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This is very confusing and extremely difficult to nail down because of all the tradeoffs.




You said that right.

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sounds like you need a good multi in/out interface similar to my EMU. With that you can use either your internal softsynths or external hardware. Something like my SC with a full synth plus multiple ins/outs that also acts as an interface may not exist.




But you don't seem confused at all, this is my understanding also.

BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6