Need help on probably an easy question on outputs.

[Imbas]

Hello, I'm running the latest version of Pro Tools, and have been using the Avid Eleven as a audio processor and also a Peavey mixing board for multiple inputs. For a few years this has been enough for me as a solo home studio user. I've gotten some request to record some small duos, and I'd like to be able to offer more than one headphone mix using aux tracks to other than output 1/2 Mains. Simply put, I don't know what I need to do that. I see there are outputs 3/4 5/6 in pro tools that I could assign etc. but I don't think Eleven would handle those cleanly. Do I just need to buy a different audio processor like a Behringer U-Phoria UMC404HD USB Audio Interface to get more inputs and outputs? (Then output that to individual headphone amps)? Thanks...

[64GTOBOY]

For your planned use I would recommend a regular old headphone splitter cable or if needed an amplifier such as one of these: https://www.sweetwater.com/c413--Hea...d_Distribution

[Darryl Ramm]

I am not sure what you mean by "Eleven Handle these cleanly".

cleanly as in not distorted?

Eleven is a plugin, Eleven Rack is the hardware unit, are you talking about the plugin at all here?

For example tracking a guitar through the Eleven Rack rig, monitoring that for the guitarist on the main headphones, and tracking a vocalist through the mic input and giving them a custom headphone mix is all doable. Your problem may be more the complexity added by using a front-end mixer. If pro tools does not have a discrete input from your sources it cannot have full control in any monitor mix. If you are just recording duos why do you need the outboard mixer... (a better preamp might be one reason... unlikely with the Peavy). if you are downmixing several sources in the Peavy the you could always use it to provide a monitor mix... and feed DAW playback into that mix through the Peavy.. but again, especially when lost, simplify. Start by ditching the Peavy and work out how to route mic input on the Eleven Rack to non-Main outputs... do that starting in a tiny tests session.

What exactly are you trying to do... if you are trying to process two vocalists through the Eleven Rig in real time the things may not work like you want. the rig can only use one input at a time and the Eleven Rack only has one mic input anyhow.

If by duo you mean two vocalists... then running two vocalists through the eleven rack rig at the same time may not give you what you want... what effects in the rig are you using? And the eleven Rack only has one mic input... so you might use the mixer into a line input just to use its mic input, (or just run off the mic preamp insert if the mixer provides that). But again what are you trying to do? track dry vocals? track wet with the live rig? There is *nothing* in the eleven rack you cannot produce with a plugin, or fine tune later if you are tracking wet and dry signals, and within reason you should be able to track through low latency plugins, especially of you just want to use them to sweeten a monitor mix.

[Imbas]

Thank you for the info...so let me try to simplyfy the question. Right now, the only assigned outputs are the mains 1/2 (going through eleven rack). To be able to assign additional outputs, ie 3/4, 5/6 ... do I need an audio processor with more i/o? Like the examples i listed?

[albee1952]

Given the IO limitations of the Eleven Rack, I recommend another interface, probably with 8 preamps and 8-10 outputs(Focusrite and Presonus make USB interfaces like this). On the input side, recording more than 1 instrument is going to require more preamps and inputs, and 8 is a good starting point. Plus, many 8-channel interfaces have a lightpipe input which can host 8 more inputs from a suitable lightpipe-equipped preamp(Behringer ADA8200, Focusrite Octopre and Midas XL48 being 3 examples) for a total of 16 inputs(enough to cover drums, bass, guitars and a scratch vocal easily).

For outputs, 8-10 covers your main L/R to your monitors and the other 6-8 can do 3-4 stereo headphone mixes with 1 additional rack piece; a decent headphone amp. My recommendation there is the ART HeadAmp 6 Pro. Its a little bit of overkill, but, having owned several headphone amps, why I like the ART is easy; Its well-built and has all the inputs on the rear(where they belong). Pick one "bank" of send slots in Pro Tools(like F-J) and add 4 stereo sends to every track(and make them all Pre-Fade). Assign(in IO setup) 4 sets of stereo outputs to sends(maybe watch some youtube videos on setting up headphone mixes for extra help). If you start with each player's mix with their instrument sends at -0 and the other instruments at -10, plan on spending 20 minutes tweaking so everyone is happy with the phones(happy players play better and come back). Once this first session has the HP mixes dialed in, save it as a Session Template, so you can start the next song(s) with HP mixes ready to go(or at least close)

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Imbas

Thank you for the info...so let me try to simplyfy the question. Right now, the only assigned outputs are the mains 1/2 (going through eleven rack). To be able to assign additional outputs, ie 3/4, 5/6 ... do I need an audio processor with more i/o? Like the examples i listed?

Several things

I goofed recalling there was an analog out on the Eleven Rack, so no you don't have another analog pair to use for a dedicated cue mix. You can use the Digital Out (AES/EBU S/PDIF) out to a digital headphone amp/processor if you have one... which is exactly what I've done in pinch in the past.

All you need to know about IO capability of the Eleven Rack is in the Eleven Rack manual. You should find the PDF and read it.

If you are not seeing the interface IO names you expect you need to "default the IO": With the Eleven Rack selected as the playback engine go into Setup>IO and on each of the Input/Output/Bus tabs click on each path to select it, click the Delete button and when they are all gone click the Default button.

In a nutshell the Eleven Rack I/O is --

DAW Inputs
1. Guitar In
2. Mic In
3. Rig Out L
4. Rig Out R
5. Digital In L
6. Digital In R
7. Line In L
8. Line in R

DAW Outputs
1. Main Output L
2. Main Output R
3. Reamp L
4. Reamp R
5. Digital Out L
6. Digital Out R

You should see IO names similar to that that if your IO is correctly set up. But those names are just symbolic, you can change them to anything you want. All that matters is the IO numbers.

It may make more sense for you to have an interface with more IO capability, maybe hang the Eleven Rack off the interface, or maybe use plugins, I really can't tell what your needs are. If you want to hang the Eleven Rack off a different interface I would get one with S/PDIF or AES/EBU input and output (doing that is well described in the Eleven Rack manual). And you are saying "audio processor" not "interface", that is a part of my worry here. What exactly do you expect that box to do?