Hello,

I am an electronic musician and I want to set up a project template for myself this way any time I want to start a new project, all my settings are there.   

I was wondering what a good bus configuration would be.  As of now, I have everything going to the Master, but i am sure this is not ideal.

I was thinking the following plan, but if someone wants to chime in to improve or fix my ideas, that would be very much appreciated!

DRUM TRACK ---> DRUM BUS (should cymbals have their own bus?)
PERCUSSION TRACK ---> PERCUSSION BUS
BASS TRACKS ---> BASS BUS (is this really needed?)
MAIN SYNTH TRACKS ---> MAIN SYNTH BUS
SUPPORT/BACKING SYNTH TRACK ---> SUPPORT BUS (is this really needed?  can all synths be put in one?)
VOCALS (lead) ---> VOCAL BUS
VOCALS (backing ---> VOCAL BUS (same as lead)

Then I  would have several Reverb and FX busses... but here is the confusion that I have.  Let's say I want 3 synth parts to have the same Reverb.... they no longer will be routed to the SYNTH BUSSES correct?   

I am kind of new to this so any help or guidance would be appreciated!  Maybe even a screen shot of your busses?
Thank you!
SineWave

" Let's say I want 3 synth parts to have the same Reverb.... they no longer will be routed to the SYNTH BUSSES correct?    "


You can set up reverb bus with the effect 100% wet. Then adjust the amount of reverb per track with the sends on each track.  The synths outputs will still go to the synth bus.

Thanks for the reply.  I have a question about that.  I understand what you are saying.  Keep the synth track's output to the synth bus, but insert a SEND to the Reverb bus as well... but when I do that, does it make the sound louder now that it is essentially coming out of 2 busses?   Do i have that right?  With the track being sent to the Synth Bus AND a send to the Reverb bus, essentially I will hear the synth part coming out of BOTH busses hence increasing the volume?

is this the proper way to handle this sort of situation?

Thank you!

Barczar


" Let's say I want 3 synth parts to have the same Reverb.... they no longer will be routed to the SYNTH BUSSES correct?    "


You can set up reverb bus with the effect 100% wet. Then adjust the amount of reverb per track with the sends on each track.  The synths outputs will still go to the synth bus.

Hey Nj brother! :)

Let me try and help you out here. Ok, here's the deal with busses...

The reason to use them is to send multiple instruments to one fader for control. Drum kits have several instruments...once you get your drum mix the way you want it, you send it to a drum bus. This way, that fader will control the entire kit.

Synths: You can send them all to a bus if you wish...there are no rules. However, I probably wouldn't want a piano sent to a synth bus. Anything that is a single instrument like bass....doesn't need a special bus in my opinion.

As for the reverb sends you mention, this is how you do it. Set up your bus, name it verb, put the verb in that you want to use, and then turn the effect on the verb to 100% wet. Take all the dry signal out. Say you use a Sonitus verb. Dry in the verb all the way out, verb setting at 0 or higher if you need it. Leave the bus fader alone for now.

Go to the tracks where you want this verb to be on, right click and insert a send and look for the "verb bus" to show up. Select it and it will be on that track. Now, when that send is created, the send level on the track will be set to 0dB. This will be way too effected. Turn it all the way down and increase to taste. Do the same thing to all your other tracks that you want this verb on. Leave the synth track outputs set for the synth bus. What we are doing with the verb is a send. Though it is a bus, it's not an instrument bus. This is an effect bus. When you send your instruments to a bus, that is an instrument bus, understand?

The differences are: An effects send is a bus you create with an effect on it. Your tracks are NOT routed to it...IT is routed to your tracks using the insert send function by right clicking on the track and selecting the bus of your choice. You then control how much effect you want to be heard using the send level control that will appear after you have inserted the send on the track.

An instrument bus has an output selected on the track that is sent to an instrument bus. Your tracks are routed to the bus, the bus is not routed to THEM. Understand now?

You should not have any level issues like you mentioned. The only time levels will come into play is if you are not using the effect in a send bus at 100% wet. Meaning, if you have dry present in the plug, when you turn up the send level on your track, you will gain volume more than you will hear effect coming through. This is why I made you turn the dry all the way off and make the wet 100% wet. This will give you effect, not a volume increase. Get it now? :) Best of luck and I hope this helps.

-Danny

Hey man!!!!   Where in Jersey you at?  I'm in Keyport right on the water!  (10 min from Jon Bon Jovi!)   

Your response was friggin perfect man!   This explains everything I ever needed to know.   I'm going to mark it as HELPFUL!   Thanks a lot for putting in the effort to help me!  MUCH APPRECIATED!


-Adam

Danny Danzi


Hey Nj brother! :)

Let me try and help you out here. Ok, here's the deal with busses...

