Buses etc.

I group everything into buses:  vocals to a vocal bus, guitars to a guitar bus, bass to a bass bus (even if there is only one bass track), drums to drum track, etc.
 
The reason:  I automate the volume on the individual tracks.  Then if I decdie, for example, that I need more or less strings, or need the string section to fade out, I can do that with the bus instead of messing up all the volume automation on all the individual string tracks. I may have the mix finished, but decided I need more drums, or less drums.
 
Another use: when a singer is recording, I can pull the instrument buses down so she can hear herslef without messing up my mix. That's one reason the bass has a bus even if it's just one track and doesn't have a lot of automation.

Hi. I do the same as Konrad (for the same reasons).
Each instrument type and vocals (even background vocals) goes to their own bus.
Buses are routed to Master, which is routed to my Audio Interface Main Outs.
All the best.

I also use sends for a parallel compression bus.
Then I blend them to taste.
In other words, create a send on every drum track you want parallel compression.
Then send that to new Parallel Compression drum bus. Then route the outputs of your drums to a bus called Drum bus.
Now you have two buses. 1= drums output / 2- drum sends. Put compression on the sends track and use the bus fader and sends to achieve desired effect.

Here's a short blog explaining Chuck Approach (I think) http://mix-engineer.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-york-parallel-compression-technique.html
 
I think it depends of how many buses you are using, and how much parallel compression you do. If you have a lot going on, sending both the drum buss and the paralell drum buss to to a further buss makes sense. But if it's not so busy, adding that extra buss is just causing clutter, and not helping it. 
 
Since many compressors have a mix knob now, then most parallel compression happens in the track for me, so it's mainly just the drums that get a separate parallel bus, and then if I don't want one half to be completely clean (light compression) and the other heavy compression, or I want further processing on the parallel bus (say distortion and EQ).
 
 

bokchoyboy
 
Edit:   Just read slugbaby's post again and it answered the question, but does the Compressor bus also go to the master in addition to being sent to the Vocal bus??

The Compressor Buss would go to the Vocal Buss, along with the Vocal Audio Track.  The Vocal Buss would output to the Master, so everything that goes into that buss ends up at the Master.
 
To clarify the Sending vs Output verbage:
 
Vocal Audio Track:  Output to Vocal Buss, Send to Compressor Buss.
Compressor Buss:  Output to Vocal Buss, no Sends
Vocal Buss:  Output to Master Buss, no Sends.
 
 That's just an example of a singer and parallel compression.  

Thanks  all  for your time, expertise, and clarification... so many different options I hadn't considered. 
 

konradh
James (bokchoyboy), Not ignoring your question about console view: I just don't use it so I'm leaving that one for the guys who know. I mis in track view.
 
I use a hardware console that can be flipped from track to bus view.  Also, I collapse folders if I don't want to see all the tracks.  I especially don't want to see MIDI tracks when mixing.
 
Best of luck with your projects.

Sure would like to see Console view folders!!!  Maybe in a future update (though there have been more than a few requests in other threads, so the Bakers surely have more pressing priorities)...
 
Thanks again!