mixer inserts!

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dobro

dobro

Well-known member
Damn! Can somebody answer this question for me? When I connected the mixer inserts to the soundcard, none of the effected signal from the outboard reverb (which I could hear in the headphones) was getting sent to the hard disk. But when I connected the mixer main outs to the hard disk, no problem.

What's the purpose of mixer inserts anyway?
 
The inserts are provided for a way to put a compressor, noise gate, etc....into the signal chain.

Inserts come in some different varieties. Some are Pre Fader-Post EQ, some are Post Fader, Pre EQ (very rare), or any combination. But NONE are going to let you hear any effects that you sent to an effects unit. The channel inserts are ONLY going to let you hear the signal that is present on the channel strip, not anything else.

When you connect the stereo out of your console to the soundcard, you are hearing anything that is inputing to the console that is routed to the main outs.

Ed
 
I have a Mackie 32-8 and when trying to connect a compressor through the insert (either main or specific channel) I get nothing through the channel. No signal at all. I am using the right cables but just think I've got something set up wrong! Any ideas?
 
Mixer inserts rule. Just the only prob is you need to know how to use them properly.

On the Mackie boards at least, the tip is the send and the ring is the recieve. This is very important when your plugging things in to your channel inserts. The tip is the send and the ring is recieve. Keep that in mind when wiring things. Best thing to do is refer to the manual. I have a Mackie 1202-VLZ PRO and after quickly reading the small part on channel inserts I understood it perfectly. Give it a look =)

Sabith
 
"The inserts are provided for a way to put a compressor, noise gate, etc....into the "signal chain."

But when I use the inserts for that, that's exactly what doesn't happen - I don't get the reverb into the signal chain - I only hear it through the headphones. Is it because I'm using TS plugs (instead of TRS) and inserting them to the first click position rather than all the way in?
 
dobro, are you really writing this... or is this that split personality thing again??


=insert=
(trim) (eq) (fader)
in---\-------------\ /--------\--->buss
\ (pre) \ / \(post)
\(aux) out back in \(aux)

the signal from your insert leaves the chain here on a TRS, and returns here on the same cable. with a half cocked TS cable, it leaves never to return. if you have effects loops set up off your busses, they have nothing to do with this chain, for they leave the chain on the aux sends, and return to a different buss somewhere else.

(hope el diagram is clear)
xoxoxo
 
shit, my diagram came out crappy...

....................=insert=
...(trim).(eq)...............(fader)
in---\-------------\......./--------\--->buss
......\ (pre).......\...../..........\(post)
.......\(aux)......out...back in..... \(aux)

(hope el diagram is clear this time)
xoxoxo
 
Cant you use the Aux jacks instead???if you want effect

Tony

[This message has been edited by tutton (edited 06-22-2000).]
 
I posted something totally stupid.

Then I edited it out.

Now this post just takes up space.

[This message has been edited by Kelly Holdridge (edited 06-22-2000).]
 
Channel inserts can do two things. There primary purpose is access to a single channel right after the trim control and before the rest of the controls of the channel strip (eq, pan, aux sends, volume fader) for inserting a compressor or simaler device. It's a stereo type of connector except you're using one side of it to send signal to a device and the other to recieve it back to the channel.
The other purpose they're very useful for is a direct output from an individual channel to a recorder. If you insert a mono 1/4" connector into an insert to the first "click", you are tapping off signal to send to a recorder and alloing that signal to still go thru your mixer. any effects you apply to this signal in the mixer will NOT be present on the signal at the insert point so it won't record the effect, just the dry signal. If you insert the same 1/4" connector all the way into the insert, you're still tapping off signal as before but you're stopping the signal you tapped from getting back into your channel strip, so you wouldn't be able to hear it as before, but you would hear it on your tape return (or where ever you monitor what's comeing out of your computer if you're recording to disc). God this sounds confusing as I read this back to myself.
 
LOL LOL

(dobro holds his poor sides in helpless laughter)

No, no, you don't understand - I'm all new to this stuff and thick as shit. I'm just learning how to use a mixer. It's not split personality, it's ignorance. It's a nice diagram, though. I'm just not equal to it.

I've got a reverb unit patched into my mixer using the aux sends and aux returns.

I've got the soundcard outs running to the mixer ins.

I've got 2 mixer main outs (I think some people call these stereo outs) running into two channels on my soundcard.

Okay, using this setup, I get reverb effect onto two tracks in the mix.

But it seems to me that with an 8-channel mixer like I've got, I should be able to run each of the channels into each of the 8 channels of my soundcard, with reverb on it. Am I right in thinking this? Anyway, when I use TS plugs first-clicked into the mixer inserts, the reverb signal never reaches the hard disk. What am I doing wrong?
 
Like I said above, no you won't be able to record reverbed signals that are patched thru aux sends and recieves at the channel insert pionts.
 
Hey, Track Rat, we posted about the same time. No, what you wrote doesn't sound so confusing to me (I think...) but if I understand what you're saying then I'm disappointed. It sounds like I can't use mixer inserts to get my reverb to disc. But that's what I'm trying to do. Can you use inserts for getting outboard reverb to hard disc? That's what I want to do - use each channel, especially it's trim, to control the amount of reverb that gets sent to disc.

Sometimes I think I'll just move over to VS Planet and do everything with one box. :)
 
You need a Y cable with one TRS and two TS connnecters.

The TRS plugs into the insert. One TS plugs into the "in" the other into the "out" of the effect you are inserting into the signal chain.

Be careful that the "in" TS and "out" TS are plugged into the proper respective jacks on the effect. If you're not getting any effect reverse them.

I hope I haven't confused any one further.
 
No, I understand you. But my effect (outboard reverb) has only two outs and two ins. My mixer and soundcard have 8 outs and 8 ins. I'm trying to cover all bases, and have reverb available to each of the 8 channels in the mix, so I can know what it sounds like when everything's reverbed at the same time.
 
yknow, its funny.. a long time ago, dobro wrote something about using inserts for direct-out-type sends and I thought "*THAT* is genius".

Dobro... the bottom line is this. the inserts let you use your mixers pre-amps. and possibly each channels EQ. And thats it. all the cool mixer functions route to busses. (LR or some other)

You can put your effect on a track at at time, though... and route your LR buss back.

But why dont you sell your outboard box and get that DSPFX pack by Event. its pretty good, and not too expensive. I use it with CEP and am quite pleased, most of the time. Im sure that all those extra A/D conversions suck the life out of your tracks, anyway..

xoxo

oh.. and bottom line #2
1 processor= 1 signal processed. to effect 8 tracks you need 8 processors (or 4 stereo)
 
Dobro, at least you've GOT inserts on your mixer....some of us don't :( and that makes life interesting to say the least.

- gaffa
 
camn - okay, I understand it now I think. Thanks. Up until now, the only thing I've used the inserts for is to get from each of the 8 channels on my mixer to each of the 8 ins on my soundcard. I'd assumed I could do the same thing (8 channels at once, with individual controls) with the outboard reverb. But don't go breaking my heart and suggest I sell this nice new Lexicon reverb I just got. :) I am *so* confused about the relative merits of digital and analogue approaches right now. Like, should I go the expensive software route, or go with decent outboard gear? Or just jack it all in and get a standalone system? I reckon that in about two or three years, the software will have caught up with the best analogue gear, and that'll be the time to have a GREAT BIG COMPUTER and ace software effects. But for now I'm going with what I've got.

gaffa - the mixer's a cheapo - Alesis Studio 12R. It's got all these channels though, and the inserts.
 
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