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Can anyone verify if (or if not) there have been any updates to Samplitude/Sequoia that enables the assignment of a mono track's output to a single mono device output?

- Richard

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DonnyThompson Mon, 12/07/2015 - 17:07

Can you explain a bit more as to what you are wanting to do?

Are you saying you want to send a mono track to an external mono device?

Like any DAW, Samp recognizes whatever digital audio I/O devices that your computer recognizes; so if you have something like a Presonus VSL, or a Focusrite Scarlet, which have multiple outs, you would send the track to the device as normal, and then use one of the mono outputs on the audio I/O to send the signal to whatever external mono device you have - like a compressor, or another preamp, a guitar amp, etc.

The routing for the output would be determined by the software or hardware routing settings of your audio device.

rjuly Tue, 12/08/2015 - 01:40

Yes, in this case a single SMUX ADAT channel of my RME interface. It seems like Samplitude (actually Sequoia) constrains the assignment to a stereo pair. I believe this has been the case all along - I just wondered if It may have changed recently. Are you saying that you can assign a single output on your interface?
- Richard

DonnyThompson Tue, 12/08/2015 - 05:30

I have a Presonus VSL 1818, which has 8 separate discrete 1/4" balanced mono outs ( or 4 stereo pairs) on the rear of the device.

So, for example, say I want to re-amp a guitar track, or bus a pre-recorded mono vocal through an external boutique analog pre, and re-record it to another track on the DAW:

I would solo the track in Samp that I want to re-amp, and then, using the software menu-based routing of the VSL, assign the master bus to come out of one of the alternate mono outputs on the VSL.
I would then send that chosen output - via 1/4" balanced - to whatever external device I want, and then from the output of that device, send it back to a Line input on the VSL, ( or a mic input if using a microphone on an amp) and assign it to a corresponding input/track to record it in the DAW as I normally would with any sound source I wanted to record, and record it in real time, as the solo mono track is playing, I'm re-recording it on a separate mono track at the same time.

Technically, yes, it's still being routed out of the master stereo bus in Samp, but because the track is mono to begin with, it's being summed to a mono signal through the master bus. By assigning that master bus to a mono output on the VSL, I'm able to send a mono signal to any external device I want, which is assigned through the software controls of the VSL interface.

I could also do this with an external stereo device as well, by choosing to route the stereo tracks out of two of the alt outputs on the VSL, and then back in to two of the VSL mic or line inputs, instead of just one.

Follow?

It really comes down to your interface more than it does Samplitude. You would need an interface that will allow you to take a summed-mono signal out of Samp's master bus, and route it out through an alt mono output to whatever mono device you wish to use, and that will allow you to return and record that signal back through your devices inputs in real-time mono.

Does this help?

pcrecord Tue, 12/08/2015 - 10:26

By specs the SMUX ADAT ports are stereo or multichannel (4ch at 96khz or 8ch at 48khz)
In spdif mode, you can send 2 mono or 1 stereo signal to them. It's not a big deal to assign 2 mono signal to seperate tracks when recording and when you output from the DAW, you can pan each signal accordingly. But it but the seperation in 2 mono signals depend on the unit you send it to. Like Donny said, in a digital mixer, you can route the signals to any mono outputs but not a lot of outboard gear lets you seperate the signals... If you think about a stereo compressor, some will allow dual mono and stereo mode...

I'd like to know exactly what you want to achieve, it might help better

DonnyThompson Tue, 12/08/2015 - 23:22

I'm still using Pro X Suite ( Pro X 1), so this is the workaround that I use.

I've heard that the newer version of Samp - Pro X 2 - does allow for multiple output assignments/buses for each track, though I don't know that a mono send to your I/O is included as a choice in this new feature; and again, Samp will only ever recognize the I/O that your system does, so if your I/O doesn't have separate/alt outputs other than the master L/R, it will only allow you to do whatever your audio I/O will allow.

You mentioned using the RME - when it comes to routing/busing, is it hardware or software controlled ?

rjuly Mon, 12/21/2015 - 23:17

Hi pcrecord,
Thanks for your response. I am using SMUX @96KHz, so 4 channels. My use case in this instance is mono audio files, but of course most DAWs have a stereo output for the channels. Of course, as you say, one can pan to either side of a stereo feed to a pair of outputs, however, I don't like the idea of the extra processing of sending the audio through the pan matrix, when I simply want to bus it out to a single channel. I think that if devices have outputs, the DAW should be able to bus signal to them individually rather than in pairs. I had heard on the Magix forum that this had been requested some time ago, but was just wondering if it had been implemented yet.

rjuly Mon, 12/21/2015 - 23:32

DonnyThompson, post: 434305, member: 46114 wrote: I'm still using Pro X Suite ( Pro X 1), so this is the workaround that I use.

