Hi All
 
I watched a great Groove3 video about mixing urban pop
 
The guy was using ProTools but what I noticed was that in his project template he had set up lots of different reverb sends (which I have started doing) but also lots of different DELAY sends with different lengths and pan positions - ie he had a 1/4 note delay panned left, a 1/4 note delay panned right, a 1/16 note delay panned left, a 1/16 note delay panned right etc. etc.
 
Not only were these all set up but he also had some sends then "bleeding" in to other sends (eg the delay bleeding into a reverb etc.)
 
When mixing he would pan something hard left and then send a small amount to one of the right delays etc. etc.
 
I would usually insert a delay on to the individual track and then pan the delay accordingly
 
However, once set-up I can see the advantages of all of these sends (reduced CPU, consistent effects etc.)
 
So.... is it normal / good practice to have lots of FX on sends?

So.... is it normal / good practice to have lots of FX on sends?

Yes and no. Its only normal if that is the way you like to do it and if you get the results you like.
 
I use sends for delays, reverbs, chorus, flangers and parallel compression and i do not use sends for compression, EQ and limiters. This is normal for me, but this may not be normal for you or that guy standing over there.
 
Cj

I have several different sends set up in my main template, mainly delays, reverbs and chorus but I also have several other buss templates that are inserted as required.
 
It's really just about what works for you.

Great question.

I am in the process of building my own "New Song" template. And as I was doing this I was thinking would it be going overboard for me to set up FX busses now or wait till the need arises. Looks like I'll do it now.

@CJ and FBB: I see both of you use a chorus buss. Do ya'll have a certain chorus vst you use? Or is it just a certain delay vst?

When I have a project that's set up the way I like for a specific song or configuration I simply save it as a template.
When I used to mix orchestral inside Sonar everything including the vi's were saved in the template.
Mucho busses, delays & verbs.

Make yourself a template with all those delay-bus/reverb bus sends and see if you actually end up using it. It might become your default template, or you might end up renaming it  "what-was-I-thinking.cwp".
 
The whole idea of a project template is to save you from having to perform repetitive tasks every time you start a new project. Put things in the template that you expect to have there most of the time. But trying to anticipate every send, instrument, track, bus and effect ahead of the need may defeat the purpose because you'll find yourself frequently having to get rid of extraneous stuff.
 
The best approach, IMO, is to create multiple templates, keeping each one as simple as possible. I have one for orchestral music, another for rock instrumentals, another for rock with vocals, a blank one for my mad-scientist experiments, a minimal MIDI-only template for composing/doodling. 
 
The only thing common to all of them: SPAN on the master bus.

Yah, let your own process be your guide. If you find yourself using the same same verb and delay busses then whip up that template! In my own experience I've found I almost always use two verbs (long and short) and two delays (1/8 note and another which is determined by the material) which also have their own unique EQ settings (hi-pass). 
 
Then there's a laundry list of other busses I use for efx sends: distortion, parallel compression, etc. The rest of the busses act more like subs: Bass, Drums, Gtr, Vox, etc. They feed into a Submaster bus where the special sauce goes on (console emulation, tape emulation, limiter, etc.). That feeds into a Master bus which, like Bit does, only has SPAN on it.

I prefer to start with a nearly-blank project add each bus, track, send, effect, softsynth as I need it.  Each project develops differently.  But the one thing that I like to have set up at the start, and common to all my projects, is my Screensets.
 

Thanks guys, it is really useful hearing how others work
 
Just a specific follow up question...
 
For those using sends for DELAY effects - do you set up a DELAY LEFT send and a separate DELAY RIGHT send for each of your different DELAY times so that you can control where in the stereo field your send will appear - eg sending a shaker track that is panned left to the DELAY RIGHT send to give a bit of delay to the other side
 
This seems like a lot of sends (ie a left & right for each Delay effect) but once set up I can see the value in having it all there at your figure tips
 
I know it is all "horses for courses" but I would love to hear more about how people are using their sends as I am about to review and update my "go to" template (including screensets!)

@CJ and FBB: I see both of you use a chorus buss. Do ya'll have a certain chorus vst you use? Or is it just a certain delay vst?

I use the chorus on a bus, only when needed. A delay is not a chorus so i do not use a chorus or a delay. There are different effects and they are used in different scenarios.  I do not use templates with buses set up. I do not believe in itm, since each song needs different things done to it.
 
The chorus i use depends on what i think that specific track needs in that specific song. The type of chorus and how its set is different for every instrument.  Same goers for the delays. it depends on the tempo of the song and how you want it to sound. What i use for one song will not work for the other song.
 
CJ