Signal flow question in Logic X???

For effects on a channel strip the signal flow is top to bottom...correct?

 

 

Is the signal flow also from top to bottom in the following picture as well?

 

 

Thanks.

As they are sending (not returning) the signal, the order of the sends in the channel strip won't matter, but what mode you're using will. The signal flow of the sends is by default post pan, but can be changed per insert. (Post pan, pre fader or post fader).

I get confused on the applications of the three modes. The Logic X 'User Guide' just basically defines the three modes. What type of different situations would you use the three different modes in? What are some real-world examples, in other words, for each mode?

An example of pre fader might be if you want the signal to the send to remain constant while fading out the dry signal. Post fader for the send to adjust with whatever you're doing on the channel strip.

An example of pre fader might be if you want the signal to the send to remain constant while fading out the dry signal. Post fader for the send to adjust with whatever you're doing on the channel strip.

 

Very cool. Thank you.

 

Cool website!

You're welcome.

What type of different situations would you use the three different modes in? What are some real-world examples, in other words, for each mode?

1) Pre-fader: I want to create an effect where an instrument is slowly moving away from me. Pre-fader send to an Aux where I insert a reverb gets me a static level sent to the reverb, independently of the position of the fader on the instrument's channel strip. Now when I slowly turn the instrument down, the reverb staying the same, I am lowering the dry while keeping the wet the same, which means I'm lowering the dry/wet ratio. In other words I'm raising the wet/dry ratio, so it sounds like the instrument has more and more reverb and less an less dry sound: it's perceived as moving away from me.

 

2) Post-fader: I want to have a reverb that's centered in the stereo field, so that even if the instrument is panned to one side, the reverb is evenly balanced in the stereo field. Meanwhile the send is affected by the position fo the fader on the instrument channel strip, so that if I change the volume of the instrument, for example to have it louder during the chorus and softer during the verse, or for example when riding a vocal to bring up the weaker parts and tame the parts where the singer is belting out, the wet/dry ratio remains constant: the perception of the distance of the instrument remains constant.

 

3) Post-pan: Same as #2 except the reverb is panned along with the instrument, so that it is perceived as coming from the same direction as the instrument.

 

I chose reverb as an example here but obviously sends can be used for many other things.

What type of different situations would you use the three different modes in? What are some real-world examples, in other words, for each mode?

1) Pre-fader: I want to create an effect where an instrument is slowly moving away from me. Pre-fader send to an Aux where I insert a reverb gets me a static level sent to the reverb, independently of the position of the fader on the instrument's channel strip. Now when I slowly turn the instrument down, the reverb staying the same, I am lowering the dry while keeping the wet the same, which means I'm lowering the dry/wet ratio. In other words I'm raising the wet/dry ratio, so it sounds like the instrument has more and more reverb and less an less dry sound: it's perceived as moving away from me.

 

2) Post-fader: I want to have a reverb that's centered in the stereo field, so that even if the instrument is panned to one side, the reverb is evenly balanced in the stereo field. Meanwhile the send is affected by the position fo the fader on the instrument channel strip, so that if I change the volume of the instrument, for example to have it louder during the chorus and softer during the verse, or for example when riding a vocal to bring up the weaker parts and tame the parts where the singer is belting out, the wet/dry ratio remains constant: the perception of the distance of the instrument remains constant.

 

3) Post-pan: Same as #2 except the reverb is panned along with the instrument, so that it is perceived as coming from the same direction as the instrument.

 

I chose reverb as an example here but obviously sends can be used for many other things.

 

Thank you, David!

You've probably gathered this already, but don't forget that sends go out sideways/parallel to their respective busses from each channel strip.

 

So, if you had a distortion on Bus 1 and a delay on Bus 2 and you send to both, Bus 2 does not hear any of the distortion from Bus 1 and thus will be processing delay on the clean sound only.- hence why their order is not important.

 

I think most of us have established unwritten rules of when we'd use a inserts vs bus for that very reason. Although sometimes it does make for interesting results to stray from the track at times. Particularly if you bus out to two separate delays, things can get real spaced out!

Another real world example for Pre-Fade mode: Independent (headphone) mix(es). So when you move around the channel volume fader, it won't affect the headphone mix, which is set by the aux faders.