Channel Strip VST's - How Are They Most Commonly Used?

[mwooten777]

I'm a part-time hobbyist with songwriting, recording, and producing my own songs, really just for fun. I'm trying to get a better understanding of how people use software channel strips in DAWs.

For example, is it most common to record "through" them, "printing" the effects to the recorded track? Or is it most common to use it as an insert on the track? And lastly, do I understand that some use it on busses, even the master bus?

As I'm learning, I want to try to learn the most important things first, so I'm trying to understand - is it better to just learn one channel strip (in my case, using Studio One, Fat Channel or maybe the Scheps Omni Channel), or is it better to use a stock compressor and stock EQ?

Thanks!
Mark

[lobanov]

Channel strips are "all in one" solutions (not all but the most important instruments like EQ, compressor etc.). There is no difference whether you use a channel strip or a stock effect. But sometimes separate EQs and compressors (even stock ones) offers a bit more. They usually do.

If you need to record with a compressor or an EQ you can use a channel strip. Why not? I'm not very aware about this (I almost never record anything), so I can't help with it.

While learning it's more preferable to learn basics, that is to learn how the compressor or the EQ works and why engineers use it. And it's very important to learn how to listen them. This knowledge will help you to use any compressor or EQ. But it's very good if you choose one EQ and one compressor (or one channel strip) and use them all the time. Don't buy or download all of them that you can access, don't waste your time.

[DMG68]

The channel strip is often going to provide a single sound signature across your tracks, often based on a hardware console. You can use them any way you like, you can print the sound with a channel strip or any other plugin. My opinion though, is that, unless you are extremely comfortable with committing to what you record and are able to get the results you want for sure, don’t print the sound with the plugin. Insert the channel strip when mixing. You can use them on any channel you like, individual, busses, mix buss.

The strip will give you the basic tools and that’s often all that’s needed, so it’s an all in one solution type of thing. Occasionally you may want to use another, more flexible, device to go beyond what a strip can do. In the end though, it doesn’t matter if you use a strip or not, whatever gets you the end result and gives you a good workflow is what you should use.

[Halonmusic]

i use them on busses actually

[Unaspected]

Channel strips include the essential tools that are required to mix a track (minus reverb and delay). They are called such due to the signal flow and physical appearance of recording consoles: Where each strip indicates a channel, down through which your signal will flow.

You would probably be best off learning your stock plugins first so that you can more easily transfer that knowledge onto other plugins. Definitely take time to read about compression and EQ as there is plenty of variation on these themes - and variation between hardware and software.

For me, a [plugin] channel strip can speed up mixing. I never track (record) through them. I'll only print *hardware signals if I won't have access to that hardware again (if in another studio). Otherwise I track audio as unprocessed as possible so that I have more options when I come to work with plugins.

Get a clean signal into your DAW using optimal preamp levels so that you are not clipping your audio interface's converters. This will maintain flexibility.

This isn't a strict rule. I'll happily track through hardware compressors ahead of my preamps and converters but I know what to expect there. I'm still much less likely to track through EQ though high pass filters are really useful to keep rumble low.

[briefcasemanx]

For people that think they want to get stuff done quick without messing around with deciding which separate eq, compressor, gate, etc they want. But then they buy 220 different channels strips and decision paralysis creeps in anyway, lol

[fmr]

For people that think they want to get stuff done quick without messing around with deciding which separate eq, compressor, gate, etc they want. But then they buy 220 different channels strips and decision paralysis creeps in anyway, lol

[Dirk Diggler]

Think of them as a replacement for your mixing console channel strip.

Personally I almost never print any effects when tracking.
Bad decisions can be made and if you print the effects, you're stuck with them.

I've found many times when I go back to mix a project, I don't like the sound of what I adjusted during tracking.

[mwooten777]

Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to respond. Great learning opportunities for me.

A couple of factors I'm learning to consider:

1 - I've learned that I can record electric guitar through my Focusrite Scarlett 214 2nd generation, using an amp sim, with acceptable latency (it's not like I'm a professional and super-sensitive to it anyway). I think I'm using 64 samples and it's not an issue, but I've also learned that I can use the Studio One "low-latency monitoring" option (green Z) in Studio One and have zero latency, with no CPU issues, so that's good to know. At least on reasonable, not-plugin-crazy songs.

