Advanced Routing
Normals, AB Groups, Mults, and Bridge let one Chain do more than a straight Source-to-Destination run. Build and activate ordinary Chains first (Chains).
Choose the right tool
| Goal | Use | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Keep a default route on until another Chain needs its Port IDs | Normal | N on the Chain |
| Pick one of several Sources, Processors, or Destinations at one position | AB Group | Node ⋮ › AB |
| Send one signal to several Destinations at once | Mult | Node ⋮ › Mult |
| Feed one side of a split stereo Source to both sides of the Chain | Bridge | Node ⋮ › Bridge |
Related controls live elsewhere:
- Tags and favorites: Connecting Devices and App Reference.
- MUTE ALL deactivates every active Chain and restores them when you click UNMUTE: App Reference.
- Stereo sides, Dual Mono, and Mono to Stereo Processors: Chains.
- Digital-option channels: Hardware Reference.
Normals
A normaled Chain is on whenever its Port IDs are free. Another Chain that needs those Port IDs breaks the Normal without asking. When that Chain goes off, the Normal comes back on its own. This is patch-cable break-and-restore: make your everyday mix-bus path a Normal, then activate an alternative Chain only while you audition it.
Normal a Chain
Click N on the Chain card's subheader, or N on its row in the CHAINS browser.
- If the Chain's Port IDs are free, it activates.
- If an ordinary active Chain is using them, the Chain stays off until that Chain goes off.
- If another normaled Chain uses them, the DENORMAL dialog opens. See Port ID Conflicts.
Normal applies to the whole Chain; individual Nodes have no Normal.
Work with a normaled Chain
- The activate button doesn't turn a normaled Chain off. Click N again to remove the Normal; the Chain deactivates.
- Several Normals can be on at once if they don't share Port IDs. One Chain can break more than one Normal.
- Click N in the CHAINS browser header to list only normaled Chains.
A Normal isn't a lock. A lock stops structural edits (Chains); a Normal is meant to be broken and restored.
AB Groups
An AB Group holds several alternatives at one position in a Chain: two microphones or tie lines at the Source, compressors at a Processor slot, recorders at the Destination. Only one member is active at a time. Despite the name, a group can hold more than two members.
AB appears in the ⋮ menu of any Chain Node that isn't already in a group and isn't a Mono to Stereo Processor.
Build an AB Group
- Open the Node's ⋮ menu and choose AB. The Node becomes member A, with an empty slot (for example Drag a Processor here) below it.
- Drag a Node of the same role into the slot. It becomes B.
- To add more members, drag a Node onto the lower edge of the last member.
- Click a member's letter, or its channel button, to make it the active alternative. The other members switch off.
Change or remove a group
- Drag a member out of the group to return it to the ordinary Chain.
- Choose Delete from a member's ⋮ menu to remove it from the Chain.
- Ungroup appears on the first member's ⋮ menu once the group is down to that one member (the empty slot is showing). It dissolves the group.
An AB Group can be a MIDI target. See MIDI Control.
Switching mic-level members that carry phantom power is live electrical switching and can pop. Follow the phantom-power guidance in Hardware Reference.
Mults
A Mult sends one signal to two or more Destinations at the same time. Each branch, or lane, ends at its own Destination and can have its own Processors.
Mult appears on Source and Processor Nodes, never on a Destination. The split happens after the Node you choose.
Build a Mult
- Open the ⋮ menu of the Source or Processor where the signal should split, and choose Mult. A new lane appears to the right with Drag a Destination here.
- Drag a Destination into the lane.
- To add a Processor to that lane only, drag it onto the lane's connector line.
- Repeat for more lanes.
Double-click-to-add doesn't work once a Chain has more than one lane. Drag Nodes in instead.
Remove a lane
Hover over the top corner of the lane's connector and click the ✕ that appears. Deleting only the lane's Destination leaves an empty lane in place.
Limits
- A Mult is one signal to many Destinations. It doesn't combine Sources: ProPatch does not sum.
- You can't mult a Destination backward into other Destinations. To feed a second Destination permanently, mult from the Source or a Processor.
- Large Mults can exceed the paths available inside the unit. A visible Chain isn't necessarily passing audio. Listen. If a lane is silent, reduce the Mult or use other channels, then see Troubleshooting.
Bridge and Unbridge
Bridge feeds one side of a split stereo Source to both sides of the rest of the Chain. Use it when only one side of a stereo Source carries signal, or to send a mono feed into a stereo Chain.
- Split the stereo Source: open its ⋮ menu and choose Dual Mono. The Source becomes separate L and R Nodes.
- On the side you want to keep, open ⋮ and choose Bridge. The other side's Source is removed and the kept side feeds both sides downstream.
To undo it, choose Unbridge on the bridged Source. The Chain returns to separate sides, with an empty Drag a Source here slot for the removed side. Drag a Source back in to restore it.
Bridge appears only on a Source that has been split with Dual Mono.