Hi Guys , can someone explain the Logic behind the Aux Buss system in Logic. i understand u can group several tracks together but then u have no master volume control of the group unless u create an aux and route all the channels in the group to that aux.i have used many programs, mixers etc and i was always taught that an aux channel is usually used to send signals through and a bus is used for groups i.e send several tracks to a buss to control volume etc. i need some more clarification please.

Hi mtec, Busses have mainly been kept in Logic 8 for compatibility purposes with Logic 7 projects... In Logic 8 a Bus is like a virtual cable that takes an amount of a signal "sent" from a channel to an Auxiliary track. If you send say 0db from a channel via Bus 1. Then Logic creates an Aux track. That Aux track will have the Input "Bus 1". An Aux, can then have many purposes. Say you have 10 tracks for your drums in the Mixer/Arrange. Sometime after you've mixed them relative to each other you may want to 1. change the level of all of the parts and 2. add an effect to all 10 drum parts. Well, for 1. yes you can group or send them to an Aux to do this. But for 2. adding say a reverb plug-in to all 10 channels will be very cpu-heavy. Better to send an amount of all 10 channels to an Aux channel and place one reverb unit on this Aux! Another benefit of sending an amount of the signal from a track(s) to an Aux for reverb or any other effect, is you can easily change the wet/dry amount. If you create an mix your tracks in stems (drums mixed and bounced together, strings mixed and bounced together, etc.) then using Aux's as mini-master level channels is a really convenient way to organize and ultimately control, automate, mix relative to each other and bounce... I'm sure there are other uses too that I haven't covered. Does this help? Rounik

thanks for the speedy reply. i do know about sending channels to aux for submixing (i am a music tech tutor) the main reason i asked the question was my musical partner was a Logic 7 user and he keeps saying that i need to use a buss for effects.and not an aux, i have told him that this is not the case in LP8 and can be done using the aux. i dont really understand the group function where u can asign several tracks to a group and adjust all the levels at once. i understand the concept of doing this but this does not create a master volume fader for all these channels,you have to create a aux to achieve this,so whats the point of the group function. In cubase you create a group track and then send outputs of several tracks to that group. the group fader then controls the overall voume level of the tracks sent to it. im just trying to get my head round this so that i can convey the info to my students.i feel i must say that i used cubase for over 20 years and since i got LP8 i havent even turned Cubase on, wicked program.

Hi mtec, Right you are. Logic 8 only uses Buses for backward compatibility reasons with Logic 7. There is no need to create a Bus in Logic 8. An Aux does it all :) The Group function is seriously great! It sounds different to Cubase's implementation. In Logic Groups essentially combines multiple channel strips and allows you to link some properties. e.g. we have 10 tracks of audio drums. You want to marquee some sections out of all the drums and mute them. Rather than do each edit 10 times, group the tracks, make sure "region selection (Edit)" is selected and all regions on all track assigned to that group will respond. You can also quickly set up 10 channels to be record enabled quickly, hide tracks, adjust their volume and pan levels.... Oh & Aux channels are also extremely useful when using Multi output Instruments (EXS24 or Ultrabeat etc) - for routing of the outputs to individual Aux's. Out of interest, mtec, where abouts in UK do you teach? Best, Rounik

Thanks i will try some of the features u mentioned. i teach at Newham college of FE. www.myspace.com/littleilfordmusic. and my band www.myspace.com/blackwhitefuture.