JUSTIFYING MY MASSIVE STUDIO

Preorder SPRAWL: blushresponse.bandcamp.com/al...
Buy my music: blushresponse.bandcamp.com/
Support what I do: / blushresponse
Affiliate links:
Asia: bit.ly/3UY2aRh
EU: soundofyou.eu/?partner=YnjvQG...
USA: link.perfectcircuit.com/t/v1/...
Amazon shop: www.amazon.com/shop/blushresp...
Sign up for Distrokid and support the channel:
distrokid.com/vip/seven/1396287
Follow ME:
Check out my label: megastructure.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: / blush_response​​​​​​
Facebook: / blushresponseofficial
Tiktok: / blushr3sp0nse
Twitch: / blushr3sp0nse

[@blush_response]

Preorder SPRAWL: blushresponse.bandcamp.com/album/sprawl Buy my music: blushresponse.bandcamp.com/ Support what I do: patreon.com/blushresponse Affiliate links: Asia: bit.ly/3UY2aRh EU: soundofyou.eu/?partner=YnjvQGUeF0nJiGE2ycLD USA: link.perfectcircuit.com/t/v1/8-12626-278597-9759?sid=homepage%202&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.perfectcircuit.com%2F Amazon shop: www.amazon.com/shop/blushresponse Sign up for Distrokid and support the channel: distrokid.com/vip/seven/1396287 Follow ME: Check out my label: megastructure.bandcamp.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/blush_response​​​​​​ Facebook: facebook.com/blushresponseofficial Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@blushr3sp0nse Twitch: twitch.tv/blushr3sp0nse

[@Sypher474]

Gear doesn't have to be about what you make. I have more gear than in your background, and I just enjoy the technology and experimenting for myself. I didn't 'earn' it with musical skill, I worked my ass off at my job, and I choose to spend a lot of disposable income on things that bring me joy. End of story. Nobody should ever have to justify their hobbies and interests to snobs on the internet that probably haven't produced anything of value either. We're all just out here trying to have a good time.

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

I like your style, sypher.

[@Ikon_Sound]

completely agree with this 👌🏼

[@neonblack211]

Amen brother

[@derselenit680]

Same here…

[@aeon136]

ABSO'FUCKIN'LUTELY!!!👽

[@sheldondrake8935]

never justify, rock that shit

[@EBMZEQUENZER]

100% 👍👍👍

[@Wormsie]

A lot of those negative comments are just from envious people. It's the same thing with most of those who are complaining that a particular synth is too expensive.

[@afxtwinreverb]

This is such a dumb and shallow take. "You're criticizing Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos. You must be jelous!!!"

[@sawtooth808]

@@afxtwinreverb you have to admit that there is some truth in it.

[@1e0isfdkorblpg]

@@sawtooth808 some but I will always harp on prices of things that are marked up. Not jealousy, annoyance.

[@Forcejuuso]

@@afxtwinreverb We sure got quick from talking about 2k synths into comparing that criticising billionaires is the same...

[@afxtwinreverb]

@@Forcejuuso of course it's not the same. But stuff that should cost 1400 at max with a price of 2000, it deserves to be criticized. One thing is the labour and engineering of things, the other one is to have to fill even more the pockets of disgusting CEOs. Cough cough Korg, cough cough Gibson etc. etc. Reducing it at "oh you are jealous, you are broke" is stupid.

[@OoraMusic]

I believe no one should justify what they do with their money. I have been targeted many times with "look at that gear vs the music you do " and I would lie if I'd deny that sometimes those comments hurts. I grew to believe that most of the time jealousy is what fuel that kind of hate, and I feel that minor artists/youtubers like me are easier target because we are more relatable ( "why him? he's not better than me" kind of though ). To me the best strategy is never engage, unless the intentions are good, like yours. Thanks for launching the discussion and see you at SB!

[@based_circuit]

Love your stuff Oora. Frustrates me seeing those comments pop up on your channel. You always kill it with your gear demonstrations in a natural down to earth way.

[@outlier5844]

The amount of gear I've bought because you've reviewed it is remarkable. I love what you do so keep it up

[@BlackMan614]

Metalloid was my latest purchase thanks to Joey. He IS the preeminent gear reviewer on YT.

[@Bubbathewheat]

Convinced me to get Spectraphon and QPAS! He sold me on the Plasma Voice but I ran out of budget. I don’t even use the gear the same ways he does, I just love hearing things get pushed to their limits so I can imagine where in that realm I’d like to sit.

[@Bubbathewheat]

@@BlackMan614I want Metalloid and Ultra Kick, I’m assuming they succeed at bringing the oomph?

[@BlackMan614]

@@Bubbathewheat Check out Joey's Metalloid video - he puts it thru the paces. I got the Noise Eng BIA(new version) for kick and death kick.

[@jthek2000]

Joey has similar music tastes as I do. I’m a huge Ven Snares fan being here from Canada, and Joey is one of the few hardcore artists out there that guides you through the instruments. I love how we can share the same modules and feel the same vibes when we play at home.

[@PacifierMusic]

I have a massive amount of gear old and new. The only thing I need to earn is the money to buy my gear. I’ve been buying gear for the last 40 years. I made music for a job and now make music for fun. whether you are a pro or hobbyist, who cares what people think. You do whatever makes you happy 😊

[@ericMT]

You have released a lot of music and you have a very eclectic style. I don’t think your studio is excessive at all. Keep doing what you are doing. I like your musical style. You are also really good at demoing modules and synths. Haters are going to hate, you can’t really change that.

