Stems

[Sniffyduke]

Hi all,



I am new to daw recording using cubase 5.



Could someone give me in a 5 year olds terms

what recording in stems means?
in a simple step by step method


Also, freezing tracks?

 

[Massive Master]

You'd be mixing to stems -- Mute everything but your drum tracks = Drum stem. Mute everything but the vocal tracks = Vocal stem. Guitars, keyboards, effects, stingers, etc. Typically not an awful lot of use in everyday practice. And if you want "stem-like" control during mixing, you can simply use subgroups.

"Freezing" tracks is generally applying whatever online/offline processing to a new track with that same processing intact -- Let's say you're using a lot of volume automation and EQ on a lot of tracks and it's bogging down your system. If you "freeze" those tracks (after you're quite certain they're where you want them sonically), those processes are applied to a new file that replaces the existing info and the EQ (etc., etc., etc.) are no longer dragging on the system.

 

[miroslav]

Could someone give me in a 5 year olds terms what recording in stems means in a simple step by step method?

See the cat in the hat.
The cat has 24 tracks in his hat.
He takes some tracks out of his hat.
He puts them in a group and calls it stem 1.
The cat takes more tracks out of his hat.
He calls them stem 2.
See the cat in the hat mix with stems.

 

[RAMI]

RAM I am .

 

[Sniffyduke]

Wow, thanks guys.

I am new to DAW recording.

When I go in the studio, I am on the other side of the glass : )

I do not get to see how its done, but I know the board Is a SSL
and they record from PT to tape and back into Digital.

I dont knowhow you guy's do it, must take years.

Let me see if I get this...

I use cubase 5.

I hear the terms Aux, groups, buses etc....

In cubase all I see is FX tracks and Groups and of course the main
stereo out 1&2. I use an Aurora 8 AD/DA.

Still don't get how or why I would use more than 1 Output.
I do get the inputs, my mic pre's are on 1&2 and a different pair
on 3&4.

So, I record (lets day drums) I have about 8 tracks.
So, I send them to a Group and that grout acts as my drum track?
Is that a stem?

Then I have 4 Guitar tracks. I send them to another group
and then after I have my levels set I use that 1 stereo group
as my guitar tracks. Thats a stem?

So....

Freezing

If I have 3 Virtual instrument tracks going and I like the way they sound (mix)
I freeze them and then just use the group fader I sent them to, to control
how they fit in the mix?

Oh, about bouncing...

Once my VI's are where I want them (don't know what this means or howto yet)
I bounce them?

Do I bounce the VI Group and erase the VI's?

Bouncing @_@ (that means confusion) LOL


Also, Quanatizing (did I spell that correct) @_@

Do you use this on each track, or do you select all the tracks
and Q together. I have to get better with editing and time LOL

Thats all...

LOL

Sorry, so much confusion.

 

[Sniffyduke]

You guys get a beer on me