why I sold all my music gear.

[@sqwop]

I thought you were gonna say sold everything and invested in crypto.

[@JeiShian]

Hahahahha yeah

[@isaacnewton5543]

lmao

[@steveclem7873]

SayVzThyEthaz!!

[@RiversGarcia]

That's exactly what I thought!

[@RomanWave]

Same thing, bro! I’ve sold everything except upright piano and stage piano. Cause ton of gear is not about music. It’s about collecting.

[@experimetalfan8851]

I'll give it another year and his rooms will be filled with gear again 🤓

[@insepticdnb]

The GAS is always too strong.

[@charleyfame9443]

Agreed. Lol!!!!

[@dazboot2966]

Nah. He’s completely right. If you enjoy playing with bits of gear fine, but it’s basically superfluous.

[@SevanStick]

You bet. I experienced it myself already. We‘re doomed. Total victims.

[@EveryStylez]

I always feel like my workflow/creativity suffers when I don't have my midi keyboard/headphones.

[@willdobson79]

This has to be my favourite video of yours - ever. Really resonates with me and some of my studio /life decisions lately. Love the honesty and the new place looks perfect.

[@2ndbleak]

Homie looks like he's going to put out a video on the importance of mental health in a few weeks

[@clemcusato]

This video felt somewhat nostalgic to me! Glad to see you’re doing fine Multi! Keep the good work and stay safe.

[@steveclem7873]

used2doBeatAroofenNezelf!!

[@380stroker]

No matter what, you'll always need a good pair of monitors or headphones.

[@tomburden]

He doesn't need that anymore. He knows what the notes sound like.

[@watchyamouth5053]

@@tomburden 😂

[@michaelgraflmusic]

I agree, but I would add a good sounding room to that.

[@steveclem7873]

paperCombeHayeBrushLyleBlaxBukWeavMorseConeENinx!..

[@Gretsch0997]

Just headphones. And an iPhone to check the translation of sound.

[@dakotahrivers6640]

I'm going the opposite way. I bought a Prophet Rev2 and just love the unquantized feel of recording into my interface with real keys. I got so bored of soft synths and i love the tactile process of designing a patch from the ground up on hardware.

[@christdolphin69]

great synth. incredible sound. you'll never get that from a plugin. or a novation peak, for that matter

[@TonsOfFun411]

With you on this one. I think the difference is the level of stuff I've been getting too, last year bought a Virus TI2. I think thats where it can really make a difference with analog stuff especially synths; you get what you pay for. Obviously creative process is a different discussion but I feel ya.

[@hey_maurice]

If only you could have bought Multiplier's gear! Perfect exchange. 😂

[@HotStrange]

@@TonsOfFun411 the Virus isn’t an analog synth.

[@TonsOfFun411]

@@HotStrange It’s got analog output transformers and that makes a noticeable difference.

[@oryxandcake2011]

I've found that whenever you think a piece of gear is exhausted, some one comes along with a new way of using it that you didn't think of, proving that it's your imagination that's limited, not the gear. Computer work flows can suffer the exact same fatigue of imagination, that's not exclusive to gear. Computers do make life easier though, less cabling, everything in one box.

[@nym053]

And fx processors like simple fx pedals with knobs you can turn is definetly also a way of changing things up.

[@kiqyou]

completely agree

[@SonicVibe]

Well said but to say ya bored with a machine and all I see in a machine is a lifetime of possibilities he went bad not the gear and talking about replacing a computer every few years where gear last a lifetime sometimes

[@Selrisitai]

Even writers. You wouldn't think that it would matter if he were dipping a quill or clacking away at an electronic typewriter, but in fact it completely changes how you think. I've written things on paper that I never would have thought to write while sitting at a computer. There are probably ways to manipulate how you think without changing the medium, but it certainly is a quick and incontrovertible aspect of the creative mind.

[@oryxandcake2011]

@@Selrisitai Going for a walk... going to a club... going to work at a day job... traveling.. Change inspires ideas, and yeah a new or different media definitely inspires... But also, think about a guitar or a piano and the seeming infinite ideas that have come from only having a single medium.

[@metalhoe]

Thanks for being honest. I know a lot of us get GAS and hyped about new gear, even tho we don't really have the cash and/or need for it. Most of the time they are a headache anyways because they are not ment for certain DAWs that you might want to switch around so you have to keep tweaking midi settings which takes out all the fun/motivation and time you wanted to put into your music and not into making something work. I sold most of my stuff and just keep a small drumpad and a small keyboard. Mostly because I just like the tactile feeling of both keyboard and drumpad. But that's about it. My advice to anyone out there is, you don't really need much more than either a good drumpad and/or keyboard which is geared towards your favorite DAW. Don't get fooled by the idea that this other gear will make your music any better. Anyways good luck to everyone.

[@theelephantofsurprise8564]

I got rid of all my stuff - I have much more fun recording real instruments only (that includes analog synths) - very liberating just banning all midi controllers and digital sound sources/sample packs. If it comes through a microphone or a TRS cable it's good fun :)

[@theblowupdollsmusic]

I did this exact same thing and I'm making the best music I've ever made. And I'm having the most fun doing it. I just record everything as audio.

[@ahyaok100]

Workflow is fast too that way. I do the same thing but add a bit of digital spice in there sometimes. Endless fun.

[@steveclem7873]

notStuffJungleePeepPol!!

[@Selrisitai]

I prefer to watch and listen to people doing this kind of thing as well. I find digital-only music to be "all well and good," but it hasn't yet beaten the genuine airy blast of a trumpet or the commanding thump of a drum-stick on the kit.

