Mixer Automation in Cubase 5.1

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schenkerguy

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Hi all! I'm a long time Cakewalk user, just switched over to Cubase 5.1 about 3 months ago. Getting most things figured out except...

Mixer automation. In Cakewalk, I used to take "snapshots." You get the settings just right for the start of the song, and take a snapshot at the zero point. Let's say you've got the vocal set at 5 for example. During the chorus you want the vocal louder, so with Write on, you bump it up to 7. Now that movement is recorded at that point, but when you rewind to the begining it doesn't jump back to 5. I mean, it doesn't update. At the start of the song, it's almost like you would have to jiggle every slider to record the position, but that would be silly... In Cakewalk it would update wherever you started to reflect where the controls should be based on the last snapshot.

One more example. You get the mix perfect for the start of the song, at a point about 40 seconds in there's this big change where some new instruments have to turn on, levels change, etc. So with the write button off, you loop that section a spend a while getting everything just right. Now you go back to the point where everything should change... and then what? How do you just say "at this point, everything should jump to this new position from the way it was previously..." You can't just set the new positions in stop mode, with the write on from the old mix, because you have to listen to it a while to know where you want the setting to be!

Does this make sense? Snapshots made perfect sense, there has to be a way to do that in Cubase... Thanks!!
 
I'm having a very similar problem with automix in Cubase. I've tried to automix, but whenever I mess up, its been really difficult to re-write the automation.

Logically, it seems like all you have to do is repeat the part with WRITE ON and redo the adjustment. Once I press READ to hear my 'redo,' the mess-up is still there!

I, as yourself, also get the impression that you have to "jiggle" each fader before it records its position...
 
schenkerguy said:
At the start of the song, it's almost like you would have to jiggle every slider to record the position, but that would be silly... In Cakewalk it would update wherever you started to reflect where the controls should be based on the last snapshot.
Click to expand...

Kind of annoying, yes. Haven't figured that out myself -- especially for EQ settings.

One more example. You get the mix perfect for the start of the song, at a point about 40 seconds in there's this big change where some new instruments have to turn on, levels change, etc. So with the write button off, you loop that section a spend a while getting everything just right. Now you go back to the point where everything should change... and then what? How do you just say "at this point, everything should jump to this new position from the way it was previously..." You can't just set the new positions in stop mode, with the write on from the old mix, because you have to listen to it a while to know where you want the setting to be!
Click to expand...

Not sure why you can't just figure out how you want the new section to be, and move things one at a time with WRITE on. Either that, or move everything at the correct point (after listening) in stop mode with WRITE on.

Have you tried hand editing the Audio Mix track itself? Seems like you could use the scissors tool to split the events where you want e.g. at bar 80, split the volume event for the vocal track, then lower the vocals. Just some thoughts, or maybe I didn't understand the problem correctly. :confused:


Chad
 
moelar2 said:
I've tried to automix, but whenever I mess up, its been really difficult to re-write the automation.

Logically, it seems like all you have to do is repeat the part with WRITE ON and redo the adjustment. Once I press READ to hear my 'redo,' the mess-up is still there!
Click to expand...

You have to edit the Audio Mix track by hand, most likely. Some events aren't in the Audio Mix track e.g. switching low cut filter on/off. These can be found in the List track; found this out the hard way when trying to remove an EQ change... never appeared in the Audio Mix track anywhere.


Chad
 
I don't understand what either of you mean - what is the audio mix panel?

The wav editor in Cubase has been difficult to deal with. I'm just totally lost. The manual explains it as one would think it shoudl work, but when I go to do it, it just doesn't function that way.

For example, what is the best way to edit a recorded part. Lets say I'm recording a bass part to a five minute long song. If I continue to play the last 30 seconds wrong, what is the best way to get the job done? Punching in creates a click (sounds like digital error) - the only time i've been able to punch in is where there is a pause in music, otherwise its just impossible. I tried recording the last 30 seconds in another track and then copying and pasting, but that is endlessly impossible due to the silence the precedes the overdubb track (when I move that to the original track, whatever silence precedes it is also pasted).

Come to think of it, should I "punch in" in the overdubb track to avoid the preceding silence?

Thanks
 
Moelar: regarding the clicks you get with your punch ins. Go to:

Opions => Audio Setup and select "Snap to Zero". That should fix the clicks.

Regarding the mix automation...

Yeah, its well implimented, but a little quirky. To reset your faders without having to jiggle them to record them, rewind ALL THE WAY to the beginning of the window. That seems to be where it records your initial setting. Since the fader movements and such are just midi commands, the timeline actually has to move through them in order for the automation to happen. (shrug) Not the best, but it works.

Editing the midi events in the audio mix track...WOW! I'd delve into your manual "Getting into the details" for that one. It kicks butt what you can do with it, but I couldn't begin to explain it.

take care,
Chris
 
Chris -

Thanks for the reply - that sounds like it should work (snap to zero).

I completely understand what you're saying about the automation now! Why can't the manual explain it in simple human english!?!? T H A N K S.

Any word on the copying/pasting/moving of parts (as per my previous post)? I don't do any MIDI stuff; its all audio tracks.
 
Come back to us schenkerguy, you are one of us schenkerguy, you are a cakewalk user schenkerguy, cakewalk, cakewalk schenkerguy
 
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moelar2 said:
I don't understand what either of you mean - what is the audio mix panel?
Click to expand...

The audio mix track is made when you use the WRITE button on the mixer panel... any mixer panel. Just double click on the track, and it opens the editing window. HTH.


Chad
 
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