Embracing Simplicity & Removing Creative Resistance in my Music Studio // 2023 Studio Update 

Ricky cracking himself up when coming up from under the desk is so funny to me 😂

Before i moved abroad, i had a full blown studio, then went minimalist with only a push and ableton. Now I'm actually making more music than before..

For anyone whose considering doing the plank of wood on a keyboard stand setup like what is shown at the beginning, I have a tip for you. Once you find the ideal height and balance the board, measure and mark where the cross beams line up. Then drill holes large enough to thread zip ties. Then zip tie the board/plank to the stand. You can get very strong and reusable zip ties from B&H. They have a little tab you can press so you can loosen them anytime without need of clipping them. This will make your stand much more stable and reduce wobble.

Wow, love that keyboard cabinet! 😻 I hope IKEA is watching 😝

the biggest watershed moment for me was moving from piano roll style sequencing and linear recording to triggering my synths in less decisive ways with sequencers and messing with gates and quantizers. I will still start a track from scratch sitting at a keyboard sometimes, but I never have to get frustrated with writer's block.

I’ve had a dream of a big synth setup for a long time and I made it a reality a few months back. It was a multi year process, but I now have everything I want. The biggest thing is that I can setup an ambient track from scratch while holding my 4 month old in one hand!

I too used 16 channels of audio ins, everything hooked up at once, but then I got a 1010music Blackbox alongside with my Squarp Pyramid and now I've been doing most of my music with just those two devices. Maybe I'll make a video of this setup, it's really powerful, fast and fun.

RME! So solid. Not overkill, just end game. (Also if you want some liberation from options, grab a Dirtywave M8. They're killer.)

building my own custom studio furniture has improved my workflow by 75% having thing comfortable really makes a difference also recording one thing at a time really makes you focus on each thing then you get to basically jam with yourself as you build more layers and parts.

My 'watershed moment' was years and years ago, the first time I booted up Reason. Like you said with Logic, 'It just worked.' It changed everything about how music flows for me, and Reason is still my DAW of choice all these years later... Though Logic has been calling my name as of late. 😂

Been watching your videos from the early days man! Love the cosy vibes you bring with your content. Keep em coming :)

That new keyboard cabinet looks amazing! It’s nice to have handy friends!!

That Osmose... best looking keyboard in the Universe. Ricky, been watching since PO-33 days. Thank you so much for your content my workflow is so much more fluid and simple. Love.

Ricky! This video is awesome great job!! Isn't it so weird how we create these mental blocks through pressure we put on ourselves? I'm pretty sure most of us do that, I'm glad you talked about it. It's so essential to shuffle things around and simplify every once in a while. I don't know that I'll ever land on a "final" studio setup, but I think the thing that's affected my workflow the most has actually been my dogs 😅🐶 When they're in the studio, my anxiety is down and I have more confidence in my creative endeavors. Having fun becomes easier too, which translates to better music 😁

Love your videos your philosophic approach and that dark cozy zen studio of yours. 3 months ago I did a complete tear-down of my 9 synth, 2 drum machines, MC-707M etc.etc. studio. I just needed a change of creative atmosphere. Starting with a complete absence of musical tools. Everything tucked away. Recently I’ve been slowing easing back into casual musical tinkering-took out the Arturia Keylab 61 just to keep the tunes under my fingers-playing VSTs from-not even my M1 Mac, but a 2014 MacMini that I primarily use to watch television. Not pressure to create anything, just to tinker and practice. When all my gear was setup, I found a lot of the time I would be distracted by the temptation to tinker or create something new instead of finishing something old😂. So hopefully, this self-hiatus will make things fresh again. And I don’t have plans to set everything back up until my house move next May.👍🏽

You look really happy with this new set up, it's nice to see, thx for sharing ❤

You are where I was about 2-3 years ago when I started the exact journey you're on. For me now it was you who ignited the fire in me to break out my MPC4000 and I've been using it ever since. At heart I'm a hardware guy that loves classic MPC devices so that part was a no brainer. I recently picked up a Roland XV-3080 with 4 cards in it that gave me the outboard synth and basses that I needed and then I purchased a mixer to route everything to. For me it was as simple as getting back to how I use to make music with less tools because like many others it seems that less is more and we are more creative that way as well. Great video!!!

