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How to use VST Plugins as Insert Effects on Hardware Mixer

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to insert software VST plugins to an analog hardware mixer.

Things needed

  • Analog hardware mixer (I’m using a ‘Mackie ProFX10’ Mixer)
  • Audio interface (I am using a ‘Focusrite Scarlett Solo’ audio interface)
  • Computer
  • Software plugins via a DAW (I used a vocoder and delay plugin within FL studio)

Steps

  1. Connect your audio source to the mixer (I’m using a mic, connected with an XLR cable as audio source)
  2. Route the ‘Insert’ from your audio source channel to the input on your audio interface
  3. Route the output of your audio interface to a free channel on your mixer (You can use both the headphones jack and/or the monitor output from the audio interface)
  4. Connect your audio interface to your computer via USB
  5. Set your DAW to use your audio interface as input and output (Try to use the lowest latency that your system can handle without issues)
  6. In your DAW, monitor the signal from your audio interface’s input (I’m monitoring input 2 because that’s where my mixer is connected)
  7. Insert the effects on the track that you’re monitoring

AND THAT’S IT! You can use this method to add eq, compression, distortion, actually any effect that you can think of (in real-time) Hope this was helpful.