SERIOUS noob plugin question - go easy!

[famous beagle]

Ok, I'm normally an analog person, but I'm working on projects now where I need to use plugins for the first time. (What is it ... 2009?)

Couple of questions:

Do I have to use them as plug-ins in my host program (Mackie Tracktion 3), or can I use them as separate instruments?

In other words, what I'd like to do is this:

Say you're using Lounge Lizard for a Rhodes sound or something. Can I play that plugin, send the signal out of the computer into an amp, mic that amp, and then record that signal as audio in Tracktion?

I know this is an uber basic question, but it's kind of been hard to find the answer (I'm guessing because it's sooo basic, everyone assumes everyone else will know it).

And can this all be done on the same computer, at the same time? In other words, can I play along with my song, using the Lizard Lounge Rhodes sound, but record that as audio?

Thanks!

 

[noisewreck]

I think I understand what you're trying to do. Basically you want to run Lounge Lizzard through your keyboard amp and then record the output from the amp into Tracktion.

You can achieve the end result that you want, which is as I understand is having the sound of the amp end up into Trackton, however, not in the way you think you'll need to go about it.

The reason you can't go about it the way you think is because you cannot really run Lounge Lizzard in stand alone mode in parallel to Tracktion because they will fight for control over your soundcard.

Here's what I would do:

1. Open up your Tracktion project and instantiate Lounge Lizzard as a plugin inside of Tracktion.
2. Record your Lounge Lizzard part as MIDI performance into Tracktion.
3. Route the Lounge Lizzard audio channel from Tracktion to an unused output pair on your soundcard.
4. Run those outputs from your soundcard into your amp.
5. Now, setup your mic and make sure it is routed to record to an audio channel into Tracktion. Also, make sure that this audio channel in Tracktion outputs to your main outputs of your soundcard.
6. Arm the mic channel in Tracktion for recording and start playback.

What should now happen theoretically is that Tracktion will start playing back the MIDI performance of your Lounge Lizzard, which now outputs to your amp. The mic will pick up the output from your amp and will record to an audio channel into Traction at the same time as it's playing the MIDI performance. In a sense you will be re-amping your Lounge Lizzard, however the end result will be what you wanted in the first place.

I hope this makes sense

 

[famous beagle]

I think I understand what you're trying to do. Basically you want to run Lounge Lizzard through your keyboard amp and then record the output from the amp into Tracktion.

You can achieve the end result that you want, which is as I understand is having the sound of the amp end up into Trackton, however, not in the way you think you'll need to go about it.

The reason you can't go about it the way you think is because you cannot really run Lounge Lizzard in stand alone mode in parallel to Tracktion because they will fight for control over your soundcard.

Here's what I would do:

1. Open up your Tracktion project and instantiate Lounge Lizzard as a plugin inside of Tracktion.
2. Record your Lounge Lizzard part as MIDI performance into Tracktion.
3. Route the Lounge Lizzard audio channel from Tracktion to an unused output pair on your soundcard.
4. Run those outputs from your soundcard into your amp.
5. Now, setup your mic and make sure it is routed to record to an audio channel into Tracktion. Also, make sure that this audio channel in Tracktion outputs to your main outputs of your soundcard.
6. Arm the mic channel in Tracktion for recording and start playback.

What should now happen theoretically is that Tracktion will start playing back the MIDI performance of your Lounge Lizzard, which now outputs to your amp. The mic will pick up the output from your amp and will record to an audio channel into Traction at the same time as it's playing the MIDI performance. In a sense you will be re-amping your Lounge Lizzard, however the end result will be what you wanted in the first place.

I hope this makes sense

Thanks, yes this makes sense. I don't know why I didn't think of reamping before.

One thing though. I just have a very simple soundcard with stereo ins and stereo outs. Can I still do this then? Is it possible to do this without getting a feedback loop?

I'd be using the output to feed the amp's in, and then I'd be using the soundcard's input to record the track. I should be able to do this without a feedback loop, correct?

Thanks

 

[noisewreck]

It would be difficult to prevent feedback loops from happening in that arrangement. See if there is a way to disconnect the audio channel where you record the re-amped sound from it's output, or mute it while recording. I am not familiar with Tracktion enough to be much of a help in that regard