Multiple synth setup help

[Please bear in mind, I'm much more knowledgeable about music than about tech]...

Until now, I've only ever used one keyboard, playing into my Vista (64-bit) laptop and Sonar Pro 8.5.3 (64-bit), via my Edirol UA-25EX interface.  As such, I've never needed more than the Edirol's one set of 1/4 inch audio inputs and its one set of MIDI in/out.  But I'm about to invest in at least two more synths - a Roland Juno 60 [with an MD-8 MIDI adapter] and a Roland D50.  This will be in addition to the Yamaha PSR-type "arranger keyboard" I've been using.  So, if I want to have access to any synth/keyboard at any given moment, without having to switch out cables all the time into this very limited UA-25EX, it seems I'm going to need either:

An interface with at least three sets of 1/4 inch TS (TRS?) audio left/right inputs, and three sets of MIDI in/out, or

A mixer of some sort, which could then [hopefully] funnel it all down into something that my very limited UA-25EX can accept, or

...Could I just save a little money and get a couple MIDI merger boxes, and an audio selector box/router, like in the following links:

MIDI-In merger box (for MIDI signals coming from the synths to the UA-25EX)

MIDI-Out box (for MIDI signals going from the UA-25EX to the synths)

Audio Source Selector (for audio coming from the synths to the UA-25EX)

If I go that route, Guitar Center has a good price on 1/4-inch-to-RCA adapters (if you mouse over the small thumbnails under the audio selector's main image, you'll see it just has RCA inputs).  My concern, though, would be whether there'd be a big degradation in audio quality going through a selector box like that...

Anyway, maybe I'm way off on how I'm envisioning all this.  But I'd welcome whatever constructive insights you might have. 

Thanks.

- Bob K.

 

I have multiple hardware synths in my setup, and I run the audio outputs into a small mixer.  All MIDI is run through a MIDI patchbay (an M-Audio Midisport 8x8).  This allows me to put each synth on its own MIDI input/output, which gives access to all 16 MIDI channels on each synth - handy if you use Multi mode on your synths and want to access different sounds on each channel.  A mixer just makes dealing with the audio easy, as you don't have to mess with adapters and whatnot.  Mixers are relatively cheap, especially if you can find one used.

Hey thanks guys.  Yeah, it apparently does come down to how much you're willing to spend.  I like the features of these newer Cakewalk interfaces, but for the number of synths I'm contemplating, I'd have to go with the Octa-Capture, which would be around $700, and it would still leave the MIDI problem, since all the Octa does is expand the audio inputs/outputs - it still just has the single MIDI in/out port.

And from what I'm seeing, actual mixers don't incorporate MIDI at all, right?

Bill, would it get me past the merger/Sonar issues if I were to clarify that I don't ever intend to use more than one synth's MIDI at any given time - so it'll just be all of them connected via the boxes, but only one synth ever sending/receiving MIDI at any given moment?  That way, Sonar wouldn't have to distinguish "between" any of them, since the only thing ever coming out of these MIDI boxes will be a signal coming from (or going to) one synth, via my existing UA-25EX which will be interfacing with each box's single MIDI in/out pair.  (I can see possibly sending two synth's audio to Sonar simultaneously if they sound good when I'm playing them together, but not MIDI.)

Because if that could solve that problem, it seems like the only issue remaining would be on the audio side of things - namely, the sound quality coming out of the cheap Audio Source Selector box I linked to.  Are there any selectors/switchers made by more reputable, "trusted" manufacturers?  I'd be open to that.

[In the end, I'm just trying to see if there's any way to salvage the "el cheapo" plan I posted originally, while maintaining quality and functionality.  If that's not possible, I won't mind getting a MOTU Express (or the like) - a mere $100 more than my combined merger boxes - and possibly a mixer too, sort of like leapinlizard's setup.  I just want to be sure I've explored and eliminated any potentially cheaper, more "clever" options.]

Further insights are welcome.  Thanks.

- Bob K. 

Bill, would it get me past the merger/Sonar issues if I were to clarify that I don't ever intend to use more than one synth's MIDI at any given time - so it'll just be all of them connected via the boxes, but only one synth ever sending/receiving MIDI at any given moment?

- Bob K. 

I don't understand why you would want to limit yourself to only allowing one synth to be "active" at any given time ... perhaps you have a different idea about what you are using your synths for than I do.  My purpose in obtaining multiple hardware synths was to drive them all simultaneously, and to have one playing drums, one playing bass, and yet another playing multiple keyboard/pad/string parts (or whatever) at the same time.  When I first set up my system and only had two hardware synths to play with, I used a little MIDI switchbox that I built to switch between synth A and synth B.  However, it wasn't long before I wanted to use Patch 1 and 2 from synth A and Patches 3 and 4 from synth B simultaneously, and that led me to expand my setup to include a MIDI patchbay and a mixer for the synth outputs.  I don't know, I can't help but think you would be better off to spend a little more and have all your options available, but I guess that depends on what you are trying to accomplish.