Questions & Answers

Qunatum 4848 with Windows 10 + Ableton Live 11 Setup

+1 vote
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asked Apr 27, 2021 in Thunderbolt - Quantum by vojislavdimitrijevic (130 points)
Hi all,

I am planning to upgrade my studio setup with the primary need being a huge amount of inputs and outputs that I can then record and use in Ableton Live. My plan was to buy 2 Quantum 4848 units + ADA expansions to get the needed 80 input mark. The setup would be used for a studio without a mixing desk, DB25s would go into patch bays and I would connect my keyboards and instruments into the patchbay (for line instruments) or via mic preamps on ADA units for non amplified sources. I would mainly connect synthesizers and FX units.

I almost pulled the trigger on purchasing, but then I realized that I am failing to understand one vitally important component. In such a setup (2 x Quantum 4848) how do I actually get the summed output to the monitors? Can I route one of the output pairs to go into my rack mixer and then hook up the monitors to the mixer output, for example, or would I absolutely have to have a dedicated interface as well, such as Quantum, then daisy chain them and use it as the main preamp for the monitors?

Also, from what I understood from reading and watching the resources online, it looks like I would need to run the UC + Studio One (to form IO connections with the drivers) and, this is the part where I can't find any resources, do I then run Ableton Live on top of all of that just to be able to use the Quantum IO or how does it actually work?

I find that the supporting documentation and resources are very vague when it gets to Quantum 4848. There's plenty to find on 2626 or the Quantum, but all of those have assignable ports (1-8 + ADAT + PH1-2 + SPDIF) in UC, but the only example of what is available in UC with Quantum 4848 is 1 YouTube video and what I saw there was absolutely nothing assignable to anything. Just channel meters, option to switch if the front panel LEDs will show input or output levels and ADAT channels.

Sorry for a longer post, but this kind of UC + Studio One approach is quite different from what I am used to, and the supporting examples on how to integrate Quantum 4848 in such a situation are practically non-existant, so any help in clarifying this matter would be greatly appreciated :)

Thank you.
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