Hardware setup for live and studio use

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Hey guys, I want to build a hybrid setup with Bitwig and some hardware for live and studio use.

The first thing I need is a sequencer.

My immediate thought was going for the Digitakt, already owned one and loved the sound but it had too many limitations for me because overbridge was not ready back then.
Second option would be a Digitone since that would give me another synth (which is always nice to have :wink: ). The question is, would the Digitone be even remotely worth it to me since I already have Serum and the V-Collection 5? Not completely sold on the sound yet but some people definitely get amazing sounds out of it... - Does the Digitone use the same DAC as the Digitakt? -

My second piece of gear will definitely be a Behringer Deepmind 12D and maybe I will get a Carbon Sequencer sometime in the future, it is a bit too pricy for me atm (considering it`s "only" a sequencer) but it seems like the perfect sequencer for me :)
What do you guys think, would Digitakt + Deepmind + Carbon be too much?
I could also go for a Digitakt + Deepmind + Digitone or even Digitone + Deepmind + Carbon.
Almost ordered a Deluge but in the end I think a combination of Sequencer + Deepmind will be more fulfilling for me.

Damn, so many choices ;)
Last edited by layer of haze on Sat Feb 16, 2019 2:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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IMO you're approaching this from the wrong angle. The gear choice is secondary and arguably irrelevant at this stage. First decide on what you're trying to achieve, music style etc. Then understand what elements you require for that; bass synth, drums etc. Then short list a machine to cover each of these tasks.

Then you look to the centrepiece, i.e. sequencer.
"I was wondering if you'd like to try Magic Mushrooms"
"Oooh I dont know. Sounds a bit scary"
"It's not scary. You just lose a sense of who you are and all that sh!t"

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Mushy Mushy wrote: Sat Feb 16, 2019 2:08 pm IMO you're approaching this from the wrong angle. The gear choice is secondary and arguably irrelevant at this stage. First decide on what you're trying to achieve, music style etc. Then understand what elements you require for that; bass synth, drums etc. Then short list a machine to cover each of these tasks.

Then you look to the centrepiece, i.e. sequencer.
I get what you are saying but I already thought most of it through and it pretty much comes down to the gear choice right now. Atm I am making music with bitwig, mostly techno and some ambient/chillout. I am pretty satisfied with the sounds I get from my vst-plugins + bitwigs devices. What I am lacking is a nice analog synth (deepmind 12) and a way to sequence my daw while still being able to use the stuff without my pc. For drums I use samples (so maybe a digitakt?), bitwig and microtonic. Maybe I will get a Tanzbär/Vermona DRM1 sometimes later but that is not my priority atm.

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Ok, gotcha. The Elektron items you mention are excellent but for the same price you could get the Deepmind 12D and an Arturia Beatstep Pro to sequence it. However the DM isnt multitimbral so you may be looking to add another synth quite quickly afterward.
"I was wondering if you'd like to try Magic Mushrooms"
"Oooh I dont know. Sounds a bit scary"
"It's not scary. You just lose a sense of who you are and all that sh!t"

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Mushy Mushy wrote: Sat Feb 16, 2019 3:59 pm Ok, gotcha. The Elektron items you mention are excellent but for the same price you could get the Deepmind 12D and an Arturia Beatstep Pro to sequence it. However the DM isnt multitimbral so you may be looking to add another synth quite quickly afterward.
Thanks, my only problem with the beastep pro would be the 3 track limitation. Does it have polyphony? Still having a hard time deciding between DT and DN. Maybe DN and BS?

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Nowadays I'm gonna have to be more careful with nomenclature.

Sure there were early hardware sequencers before home computers but from the days of the first sequencer programs on C64, AtariSt, Amiga, Mac and PC, sequencer was the name, and the early market survivors eventually added enough features to be called digital audio workstation. So to me sequencer and DAW were basically synonymous terms because the one smoothly morphed into the other over time.

So the question "what sequencer to use with the daw" makes sense but semantically jarring because the initial reaction was, "A DAW is an awesomely powerful sequencer so why does he need a sequencer?" :)

I usually called that other kind of sequencer a step sequencer but that is confusing as well because many DAWs can do great step sequencing. So I will adjust my terminology. Anything else would be as silly as debating the definition of "producer". :)

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JCJR wrote: Sat Feb 16, 2019 8:03 pm Nowadays I'm gonna have to be more careful with nomenclature.

Sure there were early hardware sequencers before home computers but from the days of the first sequencer programs on C64, AtariSt, Amiga, Mac and PC, sequencer was the name, and the early market survivors eventually added enough features to be called digital audio workstation. So to me sequencer and DAW were basically synonymous terms because the one smoothly morphed into the other over time.

So the question "what sequencer to use with the daw" makes sense but semantically jarring because the initial reaction was, "A DAW is an awesomely powerful sequencer so why does he need a sequencer?" :)

I usually called that other kind of sequencer a step sequencer but that is confusing as well because many DAWs can do great step sequencing. So I will adjust my terminology. Anything else would be as silly as debating the definition of "producer". :)
No question, most daws blow any dedicated hardware sequencer out of the water when it comes to features etc and for drums it is perfectly fine to work with for me. When it comes to synths though, I don`t enjoy using the piano roll as much for sequencing as a hardware sequencer. Just comes down to persona preference :)

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