Steinberg Cubase 9.5 Operation Manual

Operation Manual

Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Christina Kaboth, Insa Mingers, Matthias Obrecht, Sabine Pfeifer, Benjamin Schütte, Marita Sladek

This PDF provides improved access for vision-impaired users. Please note that due to the complexity and number of images in this document, it is not possible to include text descriptions of images.

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media except as specifically allowed in the License Agreement. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. Registered licensees of the product described herein may print one copy of this document for their personal use.

All product and company names are ™ or ® trademarks of their respective owners. For more information, please visit www.steinberg.net/trademarks.

Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2018.

Cubase_9.5.20_en-US_2018-01-19

8 Introduction

8 Platform-Independent Documentation 8 About the Documentation 9 Conventions 10 Key Commands

11 Setting Up Your System

11 Setting Up Audio 18 Setting Up MIDI 21 Connecting a Synchronizer

22 Audio Connections

22 Audio Connections Window 27 Renaming the Hardware Inputs and Outputs 29 Adding Input and Output Busses 29 Adding Child Busses(Cubase Pro only) 29 Presets for Input and Output Busses 30 Adding Group and FX Channels(Cubase Pro

only)

31 About Monitoring 31 External Instruments and Effects(Cubase Pro

only)

37 Editing the Bus Configurations

39 Project Window

40 Showing/Hiding Zones 40 Project Zone 52 Left Zone 62 Lower Zone 68 Right Zone 74 Keyboard Focus in the Project Window 75 Zooming in the Project Window 79 Snap Function 82 Cross-Hair Cursor 82 Edit History Dialog

84 Project Handling

84 Creating New Projects 85 Hub 86 Project Assistant 86 About Project Files 87 About Template Files 88 Project Setup Dialog 91 Opening Project Files 92 Saving Project Files 93 Reverting to the Last Saved Version 93 Choosing a Project Location 93 Creating Self-Contained Projects

96 Tracks

96 Track Inspector Settings 97 Track Control Settings 99 Audio Tracks

106 Instrument Tracks 113 MIDI Tracks 120 Sampler Tracks 125 Arranger Track 127 Chord Track 130 FX Channel Tracks 135 Folder Tracks 137 Group Channel Tracks 142 Marker Track 143 Ruler Track 144 Signature Track 146 Tempo Track 147 Transpose Track 148 VCA Fader Track(Cubase Pro only) 150 Video Track

152 Track Handling

152 Adding Tracks 154 Importing Tracks(Cubase Pro only) 157 Exporting Tracks as Track Archive(Cubase Pro

only)

158 Exporting MIDI Tracks as Standard MIDI File 160 Removing Tracks 160 Moving Tracks in the Track List 161 Renaming Tracks 161 Coloring Tracks 162 Showing Track Pictures 163 Setting the Track Height 164 Selecting Tracks 165 Duplicating Tracks 165 Disabling Tracks 165 Organizing Tracks in Folder Tracks 166 Handling Overlapping Audio 167 Track Folding 168 How Events are Displayed on Folder Tracks 168 Modifying Event Display on Folder Tracks 168 Working with Lanes 171 Defining the Track Time Base 172 TrackVersions 179 Track Presets

186 Parts and Events

186 Events 189 Parts 191 Editing Techniques for Parts and Events

204 Range Editing

204 Creating a Selection Range 205 Editing Selection Ranges

208 Playback and Transport

208 Transport Panel 210 Transport Menu

Table of Contents 

215 Transport 217 Transport Pop-Up Window 218 Time Display Window 219 Left and Right Locators 220 Setting the Project Cursor Position 221 Auto-Scroll 221 Time Formats 222 Pre-Roll and Post-Roll 223 Punch In and Punch Out 224 Metronome Click 232 Chase

234 On-Screen Keyboard

234 Recording MIDI With the On-Screen Keyboard 235 On-Screen Keyboard Options

236 Recording

236 Basic Recording Methods 239 Monitoring 242 Audio Recording Specifics 246 MIDI Recording Specifics 252 Remaining Record Time 252 Lock Record

254 Importing Audio and MIDI Files

254 Importing Audio Files 261 Importing MIDI Files

264 Quantizing MIDI and Audio

264 Quantize Functions 265 Quantizing MIDI Event Starts 266 Quantizing MIDI Event Lengths 266 Quantizing MIDI Event Ends 266 Quantizing Audio Event Starts 267 Quantizing Audio Event Lengths (AudioWarp

Quantizing)(Cubase Pro only)

267 Quantizing Multiple Audio Tracks(Cubase Pro

only)

269 Quantize Panel

277 Fades, Crossfades, and Envelopes

277 Event-Based Fades 281 Creating Clip-Based Fades 282 Crossfades 284 Auto Fades and Crossfades 287 Event Envelopes

289 Arranger Track

289 Adding Arranger Events on the Arranger Track 290 Arranger Editor 293 Setting up an Arranger Chain and Adding

Events

295 Jump Mode 297 Arranging Music to Video

298 Transpose Functions

298 Project Root Key 301 Transpose Track 303 Keep Transpose in Octave Range 304 Transpose on the Info Line 305 Excluding Individual Parts or Events from

Global Transpose

306 Markers

306 Position Markers 306 Cycle Markers 307 Markers Window 311 Marker Track

314 Importing and Exporting Markers

316 MixConsole

316 MixConsole in Lower Zone 319 MixConsole Window

364 VCA Faders(Cubase Pro only)

364 VCA Fader Settings 366 Creating VCA Faders 367 Assigning VCA Faders to Link Groups 367 Removing VCA Faders from Link Groups 368 Nested VCA Faders 368 VCA Fader Automation

371 Control Room(Cubase Pro only)

371 Adding Channels to the Control Room 372 Output Routing 372 Exclusive Assignment of Monitor Channels 372 Control Room Channels 373 Control Room - Main Tab 379 Control Room - Inserts Tab 381 Setting Up a Cue Mix 382 Adjusting the Overall Cue Send Level

384 Metering and Loudness (Cubase Pro only)

384 Metering 385 Loudness Measurement

390 Audio Effects

390 Insert Effects and Send Effects 392 Insert Effects 399 Send Effects 404 Side-Chain Input 406 Dither Effects 407 External Effects(Cubase Pro only) 407 Effect Control Panel 408 Effect Presets 413 System Component Information Window

416 Direct Offline Processing

417 Direct Offline Processing Workflow 418 Direct Offline Processing Window 425 Built-In Audio Processes 433 Applying Direct Offline Processing Using Key

Commands

435 Time Stretch and Pitch Shift Algorithms

435 élastique 436 MPEX 436 Standard 437 Limitations

438 Audio Functions

438 Detect Silence 440 Spectrum Analyzer 443 Statistics

445 Sample Editor

447 Toolbar 451 Info Line 452 Overview Line 452 Sample Editor Inspector 455 Ruler 456 Waveform Display 457 Range Editing 461 Regions List 463 Snap Point

