Setting up my hardware instruments and have the possibility for multi-track recording in FL Studio

[sebastian.sk]

Hey everybody!

I want to buy some hardware instruments in the future and currently try to figure out how I want to set everything up. I looked around the internet, but have not found a satisfying answer for my situation.
My plan is to connect multiple instruments to my audio interface and record them simultaneously in FL Studio. I also want to simultaneously send MIDI from FL Studio out to my instruments.
I have a plan, but I am not sure if this will work and before I buy all the cables and stuff I wanted to ask if everything is correct and will work as I intend.


1. General
Instruments with MIDI (all have USB): 1x Mono, 3x Stereo (in total) (3x Synths, 1x Drum machine)
Other instruments: 2x Mono (in total) (1x Synth, 1x Guitar)

My current audio interface has two mono inputs so I would need a new one with 9 Inputs + some spare ones for the future. Maybe at least twelve would be ideal.


2. Sending MIDI to my instruments

When I connect my instruments with USB to my PC, they should show up separately under the MIDI settings in the Output section. I assign everyone a different port (let’s say 1, 2, 3 and 4). Now, I open up four instances of MIDI out and set them to port 1, 2, 3 and 4 (assuming the channels are also correct). Now, my instruments should receive MIDI from the DAW through the MIDI out plugin or my MIDI keyboard, when I select one of the MIDI out plugins. In my understanding, the MIDI gets transferred through the USB and I don’t need MIDI cables. Also, the instruments should know the bpm from FL Studio for the sequencer, arps and time based effects.

Any experience with the signal delay when using a USB hub to connect multiple instruments with USB?


3. Getting audio into FL Studio

Now I also want to record the instruments simultaneously. I need to connect them to an audio interface with enough inputs (any recommendations? all the inputs should show up individually in FL Studio to record simultaneously. I looked at something like the Roland Studio Capture, found a used one for 30% less than a new one). In the FL Studio mixer slots, I choose all the inputs where an instrument is connected on the audio interface. Now, when I click record, choose “Audio, into the playlist as an audio clip”, enable “Arm disk recording” and click play it should play the MIDI notes from the MIDI out plugin, which are in the playlist, and record the input from the instruments. Recording multiple inputs should work. I tried this with my current audio interface and FL Studio recorded the two mono inputs separately and simultaneously.

This is my plan. As I said in the beginning, I think this should work but I’m not completely sure. So, before I buy everything, I wanted to ask if this will work.

Thanks for the help!

[Apendica]

Can vouch for the Focusrite 18i20 3rd gen, has ...

[sebastian.sk]

Hmm.. I have to look into that. And is the setu...

[donkeytugger]

If any of your instruments have s/pdif or ADAT ...

[sebastian.sk]

Ok, I didn't knew that this exists. Seems like ...

[donkeytugger]

.....although, as I was noodling about on my (c...

[Yearofthegoat]

I've had my NP-V80 keyboard and DD55 drum machi...

[Omnifold]

sebastian.sk wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 11:34 am ...

[fde101]

Unless you have an excessive number of audio ch...

[sebastian.sk]

Thanks to everyone for their answers! I didn't ...

[boingy99]

Just think long and hard about whether you actu...

[sebastian.sk]

I just want to be prepared when I want to recor...