Looking Towards 2026: Making Music With Less Time and More Intention

2025 was an amazing year for beatmaking. Creatively, the last year was all about downsizing my DAWless gear to the essentials, usually just one sampler and one synth. That approach worked well and helped me stay focused when time was tight. But it also made me realize how much great gear I already own that I’ve barely touched. Going forward, my goal is not to add more gear, but to use what I have more intentionally.

Last year was the year of the sampler for me. This year, it's the all about controlled dawless setups.

I want my synths ready to go and routed into something simple like a mixer or patch bay, so I can quickly send sounds into a sampler without feeling overwhelmed. Instead of trying to do everything in one session, I’m breaking the process into smaller pieces. One session might just be making samples. Another might be chopping. Another might be arranging or mixing. With two kids, I’m lucky to get 30 minutes in the studio at a time, but working this way lets me stay connected to music and actually improve each part of the process through repetition.

It may not be the ideal workflow on paper, but it’s realistic, and it’s helping me keep making music without burning out. What are you hoping to focus on creatively in the new year? Thanks again for all the support, and I’ll see you in 2026.

If you want to make the most of your Dawless Gear in 2026, check out these resources:

Free Sampler Starter Kit:

A perfect companion for learning chopping, performance and beatmaking on any sampler. It's free to download when you sign up for my monthly beatmaking newsletter:https://www.sunwarper.com/mailinglist

Personalized Coaching:

One-on-one help with music production, beatmaking, and getting songs finished and out into the world: https://www.sunwarper.com/lessons