Routing is probably the most confusing part of using the Behringer X32. It seems like a complicated mess of menus and tabs. But once you understand a few key principles, it’s not nearly as hard as it looks.
In this post, I’ll break it all down for you. You’ll learn how block routing and patch routing work together, how to configure your inputs and outputs, and how to use virtual sound check to practice without your band even being there. Plus, I’ve put together a free printable cheat sheet to make things even easier.
The first thing you need to know is that block routing is better described as batch routing. Why? Because you’re limited to routing in batches of eight channels at a time.
You’ll find several tabs on the routing screen, including Input, AES50 A & B, Card, and XLR Out.
Here’s the simplest way to understand them: The input tab is the only one that controls what comes into the mixer. Every other tab controls what goes out.
Local refers to the physical XLR inputs on the back of the mixer.
AES50A and AES50B are for inputs from digital snakes or other mixers plugged into those ports.
Card is the audio from your computer via USB, perfect for recording or virtual sound check.
User In is for custom routing setup using patch routing, which we’ll cover next.
You can even create two input setups: one for recording your band live and one for playing back those tracks later for practice—what we call a virtual sound check.
Once you’ve set your inputs, it’s time to handle your outputs.
You’ll see tabs for AES50A & AES50B to route audio to digital snakes or other mixers.
The Card tab lets you send up to 32 channels of audio to your computer for recording.
The XLR Out tab controls what comes out of the physical XLR outputs on the back of your mixer.
Each tab lets you choose what signals to send where. For example, you might send your band’s mix to the lobby, record all channels to your DAW, or send monitor mixes to your P16 personal mixers.
Block routing works in batches of eight, but what if you need more control? That’s where patch routing comes in.
You’ll find patch routing tabs for Out, Aux, P16, and User. These let you set up routing channel by channel. You can then assign these custom setups to your block routing configurations.
For example, you could use Out for your XLR outputs and User Out for a digital snake. You can also mix and match inputs using User In.
Patch routing also allows you to choose the tap point—whether you want to send the signal pre-EQ, post-EQ, with or without compression, and so on. I’ve created a cheat sheet that explains all the tap points in detail—grab it using the link below.
On the Out tab, you can even program output delays. This is especially helpful when you’re sending audio to other rooms, like the lobby, so the audio matches what people hear bleeding through from the auditorium.
Once you get everything set up, save your scene to a flash drive. This way, if something goes wrong or you make a mistake, you can easily recall your saved settings without starting from scratch.
There’s a lot to take in here, but don’t worry—I’ve put together a printable cheat sheet that makes it super easy to reference everything you’ve just learned.
And if you’re ready to take your sound tech skills to the next level, check out our X32 Mastery Course. We’ll walk you through the entire mixer step-by-step and help you get your entire team trained without the headache.
