Hey guys,
Unless I am doing something wrong…VST Connect is really driving me crazy!!!
I tested it on my laptop via Performer, and I managed after a lot of work to make it work fine, i.e. I could hear my Talkback, and a Superior Drummer was playing back fine, plus the VST Connect Performer tracks were recording and playing back fine…
Next day…nothing worked…Same settings.
So I connected with a guitar player with whom I will work on a new project.
He couldn’t hear me, he couldn’t hear the backing tracks, nothing.
I tried every configuration and the only thing that worked was going to ‘Audio Connections’ → ‘Control Room’ and to set the output channels of ‘Monitor 1’ to my main Stereo Out channels which at this point are Main Out 1 + 2 (Working with an MOTU).
FINALLY, the guitar player could hear me, he could hear the Performer Rec Tracks played back and could record fine on top of them.
BUT, no other Audio tracks and no Instrument tracks would play back for him , although they are all set to come out from Stereo Out, the same as the Performer Rec Tracks!!!
Guys , what am I missing here???
Am I doing something wrong, or is there something wrong with Cubase VST Connect (5.5.20.661)???
Many thanks!
Again, as ever so often, do not try to change routing unless you know exactly what you do. Use “Create VST Connect” (or “Repair”) and do not change any VST Connect plugins places.
There are only few exceptions: one is that if you listen via Headphones or some other Control Room Monitor channel aside the usual main monitor output, place the VST Connect Monitor plugin there. However, it should have been inserted after both main Monitor and Headphones already.
What Performer hears is entirely controled by the VST Connect Cue channel (with the VST Connect Cue plugin installed there). In Control Room, you may set its output to either Mix or Cue, the latter enables you to create an individual mix for Performer (using cue sends in the mixer) as you would do in a regular Studio Recording situation. You can see what you send to Performer in the Control Room Cue channel meters which show the same as the corresponding meters in the VST Connect plugin. Its “To Performer” dial is also linked to Control Room cue level there. You can also set click etc there. Beware of the “Dim” control when you use Talkback; all of this is exactly as you would use with a regular Control Room, see the Cubase or Nuendo manual.
What you (Studio) hear is entirely controled by the VST Monitor plugin which resides after the main monitor. You will hear Performer at any time via this plugin (make sure to have the “Performer” dial up in te VST Connect plugin).
All of this and more is explained in more detail here: https://helpcenter.steinberg.de/hc/en-us/articles/360012899079
Good luck!
BlockquoteAgain, as ever so often, do not try to change routing unless you know exactly what you do.
Yes but, this is easier said than done, when I have already tried to repair VST connect, over and over again, and nothing happens, with all due respect, what am I supposed to do?
Also, to let you know, I didn’t change the chain in the Connections, they were just as they came with the set up with the control room. But I had to assign the output , as described, as VST connect wasn’t working (Performer couldn’t hear me , or the backing tracks).
I also can’t explain why only the Performer tracks would play back and not Audio and Instrument tracks, this makes no sense…
Thanks for taking the time for such a long answer, I have to look into this closer, it’s extremely confusing…I wish it would be more ‘plug & play’ type of thing.
I am under the gun and I am finding it very tough to have to spend hours on end, and interrupt sessions, because the thing doesn’t work, when the day before it worked perfectly…
The “Create VST Connect” function is practically plug and play when applied to an “Empty” project. Check the flow chart and my previous suggestions to make sure not to have accidently changed things that break the default. Even if you are tight, for once try an empty project with Create VST Connect and see if it works.
Given that, VST Connect has nothing to do with what you hear in Cubase or Nuendo except for Performer channels. The only thing it does in the mixer is to provide a cue channel to Performer as outlined before. Nothing in VST Connect can prevent Instrument from playing back.
On the Performer end (Performer Monitor Mixer in the VST Connect plugin), make sure to have assigned the Performers’ hardware inputs (MIC and INSTR channels, at the top) and of course MASTER output. The “STUDIO” channel in Performer should show what said VST Connect Cue mix channel in Control Room (and also in the VST Connect plugin “Cue” Meter) display. If you don’t know the concept of cue sends, in Control Room, set VST Connect Cue to “Mix”.
Please understand that with “Create VST Connect”, and once having assigned Inputs and Outputs at the Performer end, all of this is no different at all from using the Control Room recording somebody next door, the very same technology that has been applied since the early broadcast days in the 40’s. So it’s a good idea to read the Control Room section in the manual if you are not familiar with that concept.
We are here to help, so pls take it step by step and let us know what doesn’t work as you expect it to. For this time, as said above, lack of playback in Cubase or Nuendo has nothing to do with VST Connect at all. Good luck again, and a happy new year!
Thanks so much for your help,
I delved into the link you gave me and although it wasn’t clear, I managed to figure out the problem.
On Cubase, at the right hand side panel, on CR, the ‘Cue VST Connect’ tab has a dropdown when clicked.
It was as simple as selecting ‘MIX’ instead of ‘CUE’ so that the performer would hear all other channels (my full mix).
Small detail which was buried in the tutorials:
If one would like to send individual tracks to the performer, in addition to the Performer Rec channels, then select the track you wish to be heard, go to the left hand side panel, click ‘e’ (Edit Channel Setting) and go to ‘Cue Sends’ and activate the first Send.
This will add this particular Channel to the VST Connect sends. I think it’s probably not a very important piece of information, keeping in mind that the whole mix can be hear by the performer when one simply clicks ‘MIX’…
All is set now, thanks so much for your help and likewise, have a great new year!!
Good to hear that it works out for you.
Cue send to Performer is automatically set when you use the “Create Performer Track” function instead of creating an audio track the usual way and assign VST Connect Input. Personally, with or without VST Connect, I always use “Duplicate Track” (and remove events) once I have recorded anything and want to add a similar recording.
A cue send is similar to a mixer channel send, but instead of sending to a Group or Fx Channel, it sends to a Cue Channel (e.g. Headphones). This way, you can create a personal Mix for each person to be recorded, unless you engage the Cue Channels’ “Mix” instead of “Cue”.
Gladly pass your wishes along to everybody else!