Should I Flip All my Synths?

[01010111]

After spending two hours getting my music stuff set up, I’m beginning to think I need to completely rethink my setup.

There’re three parts to this:
synth stuff
guitar stuff
mix/record stuff

The mix/record stuff’s not terrible, and my guitar stuff’s been refined down to the essentials over the years. The synth stuff’s gone crazy this last year, though.

Using two or three of these things together’s a hell of a lot of fun, but the more I add to it the less fun it becomes. Keeping track of all the power/midi/cv routings and keeping everything working is quite a chore. There’s no way in hell I could ever play with anyone else with this rig, and trying to play at a venue would be logistically impossible with how hard this is to use.

So, I’m thinking about selling all the synth stuff and switching to a minibrute 2s/rackbrute combo with a mother 32 and that system80 808 eurorack thingie. Then I could get a small performance euro-format mixer and some odds and ends and have a synth setup that I could break down and setup in twenty minutes (including warmup time).

The downsides to this is I wouldn’t have any presets, I wouldn’t be able to grab a synth and sit down on the couch anymore, and I wouldn’t have anything that was polyphonic.


tldr: I’m thinking about selling all my synths and replacing them with a rackbrute/minibrute2s combo. Is this a good/bad/neutral idea?

[coldbrightsunlight]

Not 100% what the mother 32 is giving you in that setup that the minibrute 2s doesn't do? Couldn't you replace that with a poly synth?

Otherwise that sounds like a very neat compact setup so if you're looking for easy setup for gigging it sounds nice.

[goroth]

I’m always in favour of flipping all synths.

[spacelordmother]

Seems like you would get more mileage out of the JP, SE, and the 808 thingie than the brute and mother. How deep do you go with the beatstep? Seems like you could replace a lot with a Circuit? How often do you play keys? Maybe a keystep, or dump the JP and volca FM and get a reface DX?

Seems to be that part of what makes it so confusing is that you have a tiny little area to hold/connect everything. Space isn't always available, but a proper desk might make things more manageable and help you figure out what works.

Just spit-ballin.

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

i started breaking down my setups to like 2-3 devices max.

i didn't flip the other stuff b/c i know that sometimes one gets bored of the same ole after awhile and wants to change things around.

i've been liking this arrangement b/c it allows me to be flexible but also allows me to focus

[ThurberMingus]

My synth setup is currently a Korg Electribe 2 that occasionally sequences my Pocket Piano and/or Volca FM. I played a show with it last week and I forgot my midi cable, so I just went E2>PA. It took five seconds to hook up and I rode my bike to the venue. Makes my guitar setup seem stupid now.

The E2 lacks some depth in the world of synthesis, but ease of use and portability make me use it a lot. If the goal is to make music I really recommend it!

[Invisible Man]

Seems like you would get more mileage out of the JP, SE, and the 808 thingie than the brute and mother. How deep do you go with the beatstep? Seems like you could replace a lot with a Circuit? How often do you play keys? Maybe a keystep, or dump the JP and volca FM and get a reface DX?

Seems to be that part of what makes it so confusing is that you have a tiny little area to hold/connect everything. Space isn't always available, but a proper desk might make things more manageable and help you figure out what works.

Just spit-ballin.

It kinda feels like you missed the most obvious recommendation here.

[Psyre]

Just here to say I wish I could have found a black BSP

Also, I really like the arturia synths, but I can't imagine they sound as big as the SE02. They certainly have their own flavor though. I also havn't heard the SE02...

[Jwar]

I’m always in favour of flipping all synths.

[Bartimaeus]

Simplicity is the key to productivity? Maybe?

Before you sell them, try just putting half on a shelf, and swapping things out as needed. So don't have more than two synths at once in your core setup, but feel free to swap out synths depending on your wants?

[spacelordmother]

My synth setup is currently a Korg Electribe 2 that occasionally sequences my Pocket Piano and/or Volca FM. I played a show with it last week and I forgot my midi cable, so I just went E2>PA. It took five seconds to hook up and I rode my bike to the venue. Makes my guitar setup seem stupid now.

The E2 lacks some depth in the world of synthesis, but ease of use and portability make me use it a lot. If the goal is to make music I really recommend it!

Now you have me thinking about the E2 again...

It kinda feels like you missed the most obvious recommendation here.

Axoloti is the answer for custom needs or reconfigurable setups, but probably not for simplicity in the short term.

[K2000]

i didn't flip the other stuff b/c i know that sometimes one gets bored of the same ole after awhile and wants to change things around.

Agree. IMO, don't flip stuff you could imagine wanting to use in the future. I don't know a lot about synths but it's good to have variety of tools available.

What about using this rig for recording, and having a smaller version of this setup (maybe with certain prerecorded elements programmed into a looper/sampler) for live gigs?

[odontophobia]

Seems like you would get more mileage out of the JP, SE, and the 808 thingie than the brute and mother. How deep do you go with the beatstep? Seems like you could replace a lot with a Circuit? How often do you play keys? Maybe a keystep, or dump the JP and volca FM and get a reface DX?

Seems to be that part of what makes it so confusing is that you have a tiny little area to hold/connect everything. Space isn't always available, but a proper desk might make things more manageable and help you figure out what works.

Just spit-ballin.

It kinda feels like you missed the most obvious recommendation here.

Axoloti.

[01010111]

It seems like I need to approach this from a functionality standpoint. I need to determine what I functionally need to make the music I like. Then I need to remove myself from my setup emotionally, i.e. don’t keep something just because it’s pretty. And then I’ll be able to accurately tailor my setup to what I need.

Maybe I’ll flip everything and just roll with a digitakt. Maybe I’ll go the rackbrute way and be done with it. Maybe I’ll have a small bin of synths that I open up and grab what I need. Maybe I’ll leave my setup the way it is, and create backing tracks for everything that’s logistically impossible. Maybe I’ll make an axoloti rig and never leave home without my laptop.

I need to do some soul searching before I just start flipping.

[comesect2.0]

theres a strange feeling from selling gear when you do separate yourself in that way, and hold on to the essentials...then when extra/excuse to flip gear is gone, its like you never even had it.. unless you recorded something.. and go back like ''aw dang''....
it's all about the instruments baby.