Table of Contents 

466 Hitpoints

466 Calculating Hitpoints 469 Locating to Hitpoints in the Project Window 469 Slices 471 Creating a Groove Quantize Map 471 Creating Markers 472 Creating Regions 472 Creating Events 472 Creating Warp Markers 473 Creating MIDI Notes

475 Tempo Matching Audio

475 Algorithm Presets 476 Stretching Audio Events to the Project Tempo 476 Musical Mode 478 Auto Adjust 478 Manual Adjust 480 Free Warp 482 Flattening Realtime Processing 482 Unstretching Audio Files

484 VariAudio(Cubase Pro only)

484 VariAudio and Offline Processes 485 Segmenting Monophonic Audio 486 Segments and Gaps 486 Manual Editing of Segments 492 Pitch Changes 494 Micro-Pitch Changes 498 Timing Modifications 499 Reset Functions 500 Extracting MIDI from Audio 502 Flattening Realtime Processing 503 Harmony Voices for Audio

504 Audio Part Editor

506 Toolbar 510 Info Line 510 The Ruler 511 About Lanes 511 Operations

515 Controlling Sample Playback with Sampler

Tracks

515 Loading Audio Samples into Sampler Control 515 Loading MIDI Parts into Sampler Control 516 Creating Sampler Tracks 516 Sampler Control 525 Sample Editing and Playback Functions 527 Transferring Samples from Sampler Control to

VST Instruments

528 Pool

528 Pool Window 532 Working with the Pool

546 MediaBay

546 Media Rack in Right Zone 552 MediaBay Window 577 Working with MediaBay-Related Windows 579 Working with Volume Databases 581 MediaBay Settings 582 MediaBay Key Commands

583 Surround Sound(Cubase Pro only)

583 Deliverables 584 Available Surround Channel Configurations 585 Preparations for Surround Mixing 588 VST MultiPanner

600 MixConvert V6 601 Surround Mix Export

602 Automation

602 Automation Curves 602 Static Value Line 602 Write/Read Automation 603 Writing Automation Data 605 Editing Automation Events 610 Automation Tracks 611 Virgin Territory vs. Initial Value(Cubase Pro

only)

612 Automation Panel(Cubase Pro only) 621 MIDI Controller Automation

624 VST Instruments

624 Adding VST Instruments 625 Creating Instrument Tracks 625 VST Instruments in the Right Zone 626 VST Instruments Window 626 VST Instruments Toolbar 627 VST Instrument Controls 628 Presets for Instruments 630 Playing Back VST Instruments 631 Latency 632 Import and Export Options 634 VST Quick Controls 635 Side-Chain Input for VST Instruments 637 External Instruments(Cubase Pro only)

638 Installing and Managing Plug-Ins

638 Installing VST Plug-Ins 638 VST Plug-In Manager 641 Compiling a New Effects Collection

642 Track Quick Controls

642 Assigning Parameters to Quick Controls 646 Connecting Quick Controls with Remote

Controllers

646 Activating Pick-up Mode for Hardware Controls 647 Quick Controls and Automatable Parameters

649 Remote Controlling Cubase

649 Setting Up 651 Operations 653 The Generic Remote Device 656 Track Quick Controls 657 The Remote Control Editor 662 Joysticks 663 Apple Remote (macOS only)

665 MIDI Realtime Parameters and MIDI Effects

665 MIDI Track Parameters 667 MIDI Modifiers 672 MIDI Effects 675 Transpose and Velocity on the Info Line

676 Using MIDI devices

676 MIDI devices – general settings and patch

handling

684 About Device panels(Cubase Pro only)

687 MIDI Functions

687 Transpose Setup 688 Merging MIDI Events into a New Part 689 Dissolve Part 691 Bouncing MIDI Parts

Table of Contents 

692 Repeating MIDI Events of Independent Track

Loops

692 Extending MIDI Notes 693 Fixing MIDI Note Lengths 693 Fixing MIDI Note Velocities 693 Rendering Sustain Pedal Data to Note Lengths 694 Deleting Overlaps 694 Editing Velocity 695 Deleting Double Notes 695 Deleting Controller Data 695 Deleting Continuous Controller Data 696 Restricting Polyphonic Voices 696 Thinning Out Controller Data 696 Extracting MIDI Automation 697 Reversing the Playback Order of MIDI Events 697 Inverting the Order of Selected MIDI Events 697 Creating a Tempo Track from Tapping(Cubase

Pro only)

699 MIDI Editors

699 Common MIDI Editor Functions 706 Key Editor 717 Key Editor Operations 735 Basic Score Editor(Cubase Artist only) 741 Score Editor Operations(Cubase Artist only) 748 Drum Editor 762 Drum Editor Operations 765 Drum Maps 770 List Editor 779 List Editor Operations 784 In-Place Editor

787 Expression Maps(Cubase Pro only)

788 Articulations 788 Expression Map Setup 789 Creating and Editing Expression Maps 796 Inserting Articulations

799 Note Expression

799 Introduction 801 Setting up the Note Expression Inspector

Section

803 Mapping controllers 804 Recording 807 Editing Note Expression data 812 Note Expression and MIDI 815 HALion Sonic SE

816 Chord Functions

816 Chord Track 817 Chord Events 824 Scale Events 825 Voicings 827 Converting Chord Events to MIDI 828 Controlling MIDI or Audio Playback Using the

Chord Track

831 Assigning Voices to Notes 831 Extracting Chord Events from MIDI 832 Recording Chord Events with a MIDI Keyboard

834 Chord Pads

834 Chord Pads 837 Functions Menu 837 Preparations 838 Chord Assistant 840 Assigning Chords to Chord Pads

843 Moving and Copying Chord Pads 844 Playing Back and Recording Chords 845 Chord Pad Settings – Remote Control 849 Chord Pad Settings – Players 854 Chord Pad Settings – Pad Layout 855 Chord Pads Presets 856 Creating Events from Chord Pads

857 Logical Editor

857 Window overview 858 Filter Conditions 867 Selecting a function 868 Specifying actions 871 Applying the Defined Actions 871 Presets

873 Project Logical Editor(Cubase Pro only)

873 Window Overview 874 Filter Conditions 884 Specifying Actions 887 Selecting a Function 887 Applying Macros 887 Applying the Defined Actions 888 Presets

890 Editing Tempo and Time Signature

890 Project Tempo Modes 890 Track Time Base 891 Tempo Track Editor 892 Tempo Track 894 Setting up Tempo Changes for Projects 898 Setting up a Fixed Project Tempo 900 Beat Calculator 901 Tempo Detection(Cubase Pro only) 902 Exporting a Tempo Track(Cubase Pro only) 902 Importing a Tempo Track(Cubase Pro only) 903 Process Tempo(Cubase Pro only) 904 Process Bars(Cubase Pro only) 904 Time Warp(Cubase Pro only) 906 Set Definition From Tempo 906 Time Signature Events