My biggest and longest lasting change has been selling all of my physical synths and keeping one synth and a delay pedal. Everything else is in the DAW. Now I focus more on writing interesting melodies instead of getting lost in sound design. This really helped my process and I write way more songs (and more people seem to like them too!)

In the process of rebuilding my studio...or rather making all the bits and pieces finally come together after 'collecting' gear for years. Feelings? Exactly as described, Ricky; is paralyzed over the sheer number of possibilities, the idea of connecting 'everything' like all the time and finding gear to do that.... Watching this...actually makes me think twice now of how to proceed in order not to lose creativity. Found value in listening in on your thoughts. Thanks!

Ricky I love all this cuz it's real life..my studio is my kitchen counter with my MPC One and aux/bluetooth speaker, simply and fun!! I gotta the Jura synth plugin it's soo vibey and fun..no keyboard yet but soon. Thank u for all u do and just being you!!💯🎶🔥🔥

Inspirational vid, as always! For me there are a couple of things that really changed everything for me. First of all, I need to say I've been dipping my toe in electronic music production for about 2 years now. At the start I always had to setup and route everything whenever I wanted to just create some music. That always ended up me losing the attention by the time everything was setup. I put a lot of thought into what I needed in ways of space (mind you, I don't have the luxury of a separate room/studio) so I let my dad and uncle create a small desk for me that we attached to the wall in my living room. This way, I can always just turn on the equipment and have a go. Secondly, I get sensory overload very quickly, so for me a basic minimal setup works best. For now I have the Digitakt as the main device, a Waldorf Blofeld with additional effects pedals (Generation Loss mk2, Microcosm and Specular Tempus at the moment) running into the DT's audio inputs and a Keystep as a Midi keyboard for the DT. For now, that's all I need and the setup that actually is most efficiënt for me. And I just love the multimode on the Blofeld. Working on some electro right now and that also really got me out of a creative rut.

Really inspiring video, love the way you share it with us

dude, i laughed so loud when you come in saying, "another issue ive been having" that was quite funny.

This was a great watch, that new synth stand is amazing! 😍

glad i'm not the only one who constantly re- arranges my setup, thanks for another great video!!

I've wired my studio so that everything can go into anything - took an additional audio interface (same one you have), a lot of planning and a LOT of cables. And cable costs really add up! However, now I'm pretty happy the way things are wired and I always have an extra pair of inputs available on the front of my audio interface if I'd wanna record something on the fly that's not a permanent hookup, only takes a few seconds to plug in a cable.

Biggest change was getting an RME UCXII. It's rock solid, sounds awesome (yes, the mic preamps sound better so much so, you can hear it) and with DuRec as well as loopback sampling and full access to all of the vast TotalMix settings even when running standalone, I am thinking of somehow getting it to run in some kind of mobile powerbank, because I want to take it everywhere. Also, don't overlook it while considering the bigger brother UFX! The UCXII has ADAT, too and can be the central hub for all of your sound sources while still packing a much smaller format

Whhaaa! Teaser on the new synth cabinet. Want a detailed tour of that unit! Great to hear new approaches.

Thanks for this video Ricky. The new storage solution looks amazing and looks like something I really need🎉 I too have been going through a bit of a mad time we’re in the process off selling my house .and the house we’re going too will be a new start both with my family and musically. I have two full studios and tons of gear in storage which I need too reinstall but I’m thinking I might be better just do a smaller high end studio instead of a massive over crowded one. But my delema is some of the gear I have I know I’d miss it if I sold it and made the mistakes in the past selling gear then years later think why did I sell it I wish I had it now.

Head appearance and disappearance is something you should definitely do more of. 😂

the closet! you finally answered my question. i asked some time ago what happens to all the gear that you review/showcase that we don't see in previous videos. wondered if you just sell stuff to help fund other purchases, and/or have a closet that you just store things due to space issues.

So much of what you said is true for me too. I have 2 setups. 1 regular daw workflow... motu into presonus studio one (I was a long time Ableton user, but made the switch and am happier) and then setup 2 is zoom live mixer / recorder setup. I try to keep both of these as minimal setups (I no longer keep 52 things plugged in... like i used to do). Sometimes I like to just jam, sample and have fun away from PC... my zoom mixer is perfect for that and I can grab the SD card if anything good happened and import to daw. Most of the time I do work in the daw... one instrument hooked up at a time or using my own samples. I actually like going to the closet and grabbing different grooveboxes, keyboards, etc.. Great stuff!

