Using external Mixer
 

I have a Motu 828es which is an audio interface with its own hardware and application for mixing that I want to use with my PT tracks.

I recorded two tracks of guitars as a raw recording. I now want to send those tracks back out to the mixer and apply the EQ/Gain/Filtering and send back the resulting audio tracks to PT to new tracks in the project.

I am able to route the raw audio from PT to the mixer, and the mixer is doing its thing and outputting back to the computer. I can tap into the output on the mixer console and hear the result.

But when I point the new input for the audio tracks in PT to these mixer outputs, they are not seeing the signal.

I know that I could use software plugins to perform the same mixing function, but I want to use the hardware mixer to offload the computer and because it is easier to control and produces the result I am looking for.

Seems like something straight forward to do, but am I missing a concept here that prevents this?

Re: Using external Mixer
 

You need to set up Hardware Inserts, but I would also advise against unless you have really good DA/AD converters. You will likely get better end results using Avid stock plugins than going external.

Re: Using external Mixer
 

What mixer?

Re: Using external Mixer
 

The MOTU has dedicated console-style mixing DSP beyond the usual low-latency monitoring stuff.

Re: Using external Mixer
 

You still need to either input-enable or record-enable the destination track in Pro Tools to be able to hear it.

Re: Using external Mixer
 

Yes, I have enabled the track I want to record to, but audio is not arriving in PT.

Re: Using external Mixer
 

So did you set up Hardware Insert or trying to do it the wrong way?

Re: Using external Mixer
 

I am not sure I follow the DA/AD issue. In my case, I have pre-amps that are doing the AD conversion and feeding into the MOTU. So the MOTU mixing console is mixing digital samples, and PT is recording digitized samples.

When PT sends these back to the MOTU, it is receiving an input that it is not doing AD conversion. So in theory, this re-routing of the audio should be transparent to PT. The data that PT is receiving from the MOTU should be in the same format in all the work flows.

This assumes that PT recording of digital audio samples is not converting them to some intermediate format. I am not sure about that, but I thought it did not do conversion at this stage.

Re: Using external Mixer
 

I lost you I think.

Whenever you have Hardware Insert set up, there are two or three physical facts you cannot avoid.

First is DA conversion which theoretically takes at least one sample (but in reality much longer) and then you have AD conversion which also theoretically takes at least one sample (but in reality much longer). In between, unless you use analog cable from output to input, the external gear may cause more delay. So you need to measure it and set it up on the IO setup delay compensation page.

Re: Using external Mixer
 

He is not talking about hardware inserts off a mixer. He is talking about using the DSP effects built into the MOTU mixer in the interface.

This is all a very bad way to work IMNSHO. If with what seems like small sessions you cannot use native plugins in Pro Tools something else is very wrong—fix it. And faffing around with the limited plugins in the MOTU interface is relatively a PITA and not flexible. These things are designed for low latency monitoring, not to replace DAW plugins