Hi this might seem a pretty silly question to most of you but bear with me please,
I want to build a set up where I have Synths only and no computer. I have ordered a Sub 37 and 3 mother 32’s to get me started. What do I need to connect all the synths and be able to sync them and get sound from all 4 simultaneously from my monitors? Previously I did this with my now sold minatuar and slim phatty and voyager via my soundcard(now broken and needing replaced) via Logic on my Imac.
A mixer for sure, unless the audio input of the M32 are sufficient with smart connections.
About MIDI, a MIDI manager as suggested by Bald Eagle will be useful for more complex situations or if you want to change the set up without touching the synths’ configuration or cables. That being said, for a simple set up, I think cables and a couple of hours of settings and trials can make it.
I would recommend something to act as a master clock source. Like the beatstep pro, or a koma FT301. Those are very different pieces of hardware, but they can both give you clock. The beat step pro can give you a few more options for getting the most out of those mothers.
Just so you know your efforts were not wasted I’ve read up on Koma RH301 and mixers.
I really liked the look of the Koma so have ordered one. I bought it from their online store form Germany as it was on sale at a nicely discounted price. Converted form Euros to pounds and including delivery I got it for £248 so thank-you for drawing my attention to it.
As for the mixer I have had my eye on a Mackie VLZ4 for a while so I finally bit the bullet and went for a 1402 VLZ4, seemed a good price point and gives room for expansion with the extra inputs.
I am still at a loss regarding the midi control and would appreciate any pointers towards the sort of equipment that would do the job plus allow for future expansion.
I use a Motu Midi Express XT for my midi connections. It has 8 input and 8 output ports. It allows you to route any synth to any other synth. Can also apply filters and custom routings. Need a PC for custom routing config but then doesn’t have to stay connected.
There are less expensive ones if you don’t need all the bells and whistles.
Alesis used to make a handy MIDI storage device called the Datadisk. It was a 1U rack device, floppy based and could store SYSEX. It was upgraded to the Datadisk SQ which added storage and playback of sequences, and the playback could be sync’d to MIDI clock.
I’ve got two of them, one for studio and one for road. No one makes anything like them today. There really needs to be something similar that works off of modern media like USB sticks or compact media.
It came with a free app (MIDI Memo) that could record and play back any kind of MIDI, including SysEx Files.
I haven’t seen an iOS Lightning version of this yet, but it would work with a 30-pin-to-Lightning adapter.
Or, if you have an old iPhone 4 that you’re not using, you could dedicate it to recording the settings of all the musicians’ MIDI gear in your band.
If you can’t find a MIDI Mobilizer II, PM me as I have two of them.
I think you and everyone else is over thinking this. There’s no need for the Koma or anything else MIDI wise if you are just starting with the Sub 37 and 3 Mother-32s. Your Sub 37 will be your main MIDI control, with MIDI Out of the Sub 37 going into the MIDI In of the first Mother-32. Then it’s a simple matter of using the CV Outs of the first Mother-32 to the Ins of the other two (i.e., GATE Out or ASSIGN Out to TEMPO In for MIDI Sync)… and now they will all be in sync to the Sub 37. This is my exact setup and I’ve posted videos here (a couple of times) on how to do that.
Hi Jido, I can follow what you are saying re the connections but does that allow me individual control over each Mother 32? So if for example I had each set to a different midi channel does the set up you suggest allow the signal to bypass say the 1st and 2nd mother 32 and only play the third if I wish?
I’d also wanted to allow for a bit of expandability, I’m currently in the process of arranging for repair to my Voyager RME which I shall then include in the setup.
I’d also like to add various pedals and use my guitar with it. I perhaps should have mentioned this in the intial post.
What I was hoping to achieve was the ability to create music, with each mother playing individual parts and all synths perfectly synced whilst I have a bit of a play along with my Guitar. I want to exclude the computer as I find I then get more caught up in fiddling with logic and adding further to my array of half-finished songs. I just want to have fun playing music.
Anyway I appreciate your thoughts and am open to consider all suggestions as I have only a little bit of knowledge regarding this. I know in my head what I want to achieve I just have no idea how
What sort of sequences do you want? If it’s just simple lines programmed on the M-32s and you only need clock sync, buy an 84 HP skiff and add a simple clock source, clock divider and (buffered) mults.