[@defenderstargate1447]

Just a note about the broken gear. After burning out some power supplies I started using line conditioners (like the APC Line-R). They smooth out the voltage hitting the gear and can protect the circuitry, and made a real difference in reliability. I think these are important if living in a place with older power lines, etc.

[@vampiremaffia]

@Defender Stargate Great tip and affordable!

[@wiegraf9009]

Cheers, I can imagine this is really important for analogue stuff

[@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333]

its much better than usual power strip with fuse?

[@defenderstargate1447]

@@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333 In terms of generally protecting gear they are. They also cost a bit more.

[@shaft9000]

This happens when you've bought gear without understanding why you "needed it" in the first place. Life is a journey of self-knowledge, nothing more nothing less.

[@MM4F]

I call bullshit, this happens when you evolve.. no rules.

[@latinacroft]

bruh.. you’re mad annoying 😭

[@TheKayoO0]

he explains most of the gear was free or broken when he got it.

[@jonathansoko1085]

Stop being a gear lusting audio hipster. You do it for the gram, lets be honest with each other. You watch old videos of a kanye or some 90s house producer making bangers on an asr 10 or something so you run out and buy one so you can put it up on the gram to show how cool you are, but you dont understand what you are doing so you pirate fruityloops and then you spend the rest of your days using fruityloops and telling people you are using all that cool gear but secretly it keeps you up at night. Just stop, you drive prices up for people that actually care.

[@techreviewz87]

@@jonathansoko1085 Gram? you mean instagram...lol? No...he does it for KZbin...IG is the proper abbreviation, not GRam..u confuse with Telegram! lol a back channel internet... no money there....only YT!

[@skyreadersociety6183]

can affirm that empty table experience, often just keep one or two boxes there - and enjoy having space again.

[@musicofdarius]

I feel plugins are similar. Too many plugins to master but they all do the same thing. Just master what you got, don't let marketing fool you.

[@OmoiSenpai]

Pretty much, you hit prestige mode :P

[@TheMusicVII]

For real!

[@cooperhiphop]

Exactly... I've hit prestige mode as well but I noticed going back to less reminded me why having certain equipment is a blessing. These plugins emulators are cheaper than some hardware but they tax the 💩 out of you cpu and if you don't have a great interface you're dealing with all types of issues (my komplete audio 6 interface is trash as I become a better engineer). I plan on buying 3 sets of plugin bundles (I already own a few and I rather collect the rest so I don't need more outboard gear), 1 to 2 warm audio eqs and a mastering processor to wrap up my final mixes. I know I'll be on the road and going to other studios so I might buy another maschine mk3 (or mk4? If it comes out) controller so I can be on the move (that if NI doesn't allow me to install it's software on my laptop). I basically gave people some a lot of my gear that said they needed it. My goal is to make music the best way I can without going through what I'm experiencing now with my setup. Later down the lines I want one of the new Mac pros so I can be complete updated but at the moment I'm using my 2010 Mac pro that I hacked to be stronger than a regular Mac pro for video production.

[@alexanami9948]

Good to downsize on the digital midi controllers etc, but nothing beats hardware. Computer screens and software just don't do it for me. Different strokes.

[@ruslanr.6171]

computer is bad with its big bad screen, I'd rather use many different hardware with many tiny good screens.

[@HotStrange]

@@ruslanr.6171 Lol are you just trolling everyone who enjoys hardware with this exact comment? You’re boring.

[@ruslanr.6171]

@@HotStrange i enjoy hardware too, but i don't blame computer screens for my GAS. modern computer screens are awesome.

[@HotStrange]

@@ruslanr.6171 sure but you’re commenting this as a reply to people that gave perfectly reasonable explanations of why they prefer to use hardware.

[@steveclem7873]

GoodyGoodyHumUhmzErdNooseLayTelyeezBuzBomzMooSics?

[@SpecialSaws]

It takes wisdom to know what and why to buy. I like to keep it simple too but on the other hand I don’t like live performances to be on laptops. I like the performance aspect so being able to practice on the equipment I can perform on is crucial. Also important to not have too much gear or honing a craft can be to complicated. My gear fits in a guitar case…4 now

[@nodz007]

This is a really good and reflective video. I have been thinking the same since Apple released the M1 chip. The rationale for using hardware and offline effects is I found that creativity was stifled because eventually the CPU an memory crapped out in the DAW but like you I have a lot of stuff that I simply don't use anymore because other newer stuff came along and piqued my interest.

[@steveclem7873]

didridallFoSoundengVisionzz!!

[@Slamagotchi]

If you wanted to work in a 'new' way, you could have done that by using any piece of gear you didn't or weren't used to using, and constrain yourself to using ONLY that for a period of time. I notice that most studio gear that goes unused is simply because we don't know what its actually good for and its not until we spend an extended period of time with it before we actually get a feel for its use.

[@andriinikitin6139]

Spent around 1.5 years in this loop: buy gear / get bored / sell gear / buy new - this video is soo accurate illustration for this. Sure, I’ve learned a lot from all that gear, but eventually it boils down to «cool, now I should do this in my DAW as well, so what should I buy next when I sell this thing? »

[@gypsyfolklore]

More important than hardware equipment is the workflow process needed to create......so if Scalar 2, Melodyne and Serato Sample are an important part in the songwriting process, then a workflow process is created where hardware is integrated into the workflow. The hardest part to creating one's optimum workflow is learning how to design and construct your personalized workflow.

[@thomascp33]

Dude!! Have been wondering where you’ve disappeared to! Glad to see you’re alive!!!!

