GAS - gear acquisition syndrome & related discussion

TanaBarbier · 2022-05-26T07:51:03.239Z

zuliani:

I am increasingly convinced that a great deal of the GAS floating around in our collective atmospheres is the product of just how isolated and globally distributed a lot of us are.

Yes, and if we could only stop internet from existing it would also help a lot IMHO.

studio_fade · 2022-05-26T12:57:30.371Z

zuliani:

If only there was a synth co-op around!

Portland, Oregon has a “synth library” and I believe one just opened in NYC recently. Try using that as a search term for your town, maybe you have one!

Hexxi · 2022-05-26T14:27:29.770Z

It’s funny, my gas went away with the lockdowns. Music + instruments was a pretty social thing for me so it felt pointless getting more gear without playing with others in the same room. I can see your point about being able to share gear with friends though I had the opposite happen, less interaction with my local synth community helped do away with the gas as it was kind of a feedback loop of seeing trying out new gear all the time and wanting it for a setup. Must have been some sort of mimetic desire going on.

caulymaculkin · 2022-05-26T15:00:43.955Z

Public libraries are also starting to have musical instrument collections:
https://aadl.org/search/catalog/callnums:"Music%20Tools"

janglesoul · 2022-05-26T15:18:43.166Z

studio_fade:

He’s the personification of the “you dont need gear” ethos and created its most notable meme… but yet is sucked into this stuff just like the rest of us.

Being reminded of Kieran Hebden yesterday I went out running with another podcast. Tiga’s Last party on earth which also featured Hebden as a guest: ‎Tiga Presents: First/Last Party On Earth: Four Tet's First/Last Party on Earth on Apple Podcasts

GAS-related: What struck about his story was that he got successful early on with next to no gear. His first Four Tet-album was recorded on a pc with the first crack-copy of a music program he ever got (from his school-mates in Simian Mobile Disco).

I’m thinking. If you experience success using next to nothing, it’s probably easier to come to the conclusion that gear has little to do with it.

juhbuba · 2022-05-26T15:48:35.895Z

sandettie:

These ludic impulses are ok! Humans are creatures who want to play.

No doubt. But do we need toys to play? And a stream of new, different toys? What is novelty’s relationship to play? How much if any novelty is essential to that experience?

Synths and laptops are actually not very haptic. Especially compared to graphite wearing against the tooth of paper, or slicing a lemon. Synths rarely vibrate and the texture of knurled plastic/smooth aluminum is relatively homogenous. And many module manufacturers are also using the same components, at that!

I wonder if the acquisitiveness associated w gear for many is that the haptic ludic experience is actually not sufficiently nourishing.

I know when I eat a bag of Doritos, I just want another bag. Until I feel sick.

[skips off to spread jam on synth knobs and replace faceplates w scrap leather]

TanaBarbier:

Yes, and if we could only stop internet from existing it would also help a lot IMHO.

I read a book on finances I liked called “Going Broke.” One of the author’s suggestions to avoid spending needlessly is limiting exposure to advertising.

Despite its psychologically compelling and nearly irresistable temptations, sometimes there are choices we can make that help us steer clear of ads (both formal and informal). The catch is we may have to make perceived sacrifices and tolerate our urges without acting on them.

Hexxi:

It’s funny, my gas went away with the lockdowns. Music + instruments was a pretty social thing for me so it felt pointless getting more gear without being playing with others in the same room.

I noticed a thread running through a lot of these posts re: the implicit social aspect of gear. Maybe that’s part of what drives the acquisitiveness.

“Click ‘add to cart’ in case of loneliness”?

_marimo · 2022-05-26T17:51:35.766Z

This is a really thoughtful podcast that discusses the importance of play, starting with the concept and introduction of Kindergarten and its relationship to Bauhaus, Frank Lloyd Wright, abstract painting and art and design in general.

I wanted to share it here because it highlights that importance of play. While it doesn’t directly discuss GAS, I think we can all agree: turning knobs, pushing buttons, actions and reactions, exploring new sounds. You know how to play. And play is a good thing.

Look around you, grab something you already have, and play.

99% Invisible

Inheriting Froebel's Gifts - 99% Invisible

In the late 1700s, a young man named Friedrich Froebel was on track to become an architect when a friend convinced him to pursue a path toward education instead. And in changing course, Froebel arguably ended up having more influence on the world of...

juhbuba · 2022-05-26T20:18:35.302Z

Oh nice! An old buddy used to work producing that podcast. All the more reason to give it a listen.

snkhydrox · 2022-05-27T07:31:57.096Z

parsec · 2022-05-27T14:11:42.258Z

Now I want to sample that SO BAD

renegog · 2022-05-27T17:26:48.531Z

perfect for no-input mixing

Aomatos · 2022-05-27T19:20:40.727Z

zuliani:

am increasingly convinced that a great deal of the GAS floating around in our collective atmospheres is the product of just how isolated and globally distributed a lot of us are. If I could just pop over to a fellow synthesist’s apartment and try out a new module or two, and get a chance to vibe with some of this technology without having to own it, I would

