Ive also been in a similar situation and downsized. It can be really intimidating to have all this cool shit and it subconsciously put a pressure on you to create your masterpiece album. Instead of just creating and having fun, it feels 'serious' all of a sudden
Fantastic video - I found it after googling "too much gear", and man was it the right video. I'm on the eve of selling about 1/2 my rig, or ALL of my elektron gear. I really think less is more, and I kinda long for the days where I couldn't afford to by every last piece of gear that caught my eye. I have a dream setup now (2 of them, one to be sold shortly), and I crave a deeper knowledge of a few of these powerful pieces of gear, not a lesser understanding of lots of gear. I was buried under multiple learning curves (do you even Octatrack, bro? lol), and making less and less music. I also realized that I was only keeping the elektron gear out of sentimentality. What a liberating thought. Now I can release that gear back into the world, and someone else's mind can be blown with that joy. GAS is real, and if left untreated, will kill your music productivity. Thanks for the nudge. Also, wanna buy some elektron gear?
Don't sell! Just think of the things you might want to get rid of and put them in storage. This way, you won't be overwhelmed, as you''ll be limited to a more manageable set of possibilities. You can then try to use the things you own, and if necessary, experiment swapping things in and out to find what works best for you.
Bro, EVERY feeling expressed here is mines as well. I have considered the idea of selling some things, but can't bare the thought of it. As I've over-collected many rare or limited items. Yet, I truly need to make it happen. I'm experiencing "option-fatigue" daily. Even now, I'm in the lab with my gear on, but watching YT... Not creating. Having lots of gear is a GIFT & CURSE. Hopefully, we both can find our way back to simpler creative times which sparked our love affair with music.
Great video. For me it's a case of wanting to try different things...in the past I never had the opportunity because money was the limiting factor. But I agree it needs to be balanced with actual creative output. Most of my recent gear acquisitions were because I wanted to try eliminating the DAW from my creative process (as much as possible). So far it has been really enjoyable and is actually fueling a lot of inspiration. Not having any hardware can be just as overwhelming IMHO; an empty project in your DAW and all the included VSTs + plugins can be very daunting.
I'm in the same situation. Three different synth ecosystems - the Oberheim System (OB-8/DMX/DSX, with SH-101 and Odyssey played by the DSX CV/Gate outputs), the Eurorack (controlled by a KeyStep Pro and with drums from Analog Rytm), and the MIDI world (with a Jupiter-8 as the crown jewel of the collection). On top of that, I just got a Yamaha MT4X so I can record without a DAW, and the Eurorack is the system most suitable for four-track recording. I have a mixer in the Eurorack, so I can spit out a stereo mix and and have one track for a live instrument and one for vocals. Using a sync track pretty much locks me into mono tracks. I want to see if tape is right for me, or if I find I need the endless possibilities of the DAW. I will be selling off to either make way for a mixing desk and reel-to-reel, or to get a laptop with Thunderbolt, a UAD Apollo to use their plugins, and upgrade to Cubase Pro from Elements, in the next year or so.
In my case it often ends with "i'd like to have this one some day". Mainly when it's about gutars:) Of course i'm gathering gear as well but lately i found my self very impressed and happy about Geordie Walker who found His perfect guitar in eighties and has been using it pretty exclusively since then, having his unique sound but simultaneously getting almost every guitar tone and genre possible out of it. And i think it's going to be my goal - find a perfect gear and make its possibilities unlimited.
I’m in exactly the same place as you. I really want to downsize but I’m worried I’ll miss things if I sell. But at the moment I feel it’s sucking my creativity. Need to ponder some more. So have you started selling yet?
Good topic, I’ve been making music since 1985 , I remember only having a 4 track and a few other things and making amazing stuff, now I have stuff that really doesn’t get used and less music is being made
i know my threshold for gear is very small. when i have an instrument in the room, i want to play it regardless if its a good fit for the track, and i easily get overwhelmed by options.
As much as I always wanted to get rid of the DAW, nothing came even close to the flexibility and control it provides. Some sort of hybrid system is what I came up after all the trial and error. And, most important, the knowing, that there is no way around a DAW if you want to sound polished and be able to compete on the market.
this is something i kinda needed to see haha, i was just about to start buying a bunch more stuff, and while i probably will still buy some of it, it was good to have a reminder that i should consider if i really will be able to use it enough to be worth the time it takes away from other things i could be doing, thanks :)
My gear FOMO tends to happen from a love of drum machines and thinking “ oh I can incorporate this as a sound “ then it turns into a goal and then I find myself working. The working part isn’t all that concerning though practically all the time . The shitty part is it feels good in the same way a goal is fulfilling.
