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Some questions about Cubase

Hi, I have some questions about Cubase:

1 - How can automate the mixer more easily, i dont have a controller. Just like Reason for example, with graphics. And how can I use a "trigger" to flap the pan right and left on each 4 beats for example?

2 - I'm using Reaktor, Battery 2, Pro53 and TC Native Bundle on Cubase. I need to freeze all the instruments to work with one. Are this a limitation of my processor or my soundcard? When all instruments and efx are unfrozen, my CPU Graph is near 40% loaded.
I have a Athlon 64 3000+ and 1GB of RAM DDR Dual Channel.
I'm using a ASIO4ALL driver on a cheap pci soundcard.
If I buy a 4000+ X2 dual-cored processor and plug it on my motherboard, will have a considering improvement on Cubase? Or a professinal soundcard is better?

Thanks!

Mauricio

Re: Some questions about Cubase

quote:

Originally posted by Mauricio Hi, I have some questions about Cubase: 1 - How can automate the mixer more easily, i dont have a controller. Just like Reason for example, with graphics. And how can I use a "trigger" to flap the pan right and left on each 4 beats for example?

At the bottom left hand corner of each track there is a little plus icon. Click that and you can select any automation value and draw the automation in. You can add as many automation "sub-tracks" as you want, just keep clicking the plus icon.

quote:

2 - I'm using Reaktor, Battery 2, Pro53 and TC Native Bundle on Cubase. I need to freeze all the instruments to work with one. Are this a limitation of my processor or my soundcard? When all instruments and efx are unfrozen, my CPU Graph is near 40% loaded.

40% is not a large CPU load. My machine doesnt start popping until I reach the 80% mark.

quote:

I have a Athlon 64 3000+ and 1GB of RAM DDR Dual Channel. I'm using a ASIO4ALL driver on a cheap pci soundcard. If I buy a 4000+ X2 dual-cored processor and plug it on my motherboard, will have a considering improvement on Cubase? Or a professinal soundcard is better?

A better ASIO driver will always help, which will come with a better soundcard. You don't have to go hog-wild and spend a fortune, but you may want to invest in something like an Audiophile 2496. Its only $99US and should be sufficient for your producing needs, especially if you aren't using any outboard synths or FX.

Obviously a dual core processor will allow you to use more VSTi's and software FX than an Athalon 64 3000, but you should make sure you really need that much power before investing. There is nothing wrong with freezing VSTi's. It definitely saves on CPU cycles.

Also, you should consider bouncing things to audio. Don't delete the original MIDI tracks, just bounce a track to audio and mute the MIDI. Then you can safely unload the VSTi. It is especially easy with VSTi's & FX.

Freezing pretty much does the same thing, but it also "freezes" the audio channel in the mixer, so you cant add FX/change volume/pan, etc.afterwards. One way to get around that is to route the VST's output to Group Channel tracks, then you can freeze them and add any VST FX to the group channel track.

Hi Eric! Thanks for your opinion.
Below:

quote:

Originally posted by Eric J At the bottom left hand corner of each track there is a little plus icon. Click that and you can select any automation value and draw the automation in. You can add as many automation "sub-tracks" as you want, just keep clicking the plus icon.

Nice! I will try. This automation can interact to VST's? like the sidechainer?

quote:

40% is not a large CPU load. My machine doesnt start popping until I reach the 80% mark.

I forgot to refer that's 40% when i'm not playing. On the playing mode , it pops.

quote:

A better ASIO driver will always help, which will come with a better soundcard. You don't have to go hog-wild and spend a fortune, but you may want to invest in something like an Audiophile 2496. Its only $99US and should be sufficient for your producing needs, especially if you aren't using any outboard synths or FX.

Thanks for the tip! I did't realized that's only $99US.

quote:

Obviously a dual core processor will allow you to use more VSTi's and software FX than an Athalon 64 3000, but you should make sure you really need that much power before investing. There is nothing wrong with freezing VSTi's. It definitely saves on CPU cycles. Also, you should consider bouncing things to audio. Don't delete the original MIDI tracks, just bounce a track to audio and mute the MIDI. Then you can safely unload the VSTi. It is especially easy with VSTi's & FX. Freezing pretty much does the same thing, but it also "freezes" the audio channel in the mixer, so you cant add FX/change volume/pan, etc.afterwards. One way to get around that is to route the VST's output to Group Channel tracks, then you can freeze them and add any VST FX to the group channel track.

