I’m only guessing, but I think one reason Cubase featured the first Cubase-Wavelab integration, which existed up to Cubase SX, is because the Cubase editor was just generally too basic and bad awhile the Wavelab editor was much more advanced. Again, that’s just my guess. Cubase didn’t even integrate audio into their sequencer until the late 90s. Wavelab iirc, was around version 3 or 4 by that time. So integrating Cubase audio so Wavelab can edit it, was IMO a very smart decision. I’m not sure what you mean by “precise microscopic editing to an individual audio event.” Wavelab can address any length .wav file…not just microscopic editing.
Of course. You want that click/pop or whatever removed asap. However in my years of mastering you might be amazed at the technical defects that should have been caught prior to mixing. And I’ll assume you mean self-mastering or finalizing?
It isn’t. That should be addressed in tracking. Or at the very least caught by a mix engineer. By the mastering stage you may be polishing a turd.
The stem is typically a single .wav file right? You click one button in Cubase, Wavelab opens and it opens that .wav file or stem as you call it. If you want multiple files, i.e multiple stems, there is more steps as you would take each .wav or each stem in Cubase and transfer it to the Wavelab Montage and therefore eventually mixing the stems into a master. This isn’t the primary purpose of the Montage, but you can certainly do this.
Of course. You configure the Wavelab location, and once you have set the directory from then on it saves those files wherever you want them saved.
I’m not sure I understand. In Cubase you mix down to multiple stems. Take any Cubase stem, click Edit in Wavelab, and Wavelab opens for editing. Take another stem in Cubase and do the same thing. Eventually you end up with all stems in the Wavelab Montage. So now in Wavelab since you are “mastering” and mixing those stems you discover the mix isn’t quite right in Wavelab? Then I would save what I have in Wavelab and go back to Cubase without updating in Cubase. I’ll add that working with client stems often adds a can of worms and IMO isn’t desirable, and costs more. If you have a good mix engineer, there should be a good reason(s) for submitting stems in the first place.
It’s not the ME’s role to proclaim the “mix wasn’t quite right.” That is the responsibility of the mix engineer or whoever tracked and mixed. Of course the ME can suggest if asked, but I would never voluntary tell a client the mix isn’t right, without some type of prompting by the client/producer.
I think you are referring to self-mastering or finalizing correct? In that case, if I follow you, it is possible. As a matter of fact with WL10, there are some enhanced history features that make the history feature in Cubase look rather archaic. Normally, a commercial ME isn’t going to take a clients mix and go back to any DAW. As said if the issue isn’t corrected in tracking or mixing, it’s too late by the mastering stage…unless you have a pocket full of money.