can i put effects in after recording a track with my 424?

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Rocket Boy

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yeah. i think the subject pretty much said it... can effects only be added when recording, or can they be added afterwards. my effects sends only seem to do anything(im testing with headphones) when im live, and not after the tracks are recorded.

is there any way to add them after a track has been recorded. or is it just that you record the effects at the same time and then can control the level of it?

thanks.
 
The Effects Loop on the 424 (and 414) is hard wired to the Stereo Buss. In other words effects can only be added during mixdown to a stereo format unless you patch the FX return into a channel input (during tracking or a bounce, say) that can be bussed to one of the four tracks.
 
okay, another thing... should i be able to change the level of how much effect i hear my tweeking the stereo knobs? and if i hear the effect but changing the knobs once its recorded does nothing, what am i doing wrong?
 
I have a question. Do you actually WANT to add an effect to a track AFTER it's been printed to tape? Because you do realise that can't be done, don't you? You either have to add the effect to the track as it's being laid down (recording wet), or during a bounce or mix.

As for changing the level of the effect you should do that with the Effects Send Control in whichever mixer channel you're using. All other parameters (FX Unit Input, Output and Mix Controls; Effects Return knob) should be left alone.
 
Rocket Boy said:
okay, another thing... should i be able to change the level of how much effect i hear my tweeking the stereo knobs? and if i hear the effect but changing the knobs once its recorded does nothing, what am i doing wrong?
Click to expand...

Once the Effect is printed to tape no amount of knob twiddling will alter it's level. That can only be done AT THE TRACKING STAGE or DURING A BOUNCE OR MIX.
 
i see. so the advantage of not recording in-line isnt that you can edit how much effect there is later, its just that you can use the same effect on more than one track at the same time at different levels?
 
i thought it was blending between a wet and a dry signal and you can control that through the knobs, where what its actually doing is blending between a wet and dry signal and replacing the dry one as you record? okay. some things make sense now...
 
Rocket Boy said:
i see. so the advantage of not recording in-line isnt that you can edit how much effect there is later, its just that you can use the same effect on more than one track at the same time at different levels?
Click to expand...

BINGO!


This is why tracks are usually printed dry (sans effects), so that any reverb (or whatever) can be added in the appropriate amount to each track at the mixing stage (it's also why there're only two Effects Send Output Jacks and not four). Of course there's no rule that says you have to record everything dry. For example: On a particular song you might like to play the guitar through a DDL or a Chorus pedal. If you're confident that you know what you're doing (and why) then go ahead and print the track wet (with effects). But remember, once a track is printed to tape with an effect it's permanent; unless you retrack. :)
 
Rocket Boy said:
i thought it was blending between a wet and a dry signal and you can control that through the knobs, where what its actually doing is blending between a wet and dry signal and replacing the dry one as you record? okay. some things make sense now...
Click to expand...

Hmm. This is kind of tricky to explain but, I'll give it a go.

When you add an effect to a dry track using the Effects Send/Return Loop you aren't so much replacing the track as adding to it. In other words, you can go from bone dry to absolutely soaked in reverb (to the extent that the original dry signal is barely there) with just a turn of a channel's Effects Send control. This is why when you're setting the parameters on your Effects Unit you should set the Wet/Dry control to fully wet (unless you are using it as an In-line device). :)
 
okay then, im totaly not understanding how the mixing phase goes that you can do this... how do i add different effects to different tracks during mixing? sorry im so nieve! i really appreciate all your guy's information.
 
Look at the back of your 424 and you'll see two 1/4" jack sockets marked something like "Effects 1 Out" and "Effects 2/Aux Out". Plug one end of a standard 1/4" Mono Phone Jack cable (like the kind you use with your guitar, but shorter) into one of these (doesn't really matter which), then plug the other end into the mono input on your Effects Unit (it's usually the left one). Now take another two Mono 1/4" Jack cables and plug one end of each into the Effects Unit's Left and Right Outputs and the other in the Inputs for either Channels 5 and 6 or 7 and 8.
 
perhaps i should mention that im using an original 424, also. if that matters... and also what will doing what you said end up giving me? not sure i fully understand the whole mixing process.
 
it has an effects send, a head phone output, the uh tape out things. And... channels 1 through 4, stereo and stereo channels 5/6 and 7/8.
 
Ah, excellent. Just like my old 414 :cool:

Okay. You should still plug one end of a Mono 1/4" Jack to Mono 1/4" Jack cable into the Effects Send Jack on the 424 and the other into the Input marked Mono on your Effects box.


Do you have a splitter cable?
 
yeah, i have a Y cable. :-) Hrmm. Would it be possible to say if i had a short tone at the beggining of each track, dump them into my computer and then line them up according to the tone? and then i can just add effects in n-track. i think im gonna try that.
 
Adding effects to tracks on the 424 isn't exactly Rocket science. Plug the two mono jacks into the Left and Right Outputs of your FX Unit, and the Stereo Jack into either the 5/6 or 7/8 Input.
 
oh i know, i was just thinking i might have more control if i mixed everything in n-track instead of the 424. i appreciate all you're help, i definately have a much better understanding of how the thing works now.
 
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