[@samglass2004]

So so true I used to buy everything now I only have logic and complete it’s not more gear it’s about makeing music not buying the latest gear sampling makeing your own sounds cutting up loops I would love to hear your music thanks some finely see’s what iam talking about

[@clubbedtobreathe]

I've been doing the same but "inside the box" way, getting rid of anything I don't use and setting up the workflow focusing only on the Creative Process, the mental process behind creation. Lots of organization marathons worth doing.. selecting fewer and better samples, presets, plugins and so on.

[@dazboot2966]

Yes, very good. For my latest computer gone down to Logic/NI/Izotope - plenty.

[@nym053]

I haven't done this process just once, and I keep going through it over time 😆

[@KLabTVkicksass]

My Favourite part "If you sell all your stuff, YOU GET TO BUY NEW STUFF!!!"

[@MR.FREEDMAN]

Honestly, both are necessary. Yes digital is immediate but analog brings a "lightning in the bottle" value that is unmatched. What has worked for me is making sure all my analog gear has a purpose, so I don't have a crap tone of analog gear. Also, setting up this gear to be able to be recorded to capture those special moments without delay. Personally, I think you may have just had too much gear. If you kept a 3rd of the gear I think you'd kind value from the limitations.

[@charalove6867]

Thank you for posting this. It sounds like you are finding value in the open spaces! Congratulations on releasing the instruments that don’t serve you anymore. You have inspired me.

[@steveclem7873]

fawkesWayTartzThyzAflyENmazeSoox!?..aintESP!..

[@Hlecktro]

This is why I've shifted to gear like Virus TI and Elektron Overbridge. Lets me play the physical gear seperately, but it gets used often in my DAW as it's as easy to connect with VST. Gear is best for live perf tho

[@GrantEllman]

Flume had an interesting interview on this. Said all he needs is a fast computer and a good set of monitors in a treated room. Maybe a midi controller. I tend to agree. Minimalism FTW. Limitation = freedom.

[@smugler1]

for me, i like physical devices BECAUSE they limit my choices. In a DAW i can go any which direction and that's too much for me. Obviously, i'm not very experienced in the production side. And i'm sure that's a contributing factor.

[@eventhorizon1414]

Flume has a lot of hardware equipment.

[@GrantEllman]

@@eventhorizon1414 I'm sure he HAS a lot of fun toys. His point on the interview is that all he really NEEDS is a daw and speakers.

[@randommcranderson5155]

and bread and water but I bet he eats other things too.

[@made.online2149]

limitation = freedom is often an argument for owning hardware. there's infinitely many things you can do with a computer. not so with a box that has a fixed featureset.

[@fingerstylefunkable]

When I realized I was spending more time learning how to use the new software and hardware than writing music, I realized I had a problem. At one point, I was juggling Ableton Live and push 2, Maschine mk2 and Jam with the software, Reason pre-plug-in edition, and Cubase. I finally sold all the extra gear, settled on Cubase and Reason-plug-in, only have 2 midi keyboards, an 88 key and a shorty desktop. I still have oodles of software, and I’m still working on isolating that down to the most useful things. The junk and gear and software just gets in the way. When I started with just a bass guitar an ancient PC and four track tascam tape I felt like I was more creative. Fast forward 20 years and I think I’ve written less songs and music in the last 10 years than I did in the first five years. What’s ridiculous is I remember dreaming about being able to afford all the things I have now or things similar to what I have now but I am much less productive with all the stuff. Like everyone says, gear doesn’t make you better, cheers.

[@nsp932]

You make great points about the software as well. Somewhere along the way i grew tired of the computer and invested in a ton of hardware, too much at one time and I haven’t made much music since acquiring all this gear. Now I’ve decided to sell it all and realized I need to narrow down on software too. What was your deciding factor for Cubase?

[@fingerstylefunkable]

@@nsp932 The midi tools and editing along with the chord track and arranger track tools. The built in tools for music theory make it my favorite.

[@brmbkl]

learning is an end in itself

[@nilespeterclemens8328]

What an interesting journey you’re on. Something must have dramatically changed inside you to get you to pull the trigger on selling everything. A leap of faith.

[@steveclem7873]

intelInsideEeteezNutEnsayenedDohMooSicMainMameManMoonyzNuh!!

[@rasi_rawss]

Probably because everything he had was Guitar Center-tier crap. He even pointed out 6 pieces that were broken

[@gaarakabuto1]

I can't see myself without owning at least one sampler,one keyboard (midi or not) and a DJ set with a loop station (software or hardware doesn't matter). Sampler is in a way the instrument of a producer.Something like the SP-16, the MPC-2000/Live,the SP-404 or even the ASR-X are pieces of gear that you can use them when you take a break from your computer and you just mess around with sounds,not necessarily making music,just doing sound design, of drums, fx sounds or somekind of instruments/melodies samples.Doing things that even though PC can do,PC can't teach you,anyone with experience on ensoniq gear can get what I am saying. The DJ set with a loop station (in my case being either Ableton or Boss RC-505) is another kind of instrument that it is just healing,picking up forgotten tracks or even vinyls and giving your go on mixing them just for yourself,picking up things that you can loop and build up on that loop,that's a thing.Both the sampler and the DJ set are things that you can do outside of the pc and then either use the knowledge you got from them to the PC or just combine them with your DAW and do things.They offer too much and they are not holding you back the same way a whole bookshelf full of gear would. Finally the keys is just a confort that I feel like I need to have around even if I am not using it.It is the kind of tool that comes in handy out of nowhere.

[@teabreakbeats]

I always end up finishing or remaking anything i make on hardware in the box... but it's still fun to play with the hardware!

[@benjamins.335]

Really interesting points you are focussing on. I really understand why you decided to get rid of all that stuff. I sometimes get to the same point. It has some analogy to "renewing" relationships & changing things in your life that makes you restless. Your arguments are comprehensible for studio musicians but for live music? Mhhh. Btw - I accidentally found your video due to hardware reviews because I was looking for a new synth... 😳

[@zblip22]

You don't need to create something new. You need to create something worthwhile that has a personal touch.

