If you are just starting out, in my opinion, the best way to get into working things out is to just dive deep into a software based music DAW, you can try Garage Band or Fruity Loops, which have a slightly lower learning curve than other tools, there are also tons of tutorials on youtube. Ableton is a bit overdone and technical as a starting point, but then again, most valuable skills don't have very easy entry/starting points in life.
No malintention meant here, and as far as electronic instruments go I agree with what you're saying, I just know several drummers and guitar players who would by quite incensed by the comparison with their instruments to rotary phones.
When I was younger I was a serious musician but stepped away out of creative frustration. Getting a used OP1 on a whim many years later reignited that drive. It’s helped inspire writing my first full album—which isn’t “electronic” as most would associate with it, it’s just such an inspiring tool to get things started and make soundscapes and beats etc.
That's one of the things I'm not sure of too. I technically can afford basically whatever, but there's a lot of opportunity cost and I'll feel really bad if I buy something pricy and it ends up collecting dust.
This thread has been great for getting me to think about why I might want hardware and what my actual goals are. If it's to produce finished, polished songs, I think using a DAW is a better workflow for me. If it's as a sound source, I'm not yet convinced that real analog is worth the complexity and cost.
But if it's a fun box to get inspired by and play with away from the computer, then something that has an interesting UI, can make some sounds, and has some amount of sequencing is what I should focus on. That sounds like an OP-1, Digitone or Deluge to me.
> Also, try to buy a used device. You can save tons of money this way.
Great advice. Thank you!
How much money is "dip my toes"? If you're talking less than a hundred bucks for some cool toys, you can buy Korg Volca and one of PO-x0 series from Teenage Engineering.
If you're thinking $500+ you can get something like Alesis Micron (designed by Bret Victor, BTW) or Korg Electribe, or Elektron Model:Sample. If you're fine with real-time recording, you can instead get something like Behringer Neutron or Kors Minilogue. You can make entire tracks on those even if all you have is a linear recorder.
If you're in ~$1000+ range you can buy Analog Four or OP-1. The former is a very practical machine, the latter is a marvel of design, very fun and great for experiments.
Or you could go for a workstation. FA-06 has pretty good UX, although it's closer to DAW-on-a-keyboard than other things I mentioned here.
Find a device you like and learn it inside out. It's a very rewarding experience. Also, try to buy a used device. You can save tons of money this way.