Wow, its a great way, because freezing instruments and channels is annoyng on the mix stage. Thanks again for the help!

quote:

Nice! I will try. This automation can interact to VST's? like the sidechainer?

Yes, there are automation parameters available for any of the channel strip settings (volume, pan, etc.), in addition to any effects you have in either the send FX or insert FX. I believe that with third party plugins (i.e. not internal cubase FX), that the developers must build that ability into the plugin, but nearly all quality plugins will have the ability to automate their parameters through this method.

quote:

I forgot to refer that's 40% when i'm not playing. On the playing mode , it pops.

In this case, you may want to try disabling certain fx to see if there are one or two effects that are causing the majority of the CPU usage. Reverbs are usually the first thing to try. I know that Waves RVerb is a massive CPU hog, and many other reverbs are similar CPU hogs. Try disabling it by using the Bypass Sends or Bypass Inserts (depending how you have it set up).

Once you find it, it is advisable to bounce the track to audio with this effect turned on then bypass it.

Ok Eric! Thanks again!

And loved your studio pics, maybe I will have somthing near in the future

cheers

hi,

Tryed to use bouncing, but the option is disabled on the audio menu on my Cubase. How can I enable this?

tks
Mauricio

Use File | Export | Audio Mixdown

Remember to mute everything except the part you are trying to export to audio. Then you can re-import the file into the Audio Pool. There is an option to do this when you export, but my Cubase immediately crashed when i checked the Import to Pool box, so i just manually import. YMMV.

hi again Eric,

Just tried and it works great

But about the automation. I can't undestand the automation system of Cubase. I was clicked on plus icon, and tryed to draw some automation on PAN.
Ok, but it don't make any effect on the sound. I can see the pan reading the automation, but only on the midi channel on mixer, and not on the audio channel that I want. The midi channels dont make any effect on sound. How can I automate the audio channels on the mixer? I tried to search on Cubase HTML Help without success.
I'm using Reaktor VST

Thanks

You should automate the pan on the VST output channel. Everytime you add a VSTi, it will add a new channel to the mixer and it will show up in the arrange window in the VST instruments folder. Is this what you are doing?

When using Cubase just use off line processing for all your effects. You can always go into Off-line processing history and undo anything you did,in any order you like, and it's all none destructive editing. If you're not sure what off-line processing is, and the history, It's Your Best Friend in cubase if you're computer can't handle to many vst effects. It's all in the manual anyways.. Using off-line processing You can probably run insane amounts of vsti effect on your audio tracks... and undo the one's you don't like or change them if you desire to at a later time.

I don't know what is offline processing exactly. But I will try to discover. Another way is using FX Channels and Sends for reverbs.
But it don't make the results I want.
I try to use a group channel for each frequency layer, but always it end with lots of reverbs on each channel's intruments plus the groups channles and FX channels
How do you manage this?
And about VST Automation, I will try it tonight.

Mauricio

I'm not sure its really a good plan to use group channels to group tracks by frequency. In some cases this may work out well, but i wouldn't do this myself as a general rule.

What I use them for is for sharing FX among common instruments and for making submixed stems of your track once it is closer to completion. Bear in mind this is not the only way to use them, as each individual will use them in accordance with their particular method of working, but these are some of the ways in which I use them.

One of the things I do is to bus my bass and kick to the same group channel and then I can apply compression that will equally effect both of them. This can help the Kick and Bass gel together a little more smoothly, especially since I haven't figured out a way to do sidechaining in Cubase SL (I know it is possible in SX, but SL lacks the Dual Stereo Panner).


If anyone knows of a way to accomplish this in SL, I'd love to know. I know that there are certain VST compressors that will do it, but I'm not sure I trust the quality or character of a compressor with built-in sidechain over my UAD-1 compressors. Opinions are welcome.


In your situation, one good way to use a group channel may be to bus your all your hats (closed/open) to a single group channel, so you can apply a single, short reverb that will equally effect all of them. This is just a suggestion and you'll have to define the particular ways in which this works best for you.

