External Instruments Workflow Question/Minor Rant

Cubase
1

Okay, so I’ve known about external instruments for several years, but didn’t know you could render in place to save the audio so I never used them until recently.

Now that I know you can render in place, I think they are amazing! However I’ve run into a couple issues and I’m hoping either someone on here can help or Steinberg will incorporate these features into a later release. FYI I’m on Cubase 10.0.5.

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  1. If I setup my instrument with mono returns Cubase automatically makes this a mono channel, which means you can’t use any stereo effects. I know there are many requests to fix the mono/stereo track handling in other area’s, I just don’t want external effects to get forgotten about when Cubase finally fixes the mono/stereo track issues. That’s fine (for now) I have a workaround using Reaktor FX.

  2. I often use a separate Reaktor instrument to send CV out of my audio interface to my synths, this works great until you use render in place. During RIP Cubase automatically solo’s the instrument you are rendering, however I have Reaktor as a different instrument channel so my external synth doesn’t get those CV messages. Which means the render sounds totally different than it does during playback. That’s okay I thought, I’ll just use solo defeat on Reaktor.

Nope that didn’t work.

I tried soloing Reaktor at the same time as RIP. That didn’t work either. So my first question is does anyone know of a way to use RIP while soloing multiple instruments? Or without soloing the main instrument? Or anyway so that Reaktor can still send my CV messages out at the same time while rendering?

  1. I then thought well maybe I can use Reaktor FX on the External Instrument and have a multi-output External Instrument. Turns out that doesn’t exist. Unless someone knows how to do it???

  2. Finally I thought what if I created a 5.1 bus which would give me 6 outputs. 2 to go to my main outputs and 4 for CV outputs. However, the panner seems to want to take my mono input signal and then pan it around to six different outputs instead of me being able to use the 6 outputs discreetly. I understand this is probably correct and makes sense in a surround sound workflow, but I’m trying to cheat here! lol

Anyways, if I can’t get Cubase to allow all outputs to function during a RIP I’m afraid External Instruments are again useless to me. :frowning:

2

How about doing an export instead of a render in place? It’s not quite as convenient, but if it’s a choice between that or being useless to you, it might be worthwhile.

3

Hi GlennO. I can certainly try that out. I can also go back to just using a midi track and a separate audio track and record in audio like I did before, although that also has it’s own limitations.

But maybe exporting out like you suggested is the middle ground. Thanks!

Also after thinking about this for a while, I think what would be my ideal solution is if Steinberg gave External Instruments the ability be muli-output instruments. That would solve all of my issues (I think).

4

Just tried using “Export Audio Mixdown” or bouncing in realtime and that didn’t work either. I guess it’s back to the old midi + audio track for me…

Steinberg if you see this…please please please either add multiple outputs to external instruments or change render in place so that the solo defeat option of other instruments isn’t ignored.

5

Are you sure export didn’t work? If you can hear it, you can export it. There are a lot of options for export, so it’s easy to overlook something.

6

I exported my “Main Out”. It automatically notified me of an external instrument and switched to real time export.

This bounced my synth but Reaktor did not send out it’s CV and therefore my synth didn’t get the CV info and sounded wrong.

7

Whoops logged in with a different account by I’m the OP