Analog Summing From Cubase

Hi,

I’ve been really thinking hard lately about weather to start summing my mixes out of Cubase, into a summing mixer and record back into Cubase.

I have never done anything like this before, so by all means please correct me if i have got muddled up or misunderstood this process.

My setup is - Cubase 9 and my soundcard is the UAD Apollo 8 + ADA8000, so 16 output channels. I also got a (hardware) SSL Buscompressor, Elysia XPressor, Elysia Karakter, Lexicon reverb unit and a mastering EQ.
All these units are connected in/out to my Apollo 8 with jack cables (except for the Lexicon that has SPDIF) . I use them as “external effects” in Cubase 9.

I am looking at the Neve 8816 summing mixer, (i’ve heard tracks put through this and they really sounded deeper and ‘warmer’). i was very impressed but this config can be about any summing mixer really.

I want to cnnect al my external hardware + the summing mixer and record all back into my Apollo interface.

I’ve come up with this configuration:

UAD Apollo 8 channels → Neve 8816 inputs 1-8
ADA8000 8 channels → Neve 8816 inputs 9-16

This way I have 16 outputs coming from my DAW to the summing mixer.

SSL Buscompressor + Mastering EQ ↔ Neve 8816 insert 7+8
Elysia Karakter ↔ Neve 8816 insert 5+6 (with blend/mix function)
Elysia Xpressor between an UAD Apollo output and Neve 8816 input.

So far so good I think.

Neve 8816 Mix out → UAD Apollo 8 input 1-2

So I can record the summed processed mix back into Cubase.

UAD Apollo monitor output → monitor speakers

This way I can hear the processed mix or play iTunes without going trough the summing mixer.

BUT

How do I have to config Cubase 9 confoosed
So far I have done this:

Devices / VST Connections / Outputs : Add Bus (8 times for stereo outputs)
Devices / VST Connections / Inputs : Add Bus (1 time for stereo input)
Then I have named all the outputs “Drums”, “Leads”, “Vocals” etc (some busses use the same hardware output)

In my project I have created a new audio file called “Summing” with “stereo in” as my input and “main out” as my output and “input enabled” so I can hear the input from my summing mixer.

Is this the right way to do this?
Thanks in advance for tips and advice, i really appreciate it.

1 Like

Interesting topic, ive considered it too!

That is exactly how Fab Dupont, the engineer explains on how to do summing on cubase (Dangerous Music youtube channel)

There are several other ways though in 2025 !