I don't have Magix Music Studio 12 Deluxe but I do have Samplitude, the bigger brother. If its similar yours,

In your existing session:

Lets create an new Aux track and call that track "Reverb" and save.
Next load a Reverb plugin in that track and set the reverb mix level to full and exit it. Thats it. You just created an Aux Reverb Bus.
Now go to your Vocal track (or any track) and click on the first bus available send of that track and it should automatically be called Reverb. Adjust the level of the bus to taste and you are done.
You can use that Reverb bus for as many tracks as you want.

Now if you want and echo bus, simply repeat these steps but this time call the next Aux track as Echo. Load in a echo plugin, set the mix level to full, exit. Go to your vocal track and click on the next available bus just below your reverb and it should be called echo. Make sense?

You probably need to talk to people using your specific software.

In general submix group buses ("bus tracks" to you) interrupt the normal path of the channel to the main bus. Channels assigned to a group bus get to the main mix through the bus.

Effects buses ("aux tracks" to you) don't interrupt the normal path to the main bus but run in parallel to the channels. Generally there are insert points on the effects bus for putting in plugins. On each channel you want the effect added to you use the post-fader aux send. The more you send from a channel the more effect you get on that track. The output of the effects bus generally goes to the main bus. Only use effects that add more signal to the original, like reverbs and echoes, and set the mix control to 100% effect (no original signal, just the reverb or echoes).

Not sure if this helps but check this and other Magix videos

You need to know that you may want to run things serially, and some in parallel. You can use any effect both ways, but some generally get used more often in one, or the other, application. That's no iron-clad rule, though. You can get creative any way you want.

Serially means the dry track(s) runs straight into the effect, and the track(s) come out affected by the effect. You are manipulating the entire original signal. Some effects you may wish to use for this include EQ, compression, varying filter-type stuff, distortion/overdrive and the over-used auto-tune/vocoder-type thing. You can generally mix the dry/wet ratio within that track to how strong you want the effect to change the signal.

Parallel means you are basically creating another path to run alongside (or outside both sides) of the original signal, leaving the original signal alone. Time-delay (reverb and actual distinguishable delay) is well suited for this, because you can leave the original as you like, set the effect to 100%, and fit just as much as you want in (and around) the original. The original remains punchy and clear, and the effect adds ambience, cleanly. Or dirty, if you want. You can EQ the effect, mess with modulation, distort it...whatever. Chorus, phaser and flanging fall into the "time-delay" category, and can be used either serially, or in parallel.

You may want to take a mono vocal, add a mono chorus serially to the track, and apply a stereo reverb in parallel to give it space. You may want to run a serial stereo chorus to a mono vocal (which will effectively split the track into stereo), or a parallel stereo, or even mono, chorus to just sneak it in around or behind a vocal?

It's wide open. You can generally use any effect in any order, and any configuration you want...but.

There are common sense generalities of effects order...what to do to the original track first, which effect first, next and last, etc.

Read up on "effects placement". Even Google up "guitar effects order" etc. Look up the reasons for when to use serial vs. parallel effects. There is a lot of stuff out there explaining all this, and don't ignore the numerous guitar sites, if you run into them. An effect is an effect, and the reasons are...if not EXACTLY the same as production mixing...at least very, very similar.

Then, get to know the software, and know the reason for the routing scheme and effects order you choose for any particular track, group of tracks, or even the final mix.

Good luck,

Kapt.Krunch

Thanks guys you've all been very helpful. I was able to get my hands on Samplitude and actually felt like I was in over my head with it. I suppose I grew too accustomed to the plug ins from the old program and honestly am still to new and learning to understand all the mechanics of samplitude.

Usually the way I lay out the vocals for my verses is:

Lead vocal centered n dry (full verse)

Two full verse tracks panned left n right, usually -25, n 25
These two tracks are the ones I usually add a delay to, and where I need the effects aux bus thing to come in.

Two tracks to accent phrases n thickened certain words, panned -35, n 35 usually

Two tracks for adlibs and anything extra. Panned -45 n 45
With these I like to add a 1/4 delay

Each track is also compressed and EQ, so you can imagine how many effects I have to plug in track by track.
I've watched people set up aux buses on other programs but its a little different on mine.

To be very specific with what's confusing me, if I open an aux track n put effects on it, can I just send a vocal track to that effect and adjust, or do I have to open a bus track? Am I confusing the two?

I think you need to start learning how to use either an aux bus or a sub group bus for fx. It will probably cut down on the amount of plugins you are loading your system with. For instance, if you were sending all the backup vocals to a sub group you could insert one instance of compressor plug and be done with it. As to how the routing in your specific DAW works I don't know but most of the best DAWs work just like an analog mixer only without limiting the parameters. If you activate and aux send you have to have somewhere to send it so you will need to create a bus for it. Don't get your panties too twisted up on aux bus versus subgroup bus. A bus is a bus and carries the passengers to the destination. The main difference is how your passengers get on the bus. I don't say this to be mean, but are you familiar with analog mixing boards at all? If so they are often laid out in a regular fashion and we can start drawing analogies to those.

