How to display the Master Bus???

[Ernie Tamminga]

This seems like an AWFULLY basic question, but...  In my Cakewalk by Bandlab interface, I want to apply an fx (Izotope Ozone ? to the Master bus, but... 

I can't find the Master bus.

The documentation says it's below the tracks, but it's not.  There's a Bus Pane, but there's nothing in it.

Do I have to explicitly CREATE/INSERT a Master Bus?  Currently, the outputs of all my tracks are assigned to the first stereo pair of my Focusrite Scarlett. I can hear everything just fine on playback, through the Scarlett., but I can't assign an fx  directly to the stereo output pair. Do I have to create a Master Bus and assign the Scarlett's outputs to that bus??

I had assumed that a Master Bus would exist "automatically", but apparently I misunderstood...?

[martsave martin s]

4 minutes ago, Ernie Tamminga said:

Do I have to explicitly CREATE/INSERT a Master Bus?

yes

[scook]

AFAIK, all the project templates bundled with CbB include a master bus.

If your project does not have any buses:

• add a bus (rename it master if you wish)
• right-click the bus header and select "Set as Default Bus"
• select all the audio and instrument tracks, while holding the CTRL key set the output on one of the selected tracks to the bus

After this, any audio and instrument tracks added to the project will automatically point to master bus.

[sjoens]

I usually send tracks to Group Busses and the Group Busses to the Master Bus.

[davet]

I create a Master Bus in all my projects too.  Gets used as a fadeout when I set a volume envelope for the entire project.

[henkejs]

Once I opened a project from a previous version of SONAR. Couldn't see any buses, but I knew they used to be there. It turned out the bus pane was collapsed at the bottom of the screen, and I had to drag up the track/bus divider to see the buses again.

[John Vere]

Part 4 of my tutorials explains most of what you need to know about the buss pane. Including how to find it if it is not showing.  

http://www.cactusmusic.ca/tutorial-videos

Generally they have supplied a few templates for newbies to get started with but most long time users simply make our own templates and use those so we rarely need to do this.

There's one case for me as I often OPEN a midi file and those projects won't have any busses.  Takes 2 seconds to add them so nothing to gripe about really. 

Both project templates and track templates will populate your buss pane.  Example when I insert my "Guitar"  audio track template, it inserts a track set up to record that guitar as well as inserting a Guitar Buss . 

Edited March 9, 2019 by Cactus Music

[abacab]

I have Cakewalk setup so that if I open a "new" project via keyboard shortcut (ctrl+n), it always loads a default .cwt project template that has bus assignments.

You can select your default template in the "New Project" tab in the Cakewalk start screen.

Your Cakewalk preferences "File > Folder Locations" specifies where Cakewalk should look for your template files.

You can make any adjustments that you wish to a blank project  (or start with any template) and either save that as a new template, or overwrite one of the existing ones. Use "File > Save As" and select "Template" as type,  then select  "Template Files" as  the Go to Folder", and hit "Save".

Just do this once, and then you won't have to go adding or changing stuff every time you open a "new" project. Huge time saver!

[Starship Krupa]

18 hours ago, Ernie Tamminga said:

Do I have to explicitly CREATE/INSERT a Master Bus?

Not if you start your project with one of the many handy templates in the Start Screen.

You do when starting a project completely blank, but that is what I call doing it the hard way. If you're new to Cakewalk, don't do it the hard way. Even (especially) if you're not, don't do it the hard way.

As far as Buses being visible in the Track View, you have to click on the little arrow down at the bottom of the Track Headers.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Starship Krupa

[scook]

11 minutes ago, Starship Krupa said:

you have to click on the little arrow down at the bottom of the Track Header

Keyboard shortcut SHIFT+B

[Royarn]

It can be hidden off screen and you have to grab the grey line at th right side of the mixer and drag it to where you want it.

Roy

 

[msmcleod]

[henkejs]

Thanks for the graphic, msmcleod! That's what I was trying to describe in my previous post.

[John Vere]

Steve's answer is the one to remember and why I said to watch my video. I show both methods. That shortcut becomes a good friend just like R or Spacebar.  And with that in mind you now might know why it disappeared in the first place.  You inadvertently pressed Shift B Possibly instead of just B which toggles the Browser.  Keyboard shortcuts are well worth learning but they are also dangerous because it's easy to toggle something unwanted.  When that hppens I often reload my lens to get my screen back the way I like it.   

[InstrEd]

23 hours ago, scook said:

Keyboard shortcut SHIFT+B

I just reprinted the list because I don't know what I did with the last one I had?

[scook]

There is a link to the shortcuts in the documentation on the CbB help menu

[Sharlo McLean]

My master bus disappeared (unintentionally) from my track view just now. I right clicked in the space, selected "insert stereo bus" from the menu, and the master bus, metronome bus, and preview bus all reappeared by themselves