909 Project Browser(Cubase Pro only)

909 Window Overview 911 Editing tracks

919 Rendering Audio and MIDI

919 Render Tracks 921 Render Selection

924 Export Audio Mixdown

925 Mixing Down to Audio Files 926 Available Channels for Export 927 File Location 930 File Format 936 Audio Engine Output 938 Import Into Project 939 Post Process

940 Synchronization

940 Background 941 Timecode (positional references) 943 Clock sources (speed references) 943 The Project Synchronization Setup dialog 948 Synchronized operation 948 Example Scenarios(Cubase Pro only) 949 Working with VST System Link 953 Activating VST System Link

Table of Contents 

960 Video

960 Video File Compatibility 961 Frame Rates 962 Video Output Devices 962 Preparations for Creating Video Projects 964 Preparations for Video Playback 966 Editing Video

968 Exchanging Files with Other Applications

968 OMF Files(Cubase Pro only)

972 ReWire

972 Introduction 972 Launching and quitting 973 Activating ReWire channels 973 Using the transport and tempo controls 974 How the ReWire channels are handled 974 Routing MIDI via ReWire 975 Considerations and limitations

976 Key Commands

976 Adding Key Commands 977 Searching for Key Commands 977 Removing Key Commands 977 Setting Up Macros 978 Saving Key Commands Presets 978 Loading Key Command Presets 979 Importing Key Command Settings 979 Resetting Key Commands 980 The Default Key Commands 991 Setting Up Tool Modifier Keys

993 Customizing

993 Workspaces 996 Using the Setup Options 998 Customizing the Meter Colors 999 Customizing the User Interface Colors 1000 Color Selector Pane 1001 Coloring Tracks, Parts, or Events Manually 1001 Auto Track Color Mode 1002 Colorizing Track Controls 1003 Project Colors Dialog 1004 Profiles(Cubase Pro only) 1008 Where are the Settings Stored?

1010 Optimizing

1010 Optimizing Audio Performance

1014 Preferences

1014 Preferences Dialog 1016 Editing 1023 Editors 1024 Event Display 1027 General 1028 MIDI 1033 MediaBay 1033 Metering 1034 Record 1036 Scores(Cubase Pro only) 1038 Transport 1039 User Interface 1040 VST 1043 VariAudio(Cubase Pro only) 1044 Video

1045 Index

Introduction

The documentation covers the following Steinberg products: Cubase Pro and Cubase Artist.

Functions that are only available in Cubase Pro and not in Cubase Artist are clearly indicated. The screenshots are taken from Cubase Pro.

Platform-Independent Documentation

The documentation applies to the operating systems Windows and macOS.

Features and settings that are specific to one of these platforms are clearly indicated. In all other cases, the descriptions and procedures in the documentation are valid for Windows and macOS.

Some points to consider:

●

The screenshots are taken from Windows.

●

Some functions that are available on the File menu on Windows can be found in the program name menu on macOS.

About the Documentation

The documentation consists of several documents. You can read them online or download them from steinberg.help. To visit steinberg.help, do one of the following:

●

Enter www.steinberg.help in the address bar of your web browser.

●

In the program, select Help> Cubase Help.

Quick Start Guide

Covers the following areas without going into details:

●

System requirements, installation procedure, and license activation.

●

Setting up your system for audio and MIDI work.

Operation Manual

The main Cubase reference documentation, with detailed descriptions of operations, parameters, functions, and techniques.

Score Layout and Printing(Cubase Pro only)

Describes the professional music notation, score editing, and printing features included in the Score Editor.

Remote Control Devices

Lists the supported MIDI remote control devices.

Plug-in Reference

Describes the features and parameters of the included VST plug-ins, VST instruments, and MIDI effects.

Introduction Conventions

HALion Sonic SE

Groove Agent SE

Retrologue

MIDI Devices

VST Connect SE (Cubase Pro only)

Conventions

In our documentation, we use typographical and markup elements to structure information.

Describes the features and parameters of the included VST instrument HALion Sonic SE.

Describes the features and parameters of the included VST instrument Groove Agent SE.

Describes the features and parameters of the included VST instrument Retrologue.

Describes how to manage MIDI Devices and device panels.

Describes how to work with the VST Connect SE features.

Typographical Elements

The following typographical elements mark the following purposes.

PREREQUISITE

Requires you to complete an action or to fulfill a condition before starting a procedure.

PROCEDURE

Lists the steps that you must take to achieve a specific result.

IMPORTANT

Informs you about issues that might affect the system, the connected hardware, or that might bring a risk of data loss.

NOTE

Informs you about issues that you should consider.

EXAMPLE

Provides you with an example.

RESULT

Shows the result of the procedure.

AFTER COMPLETING THIS TASK

Informs you about actions or tasks that you can perform after completing the procedure.

Markup

RELATED LINKS

Lists related topics that you can find in this documentation.

Bold text indicates the name of a menu, option, function, dialog, window, etc.

EXAMPLE

To open the Functions menu, click Functions Menu in the top right corner of the MixConsole.

Introduction Key Commands

If bold text is separated by a greater-than symbol, this indicates a sequence of different menus to open.

EXAMPLE

Select Project> Add Track.

Key Commands

Many of the default key commands, also known as keyboard shortcuts, use modifier keys, some of which are different depending on the operating system.

When key commands with modifier keys are described in this manual, they are shown with the Windows modifier key first followed by the macOS and the key:

●

Windows modifier key/macOS modifier key-Z

EXAMPLE

Ctrl/Cmd-Z means: press Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on macOS, then press Z.

Setting Up Your System

To use Cubase, you must set up your audio, and if required, your MIDI system.

Setting Up Audio

IMPORTANT

Make sure that all equipment is turned off before making any connections.

Simple Stereo Input and Output Setup

If you only use a stereo input and output from Cubase, you can connect your audio hardware, for example, the inputs of your audio card or your audio interface, directly to the input source and the outputs to a power amplifier and speaker.

Audio Connections

Your system setup depends on many different factors, for example, on the kind of project that you want to create, on the external equipment that you want to use, or on the computer hardware that is available to you. Therefore, the following sections can only serve as examples.

How to connect your equipment, that is, whether to use digital or analog connections also depends on your setup.

Setting Up Your System Setting Up Audio

About Recording Levels and Inputs

When you connect your equipment, make sure that the impedance and levels of the audio sources and inputs are matched. Using the correct type of input is important to avoid distortion or noisy recordings. For microphones, for example, different inputs can be used, such as consumer line level (-10 dBV) or professional line level (+4 dBu).

