Can you use plugins to track through?

[banjo71]

I have no idea if this question is even a valid one. I know very little about using plugins to track through. Can you do this with let’s say the Scheps 73 eq plug-in? I have PT 12.6.1 and a PreSonus StudioLive AR12 a/d converter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[64GTOBOY]

yes. create one aux input(stereo or mono whatever input source is) and one audio track. The aux track gets set as the input for your source and outputs to your audio track, the plugin goes on the aux also, et voila, you have printed through the plug in. However in order to have the least amount of latency means running lower buffer settings which in turn can cause issues if your system isn't sufficient. Which is why many just track while listening to what the track will sound like with the plugin on the audio track itself and commit after tracking if satisfied(dependent, again, on system resources

[albee1952]

Yes you can, but there are a few things to be aware of:

#1-some plugins have latency. A few samples(IK Amplitube has 7, for example) and those will likely be fine. But some have hundreds or even thousands of samples of latency(like Ozone), so those would make tracking a timing nightmare(so make them inactive if you need to track with them in a session***)

#2-some plugins use very little system power to operate(like EQ III and BF76) and you can use many(depending on how powerful your computer is). Others, like Ozone, Melodyne and many reverb plugins, chew up a lot of system power and you might suffer stops and errors at low buffer settings(which you want for tracking)

#3-since you're new to this stuff, a plugin that is bypassed uses the same amount of power as not bypassed. Making a plugin INACTIVE will free up all the power it was using when active(***)

My template session has around 36 tracks and is loaded with most of my mixing plugins. But(the great big BUT), and plugins with lots of latency or high power needs are inactive when I open for tracking. Once I finish tracking, I then make those plugins active and my mix is already in decent shape Set your MIX window(under the VIEW menu) to show Delay Compensation so you can see latency numbers. This will help you learn which plugins are okay for tracking

[The Weed]

And if you record the plug-in or plug-ins' effects, then it's in the audio and, if you want to tweak the effects or don't like them, you'll have to re-record. As mentioned above, track with the plug-ins active, but not being recorded, i.e. the effects in the monitoring only, then it's easy to tweak because the actual audio recorded is "dry". Another alternative is to record the effects using the Aux to Audio track method and also record a "dry" track. For me, it's easier to just record dry, monitoring through plug-ins, then tweak as necessary or even add more and/or different plug-ins.

Note: Monitoring through plug-ins depends on what latency you're comfortable with, how low of a buffer your computer can handle reliably and how much latency the plug-ins you want to monitor through cause.

[chrisdee]

Originally Posted by The Weed

track with the plug-ins active, but not being recorded

+1.

There are sometimes in the past I have regretted overcompressing or commiting an effect wich cannot be undone.

[amagras]

Originally Posted by chrisdee

+1.

There are sometimes in the past I have regretted overcompressing or commiting an effect wich cannot be undone.

+2