Hooking up multiple stereo synths in home studio

[daiku]

I have a number of nice analog stereo synths and modules that I would like to have available to use at any time. I have an RME Fireface Interface and am wondering if I should use this as a mixer for just playing at home (Not recording mostly), or should I consider something else to have all available at once thru my speakers. I am interested in good sound quality so I can do not degrade the sound quality from my Sequential/Moog or other synths.
I am somewhat new to setting them up all at once, so I am wondering what others do in their home setups.
Should I get an analog mixer to integrate them all, or something else? What do you synth guys do? I am more of a guitar player than a synth guy, so most of this is kind of new to me to bring it all together.

[thecontrolcentre]

I use an Allen & Heath ZED14 mixing desk and a Samson SM10 line mixer to connect all my analog stuff ... the SM10 goes into a stereo line input on the ZED, then a stereo line out from the ZED goes into my AK1 audio interface. I've been considering a multi-channel USB mixer so I can multi-track the synths in real time, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

A lot of mixers these days have built-in 24 bit audio interfaces, so the audio quality is good. How many audio inputs would you need?

[sjm]

I've been using mixers with audio interfaces built into them for over 10 years, and personally I love them. Whether it's worthwhile if you already have an interface is a question only you can answer.

One of the big advantages of a mixer interface is that you can use it without the PC being on. Is that possible with the RME, or are you dependent on the PC being on? That might inform your decision. You also don't have to deal with another set of audio cables between mixer and interface; there's just the (normally USB) connection to the PC from the mixer.

Downside of course if you have all your eggs in one basket, so if it goes poof, you can neither jam nor record while waiting for a replacement. But I believe you'll get more bang for your buck if you go all-in-one.

Definitely take a look at the mixer interfaces, even if just to see what the market has to offer. Be careful though. A lot of the cheaper mixers only send a stereo mix to the PC. If you want to record more than one stereo pair at once, you will want to avoid something like that. It rules out things like inviting friends over and recording live on individual tracks.

A pure mixer (no interface) also means the potential headache of finding one with enough outs to route things to the interface individually.

[.jon]

I use a Mackie 802 (VLZ4) analog mixer to connect my small budget setup (2 DSI analogs, Volca FM, electric guitar, mics) into stereo in of my audio interface. As sjm explains above, this kind of solution is limited to recording to 1 stereo track at a time (actually 2 since the mixer has alt out and my soundcard has digital in and I have a A/D converter I could use). However I'm personally capable of playing only one instrument at a time, so this has not been an issue for me so far I prefer to lay down the tracks one at a time anyway.

Sometimes I record all of them together, but I have outboard fx and the mixer has a very usable EQ, so having the end result as just a stereo track is perfectly fine for me- it's what it would be in a real live situation anyway.

Being able to play without turning on the computer is a massive bonus for me personally, and I really love having the physical controls of a mixer at hand all the time. It makes me play more, and focus more on the playing instead of tweaking. Love it and would not have it any other way anymore.

[RichieWitch]

I use a Tascam LM-8ST in my setup. It gives you 8 stereo pairs in, switchable to balanced or unbalanced. It has two stereo pairs out, so you can either record two channels at once, or use the second stereo output as a send. Both outputs have switches for stereo input or mono input, to accommodate any mono synths that are using the left channel input only. The headphone output allows switching between either of the outputs in case you want to play DAW-less. It's 1U rack mount unit, so very compact if space is a concern.

I have five synths plugged into mine, some stereo, some mono, some balanced, some unbalanced. Bought it used five years ago and the the thing is super clean, it makes even my noisy DX7s sound quieter.

And you're not paying for a bunch of preamps you don't need. It has one mic input on channel 1 that can be bypassed with a front panel switch.

[db3]

My hardware synths are connected to a Focusrite 18i8 for live tracking/mixing in my DAW. I use plugins in the DAW for total recall.

[imrae]

I'd recommend including a normalised patchbay (e.g.
Neutrik NYS-SPP-L1) in the setup. This lets you use more gear than you have mixer/ADC channels, conveniently access aux outputs/inputs etc that aren't in your "default" configuration, and patch in effects without moving stuff around the studio or trailing long cables.

[Gridlocked]

I have all my outboard synths and effects routed to a Samson S-Patch which then goes into my Apollo 8. The synths I use most go into channels 1-8 so I don't have to patch them in when in use.

[rlared]

My hardware synths are connected to a Focusrite 18i8 for live tracking/mixing in my DAW. I use plugins in the DAW for total recall.

Which hardware synths have VST plugins?

[thecontrolcentre]

My hardware synths are connected to a Focusrite 18i8 for live tracking/mixing in my DAW. I use plugins in the DAW for total recall.

Which hardware synths have VST plugins?

My Moog Sub37 and Elektron gear do.

[sin night]

I would go straight into the RME (well, through a patchbay), if you have enough inputs.

At the moment my synths go through an analog mixer before going into my RME UFX+ because I don't have enough inputs, but I can hear the difference between going straight into the soundcard vs having a mixer in the middle... It's not a big difference, but it can be noticed. I plan to buy a madi converter to overcome this and remove the mixer from any recording (well... maybe I'll do an exception for the TR-8S, it sounded too much clean to me when I connected it straight to the UFX+ inputs)...
Using a mixer with actual faders is easier than using the small screen of the audio interface (if the computer is off). I'll probably keep my mixer just for monitoring convenience if I'll buy a converter with enough outputs.

My analog mixer is a Soundcraft Signature 22 MTK, but my RME UFX+ smokes its converters. Also, the integrated soundcard introduces some noise, especially on the master output (it's noisier than the groups), so in order to lower the noise I disconnected the power from the soundcard daughterboard (it's just a power connector, so it's totally reversible) when I modded my mixer (I added some analog inputs to allow effect returns, with just some switches to assign them to the any submix... of course this mod is not reversible and, honestly, it has been a pain to perform because the space is tight and the metal case of the mixer is hard to drill).

All my synths go through some Neutrik NYS-SPP-L1 patchbays before hitting the mixer inputs; it's convenient because I can quickly integrate pedals in the signal path. That will stay the same also when I'll buy a madi converter.


Just my 2 cents, of course!

[db3]

My hardware synths are connected to a Focusrite 18i8 for live tracking/mixing in my DAW. I use plugins in the DAW for total recall.

Which hardware synths have VST plugins?

My Moog Sub37 and Elektron gear do.

Quite a few either from the manufacturer or third party. Off top of head...Moog Sub, Minitaur, Sequential Prophet 6/12, Pro 2/3, OB-6, Rev2, AS-1, Roland SE-02, JP-08, JU-06, JX-03, SH-1A, JP-06A, System 1/8, Arturia Microfreak, Behringer Deepmind 12, Korg Minilogue & XD, Prologue, Novation Peak, Summit, Circuit, Elekton Analog Four, Digitone, Modal Argon, Cobalt, Waldorf Blofeld, Pulse, Access Virus.