Sometimes, you can adjust input characteristics on the audio interface or on its control panel. For details, refer to the documentation that came with the audio hardware.

IMPORTANT

Cubase does not provide any input level adjustments for the signals that are coming into your audio hardware, since these are handled differently for each card. Adjusting input levels is either done in a special application that is included with the hardware or its control panel.

Word Clock Connections

If you are using a digital audio connection, you may also need a word clock connection between the audio hardware and external devices. For details, refer to the documentation that came with the audio hardware.

IMPORTANT

Set up word clock synchronization correctly, or you may experience clicks and crackles in your recordings.

Selecting an Audio Driver

By selecting an audio driver, you allow Cubase to communicate with the audio hardware. Normally, when you start Cubase, a dialog opens that prompts you to select a driver, but you can also select your audio hardware driver as described below.

NOTE

On Windows operating systems, we recommend that you access your hardware via an ASIO driver developed specifically for the hardware. If no ASIO driver is installed, contact the manufacturer of your audio hardware for information on available ASIO drivers. If no specific ASIO driver is available, you can use the Generic Low Latency ASIO driver.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Studio Setup.

2. In the Devices list, select VST Audio System.

3. Open the ASIO Driver pop-up menu and select your audio hardware driver.

4. Click OK.

Setting Up Audio Hardware

PREREQUISITE

You have selected a driver for your audio hardware.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Studio Setup.

2. In the Devices list, select your audio hardware driver.

Setting Up Your System Setting Up Audio

3. Do one of the following to open the control panel for your audio hardware:

4. Set up your audio hardware as recommended by the manufacturer.

VST Audio System

In the VST Audio System section you can select an ASIO driver for your audio hardware.

● To open the VST Audio System section, select Studio> Studio Setup and select VST Audio

●

On Windows, click Control Panel.

●

On macOS, click Open Config App.

This button is available only for some hardware products. If it is not available in your setup, refer to the documentation of your audio hardware.

NOTE

The control panel is provided by the manufacturer of your audio hardware and is different for each audio interface brand and model. However, control panels for the Generic Low Latency ASIO Driver (Windows only) are provided by Steinberg.

System in the Devices list.

The following options are available:

ASIO Driver

Allows you to select a driver.

Release Driver when Application is in Background

Releases the driver and allows other applications to play back via your audio hardware even though Cubase is running.

Input Latency

Shows the input latency of the audio hardware.

Output Latency

Shows the output latency of the audio hardware.

Setting Up Your System Setting Up Audio

ASIO-Guard Latency

HW Sample Rate

HW Pull Up/Down

Set to Defaults

Processing Precision

Shows the ASIO-Guard latency.

Shows the sample rate of your audio hardware.

Shows the pull up/down status of the audio hardware.

Allows you to restore the default settings.

Allows you to set the audio processing precision to 64 bit. This way, all channels are processed and mixed in 64-bit floating point.

NOTE

A processing precision of 64 bit can increase CPU load and memory consumption.

VST2 plug-ins and instruments are always processed with 32-bit precision.

To show all plug-ins that support 64-bit processing, open the VST Plug-in Manager and activate Show Plug-ins That Support 64-Bit Processing in the Display Options pop-up menu.

Activate Multi Processing

Allows you to distribute the processing load evenly to all available CPUs. This way, Cubase can make full use of the combined power of multiple processors.

Activate ASIO-Guard

Activates the ASIO-Guard. This is only available if Activate Multi Processing is activated too.

ASIO-Guard Level

Allows you to set the ASIO-Guard level. The higher the level, the higher the processing stability and audio processing performance. However, higher levels also lead to an increased ASIO-Guard latency and memory usage.

Audio Priority (Windows only)

This setting should be set to Normal if you work with audio and MIDI. If you do not use MIDI at all, you can set this to Boost.

Activate Steinberg Audio Power Scheme

If this option is activated, all power safe modes that have an impact on realtime processing are deactivated. Note that this is only effective for very low latencies, and that it increases the power consumption.

Disk Preload

Allows you to specify how many seconds of audio are preloaded into RAM prior to starting playback. This allows for smooth playback.

Adjust for Record Latency

If this is activated, the plug-in latencies are taken to account during recording.

Record Shift

Allows you to shift the recordings by the specified value.

RELATED LINKS

VST Plug-In Manager Window on page 638

Setting Up Your System Setting Up Audio

ASIO Driver Setup

This section allows you to set up your ASIO driver.

● To open the section where you can set up the ASIO driver, select Studio> Studio Setup and select the audio driver in the Devices list.

The following options are available:

Control Panel

Opens the control panel for the audio hardware.

Input Latency

Shows the input latency of the audio driver.

Output Latency

Shows the output latency of the audio driver.

Clock Source

Allows you to select a clock source.

Externally Clocked

Activate this option if you use an external clock source.

Direct Monitoring

Activate this option to monitor via your audio hardware and to control it from Cubase.

Ports Reset

Allows you to reset all port names and visibilities.

I/O

The port input/output status.

Setting Up Your System Setting Up Audio

Port System Name

The system name of the port.

Show As

Allows you to rename the port. This name is used in the Input Routing and Output Routing pop-up menus.

Visible

Allows you to activate/deactivate audio ports.

State

The state of the audio port.

Using External Clock Sources

If you are using an external clock source, Cubase must be notified that it receives external clock signals and derives its speed from that source.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Studio Setup.

2. In the Devices list, select your audio hardware driver.

3. Activate Externally clocked.

RESULT

Cubase now derives its speed from the external source.

NOTE

For proper audio playback and recording, you must set the sample rate of the project to the sample rate of the incoming clock signals.

When a sample rate mismatch occurs, the Record Format field on the status line is highlighted in a different color. Cubase accepts a sample rate mismatch, and playback is therefore faster or slower.

Using Several Audio Applications Simultaneously

You can allow other applications to play back via your audio hardware even though Cubase is running.

PREREQUISITE

Other audio applications accessing the audio hardware are set to release the audio driver.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Studio Setup.

2. In the Devices list, select VST Audio System.

3. Activate Release Driver when Application is in Background.

RESULT

The application that has the focus gets access to the audio hardware.

Setting Up Your System Setting Up Audio

Audio Hardware Configuration

Most audio cards provide one or more small applications that allow you to customize your hardware.

The settings are normally gathered on a control panel that can be opened from within Cubase or separately, when Cubase is not running. For details, refer to the audio hardware documentation.

Settings include:

●

Selecting which inputs/outputs are active.

●

Setting up word clock synchronization.

●

Turning on/off monitoring via the hardware.

●

Setting levels for each input.

●

Setting levels for the outputs so that they match the equipment that you use for monitoring.

●

Selecting digital input and output formats.

●

Making settings for the audio buffers.

