Sounds very newbie and I apologize for my ignorance, but having my projects in VSTi tracks + Group/Fx track let me edit notes, etc.
But I’ve gone as far as I can - all I do is keep tweaking and not making it all better. Way too many duplicate Group/Fx tracks to compensate for lack of low end (mostly bass and drum).
Then I have all of those tracks go to what I name as my “M” (master) group tracks, such as guitar, strings, woodwinds, bass, drum (I use EZ Drummer and it’s all on one track, not separate tracks for kick, snare, etc. – EZ Drummer has enough in-VST mixing available for my purposes).
So…
How to I turn such a project – as a Save As new version – into a mastering (Audio tracks) project? Do I render-in-place these “M” tracks – or first each individual VSTi tracks (with all automation, inserts, etc.), then the Group/Fx tracks , then the M tracks?
My main Out has only a couple of inserts - Ozone 11 being one of them.
Again, pardon the lack of experience, but that’s how one learns - askin’ questions.
Go to File > Export and you can export the stereo out (most common), groups only (stems) or each individual track to audio, although that’s an overkill. The last two options tend to be for sending to an external mastering engineer.
If you are going to do the mastering yourself, create a new project for mastering, then import the one file/tracks/stems and apply whatever plugins you think will make your mix sound better.
You can also check out YouTube for guides on mastering, Chris Selim and Dom Sigalas are great. Example below:
@SoundOf - OK, thanks, that brings some clarity to this which I should have guessed on my own, but I drown in nitpicking notes and other mixing stuff that I space out such obvious export options.
I’ll check out Chris and Dom’s videos though I sometimes get overwhelmed with info overload. Must digest at one’s mental capacity, one morsel at a time.
You might want to check out the videos at Groove 3, (who are owned by Hal Leonard). They are very structured, step by step in an order that makes sense. Also don’t pass over titles for older versions of Cubase which for most stuff will still be valid. The most cost effective way to use them is to get a pass for a month or two and binge watch.
@raino - Thanks, but money is a bit tight - had to buy a new m.2 drive due to a somewhat serious OS backup restore problem and haven’t yet purchased Cubase Pro 14 yet, but it’s on my list.
So I’ll have to learn from Chris and Dom’s free YT videos…
One crucial thing:
Since you are the one being responsible for the mix - try to fix things in the mix first! That is Rule No 1. The mastering stage should ideally address minor issues, overall loudness and, looking at it from a traditional standpoint, blend songs in a way that they sound coherent on an album. Having said this, it is nice to have all sorts of tools at hand like it is shown in the Dom-Video. But if you used most of them or all in a single mix - chances are you will make things much worse than before. My advice: keep it simple, compare and give it a day or two in between mixing and mastering.
Since you mentioned Ozone 11: Try to dissect Ozone 11"s approach - module by module. Does it really add to the sound and what exactly does it do? That might be a reasonable starting point as well.
