HOW I SEQUENCE & SYNC 15 SYNTHS — midi routing and DAW integration

So sad your kind of express yourself, sorry but no one , including me, is so intelligent and fun, and pedagogical like you, bad your attitude....😢

3 months ago I bought my first synth, a volca keys. Got very excited and bought in the same time volca kick, moog minitaur, drumbrut impact and analog four MK1. Since then im having a real bad time trying to figure out how to connect and integrating them. I could not enjoy playing with then to this day. You helped a little, but I still have some doubts. Anyone knows any reading material that explain all this?

Thanks for video ! that's great ! I personnaly have problems to sync a drumbrute / machine MK3 / Sub 37 ( arpegiattor ) - I made exactly the same config you did with a midi patch KENTON THRU 5...but I plug the midi out of the sub 37 in the MIDI IN of the machine MK 3 but it doesnot work...I don't understand...Do i need a midi merger ? Or what is the best config to sync the 3 devices ? Thanks ! ;-)

Work you say ableton is better than fl for synth setup than fl

Any idea on how to Integrate a synthsizer to pc if there is no USB port on it..

@BoBeats Do you have problems with Maschine MKIII "step sequencer" not reading/playing the first beat of a loop when running as a plugin in loop mode in Cubase? Create a 4 beat loop in cubase using the left and right locators. Put the play "needle" at the start of the loop / left locator. Use maschine' step sequencer and the pads to draw 4 beats, the first one starting exactly at the left locator (Cubase quantize on). Although Maschine draws that first beat and you see that it is there in the Maschine software, Cubase does not play it/ you cannot hear the sound. It seems there is not a good communication/timing between Cubase and Maschine software / being right next to the left locator, Cubase thinks the first beat starts before the beginning of the loop and it does not play it. Because of this I had to return my Maschine MKIII. Talked to both Steinberg and NI. None of them takes responsability for the bug. It is like this since 2015, I believe - since a previous Maschine model, and noone wants to fix it. I own Cubase Pro 11 on windows.

I cant express enough my gratitude to you. I was a bit skeptical on going this way and never pushed myself to create an organic setup of instruments. At the same time i keep getting frustrated just sitting in front of DAW all the time and doing everything on the screen. But after watching this video i have decided to order a Arturia Keystep Pro, a Merger and a Thru box. I just already bought a Minilogue xD, Hydrasynth & Minifreak. Of course the larger goal is to create some music like you demoed in this video.

Best sounds ever heard

I appreciate the video so much, I could not understand what you said is the midi interface , can anyone help me?

I’ve listened many times and my ear hears “campons “

Tried all sorts of permutations on google search , got me nowhere

Btw your English 100% great , i don’t want anyone to think I’m being critical, my lack of ability to interpret specific phonemes from a single utterance is the issue, not the accessibility of your video production.

Those Kenton Midi thru boxes are major league. I love my thru 25.

Dial up? How dare you!

Am I the only person who'd actually like to hear his music? Haha. I searched Spotify and found nothing. Do you have any music online?

I am having a great time syncing my Live to my Digitakt via midi. Is there a way for Live to receive only tempo and not rely on DT for start/stop? I need to me able to press record in Live and it not be reliant on the DT for start/stop control. I need Live to follow only DT tempo and to stay recording no matter how much DT starts or stops. Please help!!

dude your setup looks like the space shuttle......Nice

is there a way i can run my yamaha SY99 with a DAW? i want to use my sy99 in projects but not by recording it as audio. is it possible via midi to setup up so when i press play on the DAW, the sy99 also runs its current project song? (like rewire between DAWs) maybe midi cc setup from DAW to sy99?

Can you explain in a little more detail how youre able to control 16 synths from both Digitakt and the SLmk3? I have an SLmk3 too and template wise it can send out data on 8 individual MIDI tracks right? So how do you utilize the other 8 sent to Digitakt to control a synth that does NOT have an SLmk3 template assigned to communicate with its assigned MIDI channel?

this thru box with 25 midi outs has no delay sync? no buffer error?

So if all your hardware synths are connected by 5din midi how do they get sequenced in your software if you wanted?

I think that setup videos like this are MUCH needed. Thank you again. Any other deep dive on setups would be appreciated. Although boring to some it is much needed information. It’s only boring if you have it working. For those of us who do not it’s necessary information. Thank you again

I’m still confused on the hookup between the computer, I use ableton and logic and sometimes maschine. So usb midi goes from computer to thru box? I’ve been unsuccessful getting everything talking to each other.

Thank you so much I desperately needed this video. I have a similar setup and was lost.

Is there anyway to hook up multiple devices to an Apollo Twin, given that it only has one line in, or will I have to invest in a more advanced interface/mixer?

