Pro Tools Tips & Tutorials: Busses and Aux Sends

[MistyGatzMusic]

sorry but you are totally wrong! the AUX will MESS UP the sends!!! because when you mute the aux track the sends are still active.

better use a VCA fader! because it controls the actual LEVEL of each track!

[owens311]

@MistyGatzMusic if the Aux track is muted then the it does not matter is the sends are still active because the track they are being sent to is muted so there is no signal coming through. And not everyone has Pro Tools HD with the VCA faders so this video is just a basic understanding of Aux sends and busses. obviously there is more to know about them but I didn't want to get too in depth in an intro video. and VCA faders control the 'level' by adding voltage to the signal.

[MistyGatzMusic]

@owens311 you are right, when any levels is send to an aux channel via sends in the aux (bus) ITSELF then of course there is no signal sent (when they are post fader). BUT when you send to aux channels, lets say only the snare of a whole drum kit. then you will always hear the wet signal on the aux CHANNEL that the SINGLE channel (snare) has sent levels to. didnt know that vca faders are only in HD. good for me though. but they do not really put voltage to channels inside PT !

[owens311]

@MistyGatzMusic CONTINUED: the audio is never actually 'sent' to the VCA fader, just controlled by it. I was using Aux sends in post fader so anything done to the main track fader simultaneously adjusts what is being fed into the aux send. So by using it post fader they are connected. the audio is actually being sent to the Aux track and being summed, digitally. So if someone does not have VCA faders then this is the way they will most likely have to go about it.

[MistyGatzMusic]

@owens311 if you have no vca faders yes. i did not know that with hd.

[owens311]

@MistyGatzMusic Continued: create an aux track, put a reverb on it, then send a track to it using a Send. Then mute the aux track without bypassing the send. You will notice that the only signal you hear is that of the original track. You do not hear any of the signal being sent through the Send. Its basic signal flow. The track is being split and part is being sent to the aux track which is then being sent to the the main outputs.

[MistyGatzMusic]

@owens311 we are obviously not talking about the same thing :) you are right of course. i was talking about that:

create some audio tracks and 2 aux inputs.

1 aux is for summing / grouping.

1 aux track is for lets say a reverb fx channel.

now: send some signal from one of the AUDIO tracks directly to the fx channel.

route the audio channels to the other aux channel.

ok. now you can mute all audio tracks by muting that aux BUT you will still hear the sends fromthe audio channels to the fx channe

[owens311]

@MistyGatzMusic correct. this is an issue that can come up. an easy way to fix that is to create a mute group with the Aux Bus and the FX channel so when one is muted, the other gets muted as well. There are other work arounds using more complex ways of routing the sends and effects but I did not want to go into that in an intro video. A good understanding of signal flow will allow someone to figure out their own way to make it work for them. This is just a basic intro to the concept.

[owens311]

@owens311 again, those without HD just have to find work arounds for issues like that. they have to just keep in mind that when the Bus is muted, the wet signal is still heard. as long as they remember that and remember that if they want to mute the signal completely they have to mute both, then they will be fine.

[LouDiezel]

appreciate this video....answered alot of my questions..

[djbslowmoney]

this is such an easy video thx for doing this video...........

[swoosh9410]

Thanks so much!!! Best videos on youtube!

[drs2q]

thanks a bunch...i had my out set to stereo output 1-2 instead of the bus...thanks again

[myjazzvibes]

thank you so much! 

[MrWestws]

thank you ;)