Where do you put effects?

[pennylink]

First of all, let me state that I'm new to recording (and Sonar), so bear with me...

What's the difference and advantage/disadvantage in using effects in the track or main buss as opposed to in an auxilary buss?

I notice that the Aux has Send and Return. How and why do you use these?

Thanks in advance for helping me make sense of this!

[dachay2tnr]

If you have multiple tracks that you plan to use the exact same effect on, it is more economical (i.e., less overhead) to put the effect on an Aux Bus and route the tracks to the Bus, rather than running multiple instances of the same effect.

For ex., background vocals. If you have 3 singers in the background that you want to add reverb, put a reverb plugin on the Aux Bus and assign the 3 vocal tracks to the Bus.

The send and return faders essentially control the wetness of the mix by controlling how much of the effected signal gets mixed in with the main signal. Use the send controls on the individual tracks if you want to vary the levels used among the tracks (i.e., more reverb on one singer versus the other) and use the controls on the Bus if you want to vary the entire mix (i.e., all singers with more reverb).

[AlChuck]

Using effects across an Aux bus allows you to group several tracks and apply the same effect to them all. Effects like reverb are ofen used this way to make the separate parts all sound like they are in the same space.

One advantage is that you can minimize system resources usage by running one instance of your reverb on several tracks as opposed to a separate instance on each track.

The Aux Send and Return are just what they sound like -- the Send sends the signal out to an aux bus and the return brings it back. They have levels so that you can adjust how much of the signal gets directed through the aux bus and how much of the aux bus gets routed back into the main bus.

Ah, shit, dachay beat me to the punch...

[dachay2tnr]

Originally posted by AlChuck
Ah, shit, dachay beat me to the punch...

Yes. But it's still reassuring when you agree with my conclusions and don't tell me I have my head up my a$$.

So let's see. . .

scorecard:
moskus - 2,998,008,976,443
dachay - 2
AlChuck - 0

[AlChuck]

I could never be so mean-spirited as that, dachay...

-- the big zero

[dachay2tnr]

Originally posted by AlChuck
I could never be so mean-spirited as that, dachay...

-- the big zero

That's just the scorecard for replying simultaneously to the same thread with the same information. Moskus and I manage to do that quite frequently - and once my post was actually ahead of his. You can see from his score how many times he was ahead of me.

BTW, I didn't at all mean to imply that you were, or would have been mean-spirited. I was just being self-deprecating. Sorry if it didn't come across that way.

[pennylink]

I can't believe this forum, you guys actually fight over who can help first. I LOVE YOU!

OK, so since you can control the amount of dry/wet via the Aux bus, would you say that this also gives you better control over the effect, as opposed to using it in the main bus.

Let's use the reverb example, would controlling the plugin effect via the Aux bus give you the ability to dial in a more realistic or less digital sounding reverb sound, since you can mix in some of the original dry signal?

Thanks again!

[dachay2tnr]

Originally posted by pennylink
I can't believe this forum, you guys actually fight over who can help first. I LOVE YOU!

OK, so since you can control the amount of dry/wet via the Aux bus, would you say that this also gives you better control over the effect, as opposed to using it in the main bus.

Let's use the reverb example, would controlling the plugin effect via the Aux bus give you the ability to dial in a more realistic or less digital sounding reverb sound, since you can mix in some of the original dry signal?

Thanks again!

Did you really mean on the Main Bus (VMain)? If you put an effect there it will operate on the entire mix. I assume you meant on an indivudal Track, rather than on a VMain - but in either case the answer is "not necessarily."

Most plugins have an internal wet/dry control on them anyway. However, when using an effect on an Aux Bux, the internal wet-dry control would affect all the tracks equally, whereas the Track send faders allow each track to be adjusted individually.

The practice that I seen suggested when using an effect on an Aux Bus is to set the effect to 100% wet, and then blend with the original signal to taste (using the send/return controls). Obviously, you can't do that when using it directly on Track - and in that case you would use the wet-dry controller on the effect.

[AlChuck]

BTW, I didn't at all mean to imply that you were, or would have been mean-spirited. I was just being self-deprecating. Sorry if it didn't come across that way.

Oh no, I was also just being self-deprecating... (though I do have a bit of a mean streak)...

[moskus]

Originally posted by dachay2tnr
scorecard:
moskus - 2,998,008,976,443
dachay - 2
AlChuck - 0

Spot on!

[gascap]

OK..this is basic, but I'll ask anyway:

Do you all use FX pre or post fader?

Thanks.

[mixsit]

Most often post. But what I'm finding fairly cool is the happy accidents you get when you print the effects as tracks, then continue to tweak the mix, volume changes then become as 'post' fader. Sometimes this does things to the wet/dry mix I would'nt have tried otherwise.

Wayne

[moskus]

Originally posted by gascap
Do you all use FX pre or post fader?

I mostly use post, but it depends on what I wanna do.

Say that I want the vocals to "fade" into the reverbration, then I would have to use post. I would made faders for "Aux 1 Send Level" and "Volume", turn the Volume down and the Send Level up.

[mixsit]

Originally posted by mixsit
... then continue to tweak the mix, volume changes then become as 'post' fader...

Oops.
That sould have been 'become like 'Pre fader'.

Wayne