Is it possible use a subgroup bus as well as individual track faders?

Getting Stuff Done How do I .... ?
#1

Is it possible to use a single fader to cut the audio entirely from groups of tracks at specific times using a single fader but still be able to mix them all individually?

I know subgroups allow you to route everything through a single fader but I’d like to have different faders for different groups, some of them with overlapping tracks so I don’t think groups will work because as far as I know tracks may only be part of one group.

#2

What you are likely referring to are what on consoles are known as DCA or VCAs, depending on digital or analog. There is no function for this at this time, however keep in mind that if you have a console in multiple DCAs it tends to get the sum of those DCAs applied to it’s level, meaning if one DCA is at -5 and one at -10, the fader affected by both will be -15 in many cases, which is often not what most people truly want.

        Seablade
#3

Thanks for answering.
Yes after looking up DCA/VCAs these do seem to be what I’m talking about. I’m thinking of just using automation and cutting the volume on each track individually when I need to. This seems tedious though, but I suppose there’s no better way?

#4

Won’t setting up a bus and using it as a subgroup work? The fader on the bus will just act as a master fader for whichever individual tracks you route to its input, but still allow use of the track faders.

#5

jrigg: graw wants overlapping groups.

#6

@jrigg

I was thinking about that a bit earlier, in this case from the description it sounds like it should work yes.

To the OP: A track can go through multiple subgroups, it can just only be part of a single edit group at a time is all. After I went back and re-read your OP, this may be a better solution than a DCA for you.

    Seablade
#7

I tried setting up a subgroup bus but I couldn’t figure out how to connect the outputs of the tracks I wanted to the subgroup bus. I ended up just making normal busses and connecting the different tracks to them. I’ll see if I can get the subgroups figured out.

I guess what I’m trying to accomplish is, I’m trying to make dub music with Ardour. It tends to be a few bars repeating with different groups of instruments being cut in and out to ‘dub’ the song. Most of the time they use real mixing boards where they can grab a few faders and once and adjust them at the same time. I don’t have a hardware controller or anything like that so I’d like to be able to find a way to achieve that without one if it’s possible.

#8
  1. Put the tracks into a group.
  2. Right click on the group tab, choose “Add New subgroup bus”

Done.

#9

@paul

That doesn’t work as far as I can tell each track can only be part of one group, so wouldn’t that subgroup fader only be able to control that group?
I’d like to have a subgroup with just the instruments and then be able to have say all the horn tracks, drum tracks and bass tracks as separate subgroup as well as the rhythm and melody supgrouped. Each controllable individually or as the different subgroups. So horns for example would be grouped with instruments, horns and melody and controllable by any of those faders or their own faders.

#10

@graw: sure, the lack of overlapping groups was noted above, and was a given - you can’t do what you want with Ardour at present. I was commenting on how to make subgroup bussing work.