I am trying to figure out how to use a track or plugin to change between two tracks, to switch as seamlessly between them as possible for comparison, while listening to the full mix.

I happen to be trying this in FL Studio, and i was looking through the stock plugins for something that could function like that and I assumed "Patcher" might be the tool, but it seemed too complicated. I I realized the more I tried to figure this out, that a 3rd party plugin would make it independent, so i began searching for one but no success yet finding something simple.
Although I did learn/realize a couple of things from this exercise, I figured it was best to ask.
Part of the learning occurred while searching about this and not being able to find the exact thing

It may there is some standard way I don't know about that most DAWs can perform this, by automating a button to control which of two sends is monitored..
So far I only figured out how to do it by created two opposite volume automation tracks, but that seems like a messy way to do it.

Learning how to do it in FL Studio would be useful, but learning how to do it generically would be great, even if it is using a plugin (A plugin seems even better, actually, as most all DAWs are going to have sends.)

Can anyone help?

 

@DoubleTake How about Magic AB. Available at sister's.

A simple, powerful reference tool that allows you to switch between the audio you are working on and up to nine tracks in an instant.

The concept behind Magic AB is simplicity itself – an easy-to-use but powerful utility plugin that allows you to switch between the audio you are working on in your DAW and up to nine reference tracks at the click of a mouse.

With A/B referencing playing an essential part in production, mixing and mastering, AB offers an infinitely faster, easier and more accurate method to compare multiple audio streams to those currently available in any DAW.

Magic AB v2 sits on your mix bus (or individual channels), allowing instant switching between your current project and the reference material in pristine, transparent quality, regardless of the processes already on the mix bus. If required, plugins can be added post Magic AB to provide a sounding-point for programme material with or without additional processing.

https://www.samplemagic.com/journal/2013/05/introducing-the-magic-ab-plugin/

 

Thanks, Pirate!
The only worry is the line "reference material",(can the reference material be a track in the DAW?)
But i will get it installed and work with it...
What is obviously CAN do is save the step of loading an audio file into the DAW at all as reference, and that is great!

 

@DoubleTake If you dont like Compare AB you can try Melda's M Compare. https://www.meldaproduction.com/MCompare
Comparing your audio to a reference commercial track is essential for every mixing and mastering engineer. Of course you can do that in your host, but the workflow is what matters here. And it cannot be any easier. Press one button and the plugin quickly crossfades between your track and whatever track you choose. Press another one to choose a different track. Or compare the sound at several different stage of your mastering chain for example, each click a different comparison.

 

That is fantastic, as I had it in a package thanks to some Japanese friends
Both look great but i am using Melda right now, and having the ability to choose from existing DAW channels is what i was wanting.
Up to 16 channel sends ("generators") from any point in mixer channels, plus 16 chosen audio files....
Perfect. It sends them all into their own parallel universes and each instance set to listen at whichever wormhole you click!
More controls than I've had a chance to check out but a quick read of the help window got me using it before I started fiddling.
(Help can be opened in a browser if you like, to avoid it closing if you close the instance from which you opened it)
Easy to name presets internally in your own folder located wherever you want...
You can have different presets to load different sets of reference tracks...
Damn this Melda thing is deep and well thought out...
Thanks again!

 

Maybe I didn't get the problem right, but why not muting A to listen to B and then solo A to listen to it?
When I do plugin comparisons or treatment comparisons, I mute all but one and then solo the one I want to listen to.

 

Well I could not find a way to do it in FL Studio.
In Fl Studio when you Solo a mixer channel, it mutes everything else except the chain of channels for that channel (any send channel, submix channel & Master).
When you un-Solo it, all other channels are re-enabled
(screwing up whatever you had muted before soloing)
FL Studio solves this with the option to "Restore the pattern of soloed and unsoloed items prior to the Solo"
(That is the better choice for most uses)

But there is nothing I can find to set up maps of muted and unmuted channels and then switch between the two.
This is an amazing tool, with ability to trim or ALC if wanted, and METERS for output, LU level, stereo width w/phase problem, crest ... each can be hidden/shown with a click.

So helpful in seeing the differences in what you are hearing ... I only wonder if there is not a spectrogram in there somewhere too
But I keep a few tools on FL Studios "Current Channel" meter for that.

 

Last edited: Aug 7, 2019