Need help - routing soft synths to guitar pedal

[Bartizanier]

Hey there, hope this is the right sub-forum for this. I have a few questions.

Preface: I just got a Chase Bliss Habit pedal and I want to play soft synths from within my DAW into it. I have a Scarlett Focusrite 2i2 hooked up to my computer and I'm running Logic X.

1. Is it possible to run audio output from the 2i2 to the pedal IN, and then send the pedal OUT back to the 2i2 and record on a separate track in Logic?

2. If I run audio from the headphone jack on my computer to the pedal instead, do I lose quality from the headphone output jack compared to a line out?

3. I've read that guitars output a TS signal, does that mean that pedals output a TS signal as well?

4. I forgot the last question.

Thanks for your help!

[lfm]

#1. What you aim for is called Re-amping and there are pedals/interfaces for that if you do this a lot.

Otherwise level is the culprit. To retain one mono monitor at least in your phones you could reduce level with pan or one fader down for pedal and listen on the other.

Signal not engaged pedal is buffered, so goes through electronics and you can experiment which level out is ok and comes back retained/same to you ears. Otherwise there a oscilloscope plugins you can check sending a sine out and see that no clipping occur.

#2. phones out, what will you monitor on, having separate monitors too?
There is a risk it diminish quality IMO, Focusrite have real cheap chips for phones. Own experience.

#3. In and out on this is TS. Using line in on interface you use a normal guitar/instrument cable for that from out on pedal.

So input level to pedal is the one to look out for. Normal guitar/instrument cable should work.

[muki]

the scarlet 2i2 has 2 in 2 out ? that's it?

theoretically it should be doable (but you are losing your phones/monitor capabilities)
practically it seems to be a pita (because you are losing your monitoring capabilities)

unless the scarlett has dedicated differently adressable outputs for headphones and lineout

afaik (maybe i'm wrong) you need at least 4 (seperate) outputs
2 for the i/o loop toand from the pedal/hardware
and 2 for headphones/monitor

[Bartizanier]

#2. phones out, what will you monitor on, having separate monitors too?
There is a risk it diminish quality IMO, Focusrite have real cheap chips for phones. Own experience.

Like phones out from computer to the 2i2 input, I can then use the "direct monitor" headphone jack on the Focusrite for monitoring theoretically. However I asked this same question on reddit and the only response said "you can do it but make sure you keep direct monitoring turned off".

[Bartizanier]

the scarlet 2i2 has 2 in 2 out ? that's it?

theoretically it should be doable (but you are losing your phones/monitor capabilities)
practically it seems to be a pita (because you are losing your monitoring capabilities)

unless the scarlett has dedicated differently adressable outputs for headphones and lineout

afaik (maybe i'm wrong) you need at least 4 (seperate) outputs
2 for the i/o loop toand from the pedal/hardware
and 2 for headphones/monitor

Yes the 2i2 has 2 stereo outputs on the back and 2 inputs on the front. So I've been thinking I can run an instrument cable from the L output, to the pedal, and then a cable back to the input on the front. Then I would need to monitor using the headphone jack on the 2i2.

[muki]

Yes the 2i2 has 2 stereo outputs on the back

sure ?

from the images i see and the descriptions i read it has 2 mono line out (L & R)
(you're not confusibg "stereo" with TRS ?)

[vurt]

unless you can also set up a second mix for headphones, you're going to end up with a feedback loop with only 2/2.

[muki]

theoretically it should be possible to create a seperate monitor mix in mono
routed to one channel (for example Left)
and have the fx-loop in the other channel (Right)

kinda pain but maybe it works...

OP should give it a try
and report results

Logic has a dedicated i/o plugin for routing options...maybe it's working...

[Bartizanier]

from the images i see and the descriptions i read it has 2 mono line out (L & R)

Youre correct, thats what I was trying to say

theoretically it should be possible to create a seperate monitor mix in mono
routed to one channel (for example Left)
and have the fx-loop in the other channel (Right)

kinda pain but maybe it works...

OP should give it a try
and report results

Logic has a dedicated i/o plugin for routing options...maybe it's working...

I'll give this a shot, thanks!

[Constructed Identity]

Really you should get a mixer with insert effects. The mixer outs go to your 2 interface INs. You don't want to use an interface out that should be going to your monitors for an effect send...

[whyterabbyt]

Really you should get a mixer with insert effects. The mixer outs go to your 2 interface INs. You don't want to use an interface out that should be going to your monitors for an effect send...

A mixer wont change his issue, which is that he doesnt have enough outs to send the output of a softsynth through external hardware and still be able to monitor fully.

[muki]

yet another idea - not sure if it works:

on the mac you can generate an aggregated device
combined of the scarlet and the internal
then you could use the internal outs for monitoring and the external (scarlet) for the pedal

[whyterabbyt]

yet another idea - not sure if it works:

on the mac you can generate an aggregated device
combined of the scarlet and the internal
then you could use the internal outs for monitoring and the external (scarlet) for the pedal

good call. can actually also be done on Windows with ASIO4all.

[muki]

still a pita imho
a 2x2 interface isn't designed for such tasks - it's a simple portable/traveler kit
or in other words: there is a reason for 8in8out interfaces...
but well...ymwv