Quick Question on Using a Send Bus Correctly

JC Biffro

JC Biffro

New member
Hi guys,

I know what the purpose of a send track is, and roughly how to use it but I'm having problems with the volume relationship between the fader on the send bus, and then the rest of the track.

So, hypothetical example: I have 12 tracks, all mixed at a DB level varying between -10db to -30db. If I want an equal amount of reverb/delay/eq applied to each track, at what level should the volume fader be at on the send bus? This is where I'm having problems because If I set it to say -10DB, I can't hear the effect. If I reset the fader to 0DB, I can hear the FX but it also turns the volume of each track back up.

Would appreciate some help on this guys, I'm sure there's a very reasonable explanation that I'm missing! Oh and I'm using FL Studio.

Cheers.
 
Not an FL user (I have it but don't use it much at all)

However, a Send bus is a mix of everything, so you need to set up a mix going on to the bus. This means that you need to spend time getting it right, rather than just sending everything at the same level and hoping, i.e. you need to set up the send levels so that you get the desired signal level from each channel; you are in effect (every possible pun intended) setting up a sub-mix for the effect device connected to the send channel.

The only alternative is to have a separate send bus for each channel (which may not be possible in FL; I can do that in Cubase, but I wouldn't want to and I can rig it so that I can do it in Reasons 6/6.5, but again I wouldn't want to), which kind of defeats the purpose, as we would in effect be setting up a parallel mix simply for each effect......
 
bandcoach said:
Not an FL user (I have it but don't use it much at all)

However, a Send bus is a mix of everything, so you need to set up a mix going on to the bus. This means that you need to spend time getting it right, rather than just sending everything at the same level and hoping, i.e. you need to set up the send levels so that you get the desired signal level from each channel; you are in effect (every possible pun intended) setting up a sub-mix for the effect device connected to the send channel.

The only alternative is to have a separate send bus for each channel (which may not be possible in FL; I can do that in Cubase, but I wouldn't want to and I can rig it so that I can do it in Reasons 6/6.5, but again I wouldn't want to), which kind of defeats the purpose, as we would in effect be setting up a parallel mix simply for each effect......
Click to expand...

Appreciate the reply BC. I have one further question to counter this. When an engineer says that it may be good to use, say, <30ms of Delay on the track to help 'glue' it together, I now presume they are then referring to the master bus, rather than sending each individual track to a send bus?
 
maybe a master bus send effect.... sounds like the right way to do it, although why you do that outside of doing some M/S processing to widen the stereo image is beyond me.......
 
A 30 ms delay is reverb-like. I would'nt put that on a master bus. Which engineer did you hear talking about that?
best get that space right by mixing individual channels. Time based effects can destroy a track if you use it on the master channel (phase issues).
 
krushing said:
Also, a basic but important thing: make sure all your send fx are 100% wet.
Click to expand...

this is important

and also, imo there is no set db value you need to go by ear and think about what else is getting sent to the bus, because that will be different for any track
 
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