Studio One introduced the Sketch pad, which i think looked like a great tool - a playground for trying out ideas
before inserting them to the master arrangement, or a way to simultaneously work on multiple arrangements sharing the same
instruments.
Something i thought could work in Cubase would be to allow multiple arrangements inside a project as Tabs.
Different arrangements would share the same tracks, instruments and effects, but would allow different midi, audio,
tempo and automation data. Sure needs thinking, but i wanted to introduce the idea.
Interesting. So this could be like TrackVersions for all tracks. Internally these could just be cycle markers that each have their own tab.
This way it would be very fast to switch between pieces that use the same orchestral template. There could even be an “All” mode where they are placed one after another within cycle markers. This could also be used to make a continuous mix or for a live show.
I don’t see how this would be better than what we already have – Cubase can save any number of arrangements. If you’re wanting to change the actual notes of the parts or change the instruments that play them, then, I think, you’re looking a Project Template. Perhaps you need a sketch pad template for different instrument setups?
I think this is a great idea, and I’ve always wished we had something like this you’re playing around with multiple options for the same section of music, but aren’t ready to commit to anything yet. It would need to be robust of course to elegantly handle mixer/fx automation changes when you toggle to a new tab in large projects.
You can now open many projects and one is active - and they always cover each other in main window.
Better to put in tabs and you see what more is open(but not active).
I often forget to close current project first when opening another.
Trackversions don’t even recall automation. How could they be a substitute for anything?
Templates would mean having to load in and out projects.
I think the requested functionality here is the most similar to Digital Performer’s “Chunks”. If Arranger track parts could be opened in their own views, may be it would already be kind of the same?
What OP wants is what is in Sonar basically and called MixRecall - but Sonar is without shuffled sections of project. You have plenty options to set how much you want in each set - checkboxes if automation is included, plugins are included etc. Very smooth - and you can try out same mix if you want with different plugins in place - or not.
Track version is not substitute whatsoever for that. I just use it instead of different takes sometimes, and good for that. sometimes render different synths sound with same midi part to see what I like better - external synths on it’s own audio track when rendered.
So yes, you recall a mix like you use Workspaces close to, save a couple that you switch between that belong to that project.
So Sonar has true track version you could say - and doing one in each tab would be swell.
+1 and I support original OP idea( as well as my own twist to tabs).
Cubase has Trackversions, Sampitude has Revolver tracks - and are very similar - just clips basically, nothing else.
But DP chunks is more like Arranger in Cubase - and not in Sonar current version of Mixrecalls I mentioned.
With my twist of tabs as well, you can open different flattended versions of arrangertrack projects, or any that you work on.
Say you master an album - neat to have in tabs instead of fiddling with MDI windows back and forth. Very tidy and organized, I think.
