I've rewired my studio again, guess I've reached the best setup now, everything works as planned. A few months ago I bought a bunch of very long (13ft) MIDI cables that gave me some troubles first but now I'm glad I did, they make it possible to keep my two 8x MIDI interfaces in one place and connect all the devices from there. No THRU-chains means that I can only switch on the machines I want to use for a track contrary to the classical THRU-chain method of connecting one synth to the THRU port of another where you have to power on all the synths in the signal paths.
If you have more than, say, four or five machines, it becomes increasingly difficult to arrange them so that everything is within easy reach, this specially goes for keyboard synths. Studio space is always scarce so the smaller a device, the better. That's why I like little boxes like the Volcas, MFB Nanozwerg, etc., small footprint but huge sound, right what I need. I also like rack units, even though they usually lack real-time controls and most of the time are difficult to program on the frontpanel but that's what software editors are for. Normally I prefer doing all the work directly on the machine but in some cases, using an editor opens up a whole new world of possibilities.
The best example for that is the Yamaha TX81Z, a 4-operator FM synth from the 80s that is famous for its thundering basses (LatelyBass, anyone?). FM synthesis is more complex than classic subtractive synthesis (with a standard VCO -> VCF -> VCA setup) and has a lot more options to offer than your run-of-the-mill analog or digital compact synth, keeping a good overview over all these parameters on a small text-only LCD display and adjusting them with just four buttons is a real pain in the ass. This is where YSEDITOR comes in handy that shows each and every parameter on a single screen and graphically displays the key parameters (operator envelopes) which gives you a quick visual help to know what's going on. YSEDITOR is a program for Atari ST that still gets maintained by its author, it may look dated but actually is the best editor for 4-op Yamaha FM synths around.
Haha, ah well.. you know... I still find using my Ataris kinda funny. Back in the Amiga days, I wouldn't have touched an Atari with a ten-feet stick, most games looked like crap on it and software support wasn't all that hot in its later days. However, its builtin MIDI ports made it the #1 choice for musicians from day one, some famous sequencer and audio workstation applications like Cubase or Logic/Notator that are still in use today started their life on the good ol' ST. Its DOS-compatibility is also very convenient, you can easily transfer floppies to PC, make backups or download some ST programs and transfer them to a floppy for immediate use on the ST. There's a ton of that stuff floating around on the 'net.
Here endeth my Sunday synth ramble. Oh, and check out my new tracks, eh.
This is where DAW-based studios have a clear advantage over the oldschool approach with tons of wires running back and forth that tangle up and form impenetrable knots no matter how careful you are.