I do not use offline processing, but I agree with DJDIRTY that it seems like a great feature of Cubase to have. Unfortunately, I only have SL and as far as I know this feature is only available in SX so I cannot speak to it.

quote:

Originally posted by Eric J I'm not sure its really a good plan to use group channels to group tracks by frequency. In some cases this may work out well, but i wouldn't do this myself as a general rule. What I use them for is for sharing FX among common instruments and for making submixed stems of your track once it is closer to completion. Bear in mind this is not the only way to use them, as each individual will use them in accordance with their particular method of working, but these are some of the ways in which I use them. One of the things I do is to bus my bass and kick to the same group channel and then I can apply compression that will equally effect both of them. This can help the Kick and Bass gel together a little more smoothly, especially since I haven't figured out a way to do sidechaining in Cubase SL (I know it is possible in SX, but SL lacks the Dual Stereo Panner).

Actually I've expressed wrong, I use similar you. Not fequency, I try to create groups for diferent layers, each layer is one level (1 to 5), were 1 is the louder = kick and bass.

quote:

If anyone knows of a way to accomplish this in SL, I'd love to know. I know that there are certain VST compressors that will do it, but I'm not sure I trust the quality or character of a compressor with built-in sidechain over my UAD-1 compressors. Opinions are welcome.

I recomend you the TC Native Bundle, it works perfect to me. I mentioned it on this thread:
http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...3&forumid=48&s=

There are some youtube links too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HMGu-8p0go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHfN9yeuoew

quote:

In your situation, one good way to use a group channel may be to bus your all your hats (closed/open) to a single group channel, so you can apply a single, short reverb that will equally effect all of them. This is just a suggestion and you'll have to define the particular ways in which this works best for you. I do not use offline processing, but I agree with DJDIRTY that it seems like a great feature of Cubase to have. Unfortunately, I only have SL and as far as I know this feature is only available in SX so I cannot speak to it.

Is like this i'm using. I'm trying yet to make the best mix using not much reverbs. I just want a woshing and smoth background.

And now about sidechain, how you are using the keys?
From now i'm using only the key on the kick and the duck the bass. What other ways of sidechain you are using?

quote:

Originally posted by Mauricio I recomend you the TC Native Bundle, it works perfect to me. I mentioned it on this thread: http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...3&forumid=48&s= There are some youtube links too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HMGu-8p0go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHfN9yeuoew

Excellent, I'll have a look at this. It may be a good stop gap until I can figure out a way to sidechain natively in Cubase. The UAD compressors are mighty fine. However, the TC Bundle looks reasonably priced. I'd be curious to hear how the TC compressors stack up to the UAD-1 compressors. Does anyone who owns both products have any opinions on this?

quote:

And now about sidechain, how you are using the keys? From now i'm using only the key on the kick and the duck the bass. What other ways of sidechain you are using?

That's just it, I haven't found a way to do this at all natively in Cubase SL, so I do not use sidechaining in my projects. It hasn't really been a problem as I don't consider it to be a "must have" for me at the moment, but it would be nice. Mostly I get by using careful EQ and compression.

If I had sidechaining ability I would most likely use it in the way you describe. I have also run into other situations where a good sidechain would have been useful for things other than the kick and bass, but I won't be able to experiment until I find a good solution.

quote:

Originally posted by Eric J Excellent, I'll have a look at this. It may be a good stop gap until I can figure out a way to sidechain natively in Cubase. The UAD compressors are mighty fine. However, the TC Bundle looks reasonably priced. I'd be curious to hear how the TC compressors stack up to the UAD-1 compressors. Does anyone who owns both products have any opinions on this?

Unfortunately the TC Native Bundle are now discontinued. http://www.tcelectronic.com/NativeBundle

I haven't found another option then download it on p2p network, although i don't like to do this.
I don't know about UAD.

quote:

Originally posted by Mauricio Unfortunately the TC Native Bundle are now discontinued. http://www.tcelectronic.com/NativeBundle I haven't found another option then download it on p2p network, although i don't like to do this. I don't know about UAD.

Yeah, I really don't like to do this. Apart from the ethical reasons for it, I think that cracked software compromises the stability of my system. I'll continue to search for an alternative solution. Thanks!

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