Ok, third time watching this. Finally getting it. This seems to be a two-part tutorial. Part one: Using external audio equipment as an insert. Part two: Taking it a step further and using midi for a plethora of other functions. This is so helpful Jon. Thanks, my brother! There isn't a day that goes by in the last few months that I haven't learned something from your hard work. The fact that you share all of this is invaluable to me. My guitar FX pedalboard is going to be showing up in a lot more mixes. Thank you.

Thanks for this video. It's a useful, enjoyable and instructive journey.

Good stuff. I used ReaInsert with a reel to reel tape machine once...Reel flanging is fun! Also, for sending MIDI CC, you could also add a MIDI item and add in as many CC lanes as you wanted. Cheers!

Thank you! Fixed my latency issue with a Roland Rubix 22 interface and JACK audio on Linux.

Thanks Jon. This gave me the info I needed to integrate my console for sending tracks to a reverb buss in Reaper using the console's buss.

This video is right on time. Been wanting to do this and struggling with figuring it out. Thanks

YES! thanks for the post... needed to understand how to route an external compressor / effects, etc

Thank you so much for this video! Looking forward to seeing how well I can automate hardware synth parameters in REAPER

This is easy. It gets a little less obvious when you want to send to external FX and only monitor the return (or "wet") signal. To do this, as far as I can tell, requires 2 tracks - one as fx send and one as fx return. Then either send any tracks to the "fx send" track or child them to it. The FX Send track should have "master/parent send" disabled so it only sends to the hw output.

Still no clue here.. Yes I get the effect sent and returned however I can not seem to sync it up, it's like playing double which is terrible.. :D

Good video, but you didn't cover how to record it, or maybe render it.... and what happens when I use a real insert for eq or compression not a time base sent effect?

Can you do a video on how to connect a Volca to REAPER with a midi out/in audio interface? Please and thanks.

Yea, it looks like I am one input shy on my ID14, guess I will have to buy one of the expansion things. It will be awesome though being able to send amp sims out to delays and such. I got it to work with one stereo channel and the latency is not bad at all.

Thank you, this will be very useful.

I've recently been using Reaper and really liking it coming from 15+ years of Cubase. I am mainly a Hybrid Set up guy, have a Prism Sound Lyra II and trying to send the audio from Reaper into my analogue chain, then record it bk into Reaper, but I'm just not getting any return signal What im i doing wrong?

Thanks for the video, tho a section about recording this return have been appreciated as I'm running into feedback issues. :c

In order to print the track after you dialed in your hardware effect , it is imporant to select RECORD OUTPUT of the track as if you leave it on record input it will not record anything as it is not recording an input but it is recording the output of reainsert

I cannot find rea insert in the cockos plugins, please help!

Great video! I understand you go out of the audio interface with an unbalanced TS cable, while you go out of the external fx with balanced TRS cables. could you please clarify? cheers

Thank you

I've been doing this for years and I've consistently noticed that the measured interface latency from ReaInsert (using a simple loopback patch, nothing but a cable) is around 30% higher than the latency when I measure it manually in the usual way (by recording a test impulse and measuring the delay between the original impulse and a copy that has been looped back into the interface and recorded to a new track). For example, in my setup the actual measured round trip interface latency for my standard buffer settings and sample rate is a bit over 1600 samples but the reported latency from ReaInsert under identical conditions is nearly 2200 samples. I've never been able to figure out why this is, but it has been consistent for me across multiple computers, interfaces and Reaper versions since I started using more hardware early in the 4.x cycle. Usually I'm either using it for tape delay, hardware reverb or on the 2buss when mastering so it's not really a problem for me, but it's strange.

How do you prevent the extreme feedback and tin can sound once the equipment is hooked up? If you untick send to master in your routing you lose the inability to monitor. Reainsert should act like a plug-in for external gear right? I am missing something simple but HUGELY important.

Thanks for the great content! Do you know where the reainsert plugin can be found? The actual VST folder on Mac.

Will this work in CUbase?

Thanks so very much for this great Vid : Question ...I must have done something wrong hooking up my mono Compressor..I'm getting an echo on playback. Anyone ?

if I had a complex folder layer with some hardware insert on, im getting delay issues. when I started to insert multiple hardware it started to messed up real bad, is it my CPU problem or my setting ? otherwise insert only 1 hardware will be no problem at all.

It doesn't work for me,....I don't get it...

How does a person "make a send" in the newest version of reaper? These directions don't seem to apply anymore.

