I’ve recently converted to Cubase from Logic Pro after over 12 years using Logic exclusively. I am very surprised at how much more powerful Cubase 13 is. The difference is huge at this point and I’m very happy I decided to switch.
One thing that would be amazing to have is the ability to link group faders to its channels sends. That way, when lowering the group channel volume, the sends get lowered as well. This would be huge in terms of saving resources, time and making it easy to automate volume after some group processing.
I don’t think there are any provisions for linking a send with the channel volume. Would you care to explain why simply having your sends post fader doesn’t suffice?
Thanks guys. The behaviour I’m talking about is this:
You have three channels, all sending to different reverbs. You send these three channels to a group and do a little bit of EQ and Compresison on the group. Now, if you lower the group fader, you end up with a wetter mix because your basically changed the balance between wet and dry. If you had the ability to link the group channel to the send levels in the individual channels, this could be avoided.
Can you use a VCA fader that links the 3 channels plus the group channel fader. With the sends to your group set to Pre Fader, your compressors would not be affected.
hmm… That would affect my compression on the group level. If I lower the volume of the channels, the compressor that I put on the group would be affected. Unless I’m not getting what you’re suggesting, sorry.
The proper way around it, or I guess the proper way of addressing this would be to have those channel sends, plus the group output, being routed to another group - a stem group. Then controlling the level on the second group. This means, however, that I need to have a dedicated reverb for every single stem.
Anyway, not the end of the world, as it can be addressed, but it’s resource intensive and it requires more routing.
Can’t say that I share your problem, but that might just be my workflow.
I alter sends and other levels many times anyways.
and I have almost always all my fader at zero at all times.
Your group faders at zero? Yes, that’s what I’m finding the solution is.
It’d be nice to be able to automate multiple lanes at the same time as well. That way, if you automate your group channel, at least you could mimic that easily on your channels sends.
Yeah, all of them, I use clipgain, plugin gain and what not to get levels, faders is at zero, they might move a little bit here and there.
you just need to find your workflow, that fits you and cubase, not try to force a program to do something it can’t. that’s why people use different daws.
Totally. I’m super impressed with Cubase, to be honest. And at first I thought this would be a deal breaker, but I think the extra thinking might be an added bonus on this particular issue. Thanks for the help.
Your channels would have to feed the Group Channel via Sends. Those sends would have to be Pre Fader Sends. Pre Fader sends are not affected by the volume fader.
That’s a good idea, but I’m afraid that would invite other sorts of trouble that I can’t completely predict at the moment. You would have to get rid of the channel output for one or you’d be hearing the signal twice I assume.
Anyway, I probably have to do it manually. Every time I touch the group fader, I have to adjust the send levels. Thanks for the help anyway! Appreciate it!
Couldn’t you route the output of your reverb to the group as well? Sending to the reverb from the channel and then compressing the group means your reverb isn’t being compressed. So not only is the group volume fader affecting the balance of dry-to-reverb, but your compressor is as well.
If you know you’re going to work this way for certain tracks, why not just go with it rather than trying to juggle lots of different levels at different points in your chain?
Use a VCA but have it control the reverb FX returns and the group channel. Now you’re only adjusting the outputs of group and FX. The sends remain the same and the balance between source track levels and sends remain the same.
Yes. You nailed it. The way you’re suggesting, either sending the reverb to the group or sending the group to a reverb are probably the best approaches technically. This is what I’m doing right now. It requires several instances of reverbs, but it is what it is.
Possibly, and this is a good solution, but not when you’re trying to have the same reverb affect different tracks going to different groups. Otherwise, that’s a good solution!
"You have three channels, all sending to different reverbs. " Those reverbs are one output to your master. And then you wrote:
"You send these three channels to a group and do a little bit of EQ and Compresison on the group. " That group is another output to your master. And then you wrote:
"if you lower the group fader, you end up with a wetter mix because your basically changed the balance between wet and dry. "
But not if you use a VCA to control the outputs of the different reverb FX tracks AND the group.
What am I missing? Isn’t this exactly the type of thing VCAs are good for?
It would work if you were not using the same reverb for different tracks going to different groups. If I have Reverb 1 on violin 1 and the same Reverb 1 on horn 1, then link the Strings Group to the Reverb with a VCA, when I lower the Strings group, it’ll lower the reverb for the Horn 1 as well - which would be going to the Brass group.
