What are you using to sync all of your devices and how do you connect. I would like to have a more elegant solution that just using MIDI through. I use a variety of boxes from Elektron, Roland, Akai, Behringer, etc… along with computer and Eurorack. Sometimes I even throw in some old school like my favorite Emu XL-7. I’m trying to downsize and reorganize around a combo Blue Box and Black Box and filling out my base system with the Syntakt and MC-707. When I go past that it starts to become a mess. By the way, this is for home, not to haul around.
I considered a Roland SBX-1 but it is no longer made and not one to be found on Reverb.
One more note, start, stop and reset seem to be important, especially when using Eurorack sequencers.
I’m happiest when I have 2-3 pieces as my main setup, and then introduce others temporarily on an as needed basis. This avoids the mess of hooking everything up in a Frankenstein-esque web.
I have certainly done that in the past, combining midi splitters, usb midi, pulse clock, Link etc., all running at the same time. But fewer pieces is better for me, especially since those individual pieces can do so much on their own.
That is probably what I should do. The blue and black box gives me sequencing, sampling, mixing and effects. 707 for polyphony and Syntakt for Elektron goodness. I’m either going to make it work, or put a BUNCH of stuff on Ebay/Reverb.
I made a nice decision in the past when my 8 channel stereo mixer died ( korg zero 8 ).
I choose to use my old 6 line mono mixer.
And now I only use 3 gear max at a time.
Midi problem solved
I only have two or three bits of hardware tops, and I have had everything synced to Ableton Live via MIDI on my audio interface. However, the Tempest seems incapable of staying in time as a slave. So I am investing in a Midronome which I can sync via audio (click track) for super tight timing.
some groovebox or Pyramid or Oxi as a master, and the rest a̶r̶e̶ ̶p̶u̶p̶p̶e̶t̶s̶ ̶ is synced via RetroKits RK-006 – it supports USB hubs, and that’s the point.
however, i’m NOT trying to sync a dozen of machnes at once – i guess RK-006 could handle them all, but i couldn’t. maximum i actually reached was 7 devices including MIDI controllable effect boxes.
Blokas MIDI Hub was a great buy for me - allows me to easily route and filter MIDI as needed around my setup and it has some very powerful creative tools within it also.
This allows me to have my Oxi One as my master clock/transport (CV and MIDI) and sequencer whilst still allowing my Digitakt to control stuff with MIDI at the same time all in the same big MIDI soup.
