FX Return on Separate Mixes sending artifacts from another input

SQ SQ General Discussions
1

I apologize if this question has been asked, I spent a bit of time searching for what I’m seeing and couldn’t quite find an answer that matched my experience.

I am trying to create separate monitor mixes for two separate singers in the band, so lead vox and background vox.
I have set up FX1 to be a vanilla plate reverb, and I’m sending both input channels for both vocals to FX1.
I am returning the FX1 to LR, Aux 1, Aux 2 and everything sounds fine in all 3 mixes.

Lead vox wants no background vox in their monitor. Input for background vox is completely off in lead vox mix, BUT you can still hear artifacts from background vocals, which I believe are coming from the FX Returns which both vocal inputs are sent to. Am I using the FX banks correctly, or should I not be sending two separate vocal mics through the same effects if they don’t want each other in the monitor mixes? Could I have some something accidentally turned on in the pre/post fader settings that I overlooked?

2

FX sends are essentially a mix bus, so in your case, the FX1 reverb processes a mix of the two vocals, and the FX Return channel will have the stereo reverb output so routing this to Aux monitors will lead to the result you’re describing. Typically for monitor applications where artists want ‘their own reverb’, separate FX slots are used. If running out of FX sends, SQ allows you to patch a channel Direct Out to an FX so it is used ‘exclusively’ for that channel only.

So for example, use FX 1-4 as system FX fed by the default FX send buses (where you can mix channels for drums, guitars, BVs…) but use FX 5-8 fed by Direct Outs for any FX you want exclusively for a single channel.

3

Thanks for the prompt reply. What you describe makes sense, just wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing something stupid.