Applying effects in the Multitrack Editor

Learn how to apply effects in the Multitrack Editor to enhance and shape audio across multiple tracks with precision.

In the Multitrack Editor, you can apply up to 16 effects to each clip, track, and bus, and adjust them while a mix plays. (Apply clip effects if a track contains multiple clips that you want to process independently.)

You can insert, reorder, and remove effects in the Editor, Mixer, or Effects Rack panel. Only in the Effects Rack, however, can you save favorite settings as presets, which you can apply to multiple tracks.

In the Multitrack Editor, effects are nondestructive, so you can change them at any time. To adapt a session to different projects, for example, simply reopen it and adjust effects to create new sonic textures.

Pre-render track effects to improve performance

In the Multitrack Editor, pre-render track effects to reduce CPU usage and improve performance for complex mixes or low-latency recording. (Latency measures the delay between user input and sound output from a computer. If latency is high, it produces an audible echo during recording, disrupting timing for musicians.)

You can continue to edit track settings normally; pre-rendering processes audio when playback or editing pauses.

Insert effects before or after sends and EQ

On each track, you can insert effects either pre‑ or post‑fader. Pre‑fader effects process audio before sends and EQ. Post‑fader effects process audio after sends and EQ. For most mixes, the default, pre‑fader setting works well. The post‑fader setting offers signal‑routing flexibility for particularly complex mixes.