To use external hardware with your Antelope Audio device, follow these steps to ensure everything is connected and routed correctly.
Step 1: Connect the External Hardware
⦁ Connect Outputs and Inputs:
⦁ External Hardware to Antelope Device: Connect the Output of your external hardware to the Input of your Antelope Audio device.
⦁ Antelope Device to External Hardware: Connect the Output of your Antelope Audio device to the Input of your external hardware.
⦁ Use TRS connectors for the best connection quality.
Step 2: Understand the Key Components
When setting up external hardware, keep in mind:
⦁ Physical Inputs and Outputs: The actual connections on your Antelope Audio device.
⦁ Digital Inputs and Outputs: The corresponding channels your DAW uses to interface with the hardware.
Step 3: Set Up Routing in the Antelope Audio Routing Matrix
The Antelope Audio Routing Matrix lets you assign physical connections to digital channels in your DAW.
⦁ Send Signal to External Hardware:
⦁ Choose an output channel in your DAW that isn’t your master output. For this example, we'll use Computer Play 3.
⦁ In the Routing Matrix, drag Computer Play 3 (or TB Play/USB Play depending on your interface model) to the physical output connected to your hardware. Here, we’ll use Line Output 3.
⦁ Receive Signal from External Hardware:
⦁ Ensure that the signal from your external hardware is routed back into the Antelope device correctly.
⦁ For example, if your hardware is connected to Input 3 on your Antelope device, drag Preamp 3 to Computer Record 3 in the Routing Matrix.
⦁ Set the preamp to LINE mode to ensure it is configured for line-level signals.
Note: Computer Record may be labeled USB Rec or TB Rec based on your Antelope Audio interface version. This example uses an original Zen Tour interfacing over USB.
Step 4: Configure Your DAW
⦁ Create an Audio Track:
⦁ Open your DAW and create an audio track.
⦁ Set Up the Insert Plugin:
⦁ Use your DAW’s insert plugin (e.g., Reinsert in Reaper, I/O in Logic, Pipeline in Studio One).
⦁ Set the plugin’s output to Output 3 (which corresponds to Computer Play 3 in your Routing Matrix).
⦁ Set the plugin’s input to Input 3 (which corresponds to Preamp 3 in your Routing Matrix).
⦁ Apply Latency Correction:
⦁ Use the latency correction feature in your DAW's insert plugin to compensate for any delay introduced by the external hardware processing.
By following these steps, you can effectively integrate your external hardware with your Antelope Audio device, bringing the best of both analog and digital worlds into your production workflow.