Audio Mixdown through a live input - possible or not?

Cubase
,
1

Hi, I marked this as an issue because I’m having an issue with it and can’t work out the solution.

I have audio routed from Cubase to outboard analog gear back into Cubase. The receiving track has monitoring active. So in playback, there is no problem.

But when going to do a mix down, with nothing changing and Real Time Export enabled, the result is silence.

So should Cubase be able to do an audio mix down on a live input track in real time?

2

Hi,

Yes, Cubase should be able to do an Audio Mixdown with a live Input.

Could you describe your complete routing path, please?

3

Bunch of Cubase tracks > Outboard > Cubase track (monitor enabled) > Stereo Out

4

100% possible.
Check your audio routing, the issue must be there, can you explain your signal chain?

1 Like
5

I get complete silence.

I did a simple test to confirm it doesn’t export the signal.

Cubase track > outboard compressor > Back into another Cubase track (monitor enabled) > Stereo Out

Playback: No problem, can hear the signal routed through the monitor-enabled Cubase track

Mixdown: Complete silence in the resulting audio (monitor still enabled on receiving Cubase track)

6

In the audio part recorded from the outboard gear, is there a wave file or is it blank?

7

The mixdown audio is completely flatlined (no wave)

9

Are you sure the audio you’re hearing (playback) is coming from the outboard gear track?

Are you recording the outboard gear track? Record arm? Is there a wave file there?

10

100%

And

Yes, if i record to the receiving Cubase track it does so exactly as expected.

11

I’ve never tried doing a mixdown with a live audio track until just now, I was just able to do a live audio mixdown with a midi piano… Have you checked the settings on the Audio Mixdown page (the dialogue box that opens from Export > Audio Mixdown), is Stereo Output (or the relevant track) selected?

As I’ve never done this, I’m not really clear on the benefit of doing a live mixdown in this case, if it were me in this situation, I would simply record to the “receiving track” then do a mixdown, but I guess I’m missing something as it’s not a technique I use.

12

Yes it is set to Stereo Out - the final output.

The only exception I take is mixdown would be twice as fast as recording on the track first. And I’m doing a lot of them.

13

UPDATE:

Midi track > outboard > Receiving Cubase track works for mix down.

But if the source is audio, it doesn’t work.

Can someone test this on their end please?

14

Fine here , just tested with audio, perhaps you have direct monitoring turned on?

Hippo

1 Like
15

Nope, confirmed by disabling/enabling track monitoring.

I’m out of ideas. Must be something funny about my set up, but it doesn’t make sense.

16

There are a few ways you could loop back a signal to be mixed. Keep in mind, that routing is key.
Remember that when a channel is set up to “listen /monitor mode” this channel will no longer process any event contained in the track. And cubase real time export is a bit different than printing.
To do a “live mix recording” of a cubase session, you need to loopback the audio from the mix out channel and assign it to a cubase input channel and a record enabled audio track. EG:

TRACK1>
TRACK2>
TRACK3>
TRACK4> MIX OUT>----->LOOPBACK
TRACK5>
TRACK6>
TRACK7>

LOOPBACK>CUBASE INPUT>TRACK 8 (RECORD ENABLED, LISTEN MODE OFF)
Cubase will record in a new audio track (TRACK 8) whatever comes out of the mix out, live or not. Its called “mix printing”. Hope this helps.

PD: In case you need more help, pls specify the gear you have and how is connected.

17

Loopback? How? You mean if your soundcard supports that?