Without doubt using parallel channels to apply multiple kind of effects is a nice and easy way to keep the original tone of the take and finally blend it with the processed signal. The most used effects for that kind of processing are compression and reverb.
One of the parameters that plays important role to the result is the level of the send channel. This setting is very often overlooked but paying some attention to it may lead to nice interesting things.
Automating the volume of the send channel is a great way to achieve some rhythmic variations and tension with the reverb. I like to use it very often with a clap in electronic music.
In this simple example we could see a two bars typical clap clip (😀), where the clap hits on second and fourth beat.
I have the send volume high and slightly reduce it before the second hit of the clap and keep it low until the beginning of the next bar. This gives me a slight difference in the whole rhythmic variation of the song while creating some tension in the first half of each bar. It needs some attention when re leveling the volume knob in the loop because some reverb tail from previous hit will be introduced (this maybe be a desirable effect although) as I didn't turn the send volume all the way down.
Of course only imagination and creativity could be the boundaries of the automation's pattern. This particular pattern I showed is working good with the specific song. For different projects the volume automation could work better in other ways.