Best way to work with EXTERNAL audio editor?

Hi everyone.

I wonder if anyone is working much with external audio editors and that have found a good workflow with it?

I used to work in Logic where you could easily open audio files in your external audio editor, but since this is not possible in Cubase I wonder how to do it in a reasonably convenient way?

I do a lot of editing in Izotope RX standalone.(no, the RX plug ins are not cutting it for my needs)

Anyone got any tips for making it smooth? the obvious way would be to find the audio file in the finder, edit it in RX and save and somehow get Cubase to update the wave file, but it stays the same in cubase arr even if the changes are reflected in the pool…? Not sure how Cubase works here.

Any insights and tips are welcome

cheers

I use RX3 all the time.

If you do not maintain file versioning as part of the file names, you can just edit files in the Audio folder without changing their names, making sure that any edits done to the files within Cubase have been frozen beforehand. Cubase will just use the RX3 edited files as is. RX3 will not open .w64 files, only the .wav ones.

I don’t think Cubase detects a changed file, so the waveform images will not reflect the external edits. You may want to delete the Images folder to force redrawing.


I always name my files using a file naming convention that includes the original recording date and the modification date, so I:

  1. Copy the current Cubase file in the Audio folder to the new name.

  2. Move the current file to an ARCHIVE folder under the Audio folder.

  3. Edit the new file in RX3, save it and exit RX3.

  4. Open Cubase. It will report the old files missing.

  5. Use the Cubase process to find each new file for its corresponding ‘missing’ old one.

  6. Save the Cubase project file with the current date in its name.

  7. Move the old project file to an ARCHIVE folder under the project folder

some interesting things here, thank you! But does this mean I need to reload the song in order to get the new edits going in the arr?

cheers

Nothing more than open the project in Cubase.

Scroll to the 7th post.

Prior to CubaseSX, the integration between Cubase and Wavelab was absolutely fantastic. But many users kept asking for multiple undo’s since every other DAW had adopted this feature and therefore no more Cubase-Wavelab integration.

By tight integration I mean the following:

  1. Double click on the wave part in the arrange page in Cubase, and within seconds Wavelab opens with that same wave open.

  2. Make your edits to the wave in Wavelab.

  3. In Cubase double click again on that same wave part in the arrange page…and the wave is updated in Cubase!

It was so good while it lasted. But apparently efficient and fast workflow is not as important today.

yes Greg that was a great feature ,i used to use this to work in cool edit pro before moving to wavelab . it would be great if it could be reintroduced in some form ,maybe the same way it exists in Halion 5 ?

Yes, Logic, Reaper, Studio One and Live all have the option to edit your audio very neatly in an external editor, Cubase should have this feature also. Or massively expand the internal editors´ capabilites, but to reach the level of Izotope RX is unlikley that it can be done, and would also add bloat to folks who don´t need an advanced editor.

For some reason I thought it was an exclusive Cubase-Wavelab function, but apparently not.

I was told the integration problem was due to the introduction of multiple undo’s. As you might remember, at least in this forum prior to Cubase SX, everyone was clamoring for Cubase to add the undo feature which I think most every other DAW had by that time.

Of course I don’t think anyone thought the Cubase-external editor integration would be lost.

I don’t see Steinberg being interested with features like this. External editor integration isn’t going to generate new sales like new reverbs, Loopmash, new VSTI’s, and a mix console that still needs work after being released for over a year. If anything I think they would make attempts to improve the Cubase editor.

I wish I were wrong. :smiley:

wow - just discovered this. Steinberg, you need to get your act together. As a pro sound designer in the games industry, I want desperately to like Cubase, but things like this just keep getting in the way.
Being able to hook directly to an external sound editor like Sound Forge and Cubase recognise that the file has been updated, is an ABSOLUTE ESSENTIAL feature.
Unbelievable.

…even being able to right click on a file in the media pool and select ‘explore in folder’ should be there.
Come on - this is basic stuff that when missing, interrupts work flow.
When you’re on a tight time schedule, all these types of things add up to a deal breaker.
I could go on all day tbh.
Someone at Steinberg needs to look closely at how a typical games audio designer’s workflow is layed out. Believe me, I know you guys are missing the boat completely. Please take a look at something like Vegas and Reaper and ask yourself why WAY MORE guys are using that. Tbh, I’m only using Cubase at the moment because a specific client has requested it.

An absolute essential feature that untill someone pointed it out you never knew it even existed . :confused: :confused: :unamused:

Eh? I knew the feature existed and have been using it in other software for nearly 15 years.

My point, which you seem to have missed, is that Cubase doesn’t have it. That’s what I just discovered.

I know this is an old thread but if you need the information for integrating Izotope RX and Cubase it is here.
https://www.izotope.com/support/kb/index.php/kb/article/650-How_to_use_RX_Connect_with_Steinberg_Cubase

That is similar, but not quite the same as the pre CubaseSX -Wavelab integration.

I am wondering what happens when you do this with Izotope, bring it back in Cubase, but then undo? I was told undo or multiple undo’s were the reason Cubase dropped this integration.

I embed the edit date in every file version’s name, right after the initial record date, so that I can keep every edited version and easily identify them chronologically. I NEVER rely on the OS assigned file date, as OSs sometimes change the date with some operations.

Since Cubase doesn’t support encoding files with such detail at all, I would not be doing in-place editing with RX4 anyway. I am OK with doing it standalone, as I have always done. I got my 55" 4K TV principally for use with RX’s Spectral Repair in full screen mode:

In case some are interested, though others may think it anal, my track file format is:
a) Initially = ...
b) Edited _= ....

For example: SOK-MUS-DK-JBYY.Vocals.2013-11-01.2013-12-29.wav

Its Cubase project file’s name is:
SOK-MUS-DK-JBYY.Song.Just Because You’re You.2013-12-29.cpr

whereas the Corel VideoStudio project file’s name is:
SOK-MUS-DK-JBYY.Video.Just Because You’re You.2013-12-30.VSP

If you notice, the parts go from the coarsest at the start, to the finest at the end, so that a raw file listing, sorted by name, will show all the files for one track by code, then instrument, then record date, then edit date.

Such regular formats make it easier to use scripts fies, like vbscript or jscript, to process tracks. I just wish the project files were XML, so that I could automatically update then with the externally edited track versions names.