PreSonus AudioBox 44VSL - Manual (Page 71)

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Tutorials 5
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Aux Bus Mixing 5.4
5.4 Aux Bus Mixing
The Aux bus provides outputs to create auxiliary mixes that are separate
from the main mixes. VSL for AudioBox 44VSL is equipped with 2 aux
buses to create a separate mix for Outputs 3 and 4, as well as two more
buses for internal effects buses FX A and B. Aux buses can be used for
many applications, the two most common of which are creating monitor
mixes and inserting external effects processors into the mix.
5.4.1 Monitor Mixing
Creating custom monitor mixes for your musicians is critical. If musicians
can’t hear themselves or their bandmates, their performance will suffer. A
monitor mix can be mono or stereo. Most often, an individual live monitor
mix is mono and is sent to a floor-wedge or sidefill monitor. (The obvious
exception is in-ear monitor systems.) A studio monitor mix is usually stereo
and is sent to a headphone amplifier, so it requires both a left- and a right-
channel input. In both cases, the function of the aux bus is the same.
As an example, let’s create a mono monitor mix on Aux 1. To begin, click on the
Overview tab in VSL. Below the Fat Channel Microviews, you will see the send
level for this aux bus from each of the 16 channels. Keep in mind that the aux
mix is completely independent of the Main output. The sliders on each channel
control the channel send level to Aux 1. Use these sliders the same way that you
use the faders to set the output level to your main mix. Ask your musicians what
they would like in their monitor mix and use their requests as a starting point.
5.4.2 Effects Processing
VSL features two internal effects buses. These are used much in the same way the
aux buses are used to create monitor mixes, as described in the previous section.
There are several advantages to using an aux bus for an effects processor. By
using an aux bus to create an effects mix, several channels can be sent to a
single processor. This allows you to use exactly the same reverb on every drum
in a kit or for the entire band. A reverb is designed to emulate the psycho-
acoustic properties of a space, and by using the same reverb for a band, you are
putting the band “in the same room.” This makes for a more cohesive sound.
In addition, by using an aux mix, you can vary the level sent from each channel to
the processor, allowing you to create an effects mix. Let’s say that you are using a
reverb to liven up a relatively dead room. You might send a little bit of each input
to the reverb, but you probably will not want much of the drums and bass to be
processed, as too much reverb could reduce their impact and leave your mix without
a sturdy foundation. So rather than turning the aux-send level for the kick drum
channel all the way up, turn it so that the meter reads between 20-30% saturation.
This way only a small portion of the kick drum input will be affected by the reverb.
The faders for FXA and FXB control the level of the aux
mix relative to the level of your main mix.