and more... I get the ideas to expand then i went DAW and more and more... Long story short my creative hobby has turned into a rabbit hole of credit card debt... 6 months recorded absolutely nothing... OCD maximizing... Good/bad news is my tiny Manhattan lab has become so overcrowded I have to stop adding physical gear... I start to make memos for my days off from work now on what instrument and/or process i will attempt to limit myself to...
I’ve definitely experienced GAS issues since I started a few years ago. I spend far too much time at work browsing youtube and auction sites. It’s easy to see a great demo and think, “Oh, if only I had that I could x” and then start hunting. Thankfully I never started in modular.
Yeah pretty much hit the same thing over here. Had so much gear that my mixer didn't have enough inputs. Kinda hit me it wasn't all necessary to have set up at once. Now I just have some empty spaces on a modular rack for interesting new modules when they come out, but otherwise, I'm content with the setup I have. Even using the computer alone with no synths is enough,
Ive spent the last 12 months gassing , purchasing , assembling and patching similar hardware setup that has grown too large . its taken 6 months just patching and connecting everything . but its coming together . I have started focusing on a few pieces at a time , learning , connecting , developing workflows . then moving onto the next group . I've had periods of less gear with more productivity , periods of writing , producing and releasing a lot more . But sometimes its ok to focus on other things in the process instead of focusing on just releasing music . focusing on learning physical gear , connections , configurations , different hardware can be just as rewarding
A ery important video and my story in Norway, was a 90 with Akai hardware sequencer and Roland, Korg, Yamaha, Waldorf, Alesis and so on. Rebooting right before Covide nowdays 3 Midikeyboard and around 700 VST and more happy with that...
Thanks for posting this very honest video. I agree with you 100%. I remember reading an article in a well known music magazine and the advice was don't sell anything, as you upgrade let your studio grow in power. This was good advice then as we couldn't afford much gear and even big studios had only a few high end items.However, today it is easier to get high quality instruments and audio gear at relatively affordable prices (apart from vintage synths and gear where the world seems to have gone mad). It seems that even before you have learnt how to use something, the new updated version is available. I bought a single Elektron box as I liked the analog sounds, before I knew what was happening I had three others. Great machines with a learning curve thats like climbing Mount Everest. The workflow seems to draw you into expanding. My best period was when I had a Rhodes piano, an Arp Odyssey and a Clavinet. To record, I had a four track tape recorder and a home made spring reverb and compressor. I wrote loads of tracks then. I couldn't get more that 7 tracks down before the tape noise started to drown out the music. Happy days!
Still G.A.S is great problem to have and it doesn't hurt anybody. We just need more space and more time to enjoy it all.
Thank you. Appreciate your thoughts
The gods of the algorithm saw fit to present me with me your G.A.S. video and I appreciate what you've done here. One note: when you said "Eurorack is expensive," i thought YES! Because that's where my G.A.S. took me at the onset of covid lockdowns (from a background not too different from the way you described yours, in fact.) But I'm pretty sure Eurorack isn't quite as expensive as whatever THAT is you're doing. Looks like you've got as many thousand dollar groove boxes as I have modules ;) Anyway, this is super relatable, even if I don't have as much stuff as you. And there's no doubt that in the throes of a serious bout of G.A.S. I end up doing a lot less recording (or especially FINISHING recordings) than I probably should. Sometimes it feels like it's a cycle, and adding all the equipment leads to a later fertile creative period; OR maybe that's just what I tell myself so I don't feel so idiotic shopping for eurorack stuff 24/7. Great stuff here, glad to start subscribing, looking forward to hearing some of what you record with that stuff.
Thank you much appreciated!
I feel for ya, I pretty much did the same in the last few years. Sadly, my experience turned into what I believe was like a twilight zone story. There was one about a man that has collected a massive amount of books, and just when he sat down to read, he broke his only pair of glasses! For me, I put together a whole studio and then my illness progressed and now I cannot sit down to play.😲 I wish you well in weeding out all the duplicative pieces. And then, Play On😁🎶🎹🎶🎶
I used to buy a lot of stuff too but not as much as you, but it's still the same thing. I think it's some kind of mental thing, but anyway, I've gotten away from all that purchasing mentality. Now for the last 10 years or so I'm focused on the Akai MPC's and those machines allow me to create music with no limits because those machines come with everything you need, including synthesizers and a drum machine and keyboards, so I'm glad that I'm finally settling down on something that works for me and many other people, by nature, human beings are always trying to improve whatever they are doing and that's OK because if we didn't do that, we still be living in caves and hunting and gathering food.
Excellent video. Feel like I'm looking into a mirror in regards to your buying habits.
Thanks for watching!
I'm in a similar boat, it's nice to know it's not an isolated experience.
This type of music gear discipline is what I needed today. I’ve had my eyes on the pulsar 23 and millimetric instruments guitars for a while now, and I’ve somehow managed to say no to myself
Honestly everything with GAS in my experience also applies to collecting VSTs. I have so many VSTs, for years I'd get lost trying to make projects with different synths/effects/sequencers but nothing substantial came out of it. As soon as I restricted my VST use to only my most used it alleviated the friction. Recently started going into hardware setups and I'm constantly trying to keep GAS in check, got some basic kit (minibrute 2s/drumbrute impact and a Minilogue XD) and aside from grabbing myself a mixer and something I can use as a brain for the setup I'm not buying any other kit until im absolutely sure. The temptation is strong but my wallet wont survive lol.
Totally agree! I also had long pause in music making, around 8 years. And then I was producing absolutely in box, only mac, Logic Pro and thats it =)
I knew Logic 100%, used only Logic’s synths. And made some great bangers. Then I started to buy bunch of cool vsts and what you think? I stopped to create. Everything what I used to do - is moving sliders, learning new things, but new things was a lot…
In last year, in August 2022, got Push 2 with Ableton Suite. Also got Novation Mininova and Behringer TD-3. It all runs through UAD Volt476, so particularly all ins used.
And you know? It again interesting to make music.
Mininova great synth for performance. Arpeggio, modulations, fast patch changing via clip in Ableton Live.
TD-3 I think don’t need to be commented! =)
I record loops from synths via Push2, selecting next patch, recording. And it all work, without walls of gear.
I want to purchase Roland TR8s, but I know how I will use it in Live performances adding flexibility over percussions.
Sometimes it’s impossible to make multitasks on Push2. TR8s can help me for faster drum parts changes. Or for add the flavor =)
Thank you for your video! You talking about right things
Appreciate it and thank you!
To give everybody here more perspective. Maybe the most innovative/unique electronic artist of the last decade Sophie only used a Elektron Monomachine. Her mastery of that machine yielded some of the most incredible sounds in modern music. Limitations breed creativity.
❤
Except now we all lust for an elusive expensive Monomachine! 😭
@@crnkmnky Yeah, I kind of want one too. Been thinking about selling most of my gear though, all you need is a good daw.
True GAS right here! But great taste. What's your plan to be able to create? Focus on 1 piece of gear might be worth it....maybe even outside of this room. Again, great taste and good luck 🙏🏾