The Plugins Menu
Plugins (Ctrl+P)•This command opens the Plugin Configuration window. It is here that plug-ins are selected, input sources are chosen to feed plug-ins, stereo or mono modes are selected, and plug-in output destinations are selected.
•There are sixteen plug-in slots—four dedicated to each FX card. Card one is allocated plug-in slots 1–4. Card 2 is allocated plugin slots 5–8. Card three is allocated slots 9–12. Card four is allocated slots 13–16.
•For each active plug-in, the SLOT number button opens and closes the plug-in window.
•MODE toggles between STEREO and MONO when using the UFX card. Each UFX card is divisible into two halves. Either half can be selected as stereo or two-channel mono. In other words, each UFX card can be configured as two stereo, four mono, or one stereo and two mono plugins.
•The MODE selection is not applicable to the MFX cards.
•MODE selection determines the plug-in options from the UFX card.
•Select the desired plug-ins in the PLUGIN column. The available options are dependent on the installed plug-in card(s).
•Each of the four card slots is allocated four pos- sible inputs and four possible outputs. MFX cards are automatically configured with two mono inputs, each feeding a separate user-selected effect. Each MFX effect has a stereo output, automatically re- turning to two faders in the control surface EFFECTS bank. UFX cards offer a potential of four discrete inputs and outputs, configurable into plugin-specific stereo and mono configurations.
•When using the MFX card, each mono input feeds a stereo effect; each stereo effect returns to two faders on the EFFECTS bank by default. For example, with an MFX card installed in mixer card slot 1 and selected in the Plugin Configuration window, INPUTs are available at slots 1 and 2. If Aux 1 is selected for SLOT 1, the Aux 1 send feeds the input to Stereo Effect 1, whereas the returns enter the mixer at EFFECTS bank faders 1 and 2.
•Once the plug-in is selected, the plug-in-specific input options appear in the INPUT menu.
•In addition to an aux send, a plug-in can also receive its input from a channel pre- or post-DSP insert, the main stereo left and right bus, or a Bus 1-8. When a plug-in is inserted “in-line” in this manner, its output is routed directly back into the channel or bus by default.
•A plug-in can also receive its input from an FX Return. This allows two or more plug-ins to be chained. For example, assign a plug-in output to its default FX Return, and assign the input source of the next plug-in to the FX Return of the previous plug-in.
•In addition to an FX Return, a plug-in output can be routed to a channel pre- or post-DSP insert, the main stereo left and right bus, or a Bus 1-8.
Caution: Use extreme caution when assigning 
plug-in outputs to channel inserts to avoid
creating feedback loops!
