How does the monitor button route audio?

Cubase
1

Hi,

I know the fate of the free world doesn’t depend on my understanding this, but in case someone can enlighten me on yet another thing I should definitely know about Cubase (but don’t :disappointed_face:!), I thought I’d ask … grateful for any responses!

I’m wondering why, when my audio track is routed to a group and its monitor button is engaged, and I can hear the notes I’m playing - there is no signal activity visible in any of the meter inputs anywhere downstream of my track … not the Group the audio track is routed to, or any subsequently routed groups, not the master out … well you get the idea.

It’s like there’s an invisible monitor bus that routes the audio to my speakers :man_shrugging:t2:?!

3

This doesn’t occur on my Cubase. I get to see the signal on all meters down the stream.

I am not aware of any setting that would change Cubase to behave as you describe it.

4

Maybe you are using some DSP software that sends the signal straight to your monitors. Like a zero latency thing.

5

Could you post a screenshot showing both your audio track (with its output routing) and the involved group one ? Something like this :

C15030_AudioMonitor&Group
C15030_AudioMonitor&Group524×340 16.7 KB

6

You maybe have an interface with ASIO direct monitoring and have this option enabled?

In that case there is no monitor routing inside of cubase, it’s done in the hardware.

Quick way to tell is to put an obvious vst effect on the track…if you only hear ot on playback but not when record monitoring that’s direct monitor being engaged.

7

Yes, indeed thank you @ Grim, and also everyone else!

Steinberg UR28M with direct monitoring activated. I never thought of the direct monitoring as a sort of bus before, but I guess maybe it’s sort of one that on request hijacks/diverts the audio and doesn’t let it proceed down the Cubase path.

I should have figured that out by the fact that even though I have my latency set very high for mixing, there was no latency with my playing.

On reflection, I think I was thinking the direct monitoring would not only grab the audio, but also let it pass into Cubase, requiring a muting of the destination channels to keep from hearing it twice. Which would be a pain!

Thanks again!

8

Well non asio direct monitoring does work this way…you don’t mute anything, you just don’t need to enable record monitor in cubase in the first place, but set direct monitor with your interface soft or hardware.

ASIO direct monitoring is just passing the control of this to Cubase so enabling monitor button is both enabling hardware monitoring but actually disabling the audio thru in Cubase.