Handling external instruments with multiple outputs

[m4rkb]

First post so hi.

I was wondering if anyone had a solution to something I've been wrestling with for a couple of days - I have a hardware drum machine with multiple outs which I want to sequence from Live 9 and run the audio back in for processing as the drum machine doesn't have any onboard FX. This seems simple enough, however being a drum machine it wants to work on a single MIDI channel (obviously C10 by default). The machine has six stereo outputs - assigning different drum sounds to different channels isn't an option as it only allows two channels to be addressed at once (drum channel, synth channel). So getting to the point, I can latency comp. say, my kick drum, however I don't know how to apply latency comp. to the other input channels.

I'm currently setup with a 'master' ext. instrument on C10 and audio coming back for (e.g.) kick drum, then I have a further five empty audio tracks with monitoring on to handle the other five stereo pairs however this doesn't account for the latency of the five audio returns so I have a kick locked in to time and everything else all over the place.

The only way I can think of to do this is to positively compensate every channel which isn't involved with the drum machine by the audio latency amount e.g. +16ms delay on every internal Live track so they all start late enough that the return tracks are in time.

Is this just how it is, or am I missing a simpler method?

As an aside point, I have 20 inputs, eight of which are via ADAT TOSlink. Every other audio application I have handles each input fine, except Ableton which seems to go mad after input pair 13/14 - it sums every input above 13/14 into 13/14 e.g. inputs 17/18 route to 13/14 for no apparent reason.
I managed to improve things slightly by disabling the mono inputs and just taking the stereo ins, but once I get up to input 17/18 it starts routing audio to the previous input - 17/18 appears on the 15/16 input, 19/20 appears at 17/18 etc. which is very annoying as I want to use each input.
Anyone seen and (hopefully) solved this issue before? As I said, works in other applications - Reaper works fine, the MOTU mix software works fine, just Ableton won't have it. I've also submitted a ticket to Ableton support but thought I'd ask here too.

That's a sizable first post - sorry about that!

Thanks for any help offered.

[blancodisco]

re:

As an aside point, I have 20 inputs, eight of which are via ADAT TOSlink. Every other audio application I have handles each input fine, except Ableton which seems to go mad after input pair 13/14 - it sums every input above 13/14 into 13/14 e.g. inputs 17/18 route to 13/14 for no apparent reason.
I managed to improve things slightly by disabling the mono inputs and just taking the stereo ins, but once I get up to input 17/18 it starts routing audio to the previous input - 17/18 appears on the 15/16 input, 19/20 appears at 17/18 etc. which is very annoying as I want to use each input.
Anyone seen and (hopefully) solved this issue before? As I said, works in other applications - Reaper works fine, the MOTU mix software works fine, just Ableton won't have it. I've also submitted a ticket to Ableton support but thought I'd ask here too.

I'm experiencing a very similar issue on my setup, but using a different Audio Interface on a MacPro.
I'm using the Phonic 808 Universal with the firewire connection. Live 9.0.4.

Trying to multi-track from two instruments at the same time, but I'm seeing that same issue where 2 higher pairs of hardware input channels are some how internally bussing what appears inside Ableton to two lower pairs of inputs.

I have a synth on hardware interface inputs 7/8 and a drum synth on 5/6.
The Synth is somehow coming through/being routed/bussed to my input channels 5/6, but is routed correctly in the external instrument plug in on the Synth's corresponding Channel Strip in Live. If I disable the external input plugin and route direct without in the Input Audio of the channel strip, same thing, audio still shows up on the lower pair, 5/6.

If I mute the Synth channel audio,the audio from the synth comes through on the Drum Synth channel if the midi clip is playing or i trigger the sound through a connected usb midi keyboard controller. If I stop the midi clip, of course the Synth will not playback audio on inputs 5/6.

I haven't filed a ticket yet... but I suppose I should.

@m4rkb, did you ever get a resolve on your end?