[@rampageExtremeGamer]

An artist can do / use whatever they like. I also have quite a bit of gear - Variety is the spice of life - A cook can have many spices but only need to use a few in combo at a time. I love having so many options and just go with the flow when making music. Applying rules and limitations to music production is dumb. Love your vids J. BTW I make DnB so would like to hear some from you @ 175bpm.

[@blush_response]

how about 176? blushresponse.bandcamp.com/track/mass-ejection

[@andrij.demianczuk]

I too have a pretty respectable studio and I’m damn proud of it. I treat it like a library where I can ‘check out’ gear whenever I want. I love having dozens of pieces to pull from and honestly I find it inspiring. I say love what you have and rock the hell out of it.

[@BabylonRisingOfficial]

@blush_response lol I remember your original setup in that dorm! I bought that red virus b from you hahaha

[@sawtooth808]

Nice, it truly is a small world

[@BabylonRisingOfficial]

@@sawtooth808 haha we go WAY back

[@compucorder64]

If they don't like your style of music, why are they bothering to watch, listen and especially comment. You clearly enjoy your studio, meld with it and know your craft very well. An artist's set is earned, when they pay for it. More so if they know it inside out. More again if they produce interesting unique music with it. More so again, if they are able to pay for it through their craft. That includes KZbin videos, but more so again if it's from selling music and/or performing. Mostly it would be horrible if all gear was used in one context, and I think experienced producers know that, set limitations and choose appropriately. You do you're music with that setup, it sounds powerful to me. If it was my setup, my interests lean more toward percussion-less electronic music, but that's just me, as I get older. My electronic setup has quite a lot of overlap with yours, in the synths and eurorack pieces. Maybe half the size, and my interest is more ambient, electronic, electroacoustic. So I have maybe less drum/sampler/pattern oriented pieces, and more standalone sequencers, loopers, granular, reverb, delays, and modulation fx. Then I have more acoustic instruments. But these synths are so powerful and flexible, they can do whatever you want. FWIW, many guitarists working producing professionally will have many acoustic and electric guitars of various kinds, walls of amps, basses, mics and tons of pedals. And if it's vintage US made guitars, amps, vintage pedals and mics, could make the cost of your studio seems not so bad. Guitarists might pay more for one classic 50/60s Fender amp and guitar than you're whole Eurorack setup, and think nothing strange about it.

[@freezeetch]

I think a lot of people don't realize the path most people take toward a big setup like this is that it's often the culmination of decades of buying and selling and trading up to more advanced gear combined with professional advancement and life changes. I was like you, I got started on some really basic groove boxes and stuff with just a few hundred dollars when I was a teenager in the late 90s (in similar genre circles to you, even!), and it's only been in the last 5 years or so that my setup has bloomed into a bigger one like this. The only way I was able to do it was incrementally over a very long period of time. Back in the day I saw a $5,000 synth and was like, who is buying this shit? But decades later I look at something like that and go "oh, I could totally fund that if I sold this and this and this". The market for some of the pricier synths is not necessarily people who can run out and drop $5,000 on one synth at the drop of a hat, but they're mostly people who probably accumulated a lot of gear over the years and decided to trade up into a pricier device. Without the second hand market as a tool to help fund ourselves, most of us would not be able to afford this stuff. Like anything else, it's just a lifestyle we buy into, for some people it's guitars, for others it's cars, and so on. Currently I am weighing selling some stuff to help pay some bills while also being able to justify getting into a Digitakt II. It's a never ending process, and people hating on your setup are just people who were not around to witness all the little micro-decisions that led up to where you currently are, they are just impatient and want to take a shot at someone who has more than they do.

[@based_circuit]

Exactly, his setup is almost a natural progression of someone that has been building and experimenting for the last 10-15 years. We all start off with that introductory microKorg and/or groove box. One doesn’t just buy a setup like this overnight, it’s a long and thoughtful incremental process! I’m in my early 30’s and my setup is on the same level. Can’t say the same for my musical talent though. When I was in my 20’s, a $5k piece of gear was unfathomable to me. I may have even been one of those jealous haters back then. As an established man with a career now (not in music), that purchase is doable within a month by just tweaking the budget a little bit. If you want or need it bad enough, you’ll find a way to eventually get it.

[@cl1xor]

One of the misunderstandings is that gear lovers (with a lot of gear) need to be 100% productive, just casually playing with your gear can be an goal in itself. Also you don't have to use every bit ALL the time. A studio is a big puzzle and every part of the puzzle has it place. For me, i just need something new now and then to spark some creative flow, this can be some exotic budget FX, or some 90s rompler.

[@bodhibeats8257]

This! At some point I just accepted that part of my personal music hobby is not *just* making music, but also enjoying tinkering with gear and learning new things. Yes, I make music with my setup and that’s its primary purpose. But it also serves the same purpose as the old junker your Dad wrenched on, or the workbench you have in your garage, or the craft room you built. It’s okay to enjoy things as a hobby simply because they’re engaging to you. :)

[@ThMntnst]

I think every setup is earned, no matter what someone does with it. It's hardware, it's collectable and a part of it is having fun, not much else. And what you do with it, is only your personal thing. - If someone does not like the music someone else does, it does not matter what (or how many) tools were at hand in the process of creating it. I also don't think that a setup was meant to be operated all at once. It's like a box of woodworkingtools or brushes and colors...you choose what is needed. - Personally I reduce my setup progressively and replace stuff to quite a low ratio, just to refine my limited but effective resources. I don't think that the "dreamsetups" hold up all that well, since the finality of the setup itself is a point I would not want to reach. Pathetically spoken, I love the journey of refining what I like, what I can operate well and what brings results that are beneficial to the music I'm after. (What I don't like: people to release 12 videos a year titled "I _finally_ build my dreamsetup!")

