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Routing a 4i4 interface as a send / return for guitar pedals

omlettuomlettu
in Loopy Pro

Hi! I'm new here. Got into LP a few months back- bought an ipad just for this. Prior to this I had been using a Boss RC5 and Nux Core Stereo. I'm a beginner-intermediate bedroom guitarist with no professional musical aspirations- I indulge in this expensive hobby purely for fun. :neutral:

So my question- I bought a Motu M4 4 in 4 out interface with the core intention of using my hardware pedals to process some wet effect. My intention is to try and use Tonex or Primo as amp / cab sim, and process modulations with my Chase Bliss Mood Mkii and Zoom MS70CDR+. I do have plugins (Rymdigare, BLEASS collection etc) but I prefer using turning knobs while my loops go on. I had read a few posts online where people have done this successfully, but I could not find fine details. From my reading this process is called "outboard effects (?)".

I have ripped enough hair from my head trying to figure out how to route this in LP. I'm very new to this stuff, so pardon my lack of experience.

This is the signal chain I assumed would've worked:

  • Ipad + Motu M4 + Loopy pro
  • Guitar goes into Input 1 of Motu
  • Tonex in Input 1 pre fader
  • Output 1 mono goes to CB Mood (using Mono in stereo out setting)
  • CB Mood stereo out goes into Motu M4 inputs 3 & 4
  • I've tried setting the final output to Output 2. But this is mono.

I've tried all sorts of combinations within Loopy but nothing works well. Either I get feedback loops or I hear the output in mono, with a slowly rising feedback loop.

Is my goal doable? I read this was perfectly doable with 4i4 interfaces. Further research via Chatgpt, Groke etc "confirmed" this will work as well (maybe I'm a fool for trusting AI). I bought the Motu purely based on weeks of this kind of research. This interface has been a expensive purchase for me.

If nothing works, then I'll have to get an Amp pedal to go in front of CB Mood (Boss IR2 or Tonex one). But I really want to keep my gear light.

Hope someone can help me here! Thanks in advance :smile:

Comments

  • espiegel123espiegel123

    @omlettu said:
    Hi! I'm new here. Got into LP a few months back- bought an ipad just for this. Prior to this I had been using a Boss RC5 and Nux Core Stereo. I'm a beginner-intermediate bedroom guitarist with no professional musical aspirations- I indulge in this expensive hobby purely for fun. :neutral:

    So my question- I bought a Motu M4 4 in 4 out interface with the core intention of using my hardware pedals to process some wet effect. My intention is to try and use Tonex or Primo as amp / cab sim, and process modulations with my Chase Bliss Mood Mkii and Zoom MS70CDR+. I do have plugins (Rymdigare, BLEASS collection etc) but I prefer using turning knobs while my loops go on. I had read a few posts online where people have done this successfully, but I could not find fine details. From my reading this process is called "outboard effects (?)".

    I have ripped enough hair from my head trying to figure out how to route this in LP. I'm very new to this stuff, so pardon my lack of experience.

    This is the signal chain I assumed would've worked:

    • Ipad + Motu M4 + Loopy pro
    • Guitar goes into Input 1 of Motu
    • Tonex in Input 1 pre fader
    • Output 1 mono goes to CB Mood (using Mono in stereo out setting)
    • CB Mood stereo out goes into Motu M4 inputs 3 & 4
    • I've tried setting the final output to Output 2. But this is mono.

    I've tried all sorts of combinations within Loopy but nothing works well. Either I get feedback loops or I hear the output in mono, with a slowly rising feedback loop.

    Is my goal doable? I read this was perfectly doable with 4i4 interfaces. Further research via Chatgpt, Groke etc "confirmed" this will work as well (maybe I'm a fool for trusting AI). I bought the Motu purely based on weeks of this kind of research. This interface has been a expensive purchase for me.

    If nothing works, then I'll have to get an Amp pedal to go in front of CB Mood (Boss IR2 or Tonex one). But I really want to keep my gear light.

    Hope someone can help me here! Thanks in advance :smile:

    Can you post a still screenshot of your Loopy Pro mixer in extended mode set up in one of the configurations you thought would work?

    (As an fyi, “AI” are very error prone for this sort of advice … while sometimes helpful I also somewhat frequently encounter situations where someone has spent hours fruitlessly trying to implement a solution confidently but wrongly proposed by ChatGPT or similar).

    Have you made sure that direct monitoring is off on the interface?

    What is the output from the MOTU to speakers or headphones?

  • michael_mmichael_m

    @espiegel123 said:
    (As an fyi, “AI” are very error prone for this sort of advice … while sometimes helpful I also somewhat frequently encounter situations where someone has spent hours fruitlessly trying to implement a solution confidently but wrongly proposed by ChatGPT or similar).

    This is good forum advice in general. AI tools are only as good as the data they base their solutions on, and if I have learned anything from using them at work (where we are constantly being encouraged to use AI tools) is don’t trust them - good for getting you a head start on what you’re trying to do, but they’re also very good at making people look stupid given the chance.

