Ultimate portable Setup

Suspect_Frequency · May 28, 2025, 12:01pm

Yes you may kind Sir. In fact, I have debated this like Einstein doing one of his cosmic, speed of light thought journeys through the cosmos of my mind.
Making music - gasp - outside of my comfy bedroom ‘studio’ is something to do outside. And surprisingly for someone of my character, this isn’t even sarcasm. (My character is low and unenviable in case that wasn’t clear)

Inspiration has struck and if I do not tend this flame it will extinguish itself as quickly as it arrived. I’m actually considering driving to a lush mountain destination nearby with a small covered picknick area and bringing something other than my phone or tablet and trying to create a tasty jam. Or maybe my tablet, or both.

What to bring though? Luckily and gratefully I have a few options…

Sp404/2 - I use it mainly as an FX pedal, for sampling, slicing, resampling and recording via USB and do not use it to complete songs or sketches so this would be more of a learning session and may sour the experience. Alternatively, if I paired it with an iPad running Koala then the whole experience changes and becomes uber powerful. Perhaps too much for me to handle and unleash on the poor forest creatures.

Roland P6 - while the segmented display seems like a turnoff, it actually helps you concentrate on the physical controls and the sampling/resampling process more once you get the main workflow and shortcuts memorized. Then it’s very fast, intuitive, small. Definitely a top contender with USB audio to sample from my phone.

Electribe 2 or 2s - love love love love love love hate love my Electribe 2’s. Easy battery operation, always charming once I get back in the flow of extreme menu diving. Classic GrooveBox workflow, and a proper layout for 16 pads unlike my MPC’s abomination.

BlackBox - my Jeep has USB power and an AUX in to the stereo. Some of my best experiences, I’ll begrudgingly admit, have been camping with my dog and jamming in the Jeep over the car system in the rain or snow with nowhere to be and holding that BB like a little handheld game console. Good times, top contender.

Volca Sample - small, sounds great, plays and tweaks samples, has a sequencer, a line out for my car stereo or headphones, battery powered… why doesn’t it live in my glovebox?

Any small random synth that has a sequencer and battery powered - MicroFreak with USB bank, Modal Skulpt, Korg Monologue… could be fun just to tweak some simple sequences and drone out watching the rain from my covered picnic table while my dog naps on her dog bed.

This will require a bit of contemplation, some pre planning, and maybe a shower to wake up a bit. Daunting and adventurous.

SPisfunbutalsodifficult · May 28, 2025, 1:33pm

Lifegoal

Suspect_Frequency · May 28, 2025, 2:24pm

MicroFreak with battery bank, wireless transmitter to Spark guitar amp (for effects etc) is pretty sweet. I like the idea of noodling on a synth but these little guys benefit greatly from basic FX.

Didn’t want to start complicating with adding an audio interface and tablet/laptop or guitar pedals so this is a good solution. Maybe I’ll mic it up later if I manifest a killer lick.

bibenu · May 28, 2025, 2:45pm

That’s a nice solution for a microfreak

Mistercharlie · May 28, 2025, 2:49pm

Why not just use a cable for the speaker?

Klaptastic · May 28, 2025, 2:52pm

You’d be surprised what these little things can run. I don’t use this much stuff now, but at one point I had a single battery powering Digitakt, Digitone, AH2, DFAM, and Mother32 off a single usbc port because its all 12v. That setup would only run for like an hour though. I use the same battery with DN2/+FX now and it’ll run significantly longer than I’d ever personally use in a session or set.

Suspect_Frequency · May 28, 2025, 3:35pm

Because the wireless receiver was already in the Spark GO, and the transmitter was right next to my face hanging on my Squier Paranormal Nashville Strat and it would have been way more work to unplug them both and pull a cable out of the cable box.

Added bonus when I was testing the setup I had the speaker chilling on the desk while I rolled around on the bed unhindered whilst making strange squealing sounds.

From the MicroFreak.

Edit -

Upon further consideration the spark is also a class compliant mono USB-C audio interface, so when inspiration strikes you could whip out the Tablet or laptop and record your opus into your app of choice with merely a single, svelte cable. Bring along a guitar, a synth, cook up some drums inPatterning, live loop into Loopy Pro with your Bluetooth Boss pedal…

tha_man · May 28, 2025, 4:37pm

This is cool idea! But isn’t MF signal to hot to connect to Spark guitar input (or guitar receiver)?

