Reference Manual

198 Mixing
15.4 Return Tracks and the Master Track
In addition to Group Tracks and tracks that play clips, a Live Set has a Master track and return
tracks; these cannot play clips, but allow for more flexible signal processing and routing.
The return tracks and the Master track occupy the right-hand side of the Session mixer view and
the bottom end of the Arrangement View.
Note that you can hide and show the return tracks using the Returns command in the View menu.
Like the “normal“ clip tracks, the returns and the Master can host effects devices. However,
whereas a clip track’s effect processes only the audio within that track, return tracks can process
audio sent to them from numerous tracks.
For example, suppose you want to create rhythmic echoes with a delay effect. If you drag the ef-
fect into a clip track, only clips playing in this track will be echoed. Placing this effect in a return
track lets it receive audio from any number of tracks and add echoes to them.
The Send Controls and Pre/Post Toggle.
A clip or group track’s Send control regulates how much of the track’s output feeds the associat-
ed return track’s input. What’s more, even the return track’s own output can be routed to its input,
allowing you to create feedback. Because runaway feedback can boost the level dramatically
and unexpectedly, the Send controls in Return tracks are disabled by default. To enable them,
[right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) on a Return track’s Send knob and select Enable Send or
Enable All Sends.
Every return track has a Pre/Post toggle that determines if the signal a clip track sends to it is
tapped before or after the mixer stage (i.e., the pan, volume and track-active controls). The “Pre“
setting allows you to create an auxiliary mix that is processed in the return track, independently
of the main mix. As the return track can be routed to a separate output, this can be used to set up
a separate monitor mix for an individual musician in a band.