Direct Offline Processing

Direct Offline Processing allows you to instantly add plug-in effects (Cubase Pro only) and audio processes to the selected audio events, clips, or ranges, without destructing the original audio.

Applying offline effects is common practice in dialogue editing and sound design. Offline processing has several advantages over applying realtime mixer effects:

  • The workflow is clip-based. This allows you to apply different effects to events on the same track.

  • The MixConsole can be kept clean from insert effects and parameter changes. This facilitates later mixing by another person, on a different system.

  • Less CPU load is used.

Direct Offline Processing allows you to undo any changes regarding plug-in effects and audio processes, at any point and in any order. You can always revert to the original version. This is possible because processing does not affect the actual audio files.

If you process an event, a clip, or a selection range, the following happens:

  • A new audio file is created in the Edits folder within your project folder.

    This file contains the processed audio, and the processed section of the audio clip refers to it.

  • The original file remains unaffected.

    The unprocessed sections still refer to it.

All applied offline processing is saved with the project and can still be modified after reopening the project. Direct Offline Processing operations on the selected audio are persistent in track archives (Cubase Pro only) and project backups.

Processing is always applied to the selection. This can be one or multiple events in the Project window or in the Audio Part Editor, an audio clip in the Pool, or a selection range on one or multiple events in the Project window or in the Sample Editor. If a selection is shorter than the audio file, only the selected range is processed.

If you select an event that is a shared copy, and therefore refers to a clip that is used by other events in the project, you can decide how to proceed:

  • Select Continue to process all shared copies.

  • Select New Version to process the selected event only.

Note

This only works if Open Options Dialog is selected for the On Processing Shared Clips setting in the Preferences dialog (Editing—Audio page).