A Very Good Question For Those With Knowledge

Hi, after a couple years of lurking I just registered to ask for some advice from the people that know more about this than I do.

Here's the deal, I own a 3ghz p4 1gig ram windows xp machine and a black macbook 2ghz with 1.25gigs of ram. They both have firewire, so I eventually want to use my macbook as my instrument, and record it all to the windows machince via the optical cables. I plan on using DAW software and software synths. FYI, I am looking to make a range of different gernes, but mostly hip-hop and electronica.

I bought a Novation Xiosynth from sweetwater for $400 and it should ship by the end of the month. I'm having second thoughts about that, and I wanted to ask yall to throw in your two cents. I really like the hybrid mode, becasue itll be nice to use the onboard synth and control a softsynth at the same time. Novations more expensive X-Station does not have this feature, but it does offer effects processing on incoming signals, more hardware controls, after touch and more midi templates. The 25 key X-station cost more than the 49key Xiosynth and looses the whole hybrid mode i liked. I guess im just torn here, and im open to any product, I would just like to have a hardware synth and a usb controller for around $500, and not have to worry about being out dated or running out of options the next day.

The other instrument I plan on buying is an Alesis Control Pad, which is an 8-pad usb/midi controller. Any thoughts on that?

Feel free to ask me questions that might help you help me.

Hopefully I wont be told to search the forums or anything, Im really counting on some members stepping up and setting me straight.

Thanks in advance.

Why does your controller also need to be a hardware synth? That limits your options considerably.

My 2 cents:

I don't think you should have double thoughts at all. To me, it sounds like you made an excellent decision. I would say the XioSynth 49 is a phenomenal choice, really a good sounding machine, compact, and relatively inexpensive (plus a MIDI/audio interface). I would stay with your decision.

The Alesis Control Pad is going to be my Christmas present. I have no idea how the pads compare to Roland's, but I've always wanted an Octapad-style controller, and this one is 200 bucks!

If the lack of hybrid mode is the biggest issue, you should know that the x-station is able to play from its built-in synth at the same time it controls a soft-synth. It seems more accidental than a feature, but if you have a synth selected and still have your softsynth hooked up, it will play both; I use this in a couple of songs and it works just fine. Both sources will sound and you balance the sounds using the 'monitor' knob. You're stuck with the stock synth control mappings but that seems to be the only problem I've run into.

XorAxAx, the controller doesnt have to be a hardware synth. What did you have in mind? I'd be 100% ok with going with a controller and a dedicated synth, if cost and capabilty were comprable.

Paolo Di Nicolantonio, thanks for the comment.

Doug Gifford, thanks for the tip, but let me ask a question, is it basically like fading from one synth to another? The hybrid mode was nice because I could get "two for the price of one" meaning id be able to have two completly different synths going at once. That sound like a resonable plan right? I plan to have the xiosynth plugged into one usb port and the alesis control pads into the other one.

I guess it would help to explain my goal. I'd like to play this set up live, and want something that's truly versatile. Anybody else out there have some suggestions? The eventual plan would be to have several synths going, a guitar and or bass, the drum pads, vocals and maybe more. I just want to make sure I'm not shooting myself in the foot.

Also, please ask me questions if I'm being vague about anything, I'd really some more people to comment on this, thanks.

I'm confused as to why you wrote you want the synths on the Mac and the DAW on the Windows box.

Unless neither computer is powerful enough to handle it, one machine with the synths running as plugins to the DAW is going to be easier to deal with than trying to interconnect the two via Firewire.

Yeah, I didnt explain that well. The home pc could be used to record whatever im doing on the macbook, to save system resources. I plan to plug all instruments into the macbook though.

I want to ask this, with the xstation can I bypass having to buy an audio interface if i record into my pc via optical cables coming out of my macbook? It sound like a ghetto rig, but will it sound good?