Audio Connections Window

The Audio Connections window allows you to set up input and output busses, group and FX channels, external effects, and external instruments. Furthermore, you can use this window to access and configure the Control Room.

To open the Audio Connections window, do one of the following:

  • Select Studio > Audio Connections.

  • Press F4.

Inputs/Outputs Tab

The Inputs and Outputs tabs allow you to set up and configure input and output busses.

Figure 1. Inputs tab
Figure 2. Outputs tab

The following options are available above the bus list:

Add Bus

Opens the Add Input Bus dialog, where you can create a new bus configuration.

Presets

Opens the Presets pop-up menu, where you can select bus configuration presets. Save Preset allows you to save a bus configuration as preset. Remove Preset deletes the selected preset.

Expand All/Collapse

Expands/Collapses all busses in the bus list.

The following columns are available for the bus list:

Bus Name

Lists the busses. Click the name of a bus to select or rename it.

Speakers

Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo, surround formats) of each bus.

Audio Device

Shows the selected ASIO driver.

Device Port

Shows which physical inputs/outputs on your audio hardware are used by the bus. Expand the bus entry to show all speaker channels. If the bus entry is collapsed, only the first port that is used by this bus is visible.

The Device Port pop-up menu displays how many busses are connected to a given port. The busses are shown in square brackets next to the port name.

Up to three bus assignments can be displayed in this way. If more connections have been made, this is indicated by a number at the end of the port name.

For example, “Adat 1 [Stereo1] [Stereo2] [Stereo3] (+2)” means that the Adat1 port is already assigned to three stereo busses plus two additional busses.

Group/FX Tab

This tab allows you to create group and FX channels/tracks and to make output assignments for them.

Figure 3. Group/FX tab

The following options are available above the bus list:

Add Group

Opens the Add Group Channel Track dialog, where you can create a new group channel track.

Add FX

Opens the Add FX Channel Track dialog, where you can create a new FX channel track.

Expand All/Collapse

Expands/Collapses all busses in the bus list.

The following columns are available for the bus list:

Bus Name

Lists the busses. Click the name of a bus to select or rename it.

Speakers

Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo, surround formats) of each bus.

Output Routing

Lets you select the output routing for the corresponding bus.

External FX Tab

This tab allows you to create send effect or return busses. Use them to connect external effects. You can then select them via the effect pop-up menus from inside the program.

Figure 4. External FX tab

The following options are available above the bus list:

Add External FX

Opens the Add External FX dialog, where you can configure a new external FX.

Favorites

Lets you store external effect configurations as favorites.

Expand All/Collapse

Expands/Collapses all busses in the bus list.

The following columns are available for the bus list:

Bus Name

Lists the busses. Click the name of a bus to select or rename it.

Speakers

Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo, surround formats) of each bus.

Audio Device

Shows the selected ASIO driver.

Device Port

Shows which physical inputs/outputs on your audio hardware are used by the bus. Expand the bus entry to show all speaker channels. If the bus entry is collapsed, only the first port that is used by this bus is visible.

The Device Port pop-up menu displays how many busses are connected to a given port. The busses are shown in square brackets next to the port name.

Up to three bus assignments can be displayed in this way. If more connections have been made, this is indicated by a number at the end of the port name.

For example, “Adat 1 [Stereo1] [Stereo2] [Stereo3] (+2)” means that the Adat1 port is already assigned to three stereo busses plus two additional busses.

Delay

Allows you to enter a value to compensate for an inherent delay (latency) of your hardware effect device during playback. You can right-click the Delay column for the effect and select Check User Delay to automatically determine the delay value.

Note

The latency of the audio hardware is handled automatically by Cubase.

Send Gain

Allows you to adjust the level of the signal that is sent to the external effect.

Return Gain

Allows you to adjust the level of the signal that the external effect sends.

Note

Excessive output levels from an external effect device can cause clipping in the audio hardware. You cannot use the Return Gain setting to compensate for this. You must lower the output level on the effect device instead.

