There's too many choices AKA the minimalism thread

[rickenbastard]

Honestly, unless I'm writing something around a certain effect, I only leave a light OD on when I'm writing. Unless I'm trying to see how a particular thing sounds more dirty or something.

Great approach. Reminds me of how some bands write their songs on acoustic guitars and then translate it to electric and a full production. I think the mindset there is "if it ain't a good song stripped down on an acoustic, it ain't gonna be a good song with a full blown production."

That's exactly how I write so I'm never dependent on effects although if I can't play without a dirt pedal if the amp alone is completely clean. Either need a fuzz or preamp with gain.

[friendship]

For me, there's an inverse relationship between how often I'm actively making music and how much I want to buy new equipment. I think my desire for new stuff is usually a sublimation of the desire to be creating more, so when I start feeling like I "need" new shit, I close my web browser and start making music and the "need" tends to vanish. There is pretty much never a time when not having an extra piece of equipment has stopped me from making something if I put my mind to it. Some people say new stuff inspires them, but that's not the case for me. If I'm totally uninspired or whatever, it doesn't seem to matter at all whether I have a million music tools or just one.

My criteria for getting new stuff is any of the following: 1) it has to be very hands-on and fun to use 2) I have to imagine getting a good variety of uses out of it, or 3) it has to be a killer deal so that if/when I don't want it anymore, I'll at the very least break even.

[DRodriguez]

For me, there's an inverse relationship between how often I'm actively making music and how much I want to buy new equipment. I think my desire for new stuff is usually a sublimation of the desire to be creating more, so when I start feeling like I "need" new shit, I close my web browser and start making music and the "need" tends to vanish. There is pretty much never a time when not having an extra piece of equipment has stopped me from making something if I put my mind to it. Some people say new stuff inspires them, but that's not the case for me. If I'm totally uninspired or whatever, it doesn't seem to matter at all whether I have a million music tools or just one.

This times infinity.

The less time I have to play, the more likely I am to buy something new I don't have time for.

[rustywire]

Each setup I construct uses effects that work well by themselves or in pairs/trinity.
Harmonic Percolator is fav; alone I can cover a lot of ground by leaving it set on max & manipulating the input with gtr vol.
Stacking a cocked-wah behind it opens another dimension, and similarly I can further expand that with vol-knob manipulation.
Then by goosing the front with a treble booster, or stacking into a flanger, etc etc etc. More saturation, throaty resonance and so on.
I dont need a board to have a chorus, flanger, phaser, trem all at once. I prefer to limit myself to one dirt, one filter, one modulation type at a time and blend with other diff type of effects in the aforementioned style. I like being able to set-and-forget pedals and then adjust their input on the fly.
Here's my preference/peak complexity for a guitar setup:

NSFW: show

And for a bass setup:

NSFW: show

[mathias]

Another thought: Rests (silence) is just as important as the notes you play.

[actual]

That's sorta true; you can have a melody without rests, but you can't have rests without notes.

[Chankgeez]

a green ringer

[MechaGodzilla]

I've kind of come full circle in some ways. I used to have 3/4 dirt pedals on a board with delay+modulation and found I was always stomping something to go up or down a gain level. Guitar knobs were left full up all the time. I was in two bands, covers and originals and used the same board for both.

Then, because I was playing so many styles, I found I didn't have to rely on effects to *mix up* my sound, and that's when I went boardless, just a buzzz and a muff (clip tuner). That was my most minimal.

With the band I'm in now, I've come to rely on things like tremolo/reverb/wah for occasional songs, but it doesn't feel like overkill like when I had 4 fuzz/drives on one [tiny] board. I've learnt that most of the tonal variation comes from the guitar, it's knobs and your hands (sorry to get all TGP). Although I have just got a bigger board, I could easily gig with just a good guitar, a valve amp and my broadcast to dirty it up a bit.

I used to be a two guitar person, and that was only because I needed a backup, but now I have 5 Only one is really worth anything but I like them all too much to get rid of. Only two amps though!

Honestly, unless I'm writing something around a certain effect, I only leave a light OD on when I'm writing. Unless I'm trying to see how a particular thing sounds more dirty or something.

Totally, this ^^

[Invisible Man]

If anybody disagrees (and I expect a lot), please remember that my approach is my approach and I am not saying it is better or worse. Just that it works for me and my music.

Nah all good. You're getting flak because this is literally a forum based on an appreciation for noisy, zany pedals, so this approach is sort of incongruous with how most folks operate. But--speaking for me--I don't care; do your thing.

