I’m working on my template in Cubase, and suddenly my ‘Add FX Track’ button is grayed out when I try to add another one. I googled around for a bit and asked some people I know, but nowere seems to be stated that there is a FX Channel limit.
The Steinberg overview page doesn’t list it either: Compare the Versions of Cubase | Steinberg
I’m working on Cubase Pro 11, and it grayed out when I reached 64 FX tracks.
My question now, is: Is there a way this can be exeeded, is there a setting I have missed, or do I just have to figure out a workaround?
You’re right!
It could be a good workaround, but there is also a limit to group tracks. And while I don’t likely see myself needing over 320 (64 FX channels + 256 Group Channels) anytime soon. I don’t yet know how big my template will be.
I’m setting up a large orchestral template with the possibility to export stems for every instrument.
For the stems I want to be able to export them with and without reverb, so you can perhaps imagine that it goes quite fast towards 64 channels. (Which would then only be 32 instruments)
What I’m trying to achieve is to get the possibility to have an audio out for every instrument, one with and one without reverb (or in general, effects) so I can export every instrument in context of the complete track (so with effects) and as a standalone instrumental passage straight from kontakt.
If I send everything to one reverb I can’t get the individual instruments back out, which is what I want. Perhaps it’s just with the reverbs I use, or I’m unfamiliar with some settings that would let me do this, but this is why I need a different instance on every instrument.
With every instrument I mean every section or soloist(s) (a violin or trumpet solo for example), not all of the individual section players.
I use Virtual sound stage 2 by Paralax-audio (mostly for panning) and LX480 RHall by Relab Developments. As far as I know neither of those have multi-output options.
If you export stems without the placement in the room it will be very difficult to reproduce the original mix from stems. As far as I understand SoundStage, it simulates the placement in a sampled room. Since this information shapes the sound of the orchestra it is problematic to export without…
That is certainly true!
I’ve not quite yet worked out wether I’d want a completely dry signal (straight out of kontakt) or a signal with some slight effects, think: VSS (so basically panning), bit of compression, a very dry reverb, etc. And then have the other channel for the major effects such as a verb. tail, delays, heavier compression, stuff like that.
My point is more that I’d need two channels per stem I’d want to export. Albeit group channels or FX channels (if the plugins don’t support multi out’s).
The reason I need the stems is simply futureproofing. I’m not working on a project right now that I need stems for, but since this is the template that I’ll be working with for the coming couple of years I want to have the option to export the stems.
I was not aware there are multiple options to print stems (I come from Ableton). I will read into this!
I think you should concentrate on what you really need in the first place.
Instruments, groups and VSS preparations.
Keep in mind that VSS uses early reflections and panning to place the instrument groups.
You can add groups and FX as you need them to export STEMS. To disable all instances of VSS is easy to do. You can use “Quick Link” for such tasks. But then you will loose all the placement information.
So it’s likely not necessary to export the STEMS dry.
You have to tailor your export to the specific need of the situation anyway.
so back to the basic question… you have 64 FX return channels avaiable…
and VSS doesn’t need them all, since it should reside in the inserts of the groups or instruments channels.
PS: Virtual Sound Stage is indeed “der Hammer”
now I have something to play with…
I’ve been playing around with how to route them for a bit now and I think I found somewhat of a solution.
I’ve set it up so the audio OUT’s from the VST ‘instrument’ VEP (Vienna Ensemble) act as the ‘Dry’ output. So this will be the channel for hosting VSS, as well as the dry reverb, light compression etc I mentioned earlier. Since this counts as an Instrument-track I can have infinitely many, so that should suffice !
Then I also created a group channel for every individual instrument. On this group channel I can put the ‘major’ effects, things like delays, tail reverbs (LX480R), heavier compression (I mentioned this list before).
This should leave me with the opportunity to have 256 individual instruments with major effects applied to them.
Then all of these get routed to a pre-master per library and a master per Section (Woodwinds, strings, percussion etc) on which I can then apply seperate effects for the overall track or per section.
It’s not ideal and kind of messy, but I think it should work (at least for the forseeable future)!
