External FX with ReaInsert?

I'm sure this is a noobie-noob question, and may not be OSX related, but... I have a track with a media item in it, and am trying to send it out to Max/MSP via Soundflower16, and get it back on the same track. MSP, obviously, is supposed to effect it some way. Max/MSP input is on 3/4 and its output on 5/6. The track with the media item does a parent send to the Master, and it in turn goes out to speakers via 1/2. ReaInsert is set to Hardware Send on 3/4 and return on 5/6. I keep getting an echo or chorus effect, and if I switch off Max/MSP processing (blocking the return audio) I hear my media item in the right speaker only. So what am I doing wrong here? I've read a bit on the forum about feedback in this situation, but understand enough about the situation to know if it's relevant. In a similar vein, don't really understand what's up with track monitoring... Any pointers appreciated! Thanks, Charles

hmm, sounds like a few possible things. either... you have an aux send set up to a reverb or another channel (within reaper). this with hardware latency (if not corrected for) would cause an 'echo effect' or you have a mispatch somewhere. all the channels are automatically 'sent' to the master channel. this is not a channel-send thing. to group channels, use folders. it may be you are sending it to what you think is a group/bus, but its also sending to the master channel. the echo/chorus effect you describe sounds like a hardware insert mixing with the original signal without latency compensation. ie, getting a doubling effect. as for why you only get it out of the right channel when your outboard is off is wierd. Debugging... try unplugging o3/4 and i5/6 from your soundcard with the ReaInsert still in. if the effect is still there, then its a software mispatch. if you hear any of the signal, then its a software mispatch. if you get no signal from the channel in reaper, try plugging jacks into i5/6 and touching/whacking the tips of the jack (static in your body will create clicks & pops). if that is doubled/echo-y then its probably a routing issue in reaper. if that all seems to work, plug jacks from o3/4 directly into i5/6. if this works fine, and you dont get any doubles/echos then its your outboard.

Thanks for the hints, but as everything I'm doing is in software, there's a bit of the cognitive disconnect in reading your response. (Wish I could pull a plug!) I'm pretty sure it's the latency being overlaid: when I render I get a clean file without the echo/chorus, plus it's the effect and not the original media item. So it seems like a monitoring issue... Thx, Charles