4:24 - hilarious. Thank you. 😂

Nice man. Going to be moving into a new house and building a new studio in September and this was inspiring!

Getting a 2nd Behringer 1820 i/o for the mpc one has expanded my system greatly. The 1st one was for the dedicated audio laptop. Now I can work on ideas on either system, and integrate them.

I know it's hard, but it's comforting to me that you also struggle with thinking your output is mediocre, and have hardware "guilt". It doesn't show, you always seem so confident to me. I struggle with the same thing, and I have gone through the big everything plugged in studio, to smaller simpler studios. I'm currently building a studio from scratch in the back garden, but I'm already setting the bar so high for myself, that I'm scared of the day it's done and I move in. I don't have any solution here, but you're doing great, and I love watching your channel, and have for years.

A few years back, I spent all my music time setting up my gear. I wired everything, I made huge complex MIDI-routings where I could use Ableton to control everything, but also choose what gear controlled what. So I had this massive template project in Ableton that would load every time, that allowed me to split and control everything. I've never played less. Now I'm also in a frictionless setup. That's my goal. My synths are displayed on the wall, ready to inspire. No wires. I can take a piece of gear down and sit down with it and have some fun. Power and patchbay at the ready. An analog mixer along with an audio interface, so I can also play without my laptop. 1010 Blue Box (whatever the name is). Love it.

I'm in a small apartment that I share with my partner and it was such a drag having to clear our table, pull out my gear and connect/patch it all every time I wanted to make music. So I took advantage of the CNC machine and 3D printers where I work and - with a beginner knowledge of On-Shape, a sheet of plywood, and some cabinetry parts - I built a portable, ready-to-go setup that requires only a keyboard stand and connecting an IEC cable to an electrical outlet. Best decision I have ever made; I have been far more productive and much happier. Your new setup looks dope!

Having everything plugged in and ready to go all the time has been the biggest gamechanger

Haha ironically your sketchy keyboard stand/table that you are getting rid of has given me an idea for expanding my space to make a more dedicated space separated from my work/computer area… so cheers!

The biggest change for me was having a table and the type metal shelf you find in a garage. For while I was making all my creative work from a small bedroom. It is always a hassle to switch everything around let alone cable management. Having a specific spot making music is such a blessing it's just plugging in and playing. But now I find myself always between wanting to make new music and practicing what I already have.

I have moved to a new studio location and I have made one massive shift: I got a laptop instead of a stationary computer. This made a bigger difference that I expected. It feels like fun now, instead of work. And I enjoy making music in the couch, disconected from the studio. Secondly, I have started to have everything I use connected, ready to go. But I have also gotten rid of all the gear I don’t use. So it is a small, very effective setup and I just love it. I use a RME btw and it just works. It sounds excellent and it is rock solid. I think everyone should get one. I think Rick is on the right track slimming down the studio. For a long time I had a bunch of gear connected to a mixer. That was fun but I spent more time jamming rather than making songs. Then I had even more gear but no mixer. I do not recommend. Now I have everything I need within an arms reach. I dont know but it really makes me inspired.

You kick-started my personal resurgence into music making almost 4 years ago now so your setup has absolutely informed my own. I'm still finding a place for an old sampler or two. I'll start an arrangement on my 2K XL if it's hip hop or I just want to focus on something with my pre-baked sample library on a CF card I'll add to every so often. The Model Cycles if it's house or techno since I can commit to some percussion and a core melody + bass line and track it in, feels very efficient whether I turn it on with a plan or not. Or just in the DAW since experimentation is fast. But, an approach that values the step of tracking in ideas + committing them to audio with a little bit of initial saturation / compression / fx whatever to stylize and glue the idea together keeps me incredibly productive when I return to a session. I really like Hainbach's "Islands" approach to a music making space. I have a rack of old / select gear topped with a mixer to experiment with and track through. My MPC to arrange audio and sample into, or to run independent synths in a sound design session. I just to do interesting stuff on the grid sometimes, especially if your pads are controlling not just melodic patterns but moments of parameter automation or interruption all running in the free or weirdly modifiable ways a vintage MPC can run them. Like the Cycles it's efficient at something specific that I like to do. Then my computer with Ableton to string everything together and add the modern level of automation, flourishes, polish, overdubs etc. You've taught me a lot about the greater balance of gear that's inspiring vs useful and the unique permutations of that which ultimately find their way into someones space. I appreciate that a ton. That synth stand is also so damn perfect. I'd buy one!

