Cubase is one of those DAWs where sends from FX tracks are unavailable. So if you wanna stack effects in a chain, you’ll need to do workarounds. I’m looking for tips on best practices for that.
An example:
I got a lead vocal track (mono) and I want to apply a ping-pong stereo delay to it, followed by a plate reverb. Since the track is a mono track, adding a stereo-delay as an insert won’t work because it will sound in mono.
So I create an fx track with the stereo delay on and uses the aux send on the vocal track to send it to the delay fx channel.
But once I got delay on the vocals, I can’t sent the vocals with delay to another fx track containing a plate reverb, because sends on fx tracks are made unavailable.
So I delete the delay fx channel and put the stereo delay on to the same fx channel as the reverb, only before the reverb in chaining order. Now it will work.
But hey, I’m sending many things to that plate reverb, like snare, guitar etc. Now all of those got ping-pong delay on them too. Not wanted.
So I have to create a another plate reverb fx channel, one with ping-pong delay and one without delay. And subsequently I have to do this with most send fx I’m using, increasing the CPU usage.
Or I could transform the vocal track into a stereo track, so I can put the stereo effect like the delay as an insert on the channel, which racks up the disk reading load.
Or … yak yak yak etc etc
How do you stack effects?
What would you recommend as best practice to get around this limitation?
Sends from FX tracks are entirely possible (but Cubase will not allow you to create a feedback loop so perhaps that’s your problem?). i.e. you if you want to send FX track 1 to FX track 2, you cannot also have FX track 2 sending/routed back to FX track 1 (If you did that, the result would be ear piercing feedback coming from your speakers!).
Also, in case you’re not aware, if you want stereo ping-pong delay on a mono track, one option is to use a stereo track instead (there’s nothing to stop you placing a mono audio file on a stereo track, thus enabling you to use stereo plugins).
Yeah, the routing can cause feedback loop if used wrong.
You seem to say it’s ‘entirely possible’ to send from an fx track? If so, how?
I can’t see any way of doing that. Only potential way I see on my FX tracks is “Direct Routing”, where the only selectable option is “Stereo Out” - which is preselected btw.
Maybe you can go to ur input/output menu f4 i think it is
Create a new output bus, do not assign a physical output to it- it might automatically map the next free output ports, so select “no output” for the output assignment.
Use the direct routing to send to the new “ghost” bus
On the receiving channel, set it to receive from said ghost bus…
. Idk, maybe…
You can use the Sends on your FX tracks to send to another FX track, just the same as using sends on a normal audio track.
If you are finding that you are unable to select an FX tracks in the destination list, then it must be because you have a routing issue that would create a feedback loop and Cubase will therefore not allow you to select the destination you want. Double check your routings. Check the FX track that you want to send to and have a look at the send destinations on that track. Even if the sends are switched off, but are routed to somewhere that potentially causes a feedback loop, then you will have a problem.
Just checked. Can’t see any potential feedback routing possible at all.
It’s a simple arrangement. Just straight up audio tracks with a few sends in the bottom. No cross-channel routing whatsoever. And all the inserts on the FX tracks are different kinds. On my FX channels, there isn’t even a “Sends” tab in the inspector, nor in the Channel Edit window. It’s not ‘hidden’ either.
I do have Cubase Artist though. Anyone knows if there’s a limitation on that one? Doesn’t mention it in the manual or anywhere on the site as far as I’ve seen so far.
Aaaaah ok… I only know about Cubase Pro. Maybe this is a limitation with Cubase Artist. I can tell you 100% for sure this is possible with Cubase Pro because I’ve done it many times but perhaps some Cubase Artist users can let us know what the situation is here?
There’s no real difference between FX tracks and Group tracks in Cubase. They’re just the same thing with a different name and a different colour so maybe you can find the solution by using Group tracks instead of FX tracks.
I have Cubase Elements and there is no Send option on FX tracks so it’s probably the same on Artist.
As mentioned though you can use a Group track as a send which has inserts, and allows you to route it with send levels to any FX send so the same difference.
I think this is a shame, feedback loops can be used for many things, not only making ear-piercing sounds…We should be able to route completely freely, but a warning should pop up every time you are about to make a feedback loop.
+1 on the last post… There are creative ways to use feedback loops. And you can set them so it doesn’t feed out of control. Too bad we’re “not allowed to”.
But for the op’s question… Just use Group channels instead of FXchannels as mentioned above. Works like a charm.
Why can’t you set up your chain in the fx inserts. For instance set up a fx delay channel then inset a chorus and a plate reverb. Indeed any think you want. Send from a mono track and you will have stereo efx.
I wasn’t able to find the way to send from one FX track to another but I do see that Group tracks seem to work exactly the same as FX tracks BUT they include the ability to send whereas FX tracks do not (at least in Cubase elements 8), at least as far as I can tell.
No time to read the whole thread, only read the OP
JUST CREATE 2 SENDS one with a delay and another with a verb
Or create a chain in 1 FX return and only use it for the vocal and setup a copy without the verb
Or send the FX to a direct out and do something there, there are numerous ways to route FX very smart in Cubase, only limited by your own imagination
My speakers 