Questions & Answers

How Can I Use Plugins Live with my StudioLive Mixer?

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asked Apr 10, 2015 in Classic Mixers by mconrad (1,790 points)
If I want to run software plugins on analog audio from a channel of my StudioLive and return the processed audio back to the channel for mixing live, how can this be done?

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answered Apr 10, 2015 by mconrad (1,790 points)
selected May 28, 2015 by AlexTinsley
 
Best answer

StudioLive - Using Plugins with Studio One 2 Live

 Video describing the process of plugins in software on the StudioLive mixer:

Using Plugins Live with Studio One 2


***First notes about Firewire Inputs and returns:

Firewire Input:

Each StudioLive input is hard-coded to receive its respective FireWire return. Outputs 
1 through 24/16 in your recording application route these playback streams to their 
respective channels on the StudioLive (that is, the software’s Output 1 always goes to 
StudioLive Channel 1 FireWire Return and so on). Once you route a track in your 
recording application to play through one of these outputs, it will always be 
accessible on its channel by simply pressing the FireWire return button.

Firewire1.PNG

Power User Tip: It is important to think of your FireWire returns and your analog inputs 
in the same way. When a FireWire return is engaged, it replaces the analog input in the 
mix. You can process it in the Fat Channel, include in it Aux mixes, and send it to an FX mix.

StudioLive 16.0.2 Owners: As discussed in Section 4.5 of the StudioLive 
16.0.2 Owner’s Manual, you must first engage FireWire Return mode before 
you are able to use the MultiMode buttons to engage/disengage a FireWire 
return on a channel. The FireWire returns to the stereo channels behave 
just as the analog inputs do. So if you have Channel 11/12 unlinked, only 
FireWire Return 11 will be heard on that channel. Once you engage Stereo 
Link for Channel 11/12, FireWire Returns 11 and 12 will both be heard.

 

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Main FireWire Return:

Main1.PNG

To provide the most flexible mixing environment, the main mix output for any 
application should be assigned to the Main FireWire Return. These FireWire returns 
are hard-coded to the FireWire Return buttons in the 2 Track In (StudioLive 16.4.2 and 
24.4.2 only) and Monitor sections of the StudioLive. 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 (see the next section for more details).

The Main FireWire Return button is routed as follows:

• StudioLive 24.4.2: FireWire Returns 25-26
• StudioLive 16.4.2: FireWire Returns 17-18
• StudioLive 16.0.2: FireWire Returns 1-2
 

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The instructions below are followed after reading Section 7.3.2
of this StudioLive Software Reference Manual first to setup
your Inputs and Outputs up correctly.

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Using Plug-In Effects as Inserts

FireWire streaming on your StudioLive is continuously bidirectional. This 
means that the StudioLive is always sending signals from the direct FireWire 
sends on all input channels, as well as from the auxiliary inputs and buses 
assigned to the second bank of FireWire sends (StudioLive 16.4.2 and 24.4.2 
only). At the same time, the StudioLive is receiving signals back from the 
FireWire returns. Because the FireWire returns always come back to their 
respective StudioLive channels, you can quickly insert a plug-in from your 
recording application into any channel strip and monitor it in real time.

In this example, we will insert the Beat Delay plug-in from 
PreSonus Studio One onto Channel 4 of the StudioLive.
 

1. To begin, create a mono audio track in Studio One.

Plugin1.PNG

2. Assign its input to Channel 4 and its output to Output 4.

NOTE:  (Several DAW applications, including Apple Logic, do not offer mono output 
buses. If this is the case, you must route the output stream to, for example, 
Channels 3-4 and pan the channel all the way to the right so that it will only 
be sent to Output 4. Please consult your software’s user manual for specific 
instructions.)

Plugin2.PNG

3. Once you have the routing set up in Studio One, drag-and-drop the Beat Delay 
plug-in onto your track and record-enable it. Software monitoring will be enabled 
automatically.

Plugin3.PNG

4. Press the FireWire Return button on Channel 4 of your StudioLive. You can now 
monitor the analog signal from Channel 4 on your StudioLive with your inserted 
effect (in this case, Beat Delay).

Plugin4.PNG

Power User TipWhen using plug-ins as inserts, it is very important that you set 
as low a buffer size on your computer as possible without creating performance 
issues. For most new computers, this won’t be an issue. A buffer size of 128 or less 
will provide low enough latency for most plug-in types; however, dynamics and 
EQ plug-ins and performance plug-ins such as amp-modelers may require lower 
latency settings. See Section 3.1 for more information on buffer size settings.

***Please note: setting the buffer size too low on older or slower computers, or on a computer that has not been 
properly optimized, may result 
in poor performance. Always be sure to test the limits of your system before 
attempting CPU-intensive tasks in mission-critical situations.

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