Korg Forums

[4NDRW]

hey i'm about to buy a big round of gear to complete my setup
(this post isn't structured the best.. typing while thinking)

i'm looking at getting/using a virus ti snow, an electribe sx1, a micro-x and a kaosspad 3 (and may use my novation controller) to make crazy stuff both with my bands and start doing solo live electronic sets
(maybe incorporating a laptop down the line.. but for now would like use hardware live)

so basically
a synth, a rompler and a drum machine

i'd ideally be able switch things around to route any combination of the devices through the kaoss pad, while allowing the other devices to be heard uneffected
but not be limited to an all or none scenario
(for example, for this section, only kaoss on the micro-x, then next section only on the drums, next section drums and virus, then all of them, then none...)

question is.... wiring it all together!
does anyone else have a similar requirement?
what did you do?

ps. i have a tiny behringer UB502 mixer (2 stereo ins, 1 mic in, + and extra rca tape input) if this ends up being a help

so ideally i want something like.... a stereo switch box thing, with 3 stereo inputs and 2 stereo outputs
where you can switch the destination of each input signal independantly would be perfect, however i dont know if such a device exists

i thought about putting my little mixer on the inputs to the Kp3
but then all my devices would run through it all the time.

however the micro-x and the electribe-sx have 4 outputs
so i could permanently wire the outputs3+4 to the Kp3 via that small mixer
but the snow only has a stereo output
(unless connected to a computer and using its soundcard outputs)
so i would need a stereo line selector switch box for it.
(i know boss make mono ones... can you buy a similar thing in stereo?, could i just make a passive one with switches? or would this cause noise/popping sounds or other crapness)
tho i'd then need another mixer to mix the clean sounds from the devices, as well as the output of the kp3 to bring it down to a stereo feed for the PA. so thats a 2 small mixers approach
(but as i already have one small mixer, thats not so bad)

(or i could just make a patch bay.. but that seems like a time consuming way of doing things, and constantly re patching stuff mid song, isn't really an option)

so i probably need to buy another mixer
if i was to use just one mixer... could stick the kaoss pad on an aux send
but most aux sends in mixers i've seen are mono
so i'd need to use 2 of them in an inconvenient way for stereo
and i want it to be able to kill the clean signal without killing the aux send signal (only hear the effected sound)
so it has to be prefade, most small mixers have only 1 prefade send anyway.
and besides i'd prefer to just hit a button not turn 2 knobs and kill a fader.

what about getting a small mixer with an extra stereo bus?
like behringer ua/xenyx 1204?
and connecting the kaoss to the extra bus
and the main outs to my DI box or PA or whatever.
(then routing Kp3 outputs through an effects return or extra channel on the mixer)
i assume (can't really see in the pic) there's some sort of A/B switch on each channel to choose which bus you want it to exit.
would this be the best way?

what about a dj style mixer?
i was reading that some that have complete kill eq knobs
sounds cool for live electronic stuff...
i dont think the little behringer mixers do that...

would a dj style mixer be more suitable for live electronic stuff?
are they expensive? would there be any in particular worth checking out?
i've seen the kaoss dj mixers, but they look like they lack many of the kp3 features.
do they make cheap dj mixers with extra busses?
if not, i'd have to switch between things using extra outputs on the units where available, and find a stereo line selector box for the snow
and use my ub502 to merge the kp3 bound signals

so the options i came up with are...
1) get a small 2+2bus or 4bus mixer such as the 1204 / 1204fx
connect the main outputs from each device to channels on the mixer
and connect the extra mixer bus to the kp3
and use a spare channel or effects return to run the kp3 sounds back into the mixer
use the bus switches on each channel to select which devices are clean or effected.

or

2) get a cheap 4 stereo input dj mixer to use as my main mixer
get a line selector switch box for the snow, and make use of extra outputs on the electribe/micro-x and factor in certain patches to use them.
and use my little 502 mixer to merge all the signals going to the Kp3

is the 1204 good/s**t?
any other mixers worth mentioning?
the zero4/zero8 sound awesome but are too expensive
and also received alot of negative press on this forum

or am i wasting time... should i just route everything through it all the time?

what do you do?

thoughts?

arg!
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Harpy.com.au

[ani]

The only remark I can make is:

start out with as little as gear as you can!!!

I can't stress this enough! you will automatically run in to all sorts of things you want to do but can't. Then buy what you're missing and always try to get thing's done with what you have!

A lot of people just go out and buy all sorts of equipment and then get drowned in the possibilities. This doesn't only kill your budget but more important it will kill your creativity!!

Good luck! And hey, buy a KP3

[didjeko]

and the less you parametrize, the more you play
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di - soundcloud.com/BerimbauJack

[4NDRW]

i've been reading a fair bit about the stuff, and playing with other peoples gear, as well as my own

i'd rather save longer and get the really good piece of kit
than to get by with the cheap one and think about upgrading later.
i want to get a setup that works really well together
and not get bits and pieces in stages.

i'm pretty sure i've worked out what i want to do
a picture saves typing 100 words

Audio connections:


and daisy chain all the midi devices:

tho not necessarily in that order.

when i get the gear, i'll try different arrangements of everything
then hopefully build some sort of flight case thing with my dad
so most of it it can be prewired and ready for action.
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Harpy.com.au

[4NDRW]

basically my setup in one of my bands for a while has been
analogue modelling synth - ms2000
ROMpler keyboard - micro-x

so i'm upgrading the synth to the virus
adding a kick ass drum machine, that can load my own samples
adding a crazy fx unit that can make things really interesting
and adding a small/medium mixer to fix my signal routing nightmare
and keeping the micro-x because its f'in cool
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Harpy.com.au

[dayuri]

I agree wth Ani.

