Exporting/bouncing multiple tracks

[Giannis]

I'm wondering how to export several tracks, or all, to audio. Let's say I have a session with a few virtual instruments with perhaps some effects on the tracks - how can I export this so I get audio tracks to work with for the mix?

I know Sonar and Logic have a way to export all content off all channels in one go, but I can't see it in DP?

Thanks!

[malditoyanki]

No easy way to do this with DP. It's too bad and probably the biggest missing feature it has.

You can freeze tracks individually WITH their FX chain on them. I just did this for 42 tracks of an orchestral cue that was 5 minutes long. It took about an hour total. They printed perfectly for import into Pro Tools.

[bayswater]

One way to deal with this in DP is to set up the project from the start so that everything you will want to export is routed to a set of audio tracks which you can then record.

You can do this either by routing the desired content to a set of audio tracks directly to via busses, or through Aux tracks that are then routed to the final audio tracks. If you route directly, you have to keep the audio tracks in Monitor mode to hear anything, and monitor through DP (i.e. not direct hardware monitoring). If you route via Aux tracks, and monitor from these while mixing, you'll have to reroute the Aux outs to the final audio tracks before the final recording.

When the project is ready for the export stage, you simply record arm the audio tracks and run through the project once in real time, recording the the audio tracks for export. The audio files will show up in the Audio folder for the project, and you can drag them out via the Finder for import elsewhere.

This takes a bit of work setting up VIs with multiple outputs, and setting up things in the Bundles window, putting tracks in Folders so you can keep tracks of things, and making lots of coffee, but once you've done it, you can save the work as a template for future projects.

[doodles]

read tons of existing threads on this. Sadly lacking in DP is this ability to freeze all tracks at once. Adds DAYS onto getting everything ready for final mixes for exporting to other studios

Freeze one MIDI channel per VI Instance at a time. (e.g. if you had 8 channels of MIDI on each VI, and you have 8 VI's, you would need to do 8 freezes)

[frankf]

One way to deal with this in DP is to set up the project from the start so that everything you will want to export is routed to a set of audio tracks which you can then record.

You can do this either by routing the desired content to a set of audio tracks directly to via busses, or through Aux tracks that are then routed to the final audio tracks. If you route directly, you have to keep the audio tracks in Monitor mode to hear anything, and monitor through DP (i.e. not direct hardware monitoring). If you route via Aux tracks, and monitor from these while mixing, you'll have to reroute the Aux outs to the final audio tracks before the final recording.

I use aux returns for all VIs. I have a aux track called Main Aux fed by a bus called Main. It's output feeds my Monitors bus which feeds my interface and monitors. ALL auxes and audio tracks and effects returns output to the Main bus. I also have a bus called Mix bus which feeds the a stereo audio track named Mix1 which outputs to the Monitors bus. As I work I leave the Main Aux output set to Monitors bus. When I mix, I change 1 thing only: the output of the Main aux from Monitors bus to Mix bus and record. A Master Fader track outputs to the Main bus. This is in a template as Bayswater describes. DP is very flexible with its Bundles and Auxes.

When delivering stems I expand on this. Instead of sending ALL tracks to the Main bus, I send tracks and effects for each stem to it's own aux which outputs to separate audio tracks (stem 1 Track, stem2 Track, etc.).

I've found using auxes simpler than using input mode on stereo audio tracks as I can add effects and automate auxes as needed.
YMMV.




Frank Ferrucci

[frankf]

Here's a thread on the input monitoring workflow:
http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=56941


Frank Ferrucci

[bayswater]

I've found using auxes simpler than using input mode on stereo audio tracks as I can add effects and automate auxes as needed.
YMMV.
Frank Ferrucci

Frank, please expand on this last point. What do you do with effects and automation on the aux tracks that cannot be done in the same way on audio tracks?

[frankf]

bayswater-Maybe I'm not understanding this correctly. If the automation is on the audio track and you record to that track, the automation becomes part of the audio file, no? But the automation remains in the track, so what happens when you play back that track containing the new file? You automate the already automated track? Do you turn OFF the automation for the track after laying it down? Am I missing something in this workflow? I'll have to do a test later.



Frank Ferrucci

[bayswater]

Frank, yes, I'll be trying it out too. I was just asking what you thought. My working assumption is that if I'm monitoring through effects, then I'll get automation and effects printed when I record the output of VIs routed directly to the audio tracks. My second assumption is that if I want to carry on mixing the audio tracks after that, I can go to new mix without effects. I'm in the middle of building a huge template, something I don't usually do, and if I can skip setting up 60 or so aux channels and busses, that will help.

[frankf]

I just did a quick test. If you automate a stereo track in input mode instead of using an aux and automating there, the automation does no get recorded on the track. If you then play the track back then you will hear the effect of the automation. To include the automation you would have to bounce the recorded track. There are advantages and disadvantages to going this way. For the majority of the work I do, I want the automation in the track on the original pass, so I'll stay with Auxes in my workflow.

[frankf]

read tons of existing threads on this. Sadly lacking in DP is this ability to freeze all tracks at once. Adds DAYS onto getting everything ready for final mixes for exporting to other studios

Freeze one MIDI channel per VI Instance at a time. (e.g. if you had 8 channels of MIDI on each VI, and you have 8 VI's, you would need to do 8 freezes)

You can certainly freeze multiple VI tracks simultaneously with a caveat. Each VI output bundle must be unique. This is one reason why I use auxes as returns for VI multis. Say you have 8 channels of Kontakt assigned in Kontakt to 8 unique output pairs. In the bundles window you assign each published Kontakt output to a unique bus and then assign that bus to an aux track. You then have a MIDI and Aux pair for each of the 8 Kontakt Instruments.
Select all 8 pairs and the range and initiate the Freeze command. You will end up with 8 unique frozen tracks.
If your Kontakt instruments are routed in Kontakt to the same output pair, when you freeze, all instruments routed to that output will be frozen unless they are not play enabled in DP.

[bayswater]

I just did a quick test. If you automate a stereo track in input mode instead of using an aux and automating there, the automation does no get recorded on the track. If you then play the track back then you will hear the effect of the automation. To include the automation you would have to bounce the recorded track. There are advantages and disadvantages to going this way. For the majority of the work I do, I want the automation in the track on the original pass, so I'll stay with Auxes in my workflow.

Thanks Frank. I thought the way you monitored would affect what got recorded. I guess not.
I'm still going to see what I can do without Aux tracks on my current project.

I've suggested it before, and I'll suggest it again: I wish MOTU would publish a complete signal flow block diagram for DP. When I was all hardware, I had a chart on the wall that was very useful in cases like this. I knew what to expect. Now it's all buried in the computer, I find it difficult to know what will happen without a lot of tests.