I’ve struggled with the same…
I DO like having a master section though that is separate from a montage - because the master section allows me to monitor incoming audio and process that audio with effects in real-time. Without it, how would I do that (within Wavelab)?
HOWEVER… some of the little bugs/issues in the master section make me a little uncomfortable… some of them could even lead me to make incorrect decisions mastering (slots being out of order could affect the way meters are perceived, etc) - and that’s a little scary. I’ve been very careful to try to avoid issues with this though… and my caution is one of the things that has lead to the discovery of some of these small bugs. Not trying to be negative here… just honest. Hopefully PG will be able to get these little things worked out soon (it sounds like 9.5.50 should fix the plugin order problem in the playback section). Wavelab is such an excellent program, and the new v9/9.5 interface is just awesome! I love working in Wavelab… As Wavelab has evolved, it has really become something very special and spectacular… it just seems to be going through some small growing pains. I’m feeling hopeful though about the future - PG has always done such excellent work - and we are all still here! 