This is a great observation. Back in the “good old days” I would visit a guitar store, try guitars and pedals, see other people do the same, talk with the owners and the personnel who were always in some kind of band, share our passion and experience for all things guitar-wise. Since the beginning of the big online music shops, it was obvious that these little shops couldn’t survive simply cause they cannot beat the prices of a mega-store and because the consumers (yes, we!) are not conscious at all. Our decision to buy cheaper means that we will have to spent much more money just to “try stuff out”. And I don’t even mention the time you have to lose packing/unpacking/sending boxes, the effect on the environment etc. We’ve lost that connection with a community that was that music shop. It wasn’t just a shop. But hey, we make this world all together, right? And we gotta take the responsibility when all goes to shit.

watercolor · 2022-05-27T21:28:22.249Z

This is true, but it’s also somewhat reductive. It’s not just about isolation; it’s also about a weird form of instant-gratification consumerism. We associate buying more gear with having more options or even with making progress because the change is palpably immediate: we get a new toy to put our grubby mitts on.

That said, the lack of engagement brought about by isolation is a real problem. It’s not even that we don’t have music shops anymore—it’s that no one talks about anything productive. A good amount of online gear discussion is nothing more than enabling or commiserating about having GAS. The discussions about how to use and explore gear are far fewer (or maybe they just get fewer eyes on them).

_mgb · 2022-05-27T21:48:18.842Z

Much of what leads to GAS for me, and not just music gear, but any new toy/tool, is the initial novelty that comes with learning about the new thing.

Once you understand your gear fully, what is left is simply the process of doing, which of course can be frustrating even for the best of us, dealing with our own limitations as humans, but getting a new thing allows us to temporarily find gratification in learning about the new thing and the potential of it helping us get past those limitations.

watercolor · 2022-05-27T22:06:08.229Z

Ha, this is pretty much what I said. It’s true—we’ve become conditioned to prioritize novelty. It’s partially a human flaw and partially a result of predatory marketing. In order to move forward, we need to adopt a mindset wherein new does not always equal good. Essentially, we all think of products with a manifest destiny mindset.

juhbuba · 2022-05-27T22:56:37.386Z

watercolor:

It’s not even that we don’t have music shops anymore—it’s that no one talks about anything productive. A good amount of online gear discussion is nothing more than enabling or commiserating about having GAS. The discussions about how to use and explore gear are far fewer (or maybe they just get fewer eyes on them).

I replied to a message in the Eurorack thread about how to get to know your modules with a list of relevant creative and compositional suggestions that were entirely gear agnostic.

After receiving effusive thanks, within a few posts the thread returned to gear recommendations. No other comments, engagement, application, or following up with results of exploring the ideas.

Felt kinda like throwing a wishbone into a meat grinder.

eblomquist · 2022-05-27T23:28:21.196Z

juhbuba:

I replied to a message in the Eurorack thread

Can you point to that post?

Don’t be disheartened by lack of response, sometimes a post will catch some wind weeks or even months later…. I view it a bit like casting seeds in a field, you never know what or when things will happen!

watercolor · 2022-05-27T23:37:51.836Z

Felt kinda like throwing a wishbone into a meat grinder.

Man, I feel this analogy. Those kinds of posts can be so infuriating to share because people tend to like the idea of the post more than the post itself, so they’ll shallowly appreciate the content (usually via a ‘like’) but won’t engage with it.

In a twisted way, that kind of content can even exacerbate GAS because people conflate new ideas and new gear. It’s a whole mindset, which is why it’s so hard to break out of. Music has become largely a space for collectors.

I’ve also noticed a surprising lack of a spectrum when it comes to gear talk. On the one hand, you have the collectors who want to do nothing but talk about gear and specs; on the other, you have punk-esque aesthetes who use whatever without putting much thought into it. There’s not a lot of discourse about collecting the right gear for your needs and then exploring it.

juhbuba · 2022-05-27T23:46:32.698Z

eblomquist:

Can you point to that post?

I’d prefer not to, in case my description of the situation gets taken personally.

And I appreciate your compassion, but I honestly don’t feel disheartened. Mostly surprised and alienated, which was useful because it told me that corner of the community is not for me.

There are plenty of other threads here where I’ve participated in engaging, meaningful conversations. This one for example.

watercolor:

Man, I feel this analogy. Those kinds of posts can be so infuriating to share because people tend to like the idea of the post more than the post itself, so they’ll shallowly appreciate the content (usually via a ‘like’) but won’t engage with it.

Yes, this captures what I’m getting at. I was trying to keep judgment and “negative” emotions out if it. But that might be impossible given underlying beliefs and values.

I gave my answer in earnest and put effort into responding in a thoughtful and creative way. But by posting in a different direction than the typical current of conversation, the post itself may have represented a criticism, and been tacitly rejected as such.

In other words, I knew I wasn’t part of that micro-culture when I posted, so what was I expecting? Functionally, the experience provided a concrete example of the differences in perspective. But I’m guessing people already have opinions on the differences between these types of value systems.

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eblomquist · 2022-05-28T00:02:44.348Z

Sorry to hear about your experience but grateful for your sharing it and sticking around!

I suppose the community serves a variety of purposes for different members. There are plenty of threads I can’t contribute to meaningfully or even understand! But there are others that go to places that feel really nourishing to me, so I tend to hang there mostly…

At the end of the day, I’m most grateful for the friendships that have grown out of being here for a while…