rack connections question

[xcliffy3x]

hi there,
first off, i am new here to this forum and have some questions on recording, so hopefully somewhere out there can help.

ok, so i've been into recording for a little bit. nothing really serious, just a behringer mixer to my mic input on my comp for some quick/basic stuff here and there. recently, i've become alot more interested in expanding. i have a basic understanding, but i had some other questions.
i have a presonus firepod and i have that connected to my imacs firewire input. my question is, is it possible to run outboard effects/processors, mainly compression for drums, but also maximizers/de-essers/etc. on all the channels. it only has balanced send and return TRS connectors on the rear for channels 1 and 2. this leads me to wonder if a patchbay comes into play now.

any comments/help/explanation/website would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

[pikingrin]

If you are on a budget, go to kvr audio and check out the freebie plugins they have. It will save you money, and it will offer easier routing options within your recording software. For free, what can you lose?

 

[xcliffy3x]

hey, thanks alot! that site is pretty sweet. and you totally can't beat free.

i do have an actual compressor (dbx266xl) and i wanna try to use it on drums, but its limiting with only channel 1 and 2 on the firepod. also, i'm on somewhat of a budget, but my band is splitting the majority of the costs with me, so if there's any extra equipment i would need, it could possibly be done.

thanks again for any help!