Manual · Chapter 5 of 15 · 8 min read

Buses and audio routing

Understand automatic instrument-category buses, shared processing and the final audio device.

Your guide, your screenAndroid · landscape
Showing phone screenshots and instructions

Before you begin

  • Two or more ready instrument channels are helpful for a shared-bus example.
  • Individual FX still require their own minimum plans.

Follow the signal

The mixer shows instrument channels beside their category buses.Pixel 10a
  • Tap the instrument name to open its picker.
  • Drag the channel fader to balance its level.

Choosing a factory instrument automatically routes it to the matching category bus when that bus is present. The default rig has Piano, Pads, EP & Organ, Synth & Plucks, Synth Lead, Bass, and Strings & Brass. Sounds without a matching bus use Output 1–2; a new Sampler channel starts on Output 1–2. A bus combines its routed channels for shared level and processing.

The final hardware device is chosen in Settings > Audio. Bus routing inside a preset and hardware output selection are separate decisions.

Route a group

The selected Piano bus has its own name, color, gain and pan controls.Pixel 10a
  • Tap Name to rename this bus.

The current Android interface uses category routing when you choose an instrument; it does not expose a general channel route picker or bus-creation menu. To hear shared processing, use two instruments in the same category and edit their existing category bus. Imported presets may retain their own supported routes.

  1. Choose a ready piano on the first channel.
  2. Choose another ready piano, or duplicate that piano channel, so both use the Piano category bus.
  3. Show Buses if the bus strips are hidden, select Piano, change its fader, and confirm both piano channels respond. Hiding bus strips changes the view, not the audio path.
  4. Open FX with the bus selected and add an available effect. Shimmer Verb and Ambient Verb are channel-only and cannot be added to buses.
Name / Color
Changes the bus’s display label and identity; routes refer to its stable ID.
Gain / Pan
Trims and positions the combined bus signal.
Bus fader / Solo
Balances or isolates the routed group.
Bus FX
Processes the combined signal; effect access follows your plan.

Select the hardware output

Audio settings show the actual emulator output; no USB interface is simulated.Pixel 10a
  • Choose the audio output device here.
  • Select the audio sample rate here.

Tap Settings, then Audio in the category list, scrolling if needed. Use the back arrow to return to the list.

Choose the desired output device and check its actual active stream. USB Audio Driver appears only when a genuine USB audio output is present. If a real interface has no sound or crackles, try the alternate supported driver, then retest at a larger buffer.

Mono Mode sums Output 1–2 and centers pan. Pan Mode determines how hard panning handles a stereo instrument. Verify these settings with the actual mixer/PA you use.

Expected result

What you should have now

The existing category bus controls its matching instruments, and the final mix reaches the selected audio device.

Common problems

Bus meter moves but nothing plays
Check the bus level and final output, master Mute and hardware selection.
Reverb doubles unexpectedly
Inspect channel and bus effect chains; both may contain reverb.
USB output is missing
Confirm the cable supports data and that Android recognizes the actual interface. Refresh/reconnect before changing driver settings.