[@GodelsPrison]

Great talk, Joey. Love your content; your reviews are thorough and thoughtful, and your music melts face. Keep doing what you're doing.

[@bobbychaos]

I love this! My $0.02: 1. Who gives a toss. Or said another way, you don’t need to earn what you have. Get what makes you happy & enjoy it. 2. Absolutely not. You don’t play every note in a song, either. 3. Eurorack sandbox with assloads of IME, NE, and lots of other stuff; Maybe Elektron for resampling & performance; random stuff for inspiration (old synths/gear, mics for sampling, amps & outboard gear; standalone synths like Soma); deadly Mac for mostly recording/mixing. 4. Power Electronics/Death Industrial (ie. what I usually gravitate towards) 5. Whatever brings you happiness. Haters gonna hate! Keep doing what you do & thanks for it - I started my modular journey in large part based on some Muff Wiggler posts from you way back when you were getting started. Thanks for sharing your journey, your art, and your joy in creating that art.

[@interrorgationstudios]

Dude you make what ever you freaking like with your setup! You bought it ,you earned it , haters are always going to hate! You don’t have to justify anything to anyone. If I had your set up, I would make dark doom music .

[@gary.arthur]

Joey - from my humble pov, I'd say that given you are in a position to own a good range of gear then just go for it and enjoy it. The enjoyment is key to creativity. I'd be astonished if you had said that you used your whole setup on any one piece of music. I'm guessing that you move from one machine to another as your muse directs. Even if you just use a thousandth of your setup at any one time, then that leaves the other 99.9% as potential energy waiting in the wings, ready to be released and explored when the time is right...

[@MIINDIITechno]

I love your sounds! you're so inspiring! rock on F the hater trolls on the internet

[@sawtooth808]

I stated this in an earlier, but I feel it needs to be hammered home. The only one that has to live and deal with Joey’s studio…is Joey. My response to those trolls is brought to you by three letters “F” “T” & a lot of “Gs”

[@BartWronsk]

I find it super inspiring that you can mold any synth and hardware into your signature sound and style and find things there no one else can. :) Awesome stuff! (Btw., this discourages me, personally, from buying new hardware as I feel I have not explored the ones I have enough. :) but some that I bought after seeing your reviews and performances both in your videos and live, like Rytm, work perfectly for me and became my staple for sketches and sound design)

[@Peacelovenegin]

You have built a spaceship totally customized to be you ! It’s a massive detailed hard work not just technically, but personally , it’s a journey of self discovery and you evolve with it , takes a lot of courage and dedication, it’s one system , it’s you , and it’s rocking and inspiring! May the Force be with you 🍄⭐️🤘🏻

[@buyukberber]

Awesome questions, thanks for this

[@craigsurette3438]

What i find hillarious ,are people getting judgy about"what you do with all that gear" when you are in fact a working musician, who is both playing with some of the biggest names in some genres of music, and has a bunch of their own projects. You make the kind of music you make, because you have found your creative voice, and these are the tools you use to express it with. You have been super successful doing this. WTF have these haters done!?

[@thestinkyweasel6297]

Make any and everything you want! Love your studio, with your gear and experience, the world is your musical oyster! I like what you already make, but you can and should make and do what move you! Cheers!!

[@georgeredpath5394]

Instruments are tools to express yourself. A carpenter doesn't need to use everything at his disposal to make a great piece of furniture , its just whatever fits. Its funny when it comes to music we view doing certain things as "cheating" or having to explain yourself. Just do you , the people who cant do that thought experiment are not able to have a fair logical conversation. Id just like a Waldorf Quantum , Octatrack , a field recorder , a cirklon , an external clock midi bay etc , OTO machines for processing , My mostly MN modular system and an electric drum kit. With a 16 channel API desk and some decent nearfields and a treated room. But very happy with what i have bar a quantum and pro recording setup! I made more music with less things and the right mindset vs learning synthesis to the point I became an RF engineer getting bogged down in process and science and networking. It can be a seriously slippy slope , but a positive one in my case! It just meant i diddnt directly lead to a career in making music. Just in understanding signals. For your setup id probably just do a lot of industrial and ambient with a live band. That would be fun. Good video :)

[@TheJKOLP]

I love the music you make, thats my opinion. Ive used your name to try and find other artist similar because I like it so much. So I'm thankful you do what you do!

[@Manifestoronaplain]

man you are great, keep doing what ur doing

[@fizmo100]

I have loads of gear, similarly to you I started when I was around 14 and have been collecting, buying, selling and trading ever since. I've gotten to own some really cool stuff, meet some great people, and I was lead to my current career through buying a Minimoog from a guy local to me, staying in touch, and getting into the same industry through acquaintance. I don't 'produce' much and what I do make, I keep mostly to myself, I don't do any of this to have an end product to present to the world. I do it because when I am not working or spending time with my family, I enjoy unwinding by jamming and exploring what different synths can do. I don't owe anyone an explanation or justification, and nor does anyone else. The only point for me is that while owning nice gear, I make sure I look after it. That way when I am finished with it, either if I sell it or after I die, it goes back into the collective pool all of us musicians go fishing in for funky studio treasure and someone else can take their turn with it. I see it a lot on forums and Facebook groups whenever anyone posts studio pics the common response is 'let's hear what music you make'. I'm sure some of that is in good faith and it is people who are genuinely enthusiastic to hear it, but there is a decent amount of people who are really saying 'justify that gear to us by letting us tell you if your music is good enough'. Fuck those guys, they need to concentrate on their own setups and music. Nobody owes them anything.

