8,720
edits
Changes
m
→Input/Output or Send/Receive
Each track allows input/output selection, also called <u>send</u> (output) and <u>receive</u> (input) to normalize the terminology with [[Mixing Boards/Consoles|mixing boards]]. Possible inputs/outputs are set up in your DAW settings and should correspond to your physical input/output connections on your hardware audio interface. This includes audio and MIDI I/O's. Mono tracks will allow stereo inputs (such as S/PDIF) to specify either the left or right field.
Most tracks are set to output to the master [[Mixing Boards/Consoles#buses|bus]] by default. However, tracks do not necessarily have to output to output buses - they can also output to input buses, and multiple input buses can be set up to capture the same physical inputs. It's a good idea to set up several additional input buses with no physical input attached, designed for routing multiple tracks into. For example, you may have several tracks with percussion instruments and want to route them set all their outputs to a percussion input bus. Another track is set up to use the percussion input bus as its input and receives the output of all those tracks. This single track where you can apply a uniform reverb or compression preset as [[#Inserts|inserts]]and send the output to the master bus.
Output buses on the other hand are routed out of the DAW and to the interface ([[Interface Setup#Inputs/Mixer|as software return inputs]]), where the interface will handle which physical outputs the signal is actually sent.
''Obviously, this can all get very, very confusing for the novice user. It's best to work up to complexity rather than trying to dive right in. Start out by only using inputs linked to your interface's physical inputs and outputting to the master bus. Once you are comfortable with that, then try more advanced routing.''
While DAW tracks appear similar to [[Mixing Boards/Consoles#Channels|mixer channels]], they tend to be much more powerful (and thus possibly more complex) than
=== Inserts ===