- main insert after USB send, so can t record the main insert fx via the built-in audio interface
- when cues are active the level meters always shows the cued channels, no way to have it show the main channel instead
Apart from this, great device.
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Ah yeah, I was aware of these two. Mildly annoying but again not deal breakers 
thanks!
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- I m also not a fan of the overall sound of the filter distortion, but i do like to use it for bringing extra mid/high frequency crunch to delay and reverb tails.
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Yeah it does seem like a slightly odd choice, might have been nice to have a different effect on each filter e.g. one distortion, one compressor. But again, not a dealbreaker and more useful to me than the 92ās LFO!
Sure! Iām evaluating the Xone 96 because i think itās the best choice for what i have in mind. Mixers like the ZED series maybe offer more routing possibilities but leave less room for creativity. I prefer to use the mixer like another āinstrumentā.
To answer your questions:
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yes, the idea is to record the analog master output, recording it directly with the RME. This has some advantages for me, I can record the final mix, including EQ, Filter and the master insert, use the sound card AD converters, which I assume are of a slightly higher quality. And finally, use USB 9/10 - 11/12 channels to record channels A and B.
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yes, aggregated devices can be created on the macOS. Iāve never actually tried to do it but I know it can be done. I need to go deeper into this question. Indeed, if there is anyone who can confirm this possibility, it would help me.
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I did not understand this point. What do you mean by āinputs C and D do not have insert jacksā?
My idea is to double the output of the two FX with a Y cable. A signal will send to RME input and will be recorded. The other signal will go back to the Mixer (Return C and Return D inputs) so that it can be heard on the master. Am I wrong something? -
yes this is unfortunately for me the negative point of this setup. I consider it a workaround to the problem of being able to record Send 1 and Send 2 via USB. How is the audio quality on the two Phones outputs?
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Yes, no problem here.
These are my considerations, let me know if you think Iām wrong. Thank you!
Theoretically itās possible to do this on Apple devices. Iāve never really tried to do it but I know it can be done. If someone here can confirm this possibility, it would be very useful.
Thanks.
In Mac OS you can create āAggregate Devicesā where you take two or more sound cards, melt them and create a single Device with all the channels of the aggregated devices. Then you can use the new device in any dawās or audio software.
Perfect. Have you tried if this operation also works with the Xone 96 sound card?
No, never tried with a Xone 96 but I donāt see why it shouldnāt work
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Iāve done it with my Xone 96 and other interfaces I have.
My main setup is using my Xone 96 and Roland MX-1 combined as an aggregate device in Ableton Live. I have my synths (Peak, Rev2 and Deepmind) going into the MX-1. I then route these into AL as āexternal instrumentsā, process them and add fx, then route them out to USB channels of my Xone 96.
I then record the mix back into Ableton from the Xone 96 using USB 11-12 (the main mix out).
It works great.
I use it aggregated with my Analog Rytm and Analog Four in the same way.
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Perfect, thanks for the clarification. Another question: how do the Xone 96 A / D converters sounds like compared to your other sound card?
Unfortunately I found very little information about this technical detail of the mixer.
Both A/D and D/A is superb, I really like the sound of it. Plenty of headroom, the eq is superb and whatever I route through it (USB, phonos, etc) all gel together well.
I only use it for mixing external sound sources, I donāt DJā¦ so I very slightly miss not having a pan control, but thatās a small price to pay for the overall functionality I get from it.
One slight issue I have- I run my studio monitors (Yamaha HS7ās) from the booth output, and thereās a ton of output from the deskā¦ it means my master booth level is around 1!
I was going to put an attenuators after the Xone 96, but Iād rather keep the chain clean.
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Someone please correct me if I am wrong but I believe this adds extra latency. Not a huge amount, I think the total latency ends up as the sum of each deviceās latency, but may be a factor for some.
I think it needs to be tested, but to me it does not make sense that the latency would be the sum of the two. They are not in serial, they are read in parallel. At worst, i think itās reasonable that the latency would end up being the highest of the two interfaces.
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I also believe that in the worst case scenario the latency is that of the least āperformingā device and not the sum of the two.
Ah if thatās the case then great, I just recall being surprised how high the latency was when I last tried to use it
Everything I recorded through it sounded just like the direct analog output.
I havenāt tested whether the 32bit depth really adds anything are is just a gimmick. It would be useful if it provides larger headroom than a 24bit interface would, not clipping digitally on too hot signals.
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Theoretically you select the master clock device, the mac os manage all other devices to compensate for latency issues.
Anyway sync/latency and DAWs is a delicate territory, I consider the aggregated device feature a bonus for extreme situations. I would never think to adopt this solution to any hi specs studio setup.
If you want a clean/easy/reliable solution, go for one sound card with 8/16/32 or more I/Oās, patchbays sometimes could add flexibility.
ADAT sync is sometime jittery, so figure out how can it be software level syncingā¦
Agreed, my experience with it in the past has been that itās nice to have but I would not rely on it, I feel like Iāve had some random issues.
Great, thanks for the feedback. I usually record at 48/24bit with my sound card. Unfortunately I have not found many technical details on the sound card of the 96. For example the dynamic range or frequency response is not specified. However, I hope that their āstate of the artā slogan is at least comparable to medium-high quality cards.