- Auxilliary sends are processors in a bus or + Auxiliary sends are simple processors in a bus or track channel strip. They tap the signal at a specific point in the signal flow (pre-fader, post-fader, before or after EQs and other plugins, etc.) - and send a copy of that signal somewhere else, without affecting the + and send a copy of that signal to a bus, without affecting the normal signal flow downwards to the channel fader.
- Usually, aux sends from several tracks are collectively sent to a
- dedicated Aux bus in Ardour, to create a monitor mix for a
- musician, or to feed an effect unit. The output of such a bus might
- be routed to separate hardware outputs (in the case of headphone or monitor
- wedge mixes), or returned to the main mix (in the case of an effect).
- Aux sends are not JACK ports, with
- External Sends Jack ports are created so it is also possible to
+ Aux sends from several tracks are collectively sent to a
+ bus in Ardour, to create a monitor mix for a
+ musician, or to feed an effect unit. A bus used in this way is considered
+ an auxiliary bus or Aux bus even though it is the same as
+ any other bus. The output of such a bus might
+ be routed to separate hardware outputs (in the case of headphone or monitor
+ wedge mixes), or returned to the main mix (in the case of an effect).
+
+ Aux sends do not show up outside of Ardour either on the audio device + or as JACK ports, External Sends should + be used to send audio to the audio device or Jack ports. External Sends can send the tapped signal somewhere else directly, which is not usually possible on hardware mixers.
- +- It may be useful to - compare and contrast + It may be useful to + compare and contrast the use of aux sends with subgrouping.
- Choose Session > Add New Track or Bus. In the - New Track & Bus dialog, select "Busses" in the Track/Bus - selector at the upper right. + New busses can be created using the Session > Add Track, Bus or VCA… + menu, and selecting Audio Busses in the Template/Type + selector on the left of the Add Track/Bus/VCA dialog.
- Context-click on the processor box for the track you want to send to the bus, and - choose New Aux Send. From the submenu, choose the bus you - want to send to. A send will be added (and will be visible in the processor box). - Note that the submenu may be empty if you have not created a bus yet. + Context-clicking on the processor box for the track to send to the bus, and + choosing New Aux Send … shows a submenu, listing the busses. + Choosing one bus will add a send (which will be visible in the processor box). + Note that if the only existing bus is the Master Bus, the menu will be grayed out.
- Depending on whether you context-click above or below the fader in the processor box, - the new aux send can be placed before or after the fader in the channel strip. - Post-fader aux sends are typically used when using an aux for shared signal - processing (FX), so that the amount of effect is always proportional to - the main mix fader. Pre-fader sends ensure that the level sent to the bus - is controlled only by the send, not the main fader—this is typical - when constructing headphone and monitor wedge mixes. + Depending on whether the context-click happened above or below the fader in the +processor box, the new aux send can be placed before or after the fader in the +channel strip. +
++ The color of the processor will reflect this pre/post position (red for + Pre, green for Post). Dragging and dropping the send inside + the processor box before or after the Fader processor changes the type of + fader accordingly.
+- You can add aux sends to all members of a group and connect them to a new aux bus - with a single click. After creating the track group (and adding tracks to it), - context-click on the group tab and choose either - Add New Aux Bus (pre-fader) or - Add New Aux Bus (post-fader). A new aux bus will be created, + All members of a group can be sent to a new aux bus at once with a single click. + After creating the track group + (and adding tracks to it), context-clicking on the group tab allows to choose either + Add New Aux Bus (pre-fader) or + Add New Aux Bus (post-fader). A new aux bus will be created, and a new aux send added to every member of the track group that connects to - this aux bus. + this aux bus.
- You can alter the amount of the signal received by a send that it delivers to the bus - it connects to. There are three approaches to this: -
-- Every send processor has a small horizontal fader that can be adjusted in the usual way. It is - not very big and so this can be a little unsatisfactory if you want very fine control - over the send level. + The amount of the signal received by a send that it delivers to the bus it connects to + can be altered in two ways:
-- Double-clicking on the send in the processor box will allow you to use the - big fader of the mixer strip to control the send. The visual appearance of - the mixer strip will change to reflect this. Double-click the send again to - revert back to normal function for the strip. + Every send processor has a small horizontal fader that can be adjusted in the +usual way. It is not very big and so this can be a little unsatisfactory if +a very fine control over the send level is required.
- Pressing the button marked Aux Sends on a aux bus will - alter the channel strip for every track or bus that feeds the aux bus. Many - aspects of the strip will become insensitive and/or change their visual - appearance. More importantly, the main fader of the affected channel strips - will now control the send level and not the track gain. - This gives a larger, more configurable control to alter the level. Click the - Aux Sends button of the aux bus again to revert the + In Mixer mode, pressing the button marked Show Sends on a aux bus will + alter the channel strip for every track or bus that feeds the aux bus. Many + aspects of the strip will become insensitive and/or change their visual + appearance. More importantly, the main fader of the affected channel strips + will now control the send level and not the track gain. + This gives a larger, more configurable control to alter the level. Clicking the + Show Sends button of the aux bus again reverts the channel strips to their normal use.
+- Clicking on the small "LED" in the send display in the processor box of the - channel strip will enable/disable the send. When disabled, only silence will - be delivered to the aux bus by this track. When enabled, the signal arriving + Clicking on the small LED in the send display in the processor box of the + channel strip will enable/disable the send. When disabled, only silence will + be delivered to the aux bus by this track. When enabled, the signal arriving at the send will be delivered to the aux bus.
+Send panners can be configured to either be independent of the main panner, or to follow it. The latter could be useful for Reverb effects, or for in-ear monitor mixes delivered in stereo.
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