When using VDMX6 alongside real-time audio performance software such as Ableton Live, or using Eurorack hardware for external audio processing, it can be particularly useful to send the sound from movies on layers on its own stereo pair, or as a mono down mix to a specific channel, so that the sound from each can be filtered and mixed as its own signal.
Within VDMX6 each movie player will default to using the default system audio device for its output and prepare its channel mappings based on the preference for the device as defined in AudioMIDI setup. Using the pop-up buttons in the lower left corner of the movie player these defaults can be overridden, with the ability to specify which audio interface to use and along with it an optional mono or stereo pair that should be used for output.
The BlackHole 16 channel inter-application virtual audio device used for this tutorial can be used to send 8 stereo pairs or 16 mono channels between apps.
Select the BlackHole 16ch audio interface in the movie player, then choose the stereo pair (or mono channel) to route the audio to for output.
On the Ableton Live side the selection of mono and stereo pairs happens in the Preferences / Audio / Input Config panel. Enabled mono / stereo pairs are available within the main Live interface for Audio tracks using the Audio From: ’Ext. In’ option and choosing the desired mono / stereo channels from the menu below it. Set the Monitor mode to ‘In’ to enable audio receiving. Any audio FX on the track will be applied to the sound coming from VDMX6.
Configuring Ableton Live to receive multiple stereo pairs over BlackHole 16ch from VDMX6.
For additional synchronization between VDMX and Live, you can use Ableton Link for clock syncing, as well as sending MIDI notes and control values back and forth between the apps, and sending audio back to VDMX for analysis and visualization.
The same feature can be used when working with Euroracks to send audio from individual layers for processing. In this case the mono down-mix option is particularly useful as Euroracks work with mono signals making it convenient to perform down-mixes on the VDMX side to allow for sending multiple signals. Also see our tutorial on using MIDI clock for keeping clock time in sync with your Eurorack modules.