Well... maybe I should explain my new plans (hopefully my last):
I recently had to accept, that I simply end up "dead" in programming music... that is all that copy/paste you have to do in an arrangement... I usually create small loops in layers on top of each other, and when a riff is done, I simply loose all interest in spreading that riff out, and create the arrangement (bridges, pauses etc.)... IF I once in a while get something done that last more than 3 minutes, the last 75% bored me and end up being "so so"... I realize now, that the only way I'm going to get fun from making something to the end, is by PLAYING it all to the end... in one go... that is; jammin' the whole score in one go, sampling the resulting stereo track.
It irritates me that it has taken so long to realize that I'm a performance kind of musician, and not the programming type which I've been for now more than 25 years... but that's just how it is, and now I have to create a specific kind of studio setup to allow me to do just this... and at the same time not get too complicated since limitations always made me fokus better.
So HD recording is out of the question, as this only allow for layering one track at a time... but on the other hand, I can not play all myself at one time... so now MIDI sequencers will be the answer to this... hopefully with time it'll be a hardware sequencer, but until then, my computer will do.
Thus my plan is to use a small format hardware analog mixer, and I've recently ordered one that I know, the Mackie ONYX 1220... this will give me 8 synths connected, 4 mono and 4 stereo which is fine.
The 4 mono synths will be monophonic analogue synths that will be doing basslines, arps and other accompagnement synth loops... the synths has been decided allready... Dreadbox Hades, Erebus, Nyx and the coming Medusa... i like their character, they offer something unique each of them, and they are all hands on with few controls as to not stop the creative flow completely.
The 4 stereo synths will be connected directly to my new Roland motherkeyboard that has four MIDI outs... they will be played live on top of the 4 monosynths that is being sequenced... I will then fade different tracks in and out by moving faders and switching buttons on the mixer directly while performing... much in the way Klaus Shultze is working I guess.
For the ambient music I want to make, I need a pro reverb and delay... the ONYX mixer has two mono sends which fits the PCM92 nicely... it has got 4 "blocks" that can be assigned two by two for each input (L/R)... this will serve all my FX needs in addition to the synths own FX.
Four guitar pedals or other analog FX will be assigned to the inserts of the 4 mono channels on a "per score" basis...
That is basically it... it will also make it easier to make performance videos later for YouTube etc.
The four stereo synths will be V-Synth XT, Prophet 12, PEAK and one more to come (not decided, as it does not exist yet).
More monosynths may be obtained, as they can easily be swapped as "per project" .. they do not need editors or presets or anything...