Hi everyone. I’m new here. I recently crossgraded from Pro Tools (2018) and I’m loving the flexibility, customization, and workflow enhancements. So far there is very little that I prefer doing in PT over Cubase, but the way that Pro Tools does the Freeze and Commit functions is vastly superior because I can do those functions across multiple channels (even Aux tracks) with a simple right click.
I’m shocked that, for a function that’s been around in Cubase for such a long time, that the ability to freeze does not exist on Group and FX tracks. In a normal mix session where I’ve got 50 audio tracks, I’ve probably got 50-70 group and FX channels up those channels have about 80% of the plugins I use. So not only is the freeze function tedious (click a track, wait, click a track, wait, click a track, wait, etc…), but it is incapable of addressing the majority of my DSP usage.
Cubase is already smart enough to know that when I solo a group channel, it should solo all the tracks feeding it and all the FX channels being fed by it. I’d like to submit that a similar kind of logic for the Freeze function would be very helpful, like the way Freeze is done in Pro Tools.
Please Steinberg I beg you. If we’re not going to see an increase in CPU efficiency in the near future, then at least give us the ability to freeze group tracks and FX tracks as a workaround!
Unfortunately CPU efficiency seems to have become worse with each new version since around 7… - especially 9.5! It’s now at the point where my Macbook Pro maxes out before reaching the halfway point of a song. This pretty much means that I’m screwed unless I render down half my session (which I hate doing).
Fellow peers who share this pain, please give this thread some momentum!
+1 I discovered the need for this when archiving old sessions, it would definitely make things more future proof. I ended up routing FX tracks to inputs and recording in real time but this would have saved a bunch of time.
This is a feature I miss most from Studio One AND Cubase.
This is one thing that keeps me coming back to reaper.
It makes much more sense in a modern context to be able to freeze and or Render FX tracks and Aux tracks. These can take up so much CPU power and often all we need to do is control the volume of the track
It’s totally possible to render groups and FX.
In Cubase, Render in Place only works on actual Audio Events and MIDI Parts. But since Group and FX tracks can’t have Events/Parts on them, you cannot use Render in Place directly. So the real question is how to do that indirectly ?
Well, working around this is actually very simple. Simply route the Group or FX to an empty Audio Track, create a Part with Alt+Click and adjust it so it fits your desired rendering range, enable Monitor on the track and use Render in Place on the Part.
For easier use, this process can eventually be automated with the help of macros and PLE.
On the other hand, I can’t see how Freeze would work on such Group and FX Tracks, since there isn’t any content to render, they only contain automation data.
It could eventually be possible to Freeze the dummy track as seen in the first paragraph, but will that work with an empty Part and with the track monitored ? I haven’t tested Freeze yet but maybe someone could try it in the meanwhile.
One sure thing is that RIP definitely works.
Freezing Groups and Senf Fx in a simple method to relieve cpu processing. I’m doing it manually like mentioned in this topic, create audio, route, them render in place. But i know you can make it happen in a simpler way.
Ability to freeze FX definitely makes things future proof. Since Cubase SX 3 you could freeze vst instruments with FX, so it’s puzzling why Cubase doesn’t do this for just FX
Thanks
Eric
Well, since the audio tracks that feed FX tracks can be plenty it makes less sense probably. Every time you update any of the tracks that feed the FX track the frozen version becomes obsolete. It can be anything from slightly adjusting fader levels pre-send or an EQ change etc. At that point what should happen - an automatic re-freeze?
So my guess is that it probably never really came up as a common request or that it didn’t necessarily make sense. The alternative to just do this manually seems more close to a traditional workflow that also happens to be quite logical in the sense that if you consider FX track outputs as a source for exports just like a full mix or stems then you’d get into the habit of always freezing them for archival purposes.
Have you never mixed on a system that is resource constrained?
I don’t understand why some people can’t grasp the concept- freezing is a function to print audio as a means of freeing up CPU so it can be allocated to other things, and that ability should be able to extend to busses and FX tracks.
Sure it’s cool that I can freeze my lead vocal, but the 5 reverbs I have automated throughout the song are still eating resources because Cubase “can’t” freeze those tracks. They absolutely can, it’s just that they’ve chosen not to apply the feature.
This is one feature that Pro Tools actually gets right over Cubase, which is a real shame.
Yes, if you make a change upstream of the frozen FX tracks, you’d need to un/refreeze. Just like if you printed your effects to tape and wanted to change them later.