# Cubase How to Export Stems with Send and Master FX?



## Andrew Goodwin (Feb 4, 2019)

Hi,

I've been testing and searching the internet and I haven't found a way to do this in Cubase 10 except on an individual track basis.

*What I want is to select which Group Tracks to export and have them exported all at the same time with send and master fx to a folder that I choose.*

I've tried render in place for multiple tracks using complete signal path + stereo out, but it screws up the track names and simply names them like Albion V Strings, Albion V Strings -01, Albion V Strings -02. Instead of "Albion V Strings, Percussion, Brass" etc. Also the track name in Cubase ends up Stereo 01 R, Stereo 02 R. 

Am I completely missing something? How to do JXL and Hans export stems from Cubase, surely they are not exporting them 1 at a times clicking between each render?


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## Henu (Feb 4, 2019)

One way to do it is to put all those tracks into a folder, solo that folder and export the basic "stereo out" mix per stem. (unless you have 1237987 different stems, though.  )


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Feb 4, 2019)

I made a video on this topic just the other day - hope this helps:


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## Rob Elliott (Feb 4, 2019)

This is a brilliant solution for the 'limiter' or any master buss light compression. I also use a little bit of Ozone 8 'dynamic eq' on my master buss. How would I add that to this routing scheme as well?


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## Andrew Goodwin (Feb 4, 2019)

Mihkel thanks! That's quite close to what I'm looking for. 

How would that work for reverb fx sends?


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Feb 4, 2019)

Thanks Rob,

As far as I know Ozone doesn't have a side-chain input, though Neutron does if you happen to have that. Alternatively, Fabfilter Pro-Q3 has dynamic EQ mode too.

But beware when using multiple mix bus plugins sequentially you need to have a new set of groups and a new side-chain mix *after* each plugin is applied. The point here is that you can't use the same fully unprocessed side-chain signal to feed both your dynamic EQ and your limiter for example - because after going through the first plugin the signal is already altered. (Really should've mentioned this in the video, but unfortunately forgot to do so.. will do in the next one!).


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## Rob Elliott (Feb 4, 2019)

Mihkel Zilmer said:


> Thanks Rob,
> 
> As far as I know Ozone doesn't have a side-chain input, though Neutron does if you happen to have that. Alternatively, Fabfilter Pro-Q3 has dynamic EQ mode too.
> 
> But beware when using multiple mix bus plugins sequentially you need to have a new set of groups and a new side-chain mix *after* each plugin is applied. The point here is that you can't use the same fully unprocessed side-chain signal to feed both your dynamic EQ and your limiter for example - because after going through the first plugin the signal is already altered. (Really should've mentioned this in the video, but unfortunately forgot to do so.. will do in the next one!).


Roger that Mihkel. TOTALLY get it. I actually have been pushing towards 'stream lining' any processing BEYOND the individual channels anyways - this really pushes me to do that and keep it all clean. Using what you say above and THEN exporting 'between cycle markers' - there really is no reason why we couldn't export the WHOLE score/reel with one click (getting all the stems AND Full mixes) - in one go!!!!! Again thanks for your reply to our OP Andrew.


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Feb 4, 2019)

Andrew Goodwin said:


> Mihkel thanks! That's quite close to what I'm looking for.
> 
> How would that work for reverb fx sends?



One reverb per stem. If you have many stems then it might be a good idea use a VST3 reverb that supports suspending processing when no signal is detected so they don't take up any resources until they are needed.

After that, it depends on whether you need to deliver reverb separately or not.
Separate reverb stems - make extra groups for those.
Reverb included in stems - either set reverb track outputs to first set of group tracks (Reverb output to Strings / Brass etc.) or if you want to do a lot of processing on those groups and don't want your reverb to get any of that treatment then skip the groups and split the reverb signal - set output to corresponding stem, and send an equal amount to the side-chain mix.


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## Andrew Goodwin (Feb 4, 2019)

Thanks Mihkel I'll experiment with that. Yes I need the stem + Reverb + Mastering plugins on 1 output track


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## Rob Elliott (Feb 4, 2019)

Again Mihkel - thanks for this video. Really makes the end of a already fast-paced TV gig workable.