The reason to use them is to send multiple instruments to one fader for control. Drum kits have several instruments...once you get your drum mix the way you want it, you send it to a drum bus. This way, that fader will control the entire kit.

Synths: You can send them all to a bus if you wish...there are no rules. However, I probably wouldn't want a piano sent to a synth bus. Anything that is a single instrument like bass....doesn't need a special bus in my opinion.

As for the reverb sends you mention, this is how you do it. Set up your bus, name it verb, put the verb in that you want to use, and then turn the effect on the verb to 100% wet. Take all the dry signal out. Say you use a Sonitus verb. Dry in the verb all the way out, verb setting at 0 or higher if you need it. Leave the bus fader alone for now.

Go to the tracks where you want this verb to be on, right click and insert a send and look for the "verb bus" to show up. Select it and it will be on that track. Now, when that send is created, the send level on the track will be set to 0dB. This will be way too effected. Turn it all the way down and increase to taste. Do the same thing to all your other tracks that you want this verb on. Leave the synth track outputs set for the synth bus. What we are doing with the verb is a send. Though it is a bus, it's not an instrument bus. This is an effect bus. When you send your instruments to a bus, that is an instrument bus, understand?

The differences are: An effects send is a bus you create with an effect on it. Your tracks are NOT routed to it...IT is routed to your tracks using the insert send function by right clicking on the track and selecting the bus of your choice. You then control how much effect you want to be heard using the send level control that will appear after you have inserted the send on the track.

An instrument bus has an output selected on the track that is sent to an instrument bus. Your tracks are routed to the bus, the bus is not routed to THEM. Understand now?

You should not have any level issues like you mentioned. The only time levels will come into play is if you are not using the effect in a send bus at 100% wet. Meaning, if you have dry present in the plug, when you turn up the send level on your track, you will gain volume more than you will hear effect coming through. This is why I made you turn the dry all the way off and make the wet 100% wet. This will give you effect, not a volume increase. Get it now? :) Best of luck and I hope this helps.

-Danny

Not a problem my friend. :) Ah I'm in South J...in between Philly and Atlantic City. Glad that stuff helped you out. I didn't know how much you knew or didn't know, so I probably added some stuff that you already knew. Best of luck with everything. :)

-Danny

Another way to do this is to take an existing project that you like the setup on..... and delete all the waves, and midi data. You can even leave the synths in place. 

Save it with a new name: SAVE AS >>>> NEW SONG TEMPLATE..... and waaaa laaaa, just open that project and start the new song..... First thing you do with the new project before anything else is done..... SAVE AS the new song's name so the "template project" remains a template.

Good advice Herb.

All you really need to delete are the waves, Midi data, markers, automation,

Actually, if you delete your waves then delete everything in the Event List ,you should be good to go.

Danny, your post was very informative, thanks.  One question. . . if you create an effects bus and then use sends from each track and get everything perfect, and then you adjust the levels on your instrument track. . . will it proportionally lower the send to the effects bus also?  Or will you manually need to adjust the send level?  If you have to manually adjust it then it seems like the effects busses are something you'd want to do at the very end when your levels are all good. . .

Also, if you use the above method, the only disadvantage I can think of is that wouldn't it make the overall track louder?  Figure you have -6 dB on a synth track and then you create a send to a reverb plugin.  Anything you send to that reverb plugin is going to contribute to the overall loudness of that track, right? 

I know you asked Danny but that is what the POST button is for... if you turn it on, the track fader has NO effect on the send volume to the buss... only the volume of the send will effect this volume when POST is off...

Now, if you leave post on, the volume of my track and the send will be kept somewhat in ratio by lowering or raising the track level.

I do have an issue with sending too many tracks to the same reverb effect at the same time... in low volume it is fine but if you are using reverb to create SPACE, too much create murkiness... I usually use 2 or 3 sends when I want to create space keeping the stereo field a bit more in control.

But there are some other neat things you can do with the busses.. for example, use a MONO reverb in a mono buss and have it panned hard left and do another mono reverb and pan it hard right.. perhaps send the left or the right to a pre buss where you delay it (use POST OFF) and only send the delayed signal to the MONO reverb... then you can take a track and use 2 sends... one to the left reverb and one to the right reverb and start creating some interesting sound fields.

You can use your imagination on how much mixing power busses provide.

The other use of a buss in addition to sending drum tracks to a drum buss so you can make the entire drum kit louder or softer with one fader, is to do this with other similarly grouped instruments.. I have a master DRY SYNTH buss that I use to send all of my dry synth sounds to one buss so I can control the volume of all the synths with one fader....

Etc etc etc... BUSSES are your friend.

Jim