Logic X UAD Apollo DT Heat 2 Mac Journey of discovery

I am currently in the process of getting all these lovlies to talk to each other properly and it’s a complicated affair with two way midi and audio to consider in multiple devices. along with all the buffer and delay compensation considerations and Logic and Console mixer routing.
thought I’d start a thread for people on a similar mission so we can form a collective brain.
Happy to answer and questions.

x

It’s super easy.

What, the whole thing is super easy?

How are you trying to set these up?

You could go Apollo + DT + Heat 2 each as their own audio interface pulled together into an Aggregate Device in Audio Setup on your Mac. But this will introduce additional latency.

Alternative, you could use your Apollo as audio interface and run the DT and Heat as outboard gear into your Apollo via audio cables (eg DT into Line in 1+2, Heat into Line 3+4 etc).

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yeah. I’m trying aggregate as we speak. don’t want the extra cables so I’m attempting to keep it as USB. I want a hot feed to the DT for USB sampling so aggregate seems the only USB only option. So exciting though. I’m spending time configuring a Logic template so the whole setup is good to go when I fire it up. DT midi to logic (note and configured CC’s) for my bread and butter plugins. Audio and MIDI tracks for recording the DT and Heat. Console configured for easy re-routing of the various signal paths. Nocturn keyboard MIDI assignments.
Despite previous comments, it’s complicated and I have discovered and overcome a few pitfalls along the way and learnt a fair bit.

sorted I think. discreet channels for all the audio sources. always on channel for DT USB sampling. midi done.
now I have to decide what midi goes where.
aggregate device was problematic to start but seems to have rectified now.

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have set up a DT midi to Heat yet. that’s on the list

Nice, glad you are progressing and enjoying the journey in the process.

My biggest concern with Aggregate Devices is latency and input/output assignments in DAWs once one of the devices is disconnected (I move my stuff around quite a bit).

Re MIDI, nice approach, using the DT to sequence your fav plugins.

I try to use my laptop/DAW only as a “tape recorder” and play everything else on my hardware. My Apollo 8 is extended via ADAT with a Behringer ADA8200, this way all hardware units have their own line in channel and I can track each unit individually in my DAW.

My MIDI chain is also entirely hardware based, with a Keystep at the beginning of it all running through an Octatrack that directs the midi signal to all of my gear. So by switching the midi channel on my Keystep I can directly control each unit.

sounds good. I’ve only just come out of the box so this was all new to me. I like having all my audio channels in the digital realm. soooo many options. it’s truly a paradigm shift in method for me. suddenly the creative focus has shifted to knobs and distortion and modulation and blending and sweeping and swishing. dark undertones of analogue bass.

FWIW I always use physical cable connections for stuff like this. Getting low latency performance out from system like that involving aggregate audio and overbridge? ugh no thx

Aggregate devices are great, but I would argue that it makes less sense in an Apollo setup where your interface already provides plenty inputs.

Ya, it’s really straight forward.
Don’t let the setup look over complicated.

Noted above the issue with aggregates and ins/outs changing based on which parts of the aggregate that are on or off…
Simple remedy, make logic templates for each set of aggregates you wish to use.

BUT…the one drawback to simplifying life with templates is…you can forget how to setup it again should you need to. But again…it’s not that tuff. You can’t break anything.

With repetition it’ll stick man.

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I’ll let you all know how the aggregate route fairs for me

aggregate is good…
I’ve got, aggregated…[for logic]

  • MOTU 8A [master]
  • MOTU Ultralite AVB
  • Digitakt
  • Digitone
  • Expert Sleepers ES-8

make sure you check Drift Correction for each slave [sync].

flawless.

aggregate working very well.

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