index.md (8079B)
1 --- 2 title: "Synth Setup (November 2026)" 3 date: 2026-11-10T00:33:25-05:00 4 draft: false 5 --- 6 7 Here's my synth setup as of November 2026. Making digital music is one of my main hobbies, and I've spent the last few years putting this rig together. You can listen to my stuff over on my [music page][1]. 8 9 [1]: /music/ 10 11 <!--more--> 12 13 {{<dither synth-diagram.png "1600x1600" "" "Image generated by ChatGPT">}}Labeled illustration of a three-tier Jaspers keyboard stand holding a Yamaha Reface CP, Tascam Model 12 mixer, Roland SP-404MKII sampler, Novation Circuit Tracks, Novation Bass Station II, Conductive Labs MRCC, and Sequential Prophet Rev2 keyboard, with colored cables connecting the equipment.{{</dither>}} 14 15 ## [Novation Circuit Tracks][2] 16 17 The "brain" of the operation. This is a portable groovebox that has four sampler tracks, two synth tracks, and two sequencing tracks for external gear. I use the sampler tracks for drums: bass/snare/hats/ancillary. The built-in synth tracks also send out MIDI data, so I'll usually use one for bass or pads and the other to sequence an additional external instrument[^1]. 18 19 I love this thing. It's screenless, so no menu diving, and quite simple to use after some time with it. I've got a few different sound packs I've loaded onto it. I like the stuff from [SoundGhost][3] and [Isotonik Studios][4]. It's also great for making music on the go: the Circuit Tracks + a USB-C iPad is surprisingly capable (topic for a later post, perhaps). 20 21 [2]: https://us.novationmusic.com/products/circuit-tracks 22 [3]: https://soundghost.net/product-tag/circuit-tracks/ 23 [4]: http://isotonikstudios.com/product-category/synth-patch-store/novation/circuit-tracks-patch-store/ 24 25 ## [Yamaha Reface CP][5] 26 27 Electric piano, very simple. Six instruments to pick from (I use 2 or 3) and a few onboard effects. I probably lean on this thing a little bit too much; almost everything I make starts with 7th/9th chords on the Reface. It sounds _great_ but makes for a lot of similar-sounding tracks. 28 29 [5]: https://usa.yamaha.com/products/music_production/synthesizers/reface/reface_cp.html 30 31 ## [Novation Bass Station II][6] 32 33 Simple(-ish) monosynth (so one note at a time, no chords). I find this thing a little bit dense (e.g. I'm unclear on what the two knobs labeled "Mod Env" do) but I can usually come up with a sounds I like pretty easily. Despite the name, I don't use it for bass that often, since a lot of the cool stuff you can do with it is lost to my ear at low registers. 34 35 [6]: https://us.novationmusic.com/products/bass-station-ii 36 37 ## [Sequential Prophet Rev2][7] 38 39 Eight-voice polysynth. Sort of the opposite of the Bass Station: it's pretty easy to understand what all the knobs do, but I struggle to create original patches I'm really happy with, so it's not as central to my sound as I feel like it should be. Still features in most things I make, though. 40 41 [7]: https://sequential.com/hybrid-analog/prophet-rev2/ 42 43 ## [Roland SP-404MKII][8] 44 45 Dedicated hardware sampler. This is a *powerful* machine and I go through phases of using it a lot and very little. I use its effects pretty heavily, piping the Reface through the "lo-fi" effect, for example. I'm keen to check out [DoomOS][9], a custom OS that adds a better sequencer and a bunch of other new functionality. 46 47 [8]: https://www.roland.com/global/products/sp-404mk2/ 48 [9]: https://klangfeldlabs.com/doom-os/ 49 50 ## [TASCAM Model 12][10] 51 52 12-track mixer. All the instruments feed into this. Plugs into my MacBook Pro over USB-C when I'm ready to send stuff to Ableton. The "Sub" output runs into the SP-404, so that I can easily sample a single instrument, and Aux 1 goes to my Microcosm pedal that I'll talk about in a minute. 53 54 [10]: https://tascam.com/us/product/model_12/ 55 56 ## [Conductive Labs MRCC][11] 57 58 MIDI router. Sort of like the TASCAM but for MIDI data instead of audio. All the controllers (the Circuit, my MIDI controller, and the laptop via the mixer) go into the inputs, and all the instruments plug into the outputs. It's pricey but you need something like this if you want to control a bunch of instruments. 