Overview
One of the most used and helpful tools and functions that you can do is through the systems Inserts & Sends. In Pro Tools, you have the ability to attach Plugins and other programs into the Channel Track of your chose and add extra effects or control to get the sound you need with inserts. Or with Sends, coping audio from one track to another to never effect the original.
Sends
When you start the mix stage of a music production, you will benefit from using plugins as inserts in order to modify the sonic characteristics of the audio signals in a “serial” topology. However, you can also use plugins in “parallel” with the “sends” included on every track.
Sends let you “Send” a copy of the signal passing thru the channel strip, to a different destination, so that it can be processes in parallel.
This method can be specially useful when dealing with time-based effects such as Reverbs and delays because it lets you have a dedicated fader for the “dry” signal, as well as a dedicated fader for the “wet” signal, giving you complete control of the mix. (Reword)
Making a Send Track (Aux Track)
1. Select the track you want to send/replicate to another. (Make sure audio is coming from the track)
2. On the channel strip, select an available 'Send' slot. In the options window, click on 'new track'.
3. A 'new track' options window will open. Here it should already be set as 'AUX Input' as the Type, do so. Base on the type of audio that you are 'sending', select if the format will be Mono, Stereo, or even surround 5.1, 7.1. once L\all set and labeled properly, click create.
4. Now on the channel strip of your newly created Aux track, select a available 'Insert' slot and add the plugin/tool that you want to be place on the channel. (Reverb, Delay, Parallel Compressor, ect)
(Note: With sends, best to have the plugin be 100% Wet, as the original audio is 100% Dry. Avoid having clashing audio and mixing issues.)
5. Locate the Send fader, and then adjust the Volume Fader to place the proper audio levels that you want to be sent through to the channel. (This is not to volume fader for the track).
6. Press Play and take a listen and adjust to your needs.
Inserts
When you start the mixing procedure, you will encounter a situation in which you have to add an insert as a software “plugin” in order to process the digital audio from the track. Plugin inserts can emulate equalizers, compressors, and other effects. Inserting a plug-in basically involves putting the effect inline with the audio as it travels through the channel strip in your mixer. This means all the sound from the audio file passes through the effect on its way out of the mixer (and to your ears).
Pro Tools lets users add inserts with a couple clicks, as well as removing them.
1. Select a track channel strip that you would like to add a insert to. Find and select and open insert slot.
2. Select the tool or effect you like to add to the track. Now that plugin should be place on the track and effect the audio output as so.
When you insert a plug-in, you can choose from three formats:
- Mono in/mono out: One channel goes in and one comes out of the effect.
- Mono in/stereo out: One channel goes in, and two come out.
- Stereo in/stereo out: Two channels go in, and two channels come out.