Critique my routing approach - Aux Send to Custom Bus'ss's

hi all,
 
what a great learning experience this time around with Sonar Platinum.
it has been YEARS since i've done any serious recording. Techno advances are boggling.
 
i spent the last week setting things up for just capturing simple rhythm sections.
Drum loops with recorded bass and guitar.
 
without getting TOO deep into the plugins i've selected so far, i have found placing EQ, Compression, and Reverb as FX on separate stereo bus's'ss and using the recorded channel Aux Send gives me LOADS of flexibility.
 
i still have the "dry" track and i can mix in how much i SEND to the FX as well as the bus'ss'ss's fader level.
 
i used to do this in the olden days with analogue recording. lots of effects and aux sends. custom mixes to headphones and studio, etc...
 
so i've included a screenshot of a simple loop drum track and the routing.
any comments would be appreciated.
 
on the plugin side of things, i REALLY like the Variety of Sound line of free plugins. FerricTDS and BootEQII are pretty nice.
 
have a great weekend.

just did a search on parallel compression:
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_compression
 
pretty cool actually. i may investigate this some more.
 
a couple of excerpts:
 
Parallel compressionFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Parallel compression, also known as New York compression, is a dynamic range compression technique used in sound recording and mixing. Parallel compression, a form of upward compression, is achieved by mixing an unprocessed 'dry', or lightly compressed signal with a heavily compressed version of the same signal. Rather than bringing down the highest peaks for the purpose of dynamic range reduction, it reduces the dynamic range by bringing up the softest sounds, adding audible detail.[1] It is most often used on stereo percussion buses in recording and mixdown, on electric bass, and on vocals in recording mixes and live concert mixes.[2]
 

Use

The human ear is sensitive to loud sounds being suddenly reduced in volume, but less so to soft sounds being increased in volume—parallel compression takes advantage of this difference.[2][3] Unlike normal limiting and downward compression, fast transients in music are retained in parallel compression, preserving the "feel" and immediacy of a live performance. Because the method is less audible to the human ear, the compressor can be set aggressively, with high ratios for strong effect.[2]
 
 
i like it!!!

yes indeedy.
 
i have been spending time with various compressors.
what's so great about the latest raft of VST comps, is the graphic displays on many of them.
 
great learning tool. compression was always somewhat of a "black box" processor for me.
 
until this time around.
i started experimenting with some simple comp plugins, and whoomp... wow.
truly does make sense now.
 
i was getting in deep with the multi-band compressors for a sec, since i wasn't so keen on "straight compression". not for what i am looking for with my projects.
 
talk about something "getting away from you".
 
i know it seems "deep endy-ish" to move so quickly into parallel comp, but i really like the blend of the original material with the comp bus.
 
...
 
i'm sure this will change when i wake up tomorrow and listen to this stuff in my car!
HA!
 
 
hope you guys don't mind me sharing my "notes from the field".
 
fun stuff. and yes, it's all about the music.

after a weekend with this stuff, i am back to direct compression.
it took some digging and learning and LISTENING to truly understand the compression process.
 
feeling pretty comfy with it now.
 
thanks for the reply! hit it on the the peak!

hodshonf
looks good. yes, pricey.
 
i worked up a couple of mixes this weekend.
i've been forcing myself to start from scratch each session.
no templates.
 
makes me listen and think of solutions.
 
i was pleased with the first one. everything in its place. light compression and EQ. nice.
 
the second one, not so much. the levels were good. but it just wasn't happening.
i let it sit for a few hours and went back in.
 
i am a HUGE fan of EQ cutting rather than boosting now.
 
a simple cut of the slap bass line around 300hZ to 500hZ and the recording just POPPED!
suddenly i could hear the muted slaps and pops.
 
and the low rhythm guitar came through.
 
great fun!
 
... i called the first tune "Nyquist Blues".
 

Haha.  Cool -  after the engineer and not the horse I hope:)  I often find walking away from a mix for a while is the answer.

Sanderxpander
Any reason your bass recordings are stereo tracks? Are they from softsynths? 

 
i play bass and guitar with live recorded drum loops.
 
no synths.
 
bass should be mono up the center.
it is mono, direct into my Scarlett 18i8 mic pre.
 
from the knowledge bass (!)...
 

 
Track 4 is an example of a correct mono audio file recording. The input of the track in this case is assigned to "Left VS-100 IN 5-6". When tracking this audio file, we had signal only coming in over Input 5 of our VS-100.

Important to note is that the playback meter shows activity in both the left and right channels. Once again, don't forget that a mono audio file can still be mixed in a stereo field as long as the track is assigned to a stereo output.

The input source of this track is assigned to a mono input, but the output assignment of this track is assigned to " Stereo VS-100 OUT 1-2". Since the track is panned directly in the center, it is coming out both the left and right channel equally. As a result, we can hear it out of both of our speakers.

It is important to note that recording a mono audio file does not mean it only sends out to a mono output, though you can specify this intentionally if it is your desire to do so.
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Sanderxpander
Yeah just because in your picture with the console a few posts earlier it is a stereo track, or at least the track interleave button is set to stereo. Doesn't really matter that much but if you've been recording stereo files that's kind of a waste of disk space and processing power. And some plugins might behave in an unexpected manner.

you said track interleave button.
yummy.
 
SEE!? 
 
this is EXACTLY why i love these forums and post my boneheaded stuff. 
 
i was wondering where that was and what it was called!
 
sure, it's all in the ears. and that's the bottom line.
but it helps to have some rudimentary techni-know-how too.
 
great post!!!
 
thanks!

reviewing the specs.
 
i kinda like the new pricing scheme.
 
flexible.