VCA tracks and Bus tracks uses and differences

[Joseph Hanna]

Yes Kev this is how our templates at work are setup and the video should clear up the nomenclature discrepancies.

We use an Aux return AND a VCA for each stem required by the project we're working on. Most every project is very similar in nature. Stems usually include Music, SFX, SOT (an ancient industry term for Sound off Tape), any VO that might be needed, audience applause and laughter.

The first passes for each stem usually includes volume automation at the track level only. We're not concerned with a mix here it's merely housekeeping levels solo'd to get things in the ballpark. Once all stems have a one pass we'll start adding two elements together, for instance Music and SOT's. The volume automation continues on the root level of the individual tracks and for every imaginable combination of stems until we get a viable first pass mix.

At that point we turn to the VCA's as a means to start making sure the elements all play nicely together. That is to say the track automation is set in stone and unless something egregious has been missed we'll primarily finish the mix (until mastering) with the VCA's.

The reason we use both VCA's and Aux returns for each stem is because each show (depending on its parent company) has a different spec for delivery. Some want separate stems of each and every element. Some want certain things combined say for instance Music and SFX. The Aux return track on each stem allows us to set up a "mix bounce" template in Pro Tools that allows for some pretty complex bouncing of stems in a single pass.

[runamuck]

Very clear explanation, Kev.

You could do that professionally.

[KevWind]

Thanks, could be a bit smoother with a written script perhaps, but glad it's clear.

It is interesting how things evolve I of course never used, did not know about, so never thought about VCA's for the years I was using Pro Tools LE (which did not have them in it's feature set). And when my productions consisted of only a couple guitar and vocal tracks there was no reason to group tracks period .

Even after upgrading to PTHD Native which had VCA's and I had started using groups, it was still a few years before I actually saw them being used by a mix engineer in a commercial studio and the light clicked on.

I equate VCA's with a microwave oven, don't really need one, but after you use one for certain things, you would really miss not having it.