Ableton and multiple audio devices

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Durrdurrdurr
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Joined: Sun May 16, 2010 1:03 am

Ableton and multiple audio devices

Post by Durrdurrdurr » Sun Apr 03, 2016 4:42 pm

Hey i need some help setting up my new Ableton live setup. I hope somebody here have some input on this subject.

Im trying to set up Ableton with two different audio devices simultaneously, one firewire and one usb. The reason im doing this is that im using a 24 channel mixer which has a built in USB soundcard (Midas U-venice). This enables be to route up to 8 channels directly from Ableton and to the mixer. However, thats too little for my setup, and im trying to use another interface, a Fireface 800, to route another 8 channels out through 8 regular mono channels on the mixer.

I kind of managed to set this up using Apples aggregated device function (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202000). Basically this combines two or more audio devices and create one virtual device. The virtual device adds up all inputs and outputs for you to use in i.e. a DAW.

Back in Ableton i manage to set the virtual device as Audio output device. I can play clips from Ableton and output them on both devices. But this is where im starting to get lost.

In Ableton i get all the outputs listed in the channel configuration, but i cant choose which outputs belongs to which soundcard. So if i choose channel 1/2, it plays both from the Fireface channel 1/2 and from the Midas channel 1/2. I cant separate the outputs, which is the whole point of using the mixer. Ideally i would say Fireface gets output 1-8 and Midas gets output 9-16. But i dont know how to do that.

So, to sum up, im in a place now where i want to tell Abeton og Apple which outputs belongs to which interface, so i can route the audio to different channels on the mixer. Anybody have any experience with this?

chapelier fou
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Re: Ableton and multiple audio devices

Post by chapelier fou » Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:09 pm

Make an "aggregate device" in OSX. (Preferences/audio/etc....)This will allow you to group two interfaces and make ableton believe that it's a single one.
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Durrdurrdurr
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun May 16, 2010 1:03 am

Re: Ableton and multiple audio devices

Post by Durrdurrdurr » Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:20 pm

Hi again,

I dont know if you read my post, but i have done that already. The issue is that i both interfaces has outputs 1-8, and if i choose any of them it outputs on the coresponding channel on both devices. I need to tell ableton which output belongs to which device

Pitch Black
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Re: Ableton and multiple audio devices

Post by Pitch Black » Sun Apr 03, 2016 7:31 pm

No problem working with Aggregate Audio Devices over here. Its working fine combining my MBP headphone jack + an RME Multiface 1.
In Live's audio preferences, did you configure 16 (or 8 x stereo) outputs in the Output Configuration window?
And you noted in AudioMidi Setup that the order you check the boxes of the hardware inside the Aggregate Device should make the first audio interface play ch's 1-8, the second play ch's 9-16?

(Sorry, I don't know if this is or isn't the source of your problem - its just about all I can think of to check.)

Perhaps try combining your MBP headphone jack + just the Fireface in an aggregate device as a test, and see if that works?
Then try combining just MBP + Midas. Yeah/nah? And finally try FF800 + Midas again.

HTH
Last edited by Pitch Black on Sun Apr 03, 2016 7:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
MBP M1Max | MacOS 12.7.2 | Live 11.3.20 | Babyface Pro FS | Push 3 (tethered) | a whole other bunch of controllers
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Durrdurrdurr
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun May 16, 2010 1:03 am

Re: Ableton and multiple audio devices

Post by Durrdurrdurr » Sun Apr 03, 2016 7:53 pm

Hi Pitch Black, thanks for your reply

I will try that tomorrow, good idea to test with a more simple setup

One question though; in Ableton preferences, do you get to choose which output that go to your MBP output and which goes to the RME?

As Fireface 800 has a lot of output types, i get 28 outputs (for the fireface) + 8 outputs (for midas) = 36 outouts

However, i dont know how to configure them

chapelier fou
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Joined: Mon May 15, 2006 12:15 pm

Re: Ableton and multiple audio devices

Post by chapelier fou » Sun Apr 03, 2016 8:16 pm

Durrdurrdurr wrote:Hi again,

I dont know if you read my post, but i have done that already. The issue is that i both interfaces has outputs 1-8, and if i choose any of them it outputs on the coresponding channel on both devices. I need to tell ableton which output belongs to which device
Sorry, i went a bit too quickly reading your post.
That's weird, last time i created an aggregated device, the outs were all in order.
Hope you'll sort it out.
MacBook Pro 13" Retina i7 2.8 GHz OS 10.13, L10.0.1, M4L.
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Pitch Black
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Re: Ableton and multiple audio devices

Post by Pitch Black » Sun Apr 03, 2016 9:55 pm

Durrdurrdurr wrote:One question though; in Ableton preferences, do you get to choose which output that go to your MBP output and which goes to the RME?

As Fireface 800 has a lot of output types, i get 28 outputs (for the fireface) + 8 outputs (for midas) = 36 outouts

However, i dont know how to configure them
In Audio/MIDI Setup, the first interface you tick in the Aggregate Device checkbox should become the first set of outputs and the second ticked box the subsequent outputs, numbering on after the first set. tTry it with the simpler setup and see.

If the simpler setups work, but Midas+RME doesn't, perhaps there's something going on in either the RME (Totalmix) setup panel and/or the Midas setup panel [whatever it's called]. I'm thinking maybe you have some inputs currently routed to some outputs, or something like that? It can get complicated enough with software routings with just one interface sometimes!

HTH
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jlgrimes
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Re: Ableton and multiple audio devices

Post by jlgrimes » Tue Apr 05, 2016 11:25 pm

Durrdurrdurr wrote:Hey i need some help setting up my new Ableton live setup. I hope somebody here have some input on this subject.

Im trying to set up Ableton with two different audio devices simultaneously, one firewire and one usb. The reason im doing this is that im using a 24 channel mixer which has a built in USB soundcard (Midas U-venice). This enables be to route up to 8 channels directly from Ableton and to the mixer. However, thats too little for my setup, and im trying to use another interface, a Fireface 800, to route another 8 channels out through 8 regular mono channels on the mixer.

I kind of managed to set this up using Apples aggregated device function (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202000). Basically this combines two or more audio devices and create one virtual device. The virtual device adds up all inputs and outputs for you to use in i.e. a DAW.

Back in Ableton i manage to set the virtual device as Audio output device. I can play clips from Ableton and output them on both devices. But this is where im starting to get lost.

In Ableton i get all the outputs listed in the channel configuration, but i cant choose which outputs belongs to which soundcard. So if i choose channel 1/2, it plays both from the Fireface channel 1/2 and from the Midas channel 1/2. I cant separate the outputs, which is the whole point of using the mixer. Ideally i would say Fireface gets output 1-8 and Midas gets output 9-16. But i dont know how to do that.

So, to sum up, im in a place now where i want to tell Abeton og Apple which outputs belongs to which interface, so i can route the audio to different channels on the mixer. Anybody have any experience with this?
You might need to word clock your interfaces for this to work properly.

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