[@nym053]

I don't like having too much gear either. I once sold all I had, but after awhile I realised why I got hardware in the first place. I don't enjoy clicking around with the mouse while using software, and I often end up being lazy and just use the same automations for changes throughout the same project instead of grabbing a controller and record it in. With gear I find it more enjoyable and organic sounding recording while turning the knobs. Using fx like pedals are also very important to me. Especially for delays. I actually wanted to dubmix while recording a whole track, but I've realised that's just too much for me with a 16 to 24 channel analogue mixer. I have ADHD, so putting my attention to several things at once is not my strong suit. That also means visually. So if there's to many visual distractions I'll feel less motivated to use the gear. Also my ADHD gives me OCD like traits, so in case of gear, it also has to be visually pleasing. I can try to ignore it and get used to it, but over time it'll still annoy me, if it's not. And it has to be said that I make music in my 1 room apartment, so I have to look at it every single day. Under- or overstimulation is not what I want. But yeah I'm in the middle of buying stuff again. I realised that recording one thing or a few things at a time may work better for me. And then process further and edit in Ableton. The new combing feature should be great for this. Being only daw or only hardware becomes too limiting for me.

[@badmon.justin01]

I sold 90% of my gear too when I realized my best music was made entirely in the computer.

[@soejrd24978]

Get a nice 32" 1440p/4K monitor for your eyes/posture. A nice keyboard and pen/mouse

[@vampiremaffia]

Excellent advice was thinking the same thing, this will 'ruin his eyes' and seems very confined. I am thinking about one of those 4k curved flat screen TV's that you see more and more in studios to replace my 27 inch display monitor setup (4 of them in a cockpit config of 3 and 1 on a adjacent desk for Maschine only, not a bad setup actually)

[@zakur0hako]

i always remind myself that Burial made his best music in Soundforge

[@steveclem7873]

wailNowAintVatSW!!

[@rocky_racoon3183]

I have just moved house also, I am in the process of filtering through my gear to reduce the ridiculous amount of cables, adaptors, and keyboards etc I have. You may need a gear demo corner somewhere but keep it away from your creative space.

[@jasonmudgarde286]

I've gone from pc recording back to a 4 track tape machine, far simpler and more immediate.

[@tronlady1]

I wrote hundreds of things on my four track and I’ve written about 10 things on my d.a.w. with its thousands of sounds and options (and headaches/frustrations/tears……yes, tears). What I have been enjoying though recently is the novation circuit as it is so portable and fun!

[@twistedspanner]

I don't blame you. Recording on 4 track back in the early 90's was my most creative prolific fun period of songwriting and recording. You'd actually rehearse and practice your instrument before you actually pressed record cos space was rare. With digital you end up about 50 guitar & vocal takes that you'll later sift through but never get round to and when you do it's a chore. I was gonna re recorded what I recorded on 4 track on a computer and do it properly. 25 years have gone by and It hasn't happened. Think I'll just clean up the tape versions in audacity. The definitive versions. Now I know why Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers) also dismantled his home studio. He never knew when a song was finished. 😁

[@tronlady1]

@@twistedspanner I HEAR you brother!

[@twistedspanner]

@@tronlady1 so I'm not the only one who feels like this?

[@theemperorstarwarslegends8075]

Just build a eurorack. And try audiotool. You'll probably like it. It's like a hybrid between digital hardware and regular daw. You see everything digitally, but you connect the parts through a visual interface.

[@tylergates4075]

I relate to this very much. It's hard to write a track with all that gear looking at you. And many times I want to start something new, but cant bc I'm still working on something that requires a slightly different signal path and I end up not doing anything. I started doing my sketches in DAW. It's much less distracting and stressful .

[@mattwalsh9413]

patch bay. done.

[@tylergates4075]

@@mattwalsh9413 True, I gotta look into that

[@theonlyfowler]

Im totally with you, it is just a nice to have - but usually creative is created in the brain and not what kind of expensive gear you own imho - often people comfort themselve with big studios - but ofthen there is too much focus lost through out - so for me: Desktop PC - Midi Keyboard - Empty Desk - Headphones - Scarlett 4i4 - Ableton 11 and many vsts

[@IAMPolegato]

You're One of many who have inspired me to start attending production school. I been wondering where you went for the past year and I am personally really excited to see you back on the internet! Congratulations on the life upgrades like the new Home, I hope this means the internet world will see more of you soon?

[@ThinkerThunker]

I understand. But it's just the opposite for me. I find ZERO inspiration trying to make music on a PC and DAW.

[@Digiphex]

It's not about your "best work" or "best production", it is about having fun playing with gear, isn't it? My iPad makes great music almost automatically but I never pick it up.

[@thereal_ineedHelp]

My 2 cents: I’d say it depends on your end goals. Some want to just have fun and don’t care about “commercial success” or making money. Some people want to be a content creator like the KZbinr Zen World (as I type this Multiplyer literally just said the same thing at 9:04 lol). Zen directly states he doesn’t want to be a “successful/career musician”, he wants to help people achieve that goal with tutorials and selling sound packs, etc. it’s how they pay the bills. Then, some people want to try and be a successful musician, get signed to a label, tour, etc. in this case most successful people will tell you you have to work it like a 9-5 job, and even if you have days/weeks where you lack inspiration or even feel like you hate going into the studio, you do it anyways because quote “you’ve got a job to do.” There’s days where “fun” is the last thing I’m having in the studio lol, but I’m there anyways trying a achieve a goal.

