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Originally Posted by
Mad Mix
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I think your strategy is innovative man! I would maybe do the same, depending on the scenario if i could afford the pro version. however..there are some unknowns...like with 6 instances of Restem, how would that effect latency and cpu load? and would all 6 sync perfectly with the Daw's tempo? also considering that you may want to add further 'other' plugins to enhance each stem differently which may effect the sync. Having said all that I guess I could try it and find out, but that's your mission aye! It would be interesting to read your findings if you would care to post them!
I have used the ReStem VST plugin since it came about, there were some serious timing problems with a new version in Cubase songs using the previous version. This was in February with ReBeat v.1.1.6. It got sorted out and the actual version is now ReStem 1.1.8 which works perfectly.
My use case has been remixing/remastering old recordings with bad audio quality, using SpectraLayers/RipX, Cubase and ReStem VST3.
The ability to blend in Drumagog samples for the Kick and Snare is great. I have many such samples, being a Drumagog user.
The ReStem VST plugin works fine with multiple instances in Cubase/Nuendo 14 on a Mac Studio M1 64 GB. No latency or timing problems with the actual version.
I don’t know how it would sync to DAW’s tempo - I use Cubase mostly as a linear tape recorder without any special tempo settings - but theoretically I believe the ReStem plugin creates one audio file with only drums that each of the ReStem instances read from, only with different drums soloed, so if the original un-restemed audio sync’ed I believe the restemed would also do it - having 1 or 10 instances wouldn’t matter.
I think it’s not like the separation process is going on all the time stressing the CPU; that was done during the first scan go, from then it’s only a matter of playing that scanned audio back, with the individual solo settings. And ReStem seems to report correctly to the host so that it will sync correctly between the instances and other audio and MIDI (and VST instruments) tracks.
So it’s not hard on the CPU at all.
Coming to other plugins I use several plugins per ReStem channel in the mixer all the time. It may be eq:s like Crave’s or Pro-Q4, compressors or other shapers like Kazrog’s True Iron, Zynaptiq’s Punch or Intensity.
The Kick drum has often a send to an M-Blender (quite CPU hungry) plugin on my bass bus.
Nothing of this affects the sync, Cubase is supertight in this matter.
Then I route all of the drum channels to a drum bus with further plugins there.
Should the CPU kneel there will always be the possibility to freeze some or all of the restemed tracks, which doesn’t affect sync.
I’d say there’s only one drawback with the above: you can’t access the audio ”parts” for the restemed tracks. So you can’t dive into it and mute or erase a Snare hit should you want to, like you can if you have imported stems made in the standalone ReStem. (You can heavy-handedly work around this with Cubase’s automation though, making it do a short mute or volume change).
On the other hand, using Drumagog samples is right in front of you with the plugin in the Cubase project, whereas with imported stems you have to make that decision out in the standalone app. The same goes for MIDI output, where you can adress MIDI output from Kick and Snare to a VSTi like BFD or SD.
So the plugin is more practical in these aspects.
As for the price of the ReStem Core and Pro version I have no opinion.