I definitely need a keyboard cabinet like that one. Very nice!

Thanks again for this nice video. Let me point out that I'm not that experienced as you are. But one major change I made that really has been a time saver and has sparkled some ideas ... I made the switch from two audio interfaces - the Focusrite Clarett 8PreX and a K-Mix combined in 1 virtual interface using loopback - to an actual mixer- the Persons Studiolive 32S which I could purchase 2nd hand. Boy, what a change. As now, I mix my hardware synths, in combination with the output of my DAW to play 'live', and worry about the latency (it is small, but it is there) afterwards. So no stop on the creative moment. I'm even thinking to do some recording on the mixer itself, and then import it into Ableton. As I said - it changed my process in a very satisfying way 🙂 Another totally different, but also nice change in my setup, is that I now use a large television screen iso my monitor. At least - given my older eyes - it is a lot easier to fiddle around on the screen...

The Logic Pro change over you have gone through is something I think would be really special to see coming from your viewpoint, especially the workflow from mobile to desktop.

I recently started using a max for live device called "elektron pattern clips". Now I can launch all my elektron patterns from push 2 and use ableton to sequence my other synths. It is a game changer for my workflow.

I shifted recently into the IPad synth/sequencer space hooked up with my Maschine+ in standalone. Soooo many amazing music apps for 10-20 Bucks each, midi control of the iPad via usb, creating Maschine instruments via Autosampling my iPad patches or whatever… minimal hardware setup, so much fun and possibilities… and being in bed at night and screwing on new patches before sleeping is like meditation. i recommend Drambo, Nambu and ButterSynth 🎉

I went almost the other direction entirely - this year my buddy and I both outgrew our home setups around the same time so we decided to go in on a studio space together. We have a 32 channel/8 bus console and use a Ferrofish A32 and an RME digiface Dante for AD/DA. This allowed us to have everything set up all the time with a dedicated fader on the console and a direct out hitting the A32. It’s been a real luxury being able to just flip a couple of switches and have everything on and ready to record. At home is totally different - that’s were I keep my small inspiration machines. A little modular rig, op1, digitakt, and an old crusty analog mixer that sounds awesome when you drive it. Splitting my thinking that was has been great - when I’m at home there’s never pressure to finish anything, just make ideas. When I’m in our studio, it’s super seamless to see a track through from inception to completion.

Thanks for sharing - great keyboard shelf! Have thought about putting up slatwall but like how yours is on wheels. I'm using the same wood shelf technique 😆on a keyboard stand except on the 2nd tier to hold the smaller items and an 88 keyboard on the 1st tier. I have really liked the Apollo Twin X for simplifying. I definitely like the big volume knob to change headphone and monitor volume and ADAT input. The X4 looks nice and has ADAT in and out.

A live show with a short deadline has been my cure

Man that synth cabinet slaps! I want one haha

I love the vive of this video! On my end, I recently got a Push 2 and it changed everything for me. I was working dawless for years because I disliked the whole « computer » experience for composition. Now I work on just my computer and the Push, record guitar and vocals into it, play synths on the pads, use great multisampled instruments… it is really what I didn’t know I always wanted

The beats in the background were dope!

Hey bud, I’ve been in a much bigger rebuild of my own over the last 3-4 months. I found that if I had gear in another room I just wouldn’t use it, and since my wife works from home permanently now and we were sharing a basement, I redid our spare bedroom to be her personal office with a lot more light as an anniversary gift. Had to run cables through our attic and walls (house is from the 60s so no Ethernet everywhere). As a reward to myself, our finished basement is now my music studio - something I’ve wanted for over 20 years! I have a bunch of outboard gear, and decided to do this as well as I can, so I consulted with some guys at work about the acoustics and have been building my own acoustic panels. I even hung three of them on the ceiling as an acoustic cloud a couple weeks ago, which amazed everybody I know because they know I’m useless at home improvement stuff lol. Through this process I have questioned my sanity. I have sat wringing my hands wondering if output from synth A should go to input whatever in a patch bay. Or do I need a mixer? Where’s the right length wire? Etc etc. It’s all coming together now that I’m in the final stages but this has been a long, painful process. At one point I had everything wired up, plugged it in and turned it on and had a ground loop I spent a solid week tracking down. But absolutely worth the effort. Now I flip a couple switches and I’m instantly making great music. Having synths (and a pedalboard of FX) plugged in and ready to go is so much *better* and immediate. Can’t overstate that. Out of sight and out of mind. As an aside I have the Clarett+ 8Pre. MixControl is t-r-a-s-h. I hate to say it but I’m using it as an ADAT extension because I *cannot stand* that mixing app. I bought a Cranborne 500R8. You might want to look into it because it’s an interface, a 500 series lunchbox and every input also has an insert, along with the summing mixer. Also, no mixing software to deal with. It’s plug and play and you assign the ins and outs in Audio MIDI setup on Mac. Toss some 500 series modules in there, baby you got a stew goin’! That synthesizer shelf/case looks amazing.

