Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]

RogerH
Can we hope for a fix for this stereo/mono problem in X4, please

Probably not because it isn't a bug :) Seriously the external insert is one of the most complex areas of the code and we don't intend making major changes to that area. Most of the functional user reported problems were addressed in the last big update we did to it. True mono support would be nice to have but we don't know of any major functionality that is missing for this feature as it stands today.

Thank's for your answer.
It's seems like the external inserts works fine, (and with the help from brundlefly's post above, I have a workaround) but as you said "True mono support would be nice to have". 
 
I think that a lot of users are going to use more hardware effects due to the popularity of the 500 series modules in the future, so maybe it could be wise to see if true mono support is possible without to much rebuilding of the code.
(I know nothing about computerprogramming so it's easy for me to say )
 

panup
How about more simple approach: any output can be used but outputs are assigned to -none- for those tracks that use it (warning / messagebox to confirm).

While it might seem that archived tracks shouldn't tie up an input as brundlefly pointed out its not quite that trivial to handle the case when you unarchive. Reassigning other track outputs is an even worse solution since it changes other data in the project. If you need to reuse a port that is in use just change it from the track :)
Adding complications like this to handle every workflow possible is what creates bugs and side effects.

brundlefly
Workaround:
 
- Put the External Insert on a bus and give it a stereo send and return.
- Assign tracks to the bus, and pan them hard left and right according to which channel/processor you want them to hit.
- Use Channel Tools after the EI to pan the returns as needed or bounce the processed signals to new tracks (split mono) to free up the External Insert for the next job.

Hunh...cool. That's a workaround that I hadn't thought of before. Thanks Brundlefly. 
 
Incidentally, when placing E.I. on a bus, keep in mind a few workflow items:

1. Until you route signal to a track the delay calculation will fail. I add this here because of the sheer number of times I've added a bus, dropped in an E.I. and tried to do the delay calculation and then spent the next 15 minutes or so cursing and grumbling before remembering to route signal to it first .
2. There is a known bug (CWBRN-18719 if you're interested) where soloing a bus with an external insert will result in silence. 
3. On any E.I., if you change the audio buffers, you must re-calculate the E.I. delay.
 
Just some thinks to keep in mind when using External Inserts.
 
Dean

Re CWBRN-18719 we should be able to address that issue in a future version.

Razorwit
 
1. Until you route signal to a track the delay calculation will fail. I add this here because of the sheer number of times I've added a bus, dropped in an E.I. and tried to do the delay calculation and then spent the next 15 minutes or so cursing and grumbling before remembering to route signal to it first .
2. There is a known bug (CWBRN-18719 if you're interested) where soloing a bus with an external insert will result in silence. 

 
Good points. I re-discovered those issues when I was checking the efficacy of the workaround. Did you ever report the first one?

Hi Brundefly,
I think the first one is a "works as intended" kind of situation. Sonar intentionally doesn't stream audio to busses with nothing routed to them, and because of that the "ping" that delay calculation uses to check latency fails. So, shorter answer is that I haven't reported it 
 
Noel, thanks for chiming in on that. I know you and I have talked about it here before, I appreciate the attention.
 
Dean

Razorwit
Hi Alex,
Sure:
1. insert a bus and route a track to it.
2. insert an instance of the External Input plugin (preferably one with an effect attached)
3. Solo that bus.
 
This should replicate the behavior of any other bus with an effect on it, but instead results in silence.
 
Noel et al. are aware of it and have said it can probably be fixed in a future version: http://forum.cakewalk.com/external-inserts-eats-outputs-m3011727.aspx
 
Dean

 
Steps according to Dean (pasting from another thread).