I am in process of setting up Cubase for first use.
Soundcard system: RME MADI fx+ferrofish A32 + QS8 + Burl B2 AD&DA
Use
42 channels for mic inputs
will be sending 32 channels of softsynth(drums) to virtual (no IO) channels of RME total mix.
Questions:
I have to pick how cubase looks at each channel (stereo vs mono). If I made all the channels mono, will that create problems when working with stereo tracks? or the other way around?
Assuming it does, there is no easy way to edit inputs/outputs to match RME total mix. Guess it all needs to be planned in detail. is this right?
In concept, I should be using free channels of the sound cards for sub mixing, aux sends/returns, etc… right? That way I am using the capacity of the sound card to flow the audio vs using CPU. Is there a better way to think about it? For example, if I use a drum softsyth with 32 outs, I can send each out to free RME channels to submix in the card vs cubase.
You can use the same I/O in multiple busses. This means you could assign output 1 & 2 to two separate mono buses and then create a third stereo bus with the same two outputs.
Thanks. Going to ask a question to check my understanding.
If I have a stereo in out or two mono ins/outs. It will not change how assignments within cubase will flow no matter if it’s mono or stereo source?
The alternative is I need to plan all IN/OUT connections to be mono or stereo ahead of time.
Don’t really understand what you are asking. Because you have created both stereo and mono buses for the same pair of outs it’s up to you to assign to the correct buses in Cubase.
Honestly, I don’t know why you would want to complicate things this way. cpu to play back and mix a track of hard drive is negligible. I would only use the soundcard if the audio is physically leaving the computer to hit hardware. No-one is using multiple virtualk channels in their soundcard mixer to save a bit of cpu.
Will be recording 32 mic’s on drums and be using 32 softsynth in from BFD all in realtime. Hope to keep buffers at 32 or 64 while tracking 64 channels of drums realtime
when you assign an in or out. other assignments are removed.
other relative issue. If I plan out what channels are mono vs stereo. Then I can manually enter each out the right way in sequence that matches total mix
I get what you are saying now. I was wrong. The single assignment only applies to control room.
this would allow me to use any one channel both ways buy planning ahead. But would add clutter. Better off planning what it is vs planning the ability to use both ways. Good to know I have that option. Thank you for the lesson.
I was using SSL mix tracks software for a while 5 years back. Was very different animal.
Well the inputs will be in the soundcard and could be direct monitored so saving record monitoring so may tracks which will help…but I don’t think there is any point in sending BFD out to the soundcard as mono tracks rather than just summing in Cubase and monitoring the master out. All the cpu is running of the plugin and generating the audio, not summing the audio
I have made it through about 100 hoops. Another 100 on deck.
My current problem is understanding the relationship between the control room speakers and the default output. I know they can’t have the same assignment. However, when adding say a VST, only an output can be assigned, not the control room speakers. How should I rout the output of a VST to the control room? Better yet, how do I make the speaker outputs the default output?
It’s a bit hard to follow, probably because I’m so used to it already.
Judging from your screenshots you have Output Bus “1” set to “main mix bus”. You also have that set to a physical device port (“MADI 1”). This is probably not what you want.
In the Outputs tab in Audio Connections you will want to have one main mix bus created that is the actual mix of your music (I’m assuming now for the sake of explaining this that you will mix in Cubase). That bus will probably be stereo (or surround, if that’s your things). You should also NOT select a physical output for that output bus. So create a new stereo output bus, right click on it and make it the main mix, and then make sure it’s set to “not connected” in the “device port” column.
(in the above image I have right clicked on an output bus so you can see the dialog box option you should choose, then scroll right to make sure no device ports are connected)
Then in the Control Room tab you would have to right-click and choose a source for Control Room. Control Room basically just takes signals from the mixer, as sources, and routes them to destinations. So you have to define the source you want to listen to. Choose the main mix output bus you created.
Now when you mix into your main mix output bus the bus itself will not go to speakers, but a copy of the signal at the end of that bus will go to Control Room and it will forward that signal to whatever speakers you have set up (which in your case I think is “Monitor 1” output to “AES L / R”).
The piece of the puzzle I was missing was:
Have to set up the main stereo outs routed to nothing. Then they go to the control room. Not intuitive to rout the main output to nothing.
Does anything routed to nothing go to the control room? Guess I will find out soon as I explore.
How does the control room inside total mix relate to the control room in Cubase. Both happen to have Main/alt speakers and 4 cue sends. I don’t think they are the same things, except the mains maby?
The output bus with the little “exit” symbol automatically sends its signal to the Control Room, where it is available as “Mix”.
There can be only exactly one output bus with that symbol.
