Patch Fx sends to physical outputs?

[pedromigcruz]

Hi! I would like to ask if there is a way to send fxsend straight into o physical output?
I know we can route fxreturns but it seems to me that we have to have an fx inserted and I don’t really want that, because that means the company I work with have to buy plugins we don’t need, once the onboard reverbs and delays won’t give me a dry signal in the fxreturn.
The idea is to get more 4 buses that we could use to route signals out of the console.
Any idea or suggestion is welcome!

[SteffenR]

No, that is not possible, FX sends are only useable for internal FX

have to buy plugins we don’t need

all Reverbs are included

[Mr. Oldschool]

Basically, the fx send is where you select what sources you want to go to your onboard fx, like reverb. The fx return is what sets how much of that effect goes out in the main mix. So for instance, if you wanted a good amount of reverb on your mics and a medium amount on your guitars, you would select your reverb fx send, set the fader for your mics at a higher level and the fader for your guitars at a somewhat lower level. Then you would go to your main mix and bring up the fx return for your reverb to the level you like. If the level is good for the mics but not for the guitars, select the sends for the reverb again and adjust only the guitar level.

If I’m forgetting something, I’m sure one of the other guys will explain it. I don’t tend to like fx, so I avoid using much at all.

[pedromigcruz]

Thanks for the explanation how a fx send/return works, but that’s not I want to know 🙂 I just want to use fx bus as an aux send like you do in a x32 for example, or even a m7cl, pm7, Midas pros etc etc.
It seems I can’t do that in SQ, once I’m only able to route the return of the fx and not the send. So I only get wet signal out of the console.
For exemple, I need to send a mix of clean vocals from channel1 and channel2, to fx3 and come out of the console on output8, clean, dry, no reverb, delay, nothing, just that vocals. If my auxs are all used, I still have those 4 fxbuses that could be use to output dry signal, and not just wet

[SteffenR]

I still have those 4 fxbuses that could be use to output dry signal, and not just wet

Again, no this is not possible.

[ioTon]

Hi pedromigcruz,

I can’t understand why A&H will not allow the FX Send get send out of the console…
But as i write here, and you also discoverd – the returns CAN be routed…. =( *didn’t get the sense….*

Here’s my post:
https://community.allen-heath.com/forums/topic/fx-send-local-output

OK it’s possible to record as example the FX Signal only WET.
But the restriction to loose the 4 Busses (if i’d like to use the FX-Slots for inserts) is very very BAD…

Let’s see if A&H is willing to change here their architecture! – there’s still hope 😉

greetings!

[pedromigcruz]

Copy that. But if I buy a compressor plugin and set threshold ratio etc to not compression at all, or buy a graphic eq and set flat, and then route the fxreturn to an output, this would work right?

[SteffenR]

I ask myself why you should need to buy any FX? Don’t get the point…

[pedromigcruz]

Because if I insert one of the included ones I have reverb and delay adding to the signal. Once there is no wet/dry mix

[SteffenR]

but it’s the same on the plug-ins
the compressors and GEQ’s are not in the FX rack
they replace the channel or output processing modules

only DynEQ and Multiband are located in the FX rack

If you need more than 12 mixes then you choose the wrong tool for your task, sorry to say that.

[pedromigcruz]

I didn’t know that the compressors or GEq are not in the fx rack. I just need a plugin to act like a patch cord, and send audio from fxsend to fxreturn and be able to output that signal from the desk or stagebox. As simple as that.
I don’t mind if its a dyneq, mutiband-compressor, anything.
This desk belongs to the company I work with, and back in those days we didn’t need so many auxes, but if you working these days you are probably doing digital events, where now we need more outputs than inputs. It’s sends for everything, zooms, teams, interpreters, cleanfeeds, mix minus, monitors etc etc, that’s why I would like to take advantage of those fx sends and actually “send stuff”

[ThisIsAnAudioAccount]

Hi Pedromigcruz,

If you switch the FX to a Multiband compressor then hit the bypass button on the compressor, you should get dry signal on the FX return. From there you would just need to patch the FX return to an output.

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[nottooloud]

switch the FX to a Multiband compressor

That’s a purchased plug-in. I bet it wouldn’t be difficult for A&H to add patch-through to the Empty Rack setting. Actually, that’s a question that I’m not at a desk to answer. Does the Empty Rack pass signal?

[Dave Meadowcroft]

Currently the FX Sends are only available to the internal FX.
In addition, the FX Returns can only be fed a signal from the internal FX.
As you know, you can patch the FX Returns to Output sockets so you can get a full wet signal out but that is all.

To use external FX you should do it the old fashioned way with a (normally post fader) Aux patched to an Output socket (or two for stereo Aux) – and returning to a normal Input channel using an Input socket (or two for a stereo return). As pointed out, you can hack the send by using an FX that has a bypass (or some other means of doing no processing) and using the FX Return to Outputs to get a dry signal out – and then return to Input(s).

Not Currently Implemented
It would be cool to have each of the FX Sends with a pre-internal FX tap point available to patch to an Output socket so they can also act as limited buses (no processing and mono only) that we can use for whatever we like, such as external FX sends, without needing to burn an Aux.
It would also be cool for each of the FX Returns to be optionally fed from a pair of Input sockets instead of the internal FX so they can act as limited stereo inputs (only EQ and fixed stereo) that we can use for whatever we like, such as external FX returns, without needing to burn a pair of Inputs.
Neither of these options would require any processing overhead in the SQ as it’s just tapping before and after the internal FX, and the flexibility it would bring with up to 4 buses and 8 stereo inputs extra at the expense of internal FX could be very useful sometimes.

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