MH

The gear is never the problem

This is a trope by this stage, but here’s my crack at it for my own benefit if nobody else.

Musicians love talking and thinking about gear. They obsess over what they’ve got/haven’t got/need/love/hate or with tiny, imperceptible differences between different analogue synths and their virtual counterparts - modular vs semi-modular - brand allegiances and snobbery… and all the other tedious weaknesses of people who are into a thing.

Shhhh. Creativity doesn’t care about your gear

I started learning to play and record music in the 1990s 😬 and used a lot of different gear: Atari ST sequencing synths straight to cassette tapes, mini-disc multi-track(!?), 2” tape, pirated Cubase VST and on… and none of them have guaranteed an end result that you remember.

If you have a working computer you can start making music AND to a higher technical standard than most of the most important records ever made. There are free DAWS and instruments and tutorials beyond what was even imaginable when I was borrowing my high school’s 4 track to record my free-ads guitar.

Play

I am 100% subject to the wanting bit too. I love getting to know a new instrument - exploring what it can do - what it inspires and where it can lead me creatively.

I think the thing is this - it’s fine to want, but don’t wait (again, mostly for my benefit). Remember that creativity thrives with limitations.