Question about approach to consolidating tracks on a mix...

[minminmusic]

Hello everyone...I have a question regarding how I might approach my current situation. Some of it is due to my urgency/sloppiness in the heat of the moment, but I know we're a pretty smart lot so someone might have some thoughts on how I could approach this.

Working on an 11 song album. Instrumental mixes are pretty much there and now moving into tracking vocals. Getting some clicks and pops as the instrumental mix is pretty dense with plug-ins. It's a mix of audio and soft synths, some are frozen, some are not.

Here's my question...

I kinda like how the mixes sound and kinda like how most of the individual tracks sound. Is there a way to convert all of the tracks from my current working file from audio and/or soft synth to just audio? There are edits on tracks, envelopes, sometimes spot insert effects etc. I would like to print/consolidate those on the individual track level (similar to "Freeze") as if I was sending the tracks to a mixer to load into their DAW...but not have the pan, send or fader level effect those renders.

Then, I'd save that Sonar file to a new file with all the same track, pan, send, buss routing info and info but NO effects...and the reload back in the rendered tracks. This is partially for organization/cleanup but also to take a heavy load off the CPU as I move into the tracking of vocals. In my head...I'm pretending someone sent me the raw files with printed effects and I could load those back into a new Sonar file with the same basic track, pan, send, buss routing info it would be a if I was starting a new mix where it wasn't a mixture of audio and soft synths. There's also the slight possibility that I might get a third party to mix...so it wouldn't be unwise to have all of the audio tracks rendered with effects. As I mixer I generally hate when I'm given files that way but I'm not concerned about that at the moment.

Three caveats where my urgency/sloppiness crept in. Some of the "Frozen" soft synths had additional effects on them...some pre-freeze, sometimes post freeze. Stupid I know. Hence my desire to render everything it's at sonically now minus the above elements.  Second...some soft synths I quickly would edit the frozen audio because I didn't I needed to go back to the unfrozen one and it was quicker to nudge the audio. Second bout of stupidity.  Third caveat...I had to insert some additional measures in each song as buffer space as I was having a huge click at the start of my exports, it's a plug-in on the mixbus. Didn't realize that adding 2-4 measures at the start effects any track frozen that had edits post freeze. Too late now. Third moment of stupidity.

If I can figure out a way to do the above...I think my OCD can live with the situation and move forward.

Any thoughts? (not about my stupidity lol)

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

[minminmusic]

One more note as I look at the export functions. There are Gain edits made in clips here and there...would love for those to stay intact. It's the actual Track faders (volume), pan, and send I wouldn't want printed. I guess muting the busses would take care of the Sends not actually being sent in the bounced file? Doesn't seem to be a  checkbox for Automation on a Clip level so I'm guessing unchecking Track Automation turns it off for both?

[minminmusic]

Last thought for this evening...I swear.

If I save three versions of the file.
Song 1: Current Instrumental mix.

Song 1 - PRE: (leave the track settings, volumes as is but delete ALL audio. This leaves me with
current "parking spots". Is there a way to convert the Soft Synth tracks now to just audio tracks?)

Song 1 - POST: (Set all faders to 0 and render with ALL Track Render settings intact but no Bus FX.)

If the renders from POST are loaded into the "shell" of PRE...should the volume levels match closely to what is in the current Song 1?

Trying out now but wondering if, given all the above notes if I'm off on this approach getting it close to the current file BUT consolidating edits and track fx. Ultimately it's the volume levels on each track that I'd rather not have rendered.

 

[57Gregy]

I would Bounce down the entire project to 1 stereo file (or Export) and open that in a new project to record the vocals. No muss, no fuss.

[minminmusic]

Yes...that will work for tracking/comping vocals and take a huge strain off the CPU.

But let's say I need to transfer these files to another mixer who uses another DAW.  Best way to render ALL tracks (both audio/soft-synth) "as is" except any volume fades or panning info? That way they can pan and control the level of each track for their approach to the mix in their DAW but my individual sounds on each track are baked in.

Guessing muting the busses would factor into NOT "coloring" those renders?

Sorry group.

[John Vere]

What Greg said still works. You can record the vocals in any other projects or DAW for that matter and drag it back to the original. 

Take note that best practices is complete the audio  tracking sessions before you get too carried away.

Vocals should be very early in the process to avoid recording parts that conflict with the melody. 
People listen to vocals they could care less about the noise in the background. So vocals are out front and the first in line. Not last. 
 

[57Gregy]

12 hours ago, minminmusic said:

let's say I need to transfer these files to another mixer who uses another DAW.  Best way to render ALL tracks (both audio/soft-synth) "as is" except any volume fades or panning info? That way they can pan and control the level of each track for their approach to the mix in their DAW but my individual sounds on each track are baked in.

You can undo all your pans and effects, EQs, etc. and then I believe you would export each track separately as Broadcast Wave, which would preserve their location in the track. Then close your project without saving which should revert back to your original mix.
Or make a copy of the project to undo all your mixing and use that for the export.
Then the engineer would open them all in his DAW and do his thing.
In my opinion, a mixing/mastering engineer should have all the available major DAWs so he could avoid these kinds of things, especially if he's being paid to do it. I understand the Apple/Windows thing but it's easy enough to get a $200 HP laptop (I have one) and load your Windows-only program on it to do the exports. I think the free CbB is still available? (May 16, 2024).
In any case, it should be relatively easy to do, but probably time-consuming, too.
Good luck!