Using VCA tracks and group tracks in Cubase in my home studio; which one to use ?
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- Опубліковано 2 лип 2024
- This video shows how I use VCA tracks and group tracks in the cubase projects that I mix in my home studio. It talks a little bit about the history and shows examples of using VCA tracks as well as group tracks. I also talk about the issue with effect send levels when you use group tracks and how i get around that.
00:00 Intro
00:15 Overview
00:53 Background VCA tracks
01:16 Background group tracks
01:46 Cubase demonstration project
03:11 Using VCA tracks
06:59 Using group tracks
09:48 Send FX level issue with group tracks
12:17 Outtro
Sound On Sound article - www.soundonsound.com/techniqu...
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Any tips or tricks for how you use groups and VCA tracks in your workflow ?
Also just wanted to mention that @Greg Tschernez just mentioned on Facebook another way to deal with the reverb on the snare. Simply route the output of the FX channel with the reverb to the drums group as well. Pretty nice :).
Obviously you must make sure to only send drum channels to that reverb in that case. So it wouldn't work for an ambience reverb that you may want all channels to send to with different amounts.
And by the way, you can also have a dedicated snare reverb as an insert on the snare channel of course.
That channel had to be stereo then.....ANother way is to use the DIRECT OUTPUTS in Cubase to add these to a grouptrack. Then they send are POST-FADER just like the VCA fader is..
Don’t think I ever used that. Must look into it 👍.
Chris Selim has a nice video about that. I moslty use grouptracks and I do include the fx tracks in that particular group. When I have the need for a total volume control I make a vca fader along the grouptrack
@@Eppie55 for reference of others, you probably mean this one right? I can post links 😉. ua-cam.com/video/_mGth8rjKv4/v-deo.html
@@LanewoodStudios I had another clip the other day(can't find it that fast right now, but it was just as yours about VCA - Groups - Direct Outs)), but this one also is showing the use of the Direct Outs in Cubase.
So clear, you are great explaining things brother, thank you so much!
That’s good to hear 😎
As one user posted, routing the FX to the group works well. Alternatively, the FX channel can also be included within the group channel and will be automatically routed to the group. Everything in one handy group. Beware, as with the first method tracks outside the group can still be routed to the group FX track
Thanks for sharing!
You go straight to the point without rambling....Excellent Thanks!!!!
You’re welcome and thanks for watching and commenting!
Thankyou, this is so much clearer than other videos I've seen on the subject! Exactly what I was looking for - the main thing being the advantage of VCA faders over groups, which most people don't mention (keeping the wet/dry balance between tracks and sends). Also when to use each type of fader in different scenarios.
You are welcome. Great to hear that the video was useful to you!
great practical example
Thanks!
Hi awesome nice and simple. Will start using vca now
Thanks, give it a go!
Great, clear explanation, thank you.
Chriss Hollinrake thank you !!
Thank you. Very clearly expressed.
Thank you for commenting. Glad that you liked the video!
That made a lot of sense. Thanks very much 👍
Thanks for commenting. Glad the video was useful to you!
Great explanation and demonstration. New subscriber. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you and you’re welcome 😊.
Thank you!
You are very welcome 🙏
Very good video, thanks a lot!
Glad you liked the video. Thanks for commenting!
Nice one! First time I really understood those VCAs ;)
Great that the video was useful to you!
Thank you 🙏 for responding and for sharing.I own a Behringer Xenyx X1204USB Premium 12-Input 2/2-Bus Mixer with USB/Audio Interface and a Steinberg UR242 interface.
I’ll need to figure out if I can work it the way you record.
Thank you again.
You’re welcome!
Thank you man, nice and helpfull video... sub...
You are welcome and thanks for the sub :).
Hi, I think it is advantageous to work with effects and parallel compressor etc. pre fader in your last configuration.. (as long as the group faders are left fixed) Do you have situations where you use post fader? Thanks...
Excellent video.
Thank you.
Unrelated question.