[@Shiirai]

If it's your business, I'm pretty sure the only thing that's truly important is that your workflow isn't horrible. Whatever works for you. I can fully understand how 'making your best work' is the most important thing for you. When I create, I'm only truly happy with it when I believe it's the best I could've done.

[@WillyJunior]

Sounds like you don't really make or release commercial quality music

[@spectralknights2]

@@WillyJunior why only commercial music? It's all about ur passion or hobby

[@perrypelican9476]

@@WillyJunior why do you say that? What can you not create using a laptop, an iPad Pro, a sound card, a set of headphones, microphones, a pair of monitors, and a few midi controllers. Every sound can be reproduced with an iPad and software. Any song can be tracked, mixed and mastered with only the previous described stuff.

[@FelixCarcone]

I understand completely, I almost did the exact same thing this year too. I sold everything, except some guitar pedals and acoustic instruments. The rest is gone, and I also sold a lot of plugins. Cleaning things like that feels super refreshing ! 👍🏻

[@Hyper5nic]

It always impressed me more to see / hear musicians create music with a very small setup, and so it inspired me to invest more time in refining the creation process than in what instrument to get next. Maybe it helps you too to focus more on that aspect, maybe not too much on sound-design vs sounding good, and much more on spontaneity and fun.

[@miserycodebeats1722]

I’d say it’s actually more difficult with more gear . No doubt about it

[@earledaniels4539]

I can understand your message here. Sometimes you have to wipe the slate clean and have a fresh start to recreate yourself. Good luck 🤞

[@jdstarek]

Glad to see you again. I’ve always been against hardware. I think hardware is pretentious. 99% of the time it’s just about telling people you have the gear.

[@dingbatjack1234]

Pretentious guy over here 👋

[@darkuniversesound]

Unless they're making *all* their music on hardware like me 🙄🌌

[@Yannleon_video]

@multiplier I am (was) in the exact same boat. I sold almost everything... and now I'll move into a new home. Old style in a medieval city. I totally understand your need for a "zen" studio where you can breath and not think about cables, power supplies, heat... or which gear to use next. Now the next thing to come thru: a purge of plugins. In the same kind of spirit, plugins create chaos too. But that's for an other topic. :)

[@allstar930]

Man, I did the same thing. I've been DJing since middle school in the '80s and the pandemic completely upended my life. I stopped doing gigs, started a family, and transitioned to grinding out as many mixtapes as time allowed as my primary musical output. Quickly, I realized that I could make great mixtapes in a box using MixMeister. After a year of that, I sold nearly all my DJ gear. I kept one controller in case a gig ever pops up and one of my Technics 1200's for vinyl ripping and flipped everything else to eBay. The only small upside is that my gear was mostly pretty new so I got good resale prices because of pandemic-related electronics shortages. Cheers.

[@cneubauer2]

so many people commenting about doing the same thing because their gear wasn’t “doing anything.” gear doesn’t do anything y’all: you do stuff with gear. if it’s sitting there unused, it’s because you’re not using it; if you have $10K in gear that isn’t “doing anything,” it’s $10K you’ve spent on stuff you didn’t need or actually try to learn or use all that much after all. it’s one thing to use stuff to the max and decide something else will fill in some gaps or alter a workflow, but if you’re selling off two dozen analog synths in a few months, chances are high you never actually dug into any of them, which isn’t the gears’ fault.

[@oscarg8119]

Its all about having the RIGHT gear. And, respectfully, I think you didnt have the correct gear. If I had yours I will sell it too and buy usefull pieces.

[@steveclem7873]

oscarMaxwellsAmmerNailsYooTuneCruxeefeex!!

[@oscarg8119]

@@steveclem7873 aha.....

[@KemicalKiddMUSIC]

You got me reflecting and I agree. I have sound gear I dont even use anymore. Ima plan to give them away or sell them. Actually, its not even just music gear its just stuff lying around. Like clothes I dont even wear. Its not just a waste of space its a waste of potential. I remember my cousin gave me his m-audio sound card cus he didnt need it. Looking back, that was a big reason how I got into recording music in the first place! So, thanks to him. You never know who needs it more than you or change someone's life.

[@DirtyJokesFan]

Great to have you back. Collecting excessive gear can lead to collecting dust as it sits there unused.

[@steveclem7873]

YaYaNoKnowENz!!KlookPryTsar!

[@Quant-Beat]

Hardware shall be that a unit has something that is not accessible ITB, or not as good as. I have a few hardware synths, where most can't be replaced by any software. That shall be the reason to have hardware.

[@patrick5301]

Btw thanks for the kick sample pack on splice that costs 0 credits for the entire pack😂

[@steveclem7873]

jeezKrizdRuTorkENroBotKashaSimpsonSpringBuMain?..

[@Spidouz]

