What are the basics of audio routing?
Audio routing refers to the flow of signal in your audio setup, whether it’s a hardware rig or production software like a DAW.
In any musical context, some kind of “signal” (whether that’s sound waves, electrical signal, or digital ones and zeroes) has to travel from one place to another.
When you play electric guitar, the signal begins at the strings of your axe, where it’s captured by the pickups on the guitar’s body. This signal (which is now electrical voltage) might then be routed to effects pedals that alter the signal. It then travels to an amplifier before being pushed into the air.
In electronic music-making setups, signal flow can get more complicated. You might think of the messy patchbays found in a well-equipped studio, or the forest of cables sticking out of a modular synth. But audio routing isn’t only relevant in the hardware realm. It’s just as crucial in software production, where it’s easy to set up smart and complex DAW signal routings.
What is routing in a DAW?
Audio routing in a DAW refers to the path that a signal takes from when it is generated to when you hear it. DAW signal routing typically starts with a sound source such as an audio file or synthesizer. Eventually it reaches the output of your DAW, where it can be sent to your speakers or headphones, or bounced to an audio file for later listening.
A lot of things can happen in between these two points. The signal might be routed through effects that transform it in creative ways. It might be grouped together with other signals, or duplicated and sent down multiple pathways.
Modern DAWs allow for almost limitless audio routing configurations. Indeed, the power to manage complex signal flows is one of the strengths of software production. Learning to master this complexity will broaden the scope of your music.
To better understand audio routing in a DAW, we need to learn some key terms, starting with “bus.”
What is a bus?
A bus, or mix bus, is a channel that takes signal from multiple channels and bundles them together into one signal.