How can you maximize the main vocal volume in your headphones during recording?
I have linked all tracks except the main vocal track being recorded but find the monitor volume for vocals low on my headphones.
Thank you. I have to say that during recording I’m using a separate hardware mixer to set monitoring levels. Both the Cubase output of all the other tracks and the channel I’m recording are going to this mixer. So I can separately set how loud the mix is and how loud the vocal is in the headphones.
Monitoring what I’m recording via Cubase has never felt ideal for me.
Your audio interface may also provide the same routing possibilities as what I’m doing with the external mixer.
Hello m8. Awesome video. Very helpfull. Just have one question. When I route my rythm guitars to a group track it sounds awfull. The guitars sounds plastic like they were recorded in stereo and not panned to Left and Right. Do you have any idea what Im doing wrong? Cheers from Sweden
Thanks. So you have two guitars recorded on mono tracks and then route them to a stereo track, and pan one guitar to the left and the other guitar to the right? I can only think that there might be phasing issues between the guitars, or a plugin on your group track is causing the weird sound.
If you just route one guitar to the stereo group, panned to the middle, no plugins on the group track, volume at 0dB it should sound exactly the same as if you were going directly to stereo out with that guitar without routing via the group track. If you are SENDING the guitar to a group tracks however, there may again be phasing issues between the original signal and the signal sent via the group track if something is happening on the group track (with plugins for example). Anyway, those are some thoughts that I have about what you are experiencing.
Very helpful!! Just wanna quickly ask if both the VCA & the group track function the same way if I only use them as a master volume control of multiple tracks?
Cause I was messing around with two backing vocal tracks, but I noticed somehow the group track fader can't completely bring the volume down while a VCA fader can?
Still a bit confused!!
Oh that was the FX sound which can't be brought down by using a group fader!! I got it now!!!
@@JING.0210 Thanks for the comment and great that you answered your own question ;). Yes the send FX when using a group channel can be quite confusing.
@@LanewoodStudios hahah Yes it'll take a few moments to get your head around it!! Really Appreciate your contents!!❤️❤️
Thanks, appreciate you saying that 😁.
Very nice. Thanks.
I solve the same issue by routing all my drum reverbs (I tend to use more than one quite often) to the main drum group, instead of Stereo Out. What is the advantage of your approach?
If you only use those reverbs for drums that will work yes. In my approach you could use them for more than just drums.
Hi, How do you rate the UAD SSL 4000 plug-in? Have you tried the Brainworx version? Cheers.
I have not upgraded to the latest version yet so cannot say. I'm still using the legacy SSL plugin. I also haven't tried the Brainworx version.
I have recently tried the Brainworx version and think it is great! Check my upcoming videos on drum mixing ;).
Why u don't send fx track to group using direct input to control the reverb from drum group?
mimikoss thanks for your comment. I think that is also what I got from someone commenting on Facebook. I put it in my pinned comment. Is that what you meant ?
@@LanewoodStudios now i see the pinned comment :( ty for your answer
Thks for watching the video 😁
CAN ALL SELECTED TRACKS BE IN A GROUP ON MIXER
You can select the tracks that you want to add to a group channel to and then do “Add group channel to selected tracks”. Is that what you are asking ?
@@LanewoodStudios im sorry i mean folder
@@LanewoodStudios can i select tracks on mixer and put them in a folder on the mixer? i know you can do it in sequencer
@@LossLeadas I have not used it myself yet, but apparently this is possible: steinberg.help/cubase_pro_artist/v9/en/cubase_nuendo/topics/track_handling/track_handling_moving_tracks_to_folder_tracks_t.html
Can you add a VCA from a group track?
You can have a VCA channel control a group track as well yes.
That's what I thought, but it won't let me "create vca from selected tracks" in my case selected group channel. It only lets me create VCA's from the individual VST MIDI track. I'll have to figure it out.
@@LanewoodStudios
@@es__music can’t you still link the group channel to the VCA later ?