I have a question about using FX (analog rack) into cubase. I am sing a presonus GTX44 gate/expander (got it a cheap). I have setup in the fx windows as a analog input and out. I creathe a steinberg> external fx channel> Everything works fine. Now the silly question…
Should i use the dry sound and the FX channel sound together or only the fx channel and no output on the dry (the channel i want to expand/gate). I notices then i looses a lot od db (not the gate threshold effect). Should i also raise the db on the channel volume on my soundcard or keep it a 0 db? This think confuse me about analog outboard gear. The rack works just the setup that i am unsere about.
Should i use the dry sound and the FX channel sound together or only the fx channel and no output on the dry (the channel i want to expand/gate).
You should probably use it as insert, and not send FX…
Excuse my ignorance, but why would you use an analog gate with a DAW? Gates were the first units stopping occupy my rack space when I switched to DAW (Cubase) back in 1999. Gates are the only things I find plug-ins (even Cubase’s stock one) being superior to any outboard gear in every imaginable way.
Yup, sold all my DS201’s ages ago!
Yepp. Bad buy. Got it for 99 bucks. retail price 699. Probably a reason. Anyway I am embarred about the insert solution.
I was just so used to have aoutboard as fx channel.
I am trieng to use the rack as a “analog sum” for the digital waves. Also as a creative tool for basssynts etc.
American made and pure beaty. 4 analog channel or 2 stereo. Lo and hi filter, thresohold, range, atatckk, hold and release. Sidechain monitoring, duck and bypass. Led display for the gain reduction.
I am trying to understand how to use it as a “expander”.
Can anyone explain how to use a axpander to create dynamic for overcompressed material?
I’m having difficulty seeing how you could use a four channel noise gate as a summing mixer? Where would the mixing occur?
Expansion is basically the opposite of compression, as far as I’m aware the GTX44 offers basic expansion of the downward type, that is the threshold is applied on the way down and will apply gain reduction thereafter. So once the threshold is reached then the signal will be further reduced by ratio setting, so if a signal drops by 5db after the threshold and you have a 2:1 ratio set it will become 10db less
I am thinking that the signal pass the presonus with no range och treshold. Probably a placebo effect. I dont want less db when using it as a summing mixer. Create to stereo gate/expander for drums and maybe bass.
split > is the GTX44 good for home studio? i dont use live drums.
By definition a summing mixer sums! I think what your saying is just to add “colour” to a channel or four, no summing. (in the analog domain)
I can’t see a real need for it? live maybe but gates and downward expanders Hmm… not really IMHO
Maybe. Maybe not. Passing your audio through an analog equipment always add some distortions into it. And I have a strong personal opinion of this whole “analog summing” thing: It’s mostly about the harmonic distortion your analog (summing) equipment adds during the process … and you don’t need “summing” to create it. Just run your tracks/stems/mix/whatever through some “good sounding” analog audio gear and that’s it. I do it all the time by inserting my Aphex tube EQ and TL-audio tube compressor as an insert of my digital console’s main mix buss (without EQing and compressing at all … just routing signal through them) … and holy (censored) … there’s that “analog” sound!
But as said … it’s only my peronal opinion. I’m not going to challenge those people who has invested $1000s into their summing boxes.
thats what i was thinking. Just let the audio pass it. Analog harmonic distorsion through a high quality rack. No compression, or anything. It cant hurt. I dont like the thought of all digital. Maybe for dancemusic etc.
Any good gate will be made to be as clean as possible, it’s job is to gate a signal, not alter the signal like say a valve type eq or compressor circuit. I’m a big fan of good analog gear but I would hazard a guess inserting a channel of “gate” signal path will not actually do much to the signal, accepting that you are also going through another DA/AD conversion.
Welll … it CAN … if your signal chain isn’t good enough. You are introducing artifacts of digital-to-analog conversion, a prosumer analog gear and finally analog-to-digital conversion here … and I could bet the GTX44 isn’t the best equipment here to introduce the “analog” sound to your material (neither is my equipment, though) … but anyway … let me quote a famous '60s British producer here: “If it sounds right it is right!”
The GTX is clean. I dont want ha eq/compression rack to alter the audio. Just let the digital signal pass the analog rack. Dont know if it really pass an ad/da converter. I believe it is all analog but maybe alla analog rack has converters. I like the thought of letting the signal at least one time pass an analog gear until it is destroyed to mp3 
It will have to go DA to get out of Cubase then AD to get back in!
I didn’t mean to pass the signal through eq or comp with the active bits switched in, but the gear Jarno mentioned probably does more to the signal than a gate circuit, most Valve gear will have at least one transformer in the signal path. Anyway as Jarno says “If it sounds right it is right!” right!