Way to run multiple soundcards in Cubase?

Hey,

So my Cubase outputs via optical out on my Echo Layla3G to my surround mixing receiver for my audio output. However, my synthesizer has an optical input and output that I would like to route to Cubase as well. My computer has a built-in optical input/output. Is there perhaps some way that I can have Cubase work with my Layla3G for its monitoring output, while being able to route audio through the optical input/output on my motherboard to transfer audio to and from my synthesizer?

ASIO4all would be the only way this could work (on Windows which I’m guessing you’re on).

No, sorry and to be honest using the digital in out of your synth instead of analogue gives little if any improvement.

Ok asio4all could maybe work but the 2 digital streams need to be synced and that won’t be easy/possible.
Plus asio4all is far from robust.

The reason for going with the digital out on my synth over the analog isn’t for sound quality, it’s so that I can have 8 discrete audio channels going from my modular synth to my PC.

How could this be accomplished with Asio4All?

Well it wouldn’t be synced, but that isn’t necessarily a problem.

With no same source recording between the two clocks to cause phase problems, any drift is unlikely to be enough to notice over a typical song duration.
But certainly, using ASIO4all is always a compromise and it may well be the case there is little to no sonic advantage over using the audio inputs for the synth if you have them available.

Install it…select it as driver in Cubase, open the panel…probably only one device will be active…just turn on the other device and then the outputs will be available to vst connections.

ah if it is adat, I have never seen a motherboard with an adat port. Always spdif optical so no 8 channels.
What synth is it?

Vinark is correct.

It’s not possible to transfer 8 channels with the digital connection on your computer. It is only spdif, not ADAT compatible.

Sorry I missed that!

It is a modular synthesizer. The output is an Expert Sleepers ES-6.

lookup: aggregate devices

This is ADAT only as far as I can see so will not work with your computers digital input.

Aggregation is Mac only. Their connections apparently aren’t compatible anyhow.

My Echo Layla3G has ADAT optical I/O, though. Perhaps if I switch to analog outs into my receiver for my speakers from my Layla, the I can use the optical I/O on the Layla to send/receive eight channels of data from my modular rig?