[Questions] Getting the most out of 16Rig I/O (ADAT/USB)

Fuse AudioFuse
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#1

Forgive my ignorance on ADAT, and 16Rigs USB input, the manual is a bit vague and I’m a bit of a noob on this subject.

  1. Can an 8-channel mic preamp set up be added via adat out to the adat in on the 16rig, without also adding the adat out from 16rig to adat in on the preamp? Am I missing why I would need to send audio from the 16rig to the mic pres?

My thought here is in this setup, if it worked, is that I could still add 3 X8s (1 in, 2 out) for a total of 22-24 line in, 8-10 pres, as well as 24 out?

  1. Can the usb on the 16rig work with an RME digiface to add additional ADAT I/O?

I guess what I really wish I could have is a 16rig with a ferrofish pulse16 and 8 mic pre’s, but that’s not happening (…unless?)

  1. Does 16Rig work with elektron’s overbridge? For example, if I have digitakt and Syntakt setup, can I use ableton to send overbridge multitracks to 16rig for outboard gear without using multiple stereo I/O pairs for the elektron units (i.e, not including outboard gear)?

As an aside, in case it affects the answers, I do plan to primarily be using this with my computer, particularly if the 8 mic pre’s are involved. The option to do standalone for the line level I/O is certainly nice and I may utilize that at times.

macOS if relevant.

Thank you

#2

Hi,

  1. Yes, you can add an 8-channel Mic preamp connected to an ADAT input of the AF16Rig.
    But, you have to consider the digital clock for your whole system, especially if you have another ADAT input expander like the AFX8 In.
    It is essential that both ADAT Inputs are locked to the same clock, either via Wordclock or via ADAT clock.

As for the ADAT output of the 16Rig going to the ADAT Input of the preamp, the examples you might have seen probably used an 8-channel preamp that also has 8 analog outputs that are converted from ADAT (the Arturia AudioFuse8pre, for instance).
In that case, those outputs would take the place of one of the 2 AFX8 Out units.
The ADAT input on the 8-channel preamp can also be used to sync its digital clock (if the preamp doesn’t have a workclock input or output).

So, your setup could be either:
1 x AF16Rig + 1 x AF8pre (8 preamps + 8 outputs) + 1 x AFX8 In + 1 x AFX8 Out for a total of 22-24 line in, 8-10 pres, as well as 24 out
Or if you use an 8-channel preamp that doesn’t have analog outputs:
1 x AF16Rig + 1 x 8-channel preamp + 1 x AFX8 In + 2 x AFX8 Out for a total of 22-24 line in, 8-10 pres, as well as 24 out
But in either case, you need to decide how to sync the clocks of all the connected digital devices. (using wordclock or only ADAT clock, if that’s an option).

  1. You can’t “daisy-chain” multiple interfaces through USB. The AF16Rig has a maximum of 32 input channels (16 +8 + 8).
    Mac OS has a feature called “aggregate device” that allows you to connect 2 (or potentially more) audio interfaces on 2 different USB ports of the computer, and combine their inputs/outputs as a larger system.
    See Create an Aggregate Device to combine multiple audio devices - Apple Support (CA)

  2. I haven’t worked with Overbridge, and the AF16Rig has no direct connection with it.
    If I understand correctly, Overbridge only works through a computer.
    From the specs, it seems it would also be capable of “aggregation”, but I’m not sure if it could be combined with Apple’s aggregate device for non-Elektron interfaces.
    You might want to ask about it on Elektron forums.

In standalone mode, the AF16Rig will allow you to monitor a mix of all the up-to-32 inputs to your speakers, and route some inputs to additional outputs, even when the computer is turned off or disconnected.
If the Elektron analog I/Os are not connected to the AF16Rig, they won’t be part of that mix/routing, since it requires the Overbridge software.

I hope that helps.

#3

Thank you, that helps a ton!

The reason I was thinking of 2 x8 outs 1x8 in + 8pre, is because I don’t have anything to connect to the Clarett+ Octopre options for line outs, so it seemed like a better option for me. I know there’s other 8pre options as well, but I am actually a big fan of what I’ve heard from the “air” option (especially since it’s optional per channel, and the octopre has inserts).

Hopefully that still all works. I think I’d first try to do word clock over bnc with the splitter or adat/bnc combo.? Worst case scenario I guess I’d need a dedicated word clock generator.

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