Bouncing Software-Syths

[melodea]

Hi there

Are you bouncing software synths tracks (Kontakt, Massive X , Alchemy etc.) at any stage of the production or only once a track is signed by a library?

[Telefunkin]

I don't.

One reason for doing it is running out of CPU power. Having lots of soft synths running can sometimes hog CPU, but I'd only bounce as a last resort in that case. I usually freeze the channel (or as many as I can) so I can unfreeze and edit the midi later should I need to. Some plugins are also CPU hogs so it can help to remove them until the later stages of mixing.

Another reason for doing it is to archive the DAW session so you could revisit it some time later even if the soft synths you used are no longer available to you. However, you could lose plugins too, so you really should bounce every channel with (and maybe without) the plugins, and every group or buss, then the full mix. Then what about your mastering plugins? It grows into a bit of an archiving nightmare, and for me it would be a lot of effort and storage to guard against something that is unlikely to ever happen. All my library tracks are are signed exclusively so once all the alts/cutdowns are done I don't expect any need to go back to them, and if they're recent I could probably recreate the session anyway. YMMV, and I understand that for personal releases (or non-ex library tracks) you might want to update them sometime down the line, but for exclusive library tracks signed in perpetuity I don't see the point. Just keep a master copy and a contract .

[melodea]

I don't.

One reason for doing it is running out of CPU power. Having lots of soft synths running can sometimes hog CPU, but I'd only bounce as a last resort in that case. I usually freeze the channel (or as many as I can) so I can unfreeze and edit the midi later should I need to. Some plugins are also CPU hogs so it can help to remove them until the later stages of mixing.

Another reason for doing it is to archive the DAW session so you could revisit it some time later even if the soft synths you used are no longer available to you. However, you could lose plugins too, so you really should bounce every channel with (and maybe without) the plugins, and every group or buss, then the full mix. Then what about your mastering plugins? It grows into a bit of an archiving nightmare, and for me it would a lot of effort and storage to guard against something that is unlikely to ever happen. All my library tracks are are signed exclusively so once all the alts/cutdowns are done I don't expect any need to go back to them, and if they're recent I could probably recreate the session anyway. YMMV, and I understand that for personal releases (or non-ex library tracks) you might want to update them sometime down the line, but for exclusive library tracks signed in perpetuity I don't see the point. Just keep a master copy and a contract .

Thanks, that's what I thought! IMO to bounce the tracks of a final Mix makes sense (signed or not signed) to have at least the option of retrieving a sound, fx etc. if let's say in 5 to 10 years down the line the software syth you were using is not in existence any more.