What is a Subgroup?

A subgroup is a type of bus on a mixing console or digital audio workstation that allows multiple channels to be combined and controlled together. It acts as an intermediate stage between individual tracks and the main output.

Channels such as drums, backing vocals, or guitars can be routed to a subgroup so their levels can be adjusted collectively with a single fader. This makes it easier to manage complex mixes and maintain balance between related elements.

Subgroups are often used to apply shared processing, such as compression or equalization, to multiple tracks at once. By processing the grouped signal instead of each individual track, engineers can shape the overall sound of the group more efficiently.