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!