How to add more I/O's.
 

I recently hooked up a Mackie 1640i and it only allows me to have to 16 ins and outs. How do I have more outs for routing headphones and external effects, etc. does Pro Tools 11 only go to 16?

Re: How to add more I/O's.
 

ie... I'm having to use channels 15 and 16 for the master fader. There has to be a way to assign the master fader an out so I can use it.

Re: How to add more I/O's.
 

I think the Mackie is working as designed, but since you are on a Mac, you might be able to set up an "aggregate" IO and add another interface to provide extra outputs. Hopefully someone has done this and can chime in:o

Re: How to add more I/O's.
 

As Dave said, and I have said in your other thread this is a 16x16 interface, and I've pointed you at the schematic and explained many of your options.

Aggregate IO is unlikely to work reliably with this mixer, or most interfaces.

As I mentioned in your other thread. You have lots of flexibility in creating headphone/cue mixes using combinations of Pro Tools and aux busses in this mixer. And you have up to 14 hardware inserts to drive external effects boxes wth (16 outputs minus 2 for the main stereo out from Pro Tools to your control room/main outs/headphones).

Have you actually got this thing working with Pro Tools yet? You were asking really basic questions just yesterday--and it sounded like nothing had ever worked. You need to take time, play with and understand this box.

What at a high level are you trying to do? Track and/or mix what kind of band/instruments? record how many mono tracks live etc? Need how many cue mixes? Do you have a headphone/distribution amp already.. What make/model? Are you mixing fir a live perormance? Band practice? Or are you using this mixer just as an interface in a studio? How experienced are you with live mixers and/or Pro Tools (that helps folks know how much detail to give).

What exactly are these "external effects" you want to use? You talking about tracking through them or mixing through them? Make and model of each hardware box? and how many of each? As I already mentioned most folks are usually better off using software plugins, not external effect boxes.

If you lay out clearly what you are trying to do at a high level production/music wise then folks here can either tell you how to get there or if you can't with what you have then what sort of gear to look at. This will save you a lot of time and hassle either way.

Re: How to add more I/O's.
 

Let's get the terminology clear. You mean main mix output on the mixer, most folks would think you mean the Pro Tools master fader.

This is all in the circuit schematic you have and should be clear with the front panel FireWire config buttons. It is your choice if you use FireWire channel 15/16 output in the mixer for track 15/16 or for the main out mix down. This is a 16x16 interface and the designer is just providing maximum flexibility. If you are just tracking live and really need to track every input you have then don't record the mix down.

Again what are you trying to do? Are you live tracking? I'm starting to get the sense you are trying to use this as a studio mixer instead of mixing in Pro Tools?

Re: How to add more I/O's.
 

I'm basically using this as an interface in the studio. I guess I'm not understanding that I need to hook up headphone send and external effects like I would in a live setting.

Re: How to add more I/O's.
 

And nobody here can help you until you describe *clearly*/simply what you are trying to do. "hook up headphone send" tells nobody enough useful information.

You sound a little lost, just start slowly and build what you are trying to do. Doing one thing at a time and confirming that one thing works as expected.

What exactly do you have working today? Can you record anything? Hear your mix back from Pro Tools in the main outs/headphones? Do you have a single external hardware effects box (what one) connected to the hardware insert on a track like I described in your other thread?

Do you have an proper insert Y cable for your effects box(es)?

Inserts for outboard effects (as discussed in your other thread) work exactly the same for firewire signals from your DAW as if using the console live, you just have firewire feeding that channel instead of the mic-pre/line in and the effect plugged into the hardware insert. Your insert lives entirely in that channel's hardware world. Its not individually switchable from Pro Tools, like a Pro Tools hardware insert would be where you go out an in a paired IO channels--but that should not matter at all.

Again, you want to connect what exact make/model effect boxes? For tracking or mixing?

Do you own a headphone amp/distribution box? What one?

Hook up how many headphones? For tracking cue mixes? How many different cue mixes? Do you want talent to monitor through the hardware mixer or Pro Tools/software? If hardware do you have a basic aux mix set up at all and working (start completely independent of Pro Tools, get a headphone amp connected to the aux bus out and get a mix on that aux in the console, exactly like you would live).

And all the other questions I've asked before... copy and paste every question here in your answer and answer each one. You are now running three separate threads on DUC where you are basically not answering most questions people ask you.

Re: How to add more I/O's.
 

And part of what is confusing me here is you list a (lovely BTW) Universal Audio LA 610 in your signature. Is that the only outboard box you have? Do you want to track through that or use the compressor at mix time (for a single track or the main Pro Tools output?)? Or both?

If that is the only outboard box you have then you still have lot of inputs to track through regardless of what you want to do.

Re: How to add more I/O's.
 

I want to connect an Alesis Quadraverb.
I want to have at least 3 different headphone mixes for talent ran from pro tools.
I use the LA 610 for a vocal preamp that I use on channel 1 or 2.

Re: How to add more I/O's.
 

And all those other questions.... Esp. What exactly do you have working so far?

Start simple. One step at a time.

There are lots of ways to do this but since you brought a mixer you might as well set it up more like one...

Get some live signal playing into track 3 on the mixer. A line in from a IPod, a live mic you can speak into, whatever.

Get that input playing back over headphones connected to the mixer. No pro tools involved, nothing else.

Stick an Insert Y cable into track 3 insert/return (do you have an insert cable?... Third time I have asked).
Stick Insert Y cable send lead into mono in (R) on the quadraverb
Stick Insert Y cable return lead into mono out (R) on the quadraverb
Play with the quadraverb and confirm it works, and you can hear what you expect to in the headphones.
Now fire up Pro Tools put whatever track you want to process on FireWire 3 output from Pro Tools.
Press the FireWire in button at the top of channel strip 3
Press play in Pro Tools.
Do you hear that track on your headphones? Being processed by the quadraverb?
Now you can record FireWire 3 input back to another track in Pro Tools.

Want to work I stereo, that is a bit more more complex but doable. You should be able to work that out/play to do that.

I do get the attraction of playing with vintage effects, but what the quadraverb can do and much more is doable with plugins. Often with less hassle, less noise and more fidelity. If you are desperately short on IO to/from Pro Tools it likely is an easy decision to ditch the quadraverb and use plugins.