I am trying to use Cubase for (very) long multi-channel recordings.
Not all channels transport audio all the time, so we have a lot of recorded silence, eating a lot of disk space with zero information that needs to be cut out later. It generates work that could and should be done by a computer, but even better silence should not be recorded at all.
The idea of RECORD THRESHOLD exists in other tools (e.g. samplers) since a long time and this will be a very nice feature to have in Cubase:
A) listen to incoming audio on channel, when audio level is bigger than defined level X, start recording this channel (write files)
B) when audio level drops below defined level X, stop recording this
channel (not write files) and then goto A)
have you tried Audio>Advanced>Detect Silence?
It does exactly what you are asking for afterwards. It’s non-destructive so that’s another bonus to it.
I’d personally prefer to do it after the fact using detect silence and then minimize files (or there is also Nuendo Live: Live Recording Software | Steinberg ), however thinking out loud here, you might be able to insert a trigger plugin on the insert channel which sends a control message once signal is above a certain threshold. You could then use that control message to toggle record on/off for your target channel. There are VST plugins which send MIDI control messages, then use a virtual MIDI port (options exist for both OSX and Windows) to route to the generic remote where you’d then set up your record trigger. I haven’t tried this nor would I personally trust it for reliability but it might be an option.
I would definitely prefer the Detect Silence method, too. Not only is it probably more reliable but it’s also better to have it all on “tape” just in case you need it. E.g. the input signal drops in level because someone is further away from the mic and the set threshold doesn’t work anymore. Risky…
Is disk space really an issue these days? How long are your tracks? John Cage-long…;)?
Thank you very much for your attention, I know this feature.
But doing it afterwards is only the second best solution as there are way too many things to do afterwards already. Also disc space can be a real problem in some situations with very long recordings.
Avoiding having to do things afterwards would be much better, especially if a feature is so trivial to implement.
It will be a great feature and people will love it.
Thank you very much, I probably did not make it clear that the remove silence feature is known to me, but still is just the second best solution.
Re Nuendo Live: does it have such a record threshold feature?
Building a plugin chain with external plugins for every channel is not a good way doing this, way too much room for human error. This should be a feature that comes with Cubase, as all the building blocks are already there (gate, record functionality, not more needed) and is easy to implement.
Also of course I respect you personal preferences, but I am still missing this feature, however thank you very much for your attention!