Dear Elektronauts,
I need your advices on building hybrid setup.
My gear:
quiet big Eurorack system with multiple voices.
pulsar-23
digitakt
syntakt
machinedrum
I am looking for solution to have hybrid setup where I want to multitrack everything to Ableton and jam setup when I can jam without laptop.
Looks like Push 3 is cool solution because I will be able to record loops from Modular and I can get 10 inputs for Eurorack / Pulsar / Machinedrum via ADAT.
However new Motu 828 can give me waaay more inputs via adat + I can hook up Expert Sleepers via adat and get direct in-rack audio routing.
I can use ipad to use motu 828 as mixer + record stuff on Ipad if i want to capture something.
What pros & cons you see in both setups or what workflow you have?
I am biased, as I’ve used an 828 for about 15 years but…
Motu 828 (2024) will likely be supported for much longer. Highly likely it will have better audio quality and latency speeds. Also supports using the outputs for CV. Inserts on your mic inputs and built-in FX on the inputs if that’s necessary during jamming etc.
The main thing it lacks is the integration with Ableton. Which it’s fair to say is the main advantage of push. So you would have to weight up how valuable that is.
I dont have any real hands on with push. Only considered it once it got to 3 and even so, I think it’s a bit limited for the cost (it does a LOT, but it can’t suit every production style of course), so I’d have to really be into that way of working. But it would allow you centralise your sequencing and just run things from Push. Thats one thing that is really valuable when working across multiple devices IMO.
No idea on how well the push holds up over extended use, but my old 828 was solid. Never messed up and just, worked… I would expect the same of the new model so much more of a recording staple in that manner. I sold it recently and kept the second one I had as a ADAT expander, as it’s likely I’ll get the new one.
Push sits somewhere between the lines as it’s quite versatile. I wouldn’t fully trust it as my only audio interface but I could be wrong.
If you know for sure you need more than 10 simultaneous inputs, go for the Motu. I went through the trouble of setting up a large adat system with a rack mount Apollo, ES modules and an ADA8200 only to discover that it was massive overkill for the way I usually work. Now I use the Push 3 mostly as a controller and only track one stereo pair through the Apollo at a time the vast majority of the time. It’s nice to have have option of recording a ton on voices, but I think its overkill for most people who aren’t tracking drums.