GEAR GOALZ 2020 /Arbitrary Transparency/ Classic Zag 2020

[MrNovember]

@MrNovember you probably moved more gear in 1 year than me in the last 5

Even more to add to the list now! Sold the Sterling/Musicman Silo 20 and Moog Subharmonicon. Acquired an EHX Superego Plus, Fairfield Randy's Revenge, Fairfield Unpleasant Surprise, Cooper FX Arcades, Moog Werkstatt, and a Novation AFX Station.

[tremolo3]

As soon as I can move, I do will buy shit tons of gear. This year I only got an OP-1 and I'm dying to get studio monitors, a DR103, a purple jaguar and if space allows it, a 4pc drum kit.

Moved out.
Got the monitors only.
They're sitting in a fucking box.

[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 .

Almost the end of the year so here’s a November update:

I sold two bass heads, bought a Peavey Butcher

Sold a lot of pedals, bought a Meatbox and a Bit Commander

Bought some cheap PP2 replacement cables on amazon - they are functional but THICCC

Sold my drum machine

Fixed up all my cabs just right

Joined a doom band and then had to stop jamming as COVID cases rose and priorities shifted...

[01010111]

My wife recently talked me out of minimalism. So, now I’m going modular

This didn’t happen. Mainly because I can’t figure out what I’d what my modular to do. Once I have a solid direction planned that way, I’ll start building it.

[MaxMaps]

I should probably give a better post seeing as these are all really specific and rad.

When I first started playing again the goal was to actually love and play music. My deep dark secret is that many year ago when I first joined - the GAS hit me REALLY hard. I bought and sold a lot and had a REALLY impressive (at least to me) collection but it really doesn't matter for shit if I don't you know make art or enjoy what I did. It was surprising the years when I was gearless / not playing how little I thought about it. I guess it had to be the right time to come back because now I really enjoy plugging in making some shitty bass lines and jam out with my clam out. It also helps that I am back posting here because you bros are on my wave length for music and I have always found inspiration posting and reading here.

That said the rest of my gear goals for 2020 are pretty simple:

- Some sort of interface to record in - I know this was supposed to be a piece that I am supposed to get first but I need fuzz man.

-I quickly upgraded my bass and pedal board ...... you know priorities

-I am going to keep it simple and just add a Delay and Looper. Delay has always been my favorite effect next to dirt and loopers I have never really gotten along with because I just didn't try hard enough. I am gonna change that.

-I want to keep the excitement / creative juice flowing so I am gonna add some other effects (ring mod and envelope filter) and just rotate on occasion. I am really keeping a goal of not selling anything - I can trade for other things but the goal is to have a good board/ bass / home set up. Anything else is just extra flavor. The Bitquest looks really good so I might jump on that one.

-A decent pedal board power supply.

______________________________________________________________________

2021 I want to start looking into a better head situation - for now the Darkglass Element is all the amp I really need because I just have the time or space for plugging into speakers. Really going to look into either a unique Class D amp situation or just say fuck all and get a 100w tube head with a Two Tone amp thingy

[D.o.S.]

Maxy baby I am exactly in your boat when it comes to amps. I have decided to keep my big dumb tube head and get one of these tiny fancy heads as well I think. No real idea which one. Many options.

[dubkitty]

sounds like time for the 2021 thread. brb.

[MaxMaps]

Maxy baby I am exactly in your boat when it comes to amps. I have decided to keep my big dumb tube head and get one of these tiny fancy heads as well I think. No real idea which one. Many options.

I have been watching a small youtube channel by a guy who goes by Hondo Felder and he demos on amp line called Trickfish.

Good sounding stuff, not like the guitar center crap that's out in the wild/.

