Hooking up a reverb pedal to my soundcard

[Fred McGriff]

Soo basically I want to try experimenting with running some tracks through some effects pedals but it seems like if you run something out of your computer, through a pedal, and then back into your computer you're going to get a feedback loop? Are there clever ways to circumvent such a philosphical dilemma?

 

For example, I have a wav file opened up in goldwave. I have a saffire 6 usb soundcard. I am outing it via stereo instrument cables it to my tc electronic reverb pedal. I want to play the wav file and twiddle the knobs and record the results in goldwave. However, I feel like if I complete the loop and then out my reverb pedal back into my soundcard, something is going to explode. Anyone have experience with this?

[BCM]

should work fine! i run the outputs of my edirol fa101 soundcard right back into the inputs and record with no problems... i use each seperate channel on the soundcard to run a different VST out of Numerology, then just record it straight back in on different channels in my DAW - i've put my FX rack in the loop and it works totally fine. go fer it.

 

*edit: i don't think you should play the file from goldwave and record back into goldwave at the same time though - this will likely cause a feedback loop. playback the file in goldwave and record into something else, then transfer the recording back into goldwave later.

[Fred McGriff]

holy crap, crazy loud clicking as soon as i plug it in, then i turn the gain down and it's a feedback loop.... hmmm... just from plugging it in, not even playing anything

[awepittance]

for me the best way to use an external effects processor on a computer is to setup a bus on Abelton or Cubase. For example. You would normally fill a 'send effect' slot with a VST effect plugin, in Abelton or cubase you would change it so one of your 'send effects slots is actually just going to an external output of your soundcard. For example, your main outputs would be 1-2, and you would use this send effect slot to send out 3-4. Physically connect outputs 3-4 of your soundcard to the ins of your effect processor, then take outputs out of your effect processor and plug them into your soundcard 1-2 ins. Then in Abelton or Cubase you would assign an audio track to be live monitoring or recording armed for incoming audio on inputs 1-2. This way you can use it just like a VST effect and even record send volume automation going to it, ie doing dub delays or bursts of reverb without actually printing any audio until you get it perfect. It may seem like a big deal if you arent used to using these programs, but in the end it's much easier and more natural to do it this way than any other way i've tried on a computer. trying to do something like this in goldwave would be extremely frustrating, at least for me.

[ryancolecreate]

just switch live monitoring off. :p

[BCM]

yeah, switch that shit off. also make sure your send and receive channels are set up right and shit.

[Fred McGriff]

yeah alright thanks duders i got it sorted out i just had the gain up too high on the inputs. things got a little explodey but i'm right as rain now. thanks again gents.