Overwhelming music tech - how to deal with it?

[mosc]

Splendid responses so far. Its quite something how diverse we all are at how we approach making electro-music. I find all of these responses inspiring.

I'm starting to realize that the word "experimental" in the electro-music purpose phrase, "Dedicated to experimental electro-acoustic
and electronic music", describes not only the music, but how we live our lives. Just a thought...

[Acoustic Interloper]

[audiodef]

I'd say if one of us is deaf, then it's quite an experiment.

[DaveNice]

This is in my opinion a classic problem for the modern electronic musician. As the means to make this kind of music have become so much more readily available and affordable, it is way too easy to find yourself swimming in a sea of endless options. I agree that this is detrimental to creative flow, but not exclusively. For my part the traps are a)free and/or cheap packs for Ableton and b)free and/or cheap virtual plugins. Being less than rich these are often what I use a lot of, so I've developed a sort of strategy for handling them.

A lot of small, simple and cheap plugins etc that are worth keeping often have a limited range they are effective in, so sorting them in folders makes them easier to dig out when you know what you need.

When I first sit down with new kit, I often take the easy way first and use presets. Then, I tweak the presets to fit what I'm doing, and eventually I'll dig deeper into the functionality in order to create more original patches. Some may consider this "cheating", but frankly I am more concerned with what the end result sounds like than with making all my own presets.

Oftentimes, the mere process of learing new equipment will of course result in ideas of their own, which is very conducive to my creative process. Other times, however, I know what sound I need and want it right now, not in 30 minutes..

I do tend to hoard plugins though, so I seldom delete stuff unless it's complete trash. Managing them is therefore essential. In our studio that I share with a few other producers there is a wealth of old hardware as well. Whereas this isn't used nearly as much as one would hope, I do dig out a piece every now and then and try to milk new ideas, sounds and influences out of it. The trick here is just in deciding firmly on what I want to use and comitting to it.. otherwise my imagined ADD kicks in and nothing gets done.

I think everyone has their own process here though. The most important thing is to be aware of the issue and to take steps to circumvent the problem. There's nothing more silly than having the sheer amount of options prohibit your creative flow.

[A E J O T Z]

"You want some control, you've got to keep it small..." DIY by Peter Gabriel

My rig is distilled down to three mini-synths: CZ-101, Microkorg and Microbrute. When I need bigger keys I MIDI to bigger boards.

In 2012 I deliberately limited myself to the Microkorg for the entire year. Not the most limiting instrument, granted, but a challenge to do everything on. It was less stressful than going from board to board.

I see new hardware come out all the time but I don't need it and it gets in the way. If I had only my $15.00 garage sale Casio CT-470 I could still play something different every day forever.

If I don't have fun playing an instrument, as in turning it on means hours fly out the window, then I don't need it.

My synths are not just toy-like; they are my toys.

I like the looks of my 6 main boards on two twin-tiered racks, but I have more fun hunched over a mini on my desk.

[klangumsetzer]

a very relevant question for me, also in relation to life itself: how much is enough? above which level is complexity hindering creative flow and when does simplicity becomes a limitation?

if i were to start over today with what i learned during the last 20 years i would be doing most things itb (using the computer) and fully concentrate on doing/experimenting/developing and practising with whatever was available. (but of course there are no short-paths in life and the time it took to get to where i am now was the time it took.)

it is wonderfully what you can do today without needing to spend a lot of money.

because of my small children i do not get to experiment as much as i want but there is - nevertheless - lots of music and joy in my life.

i definitely need an acoustic piano: for me nothing comes close in sound and expressiveness and the children enjoy it as well.

thank you for this wonderful community of musicians, lovers and friends!

[robsol]