Question for Reaper hommies regarding mixbuses

[Ostinato Rubato]

So when I set up a mixbus in Reaper how do I get it to where the tracks I'm sending to the mixbus aren't being heard on their own track? I might not be phrasing this properly. I only want the sound from the tracks to come through the mixbus track but I don't know how. It pretty much makes the whole mixbus thing impossible for me to do right. How?

Also, for the record, I have no idea what a channel is. I know what a track is... but what's a channel. Why are there so many channels. How do you use them? What does it all mean?

[Tortuga]

[ajaxlepinski]

[GuitarBilly]

So when I set up a mixbus in Reaper how do I get it to where the tracks I'm sending to the mixbus aren't being heard on their own track? I might not be phrasing this properly. I only want the sound from the tracks to come through the mixbus track but I don't know how. It pretty much makes the whole mixbus thing impossible for me to do right. How?

Also, for the record, I have no idea what a channel is. I know what a track is... but what's a channel. Why are there so many channels. How do you use them? What does it all mean?

You can't do that.. the buses are meant to combine several track into a single bus for volume control effects etc... but the tracks themselves will still play.

This is how you use a bus for say drums: Adjust the volume of each drum track (kick, snare etc) so the drum kit sounds balance. Then send all drum tracks output to a bus. Now you can control the overall drum volume through the bus. Or say you want to add a compressor on the whole kit you add it to the bus and it will affect all the tracks routed through it.

Not sure what you mean by "channels" Tracks are channels... unless you mean MIDI channels, which is a different thing altogether... but please clarify.

[Ostinato Rubato]

So when I set up a mixbus in Reaper how do I get it to where the tracks I'm sending to the mixbus aren't being heard on their own track? I might not be phrasing this properly. I only want the sound from the tracks to come through the mixbus track but I don't know how. It pretty much makes the whole mixbus thing impossible for me to do right. How?

Also, for the record, I have no idea what a channel is. I know what a track is... but what's a channel. Why are there so many channels. How do you use them? What does it all mean?

You can't do that.. the buses are meant to combine several track into a single bus for volume control effects etc... but the tracks themselves will still play.

This is how you use a bus for say drums: Adjust the volume of each drum track (kick, snare etc) so the drum kit sounds balance. Then send all drum tracks output to a bus. Now you can control the overall drum volume through the bus. Or say you want to add a compressor on the whole kit you add it to the bus and it will affect all the tracks routed through it.

Not sure what you mean by "channels" Tracks are channels... unless you mean MIDI channels, which is a different thing altogether... but please clarify.

So I'll get back to you about what I mean about the channels after the next time I fire up reaper and I'll take a screen shot of whatever is confusing me.

But in regards to the bus what I mean is that when I route all the guitar tracks to a bus it seems like I'm getting double of the volume of the original series of tracks as if all those volumes and the combined volumes of them through the bus are playing at the same time. Is that how it's supposed to be? Seems wrong to me.

[ajaxlepinski]

I guess this book is out of print because, it's so high priced. I have the same author's Pro Tools book and it's informative, well written and provides a thorough instructions for using the software.
The book includes a few chapters that go along with practice sessions on an included CD ROM.

I couldn't find it any cheaper than $89.00 but, it is worth it.
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchR ... sive+Guide

[Ostinato Rubato]

I guess this book is out of print because, it's so high priced. I have the same author's Pro Tools book and it's informative, well written and provides a thorough instructions for using the software.
The book includes a few chapters that go along with practice sessions on an included CD ROM.

I couldn't find it any cheaper than $89.00 but, it is worth it.
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchR ... sive+Guide

But I don't want to spend $90. I just want to post and GAB and get the information for free.

[Markdude]

Sounds like you have the tracks routed to the bus as Sends (parallel) rather than setting their actual Outputs (series) to the bus.

[Ostinato Rubato]

Sounds like you have the tracks routed to the bus as Sends (parallel) rather than setting their actual Outputs (series) to the bus.

I'll see what up. Cause that sounds like what's the deal right there. Would be a game changer of sorts.

[ajaxlepinski]

Markdude hitting the nail on the head!

[nakedzen]

Sounds like you have the tracks routed to the bus as Sends (parallel) rather than setting their actual Outputs (series) to the bus.

Reaper creates a virtual waveform in grey on mixbuses, so if that isn't visible it's routed as a send.

[exafro]

When you add a track its automatically routed to the master bus. What you want to do when sending tracks to a bus that you created, ie a guitar or drum bus, you need to disable the Master Send from those tracks, you only want the bus sending anything to the Master track. Look for the routing tab on each track and right click it. If you are doing this for multiple tracks, hold down Alt, left click each track you want to send to a particular bus to highlight them and then right click on any of their Routing tabs. Hope this helps, I think this is what you wanted to know

[Ostinato Rubato]

A new wrinkle has formed.

[BroSlinger]

Interesting thread. I use reaper all the time, and I've never had this issue. I'm glad I haven't. It must have adopted a basic configuration with my interface driver.

[_ej_]

When you add a track its automatically routed to the master bus. What you want to do when sending tracks to a bus that you created, ie a guitar or drum bus, you need to disable the Master Send from those tracks, you only want the bus sending anything to the Master track. Look for the routing tab on each track and right click it. If you are doing this for multiple tracks, hold down Alt, left click each track you want to send to a particular bus to highlight them and then right click on any of their Routing tabs. Hope this helps, I think this is what you wanted to know

Yup, this.

If you click the I/O icon on the track it will bring up this menu, uncheck the 'master/parent send'. I use it all the time.