If I Had it to do all over again

Every now and then, I take a seat in The Disaster Room and think about what I’d do if I were starting from scratch today.

Even before I decided that I could no longer play in a band, I started building out my own electronic music studio, culminating in what has become The Disaster Room. To be clear, I’m generally happy with how the studio is working now, and over the past couple of years I’ve made some great choices. But I’ve also made a few mistakes. In this article, rather than dwell on those mistakes, I’ll take some time to discuss what I’d do, armed with the knowledge I’ve gained, to build a new Disaster Room studio.

Givens and Druthers

First up, it’s important to define what the purpose of the studio is, and set down some basic expectations:

• I’m interested in making electronic music, mostly ambient with shades of Berlin School and prog stylings.
• I need to be able to work on composition and sound design both in and out the studio, but I don’t want the studio computer to also be a traveling computer.
• I require good real-time control options, including a least one keyboard controller with polyphonic aftertouch.
• Being able to create unique sounds with interesting textures and motion is important.
• I want at least one synth to be a polyphonic analog hardware instrument.
• I really enjoy working with good wavetable synths.
• I enjoy granular synthesis.
• Streaming still to be handled separately from music production.

Computer(s) and DAW software

As vague as the list of requirements and desires is, it makes some requirements pretty clear — one is that a desktop computer is required in the studio, and a laptop/notebook is required for work outside the studio. I am generally platform agnostic — I’ve used both Windows and MacOS over the years, and for the most part, the two are interchangeable for me. Most music creation software these days runs on both Windows PCs and Macs equally well, but Windows does throw a few curves when it comes to USB MIDI and audio interface drivers.

Long ago, I learned that it’s best to choose the application software first, and that will drive selection of the computer to run it on. Over the years, I’ve used several DAW applications, and once I finally understood the workflow of Ableton Live, I realized that for the way I think about music, it’s the best option for me. Specifically, I’d choose the full “Suite” version. While certainly expensive, it offers a really flexible workflow, includes a selection of excellent instruments and effects, and is almost infinitely extensible. I’ve learned that it’s possible to create complete pieces of music using only the included instruments and effects, although I do prefer certain additonal VST instruments and effects. There are certainly other DAWs available, and they all have points in their favor, but I believe that the overall package offered by Ableton Live Suite is the best match for my requirements.

The “first choice” for the studio computer would be an Apple M4 Mac Mini with 10 CPU and 10 GPU cores, 24GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. To that I would add a couple of external SSD drives. I’d opt for a monitor about 28″ capable of 2.5K resolution, though in general I’d probably only use FHD video as that feeds my video production system without having to employ an expensive video scaler. As is, the M4 Mac Mini has sufficient USB/Thunderbolt connectivity for my needs as well. I’m not married to the idea of switching to a Mac, though, and could be equally happy with an AMD Ryzen 9 based Windows PC, which would probably come at a very similar price.

My current laptop is nice, but has had some issues due, I believe, to the Intel Core i9 13900H processor. A future laptop would be either an M4 MacBook Air configured with 16GB RAM and the 512GB SSD, or a Ryzen 7 based machine with 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. Either choice is enough to get the job done that I want the laptop to do: function as a portable solution for sound design or for starting projects.

MIDI Controllers

For MIDI control, I’d go with the Native Instruments Kontrol S mkIII. I currently have the 49-key version, but if I had it to do again, I’d opt for 61 keys. The Kontrol S offers a top-notch keybed from Fatar with polyphonic aftertouch and very good control functions through it’s excellent display, 8 rotary encoders, and DAW controls. It integrates very well with Ableton Live, and exceptionally well with VST instruments and effects that are compatible with NI’s NKS system. For other VSTs, custom configurations are pretty easily accomplished.

Alongside the Kontrol S, I’d add a Novation Lauchpad Mini mkIII. It fits perfectly on top of the Kontrol S mkIII keyboard and makes live performances, as well as certain recording functions in Ableton Live much easier. The grid mimics the Session View of Ableton Live, allowing individual clips to be easily launched, and also makes lauching entire scenes a one-button operation. It, too, can be customized for specific control functions.

For the portable setup, I’d choose the Arturia MiniLab 3. It also pairs well will Ableton Live as well as other software through custom mappings. It’s fairly basic, but does travel well.

Audio/MIDI Interface

My needs for an audio/MIDI interface are varied. This is the part that gets audio in and out of the computer, and also handles MIDI control of external synthesizers. In my case, this is also the link between the music production and video streaming systems. That means I need inputs for a couple of mics, as well as for any hardware synthesizers. Outputs are required for monitor speakers, the video streaming system, and headphones. At minimum, I’d look at the Mark of the Unicorn M4, which has two mic inputs, a stereo pair of line inputs, two stereo output pairs, and a headphone connection. Audio quality is excellent. And, there’s also standard 5-pin MIDI connections available. But I’ve also learned it’s best to not limit oneself to the bare minimum, as there’s always that one extra thing that comes up. So, instead of the M4, I’d probably opt for the M6 which has 4 mic/line inputs, plus two line inputs, and the same two stereo output pairs. The outputs from the MOTU M-series are a little tight, but I could make do. If I found that I regularly wanted to use mics and/or line inputs while on the road, the M4 would be the perfect choice.

Another very strong contender, and possibly better choice, for the audio interfaces is the Arturia MiniFuse 4. It’s a 4-in, 4-out audio interface with MIDI that also includes a two-port USB hub. This could allow for a single USB connection to the PC for the studio (not including keyboard and mouse). The MIDI controllers would use the hub function on the interface. This is especially desireable for the portable configuration, assuming the laptop USB port can provide enough power (the MiniFuse can run using external power, but that’s less convenient when working on-the-go). MIDI is available to connect a hardware synth or synths. The drawback is that there’s no version with more than four inputs in the MiniFuse lineup.

