How do I remove effects from a track?

Question

Level 1

9 points

How do I remove effects from a track?

For example: I show the Master Track, click the Edit tab, and I see two track effects (Echo and Reverb) and three master effects (Compressor, Visual EQ, Ducker).

I understand how to edit the effects and toggle them on and off, but how do I remove them completely from the track?

Macbook, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Apr 15, 2009 9:17 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 16, 2009 6:50 AM in response to MrSammler

Okay - so you're not talking about the Master Track, but about the individual tracks (different story!).

To take your example:

The Compressor, the Visual EQ, the Echo and Reverb are default effects. You can manually set the parameters of the Compressor or pick from a variety of presets, you can vary amount of Echo and Reverb (the kind of echo and reverb are set in the Master Track), and the EQ offers almost everything that you want from an EQ, including tons of presets - it's all not just "on" or "off"!

The Overdrive sits in one of the four effects slots that you can assign any effects to. Click on "Overdrive" and pick a different effect. So you can select 4 of your 5 desired effects and use them in these slots.

(Anyway, I doubt that applying all those effects would make a lot of sense. For example, distortion is part of every amp model that you choose. And Chorus plus Flanger plus Tremolo sounds a bit over the top for me ... 🙂 )

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Answer 2

Apr 15, 2009 11:58 PM in response to MrSammler

The Echo and Reverb settings in the Master Track only determine which echo and reverb can be applied to the single tracks - they don't put these effects on the Master Track.

As for the 4 effects slots: As you say you know how to turn them off - when they're off, they're off. So where's the problem?

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Answer 3

MrSammler Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 16, 2009 6:38 AM in response to Christoph Drösser

Thanks for your reply. Here is the problem:

I create (for example) a new Electric Piano track. I click on Edit, and I see that 3 of the 5 effects slots are already filled (Compressor - On by default; Overdrive - Off by default; Visual EQ - On by default).

Yes, I can toggle those 3 effects On or Off, but now I want to choose the following 5 effects: Chorus, Distortion, Flanger, Tremolo, Amp Simulation. So, how do I remove the 3 pre-selected effects to make room for my choices?

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Answer 4

MrSammler Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 16, 2009 7:08 AM in response to Christoph Drösser

Thanks again for the information. I agree that the 5 effects I chose for my example would be "over the top" but that's beside my point in asking the question.

You've clarified for me that there are some "default effects" on tracks that cannot be completely removed (such as the Compressor and Visual EQ), whereas there are others that can be completely removed. As you pointed out, I was able to select "none" in place of the Overdrive effect and the slot became free.

I'm surprised that my original question seemed mysterious. In all recording environments I've ever worked in previously (whether analog mixing board or ProTools) it is possible to have a track with no effect allocated to any sends... not just toggled "off" but still listed in the effects chain.

This is apparently not the case in Garageband. OK.

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Answer 5

Apr 16, 2009 8:04 AM in response to MrSammler

I'm surprised that my original question seemed mysterious.

The confusion arose because you were talking about the Master Track, which is very different from the single tracks.

And you can create a "no effects" track, at least for real instruments (which correspond to the recording channels in an "old" environment) - it's even called that (under "Basic Track").

The reason for GB offering some pre-defined effects slots is that you will use those for almost every real recording that you do. You mention an analog mixing board - it has a "pre-installed", hard wired EQ too, and most of the time you would have used a reverb device and some kind of hardware compression. So GB isn't too far removed from this kind of experience - only that all of its effects are applied after the recording and can be removed or changed at any time - the recording is always no-effects.

Message was edited by: Christoph Drösser

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Answer 6

MrSammler Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 16, 2009 8:11 AM in response to Christoph Drösser

The reason for GB offering some pre-defined effects slots is that you will use those for almost every real recording that you do. You mention an analog mixing board - it has a "pre-installed", hard wired EQ too

Clearly you own a board made after 1960. 😉
Anyway the analogy I was making was to effects sends to outboard gear.

and most of the time you would have use a reverb device and some kind of hardware compression.

I would beg to differ with that statement, but it doesn't matter.

So GB isn't too far removed from this kind of experience - only that all of its effects are non-destructive and can be removed or changed after the recording which is always no-effects.

I agree that GB (like ProTools or Logic) benefits from its dissimilarities with an analog recording environment. But it seems counterintuitive for the effects on GB software instruments to behave differently than GB real instruments. That's a facet of GB that is different than any other recording software I've used.

Thanks for all the excellent help!

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Answer 7

Apr 16, 2009 8:19 AM in response to MrSammler

But it seems counterintuitive for the effects on GB software instruments to behave differently than GB real instruments.

Well, in principle they don't, it's the same set of available effects. Only that a "software instrument" in GB terms is a sound generator plus an effects setting. That's most obvious for synths.

But great that we could help you with your question!

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Answer 8

poflynn

Level 4

1,303 points

Apr 15, 2009 11:59 PM in response to MrSammler

What do you mean, exactly? If you turn them off they are off. You can't remove the option to use them altogether.

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Answer 9

MrSammler Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 16, 2009 6:39 AM in response to poflynn

Thanks - when you say I can't remove the "option to use them" do you mean I can't replace the preloaded selections with others? (see my reply above, too)

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