So, help me feel better (or worse) about my sound design skills.
How is your presets-2-song ratio?
As in, how many of your presets end up used in a track you make?
Mine is quite low, maybe out of 10 presets/samples only 1 or 2 are good enough to be used somewhere.
I often go too far sometimes get ahead of myself on sample mangling and mess things up. Or the cool sample I recorded doesn’t sound good in context with, well, everything else that I’ve grown attached to sound-wise and gets scrapped. It happens.
Or if I start a track using a pre-made preset and then make other tracks and I’ve been at it for so long that now that preset is the sound for the track and the thought of changing it is a nope to my brain. That happens more in DAW/plugin-land. Hardware that doesn’t save presets, on the other hand, well, I probably use too many sounds I shouldn’t because I’m lazy. Effects for the win 
I don’t spend a lot of time creating and archiving presets. I tend to pull up and init patch when I need something in a composition and sort of just create them as I go.
Clearly, this approach only works if one knows what they’re after. If I’m “looking” for a tone because I’m not sure what a tune needs I’ll often do some listening in the preset pool, honestly though, if I’m stuck on a track I’ll often hit up Beatport or Spotify and do some listening to hear what other artists have done.
My plan was jasper’s and plywoood. Still might be able to pull that off, since they have so many attachments (among them a monitor arm), so I think it’s really possible to set one up as a computer desk - my idea is a strengthened tier at desk level, then one level higher up which my monitors can hang from, then on top of that I could have at least one synth that I can just stand up and use, plus speaker stands attached to either side (or maybe just floorstands - all kind of a moot point as I still use headphones 99% of the time - I think they do a headphone holder - if not I could just use a spare holder piece). Unfortunately I need another stand or two and some more space to try that idea out.
For me it’s usually a matter of time available. Little time is for presets and sampling, more time is writing tracks.
I sometimes just dial in what I need and sample as I go, but that’s something I can only do with the Microfreak as I know it quite well.
I guess I typically “hear” a part before I start composing, and the sound design is sort of dictated by the part I have in my head.
Are you telling me that doing things and see what happens is not the only way to build a track?
Get out of here!
I almost never hear a sound in my head. I set out to “make cool sounds” and if it inspires a track, so be it. I essentially have an expensive collection of sound makers that I occasionally happen to make songish things with.
That said, I do gravitate to certain sound types a lot, especially for drums and bass sounds. I like more “thudding” or “knocking” kicks (I guess I’m not a huge 909 kick fan? I’ve wanted a Jomox MBase for the longest time tbh), basses either something bouncy/punchy or super deep/thicc synth basses that are basically low-pitched pads. Ironically I don’t have much GAS for Moog anything though I wanted a Taurus Minitaur once upon a time.
For me, hardware often fulfills the “happy accident” role in my sound design. The tactile knob-twisting leads to all sorts of inspiring things that become the basis of tracks, and I’ve collected and built a bunch of equipment with that in mind.
Once I get the base hammered out and in place, I usually move over to ITB to layer and add things because I appreciate the precision and tools it brings. At that point I’m doing what Chase is talking about - trying to get the thing I hear in my head that compliments what the hardware has come up with. I just don’t have the patience to try and dial in a very specific sound on hardware unless I immediately know exactly how to do it, and most of the hardware I have isn’t really focused on that sort of sound design.
tl;dr - for me, hardware for experimentation and inspiration, ITB for all the other bits.
I do love happy accidents. That’s my favorite part, really. The grin I feel when something magical or fun happens that I didn’t set out to make happen. But it does happen, and it’s good, and I like it, etc. I definitely feel that way when exploring a new synth especially, or new effect, or combine things in new or weird ways and it just suddenly works but in a way I never expected.
Eurorack is a very expensive way for this experience XD
I feel like I’m being too hard on myself and that’s leading me to enjoy music less, I kinda need to get back to the mental space of doing this because I like it, not because I need to make song that 3 people will listen to.
After all, I didn’t get into electronic music because of the music but because I saw someone playing a groovebox and it was a revelation.
Which is why despite all I still have my mc-505.
Those old MCs are pretty powerful iirc. I don’t think that one can use the SRX or JV expansion cards like the MC-909 can they?
I try not to beat myself up about not having a lot of stuff for people to listen to. I’ve noticed people keep asking to hear my “music” and im just like “Ummmmmm…” as I really don’t have a lot to show for all this gear other than a better mental mood after I’ve spent a while goofing off making sounds and drumbeats XD Software makes me pretty happy, too, though, but the idea of having something in my hands to play with is more fun at times. And I can’t (usually) save the results as easily.
I really dont need another analog synth, however i got watching this video and this cat does sound like a rather phat cat.
Octave’s… wait for it… The Cat 
(if you were being facetious or cheeky it went right over me. I had to spend time around people and spent my battery XD )
It wasn’t on my radar but the specs are great, cross modulations and sync should make for very modern basses
It can be, yeah. My first dive in set me back a lot of money when I didn’t really have it. I ended up selling it off to a friend about coming close to recouping, but I always missed the gear. I’ve slowly dipped a toe back in, but with a very pointed focus that lets me keep the cost and size down (ie generative/sound gen - no traditional sequencers or drums or anything that a ‘standard’ setup would have as I can do that all ITB).
To be fair, a lot of the same functionality can be found in something like Reaktor, M4L, Grid or other soft-modular environments and I do a lot with them, but they’re also more finicky, labor intensive to set up and unless you have a head for the underlying tech, bound by what other people develop. It’s also less tactile and immediate for me and I don’t get the same knob-twisty exploration joy that I do from hardware.
Since I’ve come back to modular, I’ve really been pushing the DIY aspect as it dovetails with my enjoyment of electronics and tinkering and building things. It’s sort of another hobby unto itself, but I’ve found it really rewarding to make sounds with a thing you built and customized. It’s also a shitload cheaper.
This kinda has my curiosity piqued…
It sounds funky in a way I like that isn’t trying too hard to be an 808 or 909, either.
WOAH, I had time to delve into Drambo a bit and I’m blown away by concept and sound quality!
Drambo is 4+ years old and I’m only just now hearing about it XD and I own some of their other products on iOS 
Me: I love knobs and faders but don’t mind using a mouse to make sounds in a DAW
Also me: I HATE TAPPING ON GLASS SCREEEEEEEEEE…!! (I was pretty into Beatmaker 3 for a while…)
But I’ll still probably check out Drambo. It seems like fun and I can’t always cart around a Maschine+ and battery