828 MKII + 828 into Mackie CR1604 VLZ

[Jez_Wright]

Hey guys,

Wondering if you could assist in getting this set up for recording.

My aim is to route my hardware and a stereo sum of the soft synths I use in Ableton into channels 1-8 on the mixer, feed these channels into Ableton for FX and processing, then route them back into the mixer on channels 9-16 for the mix down, before finally recording them back into Ableton to master.

Equipment:
Mackie CR1604 VLZ
Motu 828 MKII FW
Motu 828
2x Yamaha HS7
iMac 2012 w/ Ableton 10
+ hardware (TR8, Behringer Model D, Yamaha DX21)

Plan:
Mackie channels 1-8: hardware (1-6) + Ableton soft synths (7-8)
Mackie channels 9-16: Channels 1-8 fed back into the mixer from Ableton

Current routing:
iMac <> 828 MK II (FW + optical out + optical in) <> (FW + optical in + optical out) 828
Hardware <> Mackie inputs 1-6
828 MKII main out <> Mackie inputs 7-8
Mackie direct outs 1-8 <> 828 MK II inputs 1-8
828 MK II outputs 1-8 <> Mackie inputs 9-16
Mackie sub outs 1-4 <> 828 inputs 1-8

I've created an aggregate device and attempted to setup the routing within Ableton but as of yet I'm not getting any signal on the audio channels. Haven't even attempted to tackle MIDI yet either!

I'm also unsure how to route the soft synths into channels 7-8 without taking the full master signal from Ableton. Is main out the best way to do this? With monitors connected to CR output on the mixer? Or should these come out of the main out on the 828 MKII?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Jeremy