[@leftmono1016]

Excellent comment.

[@VincentsVideoVisions]

I disagree. I hate it when I see people with overkill setups and lots of awesome, rare, and/or boutique gear and either don't make music or make the most bland shit imaginable. Those people are collectors and vague hobbyists, not musicians/producers. They deserve to get shit on because for every guy like that out there, there's 10,000 creative, driven, and imaginative producers who would put that gear to 1000% better use. It's a damn shame to see a cool setup hoarded by some lame dork wanting internet props. I'm not saying Joey is one of those guys, but there's plenty of them on KZbin and Facebook. I will hate on people like that until I die and I dont care what anyone thinks about that. If you're going to put yourself out to the world like that, you gotta be willing and able to handle criticism.

[@fizmo100]

@@VincentsVideoVisions That does sound very much like a 'you' problem. It's not like there is a shortage of quality gear at all price points these days, there's no synth-famine. The creatives will create, the collectors will collect. Why be obnoxious about it on the internet? 🤷‍♂️

[@VincentsVideoVisions]

@fizmo100 these days I can actually afford stuff due to being lucky enough to land a job that pays well enough to splurge on luxury purchases, but for most of my life it wasn't like that. Building a eurorack system? Yeah right. Never. Thankfully, I have more gear than I really need BUT I'm not trying to flex glamor shots of my home studio on social media and I'm also not uploading worthless bleep bloop videos featuring thousands of dollars worth of gear. That's my point.

[@leftmono1016]

@@VincentsVideoVisions - working musicians and producers don’t generally go for rare, collectible, boutique synths. Most of them don’t earn enough money to justify costly gear, when they can get the same sounds at a much better price point. I get the sentiment - ‘all the gear, no idea’ but expressing that makes you appear jealous. Whether you are or not.

[@temporoboto]

you have some good synth skills my man!

[@neonblack211]

Thats an impressive list of artists, i might be becomming a fan

[@synthshoot1026]

BR is my favorite no BS channel. Straight core content. No crap.

[@mutantmanfred]

Personally, I have a minimalist setup. I am expanding it in very small steps.... I try to draw the best sounds for me from what I have, get to know each instrument well....Big Up JOEY! Brap On!

[@sheddingvelvet]

On the topic of using 100% of your setup: These pieces are all part of that “choosing the right tool for the job” conversation. It’s kind of like the “earning a setup” convo, but sometimes you just NEED some particular thing and it’s hard to do it with other tools, so when you can afford it, you get one. Might only use it once in a blue moon, but HAVING it makes it easy to do that thing when you need to. I feel like that’s the crux of it, some artists / studios SEEM like they might be gear hoarders until they pick out the perfect mic for field recording, or the rotary speaker was JUST the sound that guitarist was looking for, or the breakcore guy NEEDS shortwave radio scan sounds, whatever it is. Being able to USE the tools justifies having them, if you feel like you’re using it “enough”.

[@seantrottier2466]

WRT to your questions, I'd like to believe that if you have the setup, you've earned it. Simple as that. If money was no object, I'd buy more modular stuff, obviously, but I would probably look into some nice sampling gear - it's the side of things I feel I am weakest at - and would work tirelessly to make some dark industrial/ebm type stuff I'm sure, or whatever my brain told me to make. With your setup, I would probably endeavour to make the same stuff I make now. Just with your gear instead of mine. I'd have to up my game bigtime. But in regards to your setup, you don't need to justify it. You own it, you use it, and that's justification enough. You've accomplished a lot, and have a setup that reflects your workflow and skillset. That's called inspiration in my books. Keep on doing these videos. They are seriously inspiring and your attitude towards music/gear is very awesome. Thanks!

[@moonmonkey303]

Though I wouldn't comment on it, I am guilty of mentally judging many electronic music you tubers who are always showing off new gear. Same with many 'beats' you tubers. I see a lot of equipment delivering pretty mediocre music. What they make just doesn't reflect the quality or complexity of their kit, so its easy to be cynical. I wouldn't put you in that basket at all. I'd put you in the 'highly skilled producers who also make you tube videos' basket. Your demos always show a deep understand of the equipment and synthesis, and frankly are some of the best synth workouts online. You push machines hard in a very creative way, and the manufactures must appreciate this. I want to see you delve into new and old kit, so I welcome new additions.

[@afxtwinreverb]

Yeah I feel the same way. So many wack beats. Joey is great. Those youtubers are like people who got a Lamborghini to race and finish last. And they start to say stupid shit like limitations make you go faster etc. I also dislike a lot of this generative sequences stuff, and all the ambient music out there where the reverb is almost making the music for you. Have a little respect for creativity.

[@Deathgazeroo]

I think the main point of music is that for me (and for many people) it’s basically everything BUT job. On the job you have to optimise, and be rational. Music is about emotion, fun and satisfaction that has nothing to do with being responsible or sane even.

[@vertigev]

I love your studio!

[@hugocaldeiravinagre]

With this setup i was expecting bossa nova from you. I am being honest. Bossa nova is one of my favorite styles, so that is what i expect from everyone.

[@PatternRecognitionMusic]

I would love to see somebody use Joey's rig to crank out a bossa nova record! There's not a doubt in my mind that it could be done. I think I'll go throw on some Bebel Gilberto now.

