Steinberg, thank you for Direct Offline Processing!
But, can we fix DOP * and expand FREEZING?
To save time, I’d like to be able to mass trigger the offline processing of the FX of every piece of audio within a folder. That would be clip-level, just as DOP currently works. AND, to free up CPU, I’d like to be able to freeze unfreeze Individual (INDV) CHANNELS, GROUP CHANNELS, and FX CHANNELS, too. I’m thinking something like this:
1. Folders:
At the clip level, Direct Offline Processing processes the actual, individual audio files that go to tracks in the mixer. (DOP can be toggled on/off for all audio tracks at once if they are within the same folder.)
So, individual wav files → Kick, Hats, Toms, Overheads, Snare channels
2. Individual Channels (we currently have this):
Kick, Hats, Toms, Overheads, Snare channels → Insert FX of the INDV Channel → The post-fader signal of the INDV Channel → FREEZE Now, you’ve EQ’d and compressed your individual drum tracks to your liking and freed up your CPU!
3. GROUP Channel:
In the mixer, the output signal from the Kick, Hats, Toms, Overheads, and Snare tracks → Insert FX of the GROUP Channel–> The post-fader output signal of the GROUP Channel → FREEZE (Volumes of those tracks greyed out until the GROUP Channel is UNFROZEN.) Now, you have frozen your Drum BUS!
4. FX Channel:
In the mixer, the audio signal from the Kick, Hats, Toms, Overheads, and Snare track’s Output and Sends → Insert FX of FX Channel → The post-fader output signal of the FX Channel → FREEZE (Sends feeding the FX Channel greyed out until the FX Channel is UNFROZEN. Must UNFREEZE to toggle Pre/Post, obviously.) Now, you have frozen your CPU-killing reverb FX BUS!
*Steinberg, Direct Offline Processing (DOP) doesn’t work properly with certain plugins with very high latency. One of them is Acustica N4! I really need Cubase to work with this plugin…
Update: It was brought to my attention that, concerning DOP, Acustica Audio’s N4 doesn’t report latency at all to Cubase. I submitted a ticket to AA. If any of you N4 users are experiencing this issue, please submit a ticket to AA so that we can bring attention to the issue.