2 - I agree with several of you - I don't see a latency- or CPU-related reason to "print" any effects when recording guitar or vocals. I think I can preserve the "dry" recorded signal, which gives me the most flexibility.

3 - One exception to that might be reverb and a little compression for vocals, but again, I don't see that being an issue.

4 - I think I'll try to learn my way around the stock EQ and compressor plugins before venturing to a channel strip.

Thanks!
Mark

[elxsound]

As others mentioned, software channel strips are usually used on unprocessed recorded material. You can record through them, and print them to a track and there's nothing wrong with this if you are certain this is what you want.

The only downside, as briefcasemanx mentioned, could be infinite choices in post, but this is less a problem as you define your workflow and then you reach for different tools because you know what character that plugin or channel strip will impart on the sound.

Essentially, a channel strip is an adopted workflow. You could just limit your mixing to just what's on the channel strip alone. And the workflow order could be the order of the signal (as in make it sound good before introducing next effect in the strip).

And if you looking to develop a workflow (for how you being processing tracks and mixes) it would be good to adopt someone else's as a starting point and then you break free later once it all makes sense. There are pay-for courses, but of course, there are lots of decent material on YouTube for mixing. The important part (IMO) is to choose just one person to follow first and then expand later.

[anttimaatteri]

i think they are remnants of the analogue mixer era. no need other than emulating these old hardware dinos to get that pristine sound into the box and the daw mixer. hd audio hardware was very expensive. imagine buying dedicated hardware for every channel of 16/32 mixer, now you just copy your plugin over to any bus ^^

[elxsound]

i think they are remnants of the analogue mixer era. no need other than emulating these old hardware dinos to get that pristine sound into the box and the daw mixer. hd audio hardware was very expensive. imagine buying dedicated hardware for every channel of 16/32 mixer, now you just copy your plugin over to any bus ^^

Channel strips are not exclusively emulations.

Even if you don’t use one already made, you’ll end up creating your own with your separate plugins.

[MogwaiBoy]

More than just workflow, by using the same character of compressor/eq/pre-amp etc (ie a channelstrip) on every channel, it can help to add a touch of uniformity/consistency.

[plexuss]

More than just workflow, by using the same character of compressor/eq/pre-amp etc (ie a channelstrip) on every channel, it can help to add a touch of uniformity/consistency.

I use them in a different way. I do use them for their specific audio characteristics (more-so than workflow) but I like to mix and match them per channel and sometimes parallel or serial them up. Sometimes just through experimenting. But usually I get a sense of the sound character of each channel strip and then when I am aiming for a particular sound or think a particular channel strip would work, I try it out. mostly its just experimentation with some recall of how strips sound. this is why I like Acquas because they each have a unique character but share a consistent character as well so they are easy to work with different once across tracks. But I mix and match. I really only use channel strips for "character".

[_leras]

4 - I think I'll try to learn my way around the stock EQ and compressor plugins before venturing to a channel strip.

Thanks!
Mark

Definitely worthwhile. Daw effects are fairly decent these days.

Re channel strips one of the main things they bring is a consistent interface. You have the main things you need for mixing right there. You can learn how it works more quickly and ultimately work a bit more quickly.

You can also bring up strips for multiple channels alongside each other when working with things that might clash or that are complementary. This is really useful.

Emulated channel strips, with their EQ curves, can carve sounds in a certain familiar way that people say 'sounds ike a record'.

You mentioned the waves Omni channel. For the price this thing is great. It's a fantastic mixing tool. I've used it a lot in the past year on some projects where I couldn't use my UAD plug ins. I was really impressed.
Highlights
Flexible low and.high filters with three slopes each.
Decent saturation control
Multiple compression models
Can change EQ curves on mid bands
You can dive into a more detailed view of each control
Per channel limiter

For $30 no reason not to pick it up if you ask me.