Aggregating devices in Windows

[wst3]

For as long as I can remember, one of the most compelling arguments to jump ship - switch to Mac OS - was Core Audio. While not perfect, the few missing pieces are easily replaced, albeit with hardware. But when one ponders, one suspects that anyone sophisticated enough to need to aggregate devices (MIDI or audio) probably has reasonably capable gear.

Bluecat Audio now has a solution for the rest of us! Blue Cat Connector, and maybe Blue Cat Patchwork, still not entirely clear on that. They just (this past Monday!) published a tutorial on the topic:

Using Multiple Audio Interfaces with a single DAW

I haven't gotten it working just yet, I am trying to avoid purchasing Patchworks, time will tell! But this is exciting. I may be able to address my Apollo x6 and Twin X (Thunderbolt), and my now ancient Presonus 1818VSL (USB2) and my Line 6 Helix (also USB2) simultaneously, as a single ASIO device. Which takes care of audio.

If I understand their literature, Connector also handles MIDI. I've been using Bome's MIDI Translator, and it does everything one can imagine, at least as far as I can tell. For a long time I was using a pair of Alyseum AL-88s to handle MIDI to/from my synthesizers. Sadly the product was discontinued, but Copperlan - the software that managed them, - was still working until very recently. I haven't decided how I want to handle MIDI over IP, I have Bome's, and IOConnectivity, and at least one of them should do the trick. iPMIDI does work, but it is klunky.

If I can get all of this to work I will finally have a (nearly) patchbay-less little studio. That has been a goal for a long time, and I could have done it using DANTE for audio, if I could afford the hardware. Now it may be within my reach...

[Thomas Mavian]

Ooohhh! Aggregate device was one reason I held on to Mac as long as I did. Sold of all outboard synthesizers and had enough channels with the Apollo and an eight channel ADAT interface to finally switch to Windows.

Will indeed check this out. Thanks!

[wst3]

Enjoy - and please, do let me know when you get it all figured out