I keep having a problem with exporting audio mixdowns where it appears to work, then part of the way through the song half of the tracks just disappear from the mixdown. On the export I did yesterday all the VST instrument tracks just disappeared about 2/3 of the way through the song, leaving only the drums (which were all on audio tracks.) This is happening a lot now - it happened 3 times in a row the other day, until I rebooted Cubase, and then I was able to get a successful export.
To export a complete audio mixdown in Cubase 15, set the locators to the start and end of your song (press the P key), open the dialog via File > Export > Audio Mixdown, select the Stereo Out channel, and start the export after choosing the file format.
Prepare area and channels
Setting locators: In the Project window, press Ctrl+A (to select all events) and the P key to position the left and right locators exactly at the start and end of the song. Ideally, let the right locator extend slightly beyond the end so that reverb tails are not cut off.
Channel selection: In the export dialog, select “Stereo Out” under Channels so that the complete master mix is rendered as a single stereo file.
Configure export settings
Name and path: Enter a file name and select the destination folder (by default, the Mixdown folder in the project directory).
File format: Set the format – usually WAV (uncompressed, highest quality for CDs/mastering) or optionally MP3.
Audio parameters: Match the sample rate (e.g., 44,100 Hz) and bit depth (e.g., 24-bit) to your project settings.
Start export
Click the “Export Audio” button at the bottom right. Cubase then renders the song to the desired directory.
Hi Wolfgang.
Thanks for your reply, but as a Cubase user of over 20 years, I know how to export a song and I have done it successfully hundreds of times. I am describing a technical fault with Cubase, where some of the instruments just disappear half way through the track. For example, in the song I exported yesterday, for the first 3 minutes of the song, all the instruments are present and correct, but for the last 2 minutes I am left with only the drums and all the synths just disappear. Weird, I know, but it keeps happening.
If, during audio export in Cubase, only the drum track remains unexpectedly and the other elements are missing, this is often due to incorrect locator ranges, active solo settings on individual channels, or routing issues. Therefore, please check the markers and MixConsole settings before exporting again. Twenty years of experience does not make one immune to errors.
Hi guys. Thank you for all the suggestions, but there is no hidden automation, nothing to do with locator ranges (the locators are set to the start and end of the track), no solo settings… The track plays correctly, and it should export exactly the same as it plays, right?
This is definitely a Cubase fault and it appears randomly when I export. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. Instruments go missing at random times - one export will not be like another export. And it happens on different projects, so it is not a programming issue within one project.
Hi Wolfgang, you are right, I am not immune to errors, and I didn’t mean to sound arrogant, it’s just that I am positive this is a Cubase fault, because one export might be fine and then without changing anything at all, the next export might display the fault, and the next one might be fine. It seems to be random, and not related to anything I am doing.
Try asking A.I. eek! in your search bar ,I ask most of my questions to the A.I. and seen as though it bases it’s answers on already asked questions and answers ,your problem may have been answered before.
Intermittent errors when exporting scores from MuseScore to Cubase (usually via MIDI or MusicXML) often arise from timing discrepancies, hanging VST instruments, incorrect buffer sizes, or incorrect locator ranges.
Possible causes and solutions
Use real-time export: Sometimes, offline export overwhelms complex VST plugins. Switch to “Real-time export” when exporting in Cubase.
Freeze tracks: Relieve the CPU by freezing problematic tracks before exporting.
Adjust buffer size: Increase the buffer size (latency) of your audio interface in the ASIO driver setup before exporting.
Clean up MIDI notes: Before exporting from MuseScore, check for overlapping notes or incorrect controller data (CC data) that could lead to misinterpretation in Cubase.
My issue has something to do with Pianoteq 9 Std. I have a massively powerful computer and the export keeps failing with ‘CPU Overload’ or ‘timeout’ - for which there is no evidence. I adopted all the technique here, but I find I can only export as MP3 and not WAV or FLAC (disappointing). I increased device buffer to 2048 and disabled all VST plugins but one (AMEK 9099 console) and it kinda works, but I still hear crackles and glitches, although it’s nice that it does run to completion, but in this limited way. Its a very expensive gaming class computer and I don’t think this behaviour should happen.
That’s a logical suggestion - I’ll give it a try, although given that it’s an intermittent fault and it doesn’t appear consistently, it might not be a case of finding the ‘faulty’ track. I can hear straight away which tracks are failing to export, because those instruments are missing from the mixdown. The problem is that they play fine when I play the Cubase project, and sometimes they export, sometimes they don’t. It’s very odd!
I think temporarily disabling your preferences is a very good start. Since you have encountered this problem with previous versions, too, it is of the essence that you also temporarily disable previous preferences folders from your system (at least two versions below C15, otherwise, your newly written preferences will inherit old settings from previous versions). In other words, this flaw might have been handed down to Cubase 15 from a former installation.
On a Windows PC:
Close Cubase
press the Windows key + R and paste “%appdata%\steinberg”.
You’ll see a folder called “Cubase 15_64”. Rename this folder for the time being by adding an X_ as a prefix like X_Cubase 15_64 and do the same thing with the other preference folders up to two versions below
relaunch Cubase and a new folder with the exact same name but with the original default settings will be created
If this doesn’t fix your problem kust close Cubase again, delete the new folder, remove the X from the old folder and launch Cubase again.
Have you tried to replace cables and switch USB ports? These are potential culprits, too.
Thanks Reco, that’s a good suggestion. I’ll give it a try. Presumably, if I no longer have previous versions of Cubase installed I can just delete those preference folders?