How to Route Your Effects to an Auxiliary Buss

One very common mistake I see many novice engineers make is to insert a plug-in effect directly onto the track. When using "global" effects such as delays, reverbs and chorus, it is more effective to apply the effect to an auxiliary buss. It will minimize the CPU load on your computer and maximize the amount of effects you will be able to use in your sessions. For this example, I will be using ProTools HD to describe how this method is achieved. The methodology will be very similar among all digital audio workstations.

Things You'll Need

• Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
• Computer

Instructions

1. Lets begin with a clean slate to avoid confusion.
   
   
   
   Start by creating a new ProTools (or the like) session and name it "Aux Test." Choose the destination for the session as well as the sample rate, bit depth and file type.

2. In the mix/edit windows we can create a new track by selecting "New Track" from the File menu.
   
   
   
   Choose one stereo audio track and one stereo aux track.

3. Set the outputs of both the audio and aux track to outputs 1-2.
   
   
   
   Unless you are recording audio to the audio track, you will not need to select an input.

   On the aux track choose Buss 1-2 as the inputs.

4. Now we can choose any effect imaginable to apply to the aux track.
   
   
   
   For now, let's choose a typical reverb. ProTools comes bundled with DVerb, which is quite usable in a variety of applications.
   
   
   
   On the insert portion of the aux track select Stereo Reverb>DVerb

5. We will need to have an audio source on which we will apply this effect.
   
   
   
   If you have a stereo mp3 or other song file on your computer, import it into the session. It really doesn't matter what it is as long as we can hear the results of our work.
   
   
   
   Once the song has been imported, drag it from the Regions Bin to the stereo audio track we have created.

6. On the "Buss" section of the channel strip you will need to choose the corresponding Buss (Aux) where we will be sending the signal to trigger the effect. In this case choose Buss 1-2.

7. With the volume of the music at a safe level, slowly raise the level of the audio track.
   
   
   
   Now take the "Buss fader" on the audio track and raise it until you hear the reverb effect.
   
   
   
   You should now be able to hear this method in action. Feel free to experiment with any combination of effects.