12 posts
Page 1 of 1
I think I'm missing something very basic on this.

Interface Mode .png


The line diagram suggests that the Main Outputs are unavailable to the DAW when Interface Mode is active. There is a somewhat cryptic entry about this in the addendum at 4.1.3:

To provide the most flexible mixing environment, PreSonus has provided a stereo Main Digital Return to free the channels returns to be patched directly to their corresponding channels on your StudioLive mixer. In this way, you can monitor the main output from your recording application without using two channels on your StudioLive, leaving the other channels available to be routed to the Fat Channel or for inserting a plug-in on a live instrument.
• These digital returns are selectable as the tape return source on the StudioLive series III.
• These digital returns are available as dedicated channels in each mix on StudioLive rack mixers.


This seems contradictory to me. Either the DAW cannot access the Main Outs (which I assume is where most of us hang the monitor speakers when using the mixer as an interface) as the drawing suggests, or it can through some (unfortunately undesignated) dedicated channels as the text suggests.

I've tried multiple routings, but can't get the main output of S1 to appear at the Main Outs of the 32R when in Interface Mode. Ready to be corrected on this.

Peter

MacBook Pro 15,1 2.3GHz
Monterey 12.6.2
Studio One 6.0.2
StudioLive 32R
Faderport 16
ATOM
User avatar
by wahlerstudios on Tue Apr 06, 2021 4:27 pm
I think it's not a problem of the DAW, it's simply a fact that Main L/R of the Series II mixers (consoles and rack mixers) have no USB input. You have to use Tape In/Digital Return, which is routed to Main L/R. Interface Mode does not change those basic settings. Interface Mode is using WDM 1-6 aka the first six flex mix outputs of the mixer.
User avatar
by peterbaird on Tue Apr 06, 2021 4:54 pm
wahlerstudios wroteI think it's not a problem of the DAW, it's simply a fact that Main L/R of the Series II mixers (consoles and rack mixers) have no USB input. You have to use Tape In/Digital Return, which is routed to Main L/R. Interface Mode does not change those basic settings. Interface Mode is using WDM 1-6 aka the first six flex mix outputs of the mixer.


Never said anything about it being a DAW problem. Look carefully--the block diagram suggests there is no pathway for the DAW main outs to make it to the mixer Main Outs in Interface Mode. Whether they land as the Tape Input (typically USB 37-38) or the Digital Return (assignable) the USB Returns from the DAW have all bypassed the mixer. I'm sure that isn't correct, but that's definitely what the drawing implies.

All I'm getting at is there should be (and probably is) a back door to get the DAW main outs to the mixer Main Outs in Interface Mode, and it's not clear from the documentation.

Peter

MacBook Pro 15,1 2.3GHz
Monterey 12.6.2
Studio One 6.0.2
StudioLive 32R
Faderport 16
ATOM
User avatar
by SwitchBack on Tue Apr 06, 2021 5:04 pm
Yeah, it’s a bit cryptic. This is how it works:

In interface mode you cannot change the USB input patching in the 32R but the default mapping of the stereo Digital Return is still on channels 37 and 38. So when you:
- send S1’s Main Output to Channels 37 and 38,
- set the mixer’s Input Source for Dig Ret to USB, and
- raise the Dig Ret fader in the mixer’s Main mix
you’ll have S1’s Main Output in the mixer’s Main mix :)

Interesting to know: Also works with Aux input 1 (Ch 33/34) and Aux Input 2 (Ch 35/36).

Also interesting to know: In interface mode you can still access the subgroups on the mixer, and you can still patch them to Aux outputs too ;)
User avatar
by wahlerstudios on Tue Apr 06, 2021 5:37 pm
I have to say that I also haven't understood what this diagram is supposed to tell us, but what I have seen is that Interface Mode is a reallly powerful tool. There is now a new template, the "StudioLive 32 Interface Mode", which makes the cue mixes available and routed. The "old" template also works and you can route DAW buses to all 16 flex mix outputs. This starts at USB 39+40, so when I route the main bus of Studio One to USB output 39+40, the signal is available at flex mix outputs 1+2. Still, it's not possible to route the DAW main mix to the Main L/R outputs of the rack mixer or console.
User avatar
by SwitchBack on Tue Apr 06, 2021 6:10 pm
The diagram only shows the mapping of the mixer’s channels, not the mapping of Digital Return or the Aux Inputs.
User avatar
by wahlerstudios on Thu Apr 08, 2021 5:27 pm
Some additional information. I was playing around with Interface Mode a little bit and checking different things. It always takes some time to remember if you don't really work with a feature. First I should say that Interface Mode has nothing to do with WDM. That's a computer/Windows thing. Interface Mode deals with the flex mix outputs and routing signals from Studio One directly to the outputs. It's actually a simple output routing. You can create stereo or mono outputs and route tracks or buses to outputs 1-16. The screenshots show the settings. The USB input of flex mix output 1 is 39, USB input of flex mix 16 is 54.

Attachments
flexmixoutputs.jpg
cuemixes.jpg
User avatar
by PAE Seth on Fri Apr 09, 2021 7:42 am
peterbaird wroteI think I'm missing something very basic on this.

