CUBASE PRO - GROUP vs VCA Tracks Explained

CUBASE PRO - GROUP vs VCA Tracks Explained

One thing that confuses a lot of mix engineers is the difference between a Group and a VCA.
But once you understand the difference, you’ll have a couple of very powerful tools added to your mixing repertoire!

Today, I’m going to explain what groups and VCAs are, show you how to create them, and discuss when you would use each one in a mix.

If you have any questions, be sure to leave me a comment!

RELATED VIDEO:
How to MIX with BUSSES - The ONE THING you need to know

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:50 Group channel drum recording
1:05 Creating a group in Cubase
2:35 A faster way to create groups
3:15 VCA defined and explained
3:45 Creating a VCA channel
4:15 A faster way to create a VCA channel
6:00 Removing a channel from VCA
7:00 Knowing when to use a group vs VCA in a mix
8:30 Processing acoustic guitars in a group
10:50 Processing acoustic guitars with a VCA

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[uryic]

Thank you very much Chris. I'm a 3rd year Composition student taking a Mixing class right now. Your video totally explained the difference and the practical use of the VCA or Group in Cubase. I'm using Cubase Pro 13

[gcoudert]

I can't tell you how many videos I have watched on this topic. Only now do I really understand the difference! Thank you so much.

[dankenton]

Thanks Chris - I just watched Greg Ondo spend 15 minutes brain-farting around this very issue so thank you for the crystal clear explanation!

[OmnesiaBand]

Best explanation I have ever seen for how and why setting up VCAs

[stevedodd]

Just stumbled on this and it de mystified the whole process. Thank you!

[johncostigan]

A lot of important distinctions, and carefully explained, (with details I didn't know!)

[Mendelian]

Chris coming with the videos right when I have those questions, love the vids dude!

[DeoAzany]

You've explain everything that make me confused before! Thanks Chris! It's help me a lot :)
Good luck

[nicksmart]

Thanks Chris - great, simple explanation with examples. I’ve finally got it! Eureka!

[jasoneshelman]

Great info as always from Chris! He is the only one I turn to for tips and tricks in Cubase. 🤘

[CharlesK]

Perfect explanation and demonstration 👍🏾 thanks Chris!

[ronmoes]

I see the VCA channel is just a name, but it does link the fader to the vca fader, in Sonar a bus in the master out section will do the same, it will reduce levels or increase levels without seeing the faders going down, and those busses have automation too. People are a bit easy to pusuade when they hear interesting names like vca channels and such, even when it does or acts very differently in the digital domain.

[sideast]

VCA's great for keeping your Master bus level in check. put VCA channels for DRUMS, MUSIC, VOCALS, ie, Enter Vol. value on VCA faders while keeping your mix channels relative to each other.

[AliAlZayer]

thanks Chris. from editing area also you can assign groups to selected track i believe this was added from cubase pro 11

[SilverlingVirtualStudio]

Just had the "aha" moment of why my fade-outs usually don't sound good. It's because I'm fading a group fader, not a VCA fader. So the FX processing is fading out when really it should stay the same and just have the VCA level fade out. Brilliant.

[franchicocappelle]

Hi Chris! What's the name of the song you played when showing the Acoustic guitars? Amazing video

[lloydcooke]

Thanks Chris for this informative video, just love your knowledge of Cubase. Question, so for group channel, so the idea is to add a group channel and just use one set of plugins from the Console window, is this correct?

[greys]

Hi Chris, another pre for a vca against a group is that the volume of different channels is going down (or up) procent-wise. In a group the difference between the channels when moving faders stays the same. I'm not able to check right now (I'm in bed 😉 ), but I always had in mind that that was also one of the differences between a group and a vca

[lewisknudsen]

I was just wondering how to do this the other day, glad you made this video! Sometimes I find myself at the end of a mix with not quite enough headroom for mastering - in this case would you recommend running every track through a VCA and bumping down the volume a notch?

[eross]

can you please do a video of live looping i. cubase and how to set up. kind of an Ed sheehan thing?