effects w/ computer recording

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hubb_99

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i am running a pc setup with a delta 1010 and sonar xl. i plan on running everything through my mackie 1604 and then into the delta. my question is related to effects.

is it possible to obtain good results with using the effects plugins within cakewalk or is it better to run outboard effects. i am more concerned with compression and noise gate effects while recording vocals and such. i know that running effects simultainiously while recording will slow stuff down in the computer. so it almost seems like i would need outboard effects, and if so where do i put them in the signal path?

i will not be using a lot of other effects and will most likely use my Rocktron multi for anything else. i am just looking for good demos nothing fancy i know that i will not get studio quality without spending a bunch of money.
 
I would just record everything dry and use plugins. If you want to use outboard effects, then re-route your recorded tracks back into your outboard boxes and then back into your sound card. It really sux when you record a GREAT track...except for one thing...too much reverb, or delay or whatever. you can always add it later..but once its recorded..you cant take it back.
 
That's good advice. IMHO, it's always best to record signals dry (with the possible exception of compression). You can always add effects and processing later, but it is near impossible to remove them.
 
thats what i planned on doing for most, but i hear that you should really run compression on vocals and other overly dynamic instruments, i know that they did that in the analog studio where we recorded. in fact it seemed like they ran some gates and eq as well.
are the effects plugins really good?
it seems almost too good to be true.

anyway i try to keep effects to a minimum i hate it when you can notice reverb or delay on a vocalist, sounds fake. for me i'm concerned more about trying to get a good signal in.
 
hubb_99 said:
thats what i planned on doing for most, but i hear that you should really run compression on vocals and other overly dynamic instruments, i know that they did that in the analog studio where we recorded. in fact it seemed like they ran some gates and eq as well.
are the effects plugins really good?
it seems almost too good to be true.

anyway i try to keep effects to a minimum i hate it when you can notice reverb or delay on a vocalist, sounds fake. for me i'm concerned more about trying to get a good signal in.
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It depends on how much you are willing to spend. There are tons of free plugins that work o.k. and I would guess the ones included with sonar are useable, but I wouldn't expect them to sound stellar. Just like outboard gear, good plugins cost money. And, yes, they can sound just about as good as outboard effects.
 
one thing i like about software effects is the ease of use and real time abilties. You probably can do with outboard gear but i dont' know how. I like to be able to draw envelopes for lots of perameters for my effects and this is so easy compared to running my signal back out to the outboard gear, and then rerecording it again... pain in the rump.

I don't know about sonar XL but my sonar 3 came with fxpansion's sonitus suite of effects and they are awsome. the reverb is great as is teh multiband compressor (takes of practice to use that one though). If you are concerned about using up cpu juice, look into getting a hardware effects processing chip (like a dsp). check out the UAD 1.
 
how does the dsp stuff work, is it a pci interface that the dsp chip plugs into?
 
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