when using multiple outboard processors as inserts with cubase sx3 would i have to "ping" each new (ie different) series of units for delay compensation to function properly?
pain in the ass. but isn't it really just pinging the soundcard / converters / buffers / etc.?
i mean, taking all that digital stuff out of the equation and replacing the AD/DA in and outputs with an analog desk insert point and the amount of time it takes to get through the inserted analog equipment is NOT taken into account by delay compensation. and it works. and has worked for years!
From what I understand, what we call "latency" (i.e. some kind of time delay) exists in all signal transmission regardless of converters and whatnot to some degree.
You might be able to get away with it in most analog cases but it never hurts to be careful... As an experiment see if the delay time varies from piece to piece, or as you add gear to the signal path. I've never inserted any outboard in Cubase so I'm not sure where this gets displayed, I could go RTFM but I usually act on a need-to-know basis with this kind of thing.
That's all I can say, maybe someone else can really give you the real low down...