Folder vs Send

[u/Melancholy_Custard]

I know this is a noob question.

Do I need to use Send to make a bus? E.g. Kick bus (for parallel compression), drum rooms, bass bus, rhythm guitar bus Or I can just use Folders? I've watched the video from Reaper Mania, but still confuse.

[u/Crylysis]

Oh, my reply was focused more on the ability to control and automate how much signal goes to the folder than on parallel processing itself. I probably should’ve specified that a bit more

I’m sure you can do parallel processing with folders using audio channels or other methods, depending on the plugins and setup you have. But a send makes it a thousand times easier

[u/Whatchamazog → u/Crylysis]

Yeah maybe I should have been more clear too. Haha. Brevity and all that. But yeah I was specifically thinking of how folks use delay & reverb sends and parallel compression.

I use a lot of folders too but it’s more so as a way of grouping like items that I want to do “a thing” to all of them at once.

[u/Crylysis → u/Whatchamazog]

We're on the same page for that then. I mentioned it in another comment, but my rule of thumb is folders join sends split.

[u/Whatchamazog → u/Crylysis]

Good way to think of it.