In the vst connections dialogue there is a little presets box up top if you press the + you can name and save an input configuration and then easily load it into any project. As you discovered the saved project also saves the connections config so the preset is the quick way to load it back…you will only need to do this once for each project as saving them will write the new config as it’s default.
Just realized that I probably presented not enough information. I do use non-audio tracks also - groove agent and VST synth. Perhaps that was what it meant when it said I was using stereo.
VST instruments would have no bearing on input configuration.
It only tells you it’s in use as it is currently selected as an input to a track or tracks in the project. Deleting this and leaving them with no input is not a problem, but as I said you may need to assign your new inputs to the tracks.
OK, I will see what I can do, troubleshoot new and ongoing tracks and see if I can manage it. If not, I’ll come back here.
So here’s the situation now:
I can start a new project, no problem. Audio tracks will be fully pannable.
I have gone to an ongoing project, used a preset with 2 mono buses, and now the already recorded audio tracks are pannable. Great. This means I can manage both old and new projects.
One issue, which I found a little odd.
In the ongoing project I opened a new track: audio, and this was not fully pannable, even though the project was running on that 2 track mono. I can get around this issue, but simply copying already existing audio tracks that are full pannable, but is there a reason I cannot make a new audio track that will record both left and right?
Thanks everyone, Everything is working fine!