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SA Atlas Compressor Stereo In/Mono Out

W

William Stone

Jan 29, 2023
64
72
Greensboro, NC
#1
Hi,

I have emailed Source Audio with this question. Based on my previous, and so far only, support interaction with SA, I don't expect to hear back for a couple of days.

I recently purchased a Source Audio Atlas Compressor. I want to configure a preset that will sum Input 1 and Input 2 to Output 1. The EQ2 I also own has a routing option "Stereo Input/Mono Output" which sounds like what I want to do, however this routing option is not available in the Atlas.

Is there a way to combine the signals from Input 1 and Input 2 to a single output?

Funny side note: I have searched for a solution, and an AI search results summary in my browser stated, Yes this can be done on the Atlas by selecting the routing option Stereo Input/Mono Output. When I follow up and point out that the Atlas has no such routing option, AI states No, this cannot be on the Atlas. When I think of all the human productivity and resources that have been invested in AI it is disheartening when the result is no better than the A-hole in the office who will just say anything to try and look good. We might have solved cancer instead.

Update: I found an Atlas manual at:
https://manuals.plus/source audio/a...-pedal-manual#stereo_operation_signal_routing

which shows a Stereo In/Mono Out routing option, however no such option exists in the interface of the Atlas I own, and the manual currently available from Source Audio shows no such option.
 
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#3
Based on the manual it seems the Atlas auto-detects the need to sum stereo to mono based on the cables inserted. The drop-down is only used for two of the options where the cable setup itself wouldn't let the pedal determine what was required. In short, just plug in the cables and it should work. Good luck!

Stereo Operation & Signal Routing​


The Atlas is flexible for many different use cases due to its stereo INPUT and OUTPUT jacks. By default, the Atlas auto-detects the cables connected to INPUTS and OUTPUTS 1 & 2 and engages the appropriate Routing Mode. Stereo Routing can also be performed manually with the Neuro Editors, select between “Mono In, Stereo Out” or “Stereo In, Stereo Out.”

1777310422720.png
 
#4
See the Update I added at the end of my original post. The current version of the manual available for download from Source Audio does not include Stereo In/Mono Out as one of the default modes in the Auto Detect Mode. Only Mono In/Out, Mono In/Stereo Out and Stereo In/Stereo Out.
Other SA One Series do include Stereo In/Mono Out, but not the Atlas. Either the manual was updated due to an error, or the pedal was updated to exclude that routing option for some reason.

Edit for Clarity: The section from the manual you posted, Stereo In/Mono Out, does not appear in the current version of the Atlas manual.
 
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#5
William Stone said:
See the Update I added at the end of my original post. The current version of the manual available for download from Source Audio does not include Stereo In/Mono Out as one of the default modes in the Auto Detect Mode. Only Mono In/Out, Mono In/Stereo Out and Stereo In/Stereo Out.
Other SA One Series do include Stereo In/Mono Out, but not the Atlas. Either the manual was updated due to an error, or the pedal was updated to exclude that routing option for some reason.

Edit for Clarity: The section from the manual you posted, Stereo In/Mono Out, does not appear in the current version of the Atlas manual.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I missed that.

@Gibs210 may be able to help.
 
#6
There are certainly cases where I would want to hard-wire my Atlas into my board with stereo in and stereo out, and use the preset to over-ride what the AUTO-DETECT would dictate. For example, I might want STEREO-IN, MONO-OUT for a particular purpose-- (thus muting out 2). It doesn't look like that's an option.

You could certainly just test what happens when you connect IN 1 & 2, and only OUT 1. I expect it will sum to mono; and that they just didn't list it as one of the results of AUTO-DETECT.

Here is what AI says about AI:

AI is very good at producing plausible answers, but not at guaranteeing true ones. AI answers are based on patterns in data—not understanding—so they can be confident, fluent, and useful, while still being wrong, incomplete, outdated, or unable to judge when they don’t know. Treat AI like a fast, knowledgeable assistant—not an authority. It’s great for direction, explanation, and brainstorming, but anything important still needs verification.

I asked chatGPT to create a signal-flow diagram for the Source Audio LA Lady. The results were hilarious!!
 
