Subgroup
Definition
A routing configuration in which multiple related channels are grouped together and routed through a shared bus before reaching the master output. Allows collective processing and level control of a group of related instruments.
In Simple Terms
A folder for tracks. Route all your drums to one subgroup, all your vocals to another — now you can control the volume of the entire drum kit or vocal stack with a single fader, and process them as a unit.
In Practice
All drum tracks — kick, snare, hi-hat, toms, overheads — are routed to a drum subgroup. A single fader controls the overall drum level in the mix, and a bus compressor applied to the subgroup glues the kit together.
Sources & Verification
- Owsinski, B. — The Mixing Engineer's Handbook (4th ed.)Bobby Owsinski Media Group, 2017
- Huber, D. M. & Runstein, R. E. — Modern Recording Techniques (10th ed.)Routledge, 2023
Last verified: 2026-05-05