Schematic of Setup

[brett304]

Never used any attachments so I'm crossing my fingers... I have a schematic on the picture and I'm hoping it will help me get some questions answered...

EFFECTS LOOP

* Where would be the best place to put an effects loop?

* How could I add an effective re-amping loop?

* Would an effects "chain" degrade the sound too much to be used effectively?

* Could I have at least three independent effects loops that I could use seperately and in tandem with each other?

OTHER QUESTIONS

* In order to use my mixer as a mix-down controller (I.e. Controlling the fades after the basic recording stage is done) how do I do this in a completely non-destructive and completely interfaced way?



- As questions are answered and new questions brought up I will certainly post them... Thanks for the help and feel free to bring any elements that need to be brought up to the table...

 

[ssscientist]

I assume that the schematic diagram above is hypothetical, meaning you want information to be sure you are buying the right things before purchase.

Human-priced mixing boards have advanced so much that they all include effects sends, insert points for re-amping, etc. And barring insanely noisy effects units, signal degradation is a thing of the past.

Yes, if you buy a mixing board with three effects sends you will be able to use them all at the same time.

If you're concerned about enough channels to both go to and come back from the computer without repatching, a board with enough channels to allow a 'split console' setup is the way to go. What this means is if you have an 8 input interface with proper preamping you will need 8 eq and effect board channels to feed the inputs, then at least 8 set up as mixdown channels. Since you can create new tracks in a computer as needed it becomes a matter of looking hard at past projects and seeing how many tracks you typically use. To use my projects as an example, it's rare for me to need more than 16 coming back from the computer.

Lacking info on your budget, Soundcraft M- series boards get high marks from many HR regulars, as does their Ghost model which is available in various sizes. Others to look at include Allen+Heath and the small format Yamaha. Mackie make a 24-channel 8 bus that would fit the bill for the 'split console' setup described above but, as always, listen before you buy.

 

[brett304]

Thanks

Thanks for replying Sscientist and sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you... I'm kinda overwhelmed as far as trying to reply to your post... Yes, it was a hypothetical situation that I'm trying to understand before buying...

Right now I'm using a Yamaha MC2404 which is an old analog 24 channel mixer. My main concerns are that I would like to monitor with the effects I think I'd like to apply, but be able to record unaffected untill a decision can be made later...

I'd also like to be able to do mixdowns where I can raise and lower the recorded tracks to emphasize (non-destructively) certain parts, etc. The best way I can explain this would be kinda like the bounce feature on the boss recorders except in a non destructive way (i.e. manual control of the volume envelope on multiple tracks at once)... I really hope that somehow I've managed to transfer this thought from my head to the reader...

I guess that reamping is pretty much what I want to do with my effects as well as the way it's usually used in reguard to guitar signals... This way I can make my decisions later as far as how much distortion in the guitar signal or the length of a reverb or chorus signal...

I guess one of my problems is that with my current setup (An M-audio Omni I/o), I can't figure out how to send a pre-recorded signal out to my effects unit and back... All I get is a squeal the ways I've tried it... There is an actual effects send, but I could only use one at a time and once again I can't find a way to send it back in... Basically my point is that since I can't figure out how to do it with my current setup, I want to be sure I can do it when I pursue my studio farther....

Hope all of this makes sense and all being that Its 3 in the morning and I rarely can communicate my thoughts... Thanks for all the help from all of you nice people on the board!!!

 

[ssscientist]

I'm confused on a few points regarding your current setup. Are you running audio/midi sequencing software that's capable of hosting VST fx? VST instruments?

If so, most of your followup questions can be answered with a careful reading of the manual for your software. If not, here's a link to the package I use. It's got VSTfx and VSTi capability and comes with dozens of VST plugins, both fx and instrumets. It's easy to learn and the results can be just as professional as protools, Sonar, Cubase, Logic or any other competing software.

All of your concerns - being able to change effects freely without affecting the underlying recording, raising and lowering the levels of certain parts non-destructively, etc - could be answered by working in a software environment. There's a demo version of Tracktion available here. I recommend you download it and see if you like it as much as I do.