Tom!!! I know he makes some cool stuff.

Amen bro! I’ve been stacking my synths in my closet so I can have space to be creative with less 💚

Thank you for the great videos. Recently I’ve done all new patchbay and cabling - went from janky 1/4 inch patchbay to sleek and silent TT. Also, I got OUT of the Apollo game and into the apogee world and I feel that it was a huge upgrade. I imagine the RME thing you mentioned is along those lines. Apollo interfaces are kind of a gateway drug to get you buying the plugins. I have a satellite now so I can still use the plugs I bought but moving to the apogee was a big deal. Next move is a midi interface so I can control all my hardware synths from the desk. Take care

This is the first time ive watched a Ricky video all the way through in a bit. Great flow and less GAS.

For the use case you have and with a mind to stability over the long term (esp considering Thunderbolt-vs-USB) you really can't go wrong with RME. Its worth it.

K&M Omega Pro is a good keyboard stand to consider. Can also be used as a table. It's expensive, but has many add-ons available to customize it to your needs. I believe they also have a motorized standing desk version.

Detaching yourself and your "artistic expression" from the equation can be extremely liberating and productive. As soon as it's client work (for example), you can kind of detach yourself from it and let the music pretty much write itself... do whatever the music needs to accomplish its goal, and you'll find yourself doing stuff you normally wouldn't do. You'll explore a ton of things that you didn't know were fun, and you can later incorporate them into your own music. Also Updating my monitoring situation did a lot for keeping things fun in the studio.

Also, getting as many of the technical aspects of the track out of the way, going away for a bit on a walk or something, and then coming back and "writing it", trying to get as much out without making too much of a mess or reverting back into technical headspace.

enrique... I'm at the point of the vid where you're talking about having most of your stuff boxed up in the closet, talking about how whack it is not to have more ready access to everything... I could not relate more, man!! ugh!! but you're getting into the solution here. I'm all about it!! thank you for this vid!! -rocco

Well, since you asked... I finally got my S2400 out again, updated it, and now it's front and center (also on my Output Platform lol). It will do audio over USB, plus I have it hooked up to and from my interface for different sampling and shuttling sounds back and forth (no onboard effects...). It also works as a MIDI controller, now, so I have a bunch of buttons, knobs, and faders for my DAW. I don't really need any hardware synths around me because I have, well, my whole ass VST collection to sample from now lol into a gritty, characterful sampler :) I keep my Model:Cycles and OP-1 handy, and a Volca Drum, add my Proteus 2000 is still racked because I love the pianos and will take Dance Piano over the M1 any day :) I swapped my mouse for a Slimblade Pro wireless trackball and it's changed my life. I still need to put my K5000S on the Platform's keyboard tray but I think it's sliiiiightly too tall. Might take off the feet lol... My 18i20 has a pair of front inputs so I can record guitar/bass and bring in basically anything I want to record/sample.

Thanks for sharing Ricky, hope your new setup will give you much joy to work with. In my case I currently try to ditch the daw, mouse clicks and computer entirely. Wanna have more of a jam situation (and less of checking mails situation) to separate jamming from editing/mastering. Just ordered the Zoom LiveTrak L20 to have a mixer and recorder (records each channel separately + main) in one device.Hope it will work out as I imagine it. Btw... it also can be used as an interface and should record simultaneously on a sd-card (if I understood the description correctly).

RME is the best, you never can go wrong with it

Looking forward to seeing how you simplify your set up.

I def made a similar decision. While I have been switching from Daw to hardware. I have made the MPC live 2 the center. And I run the JU-06A and my guitar into that. Routing from the MPC into a mixer and doing stereo out to Logic has been great. Really helps me separate creatively making music from mixing.

