My current setup 
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This is what I moved up to, after one of the channels in my very old Mackie 12 channel mixer started to fail.
I am curious how you use your iPad in your setup in terms of audio ins and outs. I currently only use my iPad as a controller for my Eventide H9 effects pedal, but am considering getting an iPad Pro when the new ones come out.
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The Mackie mixers work well and the build quality is good.
In terms of the iPad, I use a pro with M1 chip. So the routing is as follows :
- Yamaha mixer AUX 1-4 outs are connected to the audio interface (Presonus 1824c) inputs 1-4
- iPad is connected to the Presonus and I use iOS AUM app to route the four inputs into AUM.
- AUM has four channels configured (one for each fx loop) with an effect on each channel (or whatever you wish to use in each channel fx chain)
- The wet signals are then sent back through to the Presonus outputs 1-4 which are connected to 4 normal mono channels on the Yamaha mixer (ch 21-24 in my case) which are effectively acting as the fx returns in this config.
The result is that on the Yamaha mixer, you can send any dry signal to the iPad via the aux sends on any channel and then dial in the wet signal level via the fx returns on ch 21-24, which are routed to the main stereo outs.
Hope that makes sense? Took me a few days to get the routing to work as the Presonus internal mixer config is a little unfriendly. It can be a little temperamental sometimes like any software driven effects, so perhaps not as stable as a dedicated fx box, but you do get masses of fx apps and the iPad hardly breaks a sweat in terms of cpu loading. The other benefit is that the iPad can deal with fx duties and also output music through other software at the same time via another stereo output from the Presonus into another Yamaha stereo channel strip. The flexibility is pretty amazing.
There’s also a stereo insert on the master channel so that you can add a compressor or master chain effect before it goes to my computers UA interface.
It can get really confusing if you lose focus for a minute 
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The main reason I’ve kept my shitty old Yamaha mixer for so long is because it’s the only 16 channel I can find that has 2 stereo send buses (on top of 2 mono sends) in addition to the master out (and I do like the EQs when you make them go crunchy)
Yamaha seem to do more buses than most non-super expensive brands
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Yeah - love my Yamaha. There’s not really any other analog mixer on the market at this price with so much functionality. Sound quality is really nice too. You’d have to go for something possibly 3-5 times the price to get anything more premium with comparable functionality.
I’ve always been impressed when you drive them. Especially on drums. Always run my drums in hot into the EQ section.
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I will have to look at the AUM app for iOS. On the other hand, your description reminds me that I already have things routed similarly through my Mac, using either effects VSTs in Logic or Bitwig, and then back to a pair of channels on my mixer. My setup isn’t quite as robust as yours, but it works for me. The main issue is that I fear firing up the Mac because then I get lost in updating tons of software and working out the internal kinks, and then it’s time to get to bed and I haven’t actually made any cool sounds.
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I hear you on the avoidance of using Mac or PC. Whenever I go near a DAW recently, my enthusiasm seems to drop. That’s why the iPad works so well - it doesn’t feel so much like a computer and sits amongst the external hardware like another piece of hardware. AUM or Audiobus 3 are both similar - it’s worth getting both as they are fairly cheap and have some functionality differences that can come in handy. iPad Pro’s are USB class compliant, so the range of audio interfaces should be much broader than the older older iPad devices.
The only reason I didn’t go for the external fx boxes is because I already had the iPad, fx apps and the interface, so it saved me probably £1k+ on more hardware. I could upgrade to fx boxes in the future as the mixer and cabling infrastructure would be the same.
Received my Hapax and Im pretty stoked. Very different to the pyramid in build and feel. Had to shift some gear around so need to get used to the new work flow as well as the learning curve on the Hapax, but first world problems am I right? What an awesome centre piece and look forward to being creative again.
Love the community here too. Amazing ecosystem youve built team squarp
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Nice space!
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That’s a nice, tight “command center” with everything right at your fingertips. What is the box just below the left studio monitor?
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Thank you all, took me a while to build the desk and get the hutches right.
X32 rack underneath the left monitor, i picked up pretty cheap
this is (a part of) my studio
the Hapax is connected to my Copperlansetup . It consists of 5x AL88c wich gives me 40 Midi IN & 40 Out.
It’s very flexible so i can play any synth from my Hapax and i also can record Midi from every device.
Everything is synced from 2 E-RM Multiclocks.
Unfortunately the Hapax cannot switch automatically between Internal and external clock.
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Oooh, nice set up. Very warm and inviting.
Are they Kii Three monitors? I’d love to upgrade my Neumann’s with a pair of those!
yes Kii Three. Expensive but the sound is not from this world. Had the Genelec 8350 before… wich are really great monitors. But this is truly a different level.
If you’re really considering some, contact Kii Audio directly. I got my pair quite a bit cheaper because some super minor scratches somewhere at the back
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Thanks for the tip. I have seen some ex-demo speakers for £10,000 - so 33% reduction. I’ll send Kii an email also.
Here’s where my Hapax sits, I needed to be able to quickly tuck my gear away so I have everything in an 88 key case, I just need to plug it in the wall and voilà.
There’s an 8 input interface that’s connected to the MPC doing the mixing and FX, along with the drum samples.
Cheers !
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Here’s my area - one of the rare times its not a mess of patch cables so I can give it a clean.
Everything runs through a line mixer on the windowsill at the moment as my old mixer packed in. Not sure where I’d put a mixer now though as I quite like having the big clean desk surface. Maybe the way @Loz has theirs under the desk would work, or something on wheels.
I got the desk from these guys in Ukraine - they customised the dimensions for me so it would fit all my bits - luckily I left enough space that it all still fit when the Hapax replaced the Pyramid. Its probably the nicest piece of furniture in the house!
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I’ve got some felt pads on the bit of wood right at the bottom of that tower (under the tape deck) so I can pull it out when I want to have a proper fiddle with the EQs. There’s also a patch bay screwed in under my desk, so the only cables plugged into the desk are 8-way cable looms, so the whole thing is very manoeuvrable.
Already posted but figured I’d do the updated shots. My synth rack is to the right of my main desk and I’ve got all my synths routed into my Patchbay and then into my interface and expander. Have the Oto devices on the right side of my desk. Literally all my hardware is controlled by Hapax. I also have everything hooked up with USB so I can either send midi from ableton or through ableton or to ableton.
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