Best way to record the mix rather than Bounce to Disk?

[Eleventh Hour Sound]

I've been having problems with bouncing to Disk in DP6. I recently read that someone suggested recording their mix to another stereo track rather than Bouncing to Disk. How do you do that? Whenever I try to assign to outputs of my Master Channel to a bus and then use that bus to feed the input of a stereo track (that will contain my stereo mix) weird things happen. Does the master channel have any magical properties that I'm missing?

[Tim]

That should be working, provided that your record track's output is not being sent to that same bus (feedback loop - but DP should tell you if that were the case), and that all tracks or their sub-masters are being sent to the same bus as the Master fader.

What kind of weird things happen?

[daveyboy]

I'd make the master channel a bus itself instead of a master fader. Then make a new stereo track and route the output of the bus (to a bus) going to the new track. To monitor you'd have to set your settings to hardware playthrough. Also, all your tracks will have to have that master bus as their output. I use many subgroups when I mix so there are many busses happening. But, all those outputs get routed to the master bus.

Another nice way to mix is to use audio hijack pro and hijack DP's output. The mix isn't lined up in DP this way but it's convenient. Plus, no bouncing later if you're mixing at 44k.

[Eleventh Hour Sound]

That should be working, provided that your record track's output is not being sent to that same bus (feedback loop - but DP should tell you if that were the case), and that all tracks or their sub-masters are being sent to the same bus as the Master channel.

What kind of weird things happen?

Thanks for writing Tim. I've got everything bussed to my Master out (which is my interface's hardware outs(

For some reason when I assign the Master channel's out to a bus and then use that bus to feed a stereo audio track there's no audio input showing up in the stereo track's audio input meter. Also, the fx inserts I have in the main channel act as though they're bypassed. I would think in this configuration, the only way I could monitor my master channel is to enable the input on my record channel (which is assigned to my interface's main outs) but I still here audio, even if the record channel's audio input is disabled, record is turned off and it's muted.

It it kind of like the Master Channel is hardwired to the audio interfaces main outs?

I know this must sound dumb, for some reason I don't thing I've ever got it to work this way...

[Eleventh Hour Sound]

I'd make the master channel a bus itself instead of a master fader. Then make a new stereo track and route the output of the bus (to a bus) going to the new track. To monitor you'd have to set your settings to hardware playthrough. Also, all your tracks will have to have that master bus as their output. I use many subgroups when I mix so there are many busses happening. But, all those outputs get routed to the master bus.

Another nice way to mix is to use audio hijack pro and hijack DP's output. The mix isn't lined up in DP this way but it's convenient. Plus, no bouncing later if you're mixing at 44k.

Thanks DaveyBoy.
I could see your bus suggestion working. So then the master channel becomes like a monitor lever control rather than you master fader right?

When you mention hardware playthough, are you reffering to using the input button on a channel?

I used to use Audio Hijack all the time for scratch mixes. It's works great. For some reason I was concerned that it wasn't legit and that I'd get better quality using Bounce to Disk...

I got this method working... Since I already had the "perfect fade" on my master channel, I copied on to my new "Master Bus" interesting.

So I guess the Master Channel doesn't like to act like a bus... it doesn't want to pass audio to a bus, only to an output? (must have more caffeine)

[Tim]

For some reason when I assign the Master channel's out to a bus and then use that bus to feed a stereo audio track there's no audio input showing up in the stereo track's audio input meter.

That's because all tracks need their outputs assigned to that same bus as the master fader.

For example; set all track outputs to a bus designated for mix down (i name mine, Mix Bus). Then create a Master fader and set it to that mix bus. Create a stereo audio track to record to and set it's input to the mix bus, and it's output to your monitor pair. Also, depending on your setup, you may need to creat an aux track to monitor through while printing the mix. Set the Aux track input to the mix bus, and it's output to your monitor pair.

[Mr_Clifford]

Just to clarify a bit. A Master track is not a channel per se. but rather a Master Fader (and insert FX etc.) that can be placed on a signal which is being routed to either a hardware output or a Buss. So the output of the Master Fader just signifies which output (or bus) it's affecting.

That means that if you set it to a buss, you still need to route all your audio to that bus, and then have an audio track set to receive that bus.

