Using UAD Console Plugins Live?

[devanbumsteadParticipant]

I recently purchased an Apollo X8P interface and have been loving the unison preamps and real-time AutoTune. Wondering how to integrate this into a live situation with my DLive.

I have a CDM64, C3500, and DX168. We have a Dante card as well. Ideally, I just want to use AutoTune live and wouldn’t want the vocalists to hear their corrected signal, so I’d need to use the plugins as inserts I’m assuming, correct?

If so, how would I set this up this properly and what other components would I need?

Maybe use the DX168 and buy a DB25 XLR snake to go in and out of the Apollo and then route those in the inserts of the vocal channels?

Thanks for your help.

[SteffenRParticipant]

There are several possible routes to go…

Dante with Live Professor is one approved from at least Wolfgang and me and I think some others…
The analog method works as well and it is possible to do it with Console,
but since Console is made for a studio environment it’s workflow isn’t that intuitive during a live session… at least to me… (Apollo USB)

[devanbumsteadParticipant]

Thanks so much for introducing me to LivePerformer. Definitely something I didn’t know about that could prove very useful, I think especially with the dawn of the M1 chip being able to handle a ton of plug-in at low latency.

The idea of using Console got my attention because of the low latency of the Apollos. I played with it a bit in the studio and created a little workaround by saving multiple presets in Console loaded up with AutoTune in all the different keys. Then the engineer would just have to Load that preset/key for each song. Seems almost as simple as some of the features in LiveProfessor (although not quite as easy).

I’ll definitely experiment with it both ways. Thanks again!

[SteffenRParticipant]

I think especially with the dawn of the M1 chip being able to handle a ton of plug-in at low latency

What you mean? It’s a CPU not more…
It doesn’t bring lower latency per se

[devanbumsteadParticipant]

Maybe I don’t fully understand how LivePerformer works then. Does it not use a computer the way a DAW would in a recording session? Because if it does, I know many have been able to load many more plugins in a DAW session with M1 and lower the I/O buffer size for low latency recording while using plugins. I just assumed this would apply to LivePerformer as well.

[ChrisParticipant]

Latency is not solely CPU dependent. Hence why “low latency” plugins exist. It’s the amount of processing that takes place, and the algorithms they use that ultimately determines latency. Sure, if you load up a bunch of plugins and overload the CPU, you are sure to have problems but EVERY plugin causes latency. The more plugins loaded, the more latency you will have regardless of CPU power. Would a more powerful CPU decrease latency? It could, but it depends on the plugin/setup. DAWs will typically align each channel based on detected latency and will try to make sure that each channel is output “on time”, but the total output latency will always be dependent on the most latent plugin(s).

Ultimately it is really hard and somewhat problematic to say specifically that just because a CPU is more powerful that you will have lower latency. Total number of plugins/setup will ultimately determine total latency.

[devanbumsteadParticipant]

Insightful Chris, thanks for clarifying.

[ScotchyParticipant]

Using the UAD console app is the best way. You create a virtual fader and route another output to wherever you want.

[ScotchyParticipant]

We have been using UAD Apollo rack mounts and AutoTune RealTime extensively. It’s best to view it as some kind of outboard gear with multiple outputs. Once you achieve your preferred method of getting signal into the UAD hardware (it often becomes confusing as to where to place the computer and we ended up needing two computers with screen sharing), use the UAD “console” app on your Mac to assign other mixer channels to the same input (if you’re using a twin or other small unit just create some virtual channels instead with the same input but you’ll probably have to get tricky with the output assignments). You can then choose to either add plug ins to those channels or not. In this way you can route wet and dry signal wherever you need it. Also, I personally have spent many hours discovering how to run AutoTune RealTime with MIDI. Otherwise you need a dedicated person to stand there half of the time to change keys and tweak things. Mixers have enough other jobs to do these days. There is NO documentation on this anywhere by the way.

[devanbumsteadParticipant]

Scotchy, sounds like you’re the perfect candidate to make a rad instructional video! 😉

Thanks for the tips!

[devanbumsteadParticipant]

I finally got around to trying it. Totally works. Here’s my setup:

[larenceprixParticipant]

I have an Apollo x8 that I have been utilising live the past 6 months as a FOH touring engineer.
So far I have been using it mainly to insert into certain key channels (vocal and kick-drum) and onto my group buses on a large selection of house-desks. I use console.
It’s been working well most of the time – especially when I had a rented c3500 for a run and didn’t have to plumb it in fresh every day!
I have a couple of balanced TRS jack to xlr looms (one male xlr, one female) that I have been connecting the Apollo to the D-live surface with, but as I am utilising one of the local inputs for a talk-back mic I only have 5 inputs left to play with on the D-live.
I have bought a pair of SPDIF to xlr cables so I can link to the digital in’s on the D-live, which buys me a couple of channels but am looking for a solution that will give me more options to fully utilise the Apollo x8.
This is a brave-new-world for me so please excuse my ignorance;
from what I have seen from Devan’s video above it seems that one option is getting a DX168 and carrying-on inserting analogue onto the extra channels of I/O.
A few people have mentioned that using ADAT could be better option going forward, and that it may be possible to link the Apollo to the D-live through a Ferrofish Verto32 into my dante card.
I am already utilising the primary slot in the dante card for multitracking for use with virtual soundcheck; could I use the secondary slot on the dante card for the ADAT inserts?
Anyone have any thoughts on what the most stable, affordable and latency light solution might be?
Thanks in advance

[SteffenRParticipant]

Why not use the Dante secondary for the FX? Without UA’s Console.

[larenceprixParticipant]

Hi Steffen, thanks for your response.
I’m not sure I understand? Do you mean that I could run my UAD FX plug-ins from a separate program that does not use ADAT?

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