Routing to a piece of outboard gear in middle of mastering chain?

[Artcutech]

How do you guys like to route out of Ableton to a piece of outboard gear and back into the mastering chain? you can't render/export the outboard gear in the chain without recording it correct?

Only way I'm seeing to do this is with a faux master and printing/recording from the piece of analog gear. Is that right?

[Tarekith]

Definitely can't render, the only way is to record it in real time to a new track.

[Artcutech]

Definitely can't render, the only way is to record it in real time to a new track.

I figured that was the case, thanks.

[Artcutech]

Definitely can't render, the only way is to record it in real time to a new track.

was surprised to find out that routing out to a piece of outboard gear and back in in the middle of the mastering chain and exporting/rendering is extremely easy, and doesn't require to print in real time to a new track. Instead of using faux masters or new tracks to print to, just need to use the external audio effect. Although the export/render does render in real time, it does it with ease just by pressing export as normal, not by necessarily recording to a new track, but exporting/rendering in real time to a file out of Ableton as any other export or render. Was there something with my wording or specific reason that you decided not to mention the external audio effect?

With the external audio effect I'll be able to freeze hardware instances on all of my tracks and rename the external audio effect with acronyms of the hardware setting and come back and revise with ease, really happy as this will allow me so much more flexibility.

I had some bad experiences with latency and Abletons external instrument and some hardware synths,, but now after using the Abletons external audio effect I realize that I have to subtract the audio interfaces latency and compensate whatever's left over. As with the external audio effect the latency seems to only be what my audio interface is already reporting to Ableton and is already being compensated for, its spot on, so good. Also was having trouble with 16 midi channels being able to show up routed in on the external instrument, so I started using the midi tracks themselves where the midi channels appeared no problem, but with that scenario always required to print to new audio track, I had no Idea that the external instrument and external audio effect export/freeze in real time. The reason I brought up the external instrument situation is because It was what in turn ingrained printing to new tracks and the idea of faux masters, and only wanted to mention all this so if someone stumbles across with the same problem, that they might see that there's no need to faux masters or printing to new tracks to export/render hardware inserts, but just use a external audio effect instance, and it will export/render in real time.