Well if it's out of the room it won't help much when you need to monitor from it..lol

Yes.. On the loop thing. If you want to.. It's up to you.
If you only have a comp and want to use that you (like I said) have 2 choices. Use as a loop in Apollo (which technically is shorter path) even though you may have to unplug and replug a few things.

Or you use the summing in Dbox. Your call.. Try both ways and see what sounds best..
Honestly even if you only ever used the Dbox for its d/a converter it's worth the money..

But if you already took the time to run cables from Apollo outputs to the summing on Dbox then try it..you don't have to use it.. Well unless you're dying to use that sum output then you do. But again try both you have them there see which way sounds best.. You may find you also like the mix spread out across those summing inputs or maybe not.

As you may have read in the past.. It is best to mix into the summing.
I wouldn't try taking a mix you're sort of happy with in the box and then spread it out on Dbox...you'll sort of have to start rebalancing.. But take a fresh tune and as your mixing spread it across the mixer.. That will help you make EQ and balance decisions.

Ok thanks, yes I think I need to get into the habit of summing from the start and mixing through the Dbox which also will let me have the Compressor on that link from the Sum output and back into Apollo 1/2

Thanks for your help and I will set this up and try to write and sum from scratch from now on.

Will I hear a difference? Dangerous told me that i'm always hearing the D/A of the Dbox even in 2 track stereo? on the DAW setting?

So i start off a track with seperating the outs in Ableton and have the Dbox on SUM and I should also hear the Compressor on the master?

Is that right? (sorry)

You're not always hearing DA only as they say if your on that DAW or CD button. They are digital ins..
Again think to separate boxes not one..

If you click Sum you're only hearing the summing...separate box.. You don't want to monitor that..
You want to listen to the DA..

Not sure how to explain better..
Your tracks go to summing mixer and you come out the sum out back into the DAW..
Where you return that (I have no idea how Abelton works never used it).
You either monitor off that track your printing the mix to or you route it to the main fader either way those get set to digital out.. So now your going digitally in on the dbox(think separate box again) that has to remain in the mode with that DAW button on..
I never bother monitoring on that sum out.. You need to hear what's going into the box.. And if you end up adding a plugin to the printed mix after your Dbox return you'd never hear that plug if you weren't in the Daw mode.
The sum out you're only hearing the Dbox in the analog world like a normal mixer.

Ok right so I think im getting my head around this from totally ITB.

If I start a track and start summing out immediately to the Dbox, I can hear this summing out with the SUM button But I need to monitor my whole mix on the DAW to give a finished idea of how the mix will sound when its printed back inside the DAW (and Analog is the same?)

Right so I have re-wired the Compressor as mentioned, so its now again breaking the link between Apollo and Dbox like :

So Dbox SUM output > Stereo Compressor > Apollo Line in 1/2

Now in Ableton when I start to sum out to individual outputs and hit SUM on the Dbox, I now get sound, and the 'signal present' lights flashing to indicate sound, plus the Compressor is
active showing a signal coming into it - BUT I can't hear the compressor doing its thing? just a dry signal through the Dbox?

I think I need to set up an incoming "record" track on Ableton to record (and Monitor) the finished 2 track master back in? (so i can hear the compressor)?
I have created a new audio track and gone through all the 32 available inputs on the Apollo and no signal is coming back in?

Secondly, when previewing loops etc, these all come through the master 1/2 so on SUM i can't hear what im previewing? If i turn to DAW on Dbox I hear my stereo 2 track but obviously not my 'seperated summing outs" playing my song? - is there a way around this?

Lastly (and not a biggie) but my Ableton outs and my Dbox ins/"signal present" are out by 2? so Ableton Outputs 3/4 = 1/2 in on the Dbox?

Maybe i've done something stupidly wrong, and this is all a rookie mistake? Once its all set up and running fine, then I'll be away, but the setting up has me head scratching at the moment!
I'm so close too!

Blame me if this all sounds stupid, and I've done something daft! My set up is as the diagram on the first post but now a compressor between the Dbox SUM output and Apollo Line in 1/2

Yeah for some reason you just can't seem to understand what I'm saying.. So not sure how I can help any longer.
I thought I made it clear you do not want to monitor with sum on.. Go back and read what I said.. Because I said if you do you won't hear post FX compressor or plugins that come after the Dbox..

How could you? This is all pretty simple recording 101

You are correct because I said it a few times you have to setup a return aux track or what ever.. I don't use Ableton never had tried once wanted to kill myself.. (Yet some how this type of routing seems easy to me but Abelton didn't go figure)

I've done this summing layout we are talking about only with Pro Tools, Cubase and Reaper.

