CueMix FX hardware monitoring. MOTU Track16

Effects processing and automated mixing

Reducing latency with the buffer size setting has another benefit: it lets you route live inputs through the real-time effects processing and mix automation of your audio software.

CUEMIX FX HARDWARE MONITORING

The Track16 has a more direct method of patching audio through the system:

CueMix FX

. CueMix FX is a digital mixer in the Track16 hardware itself.

CueMix FX has two important benefits:

■

First, it completely eliminates the patch thru delay (reducing it to a small number of samples — the same amount as any digital mixer).

■

Secondly, CueMix FX imposes no strain on the computer.

The trade-off, however, is that CueMix FX bypasses your host audio software. Instead, live audio inputs are patched directly through to outputs in the Track16 itself and are mixed with disk tracks playing back from your audio software.

This means that you cannot apply host-based plug-ins, mix automation, or other real-time effects that your audio software provides. But for inputs that don’t need these types of features,

CueMix FX is the way to go.

On the other hand, if you really need to use the mixing and processing provided by your audio software, you should not use CueMix FX. Instead, reduce latency with the buffer setting (as explained earlier in this chapter).

TWO METHODS FOR CONTROLLING

CUEMIX FX

There are two ways to control CueMix FX:

■

With the Track16’s CueMix FX software

■

From within your host audio software (if it supports direct hardware monitoring)

You can even use both methods simultaneously.

Using the CueMix FX app

If your host audio software does not support direct hardware monitoring, you can run the CueMix FX software side-by-side with your audio software and manage your monitor mix in CueMix FX.

CueMix FX allows you to create up to eight separate Track16 stereo mixes, or any other desired routing configurations. These routings are independent of your host audio software. For

complete details, see chapter 9, “CueMix FX”

(page 57).

Controlling CueMix FX from your audio software

Some audio applications allow you to control

CueMix FX monitoring from within the application (without the need to use CueMix FX).

In most cases, this support consists of patching an

Track16 input directly to an output when you record-arm a track. Exactly how this is handled depends on the application.

The following applications are among those that support direct control over CueMix FX:

■

Digital Performer

■

AudioDesk

CueMix FX routings that are made via host applications are made “under the hood”, which means that you won’t see them in CueMix FX.

However, CueMix FX connections made inside your host audio software dovetail with any other mixes you’ve set up in CueMix FX. For example, if your host application routes audio to an output pair that is already being used in CueMix FX for an entirely separate mix bus, both audio streams will simply be merged to the output.

55

R E D U C I N G M O N I T O R I N G L A T E N C Y

Controlling CueMix FX from within AudioDesk or Digital Performer

To turn on CueMix FX in AudioDesk and Digital

Performer:

1

From the Setup menu, choose

Configure Audio

System> Input Monitoring Mode

.

2

Choose the

Direct hardware playthrough

option, as shown below in Figure 8-7.

3

From the Studio menu, choose

Audio Patch

Thru

, and choose any monitoring mode except

Off

.

56

Figure 8-7: Enabling CueMix FX in AudioDesk or Digital Performer.

Once enabled, CueMix FX monitoring is tied with

Digital Performer or AudioDesk’s

Audio Patch

Thru

feature: when you record-enable a track, the track’s input is routed directly to its output (via

CueMix FX in the Track16 hardware). For example, if you record-enable a track called

guitar

in your DP or AudioDesk project, and its audio input assignment is

Analog in 2

, and its audio output assignment is optical channels 7-8,

CueMix FX no-latency hardware monitoring will automatically be set up from analog in 2 to optical outputs 7-8.

Controlling CueMix FX from within other software

Consult the manual for your software.

R E D U C I N G M O N I T O R I N G L A T E N C Y