My never ending external effects problems.....

Cubase
#1

I can never seem to get this figured out. Any help is much appreciated. So here goes…

I use Cubase 9 with Windows X and a PreSonus Studio 192. I am trying to use Strymon stereo guitar pedals externally in an effects loop. For whatever reason when I do this there is distortion (popping and cracking) in the signal. I can improve it by lowering the send level but it never really gets right.

After much research I found that the problem may be related to “line level” signal versus “instrument level” signal. I guess they are slightly different, different impedance, whatever. Supposedly the fix was a 'Reamp Box". I contacted Radial Engineering and they told me that the box I needed is the EXTC-SA reamping box which I immediately purchased. http://www.radialeng.com/product/extc-sa

It arrives a couple days later and I hurriedly open it thinking my months long string of woes is finally over. Immediately I’m a little confused because using this thing in stereo is a little confusing but I figure that since it has two ‘ext loops’ that maybe I could use one as the left return and one as the right. I hook this thing up with a TRS cable as the send cable and a mic cable as the return.

For whatever reason I now get absolutely no wet signal. Nothing. And I’ve tried it a variety of ways. Any ideas on how to fix this problem? What am I doing wrong? How do you guys handle external effects?

#2

Bump

#3

I haven’t used one of these devices as all my guitar processing is internal but this looks like a mono device to me so I’m not sure you are hooking it up correctly.
It looks simple enough - come out of your DAW into the XLR Input. Come out of the XLR output back into your DAW.
Go into and out of your effects pedals using one of the two loops (or both).
As a starting point make sure the blend dial is at around 50% if you want to hear both wet and dry signal.
A quick look at the manual explains all this by the way.
If you are trying to make this a stereo device by somehow hooking up the loops back into your DAW then you’re not using it correctly I’m afraid.
Russ

#4

Make two attenuation cables: or ‘learn’ to do it.

https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-how-to-hookup-guitar-pedals-to-synth-or-keyboard

#5

Ok update time…

You are correct. I contacted Radial and this is a mono device so to get a true stereo signal I would need two. I purchased another one but I seem to be no better off. I get all kinds of clipping and such in the return if I do this with CB9 FX channels. For the life of me I don’t know what I’m doing wrong here. 500 dollars in and nothing.

#6

Just browsing the forum and saw this. Did you get it sorted out? I use a number of external effects but use the control room in cubase 9 Pro…works fine in that. Do you have Pro as thats the only version I understand that has Control Room.

#7

I’m having a similar problem.
It depends on the pedal.
With some pedals the EXTC-SA works fine, with others the sound clips, crack and distorts.
I know the problem is not with the particular pedal 'cause it worked through the “fx send” in this crappy little Behringer mixer I have.
I bought this thing thinking it would work perfectly with any pedal.
I guess I’ll have to keep using the Behringer.