If I were you, I'd just start off with a cheap and versatile synth then take it from there. There are heaps to choose from, Kaossilator, Alesis Micron, MicroKorg (though no drums) etc etc.

Electronic musicians are fortunate in they don't need a lot of gear to make a lot of music. Those guys you see with a whole bunch of gear are usually just kit fetishists.......gear is fun though....

[Zedius]

I think your plan looks solid, except I've had trouble trying to pass an external clock through the kp3.

Here is a previous post about that: http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=31617&highlight=midi

[4NDRW]

[4NDRW]

[djezballz]

I have a setup I like that's based on 2 small mixers w/ fx send return. here's how it's setup:

emx 1 with all four outputs split with line splitters. one set is run into one of those xenyx mixers and one to another. the sum from the first mixer is run to the kaoss 3, and the output of that is run to the second mixer. also the mixer that feeds the kP3 has a synth run into it ( a korg micro-preset, just for making loops, no midi...). So, I can choose what's sent to the KP3, and whether or not it also appears in the final mix. the 2nd mixer (I'll call it the main mix) has a RE-201 space echo in the fx loop, and I can put one of several FX in the Kaoss pad's mixer, like a phaser or lexicon reverb... pretty fun, and flexible, and I get a 2 ch mix to send into the firepod and finally into ableton, with the EMX as the master midi clock.

[4NDRW]

cool,

i'm thinking about getting the full Virus TI Desktop instead of the cut down TI Snow.

i'm having a fair amount of people tell me to get something other than a behringer mixer..

but i dont seem to be finding many mixers that fit my requirements

Allan & Heath - XONE 42 http://www.getinthemix.co.uk/Allen-&-Heath-Xone-42-Mixer-Xone42.htm
has a special aux send bus for connecting special fx units like the Kaoss pads
with a balance knob on each channel, that tells how much is effected and how much is clean,
this sounds great, but i think it is too expensive for me

Yamaha - MG124C or MG124CX
http://www.yamahamusic.com.au/products/proaudio/mixers/mg/MG124.asp
has 4 busses, so i could hook it up in the same way as the xenyx 1204 in a diagram earlier in this thread
it also has more stereo channels, which is nice
4 mono and 4 stereo channels

the xenyx 1204 counted its 2 effects returns in its "12 inputs" label.
when really it is 8 inputs (well 4 mono + 2 stereo)

so now i'm leaning towards the yamaha

any other suggestions for mixer brands/models?
ideally a small/medium 2/2 bus or 4bus mixer
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Harpy.com.au

[pjblues]

I just purchased a Virus Ti Polar and am using it in conjunction with the M3. What a combination.

The Ti rocks and so does the M3! I would argue they are the best boards going.

[djezballz]

obviously, that a&H mixer is way better, but unless you're a pro making loot at this I wouldn't spend the xtra dough. If you're a trained audiophile, you will notice a diff in headroom and clarity, but most of that would be in the mic pre's anyway, and you prob won't really use those anyway, since you're running line level. If you're just looking for routing options, the Crapinger mixers will be fine. Especially if you're not cutting an album for Sony...

the 2 I picked up work just fine, and they're $50 apiece...they have an aux s/r...

[dayuri]

Yeah, the micron is hell to program. Slow and tedious. It was my first synth, and it took me about a year just to figure the damn thing out. Shes a bitch, but I love her. If they only added a few extra buttons and knobs....

Personally, I would avoid a behringer mixer. I've heard many stories about their poor quality (sound and build) plus some stuff about malpractice in their company etc etc. In any case, if you're spending so much money on all this gear, you may as well spend a little more on a decent mixer.

Well, if I say anymore I'll just be talking out of my ass.

Hope it all goes well. It sounds like a heck of a setup you're planning.

[4NDRW]

yeh i went in to a local dj store, and talked to the guy and tried out a few things

the behringer looks like balls
i didn't plug it into anything tho, just played around with knobs
it looks like it would be ok if it was set up and left
the knobs were really close together and flimsy
i couldn't play with the eq in a set without breaking it

i think i'll save and get a good dj mixer down the line
they seem way more suited to live electronic sets than conventional mixers
with cool eq, LP/HP filters
feel really sturdy to just grab controls and play with it
there were some really cool ones that transmitted midi

had a go just running my mp3 player through a pioneer dmj-700
http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/content/press/news/djm700.html
and a kp3 on some headphones, and it was wicked fun

but i'll be runnin out of money if i was to get all this at once now.

kinda feel weird, the people there are really cool
but its so much cheaper to import stuff from US on the internet.
and the only way i will be able to afford any of this kit.

going into the shop has givin me a bit to think about
so i'll sit on it a little longer
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Harpy.com.au