  • omlettuomlettu

    @espiegel123
    I'll share a screenshot as soon as I'm home. But in general, is what I'm trying to do possible with the gear I have?

    Also, isn't there a way to reply to people like in other forums?

  • wimwim
    edited December 2025

    @omlettu said:
    Also, isn't there a way to reply to people like in other forums?

    The Quote link serves that purpose.

  • espiegel123espiegel123

    @omlettu said:
    @espiegel123
    I'll share a screenshot as soon as I'm home. But in general, is what I'm trying to do possible with the gear I have?

    I think so but you need to take make sure you are not inadvertently creating a feedback loop. You’ll need to be careful about how monitoring is set up.

  • mrufino1mrufino1

    I don’t have loopy pro, so you may be aping specifically about terminology oops and I can’t answer that.

    But, my main living is live sound and signal flow is signal flow. So, following signal flow, what you want is for your guitar to input to the track that contains tonex. Then, you essentially have 3 choices.

    1. You can use an aux send, send that to your pedals and return them to inputs (those would be your aux return tracks). This runs in parallel to your dry tonex signal.
    2. You can send the output of your tonex track to output 3 and make sure that you’re not sending to your stereo buss at all. So your guitar is going in 1 and out 1. Then you run your pedals’ output into input 3 and 4. That track then goes to your master output (which is likely set to out 1 and 2). If your interface is 4 in and 4 out, this works. You will not hear a blend of tonex dry and your wet signal, you’ll just hear the wet signal this way. However, your tonex fader level will determine how much signal goes to your pedals.
    3. If loopy has channel inserts that can address hardware outs, then you would make the out of the insert output 3, and the return input 3 and 4, with the output of the track going to the stereo bus. An insert would be pre fader, so your full signal would go to the pedals, then the fader controls the overall level to your master.

    I don’t know those specific pedals either, but make sure that they can take a line level signal, otherwise you will have to be careful about how much you’re sending to the pedals. A reamp box would help you in this regard.

    Hopefully that made sense.

  • omlettuomlettu
    edited January 10

    Thanks for your suggestions everyone. Sorry for the late response, life happened.

    @mrufino1 I had been trying your suggestion 2 and various combinations and permutations of it, but to no avail.

    @espiegel123

    Have you made sure that direct monitoring is off on the interface?

    Yes.

    What is the output from the MOTU to speakers or headphones?

    I'm using the front headphone output to connect to headphones and a bluetooth speaker in wired mode.

    Sorry I don't have a screenshot to share, I got tired of spending so many days attempting to make this work, and I've come to the conclusion that this is not possible with a 4i4o interface- you definitely need at least 2 more in and outs I believe. Or if it does work with a 4i4o,, it is way, WAY too much hassle for a casual like me. I really thought the logic would be straightforward.

    I think I made the wrong call getting this interface. Perhaps something like a Zoom L6 max would be better. Thinking of selling this. And like others echoed, thanks for nothing, AI! Lesson learned :<

  • espiegel123espiegel123

    @omlettu : I am not sure where things went wrong. Perhaps loopback was on in the interface ? Or perhaps, monitoring was on somewhere in the Loopy Pro routing that created a feedback loop?

  • dokwok2dokwok2

    @omlettu said:
    I think I made the wrong call getting this interface. Perhaps something like a Zoom L6 max would be better. Thinking of selling this. And like others echoed, thanks for nothing, AI! Lesson learned :<

    The L6 had high latency when someone tested it last year: https://forum.loopypro.com/discussion/comment/1419906/#Comment_1419906.

    The M4 does have loopback, so it’s possible that’s an issue. But 4 I/O is enough to process stereo input and and stereo outboard. You don’t need 6.

  • omlettuomlettu

    @dokwok2 I don't have loopback enabled- at least I haven't done so and I've yet to use the M4 with a PC. Not sure where to find it on an ipad. Thanks for the tip about the L6, that's a bummer.

    @espiegel123 My main issue is that I either get feedback loop or when I don't, its just not in stereo.

    I will try to share screenshots later today.

  • danmdanm

    @espiegel123 and others, not sure this is the same question as what's being pondered in this thread, but I'm considering purchasing a Helix foot pedal to use for guitar effects along with Loopy Pro and will likely just have the Helix inline from my guitar to my USB Audio device (currently a Focusrite 2i2 4th gen), but instead if I wanted to have the Helix patches behave like I'm currently using my AuV3 effects (in a color channel or bus, where I can turn them on and off within the channel and/or turn routing on/off to the bus), is there a way to set this up in Loopy Pro, either in color channel pre-fader and turn on/off the sending to the external pedal and/or in a bus? Would it be preferable to have a usb audio device that has more ins and outs in order to accomplish this? Let me know if this isn't similar issue to what this original poster is asking about and I can move this to another thread...Thanks

  • espiegel123espiegel123

    @danm : I suggest you start a new thread with a subject line that will catch the attention of someone with the Helix who can advise you.

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