Export Queue Batch Merge Multiple Tracks Multiple Times

Cubase
1

It happens many times to me to collaborate with other musicians.
I host the main project in Cubase so a typical case would be to ask them to record an instrument for me.

An example project could look like this:

  • 4 tracks with synths → I want to merge in 1 STEM
  • 5+ drum tracks → I want to merge in 1 STEM
  • 1 bass track → I want to export to a single STEM
  • 2 rhythm guitars → I want to merge in 1 STEM
  • 1+ solo guitars → I want to merge in 1 STEM and the musicians will listen to it and make a new solo

In this way instead to give 14 tracks to my collaborator I give just 5 files and he returns me the one he needs to work on.

I was super happy with the Export Queue thinking I can finally do this job in one single batch
by selecting all the pads, add to queue as single export, do the same with drums and so on but
instead I did not take advantage at all of this new feature because it doesn’t suit my needs at all for this purpose.

From what I saw in the videos you can export single and multi tracks into the queue but what you can change basically are the audio properties.

Anything I am doing wrongly or this could be a feature request?

Thank you!

2

You should think about the concept of stems…
Use groups to combine signals, that’s what they made for.

3

OK, the word STEM is wrong in this case.

But this means that I need to make a special setup, for my project in order to export it.
Plus if i need to make a setup for grouping i need to add:

  • 1 extra group track for the synths
  • 1 extra group track for the drums
  • 1 extra group track for the rhythm guitars
  • 1 extra group track for the solo guitars

It would be a nice feature to have directly in the Export Queue to be able to

  • select all the synths → export merged → add to queue
  • select all guitars → export merged → add to queue
    etc.
4

Do you use groups already?

This is not possible, you have to define how they should combine, that’s what the groups do…

5

I know it is not possible hence the feature request.

I do not use groups because, as I already mentioned, they add more complexity to my project and in my case would be just for the sake of exporting the tracks.

In a project with hundreds of tracks this means to create a group for each instrument in order to have all violins, all cellos, all brasses, plus I have to route everything to the groups, that’s very time consuming.

I know that ppl has done this since forever but the Export Queue that is a new feature could be enhanced further to be able to batch signals together.

For example when having Single export mode you select the tracks:

A+B+C+D → Add to Queue → Export Merged

When instead you have Multiple mode it would export A B C D separately as always.

Can’t we make life easy also for ppl that don’t have dedicated interns to build a project for them?

1 Like
6

I agree that would be such a great feature - I need it now as I have ended up with a huge session with lots of complex automation and I believed I was mixing but now have to deliver stems to someone else to mix (merging things would save so much time and avoid me making errors when setting up new groups for this since the mixer doesn’t want a super split up multitrack). Having to use a third party app Bounce Butler instead - which works pretty great but still room for improvements too, but does save hours of time automating the process of exporting.

7

If you don’t want to define how tracks sum together, you can’t expect the export to do for you.
You need to define how it should be done. This is one reason for groups.

8

I agree and normally I do - but sometimes projects come together in a hurry with crazy deadlines and the client changes what they want, and it would be quicker to be able to solo and run through the output manually than make groups and make sure routing is correct/duplicate fx returns etc and have it export automatically, know what I mean? :slight_smile: anyway going to try MEAP and Bounce Butler. Thanks for your response! :slight_smile:

9

If export would let me define this using folder tracks and soloing that would be fantastic.

10

You’d still have to manually select the channels that you want to export. With your request the selection gets done in the audio export dialog instead of inside the project. However, I get that adding groups just for exporting submixes might clutter the project.
I saw someone using “Direct Routing” for this.

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Basically you create output busses in the Audio Connections for any kind of export downmix. You then assign the wanted channels to that bus in Direct Routing.
You have “only” 8 destinations for any individual channel but that ought to be enough. Of course you can create more than 8 output busses in the audio connections.

1 Like
11

Using groups really is the way to go here for a variety of reasons that previous posters have touched on. But yes, if you haven’t set up your project with groups in the first place, it is more work.

May I suggest making a template with all those groups already set up, and a couple of empty tracks already pre-routed to the right groups? That’s what I do, and it gives me the flexibility and power of groups, without needing to add them to every single project.

I just start every project with that template, and that works very well for me.