Methodology for recording in Cubase SX

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:38 pm

Hello
I have a MOTU 828 MKII. I have it setup in Cubase SX 3 and can record some tracks. What is the better methodology? Should I record on a mono track directly using VST's on the mono track or should I record on the mono track and route the output to a stero FX track that has the same VST config. I use Amplitube 2. I don't want to record through an amp as I live in an apartment and that would be too noisy. I have a 2.4 Ghz PC with 2 GB of RAM. I'm a lone musician looking to expand my musical ambition by using drum loops , MIDI and multi track guitar
Thanks for your help

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:07 pm

If you use Amplitube 2 as an insert in a stereo track it should output to stereo as long as you are using it in a stereo configuration. If I'm wrong, please someone let me know but this seems logical to me.

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:13 pm

My understanding is you record mono because the guitar is a mono device and then you route to stereo. My limited experience tells me that if I have the amplitube VST on the track and FX track i will soon run into latency issues or sound dropiing out when recording or playing back

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 2:43 pm

Yes, the guitar is mono but Amplitube is a stereo plugin. So, even though you are plugging in to only the left channel, Amplitube should output to both channels. The routing involved is inside Amplitube and you shouldn't have to do it in Cubase.

Have you checked the manual regarding this?

Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:03 pm

How is your computer with other plugins while recording? It should be able to handle a couple without too much latency. Is it optimized for recording?

I don't know if the sound will be recorded clean or already altered, since this plugin would sit on an insert. If the signal is recorded clean (which I suppose it is) then try recording in mono and work on the stereo sound later. This will give you the opportunity to record with lower latency and increase the latency while mixing to allow for more plugins.

You can check this by disabling/bypassing the plugin temporarily after recording.

If the sound is recorded altered (like rendered directly with the Amplitube sound) then record a clean signal by recording on an additional track with the same input. This leaves your options open to look for the best sounds during mixing.

Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:22 pm

It's really quite simple. Amplitube is like a stereo amp. You don't need a Y splitter to plug into a stereo amp do you?

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:20 am

I agree with you Hueseph. You can use either method . I do not dispute that. My question is more what is a best practice? How can you maximize the software's potential if you follow one route versus another. I like cfaalm's reply. I'll look at optimizing my PC for recording ( I've seen several sticky's on these forums) and try some of the points mentioned

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