Do Over - the Essentials

[Mushy Mushy]

If you gave me Serum and a DAW (any would do) I still would not have found the limits to that thing after several years of being stranded on said make-believe island.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

And I could do it in Orion and I wouldn't need any extra stuff. Orion has three of it's own drum machines and came with loads of sample content.

Logic also has a ton of drum stuff. And while I could get away with it, I prefer my acoustic drums to be more deeply sampled

[BONES]

I don't really give a shit about drums. My attitude towards them is much the same as that of rock musicians towards drummers. That's why I grabbed Eden - I get drums that sound good with very little effort on my part.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

I don't really give a shit about drums.

That was already made pretty clear

[KBSoundSmith]

Do-over, essentials. Hmm.

First. Strict limit of visiting KVR bi-weekly for short sessions only. If I'm remembering user screen names and know who is going to cause or participate in unnecessary arguments, then I'm clearly spending too much time here.

Now for the required software instrument list

I already run lean. Too-many options is a productivity killer, and I think a voyeuristic fascination with new gear/software/etc has a deleterious effect on the brain.

Hive 2
Zebra 2
Diva
Serum
FM8
Reaktor 6
BFD3
EWCC

That list covers everything I personally need for sounds. Speaking of the synths in particular, each has clear differentiation from the others, while maintaining some strategic overlap in functionality in the event that something like an OS/software/etc update causes issues with any given synth.

If I were going to give advice to someone new, I'd first start them on all freeware (there's good options for everything at this point, IMO). Then, I'd have them pick one commercial synth when they're ready to step it up. Hive 2 would be my strong recommendation. From there, they could branch out to other synths based upon their specific needs, tastes, and proficiency.

[BONES]

That was already made pretty clear

Maybe but it's weird because drums are a really important part of all our music and I do put a lot of effort into the production side of them. It's just the patterns I don't care about. Once I get the four on the floor going, the rest is just filler. It's probably why I used Arcade so much on the latest album, it's another kind of set-and-forget rhythm option. Arcade and Eden together should make me unstoppable!