GEAR GOALZ 2020 /Arbitrary Transparency/ Classic Zag 2020

[Blackened Soul]

Oh yeah this thread...

Hemhem..

Get a cohesive setup of my bi-amped rig I'm working on, put my 12 string bass back together, help my drummer get his kit sorted out, work out a set list.. and learn blistered in the sun and then IceBearitize it and for a Aberdeen Farmer's Market possible show next month

[MrNovember]

Gear:
1) acquire pedals to finish up pedal board ideas - COMPLETE, bought a Keeley ECCOs to use as a looper, now I have a pretty stable pedalboard at the moment
2) acquire pedals because of gas - OBNE MAW, Drolo Stretch Weaver, DAPE #rip, OBNE Signal Blender - not complete, didn't buy any of these pedals, but no pedal gas currently
3) acquire a pedalboard and power supply for my bass pedals- COMPLETE
4) mod my Jaguar - fuck I am good a procrastinating. Also, why isn't this in the DIY section below?
5) acquire a Teenage Engineer PO-33 because I need more samplers for some reason -COMPLETE
6) acquire a QuBit Bloom, Make Noise Mimeophon, Intellijel Quadrax because eurorack is a terrible addiction - not complete, but I am strongly considering getting completely out of the eurorack game
7) replace my dead computer; probably build a proper desktop - COMPLETE, bought a new laptop
8) buy things if my time comes up on the waitlist and I have money available - Rob Hordijk Blippoo Box, Demedash T120 - still waiting, but I don't have the money
9) flip all of my euro gear for a Moog Grandmother (to pair with the Matriarch) and to afford some of these other goals - COMPLETE-ish, sold all my euro gear, didn't buy a Grandmother, but I am still gassing for one

DIY:
1) practice soldering - hasn't happened yet, but I bought some kits to practice with
2) fix the terrible wiring job I did in my Silo 20 - kind of waiting on step 1 above/kind of just procrastinating
3) buy a 3D printer - I have no faith in this happening. It's been a goal for like 3 years now. - Yeah, I don't think this is happening any time soon. Let's just move this to the 2021 list...

Music:
1) learn more piano - I want to get comfortable enough to jam with people/improvise. - I made a lot of progress with this and now I haven't played piano in a few months. So that kind of sucks.
2) record things - I actually have some ideas based around my current setups so this is actually plausible for once. - I don't even remember what my setup was at the time I wrote this, but I'd still like to record more. So this might be less plausible, but it's still a viable goal.
3) continue writing music - I recently started writing songs with actual lyrics, which has been some weird mental block I've had for years. Would like to do this more. - I have continued to do this more!

Life:
1) get married - booked for Sept 25, 2020! - I did not think this one could get fucked up, but apparently pandemics happen. Luckily our venue is amazing and we have our original date as well as a back up date (Sept 24, 2021) booked
2) sleep more, drink less, eat better, keep going to gym, drop 25lbs (stretch goal drop 50lbs) - I am actually doing pretty well with sleep more, drink less, eat better, but the pandemic has also fucked up me going to the gym and I am completely failing at working out at home. I need to replace the brakes on my bike so I can get some real exercise other than walking the dog. I was down 15 lbs for awhile, but I kind of stopped checking up on that...
3) buy a new house (probably won't happen due to #1) - definitely not happening this year!

Other than going completely off-list on gear (see below), my goals are going fairly well and are updated with italics above. What have I learned from this roughly mid-year review?: I need to spend more time focusing on life and music goals.

Off-list gear goals: I sold all my euro and acquired a Critter and Guitari Organelle M, an Eastwood Warren Ellis Tenor and Mandocello, a surprising number of pedals (DOD Rubberneck, EQD Dispatch Master, EQD Life Pedal, Neunabar Immerse, EHX DMM XO, Stomp Under Foot Son of a Bee) and now I have a Moog Subharmonicon on the way. I also backed the Critter and Guitari Eyesy and the Artiphon Orba (I think the Orba was last year?) on Kickstarter. Annnnd, I acquired and flipped both a Moog Sirin and the Elektron Model:Cycles.

[coldbrightsunlight]

haha doing well MrNovember

I want to... Do more music. Maybe even play a gig or two Sorry 2020 really fucked that up huh?

