MOTU 8pre, User Manual

Page: 46 / 68

R E D U C I N G M O N I T O R I N G L A T E N C Y
46
MONITORING LIVE INPUT
There are two ways to monitor live audio input
with an 8pre: 1) through the computer or 2) via
CueMix™ DSP hardware monitoring. Figure 10-1
below shows method 1, which allows you to add
effects processing such as reverb and guitar amp
effects via plug-ins in your audio software. See the
next section, “Adjusting the audio I/O buffer” for
details about how to reduce — and possibly
eliminate — the audible monitoring delay that the
computer introduces.
Figure 10-2 on page 47 shows how to use CueMix™
DSP hardware-based monitoring, which lets you
hear what you are recording with no monitoring
delay and no computer-based effects processing.
(You can add effects later, after you’ve recorded the
live input as a disk track.) See “CueMix DSP
hardware monitoring” later in this chapter for
details on how to use CueMix DSP with your audio
software, or with the included MOTU CueMix
Console software.
If the material you are recording is suitable, there is
a third way to monitor live input: use both methods
(Figure 10-1 and Figure 10-2) at the same time. For
example, you could route vocals to both the
computer (for a bit of reverb) and mix that
processed signal on the main outs with dry vocals
from CueMix DSP.
1. Live input (from mic, guitar, etc.)
enters the MOTU interface.
PC
2. Mic signal goes immedi-
ately to the computer (dry,
with no effects processing).
3. Mic signal is
‘patched thru’ back to
the audio interface
with reverb or other
plug-in effects, if any.
Figure 10-1: There are two ways to monitor live audio inputs with an 8pre: 1) through the computer or 2) via CueMix™ DSP hardware monitor-
ing. This diagram shows method 1 (through the computer). When using this method, use your host software’s buffer setting to reduce the
slight delay you hear when monitoring the live input, but don’t lower it too much, or your computer might get sluggish.
4. Mic signal (with plug-in
processing, if any) is routed
to the main outs (or other
outputs that you’ve specified
in the software).