Can you accept input from multiple preamps?

[zenpicker2]

I have an eight-channel Saffire D/A interface, but also a two-channel Scarlett whose preamps I like for certain mikes. I think the answer to this is no, but is there a way to accept simultaneous input from both units into one session? It looks like the track routing dialogs only recognize whatever input source you've configured as your default, and that there can only be one, but is there a workaround or alternate approach I'm missing?

[Richard M Knight]

Not sure but have a look at ASIO4ALL it might be able join the two drivers into one.

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

ASIO4ALL is in fact your only chance of getting this to work, and it can only do this because the receiving end of it isn't ASIO. What it can do is aggregate external non-ASIO streams into an ASIO one that Audition can work with. It has to be this way, because ASIO was developed by Steinberg to be a system that was fundamentally fast (it punches a hole clean through most of the OS) but by definition and specification can only work with a single audio device. This means that the aggregation has to take place outside the ASIO environment.

[zenpicker2]

Thanks very much to you both, Richard and Steve. But alas, I'm on a Mac. Should have said that, I guess. Unless there's a CoreAudio equivalent I guess I'm out of luck on this one...short of doing something monstrous like chaining my 2-channel pre through my 8-channel and using those six extra channels for other mikes. Something tells me that would be asking for trouble, though I might try it just to see. 

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

Not necessarily bad news... Mac audio is based on aggregated devices. If you can physically connect both devices and the system can see them both, then it should work.

[zenpicker2 · Accepted solution]

Just to follow up in case useful to others, I was able to use balanced connections to bring the Line Out of the two-channel Scarlett in as INST inputs on the Saffire without obvious distortion or gain blowout (Focusrite suggested doing this as well). I am keeping the levels for mic -> Scarlett hotter than the levels from Scarlett -> Saffire, so most of the gain is being applied at the first pre in the chain, with modest gain addition in the second pre. It gets me a pretty warm, good sound. And now I can add a third mike using a free channel of the Saffire, which was where all this started.