ITB Cubase/Nuendo Question...

[jkhuri44]

hey guys...

I've got a lead vocal, which i'm sending out to a main reverb...half way through the mix, i decided i wanted to blend in distortion for a few phrases, so i routed a send, to a distortion VST....


When i go to the Channel Parameters of the distortion, and click the sends panel (to send it out to the main reverb...the only option i get to send to is analog outs....)

question is....why cant I send from a send channel....
please dont tell me its not possible in Nuendo/Cubase :P

obviously, a simple solution to this would be to duplicate my lead vocal, put the distortion there as an insert, then send that to the main reverb...but i would like to do this without creating more tracks...to preserve CPU..i am working in 24/96.

[Thirteen]

Which version of Cubase are you using? I think that only the later versions can route FX to FX. If you make a group channel and put the distortion on it as an insert, you may find that it will give you the extra routing that you need.

[jkhuri44]

cubase SX 3...

not recent enough ?? :(

[jkhuri44]

oh, i dont think u can route an FX track to a Group...if thats what ur getting at?

[Thirteen]

OK, I just tried in Nuendo 4, if you make a group track, it appears on the list of available sends along with the FX channels. so you could maybe put the distortion in an insert slot on the group track, and then pull the level of the group down and use a pre-fade send on the group to go to the reverb.

I hope that makes sense, I really should have been in bed a half hour ago. What I am getting at is that group tracks are more routable that FX tracks, so maybe it is better to use them instead.

[jkhuri44]

i see...lemme try that

:)

[Roy]

Not quite sure what you mean... are you trying to distort the reverb??? If you're using Nuendo then don't worry... anything is possible... it's better than most Tools used by Pros.

[jkhuri44]

nah roy, i wanna reverberate the distortion...


so, imagine lead vocal + a bit of distortion, both being sent to a reverb....without creating a duplicate track for the distortion.

[Roy]

So you wanna reverberate the distortion? Cool. So you wanna send an effect to another effect? Well I use Nuendo 3 and that's totally possible. You can even choose whether it's pre or post. I can't recall it in a step by step instruction off hand... I'll check it out tomorrow and let you know if no one else replies by then.

[jkhuri44]

please do roy....that would be greatly appreciated....:)

its annoying the shit out of me why i cant work it out, or what the dudes at Steinberg have done to make it so hard!!

[heathen]

Or you could just put the dist vst on the vocal insert bypass the dist until needed and automate it in. I've wanted to send fx to fx before with no joy, so I just automate.

[TimS]

Or you could just put the dist vst on the vocal insert bypass the dist until needed and automate it in. I've wanted to send fx to fx before with no joy, so I just automate.

JK,
Thats what I would do also - much simpler and easier (and a lot less routing to boot!!)
I agree with Heath on the automation..
T..

[jkhuri44]

yeah, there are a few work arounds, i mentioned one above as well...

in this case an insert would work, in other cases.....like sending a delay to a reverb....automation wouldnt work...

so, this is more a question that hopefully will help me for the long run....technically i want all these tracks to be related, so i can set and forget em at the start, then go back and tweak later.

[Kurt]

I use Sonar not Cubase but I guess these ideas would work in any DAW.

1) Split the track so that the section you want distorted is isolated, put a clip effect on it (rather than the whole track)
2) create a second fx send, copy the reverb setting, add the distortion, automate the track fx sends accordingly
3) Move the section where distortion is needed to a new track, set up a track insert with the distortion, use same fx send for reverb
4) Use Reaper, send anything anywhere!

All are more complicated than Heath's solution!

[jkhuri44]

yeah, i can add distortion to a clip in cubase...but i dont want to print the effect, i'd like my mix to stay tweakable.


and also, i dont want to make a new track for anything...i've already started maxing my 2496 sessions :(


the bummer is i want to automate the distortion volume, so heaths solution doesnt work, as there will never be a time when the distortion is off.

i know how to do this stuff in ProStools. coz they use Auxillary tracks which seem to be routable to anywhere.... but cubase seems to be trickier.

and yes, i am being a tricky little bitch, and yall luv it!

[jkhuri44]

still waiting roy, if you'say youve done this before...i wanna see...!!!

i need a reason not to jump to reaper...and u may be providing it...hehehe

[Kurt]

You can't leave a clip effect to run in real-time?
In Sonar you could load the effect non-destructively, then automate it's parameters (eg. output volume) Never occured to me that Cubase wouldn't let you do that. Sorry.

New solution.... Buy Sonar, Reaper or Protools, bin Cubase ;)

[jkhuri44]

hey kurt, in cubase, u'd use inserts....or destructively add an effect to a clip.

[Kurt]

In Sonar I can add an effect to a clip and either have it run in realtime or apply it destructively.

hey kurt, in cubase, u'd use inserts....or destructively add an effect to a clip.

[jkhuri44]

yeah, that would be nice!

lol, whats up with these companies not providing common sense shit, it drives me batty!!

[TimS]

Use Pro Fools then JK...

[jkhuri44]

cant Tim, LE has its share of probs too...cant work properly in 24 96, and not enough tracks.

[heathen]

You should be able to automate any parameters on the dist in cubase, such as drive or output level, what dist plug you using?

Anyway stop bitchin and just print the thing. :)

[jkhuri44]

i aint bitchin, im still waiitng to be shown how to do it...!


im using waves GTR distortion :)
im not putting that on the vocals as an insert!!

if i do that, might as well have not processed with all that sweet hardware!

[TimS]

Anyway stop bitchin and just print the thing. :)

hehehe - yeah, do as he says!!

fair enuf JK - what sort of session is it?

[jkhuri44]

hey tim,

its the vocal mix for my album.

this is the first time i've mixed outside of PT HD. so im looking for all the features i'd normally carry out in HD, in cubase.

J.

[jkhuri44]

oh, if i were to do it LE, i would be below the track count...but the session prob wont play....or will glitch as soon as i add 1 instance of heavy duty reverb, etc.

[heathen]

How much is cubase 4? Doh

[TimS]

oh, if i were to do it LE, i would be below the track count...but the session prob wont play....or will glitch as soon as i add 1 instance of heavy duty reverb, etc.

You need the MPT for LE then... Up to 48 tracks..

From Digi website;

Multi-track Beat Detective rhythm analysis and correction tool

Up to 48 mono or stereo tracks at up to 96 kHz (Requires 96 kHz–capable Digidesign or M-Audio® hardware)

Pro Tools MP3 Option

Would do the trick for you in LE. I run the same..

[TimS]

If your going the Steinberg route, go with Nuendo. Its awesome (I am an old Cubase user from way back and Nuendo looks fab - Peter uses it)