AnalogDAW has several kinds of channel strip. They share the same analog-modeled processors but serve different roles in your mix. This chapter explains each strip, what processing it carries, and when to use it.
They all share the console sound. Tracks, buses, aux returns, and the master all run the same modeled preamp color, EQ, saturation, and compressor engines — so a compressor "mode" or EQ move sounds the same wherever you use it.
| Strip | Sums audio? | Has full processing? | Main job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track | — (it's a source) | Yes | Record and shape one instrument/voice. |
| Mix Bus | Yes | Yes | Process a group of tracks together. |
| Aux Return | Yes (from sends) | Yes + reverb/delay | Shared send effects. |
| Cue Bus | Yes (from cue sends) | Level/pan only | Performer headphone mixes. |
| VCA Group | No | No (fader only) | Ride many faders as one. |
| Master Bus | Yes (everything) | Yes + tape + limiter | Final output and polish. |
The workhorse. One track = one source (a mic, a line input, an instrument, or imported audio).
Signal flow: Input → Preamp/Color → Filter → Gate → EQ → Compressor → De-Esser → Inserts (reorderable) → Pan → Fader → Output.
Carries: preamp & color, high/low-pass filters, gate, 4-band EQ, mode-switchable compressor, de-esser, six plug-in inserts, aux sends, cue sends, pan, fader, mute/solo/arm, and automation.
Routes to: a mix bus or directly to the master (and to a chosen hardware output pair).
Use it for: everything you record or import — the foundation of the mix.
A summing strip that combines several tracks into one signal you can process and control together.
Signal flow: (summed inputs) → Filter → Gate → De-Esser → EQ → Compressor → Inserts (reorderable) → Pan/Trim → Fader → Output.
Carries: the same processors as a track (filter, gate, de-esser, EQ, compressor, inserts), plus a fader, pan, and an output trim. It can belong to a VCA group and have its own automation.
Routes to: the master or another bus (for nested sub-mixes).
Use it for: drum buses, vocal buses, instrument groups — "glue" compression across a group, a single EQ move on all backing vocals, parallel processing.
A bus fed by sends rather than by routed track outputs — the home for shared effects.
Carries: built-in reverb (Small/Medium/Large Room, Medium/Large Hall, Plate, Cathedral) and delay (time, feedback, mix), plus the full processing set (filter, gate, de-esser, EQ, compressor, inserts), a level, pan, and enable.
Fed by: each track's aux send (pre- or post-fader).
Use it for: one reverb shared by the whole mix, a slap-back delay on several vocals, parallel "New York" compression (send drums to an aux and crush it).
A dedicated headphone/monitor mix for performers, independent of the main mix and sent to its own hardware output pair.
Carries: a level and pan per bus, an enable, an output channel pair selector, and an option to follow the main mix as a starting point.
Fed by: each track's cue send.
Use it for: giving the singer "more me" in their cans, building a click-heavy mix for the drummer, or any monitor mix that shouldn't affect the recording.
Not an audio path at all — a control group. A VCA group's fader applies a level offset to all its members simultaneously. Members can be tracks, mix buses, and aux returns.
Carries: a single group fader (a dB offset) and automation. No audio summing, no processing.
Use it for: riding "all drums" or "all vocals" with one fader while keeping each member's internal balance; automating group-level moves cleanly. Pair it with edit groups for full control of a section.
The final strip — everything in the session sums here before it leaves your speakers or your export. It's a mastering chain.
Signal flow: (full mix) → Tape → Filter → EQ → Compressor → Inserts → Limiter → Output fader → Meter. (Every stage including the limiter is reorderable, except the output fader and meter, which stay last.)
Carries:
Use it for: final polish, controlling overall dynamics and loudness, and hitting a target level for distribution. Keep the limiter on to prevent clipping on the way out.
AnalogDAW ships a single, carefully-tuned console voicing ("Warm"): large- transformer low-end weight and even-harmonic bloom, blended with a tight, present, airy top end. It's always working subtly in the background on every strip — which is why a project mixed in AnalogDAW has a consistent, "run through a desk" character even before you touch a single processor.
Next: Audio Settings →