FEATURE REQUEST: No more Group Folder!

Steinberg Lounge
#1

Hello people. I wondered if I could drum up any support from seasoned Cubase users to change something that’s bugged me for a long time:

When you create a Group Channel, I’d like the option for it to appear like a normal channel in the track list, instead of hidden in the Group folder. I never use this Group folder. I prefer having the group channels placed near the tracks they’re grouping together, for example in the ‘Live Strings’ folder or the ‘Guitars’ folder.

The extra mouse clicks and searching for the group folder hidden in a big stack of folders doesn’t kill me, but it is a minor pain in the butt if you don’t want your group tracks in a separate group folder.

Anyone agree? Want to join a campaign to have the option in preferences to remove the group folder?

Ready to march on Steinberg with pitchforks? Yeh! Let’s do it dudes!

#2

I like the group folder. It cleans up a potentially unruly Project window.

#3

I prefer the group folder too…

#4

If you don’t like the group folder, don’t add one. There are certain annoying instances where I wish I could blow it off the screen, but for the most part it’s rather useful in most circumstances. Sorry to say, but it’s unlikely that this rebellion will get very far. :neutral_face:

Why not find something else to rant about, such as sorry windows management?! :smiling_imp:

#5

Huh?
You can drag and drop the group channel from the group folder anywhere you want it to go. They haven’t to be in the group folder.

#6

+1

just drag the Group Track to were you want it and delete the container … in the words of Gordon Ramsey: “Done!”

#7

I like to have all my grouped tracks, plus the group track itself in one folder of their own, with the group itself at the top. I always do this after I set up a group. Would be nice if it were automatic, but then again it doesn’t take a lot of effort.

#8

I appreciate the group folder too, but one thing which bugs me is … if I set up a specific section consisting of MIDI or audio tracks and I create a group track, it would be awesome to see this group track RIGHT UNDER where my cursor/highlighted track is at. It is slightly annyoing to find the group folder again in a e.g. 100 tracks setup and move it to the appropriate spot.

I think the best would be to have a little preference box, letting you choose to create group tracks right where you are at, or … inside the folder :slight_smile:

my two cents!

#9

Yes, please!!!

you’re not the first to ask for this though, but somehow atmospheric anomalies or whatever makes it so far impossible to get this idea to sink in for Steinberg. :confused:

#10

erm…sorry.
I love group folders.
And grouped-in-grouped group folders!!!
(great feature in cubase)

#11

Its probably just because I learned to use Group Folders and Channels from an SWA tutorial cd but, I like Group folders also. Couldn’t imagine working without them . Much neater to have the Group Channel ,all associated tracks in a folder that can be tucked away.

#12

For me,… without it id be working in a right old mess half the time. Seems a nice straight forward way of organising projects. Perhaps it could be done in a different way. But im fine and used to how it does works now and wouldn’t have ever thought to question it. If im honest for me a change would just be different, not really an improvement.

#13

Funnily enough I dragged my group tracks out of their folder yesterday whilst doing a mix and had them next to the tracks I had grouped. Didn’t work as well for me, I like to have all my group tracks together so they’re next to each other at the end of the board so i can do the final mix tweaks easily. If you’re using a controller then having groups interspersed throughout your mixer is confusing as you have no colour to differentiate them.

I love the fact on my old Houston that there was a ‘groups’ button which would just jump the controller to group tracks. I’m still trying to find a way to do this withe the euphonix :slight_smile:


MC

#14

I have a little BCR2000 that I set up myself like a channel strip and every encoder works on the “SELECETD” channel.
I have Vol, Pan, EQ(vol, freq,Q, on/off ) x4, Send levels and on/off and Quick Controls on my default preset and it’s all I need for that type of thing. I also have been poking around with a few extra things but I need to check my notes for those to remember haha so I tend not to care to much for them. maybe I should get my hands dirty again and see if I can get something more out of it. But the basis setup works beautifully and even if the Project Window is hidden all I have to do is to know/see a Track is selected and away I go! :sunglasses:

#15

I use both placements for groups. For example I might have a di bass track that I make a send from to a group for parallel distortion. I like to have that group track next to the original bass track but I might have them routed to a master bass group which is in the group folder with other groups for guitars, vocals etc. My only wish is that we could drag tracks around in the mixer. I use a couple of controllers and key commands and work mostly in the mixer windows. The only time I really use the arrange window is for editing midi and audio tracks or editing written automation.

#16

Good thread. Interesting to learn about other’s work flow.

I tend to work both ways - for certain Group channels (experiments, effects-related Groups, etc), I’ll leave them in their original GROUP folder. For more duty-specific Groups (like the Group master for a series of backing vocal tracks), I’ll relocate them (e.g. move them left) to become the primary track in their related folder (the BACKUPS folder, in my current example).

Thinking now about the various ways we seem to be working, I’d love to see:

  1. Ability to see all Groups in their own “mixer module” (could be tied the original GROUP folder too) REGARDLESS if I’ve graduated some of them to other places in the mixer;

  2. Ability to expand/collapse all tracks that feed a particular group (sort of like Folder collapsing, but I’d like the option to see those tracks’ mixer channels go away via onscreen toggle). In my above backup vox example, toggling collapse on the BACKUPS group would cause all mixer channels that feed that group to disappear/reappear. Come to think of it… it could be simply a mixer feature called "Hide Grouped tracks."

I know these features wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I imagine they’d get used a bunch (by a bunch of us) - and would be straightforward to add in a future version.

Aj

#17

Might as well add to the affray!

I usually have group channels out the folder immediately under the channels I have grouped.

So say 10 tracks of drums followed by the group channels of the drum mix and any parallel comp etc, bass mic and DI group, guitar 2 mic groups etc, each directly under their respective grouped channels. Makes sense to me and keeps it clear. So personally I never use the group folder :stuck_out_tongue:

#18

cubase should use a track list like pro tools instead of group channel. If they want to go pro. All channel visible. Okay. work on strings…press strings in track list and that is all use see in the edit window. Just an example.

#19

+1

Channel View Sets does this in the mixer view, sort of.
Would be great to be able to link that to the Track List in the Project window?
Some of the code is already in place.