The Hardware Megathread

#1823

I’ve been noodling and planning but struggling to finish things, I’m also working from home a lot so I’m pretty much multitasking and not focusing on one task

#1824

ive been working on some client mixes and some originals. my job has been cancelled for 20 days now.

been working on some boards of canada style downtempo, some prog house and have begun some Haxan Cloak/Ben Frost type distorted ambient stuff for a split release w a homie.

MS20 + distortion pedals is a pretty immense sound.

#1825

I’m not working from home but just can’t really seem to finish some of my current projects either. Plus, I just keep listing stuffs.

Looking at volca modular or waiting a bit for one of the behinger stuffs at $200+

#1826

Yes!!!

#1827

when i hear BOC my ears prick

I’ve got some Haxan Cloak stuff after Audio Damage Chris Randell kept banging on about him.

I know very little of Ben frost but will now perform an internet reconnaissance mission :grin:

#1828

I need a sequencer. Should I go with the Arturia Beatstep pro or the Akai MPD232?

#1829

That’s a bit vague, at a quick glance Akai looks like it sequences way more to me. What are your requirements, what are you trying to accomplish?

#1830

I want to sequence sounds from VSTs on my computer

#1831

Ive been having a re-think on how my little home studio is set-up, at the moment i leave space on my desk and i have various hardware on shelves not plugged in. In theory i grab whatever hardware piece i want plonk it on the desk and away i go, but i feel it just doesn’t work like that, things just get left on the shelf as I’m too lazy to go through the effort of hooking them up.

so now i’m thinking of getting a Jasper synth rack and racking up just about all my hardware, all Midi/Audio’ed up and ready to go…

Wonder if Thomann are still shipping to UK as i could do with doing this now whilst I’m on lockdown or else ill never do it, according to their website its business as usual but i don’t want to give them £400 and then be told its been delayed.

#1832

The best sequencer is your DAW, i just simply wouldn’t bother with a hardware sequencer to sequence softsynths.

#1833

DAWs don’t contain sequencers except for Ableton Live.

#1834

Cakewalk does. I don’t use it as I prefer editing midi directly but its there.

#1835

Bigwig has lots of sequence options, or check out some sequencer vsts.

#1836

Every DAW in the last 20 years has a MIDI sequencer.

#1837

They can’t sequence in steps like hardware do. They’re all timeline based. A hardware sequencer doesn’t use a timeline, their similarities are not even close.

#1838

I have a Jasper. Kind of a pain to get level. I recommend going around and half tightening everything to the point where it can still move if you push/turn it, then go around with level and tighten one end at a time. And put the holders on before you put the main bars in. I have to say it’s un-nerving putting your synths on the upper racks and basically watching them float. But it works, I have a Matrixbrute, Rev 2, Microfreak, and Akai Force on mine. I still don’t trust it to bash on my Force on there, but I play everything else.

Pro tip: If you’re going to buy the strengthening kit as an add-on, you need longer arms to reach the back bar or it doesn’t work, unless you’re on like the top two levels. I had to order a second shipment because of that (because I wanted two strenghtened levels and it only comes with one), which is very expensive coming to the US, cost me a lot of extra money.

I have the 120B 4-level and with that you basically get one 4 or 5 octave keyboard per level. So plan for that. The 140 would give you a little more space, but I don’t see you getting more stuff on one level unless you really squeeze it in there.

#1839

I placed the order earlier today i thought if i didn’t id end up waisting the day constantly looking at configurations, i went for the 170-4-150B and an extra 4 sets of holders.

I haven’t got any really long synths the heaviest is the Matrixbrute that and a Yamaha mixer i got from a car boot sale can go on the bottom, I’ve figured i can get a keyboard synth and a smaller synth on each of the other 3 levels.

Had to also order a Midi 4x4 I/O and a shit load of cables, but it will tidy the place up and make it more hands on.

#1840

Thats a big nope. In addition to the usual piano-roll style interface Cakewalk has a step sequencer.

#1841

Both of them will allow you to do that I think, though I wouldn’t know if they do it over USB or not. A quick glance at the manuals will tell you that.

#1842

FL Studio is literally based around a step sequencer. Ableton, Logic, Cakewalk, Reason and Reaper all have step sequence input options, and there’s a host of free VSTs that can input step sequences in any DAW - HY-Plugins makes several options.

I understand the attraction of having one simple device to do the job, but suggesting that it’s not possible to do from a DAW isn’t at all accurate.