Hardware effects with DAW

[mfdjuve]

My setup atm is a Laptop and a EMU 0204 DAW.

As my laptop isn't the most powerful, I want to use external effects units(mainly reverb and delay) to save on cpu usage, sound etc. How to I use the effect unit during mixing? Meaning how can I affect a track with an effect after it's been recorded? Atm I'm using the mixer from a Tascam 488 and using the effect sends to record with the effect. I just don't know how to use it the rack unit as I would a plugin.

pleeeze elp me

thanks

 

[mjbphotos]

For a start, the EMU 0204 DAW is an audio interface. Your DAW is the software you are using - Reaper, Cubase, etc. (you don't mention what that is.)
Unless you have an ancient laptop, it should be able to handle any of the standard plug-ins you would use in a DAW. If you use too many (too many tracks, etc), you can stem render the tracks after adding the FX and then disable the original track.

To use an external FX unit, you would need to send the audio signal out from the track through your EMU to the outboard unit, then back from that into the EMU and into your computer and record that on a new track. So you are converting the digital signal to audio and back again - not an efficient way to do things, and probably will give you less-than-ideal sound, especially if you are using the FX of a stand-alone recorder like the Tascam.