Who has the simplest setup? You gear freaks... ;o)

[Mbazzy]

Soundcraft Spirit Notepad analog mixer
Kawai MDK3 DataCat midi controller keyboard
DM2 MIDI controller
Zoom MRT-3 Micro RhythmTrack
Sony MDR-101 Walkman Headphones
Old Classic Guitar
Djembe
Kenwood KD-3100 Direct Drive Turntable

Mobile rig :
Ibook G4 - 1ghz - 768 MB Ram
Celeron 366 laptop - 256 Mb Ram (when it's not overheating)

Studio DAW : macMini G4 1.4 - 1GB Ram with second hand Motu 828 (sadly no MK2) or PowerMac G5 1.8 with RME HDSP 9632 (have the Mini on order but seriously thinking of switching for the G5)


Live with a small selection (20 s'thing) efx
Bidule
AudioMulch (when the celeron is not overheating
)
KIGB gameboy emulator to run LSDJ, Pounder, Sludgeon)

[Macrostructure]

What's a Kawai MDK3 DataCat midi controller keyboard? Sounds interesting and I see you have some other unusual gear, please tell us more

[Mbazzy]

Looks like this without the LED display : http://www2.osk.3web.ne.jp/~jams/212.JPG ... a basic (and can be batterypowered) midi controller keyboard but quite good and cheap (got it off Ebay for 50 Euro'ish)

[Petteri Karjalainen]

fujitsu siemens a7640 with live 4.1, sonar 4pe, reaktor 4.
still looking for a good soundcard.
otherwise I have odd bits and pieces of midi gear that never gets used.

[forge]

Hardware: Athlon2200 Laptop, UC-33, smallish Evolution midi keyboard, NS-10m's, FW410, FWHD

Software:Live 4.1, Komplete 2, Microtonic and ....wait for it...OPERATOR!

My beloved old yamaha A3000 sampler is going up un ebay shortly - probably going to set the reserve around £50

I'm selling waves Gold bundle on iLok with a reserve of £495 too! (shameless sales pitch.....)

offloaded Reason 2.5, reaktor sessions and Yamaha CS2x and Tascam MM-1 mixer last week

[netchaiev]

How's this: PB 15' 1.33mghz + Live 4.1 + free plugs (and occasional others / edirol MA 20 monitors/ and sony's dj700...
looking for sound card and keys.
Aside, well my 50's Gretsch drums!!!

[cubbie]

thought I'd weigh in here...

at the end of the day you can use whatever you want, as simply as you want. By all means don't be a gear jerk who never makes any good music.

However...

What listeners subconsiously want in mixes is tonal variety. Why? Because we naturally have tonal variety in the environment of which we live. Bands, orchestras, choirs naturally have tonal variety due the varying characteristics in the sound.

We need the same types of variety to be there in order for a mix to be convincing. No matter how good, no matter how expensive or cool one synth, plug in, or software is, it usually has particular sonic characteristics, and if you were to use all of the sounds in your mix from that one source, it quickly starts to sound like one of those demo songs on a Korg triton, or one of the Reason demo songs, which inescapably sound like "demo" songs as opposed to commercial tracks, no matter how well they were programmed.

Thats why guys who have acheived a lot in electronic music, tend to have a room full of gear, and hardrive full of software, or at the very least a healthy enough array sound sources, synthesized or (sampled for that matter for a convincing result).

[Hypomixolydian]

I use a piece of tissue paper wrapped around a comb. You can't get much simpler than that!

[forge]

I use a piece of tissue paper wrapped around a comb. You can't get much simpler than that!

gum leaf?

[alan*]

Software :- Live + Reason (+ Tracktion sometimes)

Hardware :- G4 Powerbook 867mhz + 640mb + 60gig hd
- M-Audio Firewire 410
- KRK Rp5 active monitors
- Edirol PCR 50 midi keyboard controller

...and I ain't buying nothing else !

...cept maybe a uc33 controller...and maybe a subwoofer...and maybe a...

[SimonPHC]

I would buy a UC66 if such a thing ever came to be in exsistance

I use:

Live 4.1
UC33
EA-1
ER-1
Yamaha CS-5

and freeware plugins like

protoPSG (wich has a really funny GUI)
some juno like softsynth that doesn't sound like a juno at all
retro delay, because it has syncable LFO's (not just one like on the AutoFilter)

and its the most gear I ever had

[SimonPHC]

JUNIOR GLUE: http://www.globalgoon.com/download/A2E7C5AED9F4

hey, wow, I order your Family Glue just right after listening to this.

nice stuff, really

I loved the melodies in Squire, and that bass, hmmm

[temper]

Ableton Live 5
MK-449C midi controller
M-audio audiophile

Do I need anything else?

[Hervé]

Ableton Live 5
MK-449C midi controller
M-audio audiophile

Do I need anything else?

Monitors ?

[glu]

AMD 3400 laptop
EBtech hum-X for noise killing (works great!)
mbox running Pro Tools 6.4 w/ plugs
Ableton Live 5
various VSTi soft synths
Korg triton Pro X
Moog Opus 3
Shure sm-57
Digitech Vocal pedal (400 model)
old analog drum machine (don't remember the model)
Samson resolv 65-a reference monitors
acoustic and electric guitar
violin
harp
autoharp
didgeridoo ( I can circular breath!)
kalimba, hooves, rattles, other various small instruments
unused reel to reel (thinking about selling it or splicing for fun...)

WHAT I STILL NEED

novation SL-25 midi controller
e-bow for new sounds (my bow is wearing out from my electric guitar )
I want a friggin real ARP!

I have a bit of gear lust, but I don't read music mags at all...
I prefer to go on ebay or sweetwatar, check stuff out. I hate the static
sounds of the triton or ableton when by themselves. It's all about the sound for me. I think an arsenal of sound generating devices is just fine. A painter has different brushes, oils, canvases, a stone carver has different bits, neumatic tools, variety of stones, etc.. Variety helps for me. I don't get too lost in sound creating if I am working on a track, however, if I am in the mood for sound mangling, that is what i dedicate the particular session for.