I would say if you like synths only get a max of 3 anything from there just get racks. I can say only have one drum machine off why😂. Sone people like cars some people like building studios 🤷🏻♂️......
As long as you have a goal that's worth it all. It's like having spices in a kitchen, you know what you like and having too many spices results in many not ever getting used. Realize the world is always trying to convince you that you need something new, just so they can profit off you. It's like having books in your library, you should know why each book is there, otherwise it's just taking up space. Most people are never satisfied. Contentment is a virtue. Being thankful for the little you do have is better than spending your life chasing perfection. A man's life doesn't consist of the abundance of the things he possesses. That's in the Bible.
I have 3 guitars: acoustic that I play on the street, strat and les paul-ish electrics. 2 basses: one 5 string jazz and a fretless 4 string (for sale). There are 2 keyboards connected to a pc and I use them every day. I need to sell my drums and two bass amps because I have no use for damn things.
I cured myself of this disease after realizing that the more stuff I bought, the less productive, motivated and creative I became. I conned myself into believing that a particular piece of gear would take me to that mystical next level. What I ended up with is a bunch of shit on permanent display that I either didn't use, forgot how to use, or never really learned how to use in the first place, because right after getting it, I became aroused by some other gear that will level me up. . At one point I had a Roland Juno-106, Juno-60 and JX-3P - all at once...Why??? Pick the stuff you cannot deny is unused and sell it! No, don't put it in storage, get rid of it. move it along on its journey to meet another musician who will love it and use it. Or you can just admire it's awesomeness sitting there, not being used I guess...To each his own.
Too much gear is anything in excess of the minimum amount of gear to get the job done. Collecting and managing gear, is a different hobby in and of itself.
Too much gear just leads to having to learn all the functions and menus of each piece of gear. It’s daunting. Sell the excess and keep what you connect with.
![KSI - Thick Of It (feat. Trippie Redd) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/At8v_Yc044Y/mqdefault.jpg)
Ive also been in a similar situation and downsized. It can be really intimidating to have all this cool shit and it subconsciously put a pressure on you to create your masterpiece album. Instead of just creating and having fun, it feels 'serious' all of a sudden
Fantastic video - I found it after googling "too much gear", and man was it the right video. I'm on the eve of selling about 1/2 my rig, or ALL of my elektron gear. I really think less is more, and I kinda long for the days where I couldn't afford to by every last piece of gear that caught my eye. I have a dream setup now (2 of them, one to be sold shortly), and I crave a deeper knowledge of a few of these powerful pieces of gear, not a lesser understanding of lots of gear. I was buried under multiple learning curves (do you even Octatrack, bro? lol), and making less and less music. I also realized that I was only keeping the elektron gear out of sentimentality. What a liberating thought. Now I can release that gear back into the world, and someone else's mind can be blown with that joy. GAS is real, and if left untreated, will kill your music productivity. Thanks for the nudge. Also, wanna buy some elektron gear?
Don't sell! Just think of the things you might want to get rid of and put them in storage. This way, you won't be overwhelmed, as you''ll be limited to a more manageable set of possibilities. You can then try to use the things you own, and if necessary, experiment swapping things in and out to find what works best for you.
Bro, EVERY feeling expressed here is mines as well. I have considered the idea of selling some things, but can't bare the thought of it. As I've over-collected many rare or limited items. Yet, I truly need to make it happen. I'm experiencing "option-fatigue" daily. Even now, I'm in the lab with my gear on, but watching YT... Not creating. Having lots of gear is a GIFT & CURSE. Hopefully, we both can find our way back to simpler creative times which sparked our love affair with music.
Great video. For me it's a case of wanting to try different things...in the past I never had the opportunity because money was the limiting factor. But I agree it needs to be balanced with actual creative output.
Most of my recent gear acquisitions were because I wanted to try eliminating the DAW from my creative process (as much as possible). So far it has been really enjoyable and is actually fueling a lot of inspiration. Not having any hardware can be just as overwhelming IMHO; an empty project in your DAW and all the included VSTs + plugins can be very daunting.
