It can't be a one line diagram because it's modular.. and can be set up any way which is suitable for the user's purposes.
It helps to have an understanding of the analog hardware counterparts.
In Pro Tools you have different types of tracks - Audio Tracks and Aux Tracks. Inputs & Outputs can be either physical inputs or virtual busses. Sends can be sent to either physical I/O or virtual busses.
A Bus in an analog console is simply a long piece of wire that runs the length of the console... as you press a routing button the signal is summed into this Bus and fed into a Summing Amplifier - which is then fed into a Booster Amplifier (in the analog realm also to flip the phase) and is then sent to the patch bay where it either normals to a tape input, an effect send or a cue send.
Using an analog console you would normally split the console into Tape Returns and Effect Returns (not to be confused with using a "Split Console" where normally one side is used for Tape Returns and the other for Micophone/Line Inputs).
To set up the console in Pro Tools...
Create an Audio Track to be used as your "Tape Return"... Create an Aux Track to be used as your "Effect Return"...
Aux Tracks can also be referred to as "Input Tracks" since they always monitor their Input signal -- so they can also be used as sub mixers or to monitor synthesizers, etc.
The most basic setup in Pro Tools is:
<font class="small">Code:<hr /><pre>Input->(*)Audio Track->Insert Point->(Fader)->{Output routing assignment}->Master Fader->Master Output->Output
| |
---- ----
|
| Pre Post Fader Send Switch
|
|
------>Send Fader->{Whichever Bus or Output assigned}</pre><hr />
At the point (*) is where audio would actually be recorded (pre the insert).
The Send can be assigned to either a physical output (to feed a Cue Amp or an effects box) or it can be assigned to a virtual bus which could then be fed to an Aux Track and used as an effects send.. and the Aux Track would be used as an Effects Return (search the DUC for my previous post on "Sends & Returns").
I could go on for a while.. but this covers the basics.. I'll save the rest for my bestseller book (hah )
Obviously.. there's no simple way to draw every single cofiguration in one diagram using the symbols available here.
Rail