Another minor mixer mystery...

Cubase
1

So, I am relearning the mixer since C5. I work in Surround.

I have created 750 instrument tracks each loaded with one instance of a player (Kontakt, Halion, VSL, EWPlay) and only one instrument loaded per track. In VST connections I only have one 5.1 output.
When I load a stereo instrument track it generally behaves as I want it. I route it to the main 5.1 out.

When I play it in the mixer I can see a Surround Panner (so I can change the location of the stereo signal in the surround space). When I look at most channels, next to the fader in the mixer are five little bars and the stereo mix (which default loads to front left and right) shows activity in two channels only, until I move the signal in the surround panner.

So far this is all correct behavior…

However, occasionally, although a track is set up, as far as I can see identically to the rest, the fader only shows two channels to the right of the fader, but… then it shows the full surround sound planner above it. The signal behaves just the same way, it will pan to any speaker using the surround panner.

It is just annoying me that I have not got a clue why some faders display only two channels and others 5.1. It’s not library specific.

Honestly, I have been burning the midnight oil so I can’t be sure what I might have done, but someone who knows the mixer better than I might put me right.

| have confuzzled by brain cell…

Z

2

Hi,

Are you sure all of your Instruments are Stereo? HALion, Kontakt VSL can be also 5.1.

No Groups, right?

3

Hello Martin,

Yes that’s it thank you, the Groups, lots of them, mostly configured wrong, a multi -tiered system. Orchestra (main fader for all orchestral sounds), Orchestral sections standard, 2 Instrument ‘types’ (solo and ensemble), sometimes sub class - like ‘muted’.
I think I am figuring this out, think its something about this. I have made some mistakes in choosing the configeration of some Group tracks, leaving their input at stereo, where, (because I want the facility to pan all stereo signals in a 5.1 space), I should have chosen 5.1 ins AND outs. I only selected the latter.

Update: All groups deleted and a fresh start thank you
Z