Monitoring a Hardware Compressor

[TheNightman77]

Hi All,

I recently purchased a WA76 compressor and I have been using it on some tracks that were recorded prior to my purchasing the unit. The problem I'm having is that when I send the initially recorded track from the DAW through the hardware unit and the processed signal back into my DAW to the monitors, I believe I'm hearing both the initial track and the compressed signal because I'm hearing the track at a louder volume while I'm processing it than when I listen back to just the compressed track afterwords. I also have trouble hearing what my compressor settings are doing until after I record the processed signal and listen back to just that alone, muting the initial track (which I can't do while processing otherwise no signal is sent to the compressor). I'm assuming this is just a simple routing issue that I am doing incorrectly...can anyone explain how I can hear just the processed signal through my monitors before I record?

Here is my current routing chain:

Mono recorded track -> line/analog 2 ouput MOTU828mk2 -> WA76 in -> WA76 out -> line/analog input 3 MOTU828mk2 - > Main Out 1-2

Many thanks in advance for any advise anyone can provide.

 

[mixsit]

Depends on the DAW but it should have info as to how that particular program sets up hardware inserts.
Some are going to be easier than others if they have more complete feature sets.

 

[TheNightman77]

I'll keep looking, haven't found anything too useful online yet. I use digital performer 6.1... I know not too many people have experience with it here

 

[gecko zzed]

In Reaper you can set up a prefade send.

If you can set this up in DP, then you can simply pull the fader of the source track down.