How do I export stems using The God Particle?
Using The God Particle's built-in sidechain feature, it's possible to export stems from your project while retaining the effect of The God Particle on your mix. While there are some variations to bear in mind in certain DAWs which we've outlined below, here's a step by step guide on how to do it:
Initial routing:
1. Save a backup copy of your project.
2. Disable TGP on the master channel and render a 'master' file of the master output without TGP active. This will be used to trigger the external sidechain in TGP for each stem.
3. Once rendered, insert this 'master' file into a new channel within your project and disable that channel's output (rather than just muting). Be sure to place it at the starting point of your project timeline so that it is in sync with all track elements.
4. Create a new 'sidechain' bus and send the rendered 'master' file at unity gain (0dB) to this bus. Disable the output on the 'sidechain' bus.
TGP setup:
1. Add an instance of TGP to the channel of each stem you wish to bounce, ensuring that the settings in each instance match (you may wish to save it as a preset for quickness).
2. In each instance of TGP, ensure the sidechain input is set to EXT (external).
3. In the DAW plug-in sidechain settings of each TGP instance, set your 'sidechain' bus as the input (NB. this is only possible in DAW hosts that support stereo sidechain).
Rendering stems:
1. Solo the stem you wish to bounce, as well as the 'sidechain' bus.
2. Render the stem.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until all stems have been rendered.
This method can be applied in most supported DAWs, with the following considerations to take into account:
Cubase
In Cubase, you can follow the above method but may need to adjust the input level going into the sidechain bus per stem in order to achieve a perfectly matched/nulling render. We've found that the optimum level for each stem being sent to the sidechain bus is about -3.0dB.
Pro Tools
In Pro Tools specifically, we found that by ensuring both the input & output of the sidechain bus are set to stereo (e.g. 'Bus 1 & 2' rather than 'Bus 1'), the external sidechain level should match that of the internal sidechain processing.
This is assuming all faders within the sidechain signal path are at unity gain (0dB).
These settings are shown in the screenshot below:
If you're having trouble generating the desired results or have feedback on this process, just get in touch with us at support@cradle.app with further info.