It’s Stem Ripper, and its expansion module accomplice, “With Mixer.” Patch it up quick, record individual stems, and perform stereo mixing with aux sends, panning, and even external USB MIDI control. And fit it all in 6HP + 8HP, with clever Eurorack modules from ALM/Busy Circuits.
Mixing and multitrack recording in Eurorack format is a thing of beauty — a gem for recording Eurorack patches and outboard gear alike, especially with the added creative possibilities of CV control. But it comes at a price: it does tend to eat HP.
So yeah, sure, you could go to a computer audio interface — think USB and ADAT interfaces. But that loses some immediacy and self-sufficiency, including on the go.
ALM has another option, via their Stem Ripper and now With Mixer, which completes the story one year after Stem Ripper’s initial launch. The building blocks:
Stem Ripper (above): 8HP, patch in your eight tracks (mono/stereo) and record multichannel WAV directly to SD card, with all the options. (Even the 64GB SD card is included.)
‘Thru’ output expander: 2HP, duplicate eight inputs to eight unbuffered outputs. (Optional) And now —
With Mixer: 6HP, now you get full 8-channel stereo mixing, with metering and options on a graphical display. 3 inputs for CV (expandable to up to 7), save and recall mixes, and add control via USB MIDI controller. (below; top)
That’s a lot of workflow possibilities. With Stem Ripper, you get automatic date-stamped recordings, lots of headroom and clip indicators, support for up to 1TB cards, and various output options (up to 48K/32-bit WAV). “With Mixer,” for its part, has full 8-channel mixing capability, and adds additional monitoring on its display so you can keep tabs on Stem Ripper’s recording.
Really, the one drawback — having a small display and menu-diving through controls — gets a big boon from that USB-C host connection. Connect something like a Novation LaunchControl XL MK3, and you’re good to go.
Stem Ripper, Thru Expander, and With Mixer are all in stock from Perfect Circuit. (Right now, Stem Ripper and Thru Expander are on sale, too!)
Stem Ripper 8-Channel Audio Recorder
With Mixer Expander for Stem Ripper
Product pages, more information, and documentation:
This provides a lower-cost, more affordable alternative to the 1010music box I’ve reviewed — and which was recently updated. That adds some advantages, too, including onboard effects processing (with sidechaining), USB interfacing (for audio; ALM has just MIDI host for controllers), a bunch of extra tools, and expanded mixing. This one’s my choice for a good balance of features — but I’d still look to Stem Ripper for quick recordings in a module you can always fit into a travel case!
And lastly, if you really long for analog, hands-on control, you can’t beat the Noise Engineering option for a splurge. It’s not compact compared to these options, but it is a lot more compact and flexible than lugging a standalone mixer.