Send Basics
Using send effects is far more flexible and so it’s worth mastering as fully as possible
Where you place an effects processor has a huge bearing on the sound you get and, with that in mind, there are two main categories of effects placement: insert and send. Insert effects are the ‘standard-formula’ way to process a channel’s audio, and are placed near the very start of a channel’s flow through the mixer, altering the signal fully. Send effects are different: by ‘tapping off’ some of a channel’s signal, and sending that to its own channel in the mixing desk, you get an entire channel to sculpt your effect – level it, pan it, add an extended chain of processors, and get other mix channels in on the same action. It’s a far more flexible way to handle effects, and so it’s worth mastering as fully as possible.
The most commonly used example is reverb: using a reverb as an insert effect will sound great, sure, but it’ll only sound great on one part. By giving the reverb its dedicated channel in the mixer, we can send several tracks to it by varying amounts, putting them all in the same space. To go beyond the obvious, you could achieve a different way of blending several channels at a buss using a modulation plug-in such as a phaser or chorus effect. Because it will take its roots in several channels, this single effect will still add the same sound to all, helping them to gel together as one. Parallel processing is another technique achieved using sends and returns, with parallel compression being a prime example. We’ll leave that to another Producer’s Guide, though, as we’re all about creative processing ideas here.
When you’re setting a processor up on a return channel, that Dry/Wet Mix control has a specific setting – it’s there as a remnant of the choice to use the processor as an insert effect. When you load something onto a return track, it should be set to 100% wet (ie, the full effect signal and none of the dry signal), as the blend between the return and the original is now determined by the two channels’ faders. Those faders themselves even have different settings when send effects are involved, with pre- and post-fade options to help you customise how the mixer is used.
If you’re not as familiar with the basics of send effects, check out the walkthrough below. Afterwards, we’ll go beyond and start looking at some ways to take creative command of your effects chains that you might never have thought about, and, in addition, there are video versions of our two big tutorials so you can see and hear it all in action.