Connecting up two Launchkeys, two synths to Mac mini

ewal

Apologies for another question - seem to be asking lots recently and contributing less answers!

So I've recently expanded my home recording set up in advance of a project I'll be working on with my daughter.
 
My simple old setup was Reaper running on Mac M2 mini, using HX Stomp as interface for guitar and a Behringer 2 channel interface for my Rode condenser mic.

I've added two synths - Uno Pro X and Behringer Pro VS mini and one (potentially two) Novation Launchkeys.

My simple thinking is that I need a new interface with more inputs, then I'd hook everything up to my powered USB hub, all audio outputs to the new interface and one Launchkey to each synth via midi ports. I'll work out the sync later!

I foresee lots of cable clutter.... Am I missing a trick?

Guess a midi hub would offer flexibility re what keyboard is controlling what synth, but maybe that only becomes useful when hooking up one controller to multiple synths.

ewal

Or maybe connect Launchkeys to Mac via USB then connect synths to Mac via midi and back in via audio inputs.

Guess there's multiple ways of doing it.

Musicwolf

You have two issues.  How to connect all of the audio outputs and how to 'play' the Pro X and Pro VS from the Launchkey.

The good news, you don't need a second Launchkey.

I'm not a regular Reaper user, but I expect that it's similar to Cubase.  I haven't checked, but I'm assuming that all of the synths / keyboards have MIDI via USB.  Connect them all up via the USB hub then open a MIDI track in Reaper and you should be able to set MIDI input to be Launchkey and output to be Pro X / Pro VS etc.  You can do this for each MIDI track so you only need one keyboard.

For audio, assuming that you want to be able to hear your synths running at the same time, then you will either need an interface with more inputs or else a mixer.  That's if you want to be tweaking all of your synths up until final mix.  If you can commit to sounds as you go then you could just record the output of each synth as an audio track so that you only need one set of inputs (but you'll need to physically re-patch each time that you change synths).

ewal

Don't know why I didn't think about midi over usb - that makes things simpler. I actually might want to use both the Launchkeys in some cases, because I'll be playing alongside someone else.

I've got a powered USB Hub, so I think they main thing I need to concern myself with is the audio interface. Will need minimum of 4 inputs, possibly 6 if I decide to route audio from HX Stomp via another interface and avoid potential complication of using two interfaces simultaneously.

Cheers

thermionic

I have two synths hooked up to my iMac via USB for the MIDI, the audio outputs then go to a Tascam Model 12 so I can hear them through my monitors and record them to Logic at the same time. It's not a cheap device but it works well for me, doing the job of both a mixer and an audio interface.