I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....

[cartesia]

I have a similar mindset.. are you sure about the 707 though? I tried doing one fixed-tone drum machine (even with some mods), but found it was just too much of a limit to me. Now I use an ESX - if I want to limit myself I just load up one set of samples.

[cornutt]

Here's a curiosity question. I'm wondering whether there is a correlation between minimalist gear and minimalist music, or vice versa. If you have a stripped-down setup, do you tend to do minimalist music? If you have a large setup, do you tend to do big dense stuff?

[tim gueguen]

That would depend on what you do with the stuff, things like how you record it and whether or not you play live. You can have lots of stuff yet still produce mimimalist sounding music by using each piece in a limited way on a track. Conversely you can take a single instrument and mulitrack it into an orchestral if it's programmable enough and you know how to mix and process it properly..

[Automatic Gainsay]

Here's a curiosity question. I'm wondering whether there is a correlation between minimalist gear and minimalist music, or vice versa. If you have a stripped-down setup, do you tend to do minimalist music? If you have a large setup, do you tend to do big dense stuff?

I know everyone hates it when I point this out, but there is a very firmly established and recognized style of music called "Minimalism," and those who practice it are "Minimalists."
However, it has nothing to do with instrumentation, it has to do with repetition.
The internet electronic musicians started calling their music "minimal" when it was sparse in instrumentation, and while that's a totally valid usage of the word, it unknowingly refers to something completely unrelated which was established firmly before that usage existed.

[ninja6485]

Here's a curiosity question. I'm wondering whether there is a correlation between minimalist gear and minimalist music, or vice versa. If you have a stripped-down setup, do you tend to do minimalist music? If you have a large setup, do you tend to do big dense stuff?

I know everyone hates it when I point this out, but there is a very firmly established and recognized style of music called "Minimalism," and those who practice it are "Minimalists."
However, it has nothing to do with instrumentation, it has to do with repetition.
The internet electronic musicians started calling their music "minimal" when it was sparse in instrumentation, and while that's a totally valid usage of the word, it unknowingly refers to something completely unrelated which was established firmly before that usage existed.

no, i was going to point that out too. it's not unlike asking someone what style of music they like and getting the response: "hardcore."

[Scories]

Here's a curiosity question. I'm wondering whether there is a correlation between minimalist gear and minimalist music, or vice versa. If you have a stripped-down setup, do you tend to do minimalist music? If you have a large setup, do you tend to do big dense stuff?

I know everyone hates it when I point this out, but there is a very firmly established and recognized style of music called "Minimalism," and those who practice it are "Minimalists."
However, it has nothing to do with instrumentation, it has to do with repetition.
The internet electronic musicians started calling their music "minimal" when it was sparse in instrumentation, and while that's a totally valid usage of the word, it unknowingly refers to something completely unrelated which was established firmly before that usage existed.

Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Terrey Riley...

Here's a great example:

[druzz]

i am trying to shrink down my setup as well . the nice thing when you limit yourself to a small setup is that you developp an intimate relationship with specific instruments as you are forced to use them in ways you woulnt have though of otherwise. i have put togheter a small eurorack system and i am trying to make recordings using nothing but my incomplete eurorack . it forces me to do weird things like using a quad enveloppe module as a multi clock source and stuff like that ...

also i guess that sticking to a handfull of devices can help you define your sound

[tomorrowstops]

i am trying to shrink down my setup as well . the nice thing when you limit yourself to a small setup is that you developp an intimate relationship with specific instruments as you are forced to use them in ways you woulnt have though of otherwise. i have put togheter a small eurorack system and i am trying to make recordings using nothing but my incomplete eurorack . it forces me to do weird things like using a quad enveloppe module as a multi clock source and stuff like that ...

also i guess that sticking to a handfull of devices can help you define your sound

EXACTLY what I'm talking about. 'an intimate relationship with specific instruments' is what I'm trying to evoke out of my setup, whatever it may be.

[kuroichi]

Which is why as of this morning my new 'setup' consists of an 808 and an MPC, and thats it... Im selling/sold the rest...

[cornutt]

I know everyone hates it when I point this out, but there is a very firmly established and recognized style of music called "Minimalism," and those who practice it are "Minimalists."

You are correct, sir. I was trying to use the word in a more generic sense, but yes, that word often refers to a particular style of composition. Which is not what I was getting at.

[ninja6485]

'an intimate relationship with specific instruments' is what I'm trying to evoke out of my setup, whatever it may be.

have you tried flowers and a box of chocolates?

[tomorrowstops]

'an intimate relationship with specific instruments' is what I'm trying to evoke out of my setup, whatever it may be.

have you tried flowers and a box of chocolates?

Every time I give the girls flowers, the damn cats eat them.

[ninja6485]

every time i give the cats girls, the damn flowers eat them.

[Mino]

I agree with simple setup and workflow, I'm content 2 synths for my sonic realm, add a good multi effects and possibilities are more than enough to discover.

[Alex E]

I have a Supernova II Pro-X Keyboard in transit, but aside from that, a 4x4 midi interface, and a line mixer, I don't own any other gear. I write lots of music these days with just Ableton Live running Drum Rack and Analog. I'd like to have at least a few synths again someday, as I used to own a decent chunk of gear before selling it all (at a loss).