Routing/Bus Question

Unless you're trying to do something quite unconventional, the best, easiest and most logical way is to always go via a send.

The main problem with going via your outputs is that if you want to lower the amount of reverb via the bus fader, you're also lowering the "dry" signal at the same time, making your mix go out of balance.

Gt your m ix working in terms of levels via their own track faders, then add whatever reverb you want into a bus and set up sends from whatever tracks you think might benefit from it

Compressors/gates etc should, in normal use, be inserted into the Fx bin of the track you want to process.

The only time I route outputs of tracks to busses is for grouping purposes - i.e. I'll have a buss for drums/vocal/guitars etc, so they can be raised or lowered all together with one buss fader.

The answer to the question really depends on what you are trying to do. As a rough rule of thumb if you want the 'dry' track output use a send, if you don't use the output. That's simplified but generally true.

Also, out of curiosity (and apologies to the op for hyjacking)
 
Is there any rule for sending all instruments to one reverb buss so to give everything the same sense of space or can you use multiple reverb busses for different instruments?
 
Basically loking for tips to glue all the instruments together without the drum soundsing like it was done in a room and then the vocals in a cave. I want them to sound as a unit an not from different session, if you get what I mean?
 
Thanks
Dean

Dean,

your getting into the art, not science.   A lot of the standard methodologies come from the analog world and the fact only the largest studios had unlimited reverbs, compressors, etc.  This way of working (bus or send, fish or bait) was (and is) a good and standarized way of working.

If you need a headphone mix use a send.  That way you can vary the amount of each track sent the headphone(s).  Use a second send to set up a differerent headphone mix.  You can't really alter the amount sent to a bus w/o using a send pot.  The same goes for reverb or any other effect.  If you want a "room" reverb to emulate a band in a room use a send.  that way you can vary the amount of each track that fires the reverb.  Less on drums, less on bass.  More on vocals.  Even more on backing reverbs to make them seem farther back.

Buses are used to treat instrument groups - usually.  Guitars go to the guitar bus.  So not only are the guitars individually treated for vol, compression and eq, but also that treatment on the bus, along w/ a little reverb maybe, so they sound more alike and breath the same way w/ the bus compression.  You might want to shunt the lead guitar to the master to make it sound different.  Vocals, same.  Drums, same.

It is just easier to use different routing to accomplish certain goals.  As to your specific questions - I usually just put a drum reverb on the bus - no need for a send, unless the kick (usually) causes to much bloom in the reverb and mucks up the other sounds.  There are no rules for reverb.  a live rock n roll song or cd often calls for the same reverb blush over the entire thing.  but even here a send is useful for keeping the bloom out of bass instruments.  And the vocal w/ usually have a different reverb treatment, whether it goes to the overall 'verb or not.  So yes and no on "one space."  How you decide what sounds good is the art part - and how you get your sound.  You want the whole thing to cohere, but shaped reverbS can do that, even if you don't have a "room reverb." 

The main thing I do w/ reverbs is turn down the wet.  Most presets are set at 50/50 - I seldom go over 30% for inline work.  If you put a reverb on a send turn it to %100 wet and use the send knob to control how much signal gets wet.

@

deanx

Bristol_Jonesey


The only time I route outputs of tracks to busses is for grouping purposes - i.e. I'll have a buss for drums/vocal/guitars etc, so they can be raised or lowered all together with one buss fader.

Hi Jonesy
 
Too clarify, does that mean you output all your drums to a stereo buss then set up a send from there to a reverb buss? You don't send from every drum channel to a reverb buss?
 
Thanks
Dean (from a freezing cold Bridgwater)

No - I will insert a send from each of the drum tracks that need reverb to the reverb buss.

You can then use the send level to determine exactly how much reverb is added to the composite sound.

Using this scheme, the total dry drum volume can be raised/lowered via the drum buss fader.
The total reverb contribution can be raised/lowered with the reverb buss fader