You can easily build a Dawless setup for under $500! You do not need dozens of devices to make music. The basic components of any setup are drums, synths, samplers and sequencers. One way to shortcut this is with a groovebox as it combines several features into one small convenient package. Here is a straightforward setup.
This simple but effective collaboration is comprised of a Behringer Crave mono synth, £125 from eBay, the Novation Circuit Tracks groovebox at £250 from reverb, MIDI and Audio cables for £10 and some old headphones for £25
TOTAL = £410, so that’s $499 at todays exchange rates
The Circuit Tracks makes for a great starter groovebox, as it is fun to use and powerful. It has 4 tracks of drums, 2 MIDI tracks and 2 synth tracks that can also be used for MIDI. On the back of the Circuit Tracks there is a handy range of ports
You connect up synths like the Crave here directly to the MIDI Out. (The MIDI Thru can also be configured as second MIDI Out). The Audio Output of the Crave can be fed to one of the inputs of the Circuit Tracks. This means that the groovebox can act as a mixer and also apply some Reverb and Delay effects and Sidechain to the Crave. The minimalist interface of the Circuit Tracks with no LCD screen and 32 pads that guide you by colour, combined with the analogue rawness of a mono synth make for a fun downtempo, house or techno setup. And with the additional ports its easy to add another synth into the mix at a later date.
DAWless is all about the flexibility. Changing your setup on a whim, connecting old gear to new gear, trying things out, but without getting bogged down with menus and the decision paralysis that a DAW can bring, and so bringing immediate results and musical joy.
Now I am not necessarily recommending that you rush out and grab these two boxes the Circuit Tracks and more so the Crave is probably not for everyone. But by going for a secondhand groovebox and pairing it up with a small cheap mono synth you will soon be on your way to electro-sounding goodness.