Synths, Mixers, and Racks

[Hydroquebec]

Hey everyone - new guy here.

I've recently been introduced to all of this and purchased a 61 key Arturia controller, V Collection, Spark, Pigments, Diva, a few other paid synths, and a Scarlett 2i2.

I also have a full rack of effects, like an H8000FW, Eclipse, and a bunch of high end Lexicons that I'd like to use (as well as big FRFRs and some other cool stuff).

Am I correct in understanding that the best way to do this is to get an audio interface with multiple outputs that can be patched into a mixer, with effects on aux sends?

Thanks in advance. I am having a lot of fun with some synthwave/outrun stuff and even have a couple of tracks that are in need of a collaborator.

[BertKoor]

You can do without a mixer tbh.
Most multi-channel interfaces have a mixer in software.

[Winstontaneous]

You may run into latency issues using the audio interface as described, at least if you're also recording audio from other inputs on the interface at the same time that aren't being re-processed. I have some decidedly lower-end Lexicon and Yamaha rack FX, I typically either use them on sends in an analog mixer whose outputs I send to the interface, or put them directly inline with the mic/signal I'm recording.

Be sure to post links to your stuff - either in your signature or the KVR Music Cafe - to ferret out collaborators.

[Bulbizarre]

You can either stay fully ITB or get a mixer to mix down your tracks. But since you already have a full range of hardware effects it would make sense to at least grab a small console to test an OTB mixing workflow.

[BONES]

Sell your hardware effects and use the money to buy a better computer so you can do everything ITB (in the box).

[tbugz]

Hey everyone - new guy here.
..........
I also have a full rack of effects, like an H8000FW, Eclipse, and a bunch of high end Lexicons that I'd like to use (as well as big FRFRs and some other cool stuff)....

Sell your hardware effects and use the money to buy a better computer so you can do everything ITB (in the box).

Those are excellent Eventides you mention and I'm sure your Lexicons are same or even better. IMO it would be laughably foolish to sell any of those gems solely for an up to date computer that can be had for a fraction of your gear's value.
My best advice to you would be to ditch the Focusrite and look at RME instead. They have options to integrate all you OTB gear and more for many many years.

Remember, each and every high-end piece of HW gear one already owns is the ever elusive dream just about every SW company is chasing to emulate.

[BONES]

Yeah but that's only because their customers are dumbasses. I'll take a pristine digital freebie over any hardware piece of junk, every single time.

[tbugz]

Yeah but that's only because their customers are dumbasses. I'll take a pristine digital freebie over any hardware piece of junk, every single time.

Agree to some extent, but what OP mentions are by no means "junk". Plus, he doesn't provide info on the computer so it may be just fine for ITB anyway if he chooses to. Maybe I'm biased because I'm one of those preferring outboard gear too and can relate.
Reason I recommended RME to OP instead of a standard mixer for his multiple gear is because the integrated TotalMix which, once understood, is a breeze. (Not to mention their rock solid drivers.) Got rid of the small mixer and patchbay setup I had before, though there is nothing wrong with that either.

[BONES]

It's hardware, it's junk as far as I'm concerned. Just cheap or expensive junk.

As for I/O, I don't know why anyone thinks that every other brand of I/O has anything less than "rock solid drivers", just like RME. Everything I have ever used - Roland, Edirol, Line6, Novation, Focusrite, Yamaha, Elektron, Steinberg, Zoom and Audient - have all had "rock solid drivers". The first interface I bought, a very expensive Mackie thing, was a nightmare and I returned it but that was in the days of Windows 98. Since then none of the I/O devices I've used have been anything other than "rock solid". And they all have very handy software mixers, too. In fact the Yamaha and Steinberg devices have DSP on board to do real time effects for your other inputs (vocals, guitar, etc.), all controlled via a software application. It's extremely cool. There was a time when I might have thought RME stuff was worth the premium but that was 20 years ago. These days they seem to trade on their reputation more than anything else.

[Goony]

It's hardware, it's junk as far as I'm concerned. Just cheap or expensive junk.

Says the one that owns a Uno Pro, Uno and Rocket.

If your going to make wild statements at least get your own house in order.

[andymcbain]

Hey everyone - new guy here.

I've recently been introduced to all of this and purchased a 61 key Arturia controller, V Collection, Spark, Pigments, Diva, a few other paid synths, and a Scarlett 2i2.

I also have a full rack of effects, like an H8000FW, Eclipse, and a bunch of high end Lexicons that I'd like to use (as well as big FRFRs and some other cool stuff).

Am I correct in understanding that the best way to do this is to get an audio interface with multiple outputs that can be patched into a mixer, with effects on aux sends?

Thanks in advance. I am having a lot of fun with some synthwave/outrun stuff and even have a couple of tracks that are in need of a collaborator.

What's your DAW? If it helps, Studio One has Pipeline XT built in - which makes it really easy to integrate your hardware FX as part of your workflow - so long as you have an audio interface with enough I/O

[BONES]

Says the one that owns a Uno Pro, Uno and Rocket.

Those are synths and I would never even consider using them in production. I have them purely as stage dressing for our live shows. So in the context of music production, they most definitely qualify as cheap(ish) junk. To put it in perspective, the stand they sit on, on stage, costs as much as either the Rocket or Uno and is equally important to the aesthetic we are going for with our stage set-up.

I have absolutely no problem admitting that there is simply no way to justify owning any of them, that I do it simply out of habit and because I can. None of them sound as good as even the cheapest softsynths we use, which is why they are basically junk, but they do make it look like we know what we're doing on stage (which, of course, is a total illusion).

[imrae]

If you have desk that you know and love, patch it in. Otherwise I'd say get an 8x8 audio interface (with spare ADAT), connect it to your outboard via a patchbay and do all your mixing in the DAW. Then you can norm a reasonable default set of hardware channels and use patch cables to access the rest of your capability as needed. If you keep running out of channels, add another 8 via ADAT.

With that much gear, you might also want to think about a separate MIDI interface with more I/O rather than running everything through one chain. Will make sysex dumping easier and let you turn off units that aren't being used.

[Hydroquebec]

Those are excellent Eventides you mention and I'm sure your Lexicons are same or even better. IMO it would be laughably foolish to sell any of those gems solely for an up to date computer that can be had for a fraction of your gear's value.
My best advice to you would be to ditch the Focusrite and look at RME instead. They have options to integrate all you OTB gear and more for many many years.

Remember, each and every high-end piece of HW gear one already owns is the ever elusive dream just about every SW company is chasing to emulate.

Yes, the Lexicons are PCM80/81/91 + an MPX G2 for delays. The computer is a high end Macbook with a lot of RAM, so there aren't any issues with power or speed.

The RME devices have definitely come up in my searches and I suspect you're correct - this might simply be a matter of replacing the Focusrite with something with more I/O + rack config.

Thanks!

[Hydroquebec]

What's your DAW? If it helps, Studio One has Pipeline XT built in - which makes it really easy to integrate your hardware FX as part of your workflow - so long as you have an audio interface with enough I/O

I'm using Reaper. It seemed like a decent entry-level DAW for a decent price, but I will look into Pipeline XT functionality and see if it's worth switching. I actually like Reaper quite a bit, having also tried Logic and Ableton.