I’ve been writing about my journey into hardware-based music production and sound design for the last few years, and about just how rewarding the whole experience has been for me, in terms of coming from a DAW production background, but also just in general. Having a hands-on approach and workflow to making music has really inspired me to learn other instruments like the piano and the guitar, in order to be able to implement them into my music as I improve my skills at them. Since the main way of controlling synths is with a keyboard, I’ve already started my goal of practicing to play the piano/keyboard for at least 15 minutes a day, and I’m glad to say I’m definitely making some good progress. I’ve also written about some of the utilities that have made it possible for me to get my ideas recorded and ready to possibly use for future tracks, and how I started with a Focusrite 2i2, then upgraded to the 4i4, and then decided to get a Tascam Model 12 mixer. After having to upgrade my first interface, I realized my setup would always keep expanding, but since I couldn’t spend enough for the Model 24 just yet, I figured I’d grab the Model 12 in the meantime, expecting its inputs to last me quite a while. What I wasn’t expecting was the power of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) that made sure I used up the inputs on my Model 12 pretty quickly. Now, I’m not saying I regret getting the Model 12 at all, because it has really added a lot to my workflow, basically becoming a sort of musical notepad to get ideas down, simply by pressing the record button on the mixer channel I want to record from at any moment, depending what synth or groovebox I’m playing at any given time. Plus, I can always get a mixer with more inputs in the future. For now though, I’ve found a solution that really works quite well for me. See, yesterday I mentioned that, after the Microfreak, the Digitone, and the TD-3, my next synth purchase was another Behringer synth, the Blue Marvin edition of the 2600. I chose this as my next synth because I was starting to get really interested in the idea of getting into modular/Eurorack, and I have to say that playing around with it definitely helped convince me of that, since it’s a very powerful semi-modular synth, meaning that, although it does have pre-wired connections between its modules or sections, these can all be overridden and replaced with a different audio or CV signal via patch cables. Now, how is it that this synth has allowed me to bypass the issue of needing to expand my mixer, at least for the time being? Well, the 2600 has a five-channel mixer, and one can connect any audio signal into this mixer via 3.5mm patch cables. Since lately my biggest interest, as far as music production goes, has been modular/Eurorack, this is very convenient. I can plug in the signal of the Behringer Crave, for example, or the TD-3, or any output, or multiple outputs, from my Eurorack case, into the 2600’s mixer section, and since I have the 2600 going into the Model 12 with regular audio cables, I can record any audio that’s coming from any of these monophonic synths, with some added saturation as the signal goes through the 2600 signal. Basically, as long as a synth has a 3.5mm audio out, I’ve been patching it into the 2600, and even combining it with the 2600’s own oscillators, to record the final signal into the Model 12 with some added Reverb effect & compression. Although it would be a huge hassle having to disconnect and reconnect regular audio cables from a mixer, connecting 3.5mm patch cables is definitely no issue, since they’re much smaller and compact, and connecting and disconnecting these cables is the main method of sound design within modular synthesis, so it’s to be expected anyway.
I appreciate you reading!
rebel eye 