#7
"AI answers are based on patterns in data—not understanding—so they can be confident, fluent, and useful, while still being wrong, incomplete, outdated, or unable to judge when they don’t know"

Just like that A-hole in the office.

I'll test what Auto Detect does when fed two inputs and only one output. It did not escape me that it's possible the current manual is in error and the previous version was correct. However my other two SA pedals explicitly show Stereo In/Mini Out options even though they are already an Auto Detect option.
I'll let you all know what I find, but it will likely be tomorrow.
 
#8
Sorry guys, but Atlas does not support an I/O Routing Option of Stereo In, Mono sum Out. The screenshots shared in this thread from the user manual are from an older version of the manual which was created under the wrongful assumption that Atlas would support this mode, and these references have since been removed to avoid confusion.

Thank you, and sorry for the delayed response, I was out of office for my wedding. Our typical response time here at Source is 24-48 hours maximum, but when one of our support guys like myself is out, we can struggle a bit to keep up and maintain that expectation.
 
#9
Well, this is getting interesting. The response I received last night from David w/ Source Audio was, to summarize, When the Atlas starts up, if it sees two inputs and one output it should automatically configure Stereo In/Mono Out but I'm not certain, it's been awhile since I used it.

So today I sent a bass signal with a chorus effect applied to it into Input 1 of the Atlas, and sent the same bass signal with no effect applied to it into Input 2.

I applied a preset in the Atlas with Configuration set to Dual Mode: Compressor A is applied to Channel 1 (Input 1 > Output 1) and Compressor B is applied to Channel 2 (Input 2 > Output 2).

Compressor A was turned Off so there would be no affect on the chorused signal on Input 1.

Compressor B was set to really squish the dry signal on Input 2 so it would be obvious if it was being heard.

There's was only a single output cable installed into Output 1. The resulting signal after the Atlas pedal has both chorus and heavy compression.
So that tells me that Inputs 1&2 were summed to Output 1 under these circumstances. Which is what I was looking for.
 
#11
NPappas said:
Sorry guys, but Atlas does not support an I/O Routing Option of Stereo In, Mono sum Out. The screenshots shared in this thread from the user manual are from an older version of the manual which was created under the wrongful assumption that Atlas would support this mode, and these references have since been removed to avoid confusion.

Thank you, and sorry for the delayed response, I was out of office for my wedding. Our typical response time here at Source is 24-48 hours maximum, but when one of our support guys like myself is out, we can struggle a bit to keep up and maintain that expectation.
Click to expand...

First, Congrats!

Second, and for your user base ( I do not own one, at this time ), could a firmware update offer that option?
 
#12
CryingBass said:
First, Congrats!

Second, and for your user base ( I do not own one, at this time ), could a firmware update offer that option?
Click to expand...
Thank you! Beautiful day!

Unfortunately not, the Atlas is considered a finished product, and perhaps more importantly (and unfortunately) we no longer have readied access to the engineer who worked on this pedal.
 
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#13
Am I correct to summarize from the last few posts that the Atlas DOES sum to mono if two cables are connected to IN-1 and IN-2, and only one cable is connected to OUT-1? And it does this on the basis of AUTO-DETECT?

If that's the case, it at least the Atlas does do the desired summing thing automatically. And what is seemingly not possible for us is the ability to make such choices on a preset-per-preset basis (i.e., NOT on the auto-detect basis) when all ins and outs are connected.

This is a little surprising for the Atlas, given that it is a newer pedal, and the older LA Lady/Kingmaker/Aftershock all have EIGHT additional routing options, in addition to the auto-detect. It is forgivable because the routing options in those drive pedals are arguably more useful than they would be in a dynamics processor.
 
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#14
Assuming that the Dual Mode is doing as it is depicted in the Neuro app, keeping Channels 1&2 separate, then I'm my case it is summing to Output 1. And you make a good point, it is only possible to do so by having Auto Detect see two inputs and one output.
In my case this is not an issue, at the moment at least. But were I to want to have stereo output sometimes, and summed output to 1 other times, it would require reconfiguring the cables in between. And presumably restarting the pedal for Auto Detect. Not very handy. Perhaps this is why the feature was removed from the interface and the manual. Yet the ability remains in the firmware.
 

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