[@vinniemestdagh2792]

You deserve your gear !!! Keep doing what you like !!

[@chrisfjonesutube]

Well done taking those negative comments and channeling it into some challenging questions that can expand minds and grow perspectives. Always love the energy you bring to your craft ❤

[@Mooncapemusic]

Good approach, using your response as an opportunity to put the question to them. Every time I post something I get the same exact comments. Especially on reddit.

[@ARGENTUM-TECHNO]

Dont worry about people comments, you inspiry us with your massive experience on gears, some of the gears i have bought, i have evaluated through your videos, Thanks🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@jasoncaldwell4239]

Considering what all you have accomplished on your path, I think you have an appropriate amount of gear. Rather modest amount actually. I struggle personally with just focusing on a few pieces at a time and not trying to incorporate every voice of every piece of kit in my arsenal. But all that aside man, your music is fire. You’ve helped me get through third shifts at work quite a few nights So rock on my friend and get all the toys you want along the way

[@cobenaut]

in my own studio I tend to use the right tool for the job, it would be nuts to try and use it all lol BTW Ive had a listen to Avulsion and cant wait to check out the rest of your new album :) keep up the good work, massive inspiration.

[@groovin1979]

Do you brother, we can all get by with a laptop but if you love gear and have the means who cares what anyone else thinks, haters will be haters. Also the value you are providing with your reviews is reason enough… love them all.

[@blush_response]

thanks! i just thought it'd be an interesting discussion. cheers :)

[@Jexus]

turning all synths on and not playing them is bad for the planet! 😱

[@sweepstakes]

All the gear you've tried has given you a ton of perspective, and that's one big reason I appreciate your opinion and reviews. Another reason is that your demos of things tend to sound great and actually show what it's like to work with those tools. I also appreciate how you framed your response, not as defensive butthurt but as an opportunity to take a step back and reflect.

[@ritchxmusic]

"You're overdoing it" says I with 500 plugins LOL! Nah each to their own do your thing. Great vid and follow what gives joy to your creative process. It's a unique time in history to have this technology available. Push yourself, your art, and find the tools you need to do that: this is a lesson for those who are jealous of your setup. But if they've done what you've done, they could have a similar setup. You've done the work and have earned what you have so fair dues.

[@lewis1902]

An artist has earned their setup when they start making brostep, an artist needs to be using 100% of their setup to make brostep at all times, I would make brostep with my dream setup (which is just a controller, Ableton Live, Massive and FM8) and I would make brostep with your setup, and I think you should be making brostep obviously.

[@Nachtdwaler]

This is the one and *only* truth.

[@AdamsOlympia]

You earned the massive setup the moment you come out of the birth canal and experience your first urge to make noise. That first primal baby scream is your entry level gear. Seriously tho, You're not indebted to anyone but yourself and you don't owe anyone any justification for anything, least of all the things that make you happy.

[@mr-iz8cx]

I watched you DSI MEK vreview and noticed a comment in reply to your mention of "Dad synths" and the person commented on having finally had the funds to purchase what he couldnt when they were younger. (Neither of you were being hostile or snobbish.) I think that's awesome and I'm kind of in the same boat. Missed out on a lot of things other people took for granted, coming up. But i do have a MEK i bought really! cheap which had gathered dust. After watching your video I am super excited to use it again, give it the time and respect it deserves. I figure judging by the walll behind you that it's not getting a heap of use. I am super glad you kept it ✌️ I would love to have the resources to buy all that gear to test if it works for me. I am envious of that, but I wouldn't wish for another person not to have it. For whatever purpose or time they give it. As long as it isn't just an aesthetic piece they hang up for show...then i would say, donate that to a community group or something. But whatever. Did behringer ever do the donation thing? Probably not

[@philippendletonmusic]

I hope you used all that equipment on your new album... j/k. Nice to hear you've worked with Frontline Assembly - my band Tragic Venus was on an early Third Mind Records compilation alongside them. No one questions how many hammers a carpenter owns - these are tools (especially if you are a professional).

[@mistervalentin8396]

The only thing I am ever envious of when I see someone's impressive gear collection, is that they are skilled enough to know how to use it. For me personally, above all I enjoy making music and exploring sounds to get out of my own way of a busy mind and this crazy world and surf the waves of sonic pleasure. 😊

[@zamsden]

1. When is an artists setup earned? When they spend hard earned money on it, or are gifted pieces by friends or partrons. Never when pieces of gear or ideas are stolen without integrity and honest attribution. 2. No, it takes a long time to integrate and use some pieces of gear. It took me over a year to learn to program a 303! 3. What music would I make? The successor to Skinny Puppy. 4. What would I make with your setup? Your music. Experimental, edgy, noisy, creative, in the moment, and awesome. 5. What should you be making? Something with really banging cool rhythm and experimental noise, chaotic but listenable, even danceable, and with a mesmerizing beat that you can't steer away from. Rhythm and exotic textures are your forte, keep plugging at it, you excel at both of those (as demonstated in your live video from Boiler Room Berlin). I love it when you evoke harmonic and melodic elements on top of this. Like I said before, when you do this, it reminds me of Front Line Assembly (I said this without knowing that you had performed with Front Line Assembly). In short, keep doing what you're doing and keep being a creative inspiration to yourself and others.

[@michaelsorhaindo5167]

Bless you Joey! Great questions! I sometimes feel like I haven’t earned my setup and I don’t even post online. It’s kinda one of the reasons I don’t post jams. But thinking about these questions I feel every setup is earned unless someone is out there stealing gear! 😅

[@MyReasonToPlay]

You have your own unique style. One day I saw a small piece of your video (maybe shorts or guest vid), and I immediately realized that this was it. Instant subscription! So don't care about trolls.

