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When multiple channels are all routed into a single channel, that channel is called a bus. For instance, drums typically require numerous microphones to capture the entire kit's sound - all those mics are fed into separate input channels which are all routed to a ''drum'' bus, where they can be processed together before being output to the master bus. This makes it much simpler and quicker to adjust the volume of the drum kit as a whole, for example. Types of instruments can be routed this same way - guitars to a guitar bus, background vocals to a vocals bus, brass instruments to a brass bus, etc.
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== Volume Faders ==
The most obvious and common element of each channel is a <u>volume fader</u>. This is the thing you slide up and down, consuming most of the space for the strip, and it adjusts the volume of the channel. The reason such large space is devoted to the volume faders is because the most instrumental part of the mixing board is to ensure all the instruments are mixed at the correct relative volumes. Sliding faders give the user instant visual feedback on the mixer's volume setting for each channel and allow fine adjustments. That said, some mixers are designed to be smaller and may forego faders in place of simple knobs.
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== Trim/Gain ==
It may seem a bit counterintuitive to have two ways to control volume, but remember that certain processing occurs before the signal is affected by the fader, such as amplification by a microphone pre-amp and adjustments on the channel strip itself. Too hot of a signal can result in unwanted distortion. Furthermore, an extremely hot signal would require sliding the volume fader very low to normalize the instrument with others. This greatly reduces the volume fader's adjustment range, making it more difficult to fine-tune that channel's volume.
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== Mute ==
Most channels feature a <u>mute</u> button that does exactly that - it mutes the channel, preventing it from being output to any buses. In other words, you will no longer hear it in the mix. This can be useful if an instrument starts feeding back, or a guitar amp malfunctions, or something similarly-awful happens that starts causing the channel to fill the mix with unwanted noise. It can also be used to compare a mix with and without a certain instrument to determine if the instrument is helping or hurting the mix.
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== Solo ==
A <u>solo</u> (or cue) button on the channel mutes all other channels, unless they also have their solo button pushed. This allows you to quickly monitor a particular channel (or several) apart from the full mix. It saves you the trouble of having to push the mute button on every other channel.
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== Balance/Pan ==
Stereo inputs can also have pan controls - in this case, the sound that enters one side will be "pushed" increasingly into the other. A full left pan essentially mixes the incoming left and right fields and outputs them into the left field. More often, stereo inputs have <u>balance</u> controls, which control the relative volume between the incoming stereo fields. A center balance leaves each part of the signal untouched, while shifting balance to the right attenuates the left field and vice versa.
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== Aux Send/Receive ==
They are commonly used to feed external processors and called <u>sends</u> when used in this way. The return feed from the processor(s) is input back into a channel, called a <u>receive</u> where it can then be routed to the main mix. For example, you may want all the instruments that are close-mic'ed (channels 1-4) to be run through the same reverb processing. You can route all those channels to Aux bus 1, which is output to a reverb processor. The reverb outputs to another mixer channel (channel 8) where it can be mixed with other instruments (channels 5-7) into the main mix. If the mixer cannot prevent the original close-mic'ed channels from being sent to the main mix, you could run the reverb processor 100% wet, then use the fader on channel 8 to get the correct wet/dry mix between channels 1-4 and channel 8.
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== EQ ==
A channel may feature relatively simple EQ controls, typically Bass, Mids, Treble, or a low-pass and/or high-pass. See the [[EQ]] page for more about EQ.
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== Compression/Limiting ==
Channels often feature rudimentary compression/limiting to prevent strong transients from clipping the mix. This is typically a single knob or button. See [[Compression]] for more info.
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== Level Meters ==
Many meters provide two sets of data simultaneously - the current volume, and the maximum volume encountered over a larger time-frame, or the <u>peak</u>. Both provide relevant data - the peaks indicate whether you have and can expect to hit clipping levels, even if only momentarily, while the current volume gives an idea of how loud the instrument is in general. You may use the volume fader to avoid clipping, but then find that your current volume is too low, indicating a need to apply some compression.
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