I really think you deserve an RME. There is nothing else i can think of that checks all three boxes (clean sound, flexible routing, bulletproof build quality) It took me a LONG time to embrace the blue, but I love it so much that I'm starting to paint parts of my room the same blue. PS, I'm using a fireface 400 (OLD OLD TECH) and the ONLY time I had a problem was when the wall wart gave out. It totally survived this, and was perfectly fine when I got a newer, better power supply.

I just ditched my focusrite 18i20 to simplify and get a 404mk2 and couldn’t be happier with how it fits in. Audio over usb with its portability and an iPhone with a maxed out iCloud loaded with samples/stems/jam sessions - it’s completely changed how i work

Yo Ricky! where the synth cabinet reveal? couldn't see what you had on there! as soon as it was done you were all over the Nord!

please make more this type of vids🙏🏼 very interesting thoughts Wanna hear your feedback about Logic after few months

I went from an Allen & Heath ZEDi 10 FX, which served me well for 5 years, to a RME UFX MKII and the sound difference is massive. One thing I miss about having a mixer is the immediate results from tweaking EQ's and send and returns. I've yet to set this up in RME's Totalmix but it's doable for sure. Unless you need MADI, I think the MKII is best bang for buck with RME. Add an Arc controller and you're set up for life.

Hey Ricky, I would love to see a video of you going over your latency experience with Logic as you did with Ableton, that was really informative and Id maybe like to make the swap too if latency is easier to deal with

I arrived at a situation some years ago where everything is hooked up and ready to be played. All synths can be accessed by my Keystep Pro and from the DAW. Perfect hybrid setup which I like. Still, I tend to use in the box more. Because it’s faster and maybe because that’s the way I used to work for the last 20 years. I have a nice keyboard stand where everything has its place. No cable plugging anymore - just got the keys and record something.

Interesting video 🙏🏻

I also went into a similar episode in my studio a couple of months ago, and got the RME UCX II, which is smaller than the UFX, but equally powerful w 20 ins and outs. And there is a HUDGE difference in quality and headroom. Besides that, it is super small and class compliant so it will work straight in to the iPad as well. I will never go back!

I feel the change that put a stop to my music production was getting a 6U 104hp rack for my modular. Now I spend more time deciding what to put in it, it does not fit on my desk and I have too much money invested in it and too many discontinued modules to let it go.

I had a custom cabinet made for my synths as well and after like a year of having it, i sold it. Once you can just store the synths there is much less immediacy unless you can have everything chained all the time

Thanks for another great video....I am a synth hoarder! But along the same path as your taking, I have made considerable efforts to simplify the setup. I've created a set of rules to work by... 1. no equipment storage, if it is not plugged in and ready to go, it needs to go. 2. no mini keys. 3. I configured the setup into stations, main performance keys; Elektron system; Modular system; Sequencing, this one has been critical for me, I love Sequencers and groove boxes, but changing platforms can eat up lots of time and keep the learn curve steep, MPC/Elektron/MC707/Ableton, not to count the sequencers in the workstations (Korg, Roland, Yamaha). sorry got distracted......Stations, trying to have performance and production systems separate with set workflows for my musical endeavors.

I like your videos and vibe so much. Saluti dall' Italia

I bought some aluminium angles and built some 19" racking for much cheaper than the ones on the market. I can finally use my stuff! It made a huge difference.

hey ricky, i‘m following your great work for quite a while now. love your live setups. i highly recommend the rme fireface ucx II. it restricts you to 8 ins and 6 out, has adat and can be used standalone. you can switch prepared setups via midi on the go. i integrated it into my studio and live setup. sold my apollo for it. give it a try dude ;) cheers

+1 to RME. You really don't need to get involved in UAD, so many fantastic alternative native plugins now.

The SP404mk2 has changed how i make music a lot. I have it set up on a shelfing unit. This means i dont have to go back to my desk to make music. It started as just "fun" music. Chopping up samples and making beats but i hooked up my Yamaha Reface CS and it made it more viable. I recored guitar and bass into it and try make more full songs now. It's great!

Having watched tons of videos from RU-vidrs with GAS it has become very clear to me that I should keep gear to a minimum. For me, that is a Push 2 to control Ableton and have more fun working with this DAW. Together with an MPC Live 2 (which doubles as my audio interface) to have fun making music outside. And that's basically it. It's all about fun and if I can't finish proper tracks with these tools then a studio full of hardware definitely won't make any difference.