VSTs — software synths and effects

Some of the VST synths are, to my mind, “no-brainers” for ambient music production. Other choices get more complicated. Here’s where I’d start:

Vital by Vital Audio: A freeware wavetable synthesizer that provides a visually rich environment for sound creation. Modulation possibilities are very rich, and there’s a wide variety of filters, wavetables, and more. It can also be fairly light on CPU. And, it’s fun!

Pigments by Arturia: Pigments is a multi-engine synth that features a variety of oscillator and filter types, and impressive modulations. Pigments is also an NKS-compatible instrument, so when coupled with Native Instruments’ Komplete Kontrol, it automatically maps to the Kontrol S MIDI keyboard. And, of course, it also automaticially maps to the MiniLab 3. It’s synthesis prowess coupled to it’s controller compatibility, make it a highly expressive package.

Native series by Korg: All four of them — modwave, multi/poly, opsix, and wavestate.

The Korg Native series are the software versions of the Raspberry Pi-based Korg R&D synths, and represent almost every common type of digital synthesis: wavetable, sample player, FM, and virtual analog, and all feature very unique ideas about these synthesis methods, including multiple built-in sequencers and arpeggiators. All are as deep and interesting as you can get. And the price of all four pieces of software combined is about the price of a single hardware synth from the series — even less if you catch the software versions on sale.

Dawesome Myth: Describing Myth is difficult at best. It’s based on a pair of “resynthesis engines” that are modulated, filtered, and effected with an array of unique tools included in the plugin. Myth is capable of deep moving textures, searing leads, deep basses, and subtle pads, all of which can be like nothing you’ve ever head before.

Arturia _V Collection, _FX Collection, TAPE J-37: I’d probably also go ahead an pick up the full V Collection from Arturia as well as the full FX Collection and their TAPE J-37 tape emulator. V Collection contains almost all of their “enhanced classic” synth emulations, and I feel that they’re the best out there. FX Collection is a similar set of emulations of classic audio effects. I’ve listed TAPE J-37 seperately because it’s currently not included in the collection, but I use it at the end of the effects chain on the master track of almost every production.

Additional Effects:

Ableton Live includes many excellent effects, and those effects would make up the bulk of what I’d use. However, there are a couple “staples” of the electronic music game that would definitely be needed in addition to the Arturia FX collection: Valhalla Supermassive, Valhalla Shimmer Reverb, and Eventide Blackhole. Eventide also make an exceptional Shimmerverb plugin. These are quite simply the best ways to add “space” to ambient music.

Hardware Synthesizer

There is only one. Well, really two, but they’re both variants of the same synth. The ideal choice for me would be the Arturia PolyBrute 12, though realistically, the 6-voice PolyBrute is quite sufficient; the 6-voice is what I have now, and I have zero complaints.

On the surface, the PolyBrute is a pretty basic analog synth, but when you dig in, you discover that it has a very powerful modulation matrix, unique bitimbral capability, a powerful sequencer and arpeggiator, and special sauce dumped liberally on the oscillators and filters. The original and “noire” edition are six-voice polyphonic and has the well-known Arturia 61-key synth action keybed. The PolyBrute 12 doubles the voice count, and uses Arturia’s new FullTouch® keyboard that starts tracking the movement of your fingers the moment you start to depress a key. Of course, both models feature the Morphée pad and ribbon controller, as well as the true A/B patch morphing capability. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no more capable analog synth available as of this writing.

Monitoring

Finally, something’s needed to listen to the music, and this is where I’ve struggled the most to come up with something that I like using, but also translates well when my music is played outside the studio. I do know that I’d need speakers for the studio, and headphones for both studio and travel use.I know that I would like to be able to reproduce sounds down to around 40Hz, which is very close to the lowest frequency produced by a standard bass guitar. I know that synths can typically go down at least another octave, to 20Hz, but speakers that reproduce that are very large and have to be driven at very high levels, which I want to avoid. I would prefer a pair of near field monitors that are bi-amplified and do not require a proprietary cable to run between the two speakers, and I’d like to avoid having to add a subwoofer.

Right now, the monitors that come closest to my requirements, at least on paper, are the JBL 306P MkII. The “problem” with the JBLs is that they are larger than average, and space is at a premium. Kali Audio’s LP-UNF Ultra Nearfield Monitor System is a close second choice. The frequency response is very similar to the JBLs, and they’re a good bit smaller. They do require a special cable between the two speakers, though. At least the connectors used are a very common type, so it’s less of a deal-breaker. Kali Audio have recently updated the specs on the LP-UNF speakers, and the low end doesn’t extend as far as they previously claimed. This moves JBL’s 305P MkII into the second choice slot. They’re smaller and each speaker is independently powered, but owing to the smaller woofer, the low end doesn’t reach as far as the larger 306P. As of this writing (April 23, 2025) the 306P is actually less expensive than the smaller 305P. Either should sound better than my current monitors.

For headphones, I’d of course use the Sony MDR-7506 fitted with the Beyer Dynamic EDT250V ear pads (to see my video about that, click here).

Conclusion

I think that about wraps it up. There are, of course, a myriad of other things, large and small, that would go into a new studio. But this is pretty much what a new, start-from-scratch studio would look like, if I had to do it all over again today. It’s also, quite likely, a “goal” I’ll work to achieve by clearing out the cruft in the current Disaster Room.