Plug and Play Support for ASIO Devices

The Steinberg UR hardware series supports plug and play in Cubase. These devices can be plugged in and switched on while the application is running. Cubase automatically uses the driver of the UR series and re-maps the Audio Connections accordingly.

Steinberg cannot guarantee that this works with other hardware. If you are unsure of whether your device supports plug and play, refer to the documentation of your device.

IMPORTANT

If a device that does not support plug and play is connected or disconnected while the computer is running, it can get damaged.

Setting Up Input and Output Ports

Once you have selected the driver for your audio hardware and have set it up, you must specify which inputs and outputs to use.

PREREQUISITE

You have selected a driver for your audio hardware.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Studio Setup.

2. In the Devices list, select your audio hardware driver.

3. Make your settings.

4. Click OK.

RELATED LINKS

ASIO Driver Setup on page 15

Setting Up Your System Setting Up MIDI

Audio Bus Setup

Cubase uses a system of input and output busses to transfer audio between the program and the audio hardware.

●

Input busses let you route audio from the inputs of your audio hardware into Cubase. This means that audio is always recorded through one or several input busses.

●

Output busses let you route audio from Cubase to the outputs of your audio hardware. This means that audio is always played back through one or several output busses.

Once you have set up the internal input and output busses, you can connect your audio source, for example a microphone, to your audio interface and start recording, playing back, and mixing.

RELATED LINKS

Audio Connections on page 22

Monitoring

In Cubase, monitoring means listening to the input signal while recording.

The following ways of monitoring are available.

●

Externally by listening to the signal before it reaches Cubase.

●

Via Cubase.

●

By using ASIO Direct Monitoring.

This is a combination of the other methods.

RELATED LINKS

External Monitoring on page 240 Monitoring via Cubase on page 240 ASIO Direct Monitoring on page 240

Setting Up MIDI

IMPORTANT

Turn off all equipment before making any connections.

PROCEDURE

1. Connect your MIDI equipment (keyboard, MIDI interface, etc.) to your computer.

2. Install the drivers for your MIDI equipment.

RESULT

You can use your MIDI equipment in Cubase.

MIDI Connections

To play back and record MIDI data from your MIDI device, for example, a MIDI keyboard, you need to connect the MIDI ports.

Connect the MIDI output port of your MIDI device to the MIDI input port of your audio hardware. This way, the MIDI device sends MIDI data to be played back or recorded inside your computer.

Connect the MIDI input port of your MIDI device to the MIDI output port of your audio hardware. This way, you can send MIDI data from Cubase to the MIDI device. For example, you can record

Setting Up Your System Setting Up MIDI

your own playing, edit the MIDI data in Cubase, and then play it back on the keyboard and record the audio that is coming out of the keyboard for a better edited performance.

Showing or Hiding MIDI Ports

You can specify if a MIDI port is listed on the MIDI pop-up menus in the program.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Studio Setup.

2. In the Devices list, select MIDI Port Setup.

3. To hide a MIDI port, deactivate its Visible column.

4. Click OK.

Setting Up All MIDI Inputs

When you record MIDI, you can specify which MIDI input each recording MIDI track should use. However, you can also record any MIDI data from any MIDI input. You can specify which inputs are included when you select All MIDI Inputs for a MIDI track.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Studio Setup.

2. In the Devices list, select MIDI Port Setup.

3. Activate In ‘All MIDI Inputs’ for a port.

4. Click OK.

RESULT

When you select All MIDI Inputs on the Input Routing menu of a MIDI track in the Inspector, the MIDI track uses all MIDI inputs that you specified in the MIDI Port Setup.

MIDI Port Setup

The MIDI Port Setup page in the Studio Setup dialog displays the connected MIDI devices and allows you to set up their ports.

● To open the MIDI Port Setup page, select Studio> Studio Setup and activate MIDI Port

NOTE

If you have a MIDI remote control unit connected, make sure to deactivate the In ‘All MIDI Inputs’ option for that MIDI input. This avoids accidental recording of data from the remote control when All MIDI Inputs is selected as input for a MIDI track.

Setup in the Devices list.

Setting Up Your System Setting Up MIDI

The following colums are displayed:

Device

The connected MIDI devices.

I/O

The port input/output status.

Port System Name

The system name of the port.

Show As

Allows you to rename the port. This name is used in the Input Routing and Output Routing pop-up menus.

Visible

Allows you to activate/deactivate MIDI ports.

State

The state of the MIDI port.

In 'All MIDI Inputs'

Allows you to record MIDI data from all MIDI inputs.

NOTE

Deactivate this option if you use remote control devices.

The following options are available:

Use System Timestamp for 'Windows MIDI' Inputs

Activate this option if you have persistent timing problems such as shifted notes. If this is activated, the system timestamp is used as a time reference.

Use Device 'DirectMusic'

If you do not use a device with a DirectMusic device driver, you can leave this option deactivated. This enhances the system performance.

Setting Up Your System Connecting a Synchronizer

Use System Timestamp for 'DirectMusic' Inputs

Activate this option if you have persistent timing problems such as shifted notes. If this is activated, the system timestamp is used as a time reference.

Plug and Play Support for USB MIDI Devices

Cubase supports plug and play of USB MIDI devices. These devices can be plugged in and switched on while the application is running.

Connecting a Synchronizer

When using Cubase with external tape transports, you most likely must add a synchronizer to your system.

IMPORTANT

Make sure that all equipment is turned off before making any connections.

For information on how to connect and set up your synchronizer, refer to the documentation of your synchronizer.

RELATED LINKS

Synchronization on page 940

Audio Connections

To play back and record in Cubase, you must set up input and output busses in the Audio Connections window. Here, you can also set up group and FX channels, external effects, external

instruments, and the Control Room(Cubase Pro only).

The bus types that you need depend on your audio hardware, on your general audio setup, for example your surround speaker setup, and on the projects that you use.

Audio Connections Window

The Audio Connections window allows you to set up input and output busses, group and FX channels, external effects, and external instruments. Furthermore, you can use this window to access and configure the Control Room(Cubase Pro only).

● To open the Audio Connections window, select Studio> Audio Connections.

Inputs/Outputs Tab

The Input and Output tabs allow you to set up and configure input and output busses.

The following options are available above the bus list:

+- All

Expands/Collapses all busses in the bus list.

Add Bus

Opens the Add Input Bus dialog, where you can create a new bus configuration.

Presets

Opens the Presets menu, where you can select bus configuration presets. Store

allows you to save a bus configuration as preset. Delete deletes the selected

preset.

The following columns are available for the bus list:

Bus Name

Lists the busses. Click the name of a bus to select or rename it.

Audio Connections Audio Connections Window

Speakers

Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo, surround formats(Cubase Pro only)) of each bus.

Audio Device

Shows the selected ASIO driver.

Device Port

Shows which physical inputs/outputs on your audio hardware are used by the bus. Expand the bus entry to show all speaker channels. If the bus entry is collapsed, only the first port that is used by this bus is visible.

