My new setup. The desk is made entirely out of Ikea Expedit shelves & cost less than $200 to assemble. Just finished putting it together yesterday.
Ableton Live 8/Reaper 4
Roland MV-8800
Presonus V-Fire
Roland E-09
Korg NanoKontrol
Roland UM-3G MIDI Interface
Mackie PROFX-8
M-Audio Studiophile AV30 MkII (stereo system testing)
Tannoy PBM 5II (mixing)
BGW Systems Model 250B Amp
1000s of waxI had a Korg Triton instead of the basic E-09 this year, but I sold it as I was able to purchase the Roland MV-OP1 expansion, the UM-3G interface and the V-Fire for the same price.
The MV-OP1 was a clutch pick up as it was discontinued and the remaining ones on sale on auction sites go for a ridiculous price. It gives you 8 digital outs which can be routed into the V-Fire, which converts them through Firewire into separate tracks in Live or Reaper (or whatever DAW).
Once the tracks are tracked in & MIDI-clock synced to Live/Reaper, software VSTS & EQs can be added to them, giving the MV unlimted software options to go along with its hardware pads, dope sequencer, filters & FX & incredible sampler. Once the MV is tracked into the DAW, I use to Korg NanoKontrol to mix.
The Triton’s sampler was extremely limited, the sequencer was chaotic and to do what I wanted to do with it would have taken $100s in SCSI updates, floppy disk options, etc. I also didn’t like the generic synth sounds and prefer the authentic acoustic rompler of the E-09, so it worked out.
2012 Wish List:
Control Surface with automated faders for mixing (step up from the NonoKontrol)
http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/BCF2000-WH.aspx
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/ProjectMixIO.html
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may05/articles/tascam1082.htm
http://www.uniquesquared.com/cakewalk-v-studio-20-audio-interface-control-surface.html
Either a better sampling keyboard workstation (not sure why, probably for the buttons), a great-sounding electric piano, or a classic vintage piece like a Rhodes, ASR-10, SP-1200. I’d probably sell the E-09 or convert it to a full time MIDI controller if that happened.& last, dual Techniques 1200s & a better Dj mixer.
I’m pretty content with what I have and can do now, so none of those are necessary, just wants. There’s other assorted doo-dads and things I’d like to have (my boy has his fully expanded MPC-60 on sale right now for $500, love to have that for just running tracks through for that lovely 12-bit crunch at the minumum), but nothing I need.
A nice 32-inch monitor would be ideal as well, but what would be really ill is one of those HP touchscreen pcs. I think it’d be crazy fresh to be able to mix and work a DAW on a touchscreen cpu and would erase the need for a control surface. The V-Fire/MV-8800 connection only functions on 32-bit Windows XP systems though, so it’s not worth sacrificing that for a touchscreen setup. Maybe someday Presonus or some coder will finally make some 64-bit drivers and it’d be possible though.
After that, it would be proper pro audio acoustic setups w/ the soundproofing, foams, vibration controls/isolators, etc. & a dedicated space for my setup & recording, but for now I prefer making noise to subduing it & it will be years before I can afford a new/larger house or apartment, so I’m not worried about that for now.
The further adventures of a gear slut will continue…
Just got the same shelving setup from Ikea this past weekend. BEAUTIFUL setup!!!
