Splitting Stereo Tracks already in Project

I have exactly the same question. :question:

In Ableton Live there is a nice little plugin called Utility or Little Helper. If inserted on a stereo track you can choose to hear only left or right, or phase cancelling or mix left right at different values and so on. thats really cool.
It would be great if Steinberg can add this too

In Cubase you can do a little “trick”
add new MONO group track, and assign the stereo track to it. Now you can choose with left right panning of the Mono group track which side you want to hear :slight_smile:

but hopefully there is a faster way to split stereo files

Steinberg has added this already, it’ s just not called little helper nor utility.

You can do that without a Group track by simply selecting the appropriate panner mode in the stereo track.
And Sorry to the OP - doesn’ t have to do anything with your question…

Unfortunately there is no more comfortable way at the moment AFAIK.

how is the name of this, please?

I tried it with the 3 different panner modes, but they wont work. The signal is then on the left or right only.
But I´ll need the mono signal then on booth speakers eqal

“mix 6 to 2”

Yes, sorry that’ s of course correct, you get the signal either L or R only, not center, but you can listen to both of them separately.

If all you want is separate control over levels, use the mix6to2 plug found under “surround”. Then change the panning type to Stereo dual panner (or stereo combined.)

But if you need autonomous channel control over L&R :

  • Solo the stereo track
  • EXPORT split tracks directly into the pool and to new tracks.
  • Remove the interleaved version from the arrange page and deal with file management when you do your back up.
    It’s pretty quick if you do it that way.

“mix6to2” works perfect combined with the stereo dual panner. this is exactly was I´m looking for

Thank you very much !!!

So no easy way to do this…dang.

As a sound designer, I am importing stuff from my libraries all the time and I often forget to click or UNclick the split stereo function, so when this happens (and it happens pretty often) I am forced to do this convoluted procedure to split a stereo file.

This is unfortunate.

Yes, there is an easy way to do it.
But the two techniques you listed in your original post are ridiculous. (and “convoluted”)

  • Import your files correctly, there’s never going to be a plugin that will think for you.
  • OR export the interleaved files as split directly into the arrange page as I outlined above.

AND - when using your library files, if you don’t COPY the interleaved files to your working directory you’re not even creating redundant media.

It’s pretty simple. And hardly “unfortunate.”
How easy do you need it to be?

I actually don’t need it to be anything. Optimally, if it is possible to make the separation of stereo a more straightforward and simple process, I would like it to be.

The two methods I suggested are ridiculous, but your very similar methods are not? My 2nd method is almost same exact “solution” as your 2nd suggestion (less the step that involves bringing up a finder window and dragging the files into the project). So that .9 seconds it takes to do that pushed my method into the realm of ridiculousness and yours into that of simplicity. Even though your suggestion might save those 2 seconds on import, overall it is just as lengthy as my suggestion, since once the split audio is imported into the project (in new audio tracks), it then needs to be further positioned, which my method takes care on import.

  • Import your files correctly, there’s never going to be a plugin that will think for you.

That much is obvious. It happens though. I try hard to make each import perfect, but everyone makes mistakes. The more files you are importing, the more often human error can occur. But my search for an easier way to do this was not only to help remedy human error that occurs, but to also make the process more streamlined. Often I will import a file as stereo and want it as stereo on import. I’ll look at the audio material and then decide I only want one audio channel. When this occurs I need to do a process that requires several mouse clicks and keyboard clicks. I was wondering if there was an easier way to accomplish this.

It’s pretty simple. And hardly “unfortunate.”
How easy do you need it to be?

I don’t know what your area of expertise is, or how you pay your bills, but if there is a way to expedite the way I pay my bills, I will search for it. I work with audio for living and often times have to do some pretty tedious editing in regards to audio files. Since your area of expertise might not be the same as mine, or you are not importing, analyzing and having to split stereo files as much as me, I do not think you are capable of telling me what is easy and or unfortunate for me, for the work that I do.

You might be a composer, who does not often work with audio, you might be a guy who ‘messes’ with cubase when he gets home for work, or might be the biggest name in sound design; I have no clue how you work or what you work on. But I thought I made it reasonably clear in my post, but possibly did not, that I work with a huge number of different audio files in many different file types. I have to import a poopies load of files and am clicking those import buttons way too often. If there is a way for me to turn a 10 second process that I find myself doing anywhere from 20-300 times a day into a 3 seconds process, I will do that.

Anyway, thanks for your original thoughts, although I think your follow up post to just try and berate me for not thinking the same as you was totally unnecessary.

its time that Cubase will add this feature, to split stereo tracks into mono, after imported it

+Old thread but I think what the OP is asking is, why does one have to export and and re-import anything? I’ve found the way Cubase handles stereo files rather puzzling myself. I’ve had to use Protools for mixing a lot of times because if I’m going to export and re-import, might as well do it with a DAW that’s set up to manipulate stereo file channels independently. Sometimes you want different plugins on the left channel than on the right. I really hope that this is something Steinberg addresses in the future as I want Cubase to really be the one in all DAW.

1 - Reload the media
2 - Choose “New” instead of “Reuse”
3 - Choose “Split Channels”

Hi. Same problem in 2018 (6 years later). Is there any convenient way to do this yet?

I don’t want to just listen to Left or Right, I want to separate them, and be able to process them individually in an orderly fashion, without having to re-export or re-import or convert anything. Is it possible yet? seems like a feature that’s just too basic to overlook.

This I the Proper way to convert Stereo Audio Tracks to Mono:

(1) Select Desired Audio Tracks in Cubase Project Timeline
(2) Right Click on one of them → Audio → Find Selected In Pool
(3) In Pool, the corresponding tracks will be selected. Right Click one → Convert Files…

This will open a small window with some options.
(1) Sample Rate
(2) Sample Width
(3) Channels
(4) File Format
(5) Options that allow you to replace the files in your project or make new tracks

See this JPEG
Cubase Convert Stereo to mono.JPG
EASY PEEZY!!!

Editting stereo audiofiles allready in the projectwindow seems not to be ideal.
Right now I have these live recorded stereofiles that have som pops and clicks in just one of the sides in a stereo file. I just want to cut a some pops in the right without affecting the left. And yes, one could export or change the stereo file into 2 mono L & R files. But then one has to do all previous chanel settings and other edits again.
I would like being able to just doubleclick the stereofile and just select the L or R track to edit.

I am waiting for that feature almost 10 years now :slight_smile:

Here we are in 2019, and still no easy way to separate multiple channel audio…

I downloaded a demo of Nuendo and separate tracks there. I can also join split stereo without having to convert, as it just links them. Super smart, and wish that was a feature available in Cubase.

Just as an aside… convert stereo to mono merges L & R… no good for dialog editing where a stereo capture of a mono source results in audio on one side, and noise on the other. Files need to be SPLIT, not converted to mono.

totally agree +1