Just one last question. I have NINE (9) stems. For my Sidechain MIX group buss there is only 8 slots in Cubase (10.xx). Should I set up a 'second' sidechain MIX buss (call it...B) and pick that ninth STEM)? Any issues there?


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Feb 4, 2019)

Rob Elliott said:


> Again Mihkel - thanks for this video. Really makes the end of a already fast-paced TV gig workable.
> 
> 
> Just one last question. I have NINE (9) stems. For my Sidechain MIX group buss there is only 8 slots in Cubase (10.xx). Should I set up a 'second' sidechain MIX buss (call it...B) and pick that ninth STEM)? Any issues there?



Yes, that's pretty much it. If you need more than 8 stems then what I do is:
- Add a second sidechain mix bus - Sidechain MIX B
- Set the output of Sidechain MIX A to Sidechain MIX B (easier than setting up tons of extra sends from each group)
- Sidechain A and B now have identical signal
- Sidechain B output to No Bus
- Now you've got 16 slots, 8 from each.


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## Rob Elliott (Feb 4, 2019)

Mihkel Zilmer said:


> Yes, that's pretty much it. If you need more than 8 stems then what I do is:
> - Add a second sidechain mix bus - Sidechain MIX B
> - Set the output of Sidechain MIX A to Sidechain MIX B (easier than setting up tons of extra sends from each group)
> - Sidechain A and B now have identical signal
> ...


SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET. Works like a charm!!!!! Thanks again. In a LONG list of helpful 'how-to' vids this is now #1 in my books!!!!


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## Vin (Feb 4, 2019)

Henu said:


> One way to do it is to put all those tracks into a folder, solo that folder and export the basic "stereo out" mix per stem. (unless you have 1237987 different stems, though.  )



That's what I do actually, not a fancy solution, but I never have to deliver more than 10-12 stems so it's not a super slow process.


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## Jeremy Gillam (Feb 4, 2019)

Steinberg really blew it with how they integrated the ability to instantiate a sidechain from within a plugin in version 10, in that it still creates a send and you therefore max out at 8, rather than just "listening" to a bus the way Pro Tools (and I believe Logic) does. I'm hoping iZotope will create a stem mastering system in the future where different instances of Ozone within the same project can listen to each other, wouldn't that be cool.

Thanks for the tutorials Mihkel!


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Feb 5, 2019)

Jeremy Gillam said:


> Steinberg really blew it with how they integrated the ability to instantiate a sidechain from within a plugin in version 10, in that it still creates a send and you therefore max out at 8, rather than just "listening" to a bus the way Pro Tools (and I believe Logic) does. I'm hoping iZotope will create a stem mastering system in the future where different instances of Ozone within the same project can listen to each other, wouldn't that be cool.
> 
> Thanks for the tutorials Mihkel!



Thanks!

It would be great if Cubase side-chains were not set up as sends. The only upside there is having an immediate visual reference in the mixer. 

Pro Tools has another issue though - side-chains are mono only (unless this has changed in the most recent version?). One workaround is to split the signal between a pair of mono limiters / compressors and then recombine it later.


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## chrisr (Feb 5, 2019)

Reaper is by far the best at this as I've posted several times before. It allows for a multi-channel framework under any and all tracks. So your stereo summing bus could have 4/6/8+... tracks of audio available to all fx on that track. It means that adding _multiple_ FX in series to the master out & stems is achieved with minimal need for complicated routing. It's a much more elegant and powerful way of doing what Mihkel has done here in cubase.

In short, it means I can easily add whatever and however many (side-chainable) mastering plugs to my mixbuss and the full mix and stems will always pass a null test, no matter how hard I slam them.

Reaper's underlying audio framework really puts it in a league of it's own in this respect.


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## Pietro (Feb 5, 2019)

Thanks, this sounds great. Though I've been using Ozone as a finalizer too (limiter, multiband compressor, widener sometimes). I guess, this all goes down to which plugin you can actually sidechain.

As an addition to that, if you are using send reverbs, you need a separate send reverb for each stem, routed to the sidechain mix and to the stem group channel (and full mix) too.

- Piotr


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## Jeremy Gillam (Feb 5, 2019)

Sidechains are still mono in PT as of 2018.12. 

Reaper seems really interesting in this respect!


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