"A big problems is it uses up two channels of your audio interface. If you only have a 2 channel audio interface, you won’t be able to record anything with a microphone without first committing the MIDI stuff to wav. This is no good. Even if you did have extra channels, the fact that the audio track is always armed would mean you would constantly be recording to that synth track from the output of your external synth even though you only really want to be recording vocals. This is a very poor way of dealing with our hardware synth."

I could send the MIDI file recorded from the hardware synth back to the synth while recording from the microphone. When I'm happy with the result, I could send the MIDI again and record the hardware synth on a separate audio track. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the statement "the audio track is always armed".

Cheers

It's all good, depends on what you are after, styles you play and so on.

Samples not really soft-synths? (Kyle's comment) several things I have to run samples, also give you the way to use them, treat them even alter them in the same ways of a synth with a set of OSC are used. Samples are not just for playback here in this studio. I also have to point out my korg extreme, I can place samples in it and alter the heck out of them.

Brandon's futher comments, he is dead on. I have seen performances with just a laptop and even sometimes a midi control. Not my cup of tea but there it is. Will we ever be soft-synth only? no, I can not see that. The open-labs systems, well they too use a xp OS, keyboard and a presonus firebox. Sound very good and very flexiable.

Guitar Junkie? ... I have a Left Hand Les Paul with a g-3 to roland gr-20 that also feeds soft and hard synths (midi wise) and (audio wise to those soft and hard synths I have that will take in audio input) ... no guitar player am I but I use that to feed string modulation into the
synths. my wife is a guitar junkie, 30 + guitars, bass and things with strings, yes I know there are others with more but I am not living with them.

again, I point to samples of this madness at my web sites and gamemusicdepot.com ... there you can hear a copy of the live radio stream we did new years day on radio.electro-music.com . We took a track I had completed, I had said it was finished, my wife (well need I say more?) wanted to put strings on it, my faviorite pedal steel player showed up the same day in the studio and guess what, I let them add their touch to it. You can hear the whole thing and the next day re-recording and mastered track at gamemusicdepot.com . As we all tell ourselves, if you can not have fun making music, the outcome might not be as good. Enjoy the show and the laugh.

I think several net radios this weekend will be playing some of our work too this weekend, UK area. TDFZ for sure. ( http://www.tdfz.mypodcast.com )

dale

The article was more about dealing with the hardware. It's certainly more expensive from a hardware standpoint to utilize hardware synths especially if you are working with MIDI first.

I'd LOVE to hear some comparisons of your soft synths vs hardware synths because I must admit that I'm a bit skeptical. I've been very impressed with the soft synths I've heard, but admitted I'm not a synth junkie. (I'm a guitar junkie).

This could be an awesome entry in the latest RecordingReview.com contest.

http://forum.recordingreview.com/f85/

Brandon

I have a lot of hardware synths. I have a lot of software synths too, some I even made myself. I have a lot of hardware effects and guess what? software ones too, commercial and created right here in the studio.
I blend both worlds, bend them, twist them, use powers most physics majors will tell you, do not exists.
In use here hardware wise, a general flow. 2 Roll Rm203 stereo line mixers. Most of the hardware synths go there. Note, there is some exceptions and I will mention them very soon. The output of the Roll's, go to a 24 channel mixer. I use both busses as much as I can to route and send things around the studio, in and out.
In use software wise, the DAW of course. DAW feeds a MOTU 24i. Yep, that is about 20 more inputs than I need in most cases. Also feeding out software synths is a XP box that uses a personus firebox. Those synths I bring up in that box, the cream of the crop so to speak. I crank the bit rate up as high as possible. I can use several at once, apart and in conjunction at the same time. It is also a very weak XP CPU power wise and memory. However, works very well and was the right price, free.

Now that exception. I have 3 rows of 48 points patch panels. I use them in line with the synths and effects to get what I am after. Maybe someone will think of it as a modular type arrangement. A good deal of my newer effects are midi adjustable. If so, I do make midi tracks to play in sequence with the synths or work I have recorded to automate this a bit.

Midi wise, a midiman 2x2, 8x8, 3x8 and a Edirol UM 880 is in use. Presonus and it's midi adapter for the XP box. I use midi-ox and Sonar to route as needed. Several advance programs in use, advance as in Karma software version to the Triton Extreme so I have a Karma Synth so to speak. Making the Extreme more multi use. I also use the Extreme as the main midi controller but I have other midi input devices around as well. Among them a P5 Glove, a Les Paul with GR3 pickup to a GR 20, microkontroler and other self made midi devices like drum triggers, pads pressure devices. Ebow and bow in use for the Les Paul btw.

Why only 4 tracks recorded normally? Well, I want a left and right, I do them separate. I want a clean left and right too. Clean as in before any effects. That way I can go back, tweak alter and even mix back in as needed. I like having versatility. If I was working 5.1 or greater, you bet there would be more inputs in, convertors and mikes around the studio.

Mikes?
Oh yes. Sometimes to get the sound I am after, one needs to drive a speaker, amp, guitar amp, broken speaker and so on. Mike that several different ways to just sweet spot it.

All of this stuff, goes into use as needed to make the music I do. Many layers are recorded in the DAW. Some times, all of this is done live, a single wave is the outcome. Midi tracks being created for playback at a future time or just in case the wave needs to be reproduced. Often layers are not used, stay in the project and later I will add in or substitute what was there for something special for a PR work, radio or general snip to put up on Myspace or youtube.

Yep, I generalize a lot above. I tend to get to techy so I am trying to keep it a fly over, over view. There is much more in the details and things I put into use than I mentioned. As mentioned in the article, use your creative skills.

Wonder what all this sounds like? Just visit those links in my tag lines. If you like, please pick up a CD or two or download. Those funds from the sale of my music, fund the creatures I mention above.

More on softsynths
Your softsynth is only going to sound good if you sound card / adapter out is decent. Crap built in sound card, crap sound. Same for your effects. Some times, this is good, you want that low quality sound. Do not just throw the crap card out, it can be used.

dale

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