Level up your mixes with a little analog flair🎛 If this guide helped you, let us know by hitting those like and subscribe buttons and by leaving a comment 🤗

Such an underrated video. Thank you for this! It seems you are the only person who has answered this question for everyone! Keep 'em coming!

This is a surprisingly great video if you're looking to add hardware processors. Bravo.

Great to see Chad repping such awesome gear for Sweetwater! #CapFam!

Just getting into 500 series. Excellent tutorial. Thanks

@tronmosesmedia4816

2 жыл бұрын

What's your favorite modules?

@jacquelamontharenberg

2 жыл бұрын

@@tronmosesmedia4816 AEA RPQ500 - Series 2 for ribbon mics and Cranborne Audio Camden 500 Series for condensers

@BobbyGeneric145

Жыл бұрын

I want to but it makes eurorack look like chump change

The best vidéo i seen before buy my 500 setup. Full info tins Perfect

Very cool tutorial!

Thanks for this excellent video! I have a relative question for this video, Is there an advantage to using all analog vs an adat chassis (i.e. Cranborn 500adat)?

Cranborne Audio 500R8 and 500ADAT not even mentioned? I guess it would make the video too short since it makes using 500 series with you production/DAW so easy thanks to the built-in A-D/D-A. Or I guess because this video was made for Fredenstein and they don't have anything like the Cranborne racks.

Really good!

If I have an API 500 Series 8 slot Chasis with db25 connectors in the back routing to my Apollo x8p, does it default to Line Inserts 3-10 like how it does inside of your focus rite controller? Curios because there are switches 1-8 on the back of my lunchbox.

What kind of power is in that MacBook? I’m still using a MacBook Pro 2012.

Kool background

I’m using a clarett 18i20 with a lunch box, iam wanting to use a small mixer with multiple guitar mics summed on mixer out to a 500 series mic pre (bae 1073) should you be using an attenuator? Shure A15LA OR A15AS?

@sweetwater

3 жыл бұрын

Hi, Kyle. Great question! An attenuator shouldn't be necessary for that application, but feel free to give your Sales Engineer a call and we can go into more detail as to what the best solution would be. Thanks! Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com

superb

what about H/W insert delay, you don't have to compensate the ADDA conversion ?

@thanqol

3 жыл бұрын

Most DAWs have a feature that calculates the latency, and compensates for it.

Does it make sense to go through multiple DA/AD conversions when combining some of the 500 modules? Isn´t it better to, say, DA once, go through a variety of modules and then AD back? If so, what´s best practice to change the order of modules: Moving them between slots or do everything via a standard patchbay such as Neutrik TRS or bantam?

@sweetwater

2 жыл бұрын

Hey, Acid Energy. Thanks for reaching out. It is best to minimize the number of times you go through a convertor. It really depends on how you are wanting to track, though. You can go through everything on the front end and track it like a channel strip. I would recommend putting everything on a patch bay to make it easier to route things from card to card. Some 500 series chassis do have routing on them, but not all. The other option is to track the pre amp portion into your DAW and then run the compressor and EQ as an insert and route them through a loop in your interface. Both options are great but it depends on your work flow. Thanks, Grant Embury, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1647, Grant_embury@Sweetwater.com

@acdnrg

2 жыл бұрын

@@sweetwater Many thanks, that makes a lot of sense! I´ll be taking the patchbay route and then see if a certain setup sticks.

I don't understand all of this technology but I like the possibilities. Does anyone know if this can be done using the 2i2 obviously there's not all the ins and outs but i wanted to know can the software do anything far as using the help of a analogue mixer if that makes sense.

@sweetwater

2 ай бұрын

Hi HoodHandyman, thanks for the question! While technically you could run the 2 bus master out and back in with a 2i2, it would be extremely impractical as there is no really good way to monitor what is happening and what is being recorded without plugging in an out from the back during the process. Going with a 4i4 or larger interface would make the process much more tenable for you! Give me a shout if you want to discuss hybrid setups more thoroughly! Drake Sobehrad, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3271, drake_sobehrad@sweetwater.com

Great content! Can anybody please tell me how can I use two neve 542 at the same time in stereo mode so far I can only use it in mono

