Taking the Bus

Yes.

Use busses and effects on busses when it helps you and it makes sense for your mix.

Use track controls and effects on tracks when it is more useful than adding another bus.

best regards,
mike

As a side note, it would seem that if you are using multi-out on drum tracks, you would insert the effect at the track level, as you could then lay some reverb on the kick, some compression on the snare, and the go dry on the toms--getting your drum sound pre-master track?? as always, all input is appreciated.

 
A bus is useful for numerous reasons.

• Control level of numerous tracks as a single group (Sometimes called a Sub Group)
• Apply processing to numerous tracks as a single group (ie: Bus compressor on the entire drumkit)
• Etc

 
Generally speaking, you'd apply Send/Receive EFX via a Bus (where you're blending in some of the effect like reverb/delay/chorus/flange/etc).  The individual tracks have a send to the EFX Bus.  The EFX Bus' fader is the EFX Return control (just like using the EFX Send/Return on a hardware mixer).
 
Don't think of Bus based EFX/processing as a replacement for track based processing.
There are times where you want to apply processing to individual tracks (insert EFX - typically EQ or Dynamics processing)... and there are times where you want to appy processing to  numerous audio tracks as a singular (whole) group.
 
EFX Sends can be sent from individual tracks... or from Subs (to apply reverb/delay/chorus/flange/etc to numerous tracks as a single Group).
 
I'd typically not apply reverb/delay as a track insert... prefering to use Sends to a Reverb/Delay Bus.
That said, there are no set-in-stone rules.
Over time, you'll figure out methods that work (for you) to achieve the desired result.
I equate mixing to sculpture and problem solving.  Chip away at what you don't want... and ultimately you're left with the desired end result.  The interesting thing about aesthetics and perfection is that our ideal of what's "perfect" changes over time.
I'm not sure any mix engineer ever really "arrives" at that point of perfection...
Rather... its a never ending journey of attemps.
 

There are no rules and all of that, but there are some good bread-and-butter bussing approaches that are fairly widely applicable.

 
Absolutely...
Vocal Sub, Drum Sub, Guitar Sub, EFX Sub (to have a single level control over all EFX returns), etc
 
If you ever need to supply "Stem" mixes, you just solo each Sub and render.

    Using FX on busses is a decent analogy to hardware mixing, and still useful.  A typical studio - or more commonly live FOH - would have one of each effect - Delay, Chorus, verb etc, so would use an aux send from the channels to send to the effect which would come back on an aux.  The return would control the overall level of the effect (always 100% wet) and the sends would control the amount of effect for each channel.

     Grouping like instruments into busses, drums, guitars, vocals etc does allow quick adjustment of like instruments - the whole drum kit for example, but also allow shared dyamics processing.  Using compression on individual drums is often for shaping the the drum sound as much as it is for leveling, whereas applying compression to a drum buss tends to keep the drums overall in a fixed dynamic space - this is one reason the pro channel has two distinctly different compressors available.  In the same way the PX strip can be used to alter the character of the entire kit.



Hope this helps


Grif

Jim Roseberry

When you use a buss for FX and blend it with the original signal it adds more to the final/end result because you are in a sense, doubling.

 
If you setup a Send effect (reverb, delay, chorus, flange, etc), you generally want to set the effect to 100% wet on the Bus.
Thus, the return is 100% wet (effected).  This doesn't double or add gain to the dry signal...

You aren't following me so I need to clarify what I am saying.

Send to buss option: The track is 100% dry, insert a send to buss with reverb 100% wet. You now have a 100% Dry and 100% Wet no different than parallel (NY) compression, although nothing is left this way, usually. Even though one COULD argue they are 50-50. But they are not. There are 2 separate tracks and it adds gain (thickens) the end result found at the master. (or wherever the two signals meet up.)

On the track option: Put that same reverb on the track and when you move the "mix" knob/slider from dry to wet you are cutting and boosting, whatever to half of each, mimicking a send to buss, but you only have 50% of each signal. Thus it is the same at the track output ... one no longer has 100% dry and 100% wet. You have a true 50-50 and the amount of gain (thickening) will NOT be the same as sending to a buss.

The ONLY way this could be the same as a buss is IF the plugin has a DRY Injection option such as Perfect Space. In PS You can turn each signal up to 100%. Otherwise it is pure cut boost and is in no way shape or form the same as sending to a buss. The only way to make them the same in the send to buss option is... you cut the dry by 50% as well as the wet return. Then that will resemble a Dry to Wet "mix" knob/slider set to be equal amounts of both.

I am correct with my statement in the fact you are doubling in a sense. You are increasing gain thus a thickening effect.

There is a big audible difference in the two options. If you still don't believe me... put the Lexicon Pantheon into a track and set the "Mix" to 50%. Now put it on a buss, 100% wet of course, without changing any gain and compare the two. You will hear a difference and see one as well on the Master Meter.

Hope this clarifies what I am saying so I don't get dismissed outright and look a fool, when I Know what I am talking about.

Btw, I never said it does anything to the dry signal. Read what ya quoted from me... adds more to the final/end result...

Rob

I think you'll find that FX with a single wet/dry control have the centre position as 100%wet / 100% dry.

To take an example of a delay, where the 'wet' is a distinctly seperate sound to the 'dry' signal, anything less than 100% dry at the 50/50 point would give a reduction in level for the dry sound, and you'd hear it as quieter.   This simply is not the case.

The point of putting FX on busses (as other said above) is specificaly so that you can sum multiple tracks into a single effect and/or directly control just the WET signal.

Karyn


I think you'll find that FX with a single wet/dry control have the centre position as 100%wet / 100% dry.

To take an example of a delay, where the 'wet' is a distinctly seperate sound to the 'dry' signal, anything less than 100% dry at the 50/50 point would give a reduction in level for the dry sound, and you'd hear it as quieter.   This simply is not the case.

The point of putting FX on busses (as other said above) is specificaly so that you can sum multiple tracks into a single effect and/or directly control just the WET signal.

You think... or you know?

Not all plugins are made the same... so some may be, but most are not. Most ARE 50-50 and I don't think this, I know this.

But don't waste your precious time discussing/arguing with me about it, just load up some plugins and listen.... this way you will know which of your plugins are 50-50 and which are better and give the 100-100 you said you think they give.

I am not going to discuss this further. I hopped on the forum to decide whether or not I want to upgrade to X1 or skip this one... and found myself side tracked a bit too much. /sigh

Most important... Have fun everyone!!!

Rob

EDIT: My comment "don't waste your precious time" is NOT sarcastic but dead serious. I am 42 years old and not sure how much time I have left. So every minute is precious to me and I look at your time the same way I look at mine.

I am correct with my statement in the fact you are doubling in a sense. You are increasing gain thus a thickening effect.

 
The only difference between the two examples is gain.
Louder is typically perceived as better...
But... you're mixing in the context of the rest of the tune.
Track gain and EFX levels will be set to suit the mix.
 
You can achieve the exact same result using either a channel insert... or an EFX send.
If you're using a channel insert effect that reduces gain (a-la your 50/50 wet/dry example)... go to the track's gain control and boost 6dB.  Same end result...
Some plugins automatically reduce gain to prevent clipping when summing the wet/dry signals.
Some plugins like Pristine Space (from Voxengo) provide separate gain controls for the dry and processed signals.