TheJackAttack, post: 380871 wrote: For instance, if you were sending all the backup vocals to a sub group you could insert one instance of compressor plug and be done with it.

That could sound drastically different than compressing individual tracks. Bus compression leaves the differences between tracks intact while track compression generally decreases the differences (though differences can on occasion increase depending on attack and release settings).

TheJackAttack, post: 380871 wrote: I don't say this to be mean, but are you familiar with analog mixing boards at all? If so they are often laid out in a regular fashion and we can start drawing analogies to those.

I'm with you there. Digital audio workstations are all more or less analogs of mixing boards, racks of processors and multi-track recorders. Trying to explain basic routing concepts to people who have never used the hardware model DAWs follow gets frustrating. What the typical rock club hack sound guy would get in two seconds many aspiring home recordists never seem to grasp, not because they are stupid but because they haven't spent some quality time on a real hardware analog mixer. Add to that all the different terminology used by different companies and you have a breakdown in communication that isn't worth my time to correct.

The more I try experimenting with it and re-read your responses the clearer its becoming. I failed to realize the difference between submix and aux buses. I was confusing submix buses for available bus tracks I think.

When I open an aux track I can't find where I go to find the available buses to send when I'm looking at it through the 'digital mixer' I guess you can call it. But when I look at it from how it looks when u record, if I right click a track I saw the bus 1, bus 2 n so on.

I tried running a reverb and delay separately and sending but I couldn't hear the effect being applied. I think its because I didn't have the mix of each effect all the way up so hopefully adjusting that will solve my problem.

I don't have an actual mixer I use an m-audio mobile pre preamp/audio interface. However MMS12 does have the setup that looks exactly like a mixer just like samplitude and I'm pretty familiar with it.

Now I just have to take notes on which effects are better to use for submix buses and which for aux buses. Thank you all for your very helpful answers, if there's anything else you feel I should know about setting these buses up feel free to let me know. Hopefully I can figure the rest out, thanx again.

A bus track works just like any other. You need to set the output to go to the main fader or a submix bus. You will also need to adjust the output gain. For aux or bused fx usually the are set at 100% wet and 0% dry and then mixed with the original accordingly.

I see. So when I open an aux track and add delays and reverbs, I'm supposed to turn the mix all the way up and use the fader to control how much is being used, makes sense.

But what about compression and eq? If I adjust the settings to how I usually do track by track will it make a difference? Or do I have to boost n cut dramatically and blend it in? Same with compression, do I have to set the threshhold n attack etc... dramatically high and blend it in? Or will 'normal' settings work just fine for an aux, or submix bus track?

Maverick87, post: 380988 wrote: But what about compression and eq? If I adjust the settings to how I usually do track by track will it make a difference? Or do I have to boost n cut dramatically and blend it in? Same with compression, do I have to set the threshhold n attack etc... dramatically high and blend it in? Or will 'normal' settings work just fine for an aux, or submix bus track?

Eq and compression normally go on individual tracks and/or on groups. They are meant to change the entire signal, which is why they generally don't have mix controls (some compressors are exceptions) and can be considered 100% wet all the time, with no unaffected signal getting through. You shouldn't have to do anything drastic to get them to work.

I started experimenting a little more in depth and have experienced successful results so far. My vocals were sounding like they were at the right volume in terms of loudness, but the mix sounded too in your face. I removed the EQ and compression from each track in a verse for example, and sent the entire verse to a submix bus track that had compression and EQ and a high pass filter on it. The result seemed to be a much more controlled verse. I still have to figure out the exact balance of the faders from the verse on the mixer feature compared to the fader on the submix bus track. Am I correct in assuming most people turn the fader on the bus track up high and just use the mixer faders to mix it better? Or is there more balancing to it than that?

Also I was only able to do submix bus, I dont quite get how a 'regular' aux track is routed. My program allows for 4 buses n 4 aux is how its set up. The only two options are 'add submix bus' and 'add aux'. When i open a submix bus it creates the aux automatically. To get the submix bus effects to work, i route for example, bus 1 to aux 1, and send the vocal tracks I want to bus 1 and its the only way Ive got it to work. If i add delays or reverbs or any effects to the aux track itself, and send a vocal track to the bus assigned, nothing happens. What am i missing here?

Also i would send the full verse to a submix bus with compression and EQ and high pass filter, and the vocals sounded already mixed much better after i was able to be precise with the compression. It sounds like most people create a bus track for lead vocals only, and another for backup vocals? Is that correct? I dont want to separate the tracks within a verse or chorus too much because I've already gotten good results, and if it aint broke dont fix it right?

I left the delays on the verses n chorus effect on the hook/chorus that i applied track by track on, and they were mixed in fine with the bus effects. Im wondering if I'll experience even better sound by creating a separate bux track with delays or reverbs or for backup vocals and just balancing everything correctly when its split.

If I have a group of vocals tracks for a verse or chorus, and I have them Panned and spread out further n differently, if I send them all through a submix bus with compression n eq, will the tracks remained Panned out? Or do I have to use the aux or bus track for the panning? While it sounds much better, the vocals sound more 'settled' so it made me curious