Confirmation on Using Mix 2 for External Hardware Inserts in Cubase

Steinberg Hardware UR Series
,
1

I own 3 UR824 chained and I’m trying to confirm the correct way to use my outboard compressor as an insert effect for mixing in Cubase.

My intended setup is:

* DAW output assigned to Out 3/4 on the UR824

* Out 3/4 to Compressor input

* Compressor output to UR824 line input 3/4 (labeled as Mix 2 in dspMixFx)

I have two questions:

  1. Signal Path / Phase – If I mute the Mix 2 channel in dspMixFx to prevent monitoring, will this setup work without any phasing, comb filtering, or degradation of audio quality? In other words, can I rely on Cubase’s External FX routing alone for this loop?

  2. Delay Compensation – When using this setup, does Cubase’s External FX delay compensation fully apply to Mix 2 in/out, ensuring my processed signal stays sample-aligned with the rest of the mix?

I want to make sure I’m not misunderstanding the Mix 2 labeling in dspMixFx. It seems these are actually the physical line inputs/outputs 3 and 4. If not could you please explain? Attached is an image of my current routing.

Thanks for your time and clarification,

2

For anyone interested, this was the reply from Steinberg.

”Hi, Ray.

I am sorry for the confusion. For what you are asking that should work, yes. The screenshot is correct for the master unit that is connected to the computer.

For question 1, all should be fine in that regard using Cubase’s external FX feature.

For question 2, yes it would be aligned with Cubase’s delay compensation.

Let me know if you need further help.

Best Regards,
The Steinberg US Customer Support Team”