@sweetwater

9 ай бұрын

Hello, Hector! The 542 does not have any stereo linking capability, but folks use pairs of them in stereo all the time. It’ll just be a matter of visually matching parameters best you can across the two units. Thanks for the interest! Cody Kraus, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1766, cody_kraus@sweetwater.com

this was a great vid for looking at an outboard hookup with an interface; but the mix was so low I had to turn my monitors way up to hear it, then he was screaming at me..lol...also, he would say,"you can hear the difference" while talking over the music...not complaining, just observing because it's a real good vid I just wanted to hear the mix more

@DancehallWorldwxde

Ай бұрын

There was no issues with this video it was great not sure what low audio your talking about

The focusrite Scarlett 3rd generator interface bypass the preamp now you use other preamp instead

Can you make a video for low budget hardware

Amazing analog processing. My question is: how did you manage to enter at a line level into the 18i20, since you cannot bypass the mic pres in that unit? I had one and I sold it for this exact reason. Thanks

@sirprizedeyes2721

2 жыл бұрын

at the 5:00 mark you can notice the Scarlett console has Mic/Line inputs. At the 6:10 mark he addresses this as well.

@robertopistolesi2735

2 жыл бұрын

@@sirprizedeyes2721 please read my comment till the end. You can verify that what I'm saying is true on the focusrite faq. If you notice, in this video the front gain knobs on the interface are taken down to zero, except for a couple. That means that this is a workaround to minimize the gain effects, but it's just not the same thing as a line leven input, because with this interface your adding one stage of preamplification to the signal path. Does it sound clean enough? Yes it does, but it's not the same as having an actual switchable line/mic interface. Thanks

@sirprizedeyes2721

2 жыл бұрын

@@robertopistolesi2735 Ah I see what you're saying. I indeed read your comment till then (it s only a 3 sentence comment lol). I'm unsure if that last stage of subtle pre-ampflication is negligible enough to ignore. It seems to be working like a charm for him. Maybe at this pricepoint, it's fair to assume that this 'workaround' is more than welcomed by the majority of buyers. What is another device you know that offers pure line level inputs?

@robertopistolesi2735

2 жыл бұрын

@@sirprizedeyes2721 any interface that can bypass the in- built preamps. There are also interfaces without preamps, only line inputs via trs cables. I have one of those.

So, how do you print the final mix in pro tool you've already done with those 500 series?

@DancehallWorldwxde

Ай бұрын

You have to bounce real time when export so basically the song will play all the way through

HELP HELP !!!! 500 series out to Focus interface Input , should the Gain knob on interface to Zero ? or its up to situation ?

Can I use the same hardware for different tracks? For example, can I use that same Wesaudio EQ for vocal and snare and hi hat?

@taylorlutherful

3 жыл бұрын

I want to know this too!

@sweetwater

3 жыл бұрын

Hi, Amunah! Great question. Yes, you can use 500 Series equipment like this for any sound source as long as it sounds good to you. If you've already recorded the sound you want to process, you would just follow the instructions outlined in this video to route the audio out of your DAW, through the 500 Series processing, and back into your interface. Feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks for your interest! Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com

@DancehallWorldwxde

Ай бұрын

If you mean at the same time no you can only insert one instance per channel

noob question, how do you integrate external pre amps into an audio interface that already has preamps? for example: If I like the sound of my external neve pre amp but I have and focusrite 18i20.

@raulalejandro7162

3 жыл бұрын

mic --> PreAmp --> Interface through Line In (Not Mic In). Some interfaces use a combo jack (XLR and TRS in Same jack) so use a TRS instead of an XLR to go in the interface.

@ExELCiS777

3 жыл бұрын

@@raulalejandro7162 thx!!!! so going balanced it's the way!

How you connect TRS outputs of Scarlett to XLR inputs of 500 series rack??

@tb80038

7 ай бұрын

TRS to XLR cables

Isn't using the XLR inputs on your interface bad because it will send the audio back through pre-amps and potentially color the sound?

@sweetwater

2 жыл бұрын

Hi, Justin. No, that really won't make a difference because interface preamps are generally clean and if you are using a line level output from the other gear it won't be affected anyway. Thanks! Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com

Does the link function on the Bento 65 only work for Fredenstein devices? Thanks

@sweetwater

2 жыл бұрын

Hi, thanks for your interest! The compressor buss link feature on the Bento 65 will work with any pair of 500 Series compressor modules, not just Fredenstein. Hope this helps, and feel free to contact me directly with any further questions! Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com

I'm wondering if it's possible to plug a 500 series chassis to an UAD apollo solo ?

