What's the big Difference between Inserts & FX Handling?

Why are FX channels treated so badly? :laughing:

If I want to insert a plugin, I go to a slot and insert a plugin. But if I want to load an FX, I must first create that FX to be loaded. WHY? Why can’t we just access the FX menu for instantiations, just like the plugin menu for insert? :confused:

Even after the FX is setup, the treatment is different. I can open and close an insert at any point for adjustment. But, once an FX is set up, I’m limited to amount and pre/post status. I have to go through a whole process to access the FX, that isn’t required for inserts and, once I do I have to use the cursor to adjust the controls. If I want to use my encoders I have to go to the FX SOURCE, which is now treating it as an insert, then I can use my encoders.

Why this big discrepancy?

there are different routes possible…
I use mostly the “Add FX to selected channels”, that remembers my last choice of FX and speeds up the workflow

to edit the FX settings you can access the plug-in inserted in the FX channel or right click on the send and choose “Edit FX” from there…

Yeah, that is a little help, as far as time saving workflow is concerned. But even that isn’t as fast as just going to the slot, like you can with inserts and there’s the menu! That is the entire point of my question, WHY IS IT DIFFERENT?

You don’t have to go anywhere else to edit an insert. Why do you have to go to a separate insert track to edit an FX? They’re plugins just like the insert plugins. Why can’t they be handled the same?

indeed these are inserts as well… inserts in the FX channel (or in a group)…
so they can get used as send FX
and they treated exactly the same like all other inserts
you can edit them with one click on the FX channel insert slot
don’t understand your problem there… the entire routing is different so they treated different
you can send multiple inputs to one reverb to place the inputs in one room
and you can use more than one plug-in in the chain…

I’m referring to the number of steps required to work with the FX as compared to the insert. This is NOT a big deal. I just wondered why you have to create the FX instead of just select the FX.

In fact, my very workaround is to have all the FX I generally use created in a folder in my Templates.
Then, when I go to select an effect, It shows up in the FX slots just like inserts. :wink:

You’re talking about external effects right?

You will be limited to 8 send FX
set in the preferences every new channel to auto apply send FX
so you just need to turn the send on…

I think he is talking about send FX in general

It’s hard to follow what the exact problem is because it looks to me like different words are being used interchangeably.

To me there is no such thing as a “send FX”, nor are there any “FX slots”.

A “send” is a function where you send a signal from a channel.
A “plugin” is something that goes into an insert.
An “insert” is where you put a plugin etc.
An “effect” is a processing tool.

So when I see “FX slots” I have no idea what means, nor “send FX”.

I’m only halfway into my first cup of coffee for today, but it looks as if you want the functionality to be that you can click on an “FX send slot” on an audio track and choose “an effect”, which essentially would be a plugin (just like in inserts), and that would then create the FX channel with that plugin instantiated automatically.

If that’s what you’re talking about then I think the current behavior is logical because you’re not creating or instantiating a plugin but just sending a signal, hence the (technical) name “send”. If you were able to do either you’d have a potentially really long list with both plugins and all other tracks and buses in the project. And if you wanted to instantiate a new plugin on an existing FX channel you’d need to select which insert slot to use or it’d be by some default. There would also be a need to define the channel width and i/o of the FX channel as you choose the plugin.

The behavior that I see seems to be identical to at least Pro Tools and traditional consoles so everything seems logical to me. And I too set up whatever I envision I will need for mixing in my templates which then includes FX tracks with already instantiated plugins in inserts. They’re then labeled so that they’re easy to find in “send slots” on the audio tracks (or groups) I’m sending from.

… or did I completely misunderstand everything?.. (it’s very possible)

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You understood the functionality goal just fine, and, once again there is no problem. I was just wondering about the difference in access to these plugs.