Gear
1. Synths:
Replace/supplement the Volca sample for drums that integrate better with my other gear ie CV/midi. Digitakt is best. Very pleased.
Get a small mixer. Not yet, unsure if I totally need one
Get a chronoblob to fill my eurorack. Did it, was good choice.
Maybe get another midi/CV controller and flip either my piano or microkorg. Got a midi controller for my PC and flipped the piano, it's working out OK. Still kinda want to flip the mk but not done it yet.

2. Guitars
Flanger? Boss BF-2, love it to bits.
Second cab Not yet but still very much on the list
Some new pickups for jaguar and bass vi? swapped jag pickup into Bass VI, very happy with this but still want new jaguar pickups

Doing pretty well!

I also got a Rings, Draume and a compressor pedal (Orange). Not as many random purchases as I thought there might be, not remembering what I'd written here.

The wavering about getting out of euro was silly, I like it a lot.

[retinal orbita]

I listed my goals on page one but I think I’m already due for an update:

1) just bought my Buzz Box clone so that is a check off my list - still want a grunge, a vintage turbo rat and more Death Metals.
I bought at least two death metals and a Dungeon Master and an EQ pedal

2) I really want to buy a Wren & Cuff 20v Overdrive. It’s the dumbest purchase because it’s so much scrilla. But it seems like the perfect OD for me.
I'm not doing this. I don't need another overdrive

3) NOT buy any more synth pedals and then flip them. I never use them!! But l buy them, flip them and think “the next one will be better”. I bought an FM4 used and that does all the dumb stuff I need.
I have NOT bought any dumb synth pedals

4) learn to use my FM4 a little more and maybe get it modded with better switches.
Nope haven't done this

5) new cables for my PP2 as some are wearing out. Maybe a new power supply. Maybe a bass board and a noise board. I’ve got all the effects for it.
Nope haven't done any of this

6) flip a few pedals I don’t use on reverb. I’ve got a few just sitting around in a plastic tub.
I ain't shipping during the pandemic - haven't done this

7) join a new band - I’m ready and looking. But being (almost) 40 and working full time means it’s hard to find people who want to make weird music AND don’t want to jam twice a week. I can’t do that!! I get up at 5:30 every day! It could be grind, noise, space rock, industrial, noise rock.... I just want to play with some people and not just goofing around in my basement and release a few tapes and play a show or two.
Nope COVID-19 happened

8) I have four bass heads in my basement. I think I will try to flip at least one for something more useful.
Nope I love them all they stay in the basement

9) learn more about programming my drum machine - I’ve got the basics but not the more advanced features down. I need to get to a point where it’s intuitive.
I sort of did this

10) possibly buy another synth. I love my MS-20 but maybe I want some other sounds. MAYBE. Like an Arturia synth of some kind.
Nope I don't need another synth .

[Dowi]

you're all doing well with your goals!
@MrNovember you probably moved more gear in 1 year than me in the last 5 (trust me: don't rush the new house thing - that being said right now it's a good moment speaking of loans interests
@cbs a small mixer is always useful to have around for shows (2021 maybe?), routing, recording.. i have s super simple 4 channel mixer but it has saved my in several situations. Regarding the rest: BF2 FTW
@retinal i like how you're holding on on those "non buying" goals. They're the hardest.

Woah, gear goals 2020..
Right now I have just (a big) one: build a small rehearsal room once I move in the new house in spring. Also for sure I would like to record something new.

Well considering the fact that we were supposed to move in april but because of Covid we're lucky if we get to move in july, i say my main goal is postponed to end 2020/beginning of 2021.
AS far as the recording goes i'm doing my best and doing it a lot more than last year, so that's something.

i'd like to add a goal:
downsize the huge pedalboard i just built. It's mandatory.
If i get to do this and gather some funds i might jump on the Minilogue.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Minilogue looks great.

@cbs a small mixer is always useful to have around for shows (2021 maybe?), routing, recording.. i have s super simple 4 channel mixer but it has saved my in several situations. Regarding the rest: BF2 FTW

Haha yeah if I had booked any shows I would have immediately bought a cheap mixer for sure. But without the shows there's little incentive.

[Dowi]

Haha yeah if I had booked any shows I would have immediately bought a cheap mixer for sure. But without the shows there's little incentive.

