Freeze function: 2 Questions

Cubase
1

  1. I see I can freeze an audio track. What is Cubase actually doing to the track to save resources when I choose that?

  2. Why can’t I freeze my EZDrummer 3 track like I can my PianoTeq track?

Thanks!

2
3

Thank you for the link, @steve . After reading it, still not really sure why/how freezing audio files is helpful. The link says freezing converts the audio file to … an audio file …?

Freeze being a way to reduce resources, I’m wondering why/ how
freezing an audio track would do that.

Am I missing an obvious point (again :laughing:)?

Screenshot_20230426_120359_Chrome|225x500

4

It’s simply that no processing happens on the track, and it plays back a simple audio file. So, I suppose, if there was already very little resource demand from that track, the advantage would be slight.

It’s an old feature all daws have, from the time when CPU and Memory resources were much more expensive than now. I have not used freeze for many years.

1 Like
5

I hadn’t considered the processing on the track, that’s helpful, thanks.

(I like Freeze early in a project, rather than RIP or Bounce, because I don’t have to deal with new tracks being created).

Anyone know why EZDrummer 3 can’t be frozen (my 2nd question in the OP)?

6

Are you sending it MIDI from Cubase or is it all done inside EZDrummer? (I think it’ll only work in the former scenario.)

7

Thanks, @mlib :slight_smile:

It’s an instrument track, and I just hit the freeze button in the inspector. That works when I do it in PianoTeq, but not EZDrummer 3 for some reason.

Can you explain a little more about what you are suggesting please?

Thanks!

8

The MIDI data, or grooves if you will, can either come from Cubase as MIDI events (either on a MIDI track or Instrument track), or they can be hosted directly inside EZD.
If all your MIDI parts are in EZD, try dragging them out onto the Cubase Instrument track, then Freeze.

3 Likes
9

Thanks, @mlib !

10

My only issue with freezing is the inability to move events on a frozen track. This alone would make it so much more intuitive.

11

If you use Render In Place function or Direct Offline Processing instead of freeze, you can move the audio afterwards.

12

Indeed, but freezing has its benefits which are lost in the other techniques you mentioned.

Of course you could render to a duplicate and freeze the original track, which works, but I’m talking purely of “quality of life” improvements here.

13

I never use freeze anymore except at the end when backing up an approved mix. The benefits of RIP and DOP especially are that it’s easy to apply a large plugin chain to a lot of parts at the same time (Like 20 Backing vocal parts). I use RIP with automatic deactivating and hiding the original track so it’s pretty seamless and almost like freezing. Of course it would be even smoother if it retained the automation like freeze does. But I agree that freeze is not optimal as it is now. Other than retaining the automation, what are the other benefits of Freeze?

14

I suppose in your case, rendering only at the end of approved work, there’s not much benefits.
But freezing mid project, with the ability to quickly unfreeze, make changes and freeze again, is super useful for workflow.

It eliminates the extra steps of unhiding track, activating, deleting render and rendering updated track and makes it a single key press.

2 Likes
15

I see your point! For parts that I know need further tweaking I usually go for Direct Offline Processing and tweak it offline on the fly. It’s pretty quick to just press a key to open he DOP window, do the edit and close. Also you can do it on multiple parts at the same time so every part that is selected gets the same edit. That’s not possible with freeze. Only problem is that the edit folder grows very quickly to a considerable size:(