How Many Here Are Into External Inserts?

Just wondering about your thoughts...with so many options available "in the box," it seems like there's less need for using external hardware. That said, though, I've been playing around with taking tracks out and feeding them into external inputs of hardware synthesizers so I can "play" the synthesizer to do processing. Some synths are more useful (or more bizarre) than others; my current fave for this application is the Casio XW-P1, which can pitch-shift an input signal from the keyboard. The results are not hi-fi by any means, but for "what the heck is that?" sound design, it's pretty cool.
 
And of course, you can chop sustained sounds by hitting the keyboard and do other fun stuff like do processing with stompboxes...but considering the broad creative endeavors of the community as a whole, I was interested in any comments you might have.

I have a DBX 266 and a Really Nice Compressor (RNC) external compressor that I use with the insert effects, oh and sometimes my Kaoss pad 3.  I like using the externals especially the Really Nice Compressor as they seem to give a different feel to in the box compressors.
 
I don't like the fact that I am forced to use stereo pairs for the input and output of the external inserts, it means I am left with less inputs and outputs on my interface.  It would be nice to be able to have mono external inserts.

I've been liking my vocal bus.
 
The mic input channel is sent to a dummy output.
 
I setup 3 sends:
1. Main
2. Voice Live via S/Pdif
3. TC M-One via toslink
 
I use 3 sends so I can set them on one by one etc.
 
Then mix the 3 signals together to make it sound like I have a voice!
 
Lot of room to play there.
 
 

Beepster
Do those external inserts actually work reasonably well with stomp boxes? I thought they were more for rack type stuff.

The only real issue is you'll likely need to cut down the levels going to the stompboxes, then use gain to bring the low-level output back up. But they work fine!

Anderton

Beepster
Do those external inserts actually work reasonably well with stomp boxes? I thought they were more for rack type stuff.

The only real issue is you'll likely need to cut down the levels going to the stompboxes, then use gain to bring the low-level output back up. But they work fine!

hmm... noted.
 
I just realized I have another minor "problem". Because I pretty much never use line outs for anything anymore I take it for granted that my 18i6 only has two 1/4" line outs (for the monitors). However there is a monitor volume knob so that would make turning the levels down easy. hmmm...
 
I was almost gonna say that this would be a good excuse to try daisychaining my Layla to the Scarlett via the optical connectors on both but the Scarlett only has optical in (not out) so that won't work. I could also just reinstall the Layla but I have it installed on my old DAW for snagging old material from but it has a plethora of outputs.
 
That is the only complaint I really have about the 18i6... not enough outputs.

After reading this I finally took the time to figure out how to use EIs. Works pretty good with a MOTU Audio Express, tho it only has 4 I/Os so I may have to use an output splitter, but no biggie. 
 
Recording "wet" has it's disadvantages but I find it easier and better using outboard gear this way.
 
Also, if you have more than one outboard effect, what's the best way to route their outputs to Sonar? More mixers, more splitters? Ugh!
 
When using the Online Help:
http://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR X2&language=4&help=ix.html
there is no way to locate the External Insert info without using the Search Box at the top. It does appear in a link at the bottom of the Mixing page if you know to go there.

I like external hardware effects; but it is too much trouble to route them from the VS-700.  I usually have to send a digital out/in and that only works with some things.  On my ancient Tascam 388, it was easy to insert an effect on a channel, or to have an external send/return.  (Of course, on a large analog board, that is taken for granted.)

OK, so I have an EI all set up in the master bus and it sounds great.
 
Now I want to export the mix. Only the finished mix is flatlined silence. Fast bounce is off.
Even using another wave recorder results in -0- input. So what do you do to get the mix mastered?
 

Is it USB or FW?

With VSTi's external inserts are becoming superfluous. I personally am on a hardware reduction binge to keep my signal chain as noise-free as possible.

I have used external inputs periodically, but I usually get impatient with the bounces, so it's not the norm for me.
 
I have used them to apply RME Compression, EQ and Reverb to my mixes. It's a nice way to practice mixing a live gig. I sometimes mix live shows with my RME and my laptop, so it's nice to practice with those compressors, eqs and the reverb so I can get a good mix using the tracks I last recorded live.
 
I don't trust using touch live yet. I still use my mouse because I don't want faders jumping unexpectedly.
 
I do have a DBX 162SL Compressor that I usually use when tracking. I sometimes use it when mixing. Again, it's nice to be able to really study the sounds I get from the 162SL so I can be sure to pick the most complimentary settings for the material I'm recording.
 
I often record tracks I'm going to compress directly, then send them to the DBX, then use only the return signal from the DBX to mix into the monitors and mains (keep direct sound at -inf). That way, I can listen to the compressed track compared to the uncompressed track after the gig. And if anything should go wrong with the compressed track, I still have the uncompressed.
 
I often also record the send to the mains using loopback in the RME. That way I have a stereo pair that represents the actual way it sounded in the bar. This is good feedback after the fact. I can take my time to do a final mixdown and compare it with how it sounded in the club. That gives me time to review the various settings I chose.
 
I also save all my FX settings from the club so that next time I'm mixing the same band in the same club, I can just pull them up and pick up where I left off.
 
External Inserts are helpful for practicing with the gear I use live.

I use external inserts sometimes to hook in a Jomox T-Resonator or to send audio to the audio inputs of synths.

If Sonar's external insert were removed, then there are workrounds that could be used of course (though latency would need correcting for), but having the function makes things much simpler.

 

Mosvalve
I sometimes use external inserts to output... audio through my old and trusty units Digitech DSP 256XL effects unit...

1)
That's what I'm using but I'm dumbfounded as to how to get the final mix mastered or exported.
I can hear the mix fine but there's no way to export it or record it real time into another wave recorder when its set up like this:
 
DSP256 OUT -> MOTU Line IN (3, 4)
DSP256 IN -> MOTU Line OUT (3, 4)
 
The External Insert window gives me these options:
SEND - Left MOTU Audio ASIO Analog 1-2
           Right MOTU Audio ASIO Analog 1-2
           Stereo MOTU Audio ASIO Analog 1-2
           (no mic/instrument or mix/return)
RETURN - Left MOTU Audio ASIO Mic/Instrument 1
               Right MOTU Audio ASIO Mic/Instrument 1
               (no stereo)
               Left MOTU Audio ASIO Analog 1
               Right MOTU Audio ASIO Analog 1
               (no stereo)
               Left MOTU Audio ASIO Mix 1 Return 1
               Right MOTU Audio ASIO Mix 1 Return 1
               Stereo MOTU Audio ASIO Mix 1 Return 1
 
The only way I was able to record the mix was to route the DSP's OUT to a mixer that connects to the MOTU and record the signal through the MOTU into Sonar on an audio track, but that seems silly. The whole process seems more trouble than it's worth.
 
2)
The above recording sounds good in Sonar but when I drag it out or Export it and play it in Media Player or any other wave player, that file sounds crispy, tinny and void of any bass, like I ran it through a high pass filter - EQ is way off outside of Sonar. This has never happened to me before.
 
Steve

2)
The above recording sounds good in Sonar but when I drag it out or Export it and play it in Media Player or any other wave player, that file sounds crispy, tinny and void of any bass, like I ran it through a high pass filter - EQ is way off outside of Sonar. This has never happened to me before.

 
This was apparently due to my system having a bad day. Several reboots and USB reconnections and the recording sounds right.