How can i use fader as aux.

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BaggaDubs
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How can i use fader as aux.

Post by BaggaDubs » Thu Mar 26, 2020 8:55 pm

How can i use the fader as aux. Have see people do it. I will use the fader insted of the aux knob. How do i do it on my mixing desk?

Siggi Holiday
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Re: How can i use fader as aux.

Post by Siggi Holiday » Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:51 pm

mhhh... you are talking either using the Group Faders (1/2,3/4) for the selected channels (Desk Group out - Effekt- Desk Return)

or the desks have a feature called "swap" or "flip". On my soundcraft gb4 i am able to use the 4 Groupfaders as aux sends 1-4.

All the Best

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interruptor
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Re: How can i use fader as aux.

Post by interruptor » Sun Apr 19, 2020 7:08 pm

Russ Disciple recently shared on Facebook two videos of himself dubbing. He seems to be doing just what you described.
On his digital desk he is switching the left hand faders to different functions several times during each take.



Laziko
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Re: How can i use fader as aux.

Post by Laziko » Wed Sep 16, 2020 11:32 am

interruptor wrote:
Sun Apr 19, 2020 7:08 pm
Russ Disciple recently shared on Facebook two videos of himself dubbing. He seems to be doing just what you described.
On his digital desk he is switching the left hand faders to different functions several times during each take.


Hmmm, this is interesting, I like how he is doing it. I will try to do the same in my property in Cyprus here this weekend. Hope it come out as nicely as on these videos

BaggaDubs
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Re: How can i use fader as aux.

Post by BaggaDubs » Sun Oct 04, 2020 12:33 am

i have seen scentist do it to on his mixer. My be on only digital mixer you can do it?

Siggi Holiday
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Re: How can i use fader as aux.

Post by Siggi Holiday » Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:20 pm

I am using the Soundcraft GB4 and you can use the group faders (on the right side) as aux Send 1-4.

Aux1 Re-20 / Aux 2 DIY delay/AUX 3 Gate/ Aux 4 Spring


AUX1Dub
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Re: How can i use fader as aux.

Post by AUX1Dub » Mon Dec 14, 2020 12:55 pm

You need a mixer that has group bus sends. Instead of Aux Send, you use the Group Send.

Send from group bus out into effect and back into a spare channel. Now when turn the bus on that channel and turn up the the Group Bus fader it will trigger the effect.

This is the only way to Dub as you can easily add echo to multiple channels and with aux sends you can only do one at a time. Also you can easily layer fx onto the return channel via aux sends.

Here’s me using that technique a long time ago.


AUX1Dub
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Re: How can i use fader as aux.

Post by AUX1Dub » Mon Dec 14, 2020 1:02 pm

I also want to mention that if you use a decent echo and a board that has a sub group bus section, you can turn the group the echo is on, on itself to feedback. This way the higher you turn up the bus volume , the more the echo feedsback.

Mannanan Hi-Fi
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Re: How can i use fader as aux.

Post by Mannanan Hi-Fi » Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:03 pm

just a note on what Russ Disciple is using in the vid. That is an icon midi controller, similiar to a Mackie set-up, but not a digital mixer. Peace

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noiseboy
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Re: How can i use fader as aux.

Post by noiseboy » Wed Nov 01, 2023 3:34 pm

It's also likely that what you've seen done is use of fader as feedback control for echo. Here you get the entire fader throw as a much more precise control. I found myself having to work out how to do this on digital desks as I've long-time sent echo to itself from the mixer channel's aux send output on analogue boards as a much more instrument-like and organic way of achieving feedback with the added advantage of being able to stay right at the board so you gain speed of operation. Whilst this is just as possible on digital boards most of them only allow a single active or 'selected' channel at one time which means you may 'lose' your feedback control as soon as you select another channel to send something from - very frustrating if you want both to work together.
It's a little complex to set up but is really worth it.

Firstly, analogue board (we'll get to the digital mixer part in a minute) return your echo unit on a mono channel. Set the output mix/balance control on the echo unit to delay signal only i.e. 100% 'wet' with zero dry original signal. Next turn the echo feedback control to zero or whichever lowest value gives you just a single delay with no repeating 'tail'. These two steps are CRUCIAL for a properly clean feedback loop.
Set the echo delay time to whatever works with your backing track - 300ms is a good starting point to hear the effect in action but you will obviously need to fine tune it. Now turn up the mixer channel with the echo returned on it and send an instrument/vocal to the echo from the aux send that it's input is patched to (e.g. Aux 4.) You should hear the sending instrument delayed by e.g. 300ms as just a single echo. Now send the echo channel to the echo from, again e.g. Aux 4, that is to itself, and you will hear multiple repeats 300ms apart. Experiment with the level of the aux send on the echo channel to get a shorter or longer repeat tail. Your Aux send is now an analogue feedback control!
If you are fortunate enough to have a pre/post fade switch on your individual Aux sends then switch the one on the echo return channel (e.g. Aux 4) to PRE-fade, so that when you change the master mix level of the echo it doesn't change the feedback level at the same time (unless you want it to of course).
But wait, depending on your channel EQ you now have in your feedback loop up to 6 very different feedback controls plus maybe even Hi and Low pass filters (and probably an insert point)! On the channel that you have the echo returned to, you have an input gain (great for soft clipping and adding an analogue distortion factor), up to four EQ bands boost or cuts (if you have parametric then you can sweep feedback at different frequencies - very cool) and that original Aux send knob as the master feedback level control. Plus, you can get way more than the 100% feedback option that all modern echo units stick you with. You can fade it away, bring it back, make it fizz, muffle it and all sorts of stuff that the echo unit will likely not do on it's own. I thank you :-)

Now to do this on the digital board, keeping your feedback control always active on a channel fader, it starts to get a bit complicated. Because internal routing options vary wildly on digital boards you may have to modify the procedure to fit and there are usually other options for how you implement your 'always live' feedback control such as software assignable controls.
The echo/aux send configuration will basically be very similar to the analogue mixer set up above but you will need to return the echo TWICE across two unique mono channels. Lots of digital mixers allow this in soft patching but some don't - for those ones you will need to split the echo output with a Y-split cable - easy if it is an external unit but if it is onboard in software then you will have to work out how to send it out of the mixer and Y-split it back in on two inputs. Next bring up your echo on the first channel and route it solely to your main mix bus (usually the L & R bus). Once you can hear that OK then bring the second echo channel fader up, check you have a good level of signal on it then DEROUTE it from your main mix bus so it isn't going anywhere. Next send the echo on that channel to itself at unity gain (0dB) via the channel's Aux send making sure that the send is configured POST fade either on the channel or that entire Aux bus. Voila! Your second channel fader is now your feedback control along with the EQ boost/cuts as mentioned previously. First channel is your master level control.
These techniques also work really well with a harmonizer/pitch shift with a hundred or so ms delay.
YMMV. There are probably numerous variations on this technique and some smart-arse will no doubt point out a much simpler way of achieving all or part of what I have described here. Have fun!

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