Trying Something That Isn’t “You”
One of the quieter threads running through my studio build—never the main focus, but always present—was a simple idea:
this isn’t my style, but I want to try it anyway.
I am not a clip-based producer.
It’s one of the cool things to do, it’s a powerful way to make music if you have the knowledge and skill set, and it’s completely outside my comfort zone. I don’t come from that world, I don’t naturally think in clips, scenes, or loops, and if I’m being honest, I don’t really know how to produce music that way at all.
But it looks like fun.
So naturally, I did what made perfect sense at the time—I bought an AKAI Force.
Still not understanding clip-based production, I followed that up with a Maschine+. And because that apparently wasn’t enough, next came the Roland SP-404MKII—another sampler, another clip-based machine.
From the outside, this probably looks a little ridiculous.
There Was a Method (Sort Of)
In fairness to myself, I did have reasons for each purchase—even if they weren’t the reasons most people buy these machines.
The AKAI Force appealed to me because of its synth engines. At the time, you couldn’t get those engines as plugins the way you can today. It wasn’t just about clips—it was about sound.
The Maschine+ was more of a reward purchase. I had always wanted one, and when I committed to a hardware-based studio, the Force was the only real standalone option outside of the MPC line. When Native Instruments released a standalone Maschine+, I finally scratched that itch.
As for the SP-404MKII, that came later, when I started moving into Eurorack and mono synths. I wasn’t thinking of it primarily as a clip launcher—I was looking at it as a powerful outboard effects unit, loaded with creative processing options.
So yes, I bought three clip-based machines… but not necessarily to use them the way most people do.
The Right Time, Not the Right Plan
As I’ve mentioned in other posts, timing played a huge role in this studio redesign.
I wouldn’t be able to do this in 2026.
Back in 2022, the conditions were right:
- The economy made sense
- Gear was available
- Financing options existed
- I had time—something I have much less of now
To put it in perspective, Christmas 2025 was the first time I’d had four days off in a row in over three years. Thankfully, I enjoy working—but that kind of uninterrupted time has become rare.
Throughout this redesign, whenever an opportunity presented itself—a sale, favorable financing, a gift card I forgot I had—I was fortunate enough to act on it. And more often than not, acting on those opportunities meant trying something new.
That’s really what this post is about.
Opportunity as a Creative Driver
Every major expansion in my studio came from opportunity:
- Patchbays
- Mic preamps and compressors
- Mono synths (a big shift from my workstation-focused background with the Roland FA and Yamaha MODX)
- Samplers
- Eventually, an entirely new way of thinking about the studio itself
Each step pushed me slightly outside what I already knew.
That got me wondering—how important is it to branch out and try new things?
For some people, it’s essential. For others, stability and refinement matter more. Neither approach is wrong.
But for me, this studio build wasn’t just about arriving at a finished space. It was about allowing opportunity to lead me somewhere unfamiliar—and occasionally uncomfortable—just to see what might come out of it.
So whether you’re someone who jumps at opportunities when they arise, or someone who prefers a careful, well-defined path, I wish you the best in your music-making. However you get there, I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I’ve enjoyed mine.