[coldbrightsunlight]

It does Dean, it does.

[MrNovember]

@MrNovember you probably moved more gear in 1 year than me in the last 5 (trust me: don't rush the new house thing - that being said right now it's a good moment speaking of loans interests

It really helps to slowly acquire a bunch of eurorack over a few years and then sell it all in a quick time frame. You end up with a lot of disposable cash to spend on other gear

And yeah, we won't be rushing the next house for sure. We bought our first house to get into the market (and move out of our parents houses), but knew it was a starter home and compromised on a few things. For instance, it's a bit smaller than we'd like; there's no garage, which was a really stupid compromise in retrospect; it's too close to the highway and the highway is a lot louder than we thought; there's a huge hill that has almost kills me while trying to cut the grass. We will have been here for 4 years in September and have learned a lot about what we want. For our next house, we are hoping it will be much longer term, if not a forever home. We're also hoping to get either a fixer upper or something with some higher end finishings. So we are expecting to spend a bit more time looking.

[coldbrightsunlight]

sounds like quite an undertaking but seems like you've got a good approach to it.

[$harkToootth]

Per usual I bought more pedals I didn't need (they're cool though DON'T WORRY!) and when Lubdar releases his other new pedal... I'm going to get that too.
Otherwise gas is curbed for BIG STUFF.
Honestly, all said and done... this still on track to be one my tamest gear acquisition years in a while. We'll see. Or we won't...

[coldbrightsunlight]

Oh yeah I bought one of those Lubdar fuzz wars too. No regrets

[Paul_C]

I didn't think I wanted to buy more pedals, only make them, but then I bought three that I really like - Komorebi, Happiness and Marshmallow - so there might still be something out there I'd like (Geiger Counter and Hax 2 are in my thoughts).

I’m quite pleased with Marshmallow myself. That and the Behringer Model D. Whoa! Any synth really. Warp on a pitch shifter pedal is so special.

If you can find a good deal.... get the Geiger Pro. My only issue with it is, it was supposed to kill my dirt lust... it didn’t. It that’s on me

I gave both Hax 2 and Geiger Counter Civilian Issue some thought, went on Reverb and bought myself a . . .

Yellowcake Lida Machine.

This is because I'm thinking of balancing (or putting to one side for a while) the Sonic Koalas screeches and squawks with some more "properly musical" ambient nonsense. I will have to get myself another Particle or maybe something more simple to have more delay options but otherwise I'm done*

*I'll never be done.

. . . and a Dod Rubberneck.

So far this year I've decided to make a "proper" album to put up on Bandcamp, changed my mind and gone back to YouTube videos, changed my mind again and put up 6 albums and an EP on Bandcamp and stopped using YouTube altogether.

I've bought pedals, decided to focus on just building pedals, got frustrated with a couple of builds that didn't work first time, bought another 7 pedals and made quite a lot of progress with the multi-fuzz build. Decided that I'd spent enough on pedals and then bought a Malekko Downer which I really don't need.

So basically I can't be trusted to keep to anything for more than a couple of weeks

I'm pleased with the Bandcamp stuff though, which has continued at a pace even if very few people listen I'm 6 tracks into the next release already.

[Dowi]

So we are expecting to spend a bit more time looking.

Yeah, take your time, we've been looking for almost 2 years before deciding for this one. I'm literally counting three days until they finish building it so we can move out of this two rooms apartment. Being in quarantine in the new home would have made a Huge difference..

Per usual I bought more pedals I didn't need (they're cool though DON'T WORRY!) and when Lubdar releases his other new pedal... I'm going to get that too.
Otherwise gas is curbed for BIG STUFF.
Honestly, all said and done... this still on track to be one my tamest gear acquisition years in a while. We'll see. Or we won't...

I think to block the GAS for Big stuff is a lot easier than all those small pieces of gear that "oh well, it's only xxx bucks, I'm not even gonna notice the difference".

[$harkToootth]

I think to block the GAS for Big stuff is a lot easier than all those small pieces of gear that "oh well, it's only xxx bucks, I'm not even gonna notice the difference".

Pedals take up so space... until they do.
I've been zig and zagged so many times this year... NOT GREAT!