Here we show you to apply the concept of "Group", "Auxiliary bus" and "Master" in Qtractor. This is my personal way of seeing it, others may find other approaches. MIDI buses are excluded from the article.

We will also cover project start configurations:

• Default: a single group-type bus
• Expandable: facilitates the expansion of groups, auxiliary buses and management of the Master bus.

Bus types

"Group Buses", "Auxiliary Buses" and "Master Buses" are excellent tools for managing complex workflows. In Qtractor there are no predefined differences between them, for our favourite DAW everything is buses. It is the way of using them and the purpose that will make a bus have a different configuration and meaning.

Group Buses or "Groups"

A group is a type of bus that serves as an audio input and/or output to one or more tracks. When we assign an audio input or output to a track, we are assigning a group.

How to create and configure a group?

From the audio track properties, assign its input and output buses. These buses, since they now host one or more tracks, are "Groups". The tracks are grouped by their input or output.

Advantages of "Groups" in workflows

Allows you to apply a single configuration (effects chain, volume, pan) to all tracks in the group, either for recording (input) or playback (output).

Buses in duplex mode can create input and output groups. Buses in output mode create output groups. Buses in input mode create input groups.

In this image we see an example of input and output groups:

Note: The "Base group" has been created by renaming the old default "Master" group of Qtractor. This is explained in more detail in the section "Project startup settings".

In outputs, we can see that strings and wind instruments have their own output group "GrSTRINGS" and "GrWINDS" respectively. Instruments without their own group are associated with the base group (default) "GrBASE".

The instruments share one input group ("GrBASE"), except for the "VOCAL", which is best recorded in mono. So it has its own input group "GrMONO".

Auxiliary Bus

An auxiliary bus does not host any tracks and is always in output mode.

How to create and configure an Auxiliary Bus?

It must be created in output mode and not assign any track to it.

Advantages of "Auxiliary Buses" in workflows

Receives signals from tracks, groups and other auxiliary buses. It processes them and sends to other auxiliary buses or to the Master bus. It is useful for creating an auxiliary mix bus ("AuxMIX") where all the elements of the mix converge before going to the "MASTER" bus. It is also useful for applying common effects to different elements and then sending these effects to the mix bus ("AuxMIX") to be mixed.

In the example illustration we can see that no track belongs to the auxiliary buses. They are not the output or input of any track. The signal is routed through auxiliary sends, dynamically. Each send determines its own gain to mix, whether they are wet signals, as in the case of the reverb, or dry, as in the case of the groups. These sends can be quickly modified on the fly according to what we need.

Master Bus or "Master"

A Master bus is an auxiliary bus with a very specific purpose: to ensure that the final audio has the right properties to be listened to, recorded and played back. For this purpose, it is usually equipped with a chain of effects that fulfill this purpose. The decision of which chain to use will depend on each person and project. We will give an example with free plugins:

• Multiband compressor: Calf Multiband Compressor
• Master Eq: Luftikus
• Limiter: Calf Limiter
• LUFS Meter: LUFS Meter

How to create and configure an "Master"?

The Master Bus must be created in output mode and be the last in the audio flow chain. All signals converge there. A "Master" should not be a group, although there is an exception as we will see below.

Project startup settings

Default startup settings: A single "Group" type bus.

When we open Qtractor we find the following configuration.

What is listed as Master is actually the base group, which will house the tracks we create, giving them a predetermined input and output. Being the only bus that exists, it will also serve as a Mix bus and a Master bus. This is the exception we referred to above. For someone who is starting out in music production, it is an ideal configuration, as it allows them to start arranging, recording, mixing and mastering without getting into advanced concepts of sending and receiving signals. The effects are introduced directly into the tracks. If parallel effects are desired, the tracks are duplicated.

Advantages:

• Easy to understand workflow.

Disadvantages:

• Consumes more processor resources: By not centralizing signals, it is necessary to apply a separate plugin to each signal.
• Cumbersome to manage in medium or large projects: More tracks are needed (the originals and the duplicates for effects) which can be visually overwhelming. If it is necessary to modify a track, its duplicates will also have to be modified.

If you start from this configuration in a project and want to expand your groups or add auxiliary buses, do not make the mistake of keeping the base group with the name and functions of Master. Rename it as what it is (Base Group), and create a new "Master" bus with its ideal configuration (output mode without any track that depends on it). And this way you would obtain the "Base Group" plus "Master" configuration that we will see below, where we will explain its advantages.

Expandable Startup Configuration: "Base Group" + "Master"

With this configuration, all new groups you create will be placed between the "Base Group" and the "Master". This allows existing instruments without a group of their own, or new ones created, to be placed in a generic group (the "Base Group"). It also allows you to freely move the Master to the end of the audio stream, and easily organize any new auxiliary buses you need. If you are always going to work with groups and buses, this should be your most basic startup configuration. You can save it as a template to replace the default Qtractor configuration.

Configuration with Templates

After creating workflows that work for you, it is recommended to save them as templates. This way you will have them available to start complex projects with everything already configured.