using EQ on music streamed from internet

I was wondering is it possible to stream live internet radio and use plugins in Cubase like EQ to affect the music in realtime? or do i have to record it to Cubase before i can use Cubase’s plugins on the music?

No, you just need to stream / monitor it through Cubase.

Can you please explain how to do this.

You need a soundcard that allows you to route the windows sounds to Cubase - without knowing anything at all about your setup…? - No I can´t explain it.

I have an RME Fireface UC audio interface and i can route the windows sounds to Cubase however the plugins don’t have any effect on the sound. It’s only once i record the sounds to Cubase that i can use the plugins on the sound.

Create an audio track, select the loopback channel as input for the audio track, activate the input monitor, don´t use direct monitoring, and don´t monitor via your totalmix software, but via Cubase.

When i set up my loopback channel in the totalmix software in the hardware output AS 1/2 channel there is a ‘Loopback’ button which i need to press but i am not supposed to have input monitoring active when i engage the Loopback button otherwise i can get a feedback loop and can damage my speakers and hearing.

So i know how to set up a loopback channel in cubase using my totalmix software, i am using a youtube video titled ‘How To Use Total Mix FX Loopback feature for capturing Windows Audio into Steinberg Cubase 6’

Well, of course you are supposed to activate input monitoring - of course you first have to make sure, you are not creating a feedback loop with your totalmix routing.

So if that video is anything good, it should explain exactly what I´m talking about.

The video only shows how to record windows audio without using input monitoring so it doesn’t explain what you are talking about. I just don’t want to damage my speakers so i want to know exactly what i need to do. So first of all in the totalmix software i route the Software Playback 1/2 to Hardware Output AS 1/2. Then i enable the Loopback on Hardware Output AS 1/2 by clicking on the Tool icon for that channel. Then i enable the Loopback button on the bottom of the channel. Then in Cubase i go to VST Connections and assign the input bus to the Loopback Channel which in this case is SPDIF opt. L/ADAT 1 and SPDIF opt. L/ADAT 2. The windows audio now plays in Cubase. So how can i use input monitoring and make sure that i don’t damage my speakers?

What is AS 1/2…? There is AN 1/2 and maybe AES - so what is it?
And where are your speakers connected? And what is your Cubase Master playback channel? Obviously the Cubase Master playback channel must not be the same as the Windows playback channels otherwise you are creating a feedback loop.
And the Loopback ouput channel must not be the output your speakers are connected to.

The Loopback “return”-channel is the same as the equivalent loopback “output” channel.

As said before - Don´t create a feedback loop routing in totalmix - see above.

In my totalmix software i have 3 channels that are called AS 1/2. There is one of these in the Hardware Inputs, another one in Software Playback and another one in Hardware Outputs. My speakers are conneted to AN 1/2. When i play any audio whether it’s in Cubase or in Windows, then in my totalmix software the channels that have their level metres playing are the AN 1/2 channel in Software Playback, AN 1/2 channel in Hardware Output, the AS 1/2 channel in Hardware Output and the Main channel in the Control Room. So based on this, which one is my Cubase Master playback channel and which one is the Window playback channel? Based on what’s going on in the totalmix software, aren’t the windows and master cubase playback channels the same?

Well, then you should simply change that.

I don’t know how to change this. When i select a channel in the Hardware Output section of totalmix and then turn the fader down on AN 1/2 channel in Software Playback section then that Hardware Output channels level goes down. So i selected the AS 1/2 channel in the Hardware Output and then turned the fader down in AN 1/2 on Software Playback. So now in the Hardware Output section i only have the level meters active on AN 1/2 channel and the Main Channel. But i still don’t know how to set up the Windows playback channel and the Cubase playback channel.

Honestly: start learning the basics - of Totalmix and Cubase…

Well that’s why i’m asking on this forum, to learn but i don’t seem to be getting anywhere. So do you know how to do this or not? There is nothing in the totalmix or cubase instructions or online about how to set up a windows playback channel and a seperate cubase channel or how to use Cubase’s plugins in realtime on music playing from internet.

That´s the point - we´re not getting anywhwere.

Yes, I do - explanation in my 6 other posts above.

The FF UC manual explains where you can change the windows sound output, and it explains the loopback feature. The Cubase manual explains how to connect HW device ports to Cubase busses. You don´t want to read it - it don´t want to read and quote it for you, since it´s all there really.
Sound playing from the internet is nothing else than any other sound going into Cubase and as that it works the same way as streaming any realtime audio through / into Cubase.

You say you have explained how to do this in your 6 other posts above. Well you haven’t really explained much. You just briefly say something without going into any detail so i am still none the wiser. I have looked at the Fireface manual and can’t see anything about changing the windows sound output. I have also looked at the Cubase manual about setting up busses and it doesn’t say how to change the cubase master playback channel. If you know how to do it i don’t know why you can’t just say step by step what to do.