// Gear & signal

Studio

Gear, signal flow, and studio setup for Breath & Decay.

Workflow

Sources and synths run through front-end gain, pedals, and hardware FX where it counts, then into the interface for tracking. Arrangement, edits, and mix live in the DAW; buses and master pass through the usual chain of clip-friendly processing, analog tone boxes on inserts or sends, and a final limiter.

Per-piece notes, shop links, and deeper write-ups will keep filling in over time. What you see below is the current hardware lineup with photos—more detail arrives as it gets written.

Affiliate disclosure

Interested in a piece of gear you see here? Where I’ve added them, the retailer buttons are affiliate links to shops I am comfortable pointing you toward.

If you click through and buy something from that store, Breath & Decay may earn a small commission. That does not change the price you pay - it’s built into how these programs work on the retailer’s side.

Using those links when you’re already shopping is one of the simplest ways to support the project. I’m grateful when you do.

Synthesizers, Samplers, & Controllers

Analog Synthesizer

Behringer Edge

The Behringer Edge is a fun little piece of gear. I picked it up to start playing around with analog and CV (control voltage) routed synthesis. The unit is capable of a lot but functionally it seems best for making drum sounds, percussive sounds, and blips and bloops. For a cheap unit, it is very sturdy and surprisingly heavy. It is worth pointing out that this is yet another in a long line of shameless clones released by the evil empire known as Behringer. Specifically, the Edge is a modernized clone of the Moog DFAM (Drummer From Another Mother). It supports traditional and USB MIDI, has both pink and white noise - the DFAM has only white - as well as a slightly easier-to-use sequencer, and a layout that is more intuitive than the DFAM. Most critically, it is cheaper than the DFAM by more than half. At a little over $200 USD, it was a fairly guilt-free pickup. Having said all that, for the elite audiophiles and synthesists out there, one thing does need to be said in the DFAM's favor: At the end of the day, the DFAM does sound a bit better. Or more accurately, the DFAM has a wider sweet spot. This becomes evident fairly quickly when following DFAM patch recipes. It is harder to dial them in on the Edge. This is due to the awesome - and patent-protected - Moog filters. It is the one thing Behringer can't just steal from them. So keep that in mind. Finally, I want to call out the Analog tempo knob on this thing. I don't know why but I have wasted so much time creating sequences and then playing with that knob to speed up and slow them down. It is so smooth and sounds so cool!

Controller

Akai Professional MPD 24
Evolution U-Control UC-33

Love this guy.
M-Audio Keystation 49e
M-Audio Oxygen 49
Novation Launchkey Mini

Digital Desktop

Akai Professional MPC Live III
Roland Aira TB-3

Drum Machine / V-Drum

Yamaha DTExpress

Sampler

E-MU Systems ESI-32

Upgraded to 32MB ram, Zulu SCSI 1.2 storage, 3.02 firmware for all digital filters.

Virtual Analog Keyboard

Access Virus Indigo II Redback

Limited edition redback version with the signatures of creators, Guido Kirsch and Christoph Kemper
Clavia Nord Lead 2X
Korg MS2000B