DP-24 External Effects

[Unusual Suspect]

Hi..

I've had my DP-24 Portastudio a couple of months now and am pretty pleased with it, but I am interested to know how other owners manage the use of external effects.

I chose hardware like this over Pro-Tools and plug ins etc. because I like that approach better: you know, sliders, faders, rotary controls and physical buttons. I am second guessing that now though... here's why.

I expected to have some effect sends and returns on the back panel so I could use the cool reverbs on my Lexicon reverb unit, then apply them as I wished at the mixing stage through use of a rotary "effects" control. I never even stopped to check if this facility was there... I thought this was recording 101.

Right now, my objective is to record the signals flat to the machine, then add effects as I see fit (in varying degrees) to each track. Is this even possible on this machine and if so, how do you guys do it?

 

[bigbob64]

There are 2 effects sends outputs on the back of the DP24 if you have just one unit connect from one of the effect sends to your external effect then the out of that effect to which ever track you want the effect on by using the assign make sure your effect is fully wet and effects send 2 master is at 127 (full up) then adjust effects send 2 (post) knob to taste. Most of these Effects units are mono in stereo out so if this is the case you could use 2 tracks coming in from the unit. If it is a stereo track and a stereo FX processor then use the 2 outputs to the processor and 2 back. Alternative solution is you want to use 2 processors in which case plug one out through one effect and the other to the second effect and choose which track you want the different effect on via the assigns.
I understand where you are coming from re DAW's I too like to see whats happening to the signal and what knobs to twiddle to put it right (I am relatively old for this game being 64 and more attune with big mixing desks 8 track reel to reel with separate black boxes for what ever effect I want) . However I would not turn your back completely on the DAW to add effects if its something the DP24 does not do I.E I record my Drummer using the Glyn Johnes method that is snare and kick miked up and the rest with a couple of large frame condenser mikes to get a stereo field for the rest of the kit now I get bleed through from the snare on the kick and bleed through from the Kick on the snare so I put these wave files into sonar X3 and use an expander gate takes about 2 minutes then I import the saved wave file into the DP24 via audio depot and no more bleed through and I can add eq and reverb to the snare. I am sure you could do a lot more with a DAW I also use melodyne to corest small pith changes in vocals using the same method.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Unusual Suspect]

Thanks Bob, for your detailed reply. Much appreciated. I'll do as you suggest and get back to you. Just to be clear though: when I take the "return" or "out" from the effects unit back to the track I am recording, that effect will be recorded right onto that track... correct? If I returned it to a separate track, could I then vary the volume of that effect at the mixing stage?

I appreciate your help.

 

[bigbob64]

Hi Unusual suspect you can do it the way you describe by assigning the external and recording to blank track/tracks, although it is more usual to do this when recording a mix down track as the external processor should mix through the mixer bus onto the stereo mix down track when it is recording and you should be able to control the amount of effect by the amount of EFF2 dialed in and the position of the slider hope this makes sense.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Unusual Suspect]

Hi Bob

Perfect sense! I'm going to give it a shot this afternoon.

Very grateful for your input... thanks again.

Stephen

 

[beto]

Hi Unusual suspect
I wonder if you ever got it to work, if so, do you mind sharing the solution? or at least let us know it worked, i'm thinking on buying the dp32 but would like to know if that is possible before doing it.
thanks!
beto

 

[Sam Trenholme]

The DP-24SD and DP-32SD really prefer a workflow where effects are printed. What I do is take the track I want to add an effect to, send that track to an effect send, and take the effect’s output and patch it to a new track. My track sheets end up with a lot of stuff like “Snare drum”, “Snare drum reverb”, and so on. With 32 (20) tracks, I usually run out of musical ideas before I run out of tracks, even with a bunch of tracks only doing the reverb for a single sound.

 

[Sam Trenholme]

OK, I just looked at the block diagram and figured out how to add external effects (in stereo) to the stereo mix with my DP-32SD: http://www.tascamforums.com/threads/howto-using-external-send-effect-with-dp-24-dp-32-sd.4134/

 

[mark s zonder]

If you don't wont to print the fx, is it possible to bring the returns in on their own faders and just monitor as you go? Like you would do on an analog console?
Can't seem to get that happening. FX returns mixed with original and not on separate tracks as I have the output of the reverb unit coming back to 5-6.

 

[-mjk-]

No, the faders control track level, not input level. But if your sends are post fader, then tracks you're sending from will be controlling the send by their fader levels.