fastest way to convert an item to audio

Cubase
#1

been using cubase 6 and loving it however is there a better way to convert a midi item to an audio track aside from opening file/export audio mixdown/and selecting the tracks then have it set to import to track?

id like to be able to maybe set a hotkey and just click it and have it convert the midi item to a wav, or several selected items into their own tracks or into one as a whole.

also is there a way to record the output of a track to another track.

ive used reaper before and there’s an option in it called “apply fx to take” which works quick with what i described above, however to get the wav to phase cancel u had to record the output of the wave first before rendering it, does cubase handle in the same way? Excuse the multiquestion post please :slight_smile:

#2

If you’ve got the full version of Cubase, you can record from busses (or group tracks).

Page 94 of the Operation Manual covers it (although it only mentions group tracks).

Basically:

  1. Create a buss and set it to “Not Connected”
  2. Route the source track’s output to that buss
  3. Route the destination track’s input to that buss
  4. Make sure that the destination track is record armed
  5. Hit record

Downside: It has to be done in real time.

#3

Try using a macro for all or part of the process.

#4

Shinta215 - gonna try that one myself looks good, the fact it does it in realtime is ok for short bounces

Here’s a macro - and I got it off a wise veteran user on this very forum (might have been Hippo, not sure though
)

http://www.wikihow.com/images/1/1d/Macro-Bounce.png

look at the bottom white box, thats the list of commands that you need Cubase to perform in order for it to :

Select a start locator and end locator based on whats selected in the project window - step 1
Solo that track - step 2
Export - step 3

This gets you to the ‘export’ stage, and presents you with the dialogue for exporting, but it solo’s and sets the markers so what gets bounced is only whats selected, thus saving some clicks and some time.

and you can set the Macro to a key command of course

thats the broad strokes my friend the detail is in the manual, but its a good macro worth setting up :slight_smile:

Does anyone know a quicker/better way… I think Cubase should have a standard function that can convert a midi part to an audio bounce, with preferences available for how it handles reverbs etc.

Erm I’m not aware if this function does exist already, apologies of it does. if not it should be in C7 :wink:

#5

just thought id stick my nose in and say thanks betamac thats a great macro which as you say saves loads of time , cheers for sharing dude

john

#6

BTW…

we need -> Bounce In Place !!! :bulb:

and: Bounce to Arranger Parts / Bounce to Markers.


C.

#7

it would be great if there was something like this added, a friend and i had a heated discussion the other day on why i would even want to convert midi to audio… personally i like editing audio clips on the grid instead of midi.

id love to hear some cubase users take on why they would rather use an audio clip than midi as well!!

#8

Why don’t you just record audio? It has higher resolution. The only benefit of midi IS the editing…

I record everything I play with 10 fingers as audio. Have for years. Want to do a test? Record the audio of the VI as you play it AND record it as midi…then bounce (playing back the midi) through the same bus. You won’t get the same track. At all.

Just saying…if its an instrument track you can also freeze and pull in the freeze file. But, honestly…Just can’t think of any time when this would help me.

#9

I do it this way…although I still don’t find it fast enough. There is too much clicking involved. We need a faster way. NOW! lol

#10

That´s what I think. I come from Samplitude and had very comfortable ways of inplace bouncing. In the dialogue I was asked whether I want to

  1. replace the original file or
  2. just add the rendered file to the pool or
  3. Create a new song with the file inserted

then choices were given whether to bounce

  1. everything that sounds (solo what you want to render) or
  2. everything from selected tracks (not even needed to solo things) or
  3. everything between markers

Then you could choose the audio format and resolution and save all settings into presets. I had three for bouncing
audio to audio
midi to audio
mastering the whole song

I want that for Cubase too cause it was really great.

#11

Yea: This Technique works great.
Yea its real time and also allows one
to record to midi and Audio tracks Simultaneously.
I learned this from a Cubase 6 video thats on YOUTUBE :wink:

Jack :smiley: :smiley:

#12

Betamac can you repost? link is dead.

#13

Guys—This is how I do it

  1. RECORD a Midi or instrument track and make a Blank audio track
    2 Devices - VST Connections - Output
  2. click here http://home.comcast.net/~halljack505/pwpimages/Group%20out%201.PNG
  3. click here http://home.comcast.net/~halljack505/pwpimages/Group%20out%202.PNG
  4. click here http://home.comcast.net/~halljack505/pwpimages/Group%20out%203.PNG
  5. click here http://home.comcast.net/~halljack505/pwpimages/group%20out%204.PNG

its fairly easy and this works for me :wink:

Jack :smiley: :smiley:

PS: By arming monitor and record on both
midi and audio tracks you can record to both
simultaneously :wink:

#14

a “bounce in place” is vital! we need this! i am constantly bouncing and rendering my whole track and then bouncing parts again etc and it drives me nuts having to use the one export window and constantly change tickboxes and file locations and settings back and forth over and over …this is not the way it should be done

#15

Templates are your friends, as well as presets saving in the Inputs and Outputs panels in the ‘VST connections’ window. The problem with this way of doing is that I get an audio event that is slightly delayed from the original MIDI part, not that much (around 10 ms) but it could be annoying sometimes. Guess it’s inherent to the overall latency of my system.

About the bounce in place, yes, this is needed. I suggest something that would work with the freeze function (a dialog which would let you choose between ‘Freeze’ (which works for what is it named : freezing a part with its pre-fader inserts that doesn’t require further editing) and ‘Bounce in place’ (realtime or offline) for further audio editing. I know that there is also the ‘Export’ feature for this but it acts only offline and the dialog is too much cluttered : a lot of things to check and specify when you want to act quickly.

#16

nice tip but lets be honest, Solo, then Export to Audio is faster than this. No way I am doing this every time I want to bounce a midi item to audio

#17
  • 1 again.
#18

basicially what we want is for the wav file that is created when you “freeze” a track to be automatically added to a new audio track directly underneath the midi track (and part) you have just had highlighted, and the new audio track to have the fx , plugins and routing that was on the midi track audio to be added to the audio track mixer so it sounds the same. and of course just a wav file is imported so we can edit and split and copy the audio onwards.

how awsome would this be.

#19

Is this not a bit crazy to write things like that ? How could it be different ???

#20

How could it not be?

Its not crazy. It’s fact. Provable with any midi sequencer that will do audio at the same time.

Now, whether you care or not, is of course completely subjective. But, MIDI and audio don’t have close to the same resolution. Not even close.