I've heard that the newer version of Samp - Pro X 2 - does allow for multiple output assignments/buses for each track, though I don't know that a mono send to your I/O is included as a choice in this new feature; and again, Samp will only ever recognize the I/O that your system does, so if your I/O doesn't have separate/alt outputs other than the master L/R, it will only allow you to do whatever your audio I/O will allow.

You mentioned using the RME - when it comes to routing/busing, is it hardware or software controlled ?

Hi Donny,

I believe that the busing/routing is dependent on the DAW. Reaper and Pro Tools, for example, allows for individual assignment of audio from a channel output to a device output. RME TotalMix is completely flexible, allowing for the arrangement of the S/MUX channels as individual channels, or stereo pairs, but from the point of view of the interface, the channels are separate audio streams coming in.

-Richard

pcrecord Tue, 12/22/2015 - 03:03

rjuly, post: 434642, member: 48681 wrote: Hi pcrecord,
Thanks for your response. I am using SMUX @96KHz, so 4 channels. My use case in this instance is mono audio files, but of course most DAWs have a stereo output for the channels. Of course, as you say, one can pan to either side of a stereo feed to a pair of outputs, however, I don't like the idea of the extra processing of sending the audio through the pan matrix, when I simply want to bus it out to a single channel. I think that if devices have outputs, the DAW should be able to bus signal to them individually rather than in pairs. I had heard on the Magix forum that this had been requested some time ago, but was just wondering if it had been implemented yet.

I currently use 2 adat port in 96khz to achieve 8 ports. In sonar's settings there's an option who let us show mono and stereo outputs or just the stereos. It's possible samplitude didn't address this need yet. In my case, I do output to one of the 8 analog outputs of my RME ff800 and then make my mix in totalmix (which can be stereos or monos there)

DonnyThompson Tue, 12/22/2015 - 03:43

pcrecord, post: 434645, member: 46460 wrote: It's possible samplitude did address this need yet

The version of Samp that I have - Pro X Suite - even in its most recent updated version, only allows the stereo master to output through one pair of 18 stereo pair outs at one time ( these are the number of stereo pair outputs that my interface has available, if you count the adat,/optical /SPDIF and analog outs all together)... but I can still only choose one pair of those outs at one time. I can't route out through multiple pairs at once. I'm forced to choose one pair.

The source of this lies within Samp's audio settings menu; I can't choose to have Samp recognize any more than one pair of active outputs at one time. I can choose any pair I wish as the output of choice, as both timing master and playback, but I can only choose one pair of that which I have available. So, for example, I can't choose to have Samp's master audio settings recognize Presonus's pairs 1&2 and pairs 3&4 at the same time. I have to choose one pair. But, even if the audio menu allowed me to choose multiple master pairs, the program itself still wouldn't allow me to bus to any more than one pair.

I can create as many stereo/mono sub group/buses as I want, but the individual tracks can only be bused to one of these at one time, and the sub/buses ultimately output through the stereo master bus, anyway.

I love Samp, but I'll admit that this is one of the few major flaws to Pro X ... although, as mentioned, this may have been changed/fixed for Pro X 2.

I've found the workaround for Parallel GR, in that I can use Aux Sends/Returns for this workflow, and I can create as many as 12 stereo aux sends per track, and then assign any track I want to as many aux's as I have created... and all at once.
But again - at least with my current interface, all Aux Returns ultimately route out through the Stereo Master.

I haven't yet upgraded to Pro X 2 yet for a number of reasons ... the first is economic, I can't afford it right now, as things are ridiculously tight around here. The second is that when Pro X 2 first came out, I was reading what appeared to be a never-ending list of bugs and problems that were being discussed by die-hard Samp users over on their forum. I've never been one to immediately jump on a new platform upgrade anyway; even back when I was on Sonar, and even further back than that, when I was using Digidesign, I've always let some time to pass, allowing for certain things to be addressed, fixed and patched, before I installed any upgrades.

I think I'd probably upgrade now, if my financial situation was in better shape.