What is Track Routing?

Track routing is the process of directing the audio signal from one track to another destination within a digital audio workstation (DAW) or mixing console. It determines how audio flows through the system and which tracks, effects, or outputs receive the signal.

In a typical routing setup, a track’s output may be sent to a master bus, a group bus, or an auxiliary effects channel. For example, several drum tracks might be routed to a drum bus for group processing, or a vocal track might be routed to a reverb send for shared effects.

Track routing is an essential part of mixing because it allows engineers to organize signal paths, apply processing to multiple tracks at once, and create flexible mixing structures. Proper routing helps manage complex sessions and ensures audio signals move efficiently through the production workflow.