The Device Port pop-up menu displays how many busses are connected to a given port. The busses are shown in square brackets next to the port name.

Up to 3 bus assignments can be displayed in this way. If more connections have been made, this is indicated by a number at the end of the port name.

For example, “Adat 1 [Stereo1] [Stereo2] [Stereo3] (+2)” means that the Adat1 port is already assigned to 3 stereo busses plus 2 additional busses.

Group/FX Tab(Cubase Pro only)

This tab allows you to create group and FX channels/tracks and to make output assignments for these.

The following options are available above the bus list:

+- All

Expands/Collapses all busses in the bus list.

Add Group

Opens the Add Group Channel Track dialog, where you can create a new group channel track.

Add FX

Opens the Add FX Channel Track dialog, where you can create a new FX channel track.

The following columns are available for the bus list:

Bus Name

Lists the busses. Click the name of a bus to select or rename it.

Speakers

Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo, surround formats(Cubase Pro only)) of each bus.

Output Routing

Lets you select the output routing for the corresponding bus.

Audio Connections Audio Connections Window

External FX Tab(Cubase Pro only)

This tab allows you to create send effect or return busses. You can use these to connect external effects which can then be selected via the effect pop-up menus from inside the program.

The following options are available above the bus list:

+- All

Expands/Collapses all busses in the bus list.

Add External FX

Opens the Add External FX dialog, where you can configure a new external FX.

Favorites

Lets you store external effect configurations as favorites that you can recall.

The following columns are available for the bus list:

Bus Name

Lists the busses. Click the name of a bus to select or rename it.

Speakers

Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo, surround formats(Cubase Pro only)) of each bus.

Audio Device

Shows the selected ASIO driver.

Device Port

The Device Port pop-up menu displays how many busses are connected to a given port. The busses are shown in square brackets next to the port name.

Up to 3 bus assignments can be displayed in this way. If more connections have been made, this is indicated by a number at the end of the port name.

For example, “Adat 1 [Stereo1] [Stereo2] [Stereo3] (+2)” means that the Adat1 port is already assigned to 3 stereo busses plus 2 additional busses.

Delay

Allows you to enter a value to compensate for an inherent delay (latency) of your hardware effect device during playback. You can right-click the Delay column for the effect and select Check User Delay to automatically determine the delay value.

NOTE

The latency of the audio hardware is handled automatically by Cubase.

Send Gain

Allows you to adjust the level of the signal that is sent to the external effect.

Audio Connections Audio Connections Window

Return Gain

Allows you to adjust the level of the signal that the external effect sends.

NOTE

Excessive output levels from an external effect device can cause clipping in the audio hardware. You cannot use the Return Gain setting to compensate for this. You must lower the output level on the effect device instead.

MIDI Device

When you click in this column, a pop-up menu opens where you can disconnect the effect from the associated MIDI device, select a MIDI device, create a new device, or open the MIDI Device Manager to edit the MIDI device.

Used

Whenever you insert an external effect into an audio track, this column shows a checkmark (x) to indicate that the effect is being used.

External Instruments Tab(Cubase Pro only)

This tab allows you to create input/output busses that can be used to connect external instruments.

The following options are available above the bus list:

+- All

Expands/Collapses all busses in the bus list.

Add External Instrument

Opens the Add External Instrument dialog, where you can configure a new external instrument.

Favorites

Lets you store external instrument configurations as favorites that you can recall.

The following columns are available for the bus list:

Bus Name

Lists the busses. Click the name of a bus to select or rename it.

Speakers

Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo, surround formats(Cubase Pro only)) of each bus.

Audio Device

Shows the selected ASIO driver.

Device Port

Audio Connections Audio Connections Window

The Device Port pop-up menu displays how many busses are connected to a given port. The busses are shown in square brackets next to the port name.

Up to 3 bus assignments can be displayed in this way. If more connections have been made, this is indicated by a number at the end of the port name.

For example, “Adat 1 [Stereo1] [Stereo2] [Stereo3] (+2)” means that the Adat1 port is already assigned to 3 stereo busses plus 2 additional busses.

Delay

Allows you to enter a value to compensate for an inherent delay (latency) of your hardware effect device during playback. You can right-click the Delay column for the instrument and select Check User Delay to automatically determine the delay value that is used for delay compensation.

NOTE

The latency of the audio hardware is handled automatically by Cubase.

Return Gain

Allows you to adjust the level of the signal coming in from the external instrument.

NOTE

Excessive output levels from an external effect device can cause clipping in the audio hardware. The Return Gain setting cannot be used to compensate for this. You must lower the output level on the effect device instead.

MIDI Device

When you click in this column, a pop-up menu opens where you can disconnect the instrument from the associated MIDI device, select a MIDI device, create a new device, or open the MIDI Device Manager to edit the MIDI device.

Used

Whenever you insert the external instrument into a VST instrument slot, this column shows a checkmark (x) to indicate that the instrument is being used.

Control Room Tab(Cubase Pro only)

This tab allows you to enable and configure the Control Room.

The following options are available above the bus list:

+- All

Expands/Collapses all busses in the bus list.

Add Channel

Opens a menu where you can select the type of channel that you want to add. You can add the following channels:

● External Input

● Talkback

Audio Connections Renaming the Hardware Inputs and Outputs

● Cue

● Headphone

● Monitor

Presets

Opens the Presets menu, where you can select bus configuration presets. Store

allows you to save a bus configuration as preset. Delete deletes the selected

preset.

Enable/Disable Control Room

Enables/Disables the Control Room.

Open Control Room

Opens the Control Room window.

Configuration

Displays the selected channel configuration.

The following columns are available for the bus list:

Bus Name

Lists the busses. Click the name of a bus to select or rename it.

Speakers

Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo, surround formats(Cubase Pro only)) of each bus.

Audio Device

Shows the selected ASIO driver.

Device Port

The Device Port pop-up menu displays how many busses are connected to a given port. The busses are shown in square brackets next to the port name.

Up to 3 bus assignments can be displayed in this way. If more connections have been made, this is indicated by a number at the end of the port name.

For example, “Adat 1 [Stereo1] [Stereo2] [Stereo3] (+2)” means that the Adat1 port is already assigned to 3 stereo busses plus 2 additional busses.

RELATED LINKS

Control Room(Cubase Pro only) on page 371

Renaming the Hardware Inputs and Outputs

Before you set up busses, you should rename the default inputs and outputs of your audio hardware. This allows transferring projects between different computers and setups.

For example, if you move your project to another studio, the audio hardware may be of a different model. But if you and the other studio owner have agreed on identical names for your inputs and outputs, Cubase corrects inputs and outputs for your busses.

