Hello, I’m using Nuendo 15.0.30 on Windows. I have multiple drum tracks routed to a stereo drum submix group. The drum tracks use post-fader sends to stereo FX channels for reverb and delay.
My objective is that muting or lowering the drum sub mix fader mutes both the dry drum signal and all associated effects. I have enabled mute pre-send when mute and group channels mute sources as well. I’ve reproduced the behavior in a brand-new empty project and with newly created group and FX channels.
I also tried routing an FX channel to a group channel, but the group channel does not appear as an available output destination for the FX channel. This was my initial preferred process approach.
Additionally, even after muting the drum sub mix group and sometimes the FX channels, I can still hear drum audio or ambience. It seems like some audio is bypassing the expected signal path and still reaches the main bus. I haven’t identified where that signal is coming from.
My questions are:
1. Is this expected behavior in Nuendo 15?
2. Is routing an FX channel to a group channel supported and under what conditions?
3. What is Steinberg’s recommended routing architecture for ensuring all FX follow a drum sub mix mute and fader?
4. Is there a preferred workflow using group channels, folder group channels, or another routing method to accomplish this?
5. Given the behavior above, what’s the recommended way to trace the complete signal path and identify audio that appears to bypass the expected routing?
I’m trying to understand the recommended signal flow architecture in Nuendo rather than just working around the issue. Thank you.
This should absolutely be doable.
There are no restrictions on routing FX channels to group channels per se.
But you can’t route an FX channel to a group channel that sends to that same FX channel. And you can’t send from a group channel to an FX channel that is routed back into that same group. Whatever was done first will remove the option for the alternative.
So have you checked that the group isn’t sending to the FX channels along with the individual tracks? That is most likely the reason why you can’t find the group in the outputs for the FX channel.
If you need them to be parallel, you can simply link the channels and select the appropriate settings.
If they don’t need to be parallel, one way is to just route the FX channel into the group along with all the other tracks from that group.
You could also create another group that will be fed from both the first group and the FX channels, for example.
All these alternatives produce similar results, but the group-routing ones will not behave like VCAs. The FX fader will not move along, but the sound will be ultimately controlled by the last group channel in the chain.
If you solo the tracks that still sound through the ambience when you mute the drum sub group, the FX channels to which those tracks send to will also be soloed (that’s the way it is here), so you can see what those are. Probably you have a pre-fader send to an FX channel that is bypassing by the group mute.
Hope this helps!
Thank you, Henrique. I really appreciate the quick response—it was very helpful.
We’re new to Steinberg, having purchased Nuendo just three days ago, so we’re in a rapid learning phase. I’ve been using Pro Tools for over 20 years, but after waiting nearly two years for a fix to a freezing issue with Universal Audio plug-ins (bug report PT-350558, which I personally submitted to Avid), it was time to move on. Both of our studios have decided to transition to Nuendo, so we’re on a fast-paced effort to recreate our workflow in the new environment.
So far, we’ve been very impressed with Nuendo. We’ve already found several clear advantages, and at this point we haven’t come across any areas that feel like compromises compared to Pro Tools. From my perspective, Pro Tools also feels somewhat dated in both its design and workflow. I especially prefer Nuendo’s file management system, and the XML-based configuration structure is significantly easier to manage, back up, and migrate between systems. Those aspects really reinforce the modern feel of the platform.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply. Your guidance pointed us in the right direction and helped us solve the issue very quickly.
Happy to help, my friend!
Welcome to Nuendo and to the forum, and good luck in this new path!
Nuendo is indeed awesome!
Any doubts just ask questions here in the forum, there’s always someone to help.
hahah I’ve always thought it looks like I’m back in 2003 and about to burn a CD… =P
I do it a simple way…drums to a Group, 2 sends from that group to 2 FX groups. One is compression and one is reverb. I crush the compression and go overboard with the reverb and then use the faders on the fx groups to get the sounds I want, you also control the send amounts 