This would be awesome if it were a turnkey solution, but it'd be maddeningly frustrating to build something this big and id hate it when finished.

I have to ask … how do folks like you get so much gear like … how are you affording that stuff cause I want in

I wish we could share templates for sl mk3

Andddd now my Digitakt is controlling everything I have. Thanks much and great job on this video

@bobeats I'm curious if you designate specific midi channels to outboard synths/modules and stick with those assignments throughout your setup. Also, do you designate one midi channel for synch purposes or is synch handled as a one-off situation with each target device? Do you often send synch on the same midi channel as you're sending the performance data? Thanks!

I’m trying to combine a simple Roland drum module and my synth / controller / keyboard into my DAW. Would you recommend some sort of midi interface with multiple INS to blend the midi data before going into my DAW? Thanks great vid awesome studio

Great series Bo! You rock man... and are such a blessing to this amazing community of creative Sonicnauts!

Thanks for sharing your tips, great video. I get how you route Midi Out from your main midi controllers to all of your synths using a merger and a thru-box. 

However, you didn't explain whether you also route Midi In from your synths back into your controllers or the computer. 
Would I need a separate Thru Box and Merge box for that (with all the synth's Midi Outs connected to it)?

How do you filter the midi so only some devices receive only clock? THANKS

Great video. What an EPIC setup! Looks like so much fun.

I've seen a few of your videos, but I'd never heard any of your music until watching this... it sounds amazing 👏

Absolute sorcery.

When it comes to patch bays, if you have a balanced patch bay can you run unbalanced gear to it? or will it mess with the signal?

Why no Closed Captions?!!

Could you share what that 25 output MIDI Thru box is? 🙏🏻

Hello

I have a question about midi signal splitters Thru

I would like to connect 2 sound modules Yamaha MU 100, Vamaha VL 70 via the Pc midi interface which will be managed by the FL studio.

In FL Studio, by selecting Midi OUT, you can additionally select the port number 1 or 2 or 3 etc .. and for each selected port we have support for 16 midi channels, thanks to which midi messages will be sent to the device that receives them on the same selected port and not to all connected midi devices.

Does the offered midi device have the ability to configure and set the port number for each of the midi outputs so that the signal is directed to the selected midi port?

Please reply

Thank you and best regards

Regarding the computer - a lot of keyboardists will go to great lengths to avoid using a computer. I have the opposite issue - for me, songwriting in Logic Pro with plugin synths is so fast and it's a pain to record a real keyboard, because I end up recording the MIDI for the real keyboard track as well as the audio for it, and then I have to have the physical keyboard connected to change notes and I have to re-record the keyboard output, none of which I can do if I'm elsewhere with my laptop... but in the box, I can go in and change notes in MIDI, revoice chords, switch synths, and it's all instant. BUT sometimes you have to go with the hardware sounds because they just flat out sound better.

I can't realistically have your wonderful setup, but I'm just looking to sync my DAW to a half dozen synths, and I've got the Maschine as well. Could this be done with a merger and thru box, only?

So I am new to all this midi stuff. Right now my setup is a drumbrute impact, monologue and kaossilator pro+. My alt setup is a korg volca mix, with the kick, bass and beats connected to the volca mix. With the midi quadra thru box, how can I get most of these devices talking to each other? Thanks. And also, my keystep 37 will be the control point, so guess it would be the head honcho, followed by the monologue, kaossilator and impact and the fourth midi thru could go to a volca device?

May I ask you why you decided to connect all your devices to a midi Thru (Kenton) and not to a midi interface like Motu midi express? As I know with a midi interface there are much more options and flexibe possibilities. This is why I ask. Thank you! D.

Hi Bo, I wonder if you can please help me. I have a set up using logic, with a lot of vintage external equipment, Im on a ac running Big Sur at the moment. Can you please tell me what would be the best Midi- Thu box to get hold of for sequencing my equipment.
Big thanks Paul

I can’t believe all that can be connected to a computer. All my synths are virtual but I’m planning on getting a Roland Juno xi.

Explaining how a hardware setup isn't necessarily the way to go to create a full song / arrangement was super helpful for folks like me coming from a more conventional multi-track recording background.

I'm a guitar player who has getting more and more into synths over the past several months, but until this video, I have never been able to connect the dots between a) I'm having fun improvising, tweaking, and evolving a groove in a live hardware sequencer session! and b) now I want to compose a more structured song that moves between very different sections with many different parts, etc.

Love your videos and your general approach, BoBeats. You're a good teacher!

Thanks Bo. That was really informative. Very much appreciated. I'm glad you took the time to cover the creative aspect here. Very inspiring.

✌️ thanks bo i needed this