I’m mixing the music for a series. I deliver in 5.1 and stereo.
At the start of each project/cue I setup my outputs first, close and reopen. I then use Track Archive to import my upmix and downmix groups preset.
Every time I import with Tack Archive there is something wrong in the routing, or send levels, or track levels. The inserts are always perfect, as is the colouring and layout.
So every time I import my setup I spend the next while fixing it. This is really cumbersome and frustrating and can lead to technical issues. Especially under these time constraints and delivery pressures.
Would it not make more sense to start each project using a template that contains both outputs and groups then?
I think there was an issue fixed at some point and it was related to ‘recalling’ the output routing of tracks that were imported. I know I run into this issue less now (I’m on v13) than in the past, and the only time it’s still a problem is if a destination path changed name - if I remember correctly (i.e. tracks in source project had output destinations with one name and the ones in the destination project were named slightly differently).
I imported my Track Archive preset this morning and it loaded perfectly. On the next import I had issues again. Third import - perfect. So it’s a bit hit and miss.
Even with some issues it’s still an absolute blessing to have this function.
I think that if you are the re-recording engineer and you’re working with a composer that is on Cubase then if this is a problem you may have to get them to work with part of your template. In other words if you set up the paths where their mix / composition terminates in your template and send that over, and then you import back what feeds those paths, I would expect the track import to go fine.
This is importing track archives into different projects still, right?
Getting them to work even a part of my setup just isn’t going to happen - the projects are crazy when I get them.. I can understand - they work under huge pressure. They also track a lot of the live stuff in different studios, which makes things even more shambolic!
Yes, importing into different projects. I really take the time to make sure all outputs (an inputs) match my template. I then close the project and reopen it before importing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
The biggest fault is the routing within the template. For example - there are eight groups getting routed to the main stereo buss and eight others going to the 5.1 buss out. (this is for stem mixing) 80% of the time the first track of both groups is routed correctly, but the others aren’t. Or the sends within those groups being routed within the groups in the template are wrong.
So, the problem is with the template’s routing within itself. And then the template not finding the outputs (which are named exactly the same as the template) correctly. The template doesn’t have to use any existing routing/fx sends, etc of the project at all. Just the outputs, which I’ve setup before import. The setup allows for mixing, up-mixing and down-mixing, monitoring and exporting of stereo and surround stems and interleaved mixes at once. The monitoring is switched within my RME setup and works flawlessly with snapshots on the RME ARC remote.
I’m sure it’s something that will get sorted out in the future, but for now I’ve become pretty quick a getting it sorted. As long as I’ve had coffee!
I’m so sorry if I wasted your time! I didn’t consider that importing tracks from “track archive” is what was causing problems, I kept thinking importing tracks from project.
So ignore what I said before.
Again, sorry. I’ll try to think better next time. I think I am the one who needs coffee!!!
Have you tried the other way around? Importing track archive from the cubase projects into a Nuendo session with all your template stuff set up already?
But, unfortunately, due to the complexity of the projects I receive I could get myself into serious trouble if I did it that way round. I’m talking lots of automation, muted regions, frozen midi, tempo and time signature changes, offline processing, events to part..
The quickest and easiest at the moment is just to correct the faults in the Track Archive import. Once I get going it doesn’t take me that long to setup and fix 20 or so cues per episode before I mix.
I can understand - they work under huge pressure. They also track a lot of the live stuff in different studios, which makes things even more shambolic!
