After one year of trying out different pieces of hardware I decided I want to use a hybrid setup.
I would like some advice on how to do that. I’ll try to explain what I would like to do and maybe you can help me.
I just bought a PC and my idea is to use it mainly for sequencing stuff. I have two hardware synthesizers and will probably also use a couple of VSTs.
Mostly, I just wanna jam. I’ d like to find a workflow that is fast and intuitive, but that will aso allow me to dig deeper and experiment when I want to.
I would like to use a X0X-style step sequencer for drums, but not too basic. Ideally it could be mapped to controller (which one would you recommend?) to make sequencing as hands-on as possible.
For melodic sequencing, I really like the Stochas sequencer and I’m very curious about Polymath, Bitwig’s Midi FX, the Hy-plugins sequencers and Sugar Bytes Thesys.
I still haven’t decided which DAW I will use, but Ableton and Bitwig are the most obvious candidates.
I have also been thinking about avoiding DAWs entirely for now, since DAWs come with so many things that I’m pretty sure I’m never going to use - it gets very confusing.
So the other option would be to use a VST host and just load the software sequencers and synths that I need. Not sure about the tightness and reliability though.
I would like use the mouse as little as possible when jamming but I don’t have any experience in mapping controllers. I have a Midi Fighter Twister.
the most “jammable” DAW has to be Ableton, especially with a hardware clip launcher (just a cheap one like an Akai APC Mini). having said that, if hardware jamming is your thing (it is for me), i’d focus on that and then introduce the DAW as and when you feel the need to start recording and arranging
Both Bitwig and Ableton have trials periods of month or more. Best thing is to try them out for yourself because it’s all personal preference at the end of the day. I, personally, prefer Bitwig Studio over Ableton Live but that’s mainly because of it being newer, more modulate everything, and less full of bloat imo. Plus The Grid is excellent.
Sweetwater is throwing in BitWig 8-Track for free with any software purchase right now. Search the site for a decent looking and cheap plug-in in whatever price range and then you can start off with BitWig to get a feel for it. Ableton Intro is also easy to find for free, I’ve probably got a few codes laying around from hardware and software purchases if you can’t find one.
Get both and try them out, it may be enough for recording/mixing especially by adding your own VST’s as you need them. later you can upgrade when you can.
I run a hybrid setup (Ableton + Eurorack + virtual modular + a bunch of hardware), so here’s a few things that I learned while working out a good workflow. Don’t know Bitwig as well, but I imagine most of this can be applied there too.
You want to remove as many DAW barriers as possible to making music - eg. you don’t want to be mousing through stuff to set up basic routing and setting up tracks all of the time. So setting up good defaults is essential for removing DAW-friction and will pay off massively in the long run. I have a default Live set which already has all of the following set up: tracks containing Overbridge plugins for my Digitone and Rytm, with extra audio tracks to route out the individual outs and MIDI tracks set to the autochannels of each device; audio tracks with every bit of hardware that’s plugged into my interface, ready to be recorded; tracks for VCV Rack, with routing set up to send audio/CV back and forth between it and my Eurorack + audio tracks ready to take VCV audio out to use in the session; etc etc. When I launch Ableton, everything is ready to instantly play. In Ableton you can also set up defaults for how audio and MIDI tracks will be set up when they’re created: my default MIDI track is already set to listen for MIDI coming from my Keystep Pro on a certain channel, and launches with some devices that I frequently use to modulate Live devices with my Eurorack.
Having a hardware controller that’s integrated well enough to let you directly sequence and launch clips is an absolute must for an enjoyable experience. I have a Push 2, and everything except going into arrangement mode feels like I’m using a v powerful hardware sequencer rather than a computer. Push 1 is not that much worse than Push 2 (it’s mostly just a bit uglier) and can be bought second hand for extremely cheap now - the tight integration with Live is worth it (no MIDI mapping required, it’s all just set up), and you can even use it kinda like an Elektron sequencer (emphasis on “kinda”) with step automation. There are also really great scripts to have similar integration between a Push and Bitwig. You don’t have to use a Push though, there are plenty of options (the different supported controllers on that link should give you some indication of what’s out there). If you get something other than a Push, someone (either the manufacturer or a nice person online like this Moss Grabers fella) has probably already set up a good script to get tight integration without having to map it yourself, so google “remote control script [device] [daw]”.
Having a central MIDI keyboard that can be simultaneously routed to all/most of your gear + your DAW makes a huge difference. I have a Keystep Pro which has four ‘tracks’ on it and decent connectivity (two MIDI out ports, tons of CV). Through track 1 I can play into my Octatrack’s autochannel (which all gets converted into CV to control my modular) with track 2 I can play into Digitone’s autochannel, with track 3 I can play into any armed Ableton track (which includes the Rtym autochannel) and with track 4 I can play into my GR-1 - all from one position. Alternatively, you can set up your default DAW session to have MIDI or CV routing to all your hardware boxes, and go via a controller that’s just plugged into the DAW (for eg. one of the ones described in the last bullet point). You don’t need as many bells and whistles as a KSP or a Push 2 here (just works well for my gear), the main thing is to have some central place you can exert some control over everything to cut down friction.
You probably have to make your DAW your clock leader. I’ve tried every combination, but it never works nicely except this way (maybe Bitwig is more stable? I doubt it though). Once you do that, you’ll probably notice that it still doesn’t work totally nicely because latency nudges some of your recorded hardware juuust out of time. Fixing this is a one time job, but it’s a pain in the ass. There’s some decent info on what the issues are and what to do here.
Ableton (and probably Bitwig) let you name the Inputs and Outputs from your audio interface. I strongly recommend doing to remove friction when you’re setting up routing between your DAW and your hardware.
And unrelated to the hybrid setup stuff, but a bunch of hardware comes with some “Lite” version of Ableton or Bitwig (I see you’ve already got 8-Track, so all good there). You may have a serial number sitting around somewhere that can get you Ableton Live Lite which you can use to try the software out for longer and give you a cheaper upgrade path into the full stuff, so dig through your boxes. Launchpad style controllers frequently come with these, so you can kill two birds with one stone there.
Thank you very much! It’a bit early for me to take advantage of all your tips but I’ll keep them in mind.
Currently trying to learn the very basic function of Live, that’ll take a while. Also saving for an audio interface.
By the way, every time I open my Live 11 trial there’s a pop-up that asks me if I want to start my free trial or if I want to continue without registering (saving and exporting will be disabled).
Does that mean that I can keep using the trial version for more than 90 days, just without the ability to save and export? That doesn’t seem realistic