MIDI Device

When you click in this column, a pop-up menu opens. It allows you to disconnect the effect from the associated MIDI device, select a MIDI device, create a new device, or open the MIDI Device Manager to edit the MIDI device.

Used

Whenever you insert an external effect into an audio track, this column shows a checkmark (x) to indicate that the effect is being used.

External Instruments Tab

This tab allows you to create input/output busses that can be used to connect external instruments.

Figure 5. External Instruments tab

The following options are available above the bus list:

Add External Instrument

Opens the Add External Instrument dialog, where you can configure a new external instrument.

Favorites

Lets you store external instrument configurations as favorites.

Expand All/Collapse

Expands/Collapses all busses in the bus list.

The following columns are available for the bus list:

Bus Name

Lists the busses. Click the name of a bus to select or rename it.

Speakers

Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo, surround formats) of each bus.

Audio Device

Shows the selected ASIO driver.

Device Port

Shows which physical inputs/outputs on your audio hardware are used by the bus. Expand the bus entry to show all speaker channels. If the bus entry is collapsed, only the first port that is used by this bus is visible.

The Device Port pop-up menu displays how many busses are connected to a given port. The busses are shown in square brackets next to the port name.

Up to three bus assignments can be displayed in this way. If more connections have been made, this is indicated by a number at the end of the port name.

For example, “Adat 1 [Stereo1] [Stereo2] [Stereo3] (+2)” means that the Adat1 port is already assigned to three stereo busses plus two additional busses.

Delay

Allows you to enter a value to compensate for an inherent delay (latency) of your hardware effect device during playback. You can right-click the Delay column for the instrument and select Check User Delay to automatically determine the delay value that is used for delay compensation.

Note

The latency of the audio hardware is handled automatically by Cubase.

Return Gain

Allows you to adjust the level of the signal coming in from the external instrument.

Note

Excessive output levels from an external effect device can cause clipping in the audio hardware. The Return Gain setting cannot be used to compensate for this. You must lower the output level on the effect device instead.

MIDI Device

When you click in this column, a pop-up menu opens. It allows you to disconnect the instrument from the associated MIDI device, select a MIDI device, create a new device, or open the MIDI Device Manager to edit the MIDI device.

Used

Whenever you insert the external instrument into a VST instrument slot, this column shows a checkmark (x) to indicate that the instrument is being used.

Control Room Tab

This tab allows you to enable and configure the Control Room.

The following options are available above the bus list:

Enable/Disable Control Room

Enables/Disables the Control Room.

Open Control Room

Opens the Control Room window.

Add Channel

Opens a pop-up menu where you can select the type of channel that you want to add. You can add the following channels:

  • External Input

  • Talkback

  • Cue

  • Headphone

  • Monitor

Presets

Opens the Presets pop-up menu, where you can select bus configuration presets. Store allows you to save a bus configuration as preset. Delete deletes the selected preset.

Note

You can save the insert slots for Cue, Monitor and Control Room channels in the presets. This is useful, as they are not saved with the project.

Configuration

Displays the selected channel configuration.

Expand All/Collapse

Expands/Collapses all busses in the bus list.

The following columns are available for the bus list:

Bus Name

Lists the busses. Click the name of a bus to select or rename it.

Speakers

Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo, surround formats) of each bus.

Audio Device

Shows the selected ASIO driver.

Device Port

Shows which physical inputs/outputs on your audio hardware are used by the bus. Expand the bus entry to show all speaker channels. If the bus entry is collapsed, only the first port that is used by this bus is visible.

The Device Port pop-up menu displays how many busses are connected to a given port. The busses are shown in square brackets next to the port name.

Up to three bus assignments can be displayed in this way. If more connections have been made, this is indicated by a number at the end of the port name.

For example, “Adat 1 [Stereo1] [Stereo2] [Stereo3] (+2)” means that the Adat1 port is already assigned to three stereo busses plus two additional busses.