I have a hardware voice processor that takes a mono signal out from Cubase and sends a stereo signal back to Cubase. (TC Helicon VoiceOne, which I use as a doubler that can subtly alter the timing/pitch of the source voice). The aux returns are the processed/“wet” voice and the dry voice, and actually the unit might as well be a mono in/mono out as I only print the wet return, not the dry one.
Currently I bring the wet/processed return into Cubase as an input to an audio track, simply because that is how I set it up a long time ago!
I’m wondering now whether it might be better to have it come in as an external FX instead?
I’d be grateful for any thoughts on the +/- issues of having the return come in as an external FX vs simply as an input to an audio track as I’m currently doing. I’m happy to change over to having it come back to Cubase as an external FX if there is a clear advantage to that, but otherwise, maybe I’ll just leave things alone.
Thanks!!
[I should maybe say that small timing/ping issues aren’t important here as there aren’t any phasing issues if things don’t line up sample-accurately (since the “wet” return has timing and pitch subtly altered].
One advantage I can think of is that with an external FX set up, it is project independent–meaning that once you set it up in VST connections, it will be available for every project, and all you have to do is insert the effect onto any channel to use it. If you do it your original way, that requires either using a project template that has your effect already built into it, or creating routing for it from scratch in any new project you want to use it in.
One disadvantage is with an external FX, those inputs / outputs on your audio interface will pretty much be dedicated to that effects unit, no matter whether the project uses it or not.
Some stuff for me to think about. I only have one hardware box (the one in question), and only one S/PDIF out from my interface (to the said box). So it might be just as easy for me to build it into a template … I’ll have to chew on it a bit more before deciding.
