Hi:
I just got KDFX installed in my k2500S and I upgraded to OS 5.01 with base object 5 and options objects 4.03 for piano, orchestral, and live mode.
The kdfx2 is amazing. But the EXTERNAL routing in my studio is making me nuts:
The real reason I got the kdfx in the first place was so I could essentially use my 2500 as an external effects processor in Live Mode in my studio, thereby alleviating some strain from my CPU caused by software plug-ins fx. Also, of course, I want to take full advantage of the kdfx when recording internal 2500 sounds.
I'm dealing with a digi 001 and an old mackie 1402vlz mixer. Regarding the digi 001's 8 stereo ins and outs, I'm using 2 stereo ins and 1 stereo out. The one output pair is plugged into an input stereo pair in the mackie; the control room output of the Mackie is plugged into one digi input pair, and the other digi input pair is defaulted to it's 2 mic/lines on the front panel, which I use for vocals, etc.
The Mackie itself, on the other hand, is completely maxed out; every mackie input is being used by each of my keyboards.
I've been trying to figure out the best way to utilize my kdfx as an effects processor in my DAW software.
So far, I've run 2 1/4" cables from the 'alt 3-4' outputs of my mackie to a y-cable that joins to a single stereo plug that I've plugged into the HiZ In of my kurz.
Now, the thing that's really getting me is the deal with the K2500s physical Audio outs. In the past, I always just had two 1/4" cables running from the analog mix outs to 2 inputs on my mackie.
Keeping that the same with my new kdfx, things at first seemed ok: if I wanted to process any signal that entered the inputs of my mackie with kdfx from my kurzweil, I could just press the mute/alt3-4 buttons above the mackie channel I want processed, and solo the mackie inputs into which the 2500 Main mix outs are plugged. I would setup my own dedicated livemode programs in the 2500 (without keymaps), setup the correlating kdfx studios, assign a 'live mode trigger' on the 2500 like the SW2, press the trigger, and play on the keyboard that's being routed to the alt 3-4 mixer outputs that go into the HiZ input of the 2500. Record that signal into Pro-Tools, and I have an audio track processed with my kdfx. Likewise, I could record a dry signal first, solo it in the software sequencer, and then process THAT by pressing the alt. 3-4 button on the mixer input channel that the digi 001's MAIN outputs are plugged into, and playing back the dry signal with the livemode trigger pressed. Then I have a dry track and a kdfx-processed track in my software sequencer.
Sounds good-but here's the problem: the k2500's mix outputs mix all of the kdfx studio output signals together, right?
I can always setup the output page of each kdfx studio to make sure there's no signal overlap among all the assigned outputs, but that's sort of a pain.
So, I thought, what if I just used the "A" audio outputs from the kurz into my mixer instead of the analog mix outputs? Well, the problem there is if I ever want to use some ROM presets from the kurzweil with those awesome preset kdfx studios that are assigned to them, I wouldn't be hearing the whole picture, because a lot of those programs have multiple layers which are each assigned to a different kdfx output, and I'd only be hearing the fx on output A.
To at least partially solve this problem, I was going to use the 2500's mix outputs only for recording internal, kdfx-processed kurzweil presets into my DAW, and assign all my dedicated livemode programs/studios to the "A" outputs. While the 2500's analog mix outputs are plugged into a stereo input pair on the mackie, the "A" outs would ALSO be plugged into a stereo input pair on the mackie-and I'd use the latter only for processing external signals in live-mode using the alt 3-4 button as mentioned above. But then I found out that any signal going to the "A" output jack (or any other of the 2500 audio outs into which plugs are inserted) are REMOVED from the analog mix outputs!!! So when I do record an internal preset and parts of it's studio is assigned to the "A" outputs, I wouldn't be hearing/recording the whole preset studio as it's meant to sound!
With this setup, therefore, I'd either have to go into the KDFX editor everytime I want to record an internal preset from my analog mix outs, and re-edit the assigned preset studios so nothing's coming out of output A. Or, for that matter, I'd have to physically unplug the A ouput jacks when I want to record the full, combined signal from the analog mix outs, and replug the "A" jack when I want to use my live-mode/alt3-4 scheme. Either way, this severely disrupts workflow; there's got to be a better way.
So, I thought: even though my mackie mixer is maxed out, my digi 001 is only using two input pairs and one output pair. So what if I didn't use the 2500's analog mix outputs at all, but instead routed each of the A-D audio outs to a stereo input pair in the digi 001? Then I can have all my other keyboards still plugged into the mackie, but dedicate my kurzweil to the digi 001 inputs and control the routing in the software itself, using the 001 inputs as kdfx inserts or aux inputs in the software mixer. Here's my problem with this: I only have TWO input pairs left on the digi 001, and would only thus be able to use TWO audio outs from the 2500!! AGGH! I'm so sorry for rambling on like this, but this is making me crazy!
Please, please-considering my particular gear (the 001 and the 1402vlz), can anyone suggest some way for me to be able to record 2500 presets with their FULL kdfx studios AND to be able to use live mode to process external signals WITHOUT having to edit the studio outputs and/or unplug certain jacks every time?
I'd love to not have to spend more money to get a bigger mixer and/or audio interface. BTW, there are some aux returns, sends, and inserts that are free on my mackie mixer, but I don't know much about routing, so I don't know if/how those would come into use. Anyone?
Much appreciated,
Peter