Aux Return not following Master Fader Digi002

[NotRude]

I'm using a Digi 002 on G5 DP1.8 with 3 Gig Ram 150Gig boot drive 250 Gig scratch drive running OSX3.9 and PTLE 6.9. While mixing I created a master fader then two Aux Returns which I'm using to return a couple of hardware efx units. For some reason the Master fader is not fading the returns "almost" all the time, I fiddled and got it to do it a couple of times, but those were fleeting and back we went to the "post master fader aux return" sindrome. I haven't done any of the "normal" troubleshooting yet, but I'm wondering what in the world could be causing this, as I find no logical explanation. For now I'm gettting by fading the individual tracks as EVEN IF I faade the return though visibly it's working, the return is still wide open. This fix is of course not a "fix" at all as the relationships are changing in the fade which would be cool if it was done by design , but not when it's done by force. Any insights would be greately appreciated.

[max cooper]

It's a little hard to understand what you're saying.

When you say that you got the master fader to 'fade' the returns (I think you mean that the master fader controlled the aux return level) but that is was 'fleeting', do you mean that the control was intermittent, or did you change a parameter and it worked, then you changed another parameter and it didn't work.

Here's how you return outboard. You may want to ditch your current routing scheme and do it this way. I don't know how far lost you are.

I use a Rosetta 800, but I'm gonna translate for a Digi 002.

Lets do this in the case of a stereo send; let's say a drum bus.

So you've got your individual drum tracks, all routed to, let's say Bus 1-2.

Then there's a stereo aux input with Bus 1-2 coming in, and, say, Analog 1-2 coming out.

I'm assuming that your master fader is set to Analog 1-2.

So the master fader is the master vol. control for everything, including the drum bus.

But you want to send the drums out to an effect unit. Let's say a reverb. You already have the non-reverb drums routed to the Master Fader (as above) so turn the 'mix' control on the reverb unit to 100% wet.

Now, on the stereo aux input that is summing the drums (the one with Bus 1-2 coming in and Analog 1-2 as the output, remember?) you wanna open a send. Let's assume there are no sends open yet.

At the top of the screen, pull down the 'Display' menu. Go to 'Display/Sends view shows/Send A'

Now, in the first send space (like opening a plugin in the mix window, except one tier down) open a send thus: 'Interface/Analog 5-6' and with the transport in 'Play' so you can hear some drum playback, set the ouput level on the little fader that opens in the Drum Bus. This is now the stereo send level control that goes to the reverb unit. You should have already guessed that the ouput pair 5-6 on the 002 should be connected to the input of the reverb unit. While you're back there, find a good stereo input to connect the output of the reverb unit to. Let's say inputs 5 and 6.

Now you're going to create a return. Go to 'File/New Tracks/Stereo Aux Input' and label this aux 'reverb return'.

For the input pair to this aux input, select 'Analog 5-6' and for the output pair, select 'Analog 1-2'.

Voila; you should now have the effected signal from the drum bus coming in on this stereo aux input, and the overall output should be controlled by the master fader.

[seattleguitarman]

Well explained routing Max.

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[I'd have sent this off-list but didn't see a contact email listed]

[NotRude]

Thank you very much Max and I apologyze if my explanation was confusing. Actually I am routing exactly in that manner, but my master fader was just not controlling my aux returns, it was as if the aux returns were post master fader on an analog console therefore the anxillary equipment on those returns remained open while the rest of the mix faded. Even if I performed an automated fade on the returns, they were not fading. Ghost in the machine if you will, I just thought maybe it was an 002 idiosyncrasy. It seems that after I did a full dumping of preferences etc routine things are now working normally, but my mix has changed since and I'm not fading it anymore, so I wont find out if things are correct yet until my next mix.