SAMPLED

Mixing and mastering · updated 2026-08-16

BUS AND AUX SEND

A bus collects several tracks for shared processing. An aux send feeds a copy of a signal to an effect so the dry track stays intact.

A Solid State Logic Matrix mixing console with channel strips, faders and pan pots — the desk layout behind the gain, EQ and balance terms in this section.
Mixing and mastering — A Solid State Logic Matrix mixing console with channel strips, faders and pan pots — the desk layout behind the gain, EQ and balance terms in this section.

Photo: Solid State Logic (SSL) Matrix Mixing Console at Audio Mix House, Studio C (opens in a new tab) by Audio Mix House (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab)

Key takeaways

  • A bus collects several tracks for shared processing.
  • An aux send feeds a copy of a signal to an effect so the dry track stays intact.
  • Buses give you glue and single-fader control, sends give you consistent effects across many sources with far less CPU.
  • Send all drums to one bus for gentle compression, and send snare and toms to a shared reverb aux so they occupy the same room.
  • Watch out: building deep bus chains without checking gain.

Quick checklist

  • Can you define bus and aux send in one sentence without looking?
  • Can you point at bus and aux send in a real session, mix or contract?
  • Have you tried the practical move above at least once?
  • Would you catch the common mistake before it costs you a take?
  • Have you opened one of the primary sources below rather than a forum thread?

BUS AND AUX SEND IN DEPTH

A bus groups channels so you can process them together; an aux send feeds a copy of a signal to a shared effect. Buses give you glue and single-fader control, sends give you consistent effects across many sources with far less CPU.

How it works in practice

Send all drums to one bus for gentle compression, and send snare and toms to a shared reverb aux so they occupy the same room.

The mistake people make

Building deep bus chains without checking gain. Every stage adds level, and the master ends up clipping for reasons that are hard to trace.

WHERE BUS AND AUX SEND SITS

Bus and aux send belongs to mixing and mastering in the Sampled music glossary. The processing vocabulary, plus the loudness standards streaming services actually measure you against.

TERMS THAT DEPEND ON BUS AND AUX SEND

  • Eurorack

    The dominant modular synth format: 3U-high modules sharing a case, power bus and 3.5 mm patch cables. You buy functions — oscillator, filter, sequencer — not finished instruments.

TEST YOURSELF

0/3 answered · 0 correct

3 quick questions on bus and aux send. Answers are marked instantly — nothing is sent anywhere.

  1. 1. Which statement best describes bus and aux send?

  2. 2. What is the mistake people most often make with bus and aux send?

  3. 3. In practice, which of these applies to bus and aux send?

Ready for the full thing? Take the 25-question terminology test and get a certificate with your name and score.

SOURCES AND CITATIONS

Free, primary references for bus and aux send — standards bodies, manufacturers, government offices and university course material. Each one lists the line of this entry it backs up.

  • Apple — Logic Pro User Guide (opens in a new tab)

    Primary reference · support.apple.com

    “A bus collects several tracks for shared processing.”— the claim this source supports

    Why it counts: Published by the organisation responsible for the thing being defined, so it is a first-hand source rather than a summary of one.

  • Ableton — Learning Music (opens in a new tab)

    Manufacturer learning resource · Ableton

    “An aux send feeds a copy of a signal to an effect so the dry track stays intact.”— the claim this source supports

    Why it counts: A free, hands-on explainer from a DAW maker — useful for hearing the concept rather than only reading it.

RELATED TERMS IN MIXING AND MASTERING

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