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Originally Posted by sharchik
I really need some help understanding my options and who ever explains this to me needs to put it in as simple terms as possible cause I'm literally retarded when it comes to understanding DAW I/O.
Ok, so my goal is to use Eleven Rack as an interface for live performance by sending a mix containing Pre-recorded audio through the "Main Output" XLR's to a PA system, the "Outputs to Amps" to my onstage amps, and a headphone output of some sort to our drummer that is different from the "Main Output" mix. This mix will contain a click track, but what it plays is not important I just need to figure out how to do it.
My question is what are my options for creating a separate headphone mix for my drummer and will the Eleven Rack be able to do what I'm asking? If not what set up should I be running, what interface should I buy to do this, and are there affordable options out there?
Thank you guys I really need your help!
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You can do this with an Eleven rack, but only just barely, and not with the standard headphone output--that is fed from the main out signal not a separate Pro Tools IO output. But You could use the Eleven Rack digital output and feed that as a separate digital out from Pro Tools -- your drummer would need a DAC/headphone amplifier (but that is nice since it controls his own headphone volume level) that you can drive with S/PDIF or AES/EBU digital output from the eleven rack. But be careful--does the drummer need a whole band live mix to in the headphone as well (ESP. For in-ear monitors with high sound isolation?) or is he relying on hearing the live sound through open headphones? Does he want to control that mix himself?
If you don't want to go that digital out to headphone route then you need a separate audio interface with more IO capability than the Eleven Rack. And I suspect you also need more IO capability anyhow to make things easy for FOH sound guy by feeding the Eleven Rack main output and the separate Pro Tools interface output to the FOH mixer entirely separately (I prefer this, unless your FOH guy is going to drive Pro Tools for you?). You really want the FOH guy to be able to control the guitar and backing track levels and he may not be wild about trying to do this from within Pro Tools.
If you want to go this route what interface for Pro Tools to recommend for this type of use depends on lots of things, your budget, what exact Pro Tools computer you have, what other recording or other uses you want to use it for, whether the backing track will be a prerecorded audio track or wether you want to generate that from virtual instruments etc. (that affects more the computer you may need), or be playing any outboard midi instruments from Pro Tools . You need to provide more info here.
If you did not need a main backing music to FOH then the drummers system could be entirely stand alone, including a click track (recorded originally in Pro Tools if you want) playing back over anything to the drummer, including an iPod, etc.
How a whole live performance with multiple songs will be handled from within Pro Tools while you are playing live is something to carefully think of. Who will drive all this? (a band member? The FOH sound guy?). You might end up with say a four track
There is a lot to learn here and lots of chance for confusion, my advice is to start messing around now with whatever you can, especially just using the Eleven rack, as simple as possible (start with no backing or click tracks) so you can get your Eleven rack going to the PA and stage monitors/amps (what on stage amp models are these exactly? exactly what these are and what you are trying to achieve with these may be an issue). E.g. If you are using guitar amps on stage you may be better off drive the FX loop return on those amps with the main out not the amp 1/2 out -- but that is conflicting using those outputs for the FOH (so you may want to loop that back from a mixer panel). There is enough to learn about all the Eleven Rack stuff and things like cab sim setting inflexibility silliness when mixing amp 1/2 and FOH amps. The way you really learn this is playing around with it.
How much experience do you have with Pro Tools and do you have a well set up Pro Tools computer that trust to run reliably in a live stage situation? You may be in for a steep learning curve, don't just assume this will work on any old computer, you must set this up according to the Pro Tools systems optimizations guides for you particular computer OS.
What type of music does the band play? What instruments are on the backing track? This is stereo? The band musicians are playing what instruments live? What does the FOH sound system look like? What model mixer panel (is it used today to drive aux/headphone outputs for click tracks etc?) What type of amp and effects are you looking to simulate with the Eleven Rack? What about bass etc. (is there another Eleven Rack for bass? Driving what stage amps?).
If you were hoping to also record the band speak up now because that is another huge kettle of fish, with possibly much more equipment required.
Darryl