Bussing and Routing Advice please

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As part of my job as a video editor I have been using ProTools for mixing and editing tv commercials for over 5 years now, and because i am largely self-taught I have always been aware of a large gap in my knowledge, in particular to do with routing and signal bussing.

I have never worked on a large console, so don't have the analogue experience to transfer over.

Having just upgraded my Pro Tools to 10. And whilst i have a little quiet time, I wanted to try expand on my knowledge and get to grips with bussing.

So - can anyone recommend any good articles/books/videos, etc. that will help me to understand how better to set-up my tracks and routings in my mixes.

thanks
Adam

[MIKEROPHONICS]

Get hold of some templates. Look at the stock digi one for post mixing, that will give you some clues

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thanks Mikerophonics - I have already been doing that - it's that which prompted the questions in the first place! Also been reading the manual which has helped a lot.

In fact i had just written a much longer reply highlighting some of my confusion but the simple act of writing out the problem seemed to present the solution!

Still, if anyone does have any other recommendations for extra learning i would be very grateful.

adam

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this message is just to activate the email notifications as they were switched off!

[Pinball Wizard]

There are a large amount of instructional videos available at Pro tools Expert. There is a registration fee of approx $17 USD. This one may be of interest to you:

http://www.pro-tools-expert.com/prod...pro-tools.html

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thanks - i'll definitely look into that resource!

[antonis]

Since Protools hasn't invested in the Offline Bounce Technology I have sometime in my hands to write this. If you follow it step by step I think it will be helpful. Knowledge of the I/O Setup window is essential:

Let's assume you have 10 of each type of tracks (10 Dialogue, 10 PFX, 10 SFX, I segregate my footsteps foley so 10 of those, 10 Atmos and 10 music, add anything you might have).

Each section goes to each own separate bus named accordingly, e.g.: 1 Dialogue bus, 1 Atmos, 1 music and so on. Buses can be obviously called Auxes for Auxiliary tracks, or stems.

This, in a way, "groups" the tracks in one unique fader that you can apply automation, effects, etc. separately. Handy...

For TV work (not sure how is this apply to the dubbing theater) all the afore-mentioned buses - apart from the dialogue bus - go to a new bus aptly named M&E or MANDE or whatever stands as "Music and Effects" in your head.

That yields with one fader for the dialogue and another for the rest of the sonic elements.

Following advice here, these two buses go to a new bus, the master bus (not the master fader) and this goes out to the speakers, your ears, your neighbours ears and the rest of the world once it gets broadcasted.

The additional magic kicks in when you think that by utilising the same principle you can re-record (downmix, dub, you get it) any combination of these buses to new audio tracks realtime.

E.g. If you want to bounce two isolated tracks, for example the dialogue and the music and effects, using the bounce function then you'd have to twiddle your thumbs twice as much (or be helpful and post something here )...

Or.. you can go to the I/O settings to create two new buses, name them for example as "dial stem" and "mande stem". Then you can use the "dialogue stem" as a pre-fader send on the dialogue bus, then create a new audio track and set its input as "dialogue stem". When you record enable this audio track, and hit record, you get the dialogue stems print, with all the effects and automation of all the 10 dialogue tracks that you started with at the beginning. If you do the same for the m&e bus, then you will be recording both stems at the same time. Apply these to whatever you were asked to deliver for the project and hit the pub!

I hope this was a bit helpful.

[Craig F]

I don't know if this deal is still good but 5 days for $5 at Groove 3 http://www.pro-tools-expert.com/home...ing-for-5.html

and the Pro Tools Expert Blog has good stuff as well

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Thanks Antonis, your description is pretty close to what i have ended up with.
Where mine differs is that for each set of channels feeding into a subgroup i am using a Master Fader to control the overall level on the input to the subgroup fader (Aux track). According to articles and also the manual, this way lets you combine all the tracks using the mix bus's higher headroom and thus helping prevent clipping. Going straight into an Aux Channel risks truncating the 48bit signals - or thats how i understood what i read!

I also created the extra busses and record channels pretty much as you described, and on each one i have set a Waves L2 limiter. Once i have the best setting for the overall mix, i copy the L2 over to each of my record tracks (being less audio in each stem i just want it there to limit any potential peaks as well as dithering the signal for each track down to 20bit in case the track needs to be recorded onto a digibeta).

The brief test i managed after spending all day getting my head around this certainly convinced me this is worth doing for every job.

I'm glad i looked into this, as i had a couple of very fx heavy mixes a while back and i couldn't figure out why it all sounded so muddy - now i think i know why!


One further question - is there a way to tell PT to create New Tracks with a range of Sends already in place?
I noticed using one of Avids template that when i made a new track it included the sends, but i can't see how to create one with the sends i want!

thanks
Adam