Too much stuff!

[ghostwhistler]

I don't regret buying lots of vst's (don't own hardware, don't want to, can't afford to).

However in the time I've been using them to make music I still think I own too many. I end up writing tracks and adding parts thinking that "now I need to use X because I haven't used X". The music isn't bad and I wouldn't chagne it anymore than I would consider any of my vst's surplus to requirements.

It's an odd situation. I like music that has limits because I think it defines what makes that music special. Working with limits, IMHO, inspires creativity. If Kraftwerk, for example, had a symphony of synths (I assume they don't) rahter than working minimally (I assume they do), they wouldn't be who they are. Even Tangerine Dream, whose music is largely defined by the presence of arps and sequencers.

Rock music, which I'm a fan of despite writing electronically, especially. I like the limit of guitar/bass/drums with maybe organ/vox.

The point I'm trying to make is that I'm having a hard time finding that identity for myself. If I don't use a given synth then why have a I bought it? But I certainly shouldn't cram every vst onto every song. So I end up adding probably more than I should, even though I do like the end results.

Am I alone in this? I don't regret owning or buying the stuff I have. Each of them I like and will use. But when I come to a project I feel more inspired if I do limit myself. Of course during the creative process those limits go out of the window when the track takes a life of its own and becomes it's own thing.

Or maybe I do have too much synth. It is an indulgence, I mean no one needs this stuff in the crazy world we live in right now. I could after all buy food!

I'm sure this made precisely no sense whatsoever

[BONES]

If I thought like that I'd have 100 different parts to every song, because that's about how many instrument VSTi I have installed. But I just had a flick through RAGE! on your Bandcamp page and it hardly suffers from too many parts.

Maybe what you should do is when you work on a new song, make a point of not using any of the instruments you used on the last one, or the one before that, or the one before that, until you manage to get some use out of all of them. Then you can start the cycle all over again, this time without repeating the same combinations of instruments.

My bandmate is always thinking up shit like that to try and induce inspiration. Personally, it doesn't bother me. All the VSTi I have ever bought doesn't add up to the cost of even one decent hardware synth so it just doesn't matter to me. I bought Arturia V Collection earlier this year when it was on sale. I bought it because it was on sale, not because I wanted to use it right then and there. Many months later, I haven't used any of it but I know it's all there and, when I get sick of the synths I'm currently using, I know I'll give them a whirl. So it feels like an investment in the future, not a waste of money.

[Googly Smythe]

Some random thoughts:
-Minimalism in this context is not the same as owning just a few instruments (soft or hard). It's a style or way of working. A way I have no time for, which doesn't mean I can't appreciate it. My fave sandwich is a BLT with cucumber, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a simple slice of bread.

-Kraftwerk may have produced minimalist music, but they had rooms full of gear to choose from.

-Music is an art form, therefore YOU choose how to create YOUR art. If others like what you do, that's good, if they don't that's good too.

-Unless you're all about making money, don't pander to your audience. Do what you want to do, make the sounds you want to make, use compression the way you want to, not the way so-called received wisdom decrees.

-Don't waste time soul searching, get back to making music!

-You only have too much gear if buying that gear means the bills don't get paid or there's no cash left to buy food. If you're really worried that you might be wasting money, invest in gold.

-See, you're not the only one that doesn't make sense!

[chk071]

Problems, problems, only problems.

[ghostwhistler]

If I thought like that I'd have 100 different parts to every song, because that's about how many instrument VSTi I have installed. But I just had a flick through RAGE! on your Bandcamp page and it hardly suffers from too many parts.

Maybe what you should do is when you work on a new song, make a point of not using any of the instruments you used on the last one, or the one before that, or the one before that, until you manage to get some use out of all of them. Then you can start the cycle all over again, this time without repeating the same combinations of instruments.

My bandmate is always thinking up shit like that to try and induce inspiration. Personally, it doesn't bother me. All the VSTi I have ever bought doesn't add up to the cost of even one decent hardware synth so it just doesn't matter to me. I bought Arturia V Collection earlier this year when it was on sale. I bought it because it was on sale, not because I wanted to use it right then and there. Many months later, I haven't used any of it but I know it's all there and, when I get sick of the synths I'm currently using, I know I'll give them a whirl. So it feels like an investment in the future, not a waste of money.

Firstly, thanks for listening. If it doesn't sound too busy then that's a good thing. Much of what was on that came about more naturally than some other pieces so that may not be a good example as I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted it to sound like. But it does avoid a bunch of instruments I do use.

I tend to work conceptually (how pretentious!). I like having a theme or perhaps a brief to work with, which is what RAGE has. Just putting together songs that sound nice isn't enough for me these days, that's why I like a lot of soundtrack music.

Still those tracks can be quite dense. I guess they are orchestrated better.

I think the issue is one of finding an identity. If you're a rock guitarist, it's pretty simple. Buy a flying v, get a marshall, rock out. With all the synth options available, I tend to flit between sounds: do i want the B3 arturia vst on this track and go for something pyschdelic? The Solina? The Mellotron? The DX7? And on it goes.

Maybe I wouldn't have this issue if Arturia weren't so generous with their license transfer policy

I think self imposed limits is a good way to go and I'm reworking some recent ideas (finished pieces I've even uploaded to bandcamp in preparation for a new project). It's one of the reasons I like the Dungeon Synth genre: it's deceptively simple and the artists make use of a lot of freeware stuff and sound good doing so. They certainly don't need tons of high cost plug ins.

[BONES]

I don't really think like that and all my synths can sound the same as each other anyway. That's what synths are, or should be if they're any good.