This system works great in another respect, in that if you have FX on your Mix bus (like EQ, compression, limiting etc), it's not being put on everything that's being sent your Main OUT, which means you could bounce a Mix, bring it back in as an audio track, and route it straight to your Main OUT, and know that you're not going to get a double-dose of Limiting (and other FX) on your Mix.

[Eleventh Hour Sound]

For some reason when I assign the Master channel's out to a bus and then use that bus to feed a stereo audio track there's no audio input showing up in the stereo track's audio input meter.

That's because all tracks need their outputs assigned to that same bus as the master fader.

For example; set all track outputs to a bus designated for mix down (i name mine, Mix Bus). Then create a Master fader and set it to that mix bus. Create a stereo audio track to record to and set it's input to the mix bus, and it's output to your monitor pair. Also, depending on your setup, you may need to creat an aux track to monitor through while printing the mix. Set the Aux track input to the mix bus, and it's output to your monitor pair.

Thank you Tim!

[Eleventh Hour Sound]

Just to clarify a bit. A Master track is not a channel per se. but rather a Master Fader (and insert FX etc.) that can be placed on a signal which is being routed to either a hardware output or a Buss. So the output of the Master Fader just signifies which output (or bus) it's affecting.

That means that if you set it to a buss, you still need to route all your audio to that bus, and then have an audio track set to receive that bus.

This system works great in another respect, in that if you have FX on your Mix bus (like EQ, compression, limiting etc), it's not being put on everything that's being sent your Main OUT, which means you could bounce a Mix, bring it back in as an audio track, and route it straight to your Main OUT, and know that you're not going to get a double-dose of Limiting (and other FX) on your Mix.

Thanks MC... This could also help solve my "Oh shoot the compressor on my Master channel sounds great on everything except the cymbals going through my overhead mics which are making my ears bleed"

[Eleventh Hour Sound]

So to use a Shooshie-ism...

The fact that bounce to disk wasn't working forced be to learn another way of doing this and for that I should be thankful!

[Eleventh Hour Sound]

Just to clarify a bit. A Master track is not a channel per se. but rather a Master Fader (and insert FX etc.) that can be placed on a signal which is being routed to either a hardware output or a Buss. So the output of the Master Fader just signifies which output (or bus) it's affecting.

That means that if you set it to a buss, you still need to route all your audio to that bus, and then have an audio track set to receive that bus.

This system works great in another respect, in that if you have FX on your Mix bus (like EQ, compression, limiting etc), it's not being put on everything that's being sent your Main OUT, which means you could bounce a Mix, bring it back in as an audio track, and route it straight to your Main OUT, and know that you're not going to get a double-dose of Limiting (and other FX) on your Mix.

What's interesting is that the FX I had inserted in the Master Channel didn't work when I had it bussed to an Aux Bus rather than a hardware output.... hmmm I'm gonna have to think about this one...

[Tim]

What's interesting is that the FX I had inserted in the Master Channel didn't work when I had it bussed to an Aux Bus rather than a hardware output.... hmmm I'm gonna have to think about this one...

This is after assigning all tracks to the same bus as the master?





One thing: If you mute the Master fader while playing the tracks being mixed and you still hear something, chances are that it's not making it to the mix bus (and it's time to double check track outputs). That's bitten me before.

[Eleventh Hour Sound]

What's interesting is that the FX I had inserted in the Master Channel didn't work when I had it bussed to an Aux Bus rather than a hardware output.... hmmm I'm gonna have to think about this one...

This is after assigning all tracks to the same bus as the master?





One thing: If you mute the Master fader while playing the tracks being mixed and you still hear something, chances are that it's not making it to the mix bus (and it's time to double check track outputs). That's bitten me before.

I think it bit me to... hmmm my brain hurts.

[duncan]

To simplify - can you take a digital output, say an adat lightpipe, and route it back to a digital input? I do that with a 2408, but there's a digital mixer in the middle of the chain.

[Eleventh Hour Sound]

To simplify - can you take a digital output, say an adat lightpipe, and route it back to a digital input? I do that with a 2408, but there's a digital mixer in the middle of the chain.

You probably can, but we want to keep it in the Box, preferable in the DP Box