thank you both very much for responding!
- Tommas, i wasnt sure what 'direct' was actually referring to. in this day of digital magic, i find myself overlooking details at times. something akin to, "i didnt know what this button did..." type stuff. i kind of tigured it was this way but after pouring thru knowledge bases i was getting a brainswell and thought id just swallow my pride and ask.
this response was excellent news as i dont have to rewire the board or set up a new DAW template. win.
- peter, my explanation of my set up wasnt complete haha i shud have mentioned that the M20d is being used as a sub mixer. we have 3 guitar heads, a bass, 2 Helix, a vocal booth and the mixer hooked up into the M20d, as we use multiple setups during both live performances and recording sessions. it doesnt make it convoluted if you really understand the AMAZING power of the M20d. imho, the M20d is extremely underrated and overlooked and the Line6 link is stellar technology. im only using a 16 chan mixer with 12 inputs being used for the drumkit which leaves me with 1 stereo input and 1 stereo output using the Firewire. thus the need for a way to bring multiple devices to the 2 stereo tracks. bang! M20d to the rescue. it just handles these inputs so well. its easy to navigate and the onboard FX are stout for creating a baseline. humble beginnings, right!? :)
if you have an idea how i can maximize my set better, i am all ears. im no expert, i just love making music.