Suspect_Frequency · May 28, 2025, 4:48pm

No it seems to be fine.

Edit - I’ve been doing this for a while to play and record these small synths into my MPC/Force/interface as well. Really quick to grab a little synth and pop the receiver into the back.

matteblacksmoke · May 28, 2025, 6:00pm

Classic Elektronauts -

OP: clear question with clear parameters
The ensuing discussion: completely ignores OP

Clarke_111 · May 28, 2025, 7:15pm

I’m currently away with the S4, P6 and the Fieldtone weaver plus a small battery pack. Pretty fun and portable ambient set up

RiK · May 28, 2025, 8:01pm

Powerbank for the freak and Blackbox

Hours of fun

bibenu · May 28, 2025, 8:09pm

Indeed

Gigagar · May 28, 2025, 8:20pm

I still think the ultimate setup is compromised from some combination of these elements:

a battery powered groovebox (MPC Live 2, Ableton Move, Novation Circuit something, OP-XY)
USB powered synth that can be powered from said groovebox (f.ex. Microfreak)
iPad

This all can do everything, just pick the ones you feel the most attracted to, so you are excited working on them

Suspect_Frequency · May 28, 2025, 8:28pm

I disagree. I see people sharing pics of their setups, suggesting other things that may or may not be exactly what the OP is looking for but there’s no harm in broadening horizons.

It’s a completely fine thread with great responses and lively discussion on a popular topic. I think it’s the finest thread going today.

captain8 · May 28, 2025, 8:38pm

is there any chance they will update the fieldtone with longer sample time?

matteblacksmoke · May 28, 2025, 9:17pm

Yeah, I’m probably being too hostile here. It is a good thread.

I guess I saw OP saying “must have battery” and think it’s weird that people are suggesting octatracks and portable power bricks. But if they like the idea, shrug.

Suspect_Frequency · May 28, 2025, 9:58pm

For many portable is an M8 or phone in their front pocket, others an SP or Digitakt and battery bank, others think it’s no problem to put an MPC Live2 in a backpack and take the bus to the cafe, others don’t mind putting a small hard case or flight case in the back seat.

Many bring 3-4 small pieces which equals the size of an Octatrack and bank. This dude is on a mountain with his Elektron’s and a frickin’ table. I think the OP will take all the advice, bad and good and stupid and make good decisions.

Monobear · May 28, 2025, 10:11pm

I like it if the discussion is opened up. Of course I thought about stuff like the op-xy but Digiboxes with Powerbanks I haven‘t given any thought until yet.
I think portabillity is more important than ever. The formfactor of lets say the rytm mk2 never vibed with me in general because of the local star trek console design. Digiboxes are better, op-xy seems best. But in general however one manages to do so its good to get away from the desk sometimes.

Juliusmonk · May 28, 2025, 10:38pm

For me, portability is a very secondary factor. I like small things because they take up less space in the studio, mainly. If I have to travel and know I will have hours to spend, then I take one device with me, just in case I feel like making music. It could be the MC-101, or the EP-133, or the Seqtrak, or the OP-Z… whatever. It also helps to learn/remember the device in question, and it’s never going to be a finished track anyway. But a promising idea could be captured sometimes. Of course you will never see me by the river with a bunch of cables and battery packs, I could never be focussed and comfortable outdoors, I don’t know how you people do it. A hotel room is fine, a plane or a train barely ok. Street/garden/forest/Kilimanjaro is a definite no for me. If inspiration strikes while out and about, I just record the idea on the phone as a voice memo. Truth be told, most of my tracks have some guitar or bass, so I don’t even entertain the notion of a fully self-contained system that I can take anywhere. Maybe I would think of a small setup if I was leaving to say Australia for a month or two.

It doesn’t help the OP, but I just think it is impossible to do “everything” with what a backpack can hold, unless your “everything” is limited, in which case one might as well accept the limitations of just one device and make it all easier. Capture the idea, work on it later.