Trust me or not, but over the course of the last 35+ years I went through some similar phases. For instance, when I started, as a young intern in the local recording studio, I was only using hardware. It was not by choice, it’s because we had nothing else. If you wanted to record, it was on a 2” tape machine. Then one day we got the first MIDI sequencer on Atari (like Pro24, that became Cubase V1.0), and then I accumulated a lot of Synth, Romplers and other workstation keyboards, racks etc… it was just to get more sounds. And then came the digital era in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s, so I started to move to more virtual instruments and effects, and even thought I could fully move ITB. I sold all my gear and bought a lot of software, unfortunately it was not perfect at this time, but again we didn’t had much choices. Then later on in the late ‘00s, I was working in a full commercial studio, with plenty of gear, high stuff, and then I got a taste to the high quality we can achieve with proper gear, so I started to buy back some hardware to compensate the lack we had at the time in software, to emulate what I could do in pro studio. But slowly things got better, software got better accuracy, reproducing more accurately analog gear to the point we couldn’t make much difference anymore, and we got plenty of modern controller such Maschine, Ableton Push, MPC Studio, etc… So plenty of new solutions to work fully ITB with an adequate controller that provide the same user experience we can have with analog hardware gear, but yet have now the virtual unlimited sounds from the digital world. And I’m not working in commercial studio, nor I have nothing to prove to anyone anymore. It doesn’t have to “look good for the client”. Therefore now I’m focusing on getting a great workflow that works for me and allow me to get creative. And the solution that works for me (YMMV) is to get back to full ITB with a powerful MacBook and a couple of nice controller such Maschine mk3 and a keyboard. That’s pretty much all I really need now and it works for me. Of course, everyone is different and I don’t claim it’s THE ultimate solution for everyone. It’s just a solution that is proven to work for me and that I like… and in the end, it’s what matters. To pretty much forget about gear and just focus on the music.

[@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333]

yeah its different from person to person. my friend cant stand working ITB, but the thing is, friend is heavily into DIY... handmade sequencers and stuff... very creative. even using tape loops nowodays lol. and weirdly, friend makes good music instead of weird noises or smth. guess its just.. talent. personally i find itb way easier.

[@PaulSalamoneComedy]

I can hear the soft sound of synthdads crying in the distance…

[@christdolphin69]

i can hear the soy in this comment

[@PaulSalamoneComedy]

@@christdolphin69 Actually I was high on seitan when I wrote it

[@mrflynn01]

I’ll never get rid of my Arturia spark and my MPC 1000, 2000, and studio, lol

[@tomloftus8275]

Multiplier ! Immediately clicked on this ! Inspiring change of direction ! Looking forward to more videos !

[@steveclem7873]

yuh,zo,CauldrenzMaerBrassRite...?ValVozaz!..

[@delscoville]

I am limiting myself to a digital workstaion, an analog synth, and midi controller. So I chose things I can get the most out of. I limit the studio gear to just one corner of my studio apartment. But I have a Yamaha MODX6+ with it's AWM3 and FM-X engines, and a DSI Pro 3 SE, which actually scratches that itch I have to go modular, it's mod matrix I can route almost everything to almost everywhere. I also have a Keylab essential 88. I'm a classivally trained pianist, but frankly, I haven't even touched a piano in like 3 decades, so the piano weighted keys really don't mean a whole lot to me anymore. BTW, I do still own a piano, but it's sits at my parents house, the whole, "I'm leaving and taking all my stuff" bit doesn't work when something weighs a half a ton. But I also left another piano behind after that, but a different story there.

[@GarrettMusic1]

having stuff that's essential, have 1 thing that does 1 job is important

[@MrTk3435]

Great Job Neo, You just unplugged yourself!. Don't ever go back!!! 🌋😀😇😎🌋

[@kittensinkmusic]

dude, you're fucking adorable and i'll always check out whatever you have to say. i've learned so much from you. thanks.

[@UnderSeaShadow]

I've certainly found that, recently putting a studio together fuels the desire to obtain more stuff & can easily spiral (a curse on instant finance!!) ....obviously the utility things & the "boring stuff (mic stands for example) are a must but things that bleep & squeak are always just too tempting. Well done for taking that leap into minimalism- got to love a good old analogue candle ^-^.

[@Soloslayer007]

Go spend that 10k on a huge modular setup. Job done

[@ZacharySound]

That's debatable I think.

[@boulevardsound5137]

In other words, it's time for you to go modular. Like proper modular. With the hardware you've bought, the main upside you get is that it goes through a preamp - downside to those particular devices is they won't offer you anything your DAW won't. Modular on the other hand.....That's why it became obsolete to you.

[@DemiGodsMusic]

I am the proud new owner of Multiplier's RE20 mic :) Good luck mate with your fresh start, looking forward to more content from you.

[@e.m.b2834]

Hybrid is the way to but to each his own ... analog synths ... digital synths and apps .. acoustic instruments is where I flow the best... have no issues using amp simulations drum loops etc

[@shitmandood]

Dude! Erik Wøllo, Michael Stearnes, Steve Roach have large ROOMS of gear and they use it! They've produced album after album since the 70s and 80s. You can go to the Steve Roach channel and watch them make use of a bank of synths all around them, plus guitars for Erik/Michael. Then you have new people like Martin Sturtzer on KZbin with a bay of synths integrated with a mac mini M1. You should've kept the hardware synths and got rid of the other crap. Also, why are the studio monitors gone? What did you have against them? I remember some of your videos on setting up this really complicated USB routing for your Mac. Man, I'd NEVER do that! hahaha. I think you made the hardware more complicated than it actually is. Maybe you just needed to tear it all down and find out which parts you could still use.? Those hardware synths would still have been useful to send MIDI out from the DAW.

[@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333]

Michael Stearns... oh... M'Ocean was amazing. I can also recommend you L'Univers de la Mer (by Dominique Guiot) and Legendes de Broceliande (by Serge Bulot)

[@Mendomi]

This by far is the best insight on the mental aspect of music production and all its aspects I've seen. And I've watched a lot! I'm currently where you have been right now. I want to sell everything and really focus on where my best work has been generated from (hardware/software). And what really gets me excited about making a beat. Thanks bro!

[@erestube]

I can relate so much, I almost threw up watching this. Compared with the house's construction, that equipment looked like cheap junk to begin with. By the way, your home needs an animal.

