I have never asked about this before but now I would like an answer or insight if somebody has one?
When setting up a recording Project, I’ve always opted to skip the CR output path because if I use it (by adding my already selected output channels to it) then it becomes combined with my Output section as I play a sound file - which increases the output level overall and creates distortion in my monitors. I realize there is a button to turn OFF the CR at the routing window in my Project, BUT is this (turn off the CR in the Output window when you begin recording the tracks in your Project) what all of you CR users do? OR is there a way to keep both outputs connected and NOT have them co-mingle?
The reason this comes up is of course when I import a track or audio file into my Project, if I have turned off the CR, then I cannot hear the file UNTIL it is imported. Which means (if I want to hear the file) that I then need to open the input/output window and enable the CR outputs. I this what everyone else does or is there a better and easier way? Thank you in advance. (BTW, I already have an external headphone monitoring setup in place with my interface and really don’t need the CR monitoring system.)
From my limited experience with CR, I think that it is indeed better to keep the Main out and CR outputs separated. I always had problems when trying to share the main outputs with the CR. FWIW, and guessing that you (as I) have only one pair of monitors, I have configured the Cubase CR this way, to be able to hear either with my headphones or my monitors what I want (either the full mix or cue ones, used with the cue sends in the MixConsole), this, with a RME Fireface UCX, which has 8 outputs (Analog 1 → Analog 8) :
- The Outputs pane of the Audio connections window : I connected the main output to two outputs which are actually hooked to nothing (my pair of monitor being connected to Analog 1 + Analog 2).
- The Control room pane of the Audio connections window : in it, I have connected everything that I need to be usable for monitoring or hearing a mix (the control room allows the latter with the ‘Mix’ button in the ‘Main’ panel of it). The only cue bus that I added is not connected but can be heard, either in the Main or the Phones panel of the CR, thanks to the ‘C1’ button.
- Finally, here is what I have in the control room panel. This setup allows me to hear, as wanted, everything I could need to hear, either with the headphones or the monitors, each of them allowing either the full mix (Mix button) monitoring or a cue one (C1 → C4). Works perfectly, here, as it is.
I don’t know how your external headphones monitor setup works, but it shouldn’t be that much different from my only headphones set, the headphones outputs of the UCX using one outputs pair, but maybe there is the need to activate as much outputs pair as headphones you have at your disposal (using additional monitors busses), I don’t know. HTWH, though…
Thanks for your setup details. The idea of setting up an output pair that doesn’t go anywhere is an option here but I haven’t tried that. I will. The headphone setup seems logical, too, but I just run it off the board right now. I should try this. My setup is delivering 5.2ms latency at 512 samples buffer, but my mixer has zero latency and I basically set things up like a mixer into a tape recorder. I have 6 monitor sends off my board that accept any of the 16 outs, that can be routed there (to the monitor sends) but right now these (monitor sends) are coming off the channels live and then going to a headphone amp. I’m able to track six ppl live while recording over a scratch track and this is how I’m doing things. Do you have any latency issues?
Also, I was looking at your CR panel Mains and I see some volume levels that confuse me? Is this just a picture with the Mains turned off because you are running headphones at the time of the picture?
Also, I find I can drop the CR volume control to -20 and run the same two pairs of outputs without overloading my monitors. Haha, I’m not sure what this is actually doing to the sonic accuracy of my monitors but it seems OK. Thoughts?
No, there isn’t any latency issue on my end. I guess that the control room works more or less in parallel with the regular “signal” flow (would like to have charts showing the different signal flows in Cubase, by the way : can’t find one in the C10 operation manual as there were in the C6 one). FWIW, I work usually with 256 samples latency for tracking at least, and everything is alright.
About my CR panel, yes, at the moment of the screenshot, I had my monitors on but was using only the headphones.
About your CR volume adjustment and your monitors behavior, -20 dB means that the voltage sent to the monitors is divided by 10 and the power, by 100. Maybe this explains that, I don’t know…
Cubic13, I di switch the outputs on the Output section to a pair that I don’t use and this seems a good solution for me. Thank you, I might never have tried this. 
Glad to see that it helped. And You’re welcomed… 
