I’m getting to that point in music production where I want to start buying gear. For the most part, I’d like to buy legit gear, but I’ve heard people mention buying from cheap Chinese marketplaces such as Temu, but they didn’t go into detail about anything.

Has anyone bought cheap Chinese gear? What’s your experience, and how’d it hold up?

What are your favourites? Looking for inspiration

I've been producing on and off for about 20 years. Mostly completely in the box in Ableton. I have a Push 2 and a TD-3 and used to have a Roland TR8S, but I sold it cause I didn't use it.

The TD-3 I'm also hardly using, since I can create patterns much more easily and faster in Ableton.

What I struggle with is that I'm already spending so much time with my computer in my job. So I don't want to sit in my studio doing the same thing after work.

I've been thinking about buying more hardware and having a hybrid setup. Especially after seeing Colin Benders and attending STOOR a few times I think it's so much fun to just jam with machines.

Long story short, I want to buy more gear to move away from my laptop.

What I'm planning to buy:

• Oxi One sequencer: it can do all the things I'm using a lot in Max 4 Live sequencers, such as ML-185, MDD Snake in combination with LFOs for modulation. It can also sequence my TD-3, so I don't have to program the TD-3 and I can jam with the cutoff and distortion.
• Shakmat Battering Ram (modular kick module with the best kicks I've ever heard)
• Noise Engineering Basimilus Iteritas Alter: for weird and raw patterns, metallic textures, etc.
• Behringer Eurorack Go case
• Later I want to add a Syntakt or Digitakt

For the time being I'd like to run all this into Ableton, so I can use delays, reverbs, distortion, limiters, etc without having to buy expensive hardware modules. I can control these with my Push 2.

I could also run samples in Ableton, so therefore I don't buy an expensive Digitakt, Octatrack or other sampler yet, but I'd like to move away from Ableton, except for FX.

Roast my setup and give me reasons why I should buy it and why I shouldn't buy it. And would you advice to add a Syntakt, Digitakt or other device?

UPDATE 1 DAY LATER:

After sleeping on it for a day I do have a different opinion than yesterday. When I was commenting I thought, fuck it I'll buy all the stuff and have fun. I was searching for second hand devices that I listed in my post. I'm happy I didn't find them right away, because I would have spent €1500 in a blink. 

Some comments here (e.g. by u/egb06tb and u/usagiyojimbo209 made me think though. The Noise Engineering devices are also available as plugins. The things the Oxi One can do can be replicated in Ableton. It's mostly the tactile workflow with knobs while jamming that I like the most. And not getting lost in menus, searching for samples or presets. 

I want to limit myself and simulate a hardware setup in Ableton. Have a fixed template with a device/plugin per channel. E.g. Punchbox 2 for the kick drum, NE Basimilus plugin on channel 2, etc.

Then have some macros per channel and control these with my Push 2 or extra midi controller.

I'm thinking about buying an extra midi controller with faders and some knobs per channel (like a Faderfox, Faderpunk or Novation Launch Control) for some more controls. By using a fixed template with everything mapped to the knobs I can jam right away. 

By doing so I hope I can replicate more of a musical experience of jamming instead of being in a computer mode. 

So thank you all for the good suggestions, the enthusiasm for hardware and the reality check! 

It might be that in the end I'll still buy a small eurorack case with some devices, but for now I'll try to replicate hardware with a midi controller and fixed template with everything mapped.

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I have little experience with analog gear, I’ve only ever had a 90s alesis drum machine and a korg monotone. I have some music knowledge as I’ve been making electronic music for like 9 months now, but I want to get into analog gear. What are some of the essentials to any techno analog setup. Thank you!

i’ve been producing for a while now and have released a couple of EPs and have some more on the way.

I’m currently at a point where i feel like most of my tracks revolve solely around a bleepy or a filter modulated lead. I constantly compare my tracks to my main references to (ORBE, Translate, Oscar Mulero, Rene Wise, Mathys Lenne, etc…) and my tracks just always feel sorta flat and not alive. This demotivates me and makes me feel burnt out in a way.

What are some techniques that I can use to have my tracks sound more professional and have more defining characteristics?

(venting out a bit but it’s been bothering me a lot)

Hey everyone! Maybe this is not the most typical question

here.

I've been making electronic music for about 12 years, but I've never really been interested in DJing. So whenever I perform, it's usually a live set. I normally do everything straight from Ableton and don't bring hardware synths to gigs. Although, to be fair, I don't own that much hardware anyway — just an Arturia DrumBrute and a Behringer Crave.

A few days ago I was unexpectedly offered a last-minute slot at one of the biggest and coolest underground clubs in my city. On top of that, the live set is going to be filmed for a broadcast.

The problem is that I've been spending the last couple of months finalizing a new 12-track album, and I basically have zero preparation for this live set. The offer really came out of nowhere.

So here's my question: what would you do if you had one week of evenings to prepare a one-hour live set?

I have a bit of a mental dilemma.

Option 1: Take all the tracks from the album, put them into one Ableton project and work on transitions between them. This seems like the easiest solution, but I'm wondering whether the video could potentially get blocked once the album is officially released. Also, is it even a good idea to tease the album before its release?

Option 2: Make 8 tracks of generative blips and bloops and perform them together with a live drum machine. This also seems relatively straightforward, but:

I've never done anything like this before.

I'm afraid it might end up sounding like something I put together at the last minute.

Option 3: Go in a completely different direction and make something ambient/noise-oriented. But I'm worried that this might be disappointing in the context of my usual style.

Option 4: Download 5–6 sample/loop packs that fit my style, pick 4–5 bass loops, 6–7 leads, 10–20 percussion sounds in compatible keys, and basically improvise by switching between them while playing the drum machine live.

Some important context:

I have a Push 2, and stylistically I play minimal/raw techno. Not the modern, super-heavy kind, though — something closer to outsider house and minimal techno.

Sometimes I jokingly call my style “outsider techno” haha.

Anyway, that's basically it. I hope it makes at least some sense. Feel free to ask questions if you need more context.

I'd really love to hear about your experience and how you would approach this.

Thanks everyone in advance, and sorry for the machine translation!

greetings, im here with my laptop and Behringer Edge which is a brutal son of a bitch 😄, having recorded a full bassline with it, I wish to shorten the decay of some "shots" only then back to normal with automation.

For some reasons i'm failing at it with Ableton's own Gate, the FLOOR knob seems to be the culprit, or it doesn't gate or it's gating way to much excluding some minor shots.

the funny thing is that with the same gate plugin on hihats i can do exactly the shortening I want

Hi, quick text here.

Just wanted to know if anyone had a discord (not really necessary tho) for feedbacks on tracks and sounds. I'm new to production and obviously to producing techno too.

Would love some community!

I am always confused when I watch producers show their ableton projects. This clip shows at least 20+ different tracks playing at once yet I only hear maybe 5-10 different sounds?

What is going on here?