[@samborn7120]

I think it’s great and very healthy to evaluate one’s creative process and determine what is working and what isn’t. Although I went the other way and I have left “The box” and have more of hardware now, I am more creative then I ever was with instrument plugins. Good for you 👌

[@License2Bust]

“Oi mate I sold me instrimints and me equeepmint cuz I’m just soer createchiv that I don’t need it” -Insufferable brit

[@coolwero]

13 minutes in one sentence lol

[@VOODOO808]

I did the same thing with my setup and never looked back. Keep up the good work 🔥

[@davidbriggs9675]

I have too many guitars and too much other gear. All I need to keep is my Parker Fly, my bass and my old Yamaha keyboard. Having less gear helps you concentrate on actually making music. Good for you...you're very brave and a little stupid in equal measure. Very best wishes. I just hope that you didn't loose too much money.

[@therealeleusis]

Yeah man we all need to change shit up for creativity sake from time to time, musicians have been doing it for centuries. I enjoy seeing you comes to grips with this concept/need of musical creativity being fostered by change. We are beings that have evolved and are evolving and one of the windows into the evolutionary process is reflected quite vividly in music and music gear. I have many sides to my musical tastes and I create music in different genres. One if the things I did as a guitarist to break myself out of a box was to experiment with an altered tuning and I made that unusual tuning my own, got to know it's ins and outs and it gave me a completely different musical voice to express myself with. Then there side of it too where having a room full of gear makes a music video look cool but I've been doing this long enough that seeing rooms like that make me almost nauseous because of the choice paralysis it gives me having so much gear...it leads to this jack of all gear master of none thing. I mean how many pieces of gear have been made that have so many functions and no one except maybe the gear company's reps even know or use all the possibly functions. It's like having 500 cable channels...why? You can never watch all the shows and you have to weed through millions of choices...oh it so fucking exhausting to think about. I guess if I can be proud of anything when I hear my music, no matter the genre I've played in, it's distinctly mine, I have very defined imprint and to that point I'd add that, not learning to play other people's songs helped me forge my own identity. I didn't want to waste time learning other people's stuff in order to learn the instrument I was learning at the time, I'm currently able to play five instruments, but I was just wanting to make sounds and I had a drive to figure them out on my own and so I never took lessons either. All of that happened because of exact what you've discovered and made a video about, change is necessary for growth which naturally has the effect of creating something new, if not in the world, then new to who you are at this precise musical juncture and it's that change that keeps music as a whole evolving and that can and does have a large impact on those in the world who love music, from fans to musicians themselves. Great video...welcome to the evolution man!!🤘😎🤘

[@darkuniversesound]

Appreciate 🙏🤙

[@osd6333]

Hi Multiplier. I haven't followed you for a few years but KZbin just recommenced me this video and it reminded me of something totally random... Way back in 2013 when I was 17, I was making Electronic music under an alias called 'Polex' and you remixed one of my songs called 'Jelly Bean'. Its still online and on Spotify lol. Glad to see you're still making content and doing what you love.

[@Sonikbytes]

For somebody from younger generation who were raised in front a computer screen most of their day and at work/school, it may not be an issue to be a minimalist laptop musician but for somebody living throughout 80's might very well be.

[@vinceriley]

When Ableton 19 doesn't work on the M.4 neural drive and won't install under Windows 128bit. You will miss the simplicity of the MPC-60.

[@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333]

i mean, some people still use Amiga trackers.

[@wackerburg]

Interesting to see, but I use my hardware devices all the time - so I'll keep it. I actually went the other way compared to what you just did :-) --- I find the idea of sitting in front of a computer screen in order to make music frightening to be honest. But... I guess since I am an amateur, as in "doing it for the love" as opposed to professionals as in "doing it for the money", I have no interest in being economic. So I do not need instant and total recall, portability and gazillions of features. I work a fulltime job, mostly in front of a computer, so I want to use instruments for making music. The only computers in my setup are the "computer controlled" TB-303 and TR-808. I don't even like MIDI that much as I found DIN sync to be more solid and reliable. I love that these machines just need to be turned on. No long boot-sequence, no updates needed, no internet connection and what-not. That being said, I am not interested in having a room full of gear, even if it would be all the classics like JP-8s, Memorymoog or huge modular systems. My setup is like 1 meter wide, three tiers within a Jaspers rack, me standing/dancing in front of it. I got all the basics right for enabling myself to make the music I like. Acid techno / house / techno. I do have a macbook, I am an Ableton Live user since the first beta versions pre v1. I know that programm pretty well. I sketch out stuff with it sometimes, but I always get tired after like 30 minutes, whereas creating music with hardware makes me excited and awake. What I don't understand to this very day is why people in electronic music judge the tools so hard in financial regards. I mean, do piano players go crazy like that? Those are instruments, for most of us here, we're using them as toys in our spare time. Why is the money/features-ratio so important? Anyways, have fun guys and girls 😎

[@eirikriiseandersen5588]

I really recognize myself in the problem you describe, as an old trotter from the 80s and 90s, where I at the most had 12-14 hardware synths and samplers. It all ended up with writing block, where I also realized that I became less creative with more equipment. So I took drastic actions, and sold all of my equipment, except from a dictaphone and a cassette player. The point was I had to get my creativity back, which took me over a year, before I finally started writing music again. The purchases I made then, were much more carefully thought out and ended up with one synth and rather some extra effect devices and recording equipment, than several instruments.

[@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333]

whats minimal setup "enough to make tracks" for you? if want, may answer with general description, without brand names

[@julianhigginson5946]

I agree with you. I’m partly on your vibe I keep some gear but I sell it when I’ve exhausted it. It’s a rotating door 👍

[@StylesLee]

Analogue Gears are Pure Gold! It shows Musicality Workmanship - No Boundaries - Unlimited Imagination & the list goes on. Yes! It feels like to me i'm Surrounded with the Great Music Pioneers..It's God's Gift to be Creative & Get Busy. Computers seems to take away the soul of music.

