[Brent Lind]

Frankly, it's complicated!
There are many places you can safe something from snapshots, which is good once you know your way around, but it can be difficult to get started. At the risk of overdoing it, let me add a few opinions/pointers...

-IMO scoping all parameters is a BIG mistake. Granted it all depends on the application, but if you are using snapshots for cues or songs, the likelihood that you actually want Input and Output routing or H/W insert routing subject to snapshots is probably pretty low. By scoping parameters like that, if you don't actually need them, you are opening yourself up to potential disasters if you accidently change a patch mid-show.

-On the other hand, remember that not all snapshots have to serve the same function. I previously mentioned my "basic" song scope settings, but sometimes snapshots are great for other things. One example is a snapshot that patches your spare line into the main vocal channel strip, another example is a snapshot that switches you from a "touring" patch scheme to a different "flydate" patch. There are many possibilities.

To start from the beginning, go the snapshot page and create a new snapshot. Select the scoped parameters you want to include. Looking down below at the input and output tabs, by default all channels will be red, which means they are included in the scope. You can "un-scope" certain channels like perhaps your talkback at any time, although there are other ways to do this.

The next step to examine is the recall safe grid. When you select the green "A" button you are safe-ing all parameters of the input or output. Alternatively, you can selectively "safe" only certain parameters. IMO this is best thought of as where you program your exceptions. For example if you want to automate pans for most channels and you have scoped it everywhere, but you decide a certain channel should not have its pan settings automated, you can use the recall grid to safe only that parameter on only that input.
Note: the green "A" is identical and linked to selecting the "Safe" button on the surface for a certain channel IF you have "Act as Automation Safes" selected under OPTIONS - INTERACTION - Input Safe Switches.

We talked about the Aux Mon/Aux FX definitions, which exist to allow you to program with greater flexibility, and there is one more option which works in a similar way. In the Scope section, you can select "PRE" which scopes gain/pad/phase/HPF/phantom. However, this has a deeper option control under OPTIONS-SNAPSHOTS-Pre. Here you can select which parameters are included in the "PRE" setting. Basically this is a good thing because even if you choose to automate gain and HPF settings, it is highly unlikely you want to automate the application of phantom power.

Finally, another note that I find extremely helpful in the process of building snapshots. If you have channels scoped, but also set to Safe, when you store or update a snapshot, it remembers the current state of the inputs, even though it is unable to change their state. What this means is that if you keep a channel safed while updating snapshots and then eventually you un-safe it, it will remember its state when the snapshots were updated. This is extremely helpful when adding a new input to an existing show, or adding guest channels and the like. You can even build snapshots while keeping everything safe'd and slowly release certain inputs to the automation as you get comfortable, which can be a great way to work through rehearsals.

Anyway, hope some of this is helpful.