How to Integrate 500 Series Gear in Production 

Level up your mixes with a little analog flair🎛 If this guide helped you, let us know by hitting those like and subscribe buttons and by leaving a comment 🤗

Such an underrated video. Thank you for this! It seems you are the only person who has answered this question for everyone! Keep 'em coming!

Great to see Chad repping such awesome gear for Sweetwater! #CapFam!

This is a surprisingly great video if you're looking to add hardware processors. Bravo.

Just getting into 500 series. Excellent tutorial. Thanks

The best vidéo i seen before buy my 500 setup. Full info tins Perfect

Very cool tutorial!

Really good!

Thanks for this excellent video! I have a relative question for this video, Is there an advantage to using all analog vs an adat chassis (i.e. Cranborn 500adat)?

If I have an API 500 Series 8 slot Chasis with db25 connectors in the back routing to my Apollo x8p, does it default to Line Inserts 3-10 like how it does inside of your focus rite controller? Curios because there are switches 1-8 on the back of my lunchbox.

Kool background

superb

What kind of power is in that MacBook? I’m still using a MacBook Pro 2012.

Cranborne Audio 500R8 and 500ADAT not even mentioned? I guess it would make the video too short since it makes using 500 series with you production/DAW so easy thanks to the built-in A-D/D-A. Or I guess because this video was made for Fredenstein and they don't have anything like the Cranborne racks.

I’m using a clarett 18i20 with a lunch box, iam wanting to use a small mixer with multiple guitar mics summed on mixer out to a 500 series mic pre (bae 1073) should you be using an attenuator? Shure A15LA OR A15AS?

what about H/W insert delay, you don't have to compensate the ADDA conversion ?

Can I use the same hardware for different tracks? For example, can I use that same Wesaudio EQ for vocal and snare and hi hat?

Does it make sense to go through multiple DA/AD conversions when combining some of the 500 modules? Isn´t it better to, say, DA once, go through a variety of modules and then AD back? If so, what´s best practice to change the order of modules: Moving them between slots or do everything via a standard patchbay such as Neutrik TRS or bantam?

Isn't using the XLR inputs on your interface bad because it will send the audio back through pre-amps and potentially color the sound?

I feel like this guy is going to crossover past me at any second

this was a great vid for looking at an outboard hookup with an interface; but the mix was so low I had to turn my monitors way up to hear it, then he was screaming at me..lol...also, he would say,"you can hear the difference" while talking over the music...not complaining, just observing because it's a real good vid I just wanted to hear the mix more

Amazing analog processing. My question is: how did you manage to enter at a line level into the 18i20, since you cannot bypass the mic pres in that unit? I had one and I sold it for this exact reason. Thanks

I don't understand all of this technology but I like the possibilities. Does anyone know if this can be done using the 2i2 obviously there's not all the ins and outs but i wanted to know can the software do anything far as using the help of a analogue mixer if that makes sense.

noob question, how do you integrate external pre amps into an audio interface that already has preamps? for example: If I like the sound of my external neve pre amp but I have and focusrite 18i20.

HELP HELP !!!! 500 series out to Focus interface Input , should the Gain knob on interface to Zero ? or its up to situation ?

The focusrite Scarlett 3rd generator interface bypass the preamp now you use other preamp instead

So, how do you print the final mix in pro tool you've already done with those 500 series?

Does the link function on the Bento 65 only work for Fredenstein devices? Thanks

Great content! Can anybody please tell me how can I use two neve 542 at the same time in stereo mode so far I can only use it in mono

Hi guys, nice video! I'm trying to look for some help here.. I'm thinkin' about gettin into 500series world as a drummer to achieve a better sound. I usually have to deliver raw stems to customers. Current setup is a 18i20+ OctoPreAmp and I use in total 13 mic for the all drumkit 24bit 48Khz. Don't get me wrong it's already a not cheap and good setup but I would like to improve some important mics like the snare and kick ones. My question is: if I record, for example, snare mic and kick mic through two 500series external preamp and then I'll go into the audio interface that I have at the moment, would I have latency problem between the all kit recorded with 18i20+OctoPre and the 2 mic that have passed trought the 500series preamp? some synchrony problem? Because you can understand that move the all 13 mic kit through 13 modules would cost me a kidney!! Thanks if someone know something more than me, this world is fascinating!

How you connect TRS outputs of Scarlett to XLR inputs of 500 series rack??

I'm wondering if it's possible to plug a 500 series chassis to an UAD apollo solo ?

Can you make a video for low budget hardware

I am considering buying some 500 series stuff, but there are certain things i´m unsure of. Trying to make it real easy: If I were to make my stereo signal from my DAW go thru a couple of distortions / bus distortion and thru a bus comp, I would route it like this: - - -----output 1-2 (daw) - > input 1-2 distortion (500 series) output 1-2 (500 series) -> input 3-4 bus comp (500 series) output 3-4 (500 series) -> input 1-2 (daw) Would something like this be correct?

i have the same interface but when i tried to do exactly what your doing a got a brutal amount of latency, i had try everything , can someone help me ??

You skipped the part about hardware delay compensation on the hardware inserts. That’s a pretty crucial step to making this all come home full swing. Great video otherwise.

I would have preferred this video if the 500 series were not used as inserts. I was hoping to run them as a chain leading into my interface. Would that cause too much latency?

Can all these 500 series that you used can be automated

How did you know I was just asking this very question?

Great video but it would be funny that someone in real life would spend that amount of money on expensive modules such as the Xpressor and the Wes audio ones and hook them to this interface (which is great but not for this purpose). However, I would like to know if the Clarett 8pre would be enough for hooking 500 series modules with a conversion similar to UAD or Antelope.

What advantages would you say 500 series has over a vst?

00:25 "Perfect if you're having to work at home" Pandemic: 👺 "Hello"

What about A/D conversion? Is that not really important, or does the interface already have great A/D converters? Great video otherwise!

anyone got a used fredenstein bento 2 selling or want to trade?

I hate when people say, its not the gear...yea ook

okay... sooooo, what if you just want to beef up vocals???

I was with you on this until you mentioned protools

Not a fan of the song but the demo and integration of hardware into Pro Tools was very helpful to learn how to hook it up and use within Pro Tools. That’s my next goal is to add a lunchbox to my hybrid workflow with Pro Tools for recording & mixing. 💯 🤘

That Focusrite Scarlett was never designed to be used with outboard gear. The mic pre amp's aren't bypassble nor does the converters have enough headroom. You are essentially plugging a pre amp into another pre amp that can color the sound and add more noise to the signal. You would need something a bit more higher end on the Pro Audio side like the MOTU AVB stuff that has dedicated Line Input and Line Outs. You need at least +20db to +24db of Line Input / Line Output of headroom on a AD to DA converter. +24db is pretty standard as the maximum line output level of most outboard gear. Having a very low noise floor and higher signal to noise ratio is important because that noise floor adds up once you start stacking layers of Audio tracks esp when process audio through outboard compressors, etc.. The folks over Apogee told me the same.

Did this presentation seem disorganized to anyone else? I would suggest this script could have been written more clearly. Who was it written for? The viewers who already know what is going on don't need this video for information.

This dude flailing around the whole time is very unsettling

Look...I’m all about this, I think it’s really cool, but this dude has got to stop moving his hands so much lmao