Separate channels from Overbridge and record directly to Cubase?

Elektron Software Overbridge
#1

I have Cubase 9 and the RYTM MKI with Overbridge on a Macbook.

I’m trying to get it straight as to whether or not you can record each AR track isolated to its own audio channel to Cubase directly. I currently have TS splitters and isolate the tracks by running them separately into my IO device which takes 8 inputs. I have a smaller device in a different location and I’m wondering if there’s some way to use Overbridge to route the tracks separately via Overbridge. I can set up the OB to record 8 of the tracks in 24bit. I’m not sure how to route them to audio channels in Cubase. Using the OB plugin in Cubase, I can get stereo signal routed to an audio track, but haven’t been able to figure out how to get isolated tracks to audio channels. I can’t seem to find the separate tracks in Cubase to route them. Has anyone done this? Is it possible?

UPDATE: I set up 8 instrument tracks and I found in the input section the separate RYTM midi outs (1-8). I don’t seem to be getting signal to these tracks and I can’t hear them. Based on the OB manual it seems like Cubase should be seeing the separate tracks. Are the midi outs I’m seeing as options in the instrument track what it’s referring to?

#2

Well … you have to set-up audio tracks for the AR-voices for recording. After success you might want to generate a template for future projects.

I am not on Mac, but I think, the procudure should be similar on PC/Mac.

  1. First check that OB transmitts all the audio channels to the computer (to be done in OB)
  2. Then create one audio track per AR voice (this will be eight maximum)
  3. Select for each audio track the AR-audio-input (kick, snare, etc.)

Now you should be ready to hear and to record AR audio over USB

#3

Thank you for your response @SoundRider!

When you say “to be done in OB” are you talking about the Overbridge Control Panel or the Overbridge plugin in Cubase? If it’s the OCP, I can see audio come into the OCP on the separate channels, but I don’t know where to look for it in Cubase. Is that the midi out channels I’m seeing?

Here is where I got stuck. I’m not seeing any audio inputs for the AR, just for my IO device. Do I have to create them somehow or should they just show up once I’ve configured the OB properly?

#4

Hi again … I see your problem … sorry that I have no detailed tutorial ready … but here is some advice, which should work.

Cubase is a little complicated to handle, if external equipment has to be connected.
BTW … I use Cubase 9.5 on PC

If you see all your required channels in the OB-CP, you are ready to setup Cubase.

First: Cubase has to learn that there is the AR as an audio source at all.
Menu “Studio/Setup” allows to create a “new” entry or change the audio-source.
Go to “VST Audio System” and select “Elektron Analog Rytm”, if already there or right click on “VST Audio System” to activate it. Maybe on Mac this is different, but the logic should be similar.

Now Cubase is aware of the AR as an audio-source

Second: Cubase needs “busses” to deliver the audio to the “audio-tracks”. But the AR is missing yet.
Menu “Studio/Audio-Connections” allows to create “new” busses.
Such a new bus should be mono, shall use the AR as “device” and then one of the AR channels like “BD/SD, etc …”

Now Cubase should display those new input-busses of the AR and make them accessable for each audio-track.

There might be also an opportunity to use the “Add External Instrument” feature, but I haven’t check this option out myself :wink:

Hope this was a little help.

#5

Thank you for the post! I had it backwards. I was trying to get audio from the instrument channels somehow. I got around to trying what you suggest and I think I got it working, but I have a couple questions about the bandwidth and number of channels.

Through the OB-CP even at 16 bit I’m only able to send up to 8 channels. The individual channels are dry and if I want effects I would have to send the effects through the main outputs, but there aren’t enough available channels on the OB-CP to send them all. Do I have to track the effects separately?

Also, I haven’t yet figured out how to listen to the audio coming from Cubase when using the AR as the selected audio driver in the VST Audio System section. The outputs available are all from the AR and none of them seem to work. Even if I get them to work I would need to switch to my IO device at some point if I wanted any other audio in my session. Are you able to get other audio to Cubase when using the AR as your audio device?

#6

Let’s start with the bandwidth … it is limited, indeed. With our version of OB we can only transmit 8 channels at 16 bit, it’s even less at 24 bit. There is a saying that we well see an updated versions of OB, which supports more.

It depends on the use case, whether this is a hard limitation.

I use OB only to make multi-track recordings over USB and for this, I prefer the dry signal. After recording, I apply the FX per track as needed during the mixing. If I would like to have the FX of the AR too, I would just record the wet signal seperately with a second take, or as many channels possible in parallel.

The sound architecture of the manual makes it clear that the FX returns are only sending to the L/R-output line. Even the individual analogue outputs are dry.

Now to the audio-output. Are you on PC or Mac? Makes quite a difference.

In any case you have to set-up the main output of Cubase to your audio-interface, this would be the AR or whatever you have in use. On PC only one audio-interface is supported at a time. This means, that we have to switch:

  1. to the correct audio driver of the device, and
  2. to the correct audio-device as a master output

This should do for AR or other devices …

AFAIK Mac users have the option to use audio-interfaces in parallel.

This said … it’s not Cubase, it’s the computer or the OS respectively. If the OB-CP shows active stereo-outputs, then you should have made it all right and hear the sound at the AR-Main-outs.