The Zoom LiveTrak L6 and Sand Audio MIDI Sequencer are a Powerful Duo

BUILDING A POWERFUL PERFORMANCE RIG WITH THE ZOOM L6 AND THE SAND SEQUENCER IS A GAME CHANGER,

It has been a lifelong pursuit of mine to develop a portable, battery-powered synth setup that functions as a complete instrument. Over the years, I have used many different synths and apps to achieve this, each one allowing me to get a little closer to realizing my dreams. To my delight, the shift towards tiny tabletop synths and iPad music apps has made it possible for anyone wishing to create their own mobile music rig to have nearly endless possibilities.

In this month's Field Guide, we are going to break down my latest setup, using the Zoom LiveTrak L6 mixer and the Sand audio MIDI Sequencer. I will describe how I use it to compose, perform, and record my live jam sessions, and I'll walk you through the cable routing and settings required for you to create your own similar rig. Grab your iPad, synths, and mixer, and let's get started.

Let's start with the setup. My current rig consists of a few tabletop synths, an iPad, the Zoom L6 mixer, a controller keyboard, and a MIDI splitter. I have a Behringer Crave and JT-4000, a Korg Volca Bass and Keys, a MeeBlip Triode, and a Casio CZ-1 hardware synth. The iPad also has a number of synth apps as well. These are my main sound sources, and I have the audio running into the Zoom L6 on individual channels (see the diagram). For audio cables, I'm using Hosa brand audio cables that have a 1/4" mono jack on one end and a 1/8" stereo jack on the other. This is very convenient since all of the inputs on the Zoom are 1/4," and most of the output jacks on my synths are 1/8". All of these synths are being played either live from the keyboard controller or by MIDI tracks recorded into the Sand Sequencer. With the Zoom's built-in audio recorder, I can capture the audio of each synth on its own audio track, which is the key to producing a great-sounding mix on the computer afterwards. Of course, you may have different synths or a different mixer, but you can still apply this setup to your gear, depending on its capabilities. If your mixer does not have a built-in MIDI or audio interface like the Zoom L6, you would need a USB MIDI interface connected to your iPad.

For the MIDI side of things, I am using the built-in MIDI ports of the Zoom L6 as my main interface. To connect all my synths to the Zoom, I am using the CMC MIDIthru5 MIDI splitter, which is a USB-powered splitter with 1 input and 5 outputs. I have also set each synth to its own specific MIDI channel. You may need to refer to your synth's user manual to determine how to do this. I put some tape on my synths with the MIDI channel written on it to help me keep things straight. I have a MIDI cable running from the keyboard controller's MIDI-out to the Zoom L6's MIDI-in. From the MIDI-out of the Zoom, I have a cable running to the MIDI-in of the splitter. From the splitter, I have MIDI cables running to each synth (refer to the diagram). Finally, I have a USB cable running from the Zoom L6 to the iPad. This allows the iPad to send MIDI out to all of the synths through the Zoom's MIDI ports.

On the iPad, I have been using the Sand Audio MIDI Sequencer to record audio and MIDI loops. To get your MIDI patterns in Sand to play on the desired synth, you need to assign the MIDI port and channel to each track. To do this, create a new MIDI track. Select it and open the MIDI settings tab at the bottom of the screen. There you should see your MIDI interface listed and the incoming and outgoing channel selector. Simply choose the channel that you have assigned to the synth you wish to use. For example, if I wanted to record a bass line on my Korg Volca Bass, I would create a new track, select the "L6 MIDI I/O port" for the output, and set it to MIDI channel 12 to match the MIDI on my Volca Bass (see photo). For the MIDI input, I usually leave it set to "Any". That way, if I were to have more than one input controller, they would all work.

Now, let's look at my workflow for composing, performing live, and recording my performance to audio tracks using this setup. The beauty of this setup is that everything is accessible in real-time. All of my synths can be played at the same time, and by using Sand to switch between the activated tracks, I can use my keyboard controller to physically play them. This is especially handy with the smaller synths that have tiny keyboards or none at all. To record a MIDI part, select a track, hit record, and play your notes on the keyboard. When you play it back in Sand, the synth on the selected channel will play. With Sand, you can record many different patterns for the same synth and simply trigger them to play by tapping a square on the screen. Once you have a whole screen of patterns recorded, you can create endless variations by changing the combinations of your patterns. Besides MIDI tracks, Sand also allows you to create tracks that play other apps on your iPad. You can choose to load any AUV3 apps that you have installed. Sand also includes audio tracks where you can record audio from the audio input or import audio files saved on your iPad.

Once I have created some beats using these methods, I can perform with them. By triggering individual patterns live and manually tweaking the controls on my synths, I can create a performance. Many times, the same patterns sound completely different because the sounds on the synths are different or the combination of the patterns is different. When I discover something I really like, I hit record on the Zoom L6 to capture the performance. The L6 records a separate audio file for each of the channels, as well as the stereo mix. This allows me to record my whole performance and edit, mix, and master it afterwards on my computer.

As you can see, this setup is quite versatile. By utilizing the power of the Zoom L6 as the main hub and routing MIDI and audio through it, the iPad becomes the control center for composing, performing, and recording. The ease with which you can modify this system is also key to its success. I have many tabletop synths that I like to use, and switching them out is quick and easy in this system. By setting the MIDI channels the same and plugging in the power, audio, and MIDI cables, I'm ready to use the new synth with the patterns I already have recorded or by recording new ones. As a side note, you can easily use this same setup with any number of apps. It works just as well with Cubase or Korg Gadget if those apps are better suited to the way you like to compose music. This setup can easily be used with full-sized synths and a computer, for that matter. They all work the same way. Trust me, I've tried it.

I hope you found this article helpful and easily understood. This setup and workflow is the least complicated way I have found to achieve the goals I have been looking for. It gives me the freedom to use the synths I want, compose music in a way that is not confining, perform my compositions in a live setting without creating a separate "live" setup, and record everything to separate audio files to use in the creation of albums. As I said earlier, this setup is quite versatile and can be adapted to the way you work, so give it a try and let me know what you think!