Adding Real-time Effects to Multiple Tracks

If you want to add effects to more than one track, creating auxiliary bussesto send and return the signals uses your CPU’s power more efficiently.

Let’s create two auxiliary busses to send and return effects on:

  1. From the Special menu, choose Modify Outputs and Busses.

The Modify Outputs and Aux Busses dialog box appears.

  1. In the Allocate field at the bottom of the dialog box , enter 2.

  2. In the stereo aux busses on field, choose Audio from the popup menu and clickOK.

Metro creates two aux busses.

Now let’s assign an effect to Aux bus 1:

  1. In the Effects window, click the track titlebar and select Aux 1.

  2. Drag the Stereo Delay from the Plug-ins window into the Effectswindow.

Now Aux 1 sends signals to the delay effect. Let’s route a couple of audio tracks through Aux 1 to the delay effect:

  1. Open the Instruments Mixer window (command-I).

  2. Locate the names of your two audio outputs at the bottom of the window and make sure their volume faders are turned up. Use the scroll bar at the bottom of the window to view more outputs, if necessary.

  3. Click the window selector popup menu (located in the upper right corner of the Instruments Mixer window) to select the Aux 1 window.

The Aux 1 window appears.

  1. Find the fader that is labeled with the name of the output you want to send to the delay effect and drag its fader up. This is the Send control.

  2. In the Pgm row, if you want, click the Post button to change the effectsrouting of Aux 1 to Pre volume fader.

  3. The Return control is labeled Aux 1 and is next to the Master fader in the far right corner of the Instruments Mixer window. Adjust it to your desired setting.

Repeat step 4 for your other audio output.

Now let’s assign a different effect to Aux bus 2:

  1. In the Effects window, click the track titlebar and select Aux 2.

  2. Drag the H-VST High Pass filter from the Plug-ins window to the Effects window.

Now Aux 2 sends signals to the high pass filter. Let’s route a couple of audio tracks through Aux 2 to the high pass filter:

  1. In the Instruments Mixer window, click the window selector popup menu (located in the upper right corner of the Instruments Mixer window) to select the Aux 2 window.

  2. Find the fader that is labeled with the name of the output you want to send to the high pass filter and drag its fader up. This is the Send control.

  3. The Return control is labeled Aux 2 and is next to the Master fader in the far right corner of the Instruments Mixer window. Adjust it to your desired setting.

Repeat step 2 for your other audio output.

The next step in the effects tutorial is Recording Auxiliary Fader Movements.
Adding Real-time Effects to Multiple Tracks