Audio Connections Renaming the Hardware Inputs and Outputs

NOTE

If you open a project that was created on another computer and the port names do not match or the port configuration is not the same, the Missing Ports dialog appears. This allows you to manually re-route ports that are used in the project to ports that are available on your computer.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Studio Setup.

2. In the Devices list, select VST Audio System.

3. Open the ASIO Driver pop-up menu and select your audio hardware driver.

4. In the Devices list, select your audio hardware driver.

5. In the Show As column, click on a port name and enter a new name.

6. Repeat the previous step until you have renamed all required ports.

7. Click OK.

RELATED LINKS

Re-Routing Missing Ports on page 92

Hiding Ports

You can hide ports that you are not using. Hidden ports are not displayed in the Audio Connections window.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Studio Setup.

2. In the Devices list, select your audio hardware driver.

3. In the Visible column, deactivate the ports that you want to hide.

4. Click OK.

Activating and Deactivating Ports (macOS only)

On macOS you can specify which input and output ports are active. This allows you to use the microphone input instead of the line input or to deactivate the audio card input or output.

NOTE

This function is only available for built-in audio, standard USB audio devices, and a certain number of other audio cards.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Studio Setup.

2. In the Devices list, select your audio hardware driver.

3. Click Control Panel.

4. Activate/Deactivate ports.

5. Click OK.

Audio Connections Adding Input and Output Busses

Adding Input and Output Busses

PROCEDURE

1. In the Audio Connections dialog, click the Inputs or Outputs tab.

2. Click Add Bus.

3. In the Add Input Bus dialog, configure the bus.

4. Optional: Enter a name for the bus.

If you do not specify a name, the bus is named according to the channel configuration.

5. Click Add Bus.

The new bus is added to the bus list.

6. For each of the speaker channels in the bus, click in the Device Port column and select a port of your audio hardware.

Setting the Default Output Bus (Main Mix)

The Main Mix is the default output bus to which each new audio, group, or FX channel is automatically routed. If only one bus is available, this bus is automatically used as the default output bus.

PREREQUISITE

Add an output bus.

PROCEDURE

1. In the Audio Connections dialog, right-click the output bus that you want to use as default output bus.

2. Select Set <bus name> as Main Mix.

RESULT

The selected bus is used as default bus. The Main Mix is indicated by a speaker icon next to its name.

Adding Child Busses(Cubase Pro only)

Child busses allow you to route tracks to particular channels within a bus.

For example, you can route a stereo track to a stereo channel pair within a surround bus. Or you can record a stereo channel pair in the surround bus to a separate stereo track.

PROCEDURE

1. On the Inputs tab, Outputs tab, or Group/FX tab, right-click a surround bus.

2. Click Add Child Bus and select a channel configuration.

RESULT

The child bus is created and can be used for routing.

Presets for Input and Output Busses

For input and output bus configurations, you can use different kinds of presets.

●

A number of standard bus configurations.

Audio Connections Adding Group and FX Channels(Cubase Pro only)

●

Automatically created presets tailored to your specific hardware configuration.

On startup, Cubase analyzes the physical inputs and outputs that are provided by your audio hardware and creates a number of hardware-dependent presets.

●

Your own presets.

NOTE

You can create default presets for input and output bus configurations. If you create a new empty project, these default presets are applied. To create default presets, save your preferred input and output bus configurations under the name Default. If you have not defined default presets, the last used input and output bus configuration is applied when creating a new empty project.

Saving a Bus Configuration Preset

You can save your own input and output bus configuration and the studio configuration as presets.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Audio Connections.

2. Set up your bus configuration.

3. Click Store .

4. In the Type in Preset Name dialog, enter a name.

5. Click OK.

RESULT

The preset is available in the Presets menu.

Deleting a Bus Configuration Preset

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> Audio Connections.

2. From the Presets menu, select the preset that you want to delete.

3. Click Delete .

RESULT

The preset is deleted.

Adding Group and FX Channels(Cubase Pro only)

Group channels and FX channels allow you to group bus configurations.

Adding group and FX channels in the Audio Connections window is identical to creating group channel tracks or FX channel tracks in the Project window.

PROCEDURE

1. In the Audio Connections dialog, click the Group/FX tab.

2. Do one of the following:

●

To create a group channel, click Add Group.

●

To create an FX channel, click Add FX.

Audio Connections About Monitoring

3. Configure the channel.

4. Optional: Enter a name for the group channel track.

5. Click Add Track.

The group channel or FX channel is added to the bus list.

6. For each of the speaker channels in the bus, click in the Output Routing column and select a port of your audio hardware.

RELATED LINKS

Audio Effects on page 390

About Monitoring

In the Audio Connections window, you can set up the busses that are used for monitoring, activate/deactivate and open the Control Room.

When the Control Room is disabled on the Control Room tab of the Audio Connections window, the Main Mix bus is used for monitoring. In this case, you can adjust the monitoring level in the MixConsole.

In Cubase Artist, the Main Mix bus is always used for monitoring.

RELATED LINKS

Control Room(Cubase Pro only) on page 371 MixConsole on page 316

External Instruments and Effects(Cubase Pro only)

You can integrate external effect devices and external instruments, for example, hardware synthesizers, into the sequencer signal flow.

Requirements

● To use external effects, you need audio hardware with multiple inputs and outputs.

An external effect requires at least one input and one output or input/output pairs for stereo effects in addition to the input/output ports that you use for recording and monitoring.

● To use external instruments, a MIDI interface must be connected to your computer.

● Audio hardware with low-latency drivers.

Cubase compensates for the input/output latency and ensures that the audio that is processed through external effects is not shifted in time.

Connecting an External Instrument/Effect

PREREQUISITE

The hardware device has stereo inputs and outputs.

PROCEDURE

1. Connect an unused output pair on your audio hardware to the input pair on your external hardware device.

2. Connect an unused input pair on your audio hardware to the output pair on your hardware device.

Audio Connections External Instruments and Effects(Cubase Pro only)

IMPORTANT

If you select input/output ports for external instruments/effects that are already used, the existing port assignment breaks without warning.

AFTER COMPLETING THIS TASK

Once the external device is connected to the audio hardware of your computer, you must set up the input/output busses in Cubase.

Setting Up External Effects

PROCEDURE

1. In the Audio Connections window, click the External FX tab.

2. Click Add External FX.

3. In the Add External FX dialog, enter a name for the external effect and specify the send

and return configurations.

Depending on the type of effect, you can specify mono, stereo, or surround configurations.

4. Click Associate MIDI Device and select a MIDI device.

You can also select MIDI Devices> Create Device and create a new MIDI device association.

NOTE

Delay compensation is only applied for the effect when you use MIDI devices.

5. Click OK.

This adds a new external FX bus.

6. Click in the Device Port column for the left and right ports of the send bus and select the outputs of your audio hardware that you want to use.

