Using DAW as outboard effects unit?

[kmaster]

I am just a broke college student and can't really afford outboard effects, even "cheap" ones.

I therefore have to rely on my Logic plugins... which isn't terrible.

However, I have a Tascam 246 I'm getting up and running. I'd love to be able to track to it and use the two effect channels in it to do my mixing/bouncing on the board/tape (the thought being I'd then export the final product to Logic for final mastering and digitizing).

I could set up my 246's main channel's effects sends into my Focusrite Saffire USB 6, route it through an input-monitoring track in Logic, send that signal through my Saffire's outputs, and into the effect channel inputs of the 246, at which point I could then do some parallel processing.

I know latency is an issue, but I believe I could get it down to just a couple milliseconds. Latency is not really an issue for things like delay or reverb, but what if I wanted to use, say, a fast-attack compression?

Are there any things I should think about or know?

I know it's possible, at least in some applications; this proves it. (As an aside, I have Mainstage, but really have no idea how to use it. [How] would using Mainstage in this fashion be better than using Logic? And how would I do that?)

Thanks again for your help! I really appreciate learning from your posts and more-than-occasional debates.

 

[mjbphotos]

Why would you not just do it all in Logic?

 

[kmaster]

mjb,

There are a couple reasons, but here are the three main ones:

1. I'd love to get proficient at working at a console as opposed to working in a box. One of the reasons I got the 246 in the first place...tactility.

2. One of the lovely effects of using a cassette to record on is a cassette rarely plays at the exact same speed twice. If I were to record 4 tracks on the 246, bounce them to Logic, and then record 4 new tracks on the 246 and bounce them into Logic, the first 4 will most likely not line up with the second 4. It would then be possible, but quite a hassle, to line them up, using Logic's stretching capabilities; I'm not sure what the extent of the effect on pitch would be, though.

3. Related to point 2, I'm using the 246 as a way to simplify. I find I do better as a creator when I have fewer things with which to create. The more options I have, the worse I seem to do.