VCA Groups vs Busses

[Mustang Martigan]

I'm new to VCA groups and need some help..

I've got a few backing vocal tracks (all doubles following the lead). I want to group them and apply the same FX chain.
Should I first set the volume/pan info on the individual tracks (to get a uniform sound) and then send them to the same VCA group? Then send the VCA group to a bus, and insert FX there?

Thanks.

[Nick Sevilla]

Hi Mustang,

Usually what I do with submixes is that I do mix the individual voices together first, without grouping them at all, and
mix them against the music as I am doing so. Get their sound and panning down first.

Then, when they are very much "there" within the overall mix, I create a VCA fader (using Pro Tools HD), and use that to automate
their volume in the mixing stage.

As far as using overall effects on the entire group, if they need this, I route the tracks to an Auxiliary Buss, and add the effects to the Buss for processing the entire group of vocals.

If this is the case, I do the volume automation on the Auxiliary Buss, and only create a "group" and not a VCA fader for the vocal tracks, because the Auxiliary Buss now in effect becomes the "VCA" instead, and I do want the effects on this buss to be uniform on the vocals no matter how loud or soft they may be in the mix.

Simply put:

Individual vocal tracks >>> VCA group fader OR Auxiliary Buss (not both) >>> Mix Buss.

[Mustang Martigan]

Simply put:

Individual vocal tracks >>> VCA group fader OR Auxiliary Buss (not both) >>> Mix Buss.

Thanks.

[Scodiddly]

Dunno how it works in recording land, but in the live world a VCA group doesn't actually carry any audio. It's just control. You'd have to send your channels through an aux or group to get the audio into an FX thingy.

If you're sending each source into its own FX and then wanting a master effects send control or something then you'd use a VCA group.

Live people will put (say) all the drums on a VCA, all the vocals, etc. Then it's possible to bring all the vocals up and down with the VCA without changing the relative mix of them. You can do that with a group, but the bonus of a VCA is that things like post-fader effects sends will be influenced by the VCA (since it controls level at the same point as the channel fader), and so the relative mix of sources in the effects send will also remain in balance.