@sweetwater

10 ай бұрын

Hey, Marc! Because the Apollo Solo only has 2-line inputs, it’d be tough to get the full functionality of a 500 chassis with that as your interface. With that being said, it’s certainly possible, you’d just only be able to use 2 of your channels at a time. For full flexibility, you’ll want to have as many inputs on your interface as you have outputs on your chassis. This way, you can access all of your 500 series units simultaneously. I hope this helps! Nick Pasquino, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3230, nick_pasquino@sweetwater.com

i have the same interface but when i tried to do exactly what your doing a got a brutal amount of latency, i had try everything , can someone help me ??

@djpr3cise

3 жыл бұрын

Octopre

I would have preferred this video if the 500 series were not used as inserts. I was hoping to run them as a chain leading into my interface. Would that cause too much latency?

@sean_miller

6 ай бұрын

Hardware into your interface does not cause latency. Latency is introduced by digital processing. An analog signal is basically traveling at the speed of light. Your 500 series won't have any meaningful latency going into your interface. Any apparent latency will be due to your buffer settings in your DAW.

Hi guys, nice video! I'm trying to look for some help here.. I'm thinkin' about gettin into 500series world as a drummer to achieve a better sound. I usually have to deliver raw stems to customers. Current setup is a 18i20+ OctoPreAmp and I use in total 13 mic for the all drumkit 24bit 48Khz. Don't get me wrong it's already a not cheap and good setup but I would like to improve some important mics like the snare and kick ones. My question is: if I record, for example, snare mic and kick mic through two 500series external preamp and then I'll go into the audio interface that I have at the moment, would I have latency problem between the all kit recorded with 18i20+OctoPre and the 2 mic that have passed trought the 500series preamp? some synchrony problem? Because you can understand that move the all 13 mic kit through 13 modules would cost me a kidney!! Thanks if someone know something more than me, this world is fascinating!

@sweetwater

2 жыл бұрын

Hey, minecraftworker8. Thanks so much for your interest. I love the idea of some 500 series pres for your kick and overheads. I have a similar setup. I run my kick, snare, and two overheads through some 500 series pres. There will be no latency since they are all analog and will run into your line inputs of the 18i20. It’s a great way to work! Please feel free to respond or reach out with questions. Jason Thiele, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1391, jason_thiele@sweetwater.com

@minecraftworker8

2 жыл бұрын

@@sweetwater much appreciate the exhaustive answer. Thanks for your support, this will be my next upgrade then! Cheers

I feel like this guy is going to crossover past me at any second

@xx-ip7ej

3 жыл бұрын

Literally shifting back and forth in my chair trying to block him. #NotInMyHouse

I am considering buying some 500 series stuff, but there are certain things i´m unsure of. Trying to make it real easy: If I were to make my stereo signal from my DAW go thru a couple of distortions / bus distortion and thru a bus comp, I would route it like this: - - -----output 1-2 (daw) - > input 1-2 distortion (500 series) output 1-2 (500 series) -> input 3-4 bus comp (500 series) output 3-4 (500 series) -> input 1-2 (daw) Would something like this be correct?

@thorhansen5462

2 жыл бұрын

That's correct.

Can all these 500 series that you used can be automated

@ITSYABOYDONTE

3 ай бұрын

You can do audio with the WesAudio 500 modules because they have plugins to control the hardware. Then you can automate the plugin to control the hardware and save all the settings as presets. You cant do that with regular hardware, only analog hardware that has software vst control. Thats why WesAudio is cool. There are a few other companies out that have that function as well.

Great video but it would be funny that someone in real life would spend that amount of money on expensive modules such as the Xpressor and the Wes audio ones and hook them to this interface (which is great but not for this purpose). However, I would like to know if the Clarett 8pre would be enough for hooking 500 series modules with a conversion similar to UAD or Antelope.

@maxkane6100

7 ай бұрын

Have you found anything? Curious to know to the same in regards to the Clarett 8 pre usbc - working in tandem with a Radial 6 pack chasis. Thank you

How did you know I was just asking this very question?

You skipped the part about hardware delay compensation on the hardware inserts. That’s a pretty crucial step to making this all come home full swing. Great video otherwise.

What advantages would you say 500 series has over a vst?

