The Unofficial Access Virus & Virus TI Forum - since 2002 - A Step-By-Step Guide to Using & Recording Atomizer in Cubase 5

Lately I've found a way to use Atomizer in Cubase 5 even though Cubase doesn't support Side-Chaining fully.

I also use the Virus TI as my main soundcard until I buy a new interface. The soundcard on my Virus TI Keyboard works just great, so I use the Virus USB ASIO driver when I'm working in Cubase (and all other DAW's).

To use Atomizer in Cubase 5, I simply create an audio track and in it I put some dry vocals/drum loop of some kind that I want to apply the Atomizer effect to. Right underneath that audio track, I create yet another audio track and I label it 'Virus TI FX.' It is in this audio track that I will open up Virus Control OS 4 as an insert effect. After Virus Control opens up, I will hit the tab titled "Patch Utility" which is the last tab to your right in Virus Control. In the "Patch Utility" tab you will see the Input/Output Configuration section where you will have two drop down menus; one for USB Audio Mode, the other for Surround Outputs. It is in USB Audio Mode that you will change 2 Outs / No Input from the drop down menu to 3 Outs / 1 Input. As soon as you do this Cubase 5 will bring up a warning about how "This input/output configuration is not supported..." just hit okay and ignore it.

This is where you'll activate the new Cubase 5 Side-Chain button located directly next to the "R" and "W" buttons on the top of every single plug-in that you load in Cubase (next to the preset drop-down window). This is part of Steinberg's VST shell. Just activate the button by pressing it and it should light up orange. Right after that hit the "Browser" tab (while still in Virus Control) and from Personal Libraries load up Atomizer examples.mid. You will be presented with 12 Atomizer presets in the browser window. Just select anyone of them -- InitTI ATM.

Now, click on the Edit Channel Settings button for the first audio track we created -- the one with the audio material we want to influence -- so that we can view its Send channels and in them insert Side-chains - Virus TI FX: Ins. 1 - Virus TI. The reason this output is called "Virus TI FX:" is because that's the name we chose to label the second audio track we created in the beginning, remember? Now activate that send by pressing the power button, and move the fader to set the Send Level to 0.00 dB (100%).

Now we will create yet another track -- a MIDI track. This is so that the Virus can pick up our Atomizer notes. So create a MIDI track and in the info view pane you will need to set that MIDI track's Output Routing to Virus TI FX: Ins. 1 - Virus TI. What we've done so far, is sent our original audio track containing vocals/drum loop/whatever to a Virus Control plug-in that is opened up as an is insert FX in a second audio track labeled Virus TI FX. A MIDI track right under these two is routed to the Virus Control inserted in the second audio track so that Atomizer can send its MIDI notes to our target audio track containing the material we'd like to mangle!

Please keep in mind that this tutorial is for those who want to be able to use the Virus TI as their soundcard whilst still using Atomizer -- all in Cubase 5! Test out Atomizer by hitting the play button in Cubase's Transport panel but make sure that the MIDI track we created is highlighted (by simply clicking on it) so that it is the MIDI track that is receiving our played notes.

Now comes the hard part. Recording whatever you're playing!

Here are the steps in order to be able to record your Atomizer session as a completely new audio file in Cubase whilst maintaining the Virus TI as your main soundcard.

Highlight the first audio track we created where we have our vocals/drum loops/etc., and set its Output Routing to No Bus.
In the second audio track labeled Virus TI FX, open its inserts so that we can see the Virus Control plug-in. In Virus Control, hit the tab along the top named "Common." This will bring you to the Common page and in this page you'll see 5 main sections. Locate the one named "OUTPUT" where you'll find Surround Balance and Main Out. You can leave the Surround Balance fader positioned all the way to the left but in the Main Out drop down box you'll have to select USB1 L+R. This is extremely important, if you do not, you will not be able to record.
Create another audio track and name it something like "Recorded Material" or whatever it is that will let you know this is the audio track that will output our recording. First set the Output Routing for this audio track to No Bus. The set the Input Routing of this audio track to Outputs - Stereo Out.
You cannot play MIDI notes in real-time and record -- you'll have to have drawn whatever Atomizer MIDI notes in the MIDI track we created earlier. This is because when you hit the Record button, the Audio Track we created in Step 3 must stay highlighted until you stop recording.
Hit the Record button on the Transport panel. When you are finished recording, hit stop or if you have activated "Punch Out" on the Transport panel, the recording will stop wherever you specified.
In order to listen to your recording, you'll have to change the Input Routing of the audio track we created in Step 3 back to Stereo In and the Output Routing back to Stereo Out. Open up Virus Control once again located in the Virus TI FX audio track and head over to the "Patch Utility" page. From there, change the USB Audio Mode setting from 3 Outs / 1 Input back to its original state of 2 Outs / No Input.
Now solo the audio track with the newly recorded material in it and play it back! You'll notice that is in lower volume than the original source target. At the moment I don't know how to fix that and if there is someone that knows how to output the recording in its original volume -- that would be great!

VoilĂ! You've just:
Side-Chained Virus Control
Recorded a session with Atomizer
and Played it back with the Virus TI as your soundcard
...ALL IN CUBASE.

Sorry for the long post, I hope some of you check this out.

- Fis