I cannot do the most simple thing, like reading the manual

[Sascha Franck]

Regardless of whether you should've better read the manual (which you defenitely should), you need to understand the routing architecture of Cubase - which actually is not complicated at all.

The global "direct monitoring" on/off setting defines whether you'll be able to monitor with internal FX at all. With it switched on, you won't. In that case your hardware is responsible for any monitoring and it's automatically happening once you switch a tracks monitor button on (the speaker icon).
Direct monitoring should only be required for anybody using Cubase in a traditional tape-recorder alike fashion - you won't need it if you're using a little mixer before things are runing into your card, and you also won't need it in case, well, yes - in case you're monitoring through Cubase.
This is happening once you switch direct monitoring off.
In that case, as soon as you'll activate the speaker icon on a track, you'll listen to your inputs (well, the ones assigned to the track/s in question) running entirely through Cubase.
So you can just use reverbs and whatever on the appropriate channel/s.

Another thing important to understand is the following: *Any* FX applied to the inserts of the socalled "input channel/s" will be printed to a track. This often makes no sense as you just don't want to print a reverb to a track. It might make sense however for things such as Guitar Rig and the likes, as these are CPU hogs and you just want the basic sound recorded anyways (I recommend switching off all room effects and the likes though, you want mix control over them).
On the contrary (and obviously) FX applied on the mixer channels of the track you record on won't be printed to the file.

And finally, here's my little extra tip for those not having extremely low latency systems
(so they couldn't use software monitoring entirely), but still want to add the occasional reverb or delay for monitoring pleasure (which should work with latencies around 512 samples, something not suitable for full software monitoring anymore - a reverb won't be that much affected from the extra pre-delay).

- Use a small mixer to monitor yourself (no software or audio hardware direct monitoring).
- Use one with two sends, one set to pre-fader.
- Connect the pre fader send to one channel of your audio card. This will be your actual recording channel.
- Connect the "normal" (post-fader) send to another channel of your audio card. This will be your FX send channel.
- Switch direct monitoring off in Cubase.
- Set up a "dummy" audio channel. Select the audiocard input for it that you cabled your FX send to.
- Set up a reverb FX channel.
- On the "dummy" channel, set the fader volume to zero.
- Then, still on the dummy channel, set up a pre fader send to the reverb FX channel.
- Set the dummy channel to monitoring.
- Set all other audio tracks you want to record on to the input you cabled your pre-fader send to.

Ok, now you'll be able to do the following:
- The pre fader send (on your little mixer) will control your recording levels.
- At the same time you've got completely indepedent control over your dry monitoring level (from the mixers channel volume).
- The "normal" (post-fader) send will allow you to mix some reverb in.

I still find this setup to offer the most convenient way of working in a small homestudio environment. You can keep all your sources connected to the mixer, don't need to recable anything and have all the monitoring pleasure you need, namely independent monitoring level and additional room FX to feel well while tracking.
With "full" software monitoring, I permanently find myself switching buttons, adjusting FX amounts and the likes.
Personally, I have my Vamp or POD cabled to one channel, a vocal mix to another, then an acoustic guitar mic and another channel for a bass.
I'm using that very setup even if I am able to do full software monitoring at 64 or 128 samples buffersize. I only do that for things such as Guitar Rig. For all other things I'm using the mixer approach.

[Architeuthis]

Another thing important to understand is the following: *Any* FX applied to the inserts of the socalled "input channel/s" will be printed to a track.

This is not my experience.

And to clear something up, I will be the first person to read the manual HAD I KNOWN my problem. I did not know what direct monitoring was. Not only that, I began to think either cubase had a bug or simply didn't support the ability to hear fx from an input channel (as in direct monitoring or lack thereof). Anyway, I have read Cubase manual for numerous things already.

Thank you.

[stash98]

All you need to know is this:

When you track, your audio level will first go through the input track on the left side of the Cubase mixer.

It will then go into an audio track that you have armed for recording by hitting the red button. the orange speaker button will allow you to monitor what is going through that audio track. Press it.

Then put your effects or sends into that audio channel.

You will now be tracking, and hearing the effects while you track. They will not be printing though.

[Sascha Franck]

Another thing important to understand is the following: *Any* FX applied to the inserts of the socalled "input channel/s" will be printed to a track.

This is not my experience.

Huh! But that's what the input channels are there for. Everything you insert there *will* be printed to the recorded track.

Btw, another probably useful info (tough to find in the manual): By default, the meters are set to "post-fader" - which is incredibly useless in case you're setting up input levels.
Sure, if you keep your input channel at 0dB and don't insert anything post- or pre-fader doesn't matter, but I've seen people recording something with the input channel doing "some" work and not having control over their actual input level anymore, simply because it's been set to "post".