@sweetwater

2 жыл бұрын

Great question, and thanks for your interest! There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Having a physical 500 series setup gives you hands on control over your signal path and effects, which for many people makes a big difference. 500 series has benefits over other outboard gear since it’s relatively compact, modular and affordable. This makes it a really affordable way to get in to high quality outboard gear. It’s not true in all cases, but in some cases a VST can’t fully match the sound of a high quality physical preamp/EQ/compressor. That’s not to say that plugins can’t sound really, really good, but it’s not always the best solution either. I hope this helps, and if you want to discuss pros, cons or features with anything in particular, feel free to reach out to me! Connor Smith, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1793, connor_smith@sweetwater.com

@logimite7174

2 жыл бұрын

@@sweetwater would you say a free analog emulation or a $300 analog eq would sound better?

@kensmechanicalaffair

2 жыл бұрын

@@logimite7174 The transformers handle sound a different way than a plugin. There is literally no comparison.

@logimite7174

2 жыл бұрын

@@kensmechanicalaffair I mean to me they sound identical, maybe I'm not ready for 500 series yet.

@kensmechanicalaffair

2 жыл бұрын

@@logimite7174 If you think they sound identical, keep using plugins. Big time engineers work completely in the box now.

anyone got a used fredenstein bento 2 selling or want to trade?

What about A/D conversion? Is that not really important, or does the interface already have great A/D converters? Great video otherwise!

@levimatulis6955

3 жыл бұрын

Most interfaces nowadays have good enough conversion to make music, although ones made by like apogee or universal audio will have better quality conversion than a Focusrite 18i20. It should also be worth mentioning that the 18i20 does not have a true line in setting therefore any audio coming in through the combo jacks will pass through the Focusrite preamp circuitry before the conversion, instead of going straight to the conversion like some other boxes allow you to do.

@eman0828

3 жыл бұрын

You need dedicated Inputs and enough high head room to use outboard gear because the comb Jack's mic pres aren't bypassble. The Scarlett stuff is Prosumer stuff. You need a Pro Audio interface that is calibrated to handle a maximum Line input between +20db to +24db which is Pro Level. Having high head room is very important. The lower the THD+N and the higher the Dyanmic Range, the better.

00:25 "Perfect if you're having to work at home" Pandemic: 👺 "Hello"

okay... sooooo, what if you just want to beef up vocals???

I hate when people say, its not the gear...yea ook

I was with you on this until you mentioned protools

That Focusrite Scarlett was never designed to be used with outboard gear. The mic pre amp's aren't bypassble nor does the converters have enough headroom. You are essentially plugging a pre amp into another pre amp that can color the sound and add more noise to the signal. You would need something a bit more higher end on the Pro Audio side like the MOTU AVB stuff that has dedicated Line Input and Line Outs. You need at least +20db to +24db of Line Input / Line Output of headroom on a AD to DA converter. +24db is pretty standard as the maximum line output level of most outboard gear. Having a very low noise floor and higher signal to noise ratio is important because that noise floor adds up once you start stacking layers of Audio tracks esp when process audio through outboard compressors, etc.. The folks over Apogee told me the same.

@saladdaze7375

3 жыл бұрын

This

@protoman247

3 жыл бұрын

What are you talking about? The 18i20 does have 1/4 trs line inputs that can handle 22dbu and 29dbu with the pad engaged. The line converters can handle up to 110.5db of dynamic range. That’s more than enough to have a very low noise floor.

@eman0828

3 жыл бұрын

@@protoman247 The Microphone pre amps aren't bypassble that can add more noise to the signal. The Combo jack line inputs still goes through the variable mic pre amp circuit. You need an interface that has line inputs that goes straight to the AD converters. The THD+N noise floor specs isn't all that great. Once you start plugging in compressors and stacking Vocal Audio tracks, that noise floor adds up once you start mixing those tracks together.

@protoman247

3 жыл бұрын

@@eman0828 I’m pretty sure 110.5db of dynamic range is more than enough to get quality results. And the preamps wouldn’t even add noticeable noise and color as you are suggesting. support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/206849909-Do-the-line-inputs-on-my-interface-bypass-the-Mic-Preamps-

@NyakzOTSD

3 жыл бұрын

UAD??

Not a fan of the song but the demo and integration of hardware into Pro Tools was very helpful to learn how to hook it up and use within Pro Tools. That’s my next goal is to add a lunchbox to my hybrid workflow with Pro Tools for recording & mixing. 💯 🤘

This dude flailing around the whole time is very unsettling

Look...I’m all about this, I think it’s really cool, but this dude has got to stop moving his hands so much lmao

Did this presentation seem disorganized to anyone else? I would suggest this script could have been written more clearly. Who was it written for? The viewers who already know what is going on don't need this video for information.