There’s a place I work at sometimes that uses Waves for all their FX, and they do it on Aux busses instead of FX busses because there’s no way to route FX busses in & out of the console. This means they can’t do “FX on sends” without burning up input channels for the FX returns, which seems a waste since they don’t need any processing, just a fader for the return volume and a way to route it to the mains — in short, an FX return.
Agree. Made a related request here: Repurpose FX Returns
Different take on a similar problem.
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You can use a regular Aux buss in lue of a FX buss. The Aux busses obviously have an insert point that the regular FX busses do not. Audio comes into the buss and gets routed to the Waves system and then returned back to the buss using the insert point. I assume this is how you currently have things set up given your description.
However, you can still route that Aux buss to a FX rack. In other words, the system does not require that you use FX Busses to send audio to an FX Rack - you can use an Aux buss instead. All you have to do is insert an FX in the rack and not enable it - meaning the FX Rack won’t actually modify the sound at all - leaving the “Waves adjusted” audio intact. (I’d probably Desser with the reduction turned all the way down or a Dyn EQ with the thresholds turned all the way up to ensure the FX won’t trigger even if the rack gets enabled somehow). However by doing this, you will get the FX returns the same as if you were using the regular FX busses and internal FX Racks. This will allow you to have a normal FX Return fader without “burning up inputs” to achieve it.
PS - I never assign any FX busses when setting up the system - I always use regular Aux busses for any needed FX busses. FX busses are simply neutered regular busses. They have less functionality and more restrictions than a regular Aux buss. Using a regular Aux buss to send audio to your FX racks removes all these limitations and restrictions and there is no reason to use regular FX busses IMHO. The FX Returns are the same regardless of what type of buss you used to get audio into the FX Rack.
Sure, but unless I’m missing something you lose the ability to use the sends for your FX volume.
Edit: Oohhhhh… I see what you’re saying… I don’t know if they have enough free busses to double up on allocations like that, but I’ll check next time I’m there. Thanks!
Just to be clear, you don’t need to “double up” allocations when it comes to busses. You will want to remove all “FX Busses” in your Mixrack setup and replace them with “Aux Busses” instead. When you do this your total buss allocation should remain the same. You can route regular Aux Busses into the FX Racks which will allow you to return them via the FX Return Busses (which don’t use any of the 64 user defined busses).
Before the UFX cards (but still on the normal FX) we always use normal auxes for the internal FX. Many of my colleagues like to process the sends rather than the returns. As long as you are using the internal FX, the only downside is that when you press select on a bus, it doesn’t immediately go to the effect in the rack. That only happens if you select the return. The bus count is of course the same.
Another advantage is that if you are using a regular aux you can send it to both the internal FX and to Waves (etc) from that samw bus. That way you can have a backup for you Waves fx without burning a bus.
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