[cantremember]

This year I plan to slow way down with buying pedals ( I tell myself this every year) and to stop being so lazy when it comes to actually making music. Its been 3 or 4 years since I have actually released any music and its because I tend to just fuck around way to much and not do anything productive. Selling off a few cabs has been a big area of focus at the beginning of the year/now because its really pointless to have 3 amps and only ever use one of them. Plus I could use the extra room to stretch my legs in the jam room haha. Also I plan to make it a point to learn the octatrack inside and out. I have a good feel for it now but often times I play with it and end up forgetting what does what and find myself reading the manual or watching videos on youtube.

-music-
Well... I didn't put any music out into the world because I can't decide on what I wanna do. I make a song in 1 style then another in a completely different. With almost 2 months left in the year and some time off coming, I'm really gonna focus on playing music more often. With the way things have gone this year I'm lucky to find time once a week to jam and it has sucked.

-gear-
Sold off all my big cabs, got a new one (4X12) and a small one because I like amps/cabs. I think a majority of the pedals that I have bought this year, I ended up getting rid of but I definitely slowed down this year...kinda. Well not as bad as years prior I guess I should say haha

[Heraclitus Akimbo]

Time to self-review, I guess.

I do have a Mooer E7 synth pedal on the way, hoping to harness its cheesiness to make some cool arpeggiations with my band's sax player's signal.

The synth pedal was good fun. Supplemented it with the Mooer D7 delay, though I still haven't tried it yet.

• I also have a cheapie 7-string lyre on the way from aliexpress. Assuming it doesn't arrive broken/doesn't fall apart right away, looking forward to making some plinking sounds with that.
• I want to get back on the horse for the music box composition project I didn't get around to this year.

Did indeed get some lyre plinking done, but still haven't settled into any "serious" work with it yet. Music box compositions are still languishing.

pedal aspirations

• my name came up in the Fabrikat waiting list, but I had just had a bunch of dental work done and had bills to pay off so I got myself punted to the back of the queue. Hopefully I'll have some cash in the piggy bank when my name comes around again.
• only aspirational pedal goal I really have is for a Drolo Stretch Weaver... I think that would be amazing in a live context to basically sidechain sax and/or drums.

Fabrikat acquired! And what fun it is. Did not get a Stretch Weaver, or, in fact, any other pedals, which is okay. Was being careful with spending in the lockdown early going and making do with what I had.

Only other "sound thing" of note that I acquired was the box of old cassettes my mum sent me when she was moving, which I have been doing some live-collage stuff with.

[Dowi]

• I also have a cheapie 7-string lyre on the way from aliexpress. Assuming it doesn't arrive broken/doesn't fall apart right away, looking forward to making some plinking sounds with that.
• I want to get back on the horse for the music box composition project I didn't get around to this year.

Did indeed get some lyre plinking done, but still haven't settled into any "serious" work with it yet. Music box compositions are still languishing.

is that the lyre you used for the Okta samples? i was really intrigued by it, might end up grabbing one myself just for noodling around, was it mic-ed or it already has a piezo or something?

[Dowi]

i almost forgot what my goals were..so:

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.

Moved in in august, rehearsal/studio space is definitely postponed to the first half of 2021. At least i have took al the measures and started to document myself on the best ways to acoustically isolate the space. Just have to find the right DIY way and start to buy the necessary things, hopefully when the lockdown ends..

i'd like to add a goal:
downsize the huge pedalboard i just built. It's mandatory.

DONE, couldn't be happier.

If i get to do this and gather some funds i might jump on the Minilogue.

DONE, couldn't be happier.

[Heraclitus Akimbo]

is that the lyre you used for the Okta samples? i was really intrigued by it, might end up grabbing one myself just for noodling around, was it mic-ed or it already has a piezo or something?

It was! I paid C$50 from Aliexpress. And just slapped a cheapo contact mic on, as one does. I went with the simplest one, you can also go mo' money, mo' strings.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Wow that's pretty cool.... Getting ideas...

[Dowi]

Definitely listed in future "nice instruments to have around in the studio" list. (Yes, that's the actual name of the file on my google drive.)