Hey everyone,
I’m looking for some advice on how to best route my current gear setup. Right now, I’ve got a mix of external gear hooked up to a UA Apollo Twin and a Behringer ADA8200, all running through Ableton. It’s great when everything’s working properly—I love being able to add Ableton’s FX to my gear and record straight into the DAW. However, the main issue I’m facing is the hassle of having to fire up my laptop and load Ableton every time I want to start jamming. It feels clunky, and I want to reduce that friction!
To simplify (or maybe complicate?) things, I decided to incorporate a mixer so I can just turn it on and start using my gear without relying on Ableton. I went with the Big Six, which I picked up at BF, and also added a MioXL since removing Ableton meant I needed something for MIDI.
In addition to my main studio setup, I’ve been using a Push 3SA as its own mini setup downstairs. I ended up getting a Motu Ultralite Mk5 to connect multiple small devices and my iPad to the Push. However, the mini setup started getting too bulky, and my partner wasn’t a fan of it taking over the living room. So, I moved the Push, Motu, and other gear back to the main studio with the rest of my setup.
Now, I’m trying to figure out the best way to route everything together. Ideally, I’d like the Push to be the centerpiece or brain of my setup, but I’m struggling to decide how to integrate it with the Big Six before I start unplugging everything! One big hurdle is that the Push 3SA doesn’t support class-compliant USB, so I can’t just plug the Big Six directly into the Push via USB. I’m thinking my monitors will be plugged into the Big Six, and I’d love to be able to add Push’s FX to any piece of gear while jamming.
I’m considering a couple of options:
- Push ADAT → Motu (Synths into Motu) → Big Six:
I think this would allow me to send individual Push tracks out to the Big Six, as well as my individual synths. But would Push FX work in this setup? For example, if I had the Osmose coming back into Push via ADAT and added Echo to its track, would that be heard on the Big Six? I can’t wrap my head around this at all.
- Using the Big Six as the Hub:
I could connect my synths to the Big Six and control them via MIDI from the Push. Then, when I want to record any synths, I could record out from the Big Six into the Push. The downside is that I wouldn’t be able to use any Push FX on my outboard gear until I’ve recorded the audio in.
In an ideal world, I want to sequence all my gear from the Push 3SA and also add Ableton’s FX to any piece of gear live while jamming.
Are there any better ways I might not be thinking of? How would you route all of this? Routing gear has always been a bit of a headache for me, and it feels extremely complicated right now. On top of that, I’m getting a patch bay soon, which might add another layer of complexity to the setup.
PS: I realise the Motu is standalone and I could just do all of the above without the Big Six, but I really want the Big Six for its hands-on, tactile nature.
I’d really appreciate any tips or suggestions. Thanks so much to anyone who takes the time to read this and help out!