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

that was about as open & kind-hearted of an address to internet trolls as any of us are ever gonna see. my hat's off to you, joey. & thanks for this.

[@aki_gong6271]

We were missing you! Happy to get you back even though the holidays are finished :) I always think less is more, but at the same time you need tools to keep experimenting, those are your tools, like a carpenter has theirs, or a chef ;) Having lots of equipment shouldn't be a problem as long as you use it, and as far as you keep experimenting. You have lots of stuff but you make it sound, so no need more explanations... Probably the ones that criticise more have equipment for the pictures, and coz it looks cool, and they envy you as you make your tools soundings huge. By the way, I'd love to see your hands on a polyend tracker and id love to see how much you are able to push it! Interesting you worked with Christian Castro, as I could have never imagined it, even I'm aware he is into metal and industrial, isn't he? You do great, you are a big inspiration, so keep it up!

[@blush_response]

check out Cristian's album La Esfinge - El Cantar De La Muerte. Cristian is a big fan of rock and metal and asked me because he wanted someone who could do stuff in a NIN vein. we also had Cesar / Vampiro from Mana on guitar and David Bottril (tool, smashing pumpkins, placebo) producing it all

[@MattPerrin]

Limitations help build mastery and creativity. I have a simple affordable setup, but it's perfect for where I am at on my composition journey. Give me infinite options and I might spend more time fiddling with knobs and VSTs than actually making anything.

[@raoulmoat6762]

Loved your 'Hearts Grow Dull' album!

[@blush_response]

That’s not me but some other band using my name

[@PourLEmpire]

Every artist needs the right set of tools to bring their ideas to life.

[@humanerror3139]

No one can make the music you make and you can't make the music anyone else can make. That is what makes music so special. Keep on being you and doing what you do. No justification needed. You are awesome. 🙂

[@GickiGackingGackersson]

I've just started assembling some pieces after a longer hiatus. I just made a track out of the blue from inspiration on one piece of equipment. You don't have to justify or earn anything. I find hardware to be more interesting and I can't get enough of it (except space). I would buy a Polybrute and something that I can use to record sounds outside.

[@emnigmamachine]

People are envious I’d say. I’ve tweaked my setup a lot over the years and it’s shrunk and grown a lot. Sometimes I roll my eyes at people on this site that amass gear purely to be “influencers” and make boring music if they’re actually producing music professionally at all. But you’re a real one and obviously know your rig and how to make it sound like you which is why I fuck with your vids. Keep it up 🖤

[@NormAnonim]

Here's my take. I am not a musician, I am a DJ as a hobby since just before this millenium. But I love synths and I love how they sound. The best phrase to describe, why I like having gear, is collection of sounds. But I love to tweak them, not just sample or listen. Then there is that first statement - I am not musician. And not just as a profession or even as an education. I don't have TALENT for music. The only interest in music that I have is being consumer. I sometimes hear people saying that I have talent, but I don't see that - I am mathematician by heart and scientist by education and this results in me understanding music, thru mathematics. This results in weird situation, where I use mathematics to program structures and then my consumer's approach to judge the results. And that's it. Now, my setup is massive. Like: four to five times, what is on your rack, and two to three times of your eurorack. And if anything it is rather display of my lowest self, my depression and bypassing. I am in process of selling more than half of it (and getting DT2, sorry to say that, but for me there are not many things better in synths than comb filters). Including all Modal 00x synths. So I am not proud of it, it will never earn me any money, and is rather distracting. I made more music having only MC-909 than with all that gear combined! I never played anything, nor finished with all that stuff, contrary to said 909, where I even gigged with it! But the point isn't to justify it economically. I do a lot of stuff that isn't to return investment. Like buying inks and nibs, or bikes - I even was racing professionally, but without trying to be on top, but because I liked it, so I never pushed to be on top, nor adjusted my life for that (like proper diet and exercises, with trainer and manager). From all your questions, one grabbed my attention the most. The thing about, what one performs with gear. And to be honest - I don't know, what I would perform. For now EVERY TIME I had some plans for gear, they turned out to be not what came out. When I bought OB-6, I had plan to make Goa, but every time, when I sat in front of it, Ambient came out. I love it to bits and it's my most inspiring synth (and fourth in terms of sound), but I never wanted to make ambient. Then when I finally gave up and said that I will make some chill or groove at 100 BPM with my Syntakt, Digitakt and Digitone - EVERY TIME I sat down, when I listened to that supersaw machine, I came out with 150 BPM industrial. Not even once I managed to make what I set out to make. So to summarise it: it is the instrument that drives me to results. And I am probably lacking my imagination to even predict, what will come out. I am that weak that I am dominated by non living objects. ;] That's my story. I like your music and like that you are you. P.S. Forgot to add. "Ghost in the circuits" by VAC ignited me to buy my first analog. Before that it was for more than a decade only MC-909 and Nord Modular G2X.

[@JX3D]

I can't see why this is important? Its your gear, so you chose what to do with it - its that simple ❤

[@markbooth]

Great video. I hate the day one release video channels and love fellow creative dudes that show how to use gear not just sell it. That’s my channel motto too.

[@neuronist]

i think my stuff would be a lot more noisy and industrial with your setup just because it really fits well 😅 I really think you have a good fit of stuff there for the music you love to make

[@ghregonearth]

Really great that you turned the trolls on their head by making the critique a creative exercise and op for reflection.