[Iommic Pope]

For me, there's an inverse relationship between how often I'm actively making music and how much I want to buy new equipment. I think my desire for new stuff is usually a sublimation of the desire to be creating more, so when I start feeling like I "need" new shit, I close my web browser and start making music and the "need" tends to vanish. There is pretty much never a time when not having an extra piece of equipment has stopped me from making something if I put my mind to it. Some people say new stuff inspires them, but that's not the case for me. If I'm totally uninspired or whatever, it doesn't seem to matter at all whether I have a million music tools or just one.

This times infinity.

The less time I have to play, the more likely I am to buy something new I don't have time for.

This is me, too.

[mathias]

For me, there's an inverse relationship between how often I'm actively making music and how much I want to buy new equipment. I think my desire for new stuff is usually a sublimation of the desire to be creating more, so when I start feeling like I "need" new shit, I close my web browser and start making music and the "need" tends to vanish. There is pretty much never a time when not having an extra piece of equipment has stopped me from making something if I put my mind to it. Some people say new stuff inspires them, but that's not the case for me. If I'm totally uninspired or whatever, it doesn't seem to matter at all whether I have a million music tools or just one.

This times infinity.

The less time I have to play, the more likely I am to buy something new I don't have time for.

I want to learn to be like this. Do you have a mountaintop I can visit or a 12 step program

I kid, of course. Lately I've been quite happy with my smaller rig. But it is also the nicest stuff I've ever had after a long journey of playing crappy stuff, trying new stuff, playing nice stuff that I didn't like, trading, selling, buying.. and finally got to here.

[chuckjaywalk]

I can't write without fuzz or distortion. I also suck. Not sure if those are connected.

[sergiomunoz74]

I have a back and forth on what is too much and what is far too little for me. Honestly, I completed my board and I instantly thought it was too much since I was using only one dirt even though I had two on my board. I had a phaser which I liked the tone but honestly it wasn't the best in a mix and I don't think my sound really uses that kinda stuff too often. I have a couple pedals that have some sentimental value that I can't get rid of like my modded big box rat or my Taiwanese PS-2 (which has some issues with clock noise). In the end most of my wacky sounds come from my H9. The rest is an Even anguish, boss PS-2, Boss DM-2, Boss RV-2. The dirt might be revolving but I learned that a touch of amp dirt, volume knob, and a pedal to boost is more than enough. The only issue I have is fitting this crap comfortably in a pre-made board haha

I think the spending has slowing been coming to a halt. I just find myself more interested in playing than actually buying. Plus ever since I started saving money in earnest, I just find myself wanting to continue saving for some more grandiose goal than having 18 different rat pedals or something.

[weebles]

I bought a Metro 16 and have a goal to not buy another board. Right now, I've got 4 on the board, not including a looper and a tuner - Mini, Bitquest, In Limbo III Compact, and Avalanche Run.

I would like to add maybe a CT5 and possibly an accountant, but other than that I'm pretty much set.

In a way, the short answer to the way I keep my set up small is also "finances". But more specifically, the answer would be "my wife and I have implemented a budget". So, we have a weekly budget where we pay for everything in cash, then we have a monthly budget with the goal of every cent of our income being used or put toward something specific - weekly finances, monthly bills, debt repayment (student loans, car note, any other thing that happened that month like unexpected medical bills or something), or savings. In that monthly budget, though, we also have an "allowance" built in, where we each get a certain (small) amount of money from the budget that can be spent on whatever we want. If I'm getting any other spending money, it's because I've either taken on an odd job for some cash, sold some stuff, or flipped some stuff and got some cash in the deal. It's worked out well for me to not only not buy stuff that I won't use or need, but to make sure that I actually want to buy something before I do make a purchase. (all that to say, I'm not like some chaste monk in my devotion. I will still make impulse purchases, but the budget adds a safety net. I can only make so many impulse purchases before I've got to step back and save up for another 4-5 months before I have the funds to make another purchase).

Also, turns out I like to use my monthly allowance buying tacos for lunch more than I like saving up to buy pedals. Otherwise, a healthy dose of adulting.

[Olin]

For me, there's an inverse relationship between how often I'm actively making music and how much I want to buy new equipment. I think my desire for new stuff is usually a sublimation of the desire to be creating more, so when I start feeling like I "need" new shit, I close my web browser and start making music and the "need" tends to vanish. There is pretty much never a time when not having an extra piece of equipment has stopped me from making something if I put my mind to it. Some people say new stuff inspires them, but that's not the case for me. If I'm totally uninspired or whatever, it doesn't seem to matter at all whether I have a million music tools or just one.

My criteria for getting new stuff is any of the following: 1) it has to be very hands-on and fun to use 2) I have to imagine getting a good variety of uses out of it, or 3) it has to be a killer deal so that if/when I don't want it anymore, I'll at the very least break even.

1000 times this.

I had a big "I'm having to find an excuse to use this effect, so I should just not use it" and cut the pedalboard in half. It's been great.