External Effects-Routing-Newb

What if I want to run a project through an external effects processor?
Tonight I tried running a song with 4 trax back through my UR28M with a reverb pedal in between.
Is that the best way to do it?
Any thoughts?
Of course I ended up with a track that was a combination of all 4 tracks with the reverb.
Is there a “right way” to run the tracks through an external effects back into the project?
Does this make any sense to anyone?
Thanks for any help…

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Hey Steve it looks like I can’t do any of this. It only works on Cubase 7. I have C7 Artist.
I looked in my Devices/VST Cons…didn’t have a button for EXFX. Looked in the manual, sure enough.
That only exists in C7.

You can still do it, you just have to do it manually by sending the tracks you want to send to your reverb to a group, set the output of that group to a stereo output on your interface, route that to the reverb and back and create a new audio track to record the incoming signal. Not as elegant as being able to use it as an insert/send but the result is the same.

I’ll give that a try.
Will there be latency issues?
The other night I just ran cables from stereo out back to stereo in and recorded that. I had the reverb box in the chain. I was getting a little feedback in the signal.
Is it good to do that? Or was that stupid?
I had 4 trax. I ended up with a 5th track of the “return” that was wet. But it also contained the audio from all 4 trax.
That ended up sounding a little muddy.
That’s what I’m going to end up with this system you described above right?
The 4 dry trax, plus a new “returned” track that is wet?

If you set it up right there shouldn’t be feedback. I would create a group track, use sends on your 4 original tracks to create a mix to send to your reverb. Route the output of the group track to the reverb and record that to a new track.

It depends on your hardware effect how you set this up. For a reverb, ideally you’d want it to output 100% wet, with no original signal. That way you can use your original 4 tracks + the separately recorded reverb track. If your reverb outputs both the reverb and the original signal, then you’ll have to ditch the 4 original tracks after recording your outboard effect, as the output from the reverb will be your final track. If the latter, latency is of no concern because everything is delayed equally. If the former, you might experience some latency which you can easily fix by moving the recorded reverb back a bit in time. record a test signal with a clear transient so you can clearly see what latency you’re looking at.

Last night I set up a group track. First time I ever used one of those. It automatically loaded up with a stereo out as the input bus.
So then I just ran cables to the Eventide Space and from there back to the stereo in of my interface.
I still got feedback. Is what I described what you wanted me to try?
I don’t understand the “sends” part here in your latest description.

You use the group track to create a mix of your original tracks to send to your external effect. Direct a send on each track to the group track to do this, and set the output of the group track to a stereo output on your audio interface (not the same output as your master output!).
Record the result onto a new track. (this track shouldn’t send to the grouptrack or you have built yourself a loop.)

In this fashion you have the original 4 dry tracks playing to the master out and simultaneously sending to the group track, which is processed by your hardware fx. You can use the send levels to add more or less reverb to a specific track, and the fader on the return track to make a balance between dry and wet.

I hope that makes sense :wink:

Yeah that’s the idea, but it depends on the hardware effect if it outputs just wet.

Yes to Steve and Stroph…thanks alot. I have been experimenting with it a little. So far so good.
I’m still getting feedback though. My Eventide can go out pretty wet.
But so far everything sounds kinda muddy. I’ve been tweaking the levels and all tracks for optimization.
The feedback isn’t cool.
Is there a way to send the external effect to the stereo out some way?

I’m not sure what you mean, you want the wet signal to the main stereo out? I’m guessing you already have that or you wouldn’t hear it :wink:.

Yeah I guess so…
Right. I get confused.
That must be what the group channel is then. :mrgreen: