Keyboard rig updates, writer's workshop items - comments more than welcome!

A couple interesting updates - one for the gear geek, another for the songwriter/composer with associative questions for your response:

Keyboard Geek Time

I've got a couple more keyboard upgrades to do, but that will essentially finish the writing/recording and live rig. Wish list items marked with (WL), items available for sale (S)
- Yamaha MOX6 workstation
- Roland VR-09 V-Combo (WL)
- Roland VP-550 Vocal Ensemble
- Roland Gaia SH-01 virtual analog synth
- Novation X-Station 49 Synthesizer
- Moog Little Phatty Stage I (WL)
- Roland VK-8m Organ Module (S)

 

I also have the following available as rack units for live & recording:

- Korg Triton rack

- Yamaha TX812 (8 DX7s in a box)

- laptop computer with the following:

  - Arturia Laboratory with many vintage synths/patches as VSTs

  - IK Multimedia SampleTank, Sonik Synth, etc...

 

Now, question time for all you keyboard dudes - I have three synths essentially doing the same role. I would like to keep two which brings up the question for you to answer (in your comments below).

Which two of the Gaia, X-Station or Little Phatty would you keep?
Anyone interested in the VK module, or in the one synth that I remove from the rig - contact me thru the email address in the blog and we can talk.

Now, for the writers out there

As a matter of writing process, I tend to be inspired by the tone and timbre of a sound coming from an instrument in order to write most of my material. It's very rare for me to sit down with only a melody and lyric being the output and leave the arrangements to the negotiation/recording phase - in fact lyrics almost always come after and to an extent independent of the music. Now, I've started looking into "writing prompts" as a way of changing things up, but it's a hard go for me...

I'd like to hear how you all sit down and get going on new material. There is no right or wrong way to do anything, but approaching anything from a new angle promises to at least enlighten and instruct. I'd be very happy to read all the ways everyone gets their creative boulders moving in a positive direction.

Next post I'll discuss guitars and some modifications I've done to Craigslist junkers to turn them into jewels of tone :) Cheers!