Auxiliary Tracks

"Sends" are one of the most efficient ways to add certain effects to the various tracks that comprise your overall mix.

In order to understand what a send is and how to use it properly, we first need to discuss auxiliary tracks.

An auxiliary track is like any other track in many ways. It has a volume fader. It can be muted or soloed. It can host multiple plug-ins. It can be automated in various ways.

The one way an auxiliary track differs from other tracks is that it cannot be used to record. Instead of directly hosting audio files or midi information, an auxiliary track provides the output only with information it has received from other tracks.

Think about the audio system in a car. The radio produces an audio signal with information from the airwaves. The cassette player produces an audio signal from the information on a tape. The CD player produces an audio signal from the information on a disc.

But the auxiliary jack doesn't produce anything. It simply relays the signal it receives from something else, like an mp3 player.

It's exactly the same in your DAW.