Link Groups Should Work More Like Pro Tools

Cubase
,
1

I am new to Cubase Pro coming from Pro Tools 2018 HD. One thing that has jumped out at me is how Link Groups work in Cubase. Coming from another DAW, the implementation of Link Groups in Cubase is underwhelming. Cubase should incorporate the following features from PT:

  1. A track should be able to be assigned to more than one link group at once.
  2. You should be able to have a link group fully configured but turned off. While a link group is turned off all tracks still work independently but when turned on all tracks work together based on the settings of the specific link group(s) that are currently active. In Pro Tools all of the link groups (they are just called groups in PT, not to be confused with Group Tracks in Cubase) are in a resizable area of the window. When you create a group it defaults to being turned on, however, you can easily turn it off. At any time you can click which group(s) you want to turn on and then you can control the parameters on tracks in those groups. This allows you to:
  • Have several different link groups. Permanent NOT temporary!
    • Have tracks assigned to different link groups. Some tracks might be assigned to one link group and other tracks might be assigned to several link groups.
    • Have link groups turned on or off.
    • Only turn on link groups when you want to use them.
  1. I kind of state this in the above bullet but I want to make sure I point it out. You should be able to turn on more than one link group at a time. When multiple link groups are turned on and you change a parameter one on track it should also change the parameter on any of the other tracks where:
  • Other tracks are in at least one of the active link groups.
    • The link group(s) have the parameter checked in the link group settings.
      Here is a scenario that further illustrates my point:
  • You have Link 1 which links changing of the Volume.
    • You have Link 2 which doesn’t link changing of the Volume.
    • Track A and Track B are assigned to Link 1.
    • Track B and Track C are assigned to Link 2.
    • Link 1 and Link 2 are turned on.
    • if I change the volume on Track B it would also change the volume on Track A not Track C.
  1. There should be some global link group settings so that when creating a new link group you could either chose to use the global settings or set settings for that specific link group. Less clicks if you commonly like to use the same settings but you also sometimes use different settings.
  2. Cubase should have a pre-made “ALL” link group setup for every session to which all tracks other than output tracks are automatically assigned.
  3. None of this should have any affect on VCA Faders. If I have a vca fader assigned to a link group and I adjust the volume on the vca it should adjust the volume on all the tracks in the link group regardless of whether or not the link group is turned on. Turning a link group on or off only affects what happens when you make changes directly to track(s) in the link group.
2 Likes
2

Yes, please.

1 Like
3

+1

1 Like
4

Absolutely, positively, yes.

This is one of many pro features we get in Pro Tools and would gigantically benefit Cubase.

5

+1

i’ve been searching the last hour to see if i could do it in cubase, and every video i found on group channels was for submix busses basically. Good to know not to continue looking for now, as it simply isn’t there.

It’s funny how behind people say pro tools is, yet I can’t find any alternative in Cubase for the complex marker track system in pro tools either. i can literally create markers for clip selection, loop selection, but the big one is the show and hide… for example i create a marker for drums. I click that marker, and every other track disappears from the page and mixer except for my drums, so i can focus entirely on them. One click to do and undo the view.

grouping tracks in PT is very advanced also and i am quite surprised how ingrained all it’s little workflow boosts have become to my workflow.

Cubase is a great DAW no doubt, but there’s things i really miss… Like in cubase i need to open the docked bottom audio editor or a separate window audio editor to edit hitpoints and “flex” move audio between hitpoints, to manually quantise, change timing or whatever… In PT i do it all on the arrange page right on the clip. And so on.

Yet Cubase has a lot of things going for it that PT doesn’t, like the amazing chord track, and being able to tune vocals to follow the chords, and very good folders, fantastic in built mixing tools like the saturation, much better EQ and effects included, much better instruments included, vari pitch etc etc.

I know we are 100% getting folders in PT this year (finally) and pitch is (likely) coming, and they are the two big ones I guess, but at least i can work around them for now with markers and melodyne… In cubase it’s even bothering me that I can’t colour my channels fully, only a little colour bar.

Yet Cubase is still an awesome DAW… arghh… why can’t there be a pro tools gui daw with all cubase features and the Logic midi plugins+Drummer track. That would be the ultimate DAW. Anyone?

6

+1

1 Like
7

+1 for Link Groups

1 Like