I want to go back to having a single utility buss/channel that I can momentarily route to for metering etc as is done on large format console etc
It also needs to be able to be routed to by the preview channel
Hi,
You can use the FX Channel, can’t you.
Not sure we are on the same page
Ill try and explain
On a hardware console, because there are limited eg meters etc, by pressing the listen (on some its the solo with a diff secondary button) it routes the signal to a dedicated buss with meter etc
The idea is, when doing pre clean work on a track, I bake in some rudimentary processes like gain and compression and ends up with -18db signal average for system gain staging. This is especially true for the sub channel of eg a bass guitar which I split into xover
A <100hz
B >100hz
The A part is always limited/ compressed with approx 6db wave crest ratio. The actual final control happens in the insert fx where I might use a soft limit etc
The thing is that, as per my other post, this track pretty much always looks identical (after comparing many tracks that were done only by hearing) and this is using the meter on one of the Sonible plugs…it makes it all insanely simple and visible
SO
I want to be in the DOP dialog, applying the comp/limit etc there and be able to simply have the preview go to a dedicated listen buss as per above
At the moment its either phones or active monitor. This is especially problematic as the master/monitor outputs are on 2.1 system and the bass sub is routed to the LFE
can’t you just use a metering plugin of your choice (e.g. supervision) as a control room insert and then anything you solo will be shown?
M
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Yeah that’s how it’s hacked at the moment…just wondering if anyone had a more elegant solution. I also need a dedicated mix else the preview is sent as stereo and not lfe. So the inserts for a monitor are pre fader else you have to use global inserts which ruins the other monitor options
Ps as in my other post…supervision is good but def after the Sonible type level histogram
Since Cues in the Control Room have their dedicated insert slots, maybe you could use a Cue Send?
Unfortunately cues dont address preview/dop routing 
Just needs to be the same as a listen on a real desk
The preview channel always goes directly either to the default output bus (when CR is off) or to the Main or Phones section of the CR. It is mixed into the selected output.
There is no accessing it seperately in any way afaik. Thus no isolating it or metering of just the preview channel is possible unless you simply don’t playback the project.
Just making sure…
Looks like i will dedicate monitor 4 as its not essential (i use 60/30/10 mix principle so only need 3)
Not ideal but im amazed that control room, being such a hardware paradigm didnt consider this…well especially with preview in mind
Cheers
Um for anyone else looking for standard console listen function…lol…its there right in front on the console with a capital “L” for LISTEN
which does exactly what I was asking…routes the listen source PFL/AFL direct to the CR preview and uses (can use) a dedicated meter/etc
WOW…amazing. Pretty strange no one else is using it and that I didnt even click to it.
This is where flowcharts in manuals are not only good for hardware (absolute given) but for dig desks
You just set the DIM -inf or eg -20 if you are doing comparison. Its not a solo which is completely diff
Now PLEASE, please add MODULAR routing to the mixer (or at least a patching plugin that works) AND BRING US INTO THE 21st Century
Listen is one of the primary reasons for using Control Room even if you don’t have any need for cues and monitor busses, as has been mentioned across this forum on multiple occasions.
Was just interesting that I asked a specific question that may have had fragmented snippets across the forum but they did not come up in the search results (as solid answers) before I had posted nor was anyone (here) aware of how the behaviour worked (its even on small foh mix consoles or foh monitor sub mixes).
My question was from mid last year…
For anyone else wanting to know (if it helps), how to emulate using meters/listen mode on hardware console; ie If you are wanting to be able to isolate (not solo) a track to preview it is on a vu etc,
-
make sure your meter plugin is first in your preview channel (phones or monitors),
set the dim level to -inf (just temp)
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Press the L on your source channel
You will now hear the source directly routed (unlike solo which will follow complete signal path)
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Now you can troubleshoot, clip gain etc to known starting points
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You can also zero in in each section of the path by opening channel edit, making sure output channels are shown and listen to each output point.
Its a super handy tool esp for tracing eg in brauer type bussing, gain staging etc