Importing a stereo audio track into cubase?

[john10001]

Hi, I just wonder how you import a stereo audio track into Cubase? When I try and do this it sometimes comes up with a funny message saying something about mono tracks?

In the past my audio tracks have said things like Channel 1, 2, 3 or 4+5, 6+7 etc, so I have known that the 4+5 would be a stereo track as it has the two channels. However at the moment all my tracks just have one channel number. Does anyone know how to change any of them so they have two?

I also had another problem, when I try and play back the audio track if I manage to sucesfully get it in (not quite knowing how I did it) I don't hear any sound when I play it for some reason. My audio card is set up so the midi and wav channels are open, and the record part is set to "What you hear".

Thanks very much for any help with this. I am pretty much a beginner to audio production even though I have been dabbling with it for many years.

At the moment I just have a very basic set up.

Edirol PCR-M50, Cubasis VST 3.5, SB Audigy 2ZS card. Windows XP.

I have only just got the midi keyboard so over the coming months I am just hoping to test everything out and get used to it. After that I will take a free trial of all the main sequencers like Cubase SX, Ableton, Acid etc before deciding which one to go for.

Cheers for your help with my questions

John

[richiebee]

You need to be more specific with the error message. Exactly what does it say?

I'm surprised you can even get VST 3.5 to work on XP. I never could.

On the tracks - you can change odd numbered tracks to mono in the side bar (I don't remember what they call it... the inspector maybe?). Even numbered tracks will automatically be mono if the corresponding odd numbered track is. So, if track 1 is marked as mono, track 2 will also be mono. If track 1 is stereo, track 2 is the right side of track 1. Try right clicking (or just clicking... I really dont' rmemeber this far back too well) on where it says track 1+2 and see if you can change it to mono.

If you already have something on the track, you can't change from mono to stereo or stereo to mono.

To be honest, I wouldn't mess too much with VST 3.5. It pre-dates Windows XP by a fair bit and was never intended to work with it. VSTi's have come on a long way since 3.5 too. Upgrade to version 5 as a minimum (5.2 r1 was good), or one of the recent versions SX or SL and see the benefits of good VST instruments that can take place of almost all of your outboard gear.

What kind of music do you want to do? It may well have a bearing on which is the best sequencer for you.

Rich

[john10001]

Originally Posted by richiebee

You need to be more specific with the error message. Exactly what does it say?

Hi, It just said about putting mono tracks on stereo and vice versa.

Originally Posted by richiebee

I'm surprised you can even get VST 3.5 to work on XP. I never could.

Yep, it has been working no problems for me. The only issue I need to look at is getting my audio card to work better. I just have a SB Audigy 2ZS so not the best card for music production, but I believe it is possible to get the latency sorted out with the ASIO drivers etc. That's one of my next tasks so I can get all the virtual instruments to work.

Originally Posted by richiebee

On the tracks - you can change odd numbered tracks to mono in the side bar (I don't remember what they call it... the inspector maybe?). Even numbered tracks will automatically be mono if the corresponding odd numbered track is. So, if track 1 is marked as mono, track 2 will also be mono. If track 1 is stereo, track 2 is the right side of track 1. Try right clicking (or just clicking... I really dont' rmemeber this far back too well) on where it says track 1+2 and see if you can change it to mono.

Thanks. I didn't realise this so I was probably trying to import stereo on to a mono track. Hopefully I should be able to figure it out now.

Originally Posted by richiebee

If you already have something on the track, you can't change from mono to stereo or stereo to mono.

To be honest, I wouldn't mess too much with VST 3.5. It pre-dates Windows XP by a fair bit and was never intended to work with it. VSTi's have come on a long way since 3.5 too. Upgrade to version 5 as a minimum (5.2 r1 was good), or one of the recent versions SX or SL and see the benefits of good VST instruments that can take place of almost all of your outboard gear.

Which version are you using? And what virtual instruments do you get with it?

With what I have using the Creative SX Synth I can get drums on channel 10 no problems, but on the other channels all I have is Piano, I can't seem to get it to change to anything other than Piano.

Originally Posted by richiebee

What kind of music do you want to do? It may well have a bearing on which is the best sequencer for you. Rich

Mainly House Music. I am definitely going to need something that can do real time timestreching because the version I have doesn't do it and it causes a lot of problems. For the recent versions of Cubase I think it rules out the SL version but the SX version would be okay.

At the moment I am just trying to learn and understand everything with the old VST version I have before I start testing with anything new. I have only just got the midi keyboard so I am trying to get to grips with that as well. I will probably download trial versions of all the main sequencers eventually like Cubase SX, Ableton, Acid, Sonar, Reason etc before I decide which one to go with.

John

[richiebee]

Originally Posted by john10001

Hi, It just said about putting mono tracks on stereo and vice versa.

It's been a really long time since I used 3.5. If memory serves, you have to set up the track you want to put the audio on ahead of time. So, if your sample is mono, you need to set up a mono track, and if its stereo you need a stereo track. I'm pretty sure this is all its telling you.

That's one of my next tasks so I can get all the virtual instruments to work.

Does it even come with VI's? I didn't think they were around when 3.5 was.

Which version are you using? And what virtual instruments do you get with it?

It's not so much what comes with it, as what you can use with it. Later versions of VST (I think v5 was the first), you can use third party synths an dstuff. There are tons over at www.kvraudio.com. Many are free. You will need to update Cubase first though, or get another sequencer. Cubase 4 (the new top line version) comes with a lot of new VSTi's. The synths seem to do similar things but using various different synth technologies (subtractive, granular, additive, FM, etc...).

I use SX3. I don't often use the synths that came with it though. I use mostly Kontakt and Absynth.

With what I have using the Creative SX Synth I can get drums on channel 10 no problems, but on the other channels all I have is Piano, I can't seem to get it to change to anything other than Piano.

I would think it would be just a case of setting the Program Change. I think you can do that in the inspector. I'm guessing the Creative synth is a GM kind of a thing - piano on Prg 1, Bass on 34, etc...

[COLOR="blue"]Mainly House Music. I am definitely going to need something that can do real time timestreching because the version I have doesn't do it and it causes a lot of problems. For the recent versions of Cubase I think it rules out the SL version but the SX version would be okay.

I thought even SL can do this. I'm not going to sway you from upgrading to SX (or SL or Cubase 4), especially if you like the way VST works, but I would think something more designed with dance music in mind might suit you better - Ableton or FL Studio maybe.

At the moment I am just trying to learn and understand everything with the old VST version I have before I start testing with anything new. I have only just got the midi keyboard so I am trying to get to grips with that as well. I will probably download trial versions of all the main sequencers eventually like Cubase SX, Ableton, Acid, Sonar, Reason etc before I decide which one to go with.

The more experience you get the better, but I wouldn't waste too much time on a really old application like VST 3.5. While some of the concepts are still the same in SX, things have really moved on significantly. So much so that most of your workflow will be different regardless of what sequencer you choose.

R.

[brandondrury]

First of all, I highly recommend Cubase SX 3 or one of the cheaper versions.

I attempted to use Cubase VST 5 last summer and it was horribly unstable and was hard to use. I was blown away by how far they had come from VST 5 to Cubase SX3. I couldn't imagine that VST 3.5 would be usable by modern standards.

The fact that you need time stretching seams to make this one a no brainer.

Brandon