Plugins AFTER the master bus (for monitoring only)

Hi there, first post but long time reader, thanks David and everyone for your answers over the years!

 

I’m wondering if it is possible to set up plugins for my monitors, EQ etc., that either aren’t inserted on the main output, or don’t get printed when I bounce the project. I know I could just switch them off and on, inserted on the main bus, but I’m worried i’ll space out and leave them on and not realize it and subtly taint the bounce.

 

Wouldn’t be above monkeying with the environment, I’d like to save the setup as a template.

You're welcome! Good to have you here!

 

There's no easy solution for your request unfortunately. There's only one stereo output to Logic Pro, the one you're monitoring is the one you're bouncing.

 

You could consider mixing to a bus. For example: instead of setting the output of your tracks to "Stereo Out", set the output of your tracks to "Bus 1". An Aux is automatically created with its input set to Bus 1 and the output set to Stereo Out. Now you create a second Aux (in the Mixer menu: Options > Create New Auxiliary Channel Strip) with its input set to Bus 1 and the output set to Stereo Out. On the second Aux you insert your monitoring plug-in. You can mute the first Aux during monitoring tasks, and mute the second when bouncing.

Hi

I’m wondering if it is possible to set up plugins for my monitors, EQ etc., that either aren’t inserted on the main output, or don’t get printed when I bounce the project. I know I could just switch them off and on, inserted on the main bus, but I’m worried i’ll space out and leave them on and not realize it and subtly taint the bounce.

 

If you have a Multi-Output audio interface, try this:

 

Route all tracks out to a Bus ( Mixbus). The Mixbus goes out to the Main Outs (1&2).

Add a Send (Post Pan) to a second Stereo out ( in my example 5&6)

Connect your monitors to Out 5&6

Add whatever you need to Out 5&6 channel

 

File Bounce/Command B will bounce Outs 1&2, as will the Bounce button on that Channel Strip

 

You could also just use sends direct to the 2nd output pair direct from each channel

 

 

CCT

There is an easy solution to this:

 

- Put an IO plugin into the last slot of the Stereo Out

- Set its output to Output 3-4, and its Dry/Wet Balance to 0%

- Set up a Send to Output 3-4 on any channel, but don't turn it up (this is just to make Output 3-4 appear in the Mixer)

- Connect Output 3-4 to your Speakers

 

Done. Now plugins and fader (and even automation) on Output 3-4 are heard, but not affecting any Bounce of the Stereo Out. The one thing you can't hear is the position of the Stereo Out fader.

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply, all good suggestions. David, I like the aux channel strips being fed from the same bus, because that would allow for multiple scenarios for output processing, but easy to keep them straight and label them by channel, just have to be mindful to only have one in at a time, or it would be chaos. It would be slick to do something in the environment (maybe with the Transform?) to make it so unmuting one aux channel strip muted the others.

 

CCTmusic, thanks for the pictures, I think the first scenario is the more maintainable of the two, you wouldn’t run the chance of messing up the send amount of each track. It would have the ability to hear your master bus (mastering plugins etc.) through your monitors, as long as you treated Bus 1 as the master bus.

 

fuzzfilth, very creative with the I/O plugin, that would have the advantage of new tracks defaulting to the main out, you wouldn’t have to do anything to hear them playback. You also hear the master bus plugins.

Not to get into my life story, but I was asking as part of a project studio setup for 5.1 mixing, ideally the speakers are equal distant from your head, but I had to put the rear speakers farther away from the front 3, so the hope was to be able to use the sample delay to correct for the time the sound arrives from each speaker to the mix position. One of the rears is stuck in a corner and I’m going to try to stick some absorption behind it, but suspect it will end up with different response than the other (more bass probably?) and it would be nice to eq it into some semblance of symmetry.

Yes, the response of the room will be different, especially bass response and you will not get far with just stuffing an old anorak behind the speaker. But consider that you won't put much in the rear speakers anyway in terms of level and in terms of bass, the latter specifically in a 5.1 setting which usually not only gives you spatial separation but frequency separation as well by means of bass management. Bass management is quite standard today as it allows for smaller speakers which is an important point for anything but a large cinema and maybe the XXL mancave.

 

I'd be more concerned with having a wall near me on one side and another not near me on the other side (which is what "one rear is in a corner" suggests), that might skew the entire left-right balance due to different lengths of reflection paths.

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply, all good suggestions. David, I like the aux channel strips being fed from the same bus, because that would allow for multiple scenarios for output processing, but easy to keep them straight and label them by channel, just have to be mindful to only have one in at a time, or it would be chaos.

Gotcha, makes sense.

 

It would be slick to do something in the environment (maybe with the Transform?) to make it so unmuting one aux channel strip muted the others.

Indeed that's quite easy: viewtopic.php?t=1049

This is how I do it with Audio Hijack. Works perfectly.