Thanks for the video! I wonder if anybody can help me with this problem. I've got a Focusrite 2i4. I'm sending it out 2 of the analog (htmi?) outputs to my digitech vx400 and returning it into the two outputs. But rather than being able to select individual tracks and set them up with the effects, every track gets the effects without even doing any reinsert set up. I sort of understand the main mix concept not totally. Just wondering if I can do this with my 2i4. Thanks for any info!

how render this? or freezing / recording the input?

Hi! Do you think that ping is precise enough even for parallel compression? some ms of shift are inudible with reverb or delays, but very udible with compression. Once set the ping value, does it remain the same for every reainsert instance o should i repeat the process every time? thanx!!

I want to monitor this type of routing: Usb Keyboard Controller -> DAW -> out from audio device to a guitar pedal and back in. How do I set routing in Reaper?

Hello! You are a real treasure to the mixing noob comunity (like myself!). Keep up the great work! Quick question: I have an Apollo X6 and am trying to connect an outboard Warm Audio WA73-eq Pream. When I open Reaper and Insert the Reainsert, the plugin only identifies "Mon Left" and "Mon Right" (Hardware Sends) and "Mic/Line/HiZ 1" and "Mic/line/HiZ 2" (Hardware Returns). So, I can not "turn on" the channels I've connected the Outboard Gear to (Input 3 and Output 3). But in the Options/Preferences Tab in Reaper, the Enabled Inputs and Output Range identifies all my channels (including the ones I've connected the outboard gear to). What am I missing Here?... Thanks in advance! Cheers from Portugal!

Very instructive video Jon, as always. I'm encountering some issue. I try to create a 2-ways MIDI connection between Reaper and an iPad with Lemur. I can control a plugin in Reaper with the Lemur app, no pb. With the ReaControl JS effect, I can do the opposite, great. But how can I create a two-ways connection with, let's say ReaComp? I've been searching for that for weeks without success and can do it in Ableton in 3 clics, frustrating... If you have any idea. Thanks a lot for your great work.

If it freezes, the item will disappear. Is there a way?

A quick question for guys using outboard gear: lets say I have an EQ, a compressor, and a reverb unit and an interface with a lot of I/O like a MOTU ultralite. Is it better to use a SINGLE set of outputs and inputs from the MOTU, and use an external patch bay to build custom chains....like, EQ->COMP->reverb or COMP->reverb->EQ by just swapping patch cables. Or is it OK to just put each analog piece on it's own set of I/O from the ultralite and build a chain by opening multiple instances of re-insert on a track. One instance for each device. I am worried about latency, but also a bunch of needless A/D and D/A conversions. Doing it on a single I/O with patchbay avoids all that. Anyone else doing this? Advices? I am trying to determine if I really need the ultralite or if I can get by with the new M4 if I have 3-4 pieces of outboard gear to run in a single processing chain.

you said you need an audio interface with "more than 2 inputs and outputs"? im using a lexicon with 1 mono, 1 stereo and 2 stereo outputs and am getting horrible feedback. is this impossible with audio interfaces with only 2 inputs? you said something about sending "discrete sends to different outputs" & for whatever reason, it seems like my out puts are the same as my monitoring outputs and I keep getting feedback - why

Are you still using the ProFire? Im about to get one but not sure since the latest update for the drivers was couple years ago. Just want to know if I really need the drivers with Mac

I’m having feedback issues when I try to use this setup. Going output 1-2, into external processor, and back to input 1. I get signal but I also get feedback.

Anybody know how to route a midi instrument out to a guitar pedal or FX unit? Seems like I can't turn off the stereo ouput of a VST when trying to route inside Reaper. TIA!

How do I record this output of reainsert? I'm losing my mind trying to figure this out

Is there a way you can A-B compare one setup with another one? I have trouble with the track input monitoring setting. I work with Pro Tools (don't judge me!) on a mastering studio (with external hardware) and when I have one song recorded but I'm doing a recall because the client wants some changes, I can toogle the input monitoring button to switch between the already recorded version and the one I'm working at that moment. But in Reaper it doesn't matter how I set up the input monitoring, the recorded media keeps playing back so I can't switch between one and the other.

Hi jon i appear to be getting some latency with reainsert. it's never happened to me before.Any ideas as to whats going on??

Hi John. I have just wired up a shit load of outboard and i mean a SHIT LOAD. and I don't know what's going on. I put reainsert on my track and it shows a send but no return. The meter on the track goes away and I'm at my wits end? any ideas?? I am prepared to book a skype call if need be. Cheers

Hi jon , i have all of my hardware now patched into a patchbay but i don't understand how i can put my returns into 2 inputs as most hardware only has 1 output so how do i path my hardware back into say channels 3 and 4 when i only have 1 inpt to patch back into my patchbay??