In those DAWs you return your Dbox mix and setup a channel/track to print to..
Now in Reaper you don't have to do this next part.. Because it's smarter then ProTools but when in PT's you have to hit aux channel first if you intend to use plugins like say slate VCC or VTM type of thing.. Then you route that aux to a channel/track to print.. What is getting printed at that point would be the Dbox summing with hardware comp and now those plugins....
But!!! On the print channel/track you set the output for monitoring as the digital out that's going to the Dbox...
And you leave the Dbox in the DAW mode..now you are hearing everything. Or if Ableton has some sort of built in master fader.. Then only the printed mix channel gets sent to that then set that master fader to the digital out..

Lol sorry I know its my fault, as im desperate to get my head around it, as im new to the whole Summing Amp/mixer..

I do use Reaper alot so maybe will try in there, as youre right Ableton maybe a bit backwards? and once I've done it in Reaper i can probably understand and re-work it to Ableton's way of working?

@Faderjockey

Thank you so much for your help! I did have everything connected and went through your descriptions step by step and thought i must be a ******!!

Then realised that my inputs 1/2 on Apollo were switched to Mic! switched to LINE and everything is fine, monitored through DAW setting etc !!!!!!

Sorry for putting you through pain!

I now realise that Apollo terms that XLR inputs and Jack Inputs 1/2 are the same thing? and you can only use one at a time? Is that correct? (as i had a hardware sampler going through my XLR ins)

Thank you again for sticking with me

Glad you got it straight now..

I know this post is old and I rarely write post but I have something to say. I got mine last year along with my UAD blackface apollo 8. When I first started using it my mixes sounded bad. So bad that I stop using it and it just sat in my rack collecting dust. I was pretty upset and was going to sell it. I thought to myself this thing is nothing but snake oil just like so many people said. So I decided to give this $1500 unit one last chance before I sold it. So here goes... before I stared my mix I routed all my stems through the 4 stereo pairs instead of mixing in the daw then summing afterwards (which is how I had been doing it previously). Then I began mixing through the sum of the Dbox. ALL I CAN SAY WOOOOOOOWWWW!!! This unit blows away the convertors of my blackface apollo 8!! The mix was TOTALLY OUTSTANDING and was radio ready. The bass is super tight, the mids are creamy, and the highs are smooth. The separation of all the channels are unbelievable. Im now hearing elements of my mixes 100% accurately and my mixes are a lot warmer and bigger! I will NEVER NEVER NEVER go back to mixing just using my apollo 8. Don't get me wrong the UAD apollo 8 blackface is AWESOME but its a clear distinction in the convertors. THE DIFFERENCE IS NIGHT AND DAY and Im not making this up. I have plugins from UAD, Waves, Slate, SSL, Softube, and Plugin Alliance. I even bought an external word clock. I was just searching for anything that would take my mixes to the next level. All those things did help to improve the sound but I still felt as if my mixes were slightly lacking. The Dbox finally took my mixes from good to PHENONMINAL!! It was the missing link all along. I was making the mistake of mixing in the first daw then doing the summing afterwards. Just think I was about to sell it. Im glad I didn't. THE DBOX ROCKS IN 2018!!

Im seriously complementing selling my dbox for something better.

What is it that is not good about the D-Box? I'm curious because I'm just about to buy one!

MW

I didn't say anything about it "not being good". That's just something you inferred.

I just want something with higher end build quality, more speaker outputs -- and more suitable features for my studio. I would like to buy a Grace M905,

I don't think the Dbox is "bad". Its just "not great" for me.

I did say D-Box is garbage! Its Digital side frys after 7 months if use. Design flaw. Not Class A. Open the D-Box and look inside. Allot of nothing. The o-rings on the knobs are cheap chinese rubber that rots and crumbles after 4 months (not silicone) then the knobs so cheaply machined with no o-rings slice your finger open. (Because company so cheap they did not pay knob company to smooth cuts in knobs! This is stuff you learn in high school machine shop. The case and buttons are nice! But you cant even bridge outputs to speakers! You get one set or other. Totally overpriced digital “Brittle” box. Cheap and breaks AES side fails! No matter weather you use it or not. Sounds like sqeeling, hurricane on outputs. Total design failure and incompetence. Plus if you call to get new replacement o-rings, or ask why “DAW” snd “CD” AES inputs not working, you get attitude, arrogance and total BS and they do not honor warranty! Plus its in shop for weeks. Dangerous Music is exactly that! It’s dangerous cheap digital crap in critical studio positions thats unreliable, and dangerous to you carrier! The company should be called “Dangerous hyped Marketing” Cause you aint gona get any music with D-Box! Just go to another company thats professional and treats its customers professional and kind. And its products dont fry with just power plugged in it. You will be happy then. Otherwise you will get a bad experiences and failures in your studio that cost 40 times the cost of equipment.

Mine has run for years with no problems except for those o rings, which are a few cents apiece at lowes.
Lenny