I'm in the same situation. Three different synth ecosystems - the Oberheim System (OB-8/DMX/DSX, with SH-101 and Odyssey played by the DSX CV/Gate outputs), the Eurorack (controlled by a KeyStep Pro and with drums from Analog Rytm), and the MIDI world (with a Jupiter-8 as the crown jewel of the collection). On top of that, I just got a Yamaha MT4X so I can record without a DAW, and the Eurorack is the system most suitable for four-track recording. I have a mixer in the Eurorack, so I can spit out a stereo mix and and have one track for a live instrument and one for vocals. Using a sync track pretty much locks me into mono tracks.
I want to see if tape is right for me, or if I find I need the endless possibilities of the DAW. I will be selling off to either make way for a mixing desk and reel-to-reel, or to get a laptop with Thunderbolt, a UAD Apollo to use their plugins, and upgrade to Cubase Pro from Elements, in the next year or so.
In my case it often ends with "i'd like to have this one some day". Mainly when it's about gutars:) Of course i'm gathering gear as well but lately i found my self very impressed and happy about Geordie Walker who found His perfect guitar in eighties and has been using it pretty exclusively since then, having his unique sound but simultaneously getting almost every guitar tone and genre possible out of it. And i think it's going to be my goal - find a perfect gear and make its possibilities unlimited.
I’m in exactly the same place as you. I really want to downsize but I’m worried I’ll miss things if I sell. But at the moment I feel it’s sucking my creativity. Need to ponder some more. So have you started selling yet?
Great job man. Your videos are mega inspirational for me. They show me the map of where I want to go. Please keep it up.
Good topic, I’ve been making music since 1985 , I remember only having a 4 track and a few other things and making amazing stuff, now I have stuff that really doesn’t get used and less music is being made
i know my threshold for gear is very small. when i have an instrument in the room, i want to play it regardless if its a good fit for the track, and i easily get overwhelmed by options.
As much as I always wanted to get rid of the DAW, nothing came even close to the flexibility and control it provides.
Some sort of hybrid system is what I came up after all the trial and error.
And, most important, the knowing, that there is no way around a DAW if you want to sound polished and be able to compete on the market.
this is something i kinda needed to see haha, i was just about to start buying a bunch more stuff, and while i probably will still buy some of it, it was good to have a reminder that i should consider if i really will be able to use it enough to be worth the time it takes away from other things i could be doing, thanks :)
My gear FOMO tends to happen from a love of drum machines and thinking “ oh I can incorporate this as a sound “ then it turns into a goal and then I find myself working. The working part isn’t all that concerning though practically all the time . The shitty part is it feels good in the same way a goal is fulfilling.
I would say if you like synths only get a max of 3 anything from there just get racks. I can say only have one drum machine off why😂. Sone people like cars some people like building studios 🤷🏻♂️......
As long as you have a goal that's worth it all. It's like having spices in a kitchen, you know what you like and having too many spices results in many not ever getting used. Realize the world is always trying to convince you that you need something new, just so they can profit off you. It's like having books in your library, you should know why each book is there, otherwise it's just taking up space. Most people are never satisfied. Contentment is a virtue. Being thankful for the little you do have is better than spending your life chasing perfection. A man's life doesn't consist of the abundance of the things he possesses. That's in the Bible.
Preach.. thank you😀
Sounds like an addiction
I have 3 guitars: acoustic that I play on the street, strat and les paul-ish electrics. 2 basses: one 5 string jazz and a fretless 4 string (for sale). There are 2 keyboards connected to a pc and I use them every day. I need to sell my drums and two bass amps because I have no use for damn things.
I cured myself of this disease after realizing that the more stuff I bought, the less productive, motivated and creative I became. I conned myself into believing that a particular piece of gear would take me to that mystical next level. What I ended up with is a bunch of shit on permanent display that I either didn't use, forgot how to use, or never really learned how to use in the first place, because right after getting it, I became aroused by some other gear that will level me up. . At one point I had a Roland Juno-106, Juno-60 and JX-3P - all at once...Why??? Pick the stuff you cannot deny is unused and sell it! No, don't put it in storage, get rid of it. move it along on its journey to meet another musician who will love it and use it. Or you can just admire it's awesomeness sitting there, not being used I guess...To each his own.
i like pricing synths. AND i love to watch out for cheap stuff
Too much gear is anything in excess of the minimum amount of gear to get the job done. Collecting and managing gear, is a different hobby in and of itself.
Use that gear you buy!!! Haha so true, we have to make the most of our gear and learn the shit outta it. Or smoke it 😜
Came here, you have 666 views.
🤘🏼
Too much gear just leads to having to learn all the functions and menus of each piece of gear. It’s daunting. Sell the excess and keep what you connect with.