I’m rewiring my recording setup. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to accomplish but decided to give ChatGPT a chance to document my setup and it did surprisingly well. I also wanted to relocate where my stereo compressor sits in the chain so that I could use it as an outboard compressor in Logic. It also did really well with that. It totally fell down on generating a wiring diagram, but these instructions are pretty good:

Details of Audient iD22, Behringer ADA8200, an outboard stereo compressor, and my iMac:

1. iMac to Audient iD22:

• Connection Type: USB
• Details: Connect the Audient iD22 to your iMac using a USB cable. This connection is used for audio data transfer between the iD22 and your iMac, as well as for powering the iD22 if it does not have an external power source. Note: this is incorrect the id22 does have external power.

1. Audient iD22 to Behringer ADA8200:

• Connection Type: ADAT Optical
• Details: Use an ADAT optical cable to connect the ADAT Out of the ADA8200 to the ADAT In of the iD22. This connection is used to expand the number of inputs available on your iD22 with the preamps from the ADA8200.
• Note: I’m using the ADA8200 as master clock at 48 kHz. The ID22 has a setting to use the dig input as a master.

1. Outboard Stereo Compressor to Audient iD22:

• Connection Type: 1/4″ TRS cables
• Details:
  • From iD22 to Compressor: Connect one of the line outputs (e.g., Line Output 1) of the iD22 to the left input of the stereo compressor, and another line output (e.g., Line Output 2) to the right input. This setup is used to send audio from the iD22 to the compressor for processing.
  • From Compressor to iD22: Connect the left output of the stereo compressor to one of the line inputs (e.g., Line Input 1) on the iD22, and the right output to another line input (e.g., Line Input 2). This setup is used to return the processed audio from the compressor back into the iD22.

1. Microphones and Instruments:

• Connection Type: Various (XLR or 1/4″ TS cables)
• Details: Connect your microphones and/or instruments to the available inputs on both the iD22 and the ADA8200, depending on where you need them.

1. Monitors/Headphones:

• Connection Type: Various (1/4″ TRS, XLR, or RCA, depending on your monitors)
• Details: Connect your studio monitors and/or headphones to the appropriate outputs on the iD22 for monitoring.

As a note to self here, I couldn’t get all 8 of the ADA8200’s inputs to appear in the Audient software mixer until I launched Logic, then they appeared. Which was weird.

And here’s how to use the Outboard Stereo Compressor in Logic:

To use a stereo outboard compressor during mixing or mastering in Logic Pro, you will need to set up an external effects loop. This setup allows you to route audio from Logic through your outboard compressor and back into Logic for further processing. Here are the specific steps:

1. Connect the Compressor to Your Audio Interface:
   • Use two 1/4″ TRS cables to connect two line outputs from your Audient iD22 to the stereo inputs of your compressor.
   • Use another two 1/4″ TRS cables to connect the stereo outputs of the compressor back to two line inputs on the iD22.
2. Configure Logic Pro for External Processing:
   • Open Logic Pro and load your project.
   • Go to the ‘Mix’ menu and choose ‘I/O Labels’. Here, you can label the inputs and outputs you are using for the compressor. This step is optional but helps keep things organized.
3. Create an Aux Channel for the Compressor:
   • Create a new Aux channel strip in your Logic project.
   • Set the input of this Aux channel to correspond to the line inputs where your compressor is returning its signal. For example, if you’ve connected the compressor’s outputs to inputs 3 and 4 on the iD22, set the Aux input to Input 3-4.
   • Set the output of this Aux channel to the line outputs you’re using to send audio to the compressor. For instance, if you’re sending audio out through outputs 3 and 4, set the Aux output to Output 3-4.
4. Send Audio to the Compressor:
   • Use the sends on your audio tracks or buses to send audio to the new Aux channel. This routes the audio through the compressor.
   • Adjust the send level to control how much signal is being processed by the compressor.
5. Monitoring and Adjusting Levels:
   • Monitor the signal level going into and coming out of the compressor to avoid clipping.
   • Use the Aux channel’s fader to control the level of the signal returning from the compressor.
6. Latency Considerations:
   • Be aware of any latency introduced by this setup. In some cases, you might need to adjust for latency manually in Logic Pro.
   • Logic Pro X offers a feature called ‘Low Latency Mode’ which can be helpful, but you may still need to adjust the timing of the tracks manually if there is noticeable delay.
7. Mixing with the Compressor:
   • Use the compressor on individual tracks, buses, or the master bus as needed during mixing or mastering.
   • Adjust the compressor settings as you would with a plugin, but remember that these settings are ‘printed’ to the audio in real-time.
8. Bounce (Export) Your Project:
   • Once you are satisfied with the sound, bounce (export) the mix or mastered track, including the processing from your outboard compressor.