7. Click in the Device Port column for the left and right ports of the return bus and select the inputs of your audio hardware that you want to use.

8. Make additional settings for the bus.

You can also adjust the settings while using the external effect. This allows you to hear the result.

RELATED LINKS

Using MIDI devices on page 676 Delay Compensation on page 632

Audio Connections External Instruments and Effects(Cubase Pro only)

Adding External Effects

You can use the external FX bus as an insert effect or as a send effect, which is an insert effect on an FX channel track.

PREREQUISITE

Set up your external effects in the Audio Connections window.

PROCEDURE

1. In the Inspector, open the Inserts panel.

2. Open the Select Insert menu.

3. Select an external effect from the External Plug-ins submenu.

External effects are indicated by an x icon in the list next to their names in the Select Insert pop-up menu.

RESULT

The external FX bus is loaded into the effect slot.

A parameter window opens, showing the Delay, Send Gain, and Return Gain settings for the external FX bus. You can adjust these settings while playing back.

The audio signal from the channel is sent to the outputs on the audio hardware, through your external effect device, and back to the program via the inputs on the audio hardware.

RELATED LINKS

Setting Up External Effects on page 32

External Effect Parameter Window

This window allows you to make delay and gain settings for the selected external effect.

When you select an external effect from the Select Insert menu in the Inspector, the External

Effect Parameter window opens.

Activate Effect

Activates/Deactivates the external effect.

Bypass Effect

Allows you to bypass the external effect.

Audio Connections External Instruments and Effects(Cubase Pro only)

Measure Effect’s Loop Delay for Delay Compensation

If this option is activated, Cubase automatically determines the delay value that is used for delay compensation. This is the same function as the Check User Delay option in the Audio Connections window.

When you have defined a MIDI device for the effect, the corresponding device window opens.

Delay

Allows you to adjust the delay for the external effect.

Send Gain

Allows you to adjust the send gain for the external effect.

Return Gain

Allows you to adjust the return gain for the external effect.

Setting Up External Instruments

PROCEDURE

1. In the Audio Connections window, click the External Instruments tab.

2. Click Add External Instrument.

3. In the Add External Instrument dialog, enter a name for the external instrument and

specify the number of required mono and/or stereo returns.

Depending on the type of instrument, a specific number of mono and/or stereo return channels is required.

4. Click Associate MIDI Device and select a MIDI device.

5. Click OK.

This adds a new external instrument bus.

6. Click in the Device Port column for the left and right ports of the return bus and select the inputs of your audio hardware to which you connected the external instrument.

7. Make additional settings for the bus.

You can also adjust the settings while using the external instrument. This allows you to hear the result.

RELATED LINKS

Using MIDI devices on page 676

Adding External Instruments

PREREQUISITE

Set up your external instruments in the Audio Connections window.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Studio> VST Instruments.

The VST Instruments window opens.

2. Click Add Track Instrument .

The Add Instrument Track window opens.

3. Select an external instrument from the Instrument pop-up menu.

External instruments are indicated by an x icon in the list next to their names in the Instrument pop-up menu.

Audio Connections External Instruments and Effects(Cubase Pro only)

4. Click Add Track.

RESULT

The external instrument is added to the VST instruments list.

A parameter window for the external instrument opens. This can either be the device window that allows you to create a generic device panel, an OPT editor window, or a default editor.

External Instruments Parameter Window

This window allows you to make delay and gain settings for the selected external instrument.

When you select an external instrument in the VST Instruments window, the External

Instrument Parameter Window opens.

Activate External Instrument

Activates/Deactivates the external instrument.

Bypass External Instrument

Allows you to bypass the external instrument.

Delay

Allows you to adjust the delay for the external instrument.

Return Gain

Allows you to adjust the return gain for the external instrument.

Sending MIDI Notes to External Instruments

PREREQUISITE

Set up your external instruments in the Audio Connections window and add a MIDI track.

PROCEDURE

1. In the Inspector, open the Output Routing pop-up menu for the corresponding MIDI track.

2. Select the MIDI device to which the external instrument is connected.

RESULT

The instrument plays any MIDI notes that it receives from the track and returns them to Cubase through the return channels that you have set up. Delay compensation is used.

The external instrument behaves like any other VST instrument in Cubase.

Audio Connections External Instruments and Effects(Cubase Pro only)

RELATED LINKS

Delay Compensation on page 632

Saving External Instrument and Effect Configurations as Favorites

You can save external instruments and external effects as favorites. Favorites are device configurations that you can recall. They also allow you to save different configurations for the same device, for example, a multi-effect board or an effect that provides both a mono and a stereo mode.

You can save and restore the favorites in the External Instruments and External FX tabs of the Audio Connections window.

●

To save an external instrument or effect configuration as a favorite, select the Bus Name, click Favorites, and select Add Selected Effect <effect name> to Favorites.

●

To recall a favorite, click Favorites and select the configuration that you want to recall.

Freezing External Instruments/Effects

You can freeze external instruments and effects to save processing power.

NOTE

You must perform the freeze function in realtime. Otherwise external effects are not taken into account.

When freezing external instruments or effects, you can adjust the corresponding Tail Size value in the Freeze Channel Options dialog.

When the Tail Size is set to 0 s, freezing only takes into account the data within the part boundaries.

RELATED LINKS

VST Instruments on page 624 Audio Effects on page 390 Freezing Instruments on page 630 Freezing Insert Effects on page 396

Missing Plug-ins

The “Plug-in could not be found” message appears in the following situations:

●

When you remove an external device from the Audio Connections window although it is used in a saved project.

●

When you transfer a project to another computer on which the external device is not defined.

●

When you open a project that is created with an earlier version of Cubase.

In the Audio Connections window, the broken connection to the external device is indicated by an icon in the Bus Name column.

●

To reestablish the broken connection to the external device, right-click the entry for the device in the Bus Name column and select Connect External Effect.

Audio Connections Editing the Bus Configurations

NOTE

Busses that are set up for external instruments or external effects are saved globally, that is, for your particular computer setup.

Editing the Bus Configurations

After you have set up all the required busses for a project you can edit the names and change port assignments. The bus configuration is saved with the project.

Removing Busses

PROCEDURE

● In the Audio Connections window, right-click a bus in the list and select Remove Bus.

You can also select the bus and press Backspace.

Changing Port Assignments

You can change the port assignment of busses in the Audio Connections window.

●

To change a port assignment, click in the Device Port column of a bus and select a new port.

●

To assign different ports to the selected busses, open the Device Port pop-up menu for the first selected entry, press Shift, and select a device port.

All subsequent busses are automatically connected to the next available port.

NOTE

Cubase Pro only:Exclusive ports, for example, ports that are already assigned to Control Room channels, are skipped.

●

To assign the same port to all selected busses, open the Device Port pop-up menu for the first selected entry, press Shift-Alt, and select a device port.

