Specifications

Chapter 18: Hardware Inserts 177
Chapter 18: Hardware Inserts
This chapter explains how you can connect external analog and
digital hardware to the analog and digital I/O on the S3 control
surface and the E3 engine for use as hardware inserts. Hardware
inserts can be used for external processing on individual Input
Channels, FX returns, Mains, Groups, Auxes, and Matrixes.
To use external hardware as inserts, you must do the following:
• Connect external hardware
• Assign hardware inserts to channels
• Activate the insert
• Set the hardware insert location
Connecting External Hardware
External hardware is made available to the system by connecting
its inputs and outputs to input and output connectors on the S3
control surface or the E3 engine. Hardware inserts can then be in-
serted on channels similarly to inserting plug-ins.
To connect outboard gear for use as a hardware insert:
1 Connect the inputs of the external device to analog output con-
nectors 1–4 on the E3 engine or the S3 control surface, or dig-
ital connectors AES Digital 1/2–3/4 on the E3 engine.
2 Connect the outputs of the external device to the correspond-
ing input connectors on the E3 engine or the S3 control sur-
face. For example, signal taken from E3 engine AES Digital
output 1/2 must be returned to E3 engine AES Digital
input 1/2.
Assigning Hardware Inserts to
Channels
You can assign hardware inserts directly from the Inputs or Out-
puts page, or from the Patchbay.
To assign a hardware insert to a channel or bus:
1 Go to the Inputs or the Outputs page and select the channel on
which you want to insert the external device.
2 In the Inserts section, do one of the following:
• Click the
Hardware Insert pop-up menu and choose an in-
sert destination directly from the menu. The name of the
hardware insert destination appears in the on-screen
Hard-
ware Insert
button.
– or –
• Click the
Hardware Insert button to “jump” to the Inserts
tab of the Patchbay, and assign the insert from the Patchbay.
Digital inputs on the E3 engine offer sample rate conversion.
For more information, see “About Digital Input and Sample
Rate Conversion” on page 235.
Input and output levels to and from devices assigned as
hardware inserts are automatically set to 0 dB, and cannot
be changed in VENUE. Set trims on the device itself.
Clicking to show the Hardware Insert pop-up (left), clicking to “jump” to
the Patchbay > Inserts page