Apollo 8 Quad (SF) mastering with outboard gear: your configuration please.

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Dguidry

Venerated Member
I would appreciate it if y'all would share your routing configuration to incorporate hardware mastering EQ and Comressor using SF Apollo 8 Quad.i presume I would come out of the outputs of my Benchmark DAC like this

Apollo 8 Mains > Benchmark DAC > EQ > Compressor > Anaolg inputs 1 and 2 of Apollo > record to daw (plugin limiter just to catch overs)

How do I monitor while mastering? Don't remember in Benchmark DAC has mirrored outputs. I'm not at studio right now. Here's photo of Benchmark DAC1's inputs and outputs.

Thanks
 

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D

Dguidry

Venerated Member
This new thread got lost in all the forum activity regarding the new release. So now that maybe the orgasms are over with, somebody can help with this question. Thanks.
 
Kcatthedog

Kcatthedog

Hall of Fame Member
you just have to route your stereo sub mix out any 2 of Apollo outputs (7/8) and send to your ob gear and then patch back to Apollo (5/6) and re record your mastered mix ? So you can solo the track you are bring the mix back into your daw for master monitor.
 
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Dguidry

Venerated Member
Yes, thank you. I came to the same routing conclusion. I could either come out of the Benchmark DA to outboard gear and monitor using Apollo outputs, or come out of Apollo DA to out board gear and monitor through Benchmark DAC1. Which way would you go with this?

My Apollo is clocked from Apogee Big Ben. It has conversion inputs and outputs but I do not think it will convert to an Analog output. Here's a pic of the back panel of the Big Ben for reference. Let me know if there is a solution there.

Edit: I guess if I'm asking for a solution I should state the "problem". I want to use the Benchmark to Monitor and DA to out board gear if at all possible. So will the Apogee Big Ben accept the digital signal from the Apollo and digitally output it to the Benchmark and DA to the outboard gear? What if outboard gear has AES input?
 

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Kcatthedog

Kcatthedog

Hall of Fame Member
Well ideally you want to keep everything digital so no extra conversion but if your OB gear is analog then you have to send an Analog signal to the outboard gear but you say you want to monitor from the Benchmark which I think is your preferred DA correct ?

Please describe the I/O on your Outboard gear ?
 
Kcatthedog

Kcatthedog

Hall of Fame Member
Have you tried sending the Apollo outs analog to your outboard gear, sending you OB gear to the big ben on AES and sending that digitally back to Apollo on spdif or adat ?
 
D

Dguidry

Venerated Member
Kcatthedog said:
Well ideally you want to keep everything digital so no extra conversion but if your OB gear is analog then you have to send an Analog signal to the outboard gear but you say you want to monitor from the Benchmark which I think is your preferred DA correct ?

Please describe the I/O on your Outboard gear ?
Click to expand...
Just confirmed outboard gear inputs are all analog, so there is no digital option. I think the routing will be as you suggested. The mix sonic would be no better or worse either way because I still have to go back to the Apollo for AD anyway. Might as well just Monitor the mastered results of the outboard gear through Benchmark DAC1 and send DA and AD in and out of Apollo to and from the outboard gear.
 
D

Dguidry

Venerated Member
Kcatthedog said:
Have you tried sending the Apollo outs analog to your outboard gear, sending you OB gear to the big ben on AES and sending that digitally back to Apollo on spdif or adat ?
Click to expand...
Trying to confirm now whether there are digital output options on outboard compressor.
 
Kcatthedog

Kcatthedog

Hall of Fame Member
I used to do a similar thing with my dbox and didn't notice any problem with the extra conversion and preferred the sound back from the dbox even reconverted by Apollo on the print track.

You could also send the Apollo to the big ben on spdif/adat and still send that analog to the OB and back to the Apollo and just monitor from within your daw ?

You may prefer the OB being driven from the DA analog coming from the Big Ben rather than the Apollo ?
 
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Dguidry

Venerated Member
Still checking other devices to see if I can rout digital signals one way or another going in and out pre and post analog gear. May be doing all of this for nothing as who knows whether the converters on the the other hardware are better. We have not integrated any of the outboard gear yet. Just looking at all of the options before we commit.
 
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Dguidry

Venerated Member
Kcatthedog said:
I used to do a similar thing with my dbox and didn't notice any problem with the extra conversion and preferred the sound back from the dbox even reconverted by Apollo on the print track.

You could also send the Apollo to the big ben on spdif/adat and still send that analog to the OB and back to the Apollo and just monitor from within your daw ?

You may prefer the OB being driven from the DA analog coming from the Big Ben rather than the Apollo ?
Click to expand...
Don't think Big Ben will DA....only D to D.
 
Kcatthedog

Kcatthedog

Hall of Fame Member
well I think you want to minimize conversion and decide what are the best converters and then compare feeding the OB with the best converter signal or feeding your print track with the best converters ?

If that makes sense ?
 
D

Dguidry

Venerated Member
Kcatthedog said:
well I think you want to minimize conversion and decide what are the best converters and then compare feeding the OB with the best converter signal or feeding your print track with the best converters ?

If that makes sense ?
Click to expand...
Yes, that will dictate which way we go on this routing.
 
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