[ghostwhistler]

Some random thoughts:
-Minimalism in this context is not the same as owning just a few instruments (soft or hard). It's a style or way of working. A way I have no time for, which doesn't mean I can't appreciate it. My fave sandwich is a BLT with cucumber, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a simple slice of bread.

-Kraftwerk may have produced minimalist music, but they had rooms full of gear to choose from.

-Music is an art form, therefore YOU choose how to create YOUR art. If others like what you do, that's good, if they don't that's good too.

-Unless you're all about making money, don't pander to your audience. Do what you want to do, make the sounds you want to make, use compression the way you want to, not the way so-called received wisdom decrees.

-Don't waste time soul searching, get back to making music!

-You only have too much gear if buying that gear means the bills don't get paid or there's no cash left to buy food. If you're really worried that you might be wasting money, invest in gold.

-See, you're not the only one that doesn't make sense!

Minimalism is aof course a subjective term: let's say it means music with no padding. Nothing unecessary to communicate the idea. Maybe that's a fully symphony of 1000 musicians, or maybe that's a single synth line over a linndrum beat. Kraftwerk is just the best example I could think of.

I'm not looking to please others over myself. I certianly wouldn't be doing what I'm doing were that the case

However I am about what works for me and what satisfies me as a creative person and part of that is defining limits. That may sound contradictory, after all why limit creativity. But the more I consider that, the more I think actually limits inspire more than they curtail. Within reason. YMMV

[ghostwhistler]

I don't really think like that and all my synths can sound the same as each other anyway. That's what synths are, or should be if they're any good.

Why have multiple synths that all sound the same though?

[BONES]

They all have their strengths and weaknesses but the overlap is probably in the order of 90%. e.g. I've got probably a dozen synths that can do great string pads and if I need strings, it doesn't matter which one I use so my choice is more likely to come down to whatever is in my recent list. Ease of use is another consideration - I'll usually try and get the job done with something simple, like JP6K, and only move on to something more complex if I need to. At other times I'll have a preset in mind, so I'll go straight for that synth.

I do tend to only work with 5 or 6 synths but which 5 or 6 will change over time. So at the moment the first synths I reach for are Proclethya or OB Xtreme. Before that it was Olga or bx_oberhausen. But JP6K, Union and Thorn are never far away. Of course, on top of that are my Ujam guitar, bass and drum VSTi, all of which get a lot of use.

[ATS]

I don't think anyone making music today needs to spend any more on software to write good music. There is so much great free stuff out there now it's unreal. With that said I find it fun and yes addictive to buy stuff I don't REALLY need. I mean I could make music for the rest of my life without spending any more money on any software. I like the stuff though and it's fun so I do spend money on it. I would never use something just because I think I should because I spent money on it though. I usually WANT to use something new I bought though because it gives me inspiration.

[Propellerhands]

Simple for me, I buy only stuff that I need (or will need in a future), even if it is on sale. For example, FM8 is only 12 dollars but I'm just not a fan on FM synthesis so it will gather dust in my drive.

With an exception of LuSH-101, which I bought for 40 dollars but haven't created a single patch of my own in it, even internal presets suck. Hate the interface and hate how it sounds, so I uninstalled it. Maybe will come back to it 100 years later who knows.

I usually start making music using stock synths inside Reason 12 and only when need something specific or feel "adventurous" and "inspired" I grab one of the 3rd party VSTs which are only 5 or 6 lol.

I am very selective in my buyings, simply because buying software is stupid and waste of money, at least to me. I prefer a good nice sounding FX to a "nice sounding synth", simply because, when all is said and done, all synths are the same to me. Differs only layout and ease of use. So here's that.

Furthermore, there is absolutely no need to have 10 different subtractive or wavetable synths. One or two of each synthesis is enough. Same for effects.

[_swan92]

All the VSTi I have ever bought doesn't add up to the cost of even one decent hardware synth

Really? You haven't spent say 300 whatever your currency on software?

[BONES]

And which decent hardware synth costs $300? Nothing that I'm aware of.

I usually WANT to use something new I bought though because it gives me inspiration.

^^^^^^^^ THIS!!!! ^^^^^^^^^

I prefer a good nice sounding FX to a "nice sounding synth", simply because, when all is said and done, all synths are the same to me. Differs only layout and ease of use. So here's that.

I am the exact opposite. I don't care at all about effects and I mostly use whatever comes with the DAW and/or things I can get for free. There are a few things I've paid for, like Tantra and Movement, but I find I use them once or twice and then lose interest completely.

Furthermore, there is absolutely no need to have 10 different subtractive or wavetable synths. One or two of each synthesis is enough. Same for effects.

It shouldn't be about need, it should be all about want. I absolutely only need two or three synths but I like having a dozen or more to choose from and in finding that magic dozen, I've bought dozens more. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that 3/4 of my plugins folder gets zero use, it has all been part of a process to find the ones I use all the time.

[zerocrossing]

Working with limits, IMHO, inspires creativity for me.

Fixed that for you. It’s been said thousands of times, but different strokes for different folks.

[Hewitt Huntwork]

Working with limits, IMHO, inspires creativity for me.

Fixed that for you. It’s been said thousands of times, but different strokes for different folks.

I like music that has limits

I like the limit

I think self imposed limits is a good way to go

However I am about what works for me and what satisfies me as a creative person and part of that is defining limits. That may sound contradictory, after all why limit creativity. But the more I consider that, the more I think actually limits inspire more than they curtail. Within reason. YMMV

Fixed that for you, zerocrossing.