Why can't you choose to not connect a stereo out for the recording bus?

Shouldn’t I be able to control the individual buses for all the interface in/out functions? I would like to not have any output on the recording bus since I’m not recording anything into WL. I will add that, yes, I see this ‘no connection’ option if I click on the output slots under the Recording tab, but this choice immediately disappears when you exit the Audio Connections panel. You can choose to do this in Cubase so is there a reason why this is different in WL?

Also, when I elect to send an mixdown track to WL from Cubase a entirely different connection bus panel shows up in WL - that will not let me use the Ext Efx bus. Is this because it is still attached to Cubase?

Hi!

Is this because you want to use the recording bus (same channels)
in Cubase, I think you can’t do this it’s how ASIO driver works
maybe I got your dilemma wrongly here?
your second Q: Yes if ASIO and the same channels
someone else…

regards S-EH

S-Eh, thanks for the response. I have a 16X16 Mackie interface that has a dated DAC chip in it and uses Firewire, so… I purchased a new Motu M4 that uses a newer chip to use for acoustic guitar and vocal recording, but also as a mixdown interface. The M4 audio quality is quite good and using the Ext Efx connection with various pieces of outboard gear, comps, limiters and preamps produces a result the Mackie isn’t capable of. (The clock is way better in the new chip, of course.)

Back to my issue, the M4 is 4X4 and I have it setup to send the Ext Efx out channels 3-4 and returning to channels 1-2. I prefer the 1-2 bus because it’s inputs are on the front of the M4 and each channel has a volume control. Channel 3-4 does not. The volume control is helpful because I return line levels that vary in output.

But in the absence of a way to turn the Recording bus off, I just tried using the 3-4 outs for it and this got it off my main playback bus so all is good now. A simple compromise. What made all of this funky was that to hear my playback I had to engage the 1-2 ‘monitor’ buttons just to hear my tracks in the monitors in WL, something I don’t have to do in Cubase. Just too convoluted for me and probably degrading the signal somewhat.

WaveLab always ensures there are at least 2 audio inputs because this is what the vast majority of users are expecting. Not having this was a source of use of misunderstanding in the past (the user should be able to run WaveLab the 1st time and press record, without having to set anything).