Interface Mode .png


The line diagram suggests that the Main Outputs are unavailable to the DAW when Interface Mode is active. There is a somewhat cryptic entry about this in the addendum at 4.1.3:

To provide the most flexible mixing environment, PreSonus has provided a stereo Main Digital Return to free the channels returns to be patched directly to their corresponding channels on your StudioLive mixer. In this way, you can monitor the main output from your recording application without using two channels on your StudioLive, leaving the other channels available to be routed to the Fat Channel or for inserting a plug-in on a live instrument.
• These digital returns are selectable as the tape return source on the StudioLive series III.
• These digital returns are available as dedicated channels in each mix on StudioLive rack mixers.


This seems contradictory to me. Either the DAW cannot access the Main Outs (which I assume is where most of us hang the monitor speakers when using the mixer as an interface) as the drawing suggests, or it can through some (unfortunately undesignated) dedicated channels as the text suggests.

I've tried multiple routings, but can't get the main output of S1 to appear at the Main Outs of the 32R when in Interface Mode. Ready to be corrected on this.

Peter


The Main Outputs on ALL mixers are not available to DAW. In addition, the Aux Outputs also did not have a Digital Return point for direct to physical output on the mixer. The USB returns were and are always routed to and from the INPUT channels. Bus / Mix outputs are then setup and routed internally on the mixer from there.

Interface Mode, which mimics a standard interface, reroutes and bypasses the Mixer DSP in order to allow the user to send DAW Return signals DIRECTLY TO THE OUTPUTS.

Mixer users should be using the Monitoring Bus outputs, Not Main. Otherwise, you are missing all Solo functionality of your mixer. Using the Monitor Bus isn't new and is exactly how Professional Studios have monitored their signals. Just go look at an old Mackie 32 8 Bus console.

I'm quite surprised at how confusing this is for customers. Literally just direct to Aux outputs for the DAW. Simple.

PC #1: Asus Prime Z690-P, i5-12600k 10-core (6+4), 32GB DDR4 3200 MHz, RTX 3060 12GB, ADATA XPG 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD, 2 x 1TB WD Black HDD

PC #2: ASUS X299 Prime Deluxe II, i7-7820X 8c/16t, 16GB 2666 MHz DDR4, GTX 1060 3GB, Samsung 970 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD (Win10 Pro), Samsung 860 EVO SATA SSD (Win11 Pro), OWC Aura 512GB NVMe M.2, 2 x 1TB HDD

Mac: 2010 Mac Pro 6 core 3.33 GHz, 32GB 1333 MHz DDR3, AMD RX 5500 XT 8GB, Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 Card, Aquantia 10Gbps AVB card, Dual eSATA PCIe + Stardom 8xHDD Raid Tower
User avatar
by SwitchBack on Fri Apr 09, 2021 8:21 am
For me at least the puzzlement isn’t with getting signals to go where I want them to go; it is with the completely convoluted way it’s described in the manual. You first have to know how it works to understand how to read the manual. Well, it keeps us busy ;)
User avatar
by wahlerstudios on Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:13 am
The "confusion" can be explained by the background users have. The live audio people have difficulties to understand how audio interfaces work, the studio people have difficulties to understand what aux mixes do. ;-)

Interface Mode is really easy to use, but there should be more explanation. Why is it so that Studio One has "Interface Mode" templates, which exclusively deal with cue mixes? Should there not also be a template for the external hardware/re-amping kind of things, which means mono routing? The two screenshots actually show the difference. The USB pairs are cue mixes in Studio One.
User avatar
by peterbaird on Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:23 pm
PAE Seth wrote
Mixer users should be using the Monitoring Bus outputs, Not Main. Otherwise, you are missing all Solo functionality of your mixer. Using the Monitor Bus isn't new and is exactly how Professional Studios have monitored their signals. Just go look at an old Mackie 32 8 Bus console.

I'm quite surprised at how confusing this is for customers. Literally just direct to Aux outputs for the DAW. Simple.


As it says in the thread title, the device in question is the 32R. Main outs and flex outs, no Monitor outs. And all of my solo functions work perfectly in S1, thanks.

35 years as a mixer in television. 5 nominations, one statue. Mixed on more consoles in more control rooms and trucks than most people will ever see. (BTW it's TWO statues now.)

Simply trying to get some clarity on a mode switch where the documentation is somewhat opaque.

Peter
Last edited by peterbaird on Thu Feb 03, 2022 2:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

MacBook Pro 15,1 2.3GHz
Monterey 12.6.2
Studio One 6.0.2
StudioLive 32R
Faderport 16
ATOM
User avatar
by SwitchBack on Sat Apr 10, 2021 5:31 pm
But have you got it working now, or is it still not doing what you want it to do?

The way I see it, Interface Mode selects USB as Input Source for the 32R's Mix outputs, which isn't possible in normal mixer mode. Digital Input Patching for USB sources becomes fixed (and greyed out):
- USB 1-32 to mixer channels 1-32 (source is not automatically selected)
- USB 33-34 to Aux Input 1 (source is not automatically selected)
- USB 35-36 to Aux Input 2 (source is not automatically selected)
- USB 37-38 to Digital Return (source is not automatically selected)
- USB 39-56 to Mix outputs 1-16 (and this source is automatically selected too)
- (and AVB is no longer available as direct input source for the Mix outputs)

So USB Input Patching is fixed but Input Source selection is not. By switching the input sources of the Aux outputs back to analog (= internal Aux mix) you can restore any or all of the 32R's Aux mixes to normal operation. Or you can select USB as input source for the 32R's channels, Aux Inputs and/or Digital Return. That way you can route S1's Main mix via USB 37-38 to the Dig Ret fader in the 32R's Main mix.

12 posts
Page 1 of 1

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests