I’d always been a MIDI controller and music production-in-the-box type of composer, so this was entirely new territory when I decided to design my synth studio. I’d never done anything like this. The question was how to connect and get everything working in my studio the way I wanted and how I wanted things to work, which was slightly unusual.
I own an AKAI Force, and I was designing my studio when they had just come out with MIDI Multi, which allows you to connect your synths to the AKAI Force using a powered USB hub. However, how many synths could be connected? We would soon find out. My goal was to create my entire studio centred around the AKAI Force as the central music production hub instead of a computer and DAW; however, I still wanted my studio to connect to my main computer for convenience.
I built a modified IKEA shelving system at the back of my studio to hold all my gear. It has six shelves which hold an Arturia MiniBrute 2, Drumbrute, Deep Mind 12, and a Nifty Case {a two-module Eurorack case). Those are all connected to a powered USB hub on the bottom shelf. A long shelf connects the two shelving units on the right to the larger shelving unit on the left. That long shelf holds my Roland FA6 and SP404MKII and is connected to the USB hub on the lower right-hand shelf. The USB hub on the right side of the room is connected to another powered USB hub on the bottom shelf of the larger shelving unit on the left side. The left-side shelving unit’s powered USB hub has a Korg Minilogue, Yamaha MODX7, Native Instruments Machine+ rig connected to a Maschine JAM, a Komplete Kontrol S61 keyboard (2nd Gen), and a Zoom L20 mixing board, which are all connected to the left-side powered USB hub. That hub is connected to a USB switch, which I’ll discuss next.
The USB switch I mentioned is connected to my AKAI Force and Mac Mini, which allows me to switch my entire studio between being run by the AKAI Force and my Mac Mini. I press the switch once, and the synths and mixing board appear on the computer. Logic X and Ableton can find them. Press the switch again, and the list disappears from the Mac Mini. The synth list is then populated on the AKAI Force so they can be controlled via the Force. The AKAI Force is connected to the computer via regular MIDI Din cables and can be sequenced by the computer using either MIDI or Ableton Link connected via ethernet, which I found to be better under this circumstance than using Ableton link via WIFI.
With this system, I can have the best of both worlds: a computer-driven system and a completely stand-alone system. It took a while to get the Maschine+ and AKAI Force to play together well, but I found that if I used Ableton Link hardwired by Ethernet cable, it worked fine, but not so much when using Ableton Link through WIFI.
Seeing and hearing how others set up their studios can sometimes give you the ideas that inspire you to find solutions to your unique studio space. Depending on what you’re doing, setting up a powered USB hub in your studio can be tricky as it can sometimes cause unexpected noise in the audio signal. I wish you all the best in your studio design. Happy creating.
