I finally bumped up against the lack of sample-accurate automation (in general, and at various audio buffer settings).
It was further complicated with lack of proper Bezier curve creation.
I needed precise automation on a steady sub bass channel. Essentially, turning it into almost a tuned kick drum.
Cableguys’ Volume Shaper 4, to the rescue.
I had to stack and automate them, but the automation was only during pattern changes.
In many ways, it’s not ideal, but in other ways, has some unexpected side benefits. Like, controlling the amount of the effect with the mix knob.
If anyone else has any tips, workflows, rewire integrations, or 3rd party plugins to share, to work around this shortcoming in Cubase, it’d be of great interest to me (and perhaps others). Please do tell.
Wouldn’t insering and sidechaining cb8’s own envelope shaper to a suitable beat do the same trick? You can shape the attack and delay as the gate is opened and closed.
Thanks, good idea. I wouldn’t have thought of that. Could come in handy.
However, with this past task it wouldn’t have worked. No Bezier tools on it, of course, since it’s a transient shaper.
The sound I needed to create had a very smooth, non-linear attack at the beginning. Likewise, on the end.
Also, the transient shaper wouldn’t address the issue of variance in the start and end, since it, itself, would have to be automated. VolumeShaper circumvents the issue by maintaining its own mini, sample-accurate timeline.
And since it loops forever, it’s not triggered at off-times by Cubase’s flawed automation timer (unless doing pattern changes – which I was, unfortunately, but managed to bounce audio I was able to work with).
Not a solution for your exact situation as such but when I have very time critical automation, I will bounce the session at a buffer setting of 32, even if the project will not actually play live at anything close to that setting. Sure, you might not be able to audition live at this setting, and the bounce might take a little while but it gets the automation very close to sample accurate and I’d think in 99% of situations, the difference would be inaudible.