Batch Exporting Stems AND a Full Stereo Mix Simultaneously

Cubase
1

Hi,

I currently have my Cubase 6 template setup so I can easily do a batch export of 30 stems in one go. I have created a bunch of outputs in VST connections and then assign the outputs of each VST instrument/audio track/send to their relavent output. I.e. my violins VST instrument is set to go to my ‘Strings’ output.

This is great for creating a ton of stems in one pass. BUT what I’d like to do is have an option to simultaneously print a full stereo mix (of all instruments etc). As right now I have to export all the stems, then reimport those resulting audio files into Cubase (or Protools) and finally export a full stereo mix from there.

My solution was to do this -

  1. create a group track
  2. put a send on every track in the project (inc fx etc) and have that send going to the Group track.
  3. Create a new output in VST connections (and name it ‘Stereo Full Mix’)
  4. Make sure that new output isn’t connected to any hardware outs (otherwise I’d be double tracking!)
  5. Then when I open the ‘Export Audio Mixdown’ Dialogue I could simply select the ‘Stereo Full Mix’ Group track along with all my stems and VOILA! I’d have a reference stereo mix to go along with all my stems.


    This all seemed to work but I decided to do a null test between all my stems and the stereo mix and I found that they didn’t perfectly cancel each other. Why would the Stereo mix created in the Group track not be identical to the sum of all the stems?

Thanks!

2

Could be a number of things?

Insert FX on the stereo mix bus?
Level mismatch between the stems and stereo bus mix?
inserts and/or sends on post fader?

Are a few things I can think of.

3

There is a preference setting for setting the send pan independent of the track pan IIRC. Might be worth checking.

Can you hear the difference in normal listening or just with the null test?

Could it be slight phase/time shifts?

Are you exporting to wave or a compressed format?

Cheers

4

I’ll have a look at those suggestions you’ve made - thanks for the help. Will let you know how I get along!

5

What about simple multitrack bounce? When the project is well organised, just tick the group tracks (i.e. drums | bass | gits | keys | strings | vox | fx) as well as the master channel in export window and go. No need for creating extra output busses etc.

6

The thing is, that if you have effects on group channels or any automatisation on them and you do batch export, then those effects and automatisations on groups wont be applied. Batch export, exporting stems before groups.