LOOPBACK audio app (Mac) Routes audio in QUANTUMS
The Problem:
Ever want to take a signal from iTunes or YouTube or your DAW and play it on a specific channel or send it to a different source or Output on your nice new Quantum? Or mirror outputs on the Quantum so ADAT sees the signals? Without your DAW?
For example I wanted to take ANY Finder audio (MacOs) and route it to my main two monitor speakers.
First off Apples Music App sends it out Mains L & R but YouTube sends it out Channels 1 & 2.
Well, that’s not cool. I want to be able to have all audio sources output to my main speakers.
Audio MIDI will set the signal to 1 & 2 and it seems like it’s fixed. Done.
BUT (and everyone has a big but) Is that enough? No.
Now what if I hook up surround sound?
My Mains L & R out of Quantums I want feeding my main speakers.
My outs 1-8 I want to send to a surround sound set of speakers. Let’s handle the routing first. Switching requires a hardware solution, if you want to switch between any speaker - so let’s just hard wire Stereo and Surround for now.
Well, in Surround I won’t hear the FINDER audio that plays thru Mains L & R - like I could not hear Channels 1 & 2 in Stereo.
See, I want to be able to have the QUANTUM(s) use all outputs and satisfy routing audio to those outputs. There is no way to do that in Universal Control - it does no mixing/routing - you need a DAW to do that and Logic is not elegant even tho others are like Studio One - which I don’t use but am willing to learn. I also don’t want to open a DAW and set that up to monitor something I want to hear - stereo up to 7.1.4 in my case.
Second Problem:
I want to monitor the direct digital outs without a plugin in a monitoring device - like TC Electronic Clarion 5.1
The input is digital, so no prob there but wait there is no signal from the Quantums(s) at ADAT or any other OUT.
So how can I route that signal easier, with or without a DAW?
SOLUTION:
LoopBack. [rogueamoeba.com]
Download Trial is free. You will get a session of 20 minutes of real Audio and then FUZZ after that.
Add as many channels in Loopback as you want to route - My scenario is 8 but I’ll expand that later to work in Atmos 7.1.4.
Pass Thru shows the audio sources - Output Channels are connected to those sources and MONITORS are your physical audio outs available from AudioMidi that you have set up - it even sees when you’ve created an aggregate Multi-Out device like I did when I tied the two Quantums together.
So I routed all the channels to the outputs that I wanted to have a signal at on the Quantums.
Then back in Audio MIDI setup I chose LoopBack and set my Stereo Speaker outs to 1 & 2
Then set my 7.1 Rear Surround setup to Channels 1-8.
Each speaker is hooked up to the appropriate speaker outs on the back of my Quantums.
Then for the Mac Audio in System Prefs I choose Loopback and we are good to go.
DAWs also choose the LoopBack output device… and choose your outputs to match.
Next I routed the 8 channels of surround to the first 8 ADAT out channels on Quantum #1 - then took a ADAT light pipe and sent that signal to my Digital Convertor for Monitoring with the Clarion. Clean Audio Monitoring. No plugins it’s a direct representation of the sound of my mix. I also have that digital signal now present to convert to SDIF, AES, TDIF and send it to any other digital device to record.
Whew. Problem solved on routing any signal - where I need it to go - and virtually this ‘digital patch bay’ is easy to work, see and understand.
I hope this helps - I could not find a solution by searching this forum, so maybe others who are searching for a way to route audio in-out-thru the Quantums will be helped.
Screenshot of my LoopBack - totally changeable.
