Mixer, PC routing

[travelin travis]

I'm trying to send the vst effects from cubase to my mixer for live headphone jamming. I can use the channel inserts from my mixer to send audio into my soundcard and return the combined processed signals back to a stereo channel of my mixer. What I'm trying to figure out is how to use the pc as an effects processor through the aux send/return of my mixer to avoid the D/A conversions. I'm not sure if there will be a difference in sound quality either way but I would like to try it anyway, but it's not working for some reason.

This is what I'm doing........guitar amp miced into channel 1 of mixer, vocal mic into channel 2 of mixer. I setup a mono track in cubase with a reverb vst and set it to be monitored. I set the input for the track as 7 in of my 1010LT card and the ouput for the track as 7 out of the 1010LT. I plugged 7 in from the card to the aux 1 send of the mixer and 7 out from the card to the aux return of the mixer. I turned up the aux 1 send and return levels and the channel 1 and 2 aux 1 levels to about 50%. Should'nt I be able to hear the reverb? Can anyone see what I'm doing wrong?

[travelin travis]

has anyone tried this? or know how to do it?

[ez_willis]

I don't have any of the gear you're using, so take this fwiw. Can't you go direct out of channel 1 into Cubase, record enable track 1 in Cubase, apply the reverb, then go back out into another mixer channel? Same thing with the vocal track.

[travelin travis]

that's what I'm currently doing, sending 4 channels via inserts to cubase. Bringing it all back into a stereo channel of the mixer. Doing it this way though, the signals are going through 2 D/A conversions.

Somebody knows how to do this.............

[travelin travis]

just wanted to add that I am getting signal in the meter on the track of cubase

[travelin travis]

I guess a portion of the inserted audio will also be going through A/D and D/A conversions when using the aux of the mixer. I did'nt really think of that before. Can anyone throw me a bone here on how to route this?

[ez_willis]

Are you trying to use the pc as an fx loop?

What are you monitoring thru?

[travelin travis]

actually the aux send and return of my mixer would be the fx loop and the pc would be the fx device.

[ez_willis]

I think you know what I meant.

Why don't you-

Originally Posted by ez_willis

Can't you go direct out of channel 1 into Cubase, record enable track 1 in Cubase, apply the reverb, then go back out into another mixer channel? Same thing with the vocal track.

....not the aux return, but another channel.

[travelin travis]

like I said above, I am currently doing it this way. I'm sending 4 channels out of my mixer to cubase and back out to a stereo channel of my mixer, monitoring through that stereo channel. It works. What I can't understand is why it won't work when I try to use the pc in the aux loop of my mixer. I probably won't even use it like this but after trying to do it, and it not working, it's pissing me off to figure out the "why" of it not working. I'm stubborn like that.

Actually, now that I've thought it over, I would'nt want to use the pc as an effects box through the aux of my mixer. But, I still would like to know why it won't work.

[xstatic]

Any way you look at it, for every cable you plug into an anlog input on your soundcard, there will be an A/D conversion. Likewise for the outputs of your soundcard there will be a D/A conversion.