Hello knowledgeable readership

Current problem is thus:

I want to use some outboard processors with my saffire pro 14 but I'm having some issues. The problem is that I work almost exclusively on headphones (baby and wife and day job) - so I want to be able to send the main monitor mix (outputs 1 and 2) to the headphones, leaving outputs 3 and 4 to route audio from Logic (my DAW) to the external processors. It seems that whatever is sent from outputs 3 and 4 is hard wired to the headphones on the Saffire. So, I can either send the entire mix to the outboard (and hear that on my cans - not useful), or only hear the processed parts of the mix on the headphones (and therefore I can't hear the processing in context - also not useful).

Logic seems to automatically have its outputs 1 and 2 as the output mix, but I can see that I might be able to juggle things in Logic but can't work out what I need to do or how to do it!

Anyone managed to successfully use a Pro 14 with outboard in this way? just to be clear it would be absolutely fine if I was using my monitors to, erm, monitor - its just that whatever I send from outputs 3 and 4 seems to be all I can send to the headphones. I think....

Any help would be really welcome!

Thanks

Luke

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please make it all simple.

Quote:

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whatever I send from outputs 3 and 4 seems to be all I can send to the headphones. I think....

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You might be right, dunno, but that would seem pretty odd. Are you familiar with Saffire MixControl? (Looks confusing.)

http://www.focusrite.com/answerbase/en/article.php?id=1061

its the mix control that is the source of my current frustrations. If I could work out how to attach a photo I could show you the source of the mix control issue...I'll keep working on it (the photo that is)...

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please make it all simple.

SOS forums don't host photos I'm afraid. The option to insert an image in a post is a piece of UBB code that links to a picture hosted elsewhere on the internet. The secret to using it is to upload your image to a web based photo host like Flickr or Photobucket, which is what I use. Essentially, anywhere on the web where you can upload a picture will do.

Once you have the image on a host you need to get the HTML link that points to it. It sounds technical, but the image hosts make it very easy for you. Photobucket has a little menu for each image with options to click on, the HTML one copy's the link to your clipboard. Once you have that saved, in the post you are writing here click on 'Image' in the Instant UBB Code box. That will open a input box where you can paste the link.

A place holder is created which calls the image and displays it when the post is made.

Although the forum software should resize images it occasionally has a hiccup, so we advise it is best to resize your image before you upload it to your host. Keep the maximum as 800 pixels in either direction and you'll have no problems.

I know it sounds long winded, but I promise it's one of those things that's easier to do than it is to explain. Even I was able to work out how to do it !!

Good luck

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

great - thanks Zen - I wondered how you managed to get all of those shots of the ukes up so efficiently! I'll try to stick up a pic in a second and them hopefully my current predicament will be become a little more intelligible...

How are the ukes coming on by the way?

L

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please make it all simple.

and.... [image]http://[/image]

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please make it all simple.

woop woop! Picture up! Thanks again Zen.

If you look in the middle of the (grainy, sorry) picture it makes it reasonably clear that outputs 3 and 4 are automatically sent to the headphones - not great if you are trying to monitor the whole mix from headphones, while using outputs 3 and 4 as the sends for an effects loop. Apologies if I have misused or entirely made up technical terms there, but hopefully you might see the issue...

thanks

Luke

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please make it all simple.

Still, even if you're right about 3&4 being hard-wired to the headphones, it should be fairly straightforward to configure things so that the main mix is on 3&4 and the sends use 1&2, either in Logic, or maybe in the Saffire mixer, by selecting the relevant DAW outputs.

http://www.focusrite.com/answerbase/en/article.php?id=1062

now
in the old saffire pro (10/10 in my case) software, you have to look at the output section to the right of where you photo'd

there is the 8 input tracks (like what you show) in the vertical and the faders to the right (5 of them) have the output mixes.

you can assign headphone output 1 to hear either output 1-2 OR 5-6 and headphone 2 to 3-4 or 7-8

so - if you're using headphone out 2 - you can't assign output 1-2 to it! (it's either 3-4 or 7-8)

your's is different by the looks....and you can (i think) change the routing....the routing section (so the manual says) is at the bottom right hand corner - just outside of your picture...i think it opens another window.....

-it seems that there is a monitor preset section....this may help - however, you seem right in that the headphones are hardwired to 3-4 - have you looked at the routing section?? - whatever that is....

wot i would do....

if you are only using 1 peice of outboard - I'd route and plug it in to output 5-6 (in logic and physically on the saffire)....use that as your effect send output, and double up 1-2 to 3-4 (in logic - send 100% of your output 1-2 to another aux channel, set to output 3-4)....this should work right now without you fiddling with the software .....it's a bit of a fudge but will work for now!

it does look as if you can assign the headphone out to hear whatever output you want....however, it will need you to dig into the routing section - and i don't have this software.....sorry

(the manual might help - here... )

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http://soundcloud.com/seaapes

Edited by Wease (27/11/12 07:04 PM)

Hello and thanks for all the advice so far...

The problems are that the interface only has 4 analogue outs (so I can't rout audio to 5&6 as suggested - they don't exist!). If I route the main mix through 3&4, then Logic has a weird quirk whereby I can't then use 1&2 to send audio to the outboard stuff. This isn't unique to my set up or to me - http://www.logic-users-group.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4614

So it seems the only work around is to either not monitor on headphones when I want to use outboard kit (second baby arriving in around 3 weeks - not totally practical) or to get more outputs. Bummer.

So - new soundcard time or could anyone provide any advice on whether I can use the S/Pdif ins and outs of the saffire to expand my analogue outputs? What would I need to get to do that (if it is possible).

Thanks again for all your help and sorry for resurrecting such an old thread!

Thanks

Luke

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please make it all simple.

Answering my own question here but if I get this
http://www.thomann.de/gb/lindy_audiokonverter_spdif_analog.htm?sid=03d2c89 a77f8b72561f91f08fc178123
then I should be good I think. Convert the S/PDif output from the saffire to "analogue 5&6" and then plug the outputs from the hardware back into the saffire.

Boom.

Maybe. Anyone see any issues (will I lose a lot of audio quality using this converter box for example)?

Thanks in advance

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please make it all simple.

Just in case anyone finds themselves in need a similar position to me - get a DAC box like the one linked to above. Works perfectly and I am all good to go again.

thanks all

Luke

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please make it all simple.