davidmesiha wrote:I have logic running as rewire master. I have notion sending audio into logic in small groups and individual instruments. I do all my panning in Notion, but reverb in logic for the mixing stage.
I'm still not quite sure of the best way to set up the reverb to get each instrument group in its correct space without getting muddy. currently I use EWQL Space reverb and load them on buses in instrument groups.
NOTION 4 has true stereo panning controls, which is very nice and is quite different from stereo balance controls, since you can pan the location of instruments with a true stereo panning control, as contrasted to being able only to adjust the volume levels of the left and right channels with a stereo balance control, but you also can do true stereo panning with Logic Pro 9, as is the case with Digital Performer 8, but it requires using an extra plug-in . . .
Overall, I generally prefer to do panning in NOTION 4 when I know in advance what I want to do later in the mix, but with ReWire 2 if I need to change something I can just redo the ReWire 2 step and create a new, differently panned "soundbite", which is what the NOTION 4 generated audio is called when it is recorded in Digital Performer 8 via ReWire 2 . . .
In the two scenario you provided, as I understand what you wrote, the first scenario has the output of each channel or track routed directly to a reverb bus, and in this scenario the relative volume level of each instrument will be controlled by the volume slider for its respective track, which is fine, and what is sent will be post-fader, hence any changes you make to the individual channel will be sent . . .
In the second scenario, you are using a send to route each instrument to its group or section reverb bus, and in this scenario you have the option (a) to send the original input unaffected by the pan control and volume slider, which will be "Pre Fader"; (b) to send the original input after it is modified by the volume slider, which will be "Post Fader"; or (c) the original input signal after it is modified by both the pan control and the volume slider, which will be "Post Pan" . . .
However, other than equalization modifications, if there are effects inserts for a channel, where 100 percent of the original signal is sent to the effects insert, then this is
not included with what is sent to the auxiliary channel, hence is a consideration, but even if you do use an effects insert most effects plug-ins have an input level control, so you can control how much of the original input is used for the effect, hence in some respects is it mostly is a matter of the way you want to work with the various controls and effects plug-ins when producing and mixing . . .
I have Digital Performer 8 (MOTU) and Logic Pro 9 (Apple), but I prefer to use Digital Performer 8, since I have more experience with it and generally find it to be much easier to use than Logic Pro 9, although this might be due to having more stick time with Digital Performer 8 . . .
The strategy I use is based in part on something that Les Paul wrote about reverberation and echoes, which is that it is better to do them on all the instruments and vocals, since otherwise it sounds a bit artificial or strange, except that I modify the advice a bit, where I have reverb and echoes for the Master stereo output, which applies equally to everything, but I also use reverb and echo on individual tracks and groups of tracks when it makes sense and the sound needs to be different . . .
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NOTE: Most of the time I use "channels" and "tracks" interchangeably, where using "channels" is a bit awkward, since I mostly think of "channels" in terms of ReWire 2 channels and so forth, so if I switch to using "tracks", it is the same thing, really. The important thing is that most of the time "channels" and "tracks" refer to the tall vertical things with the volume fader, pan control, and all the knobs, buttons, inserts, and so forth . . . ]
I like to have all the volume sliders or faders pegged to 0dB, since it looks good and removes messing with volume sliders from the equation, and when I do this I use one or more of a small set of limiters, leveling amplifiers, and compressors of various types to do the primary volume level adjustment, and I do this because it gives me more intimate and detailed control over the actual perceived volume level or loudness for each instrument or voice, and most of the time (a) it will be the first effect insert in the chain and (b) it will be done in a minimal way, which almost makes it transparent but not always . . .
In this context, it is useful to understand that I focus primarily on
DISCO and
Pop songs, where the general goal is for everything to be heard rather than on preserving dynamics and all that typically
Orchestral and
Symphonic stuff, where the overall perspective is that if you cannot hear it, then it does not need to be there, hence if you leave it there it just adds noise and reduces clarity . . .
Another aspect of this strategy is what one might call the "Elvis Rule", which basically is that it makes no sense to have Elvis share a reverb and echo unit with Scotty Moore, hence you run Elvis through separate reverb and echo units, as you do with Scotty Moore's electric guitar and everything else. In other words, every instrument and voice becomes "Elvis" and the goal is to tailor each one individually and then to add a tiny bit of reverb, echo, and other effects to everything in the Master stereo output track but in a way that is focused on the Gestalt, room, concert hall, or whatever . . .
As an example of using different types effects, including limiters, leveling amplifiers, brickwall limiters, compressors, "ducking" side-chain compression, and so forth on individual instruments, listen to the snare drum rimshots in the right channel, where it should be easy to hear that the snare drum rim shots have a massive amount of reverb, which is quite different from the overall reverb of the entire song . . .
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NOTE: This is done with music notation and VSTi virtual instruments in NOTION 3 and produced, mixed, and mastered in Digital Performer 7, and some of the instruments are doubled or tripled, which is an easy way to have more control of placement, where I usually have three snare drums panned far-left, top-center, and far-right in NOTION, so that I can fine-tune where each snare drum rimshot is heard depending on what is being played and so forth, which I also do with the kick drum. And for the bass instruments, which usually is a set of instruments rather than just a single bass instrument, I double each one of them. Everything is much nicer with NOTION 4 and Digital Performer 8 running in 64-bit mode, but I used a lot of IK Multimedia instruments and the 32-bit version of MachFIve 3 on this song, and while MachFive 3 also runs in 64-mode, the IK Multimedia VSTi virtual instruments continue to be 32-bit only, which is a bit annoying, but IK Multimedia will release 64-bit versions sometime in the not so distant future . . . ]
"I Want To Dance With You" (The Surf Whammys) -- Basic Rhythm Section and Melody -- MP3And for reference, at present the only time I use sends is for doing stereo side-chain "ducking". For everything else I use effects inserts and tailor a specific set of effects for each instrument and voice, but as noted I also use a small set of effects on the Master stereo output track, mostly to control the overall level and to add a tiny bit of reverb, echo, and vacuum-tube blur as an overall texture, where I use Saturn (FabFilter Software Instruments) to add the vacuum-tube blur and the T-RackS CS Grand Brickwall Limiter to exert final control over the volume level, which is fabulous . . .
Fabulous! 
P. S. You must have a calibrated full-range studio monitor system with a flat equal loudness curve at 85 dB SPL if you expect to be able to fine-tune everything, and there is a link in my next post to this discussion which explains this fact in vast detail and in my view is the definitive text on the subject, since I wrote it, really . . .
Really! 
Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:28 am