Equipment Needed Mixing To Quad Or Surround

[lindymack]

I'm somewhat of a newbie to doing multichannel mixes, and while I understand how DP handles quad and surround bundles, I need to know what equipment I need to actually send the audio to my sound system. Can I use two 8pre modules (which I already own) to send the audio, or do I need something more task-specific?


Thanks,

Lindy

[bayswater]

I think I saw this question before, and Mike's answer. Maybe your question is simpler than we might have assumed, or I just don't understand it.

If you know how to route a multichannel mix in a Bundle, that's pretty much your answer. E.g. if you have an interface unit with 8 analog outs, and you want a 5.1 mix, route the outs to the first 6 analog outs, connect monitors to those outs and position them as needed. If you don't have something with at least 6 analog outs (that can all work at once) to connect to monitors, you'll need to get something that does.

I think Mike said you could route your mix to the ADATs on the unit you have, but then you still need connect that to something with an ADAT in and Analog outs. I'd avoid doing that -- I've had persistent clocking errors when connecting two units via ADAT rather than wordclock, even though that is suppose to work.

[lindymack]

It was actually the ADAT connections part of Mike's responses that sort of confused me. I was asking if two 8pres could be made to function as the multi-channel output of a surround system, or if I would need something more specifically suited to the task. I was purposefully keeping it somewhat vague in the hopes that I would get a broader range of responses. Obviously, that didn't work, which is why I brought the question here.

I do own two 8pre modules. I tried connecting them, in series, to my MacBook Pro, and DP wouldn't recognize them simultaneously. I could assign audio outputs to one or the other, but not both. Honestly, I haven't tried plugging them back in and connecting them as a multi-channel bundle. That's next, I guess. I know that I may have to make adjustments to my Setup Configuration in the process.

I was hoping that I would get an answer that consisted of "Yes, you can do that" or "No, you can't." To me, that beats re-inventing the wheel and trial-and-error. But maybe it's not something anyone here has tried. I'll hook them up and report back on what happens.

Thanks.

[bayswater]

Depends on the number of analog outs you have in the two 8pres. I'm not familiar with them. But you can use multiple Core Audio devices at once in DP, and make use of all the outs the two units have. In the Setup menu for the devices in DP just shift click on the two of them to have them both show up in the Bundles window and make use of the outs as needed.

[mikehalloran]

Two 8pres have a total of four analog outs not counting the headphones. If mixing to 5.1, you need six.

I have used the ADAT out into a standalone converter (my 1st gen 2408) into a Fostex unit to give me 6 channels for monitoring without clock issues. That was a long time ago with different equipment than you have. This may or may not work for you but, like Bays, I don't recommend it. Adding something like an 828mkIII or 828x to your setup for your analog monitor outs is a good idea.

Being vague doesn't get accurate answers. Many of us list our setups in our signatures. Had I known yours, my answer would have been different. For example, what version of the 8pre do you have?