[@IpfxTwin]

The "dream" setup for me now is basically achieving a near mastery of all my current gear, but not perfect mastery. You have to have that thin balance to where you still achieve those wonderful happy accidents that spark the explosion of new ideas.

[@CatenationIndustrial]

People should clean up their own doorstep before thinking about judging others. And then realize they can take that judgement and put it up their ……… Apart from that, I currently have four synths/drum machines and two samplers and those keep me busy all the time ;)

[@CarpeDiem-311]

I use each gear in my set up as its own Ecosystem! Your set up is for the Synthesizer Gods !! I like to hear you make electro break beat with vocoder vocals kind like old school with a mix of techno sounds and acid sounds with 808’s low booms and roaring bass sounds with arpeggio synth sounds . I love to join a make a duo to die for !! lol you keeping 💯 good production . I believe your gear is only as good as you are in the grand scheme of things . Reference to look up similar style Jackal n Hyde electronic music

[@from_Ork]

You answered your last question the best - you should make the music you like. And if it takes just 3 modules and a drum machine, great. Then be excited and see where the next patch will lead you to. And my two cents; your set up seems very tight for someone with a producing background like you have 🕺🏽

[@klm.999]

First of all, I really appreciate your transparency and your self-questioning in front of people. It takes guts to do that. - Gear is about possibilites. If you can afford the prices and you have passion about it, you just buy it; its that simple. - I take your demos as an "artist's/music professional's approach" given your recent works and the places that you have performed. So I think these facts differentiates you from other "synth" youtubers (no offence btw, i love them too and they are helping alot while learning gears) because youre sharing us your cookbook and its really unique specially for new artists. - There could be much more to be said about questions but long story short: Keep going! PS: would love to hear more stories from you about professional musician life (how to find labels, promoters, bands etc.)

[@iantanner7579]

Never spend too much time trying to understand the negative types, one will just end up trying to understand why they are the way they are, - and that's certainly not healthy for a creative mind. Why should anyone have to justify their artistic/creative passions. I've been buying gear since 1986, - I also have much of what you have, plus a shed load of vintage and outboard. Never completed a single track in my life, - as a high functioning autistic myself, I just love having the control, - for me its just a creative release mechanism/expensive hobby. Retired a decade ago, from a life of hard physical labour, working on site, in logistics, operating forklifts, cranes, shipping, etc, - and on the side I would buy and sell synthesizers, samplers, outboard, etc, - this was all pre eBay of course. And that side hustle funded my own "over indulgence and decadence" regarding synthesizers, and "other" lifestyle choices, - the thought of doing music as a source of income never appealed to me as, 1. I wouldn't enjoy the pressure personally, from an autistic perspective I'm just way too much of a perfectionist, and I know I'd just stress myself unnecessarily. 2. I can just indulge myself, 24/7, and not have to worry about tidying things up, or evaluating whether what I create would be viable to others appreciation. love the channel btw, always inspiring - god bless Currently listening to, - Starsha Lee's Post God Metaphysics - Filmmaker's the Love Market

[@amiantohumedo8589]

Front line assembly y Christian castro ..eso sí es variedad! 😂👍👏.

[@amiantohumedo8589]

En que colaboraste con Cristian castro? Por cierto,te vi con fla en un gotik treffen hace unos años

[@blush_response]

En “La Esfinge - El Cantar De La Muerte”

[@mikxazzaz]

Respect for doing this video, handled the flak in a constructive way. But really, you do you, disregard the envious - all power to you. BTW, genuinely loved your Little Deformer and Spectraphone videos, awesome.

[@GuitarWithBrett]

Hey, love your new track Avulsion, heavy sound and vocals really add to imagery. Based on your gear I’d assume you have real passion of some kind, even if you were just a gear reviewer or producer who doesn’t perform. Watching how much mastery you have over your gear and the passion you use it with is unique and reason I watch your channel. Also your music is pushing limits of sound design, which I think many who like “music” don’t appreciate or want. Many just want what they’ve already heard or radio / dj music. If I had your gear, I’d be learning and experimenting nonstop, pretty much what I do with much less gear or digital. Analog is just way more fun and less mousing around. Also your gear seems to encourage deeper understanding to get it working together. Negative comments are probably really boring people who haven’t even really bothered to watch your videos. Even if they weren’t into experimental and heavier sounds, you offer so much knowledge on gear and sound design a lack of appreciation would just show their lack of understanding. Many beginner musicians are at stage they just “like” stuff vs exploring like more advanced musicians. Same goes for those beyond beginner stages with most things. I think interesting question I’d like to know is : does your gear collection grow or stay at a certain size ? Is there too much gear for practical reasons ? Often you say you sold stuff , is it just because you no longer use it ? What’s your criteria for buying or selling ?

[@bLiNdEDM]

I made a wishlist of gear when I was 16 (Waldorf Q, Nord Rack 2, JP8000, Access Virus (any), Waldorf Pulse, 303 etc) After a house fire when i was 37 i got it all with the insurance money. Up to that point i managed to acquire an AN1x, a JP8080 and a Virus Snow but I lost it all in the fire. Im not sure if i earned what I have or not, but it took 20 years to get what I wanted. The reason I wanted a lot of those 90s VA synths was because I knew a lot of music that was using those boxes and some of them have a special tone that software doesn't hit. I use the hardware when I feel the genre im making calls for it. Example would be Trance music. It calls for high quality VAs most of the time. Breakbeat electronic? Analog is definitely the way to go. Sometimes having alias free oscs and filters is worth owning a box for. On the flipside, all those years of not having the hardware I wanted, I got REALLY good with software. I feel that I may have earned the hardware by mastering the software first. I am now a full time sound designer and composer and I have no intentions of looking back

[@anthonybryan9620]

Do what u do , eff what others think. I always enjoyed using small set ups and changed every 10 years. First system SH101 , 909 , Seq Pro One , Roland D10 2nd, Mpc 2000xl Virus indigo 2. 3rd , Elektron Md MnM and A4. 5:01 Current. Gotharman Ld3 , Zaturn , Spazedrum & Polyspaze , I am finally happy. I love how you are constantly adding to your setup. You are an electronic artist, kinda makes sense to buy more gear to further your artistry. But as a previous guy said. Jealousy is a bitch.