If you want more complicated sequencing, then you’ll need some sort of hardware box. There are two paradigms; step- and phrase-based
In my biased opinion, the best thing out for step sequencing is the MIDIbox SEQ v4, but it’s only DIY. Now you can even expand it with a 16x16 monome-like grid with the button-LED matrix (BLM) I’ve just released. It’s also usable as a basic MIDI file player.
There are commercial sequencers from Genox, Koma and Arturia, check if they’re what you want.
If you look back a few decades, you will find many MIDI phrase recorders. Many are crap, one of the best is the Alesis MMT-8 because it will loop seamlessly and allows different song sections and part muting. There is even a sysex tool available that will convert regular MIDI files (e.g. that you initially write in a DAW) to data it can understand.
Well, it seems like you want to do everything, so then yes, you will need to get other boxes (MIDI splitter, hardware sequencer, etc.) but then you keep going back to this statement: “What I was hoping to achieve was the ability to create music, with each mother playing individual parts and all synths perfectly synced whilst I have a bit of a play along with my Guitar.” and my initial suggestion will let you do exactly that. No offense but, it sounds like you are trying to run before you learn how to walk…
You need to learn how these things work in the first place before you go off buying all sorts of other accessories/utility items you may not need. If you are getting the Sub 37 and 3 Mother-32s, work with that first. See what they are capable of, then you may find you don’t need anything else.
Again, you can have the clock of the Sub 37 sync’d to the first Mother-32, then the first Mother-32 sync’d to the other two Mother-32s via CV, with all 3 Mother-32s playing their own sequences perfectly in sync with the Sub 37, where you could at the same time be playing a lead line, or having it’s own [Sub 37] sequence playing. That’s FOUR sequences all playing their own thing, in sync, with only one MIDI cable and two CV cables needed! Not a bad setup to start with…
Then if you want to add other MIDI synths and pedals or whatever else, you could then get a MIDI splitter, or a central master sequencer like the Cirklon, or go Eurorack where you can add all sorts of clock generators, MIDI to CV modules, etc. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of options and configurations that can be had… but try to walk first before you start sprinting towards that finish line.
I recommended the beat step pro because it allows one single interface to control lots of gear at once. Program your two separate melodic sequences based off of the root of C, and then hit the transpose lock and play your key changes with one hand, freeing up the other to do more important things. If you were going to play guitar and run multiple live synths, this is the kind of hardware you need.
[quote="jido-genshi"That’s FOUR sequences all playing their own thing, in sync, with only one MIDI cable and two CV cables needed! Not a bad setup to start with… [/quote]
It sounds like a great setup put like that. That’s if it ever arrives. The Sub37 isn’t due to be delivered until the end of the month and I have to wait until the end of November before the Mother 32s arrive.
I get your point about being patient and learning more about what I have, saying that I think I take the learning serious as I took a 2 year break from synths in order to learn Guitar so I can include it in my songs so I guess I’m committed! I just wanted to be sure that I could achieve what I had in mind and having picked through some of the excellent recommendations here I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I will certainly spend the time with the set up you suggest with the single midi lead and cv connections and then grow the setup as fits my needs. My priority was to eliminate the computer for the reason previously mentioned plus I spend all day working in front of a monitor and want to avoid it where I can in my down time.
My whole setup is essentially computer-free. I only use a computer for sysex (saving and restoring patches, sequences etc.) I have a few mixers for the sound, and I use an old Yamaha hardware sequencer, an 8-port MIDI THRU and a 8-port MIDI merge from MIDI Solutions to manage all the MIDI. With this setup, I can control all 5 of my keyboards from each other, send data to several sound modules and MIDI-enabled effects, and they are all in sync with the hardware sequencers clock.
Well after some prolonged research I have achieved my goal.
Firstly I cancelled my mother 32s as the delivery date kept changing.
I have reordered them though and they should arrive in March.
The set-up I went for is as follows.
Master Clock/sequencer and sampler duties are in the able hands of the Octatrak.
I have the Sub 37 and an Elektron Analog Rytm and Analog keys all routed via audio and midi
Into the Octatrak.
They are all in perfect sync and give endless musical opportunities.
I did have a bit of a learning curve as the Elektron gear all arrived at once
but I got stuck in and am slowly getting to grips with the possibilities.
Also managed after searching everywhere (as well as being turned down by sweetwater
because I live in the UK) to locate a Mooger Foogef delay. I got it from the Music Store Cologne, Germany.
Excellent service and they even did cash on delivery. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
So thanks for everyone that gave some pointers. I’m delighted with my setup and most importantly have ditched the computer.