59 60 [11]: https://conductivelabs.com/product/mrcc-midi-router-control-center/ 61 62 ## [Jaspers 3D-105B][12] 63 64 Nice keyboard rack. It's sturdy and it looks cool. 65 66 [12]: https://www.thomannmusic.com/jaspers_3d_105b.htm 67 68 --- 69 70 That's the main rig. On the adjacent wall, I've got a small desk for my computer plus a few other pieces of gear. 71 72 {{<dither synth-diagram-2.png "1600x1450" "" "Image generated by ChatGPT">}}Annotated music setup with a laptop and Mackie CR3 speakers on an IKEA Mittplan desk with a keyboard tray. Labels identify a Hologram Microcosm effects pedal, Arturia KeyStep 37 keyboard controller, Zoom B1 Four pedal, and C & G Pocket Piano on the desk, plus a Korg SP-250 digital piano on a stand beside it.{{</dither>}} 73 74 ## [Hologram Electronics Microcosm][13] 75 76 A "granular effects pedal" that takes whatever audio you send into it, messes with it, and sends it back out. I love this thing -- adding it to my setup was a big level up, adds organicity and keeps things from sounding too robotic. 77 78 [13]: https://www.hologramelectronics.com/microcosm 79 80 ## [Arturia KeyStep 37][14] 81 82 A nice MIDI controller is an absolute must for a setup like this. I make heavy use of chord mode while I'm figuring out a progression and get decent use out of the sequencer. 83 84 [14]: https://www.arturia.com/products/hybrid-synths/keystep-37/overview 85 86 ## [Mackie CR3 Studio Monitors][15] 87 88 These were my computer speakers until I got into vinyl and bought an [amplifier][16] and [passive speakers][17]. Now they're plugged into the mixer and let me listen to my loops all day while I work (sorry Claire). They're ... fine. Could probably use an upgrade here. 89 90 [15]: https://mackie.com/ 91 [16]: https://wiimhome.com/wiimamp/overview 92 [17]: https://www.polkaudio.com/en-us/product/home-speakers/bookshelf/signature-elite-es15/300363.html 93 94 ## [Korg SP-250][18] 95 96 Digital piano from a prior life; gets used pretty sparingly these days. It has MIDI in and out, and it's pretty neat to connect that full, expressive keyboard to the Reface, or use it as a sound generator sequenced by the Circuit (that's how I did the vibraphone solo on _[Asdreno Dreams][19]_). 97 98 [18]: https://www.korg.com/us/support/download/product/1/201/ 99 [19]: /music/#asdreno-dreams 100 101 ## [Critter & Guitari Pocket Piano][20] 102 103 I think this was the first actual synth I bought, after seeing it on [Bonobo's EquipBoard][21] page. It's fun, portable, and sounds quite nice. It's also open source and hackable, though I've never pursued that beyond loading some community patches onto it. Doesn't see a ton of use these days and is probably the first thing I'd sell were I to downsize. Fun for the kids though. 104 105 [20]: https://www.critterandguitari.com/ 106 [21]: https://equipboard.com/pros/bonobo 107 108 ## [Zoom B1 FOUR][22] 109 110 Bass guitar effects pedal. I'd really love to be able to play the electric bass. I play guitar a little bit, and you'd _think_ the bass would be similar and simpler -- no chords, right? -- but it's a different animal entirely. I bought this thinking, if I could at least get pleasant sounds out of the instrument, I'd start to build some momentum, but so far dice. Maybe some day. 111 112 [22]: https://zoomcorp.com/en/us/multi-effects/bass-effects/b1-four-b1x-four/ 113 114 ## [IKEA MITTPLAN Desk][23] 115 116 Just a simple, multi-tiered desk. It's fine. I added a little sliding keyboard tray off of Amazon. 117 118 [23]: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/mittplan-desk-white-10549428/ 119 120 --- 121 122 Overall, I'm quite happy with this setup. Its capabilities far exceed my own. Money and space no object, I'd replace the Circuit Tracks with either a [Synthstrom Deluge][24] or [Polyend Play+][25] and get some more pedals. Thanks for reading, and look out for my first EP by year's end. 123 124 [24]: https://synthstrom.com/product/deluge/ 125 [25]: https://polyend.com/play-plus/ 126 127 [^1]: There are only two input jacks, so I can't send the audio from the third instrument back into the Circuit, but because I use a dedicated mixer, I don't really use that feature anyway.