[@ChristosGeorgiades9]

Fascinating channel AND setup! The only thing I would do different... Bigger space for easier, more comfortable access to all the synthesizers. I'm a maximalist so... If anything I'd buy even more synthesizers! 😂 And I agree with you, you buy gear and you experiment when and as you feel. It's art, not a 9 to 5.

[@pfmmodule5144]

As long as the gear gets played even on occasion it’s all good. I hate to see a bunch of prime synths that are not wired up or turned on much less played. After 50 years of working I feel that I have earned what I have now. And it gets played.

[@1e0isfdkorblpg]

1:40 Venetian Snares is a fun example imo for a setup.

[@g3cd]

What should you do with your setup? Big bucks 😂 You'd totally deserve it.

[@sheddingvelvet]

As for what I’d do with your setup, I’d probably do a lot more wave folding than I normally do, but probably still CV sequencing rather than midi, and I’d probably work at much slower tempos than you usually do (power electronics is like slow mo gabber industrial, I guess)

[@DashGlitch]

Yes

[@sergiodeoliveira5358]

I've worked hard and dealt with tons of s**t to earn the money I use to buy my gear. Not gonna apologize for my 35 year love of synths and gear!

[@eightsprites]

Im more into old computers and tech in general. Nothing wrong with having tried it all. That’s what I tried to do. I just wanted to be able to answer any tech question comming my way. Bought a lot of books on the subject. Worked out very well. I call it spending on education.

[@sawtooth808]

Dude, AFAIC, the only one deals with your studio days in and out is _you_ , and your set up is one of the better organized laid out setups I have seen. My set up is laid out like…best way I can describe it… a spider web 🕸️ set up. With blue carpeting I made my stands out of small tree stumps and log pieces (I don’t do euro rack for the reason that I have ADHD, and I don’t want to go down the euro rack rabbit hole {it would make other people’s drug habits look like a trip to Dunkin Donuts} My knees will hate me, but this is a set up for me that I can live with. Now I’m just waiting to acquire a Roland SP 404 mk 2 (kind of a tribute to my late younger brother)

[@smallmovesexperiment1102]

Firstly, rad questions man. I think you called it all out. I think you got a pretty curated setup for your sound and the amount you do out-of-the-box, the amount of sound palettes you want access to, etc. Maybe I’ll just answer a few q’s then: I’d probably just experiment in your studio and see what kind of music came out; I don’t start with a genre or project in mind in my own studio. As for what I’d like to see you make in that setup? I’ll just say I think Aphex Twins buddies dared him to try and make a top-50 hit, so there you go that’s the challenge to you. ;-)

[@clonn]

I’ve a question, or a petition: maybe showing your process to create a track could be interesting.

[@ArielAfk]

I think thats a response to people saying that you need analogue gear to do something good, then people go 360 and when they see people with a lot of gear doing something they dont like they lash out, I would be doing nothing with that chaos of a setup while I do a lot just pressing a button around, the issue comes from justifing something that should never be in question. Its a toy, I enjoy using it should be the only valid response. stay creative!

[@thekitchenchikens]

I just went to an autechre concert and the opening band were doing music with an electronic microscope and bacteria, that was a cool setup.

[@fabiancortes6255]

I'll be curious to see you do some breackcore tracks

[@blush_response]

megastructure.bandcamp.com/track/cast-blush-response-remix

[@blkrbbt]

What i love about music, and what I mean is that when you take it seriously enough to start buying gear (instruments in my book)... what I love is the equalizing factor about it... It seems that no matter what level you are at (except Coltrain and Mingus of course) you still have the same questions about yourself and the process... and if you are a true artist,they should never change.... all the way to the end

[@blkrbbt]

Also... having alot of gear leads to not knowing the true depths of what it is capable of (in theory)... but I like haveing way too much debt... er I mean... GEAR... that I have to relearn the workflow, and see that there is inspiration in revisiting a piece of gear! Love you BR

[@understressmusic]

I am a huge fan of your channel. Pay no heed to the haters. You are a massive force with some or all of your arsenal. It is irrelevant as to "what" you should make...just make it! I am fascinated by the incredible musical diversity emerging from technologies that enable creators. Thank you so very much for all of your sharing and knowledge. Your channel is a deep resource for the "acquiring" and "try-curious" electronic musician.

[@pevablanchard5392]

What music should you be making with all that gear? Easy! Hardcore bossa nova.

[@Bananskuden]

Good questions.

[@Reasheqter]

Давно такую тему провернул с Megalomanic компрессором в VCV, как управление по CV "Threshold" и "Ratio" на всех пяти каналах, разными источниками, будь то осцилляторы, или всё, что есть. Фантастическое движение звука получается!! Правда не знаю, существует ли в физическом, а не виртуальном виде подобный компрессор, но если что-то такое есть, рекомендую заценить!!!)))