[@skriptico]

keep one single analog monophonic, one controller(your favourite) and buy a COUPLE OF BIG (video) MONITORS.

[@jeffkung5088]

I have done this recently. I kept my mic, pre, keyboard controller, pad controller, and iPad for mixing remote. Pretty awesome. Patching and routing just aint worth it anymore.

[@steveclem7873]

waiLetSkyFallENedAnAwlzzJeez!..

[@inf0tr8r]

a table of gear or more is so cumbersome... but a nice stack of tiptop happy ending kits on a small rack stand, filled with interesting fx, filters etc. beside the monitor goes a long way :D

[@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333]

i think small eurorack setups are adorable. no need to go huge (unless you try to play "live" the whole song so you actually need 8-10 sequenced parts at once - e.g. see venetian snares)

[@FrankieWildeDJ]

I sold my complete studio 5 months ago even down to my acoustic panels and cables. Probably about the same amount of kit as yourself. Same scenario really but I was using Cubase 11 and could create a decent track ITB within 30 mins with no midi headache and latency issues. But...It all went including the Cubase, sold that lot! So moving on 5 months later....I picked up an MPC X a few days ago. Back in the cycle again as I missed it. No software this time just the MPC to jam on. I can't say I won't buy any more kit as I'm now looking at a Norand Mono this morning. You sound fairly local. I'm down in Bournemouth.

[@ShopperPlug]

Come on dude, how can you sell your main monitors? I would sell everything but the main monitors, unless I'm upgrading.

[@tonybucks5709]

New creativity doesn't mean you have to sell everything, otherwise most producers from the 90s should just go to sleep. Creativity is a mind tool, so you can still use all your analog synths and make better use of them. Do you want an example? Richie Hawtin, 30 years making music and still doing weird stuff with his analog gear. I will never sell my synths and drums, i want them to grow old with me.

[@paloution]

I did the same in 2016 to travel, speedfly across the west coast U.S. $25,000 of gear, I got $3,500 for what I sold. I gave a bunch away to friends and goodwill and my record collection wasn't even accounted for. Just started rebuilding a studio this year, keeping it very simple this time. I get it, I felt held down to my studio for 15 years

[@sinewaymusic]

I appreciate the transparency around income streams and the reality of why you ended up with such an incredible amount of hardware, and I'm definitely debating all the time whether hardware really is a long term creative source of inspiration or if it's a short term boost that merely ends up teaching you something new about the creative process that you could just as well replicate inside the DAW. However, I can't help but think that there's also some cognitive dissonance in your mind that still pulls you towards the idea of buying new hardware again. After all, like you say, hardware is fun and does boost your creativeness at least in the short term. For every hardware I've bought, it has resulted in at least a handful of songs that I'm proud of, and in my mind, that alone makes it worth the expense. Though that's easier for me to say since I don't own an annual salary worth of gear in my little studio!

[@insepticdnb]

Good to have you back, Multiplier 🤘 As much as I have GAS for all kinds of hardware (including Modular), my best work is done in the box, and I'm not ashamed of that. I actually enjoy working in the box, even if it's not in vogue.

[@HotStrange]

Try VCV rack if you want modular in the box.

[@steveclem7873]

godinabok?

[@normapadro420]

When I was learning how to produce music I didn't want to purchase too many gears. I have 47 virtual synthesizers including the ones that came with other daws that I purchased. Those daws also have many usable sound samples as well. I have flash drives filled with over 50,000 samples and sounds. Lets say that I didn't have to purchase anymore gears. I'm happy with everything that I have.

[@streetlevelaudio4388]

Love this video. I've been doing a similar thing with my plugin list. Culling down and selling off what I can. Limitations breed so much more creativity with the limited tools you have.

[@casquijo]

how do you do to sell your plugins? I need to sell some of mine too. Tx.

[@DmitryPuffin]

I would say, that you should treat hardware as an instrument with its unique UI. It can be Volca Bass, vintage prophet or guitar - each UI can push you to make something unique. People are playing guitar for years, and still there is lots of great music recorded with this instrument. If you take a look back, there are plenty of finger drummers out there who just do awesome stuff on pads. If working in a box helps you to do more - completely fine. But I like to take best from both worlds. I found that I wrote best pieces of my music using hardware + DAW with plugins. The truth is that you don't need lots of gear, you need to master your tools. Right now its time when we see lots of ads of new gear/plugins/courses/sample packs, etc - everything seems shiny and awesome, but in reality you don't need all that. Trying something is ok, but GAS is a real problem :D I see photos of studios filled with vintage analog gear and most of the time owners just don't release music. In the end of the day, the goal is to deliver full tracks. Whatever helps you to do that - is good.

[@paulwhiting1731]

I have a lot of analog gear and watching your video bought me to the realization that I hardly ever use them in any productive way. Nearly every finished song I produce is done in the box with Ableton Live and various plugins. I have a Digitakt also and it gets much praise from a lot of people, but their is no comparison to Ableton when comes to producing a finished song.

[@adamdoran235]

I'm a guitarist, singer songwriter whose had all the DAWs going. Recently got the Digitakt and found it to be quite inspiring. Not using it for far out sound mangling, just the simplicity of 8 tracks and 30 second sample limit lol!

[@HotStrange]

There are definitely better ways than Ableton for a lot of people so I wouldn’t say there’s no comparison. That’s good you found what works for you though.

[@paulwhiting1731]

@@HotStrange Yes I agree totally I was preaching a bit there. Of course it is just my personal thoughts. The Digitakt is a wonderful piece of equipment but it just doesn't suit my way of working as much as Ableton.