I had literally the same stand setup for years. Our first studio was called Cardboard Studio, because everything was on cardboard boxes

I had a sound system for doing bush raves.. 21” subs, 15” top cabs, all active. Lately I’ve been feeling it less and less, it’s a ton of work, people are generally thankless, and so yah… I sold it, and bought a eurorack case and some modules, I’m going to mostly use it as an fx rack and run my akai force through it and tweak away. Feels great to change it up. My office has so much more room due to not storing the sound system here too😂 And yah, Pam’s new workout, maths, a pico input, z5000, data bender, beads, dual dagger filter, and fx aid2. In a nifty case. So I can still do some cool synth like stuff with it, and I’ve a Moog subharmonicon on the side, we’ll see if I keep that or move it along. How’s it feel knowing you inspired someone to blow about 4 grand on live gear and they feel great about it? 😂 Keep on rockin it along Ricky, you’re one of the best on the entire RU-vid platform

The Octatrack is front and Center for me. Always my go-to and the main brain of both my integrated and dawless setups (yes, I recently bought a second one so I wouldn’t have to swap. I record most of my performance sampling direct into Ableton as stems so like you I can arrange as necessary. I’m sticking with Ableton largely because it’s the DAW I know and love. I like Logic well enough but for my workflow takes me twice as long to get a finished song out

That synth cabinet is hot!!

The biggest change was switching to RME and be able to use their Totalmix-Software. It is easy to control via a small remote controller and you can setup your studio for different needs via a fingertip. Every device (Instruments and FX) is connected individually (and all the names are in the mixer) If I need my FX for my guitar amp - Preset A, if I need my 404 in serial with my Blackhole for the MBrute - Preset B Every output can be a Loopback-channel so I don‘t need my patchbay anymore… Long story short: RME UFX3 is a mighty tool which can handle more than 90 inputs AND outputs. For somebody like you, the „de-facto standard Totalmix“ which works the same for every device is something. Want to spend less? Use a Digiface USB - 32 in and 34 outs and you can use your converters. It is less then 500 $ - but supports Totalmix big time….

You are a braver man than I. Z-stands are cheap and far more stable!

he's describing his keyboard stand with the slab of wood like it's not the most common thing in every bedroom studio in the world

I also use Logic and recently got my 1st analog-ish synth (minifreak) I cannot believe how much change that made to making music....i just record loop after loop and cannot stop :D my set up is very simple, mac mini M1, scarlett 2i2, machine MK3, minifreak, keystep, fender p bass, telecaster, ampeg rb112 and some pedals, adam f7 monitors and AT M50 headphones.

I only produce in my bedroom in an apartment, but I wish to have a cool studio set up like yours one day!

This has been on my mind! I really like my Apollo twinX. I got rid of my Apollo x16 (thought I would be multi tracking…no). I also have a volt 276 that works awesome with my iPhone, iPad, and I have an expert sleepers ES-8/6/7 that can be used with ADAT to give 8 more inputs. I am in process of getting a rack mount eurorack thing going, to put the ES-8 right next to my computer, with some doepfer a-180-9 Ethernet (passive) modules. My studio layout kinda sux so I have to run some long cables; in this case Ethernet cables are cheap, convenient and clean (and can come shielded etc ). I am tired of having too much stuff and not having it ready to rock at a moments notice. If it doesn’t go in the new setup ready at all times, it’s getting sold. I also play guitar and I’m integrating that too. I have been enjoying having some pedals on a pedal board, then going into the high z input of the UA twin for an amp model in the computer, and of course more FX if desired. Unifying all the worlds of gear together! It’s a real problem, technically, cognitively, artistically, ergonomically and financially -I have spent far longer than expected to really get make use of all the wonderful sounding gear I have

The old sound track ❤

I try and go through gear every year or so and determine if I need it in my life, having a 10x10’ space makes every inch count. And I’ve used logic for years, I tried cubase and protools but the interface always felt miserable to use, logic’s always made more sense and they’ve been pretty good about updating their internal effects to make pro-level results

You should get the RME bro. I've had the 802 and it has never skipped a beat, never crashed, never been anything but perfect. And it's now worth more than when I bought it thanks to the last few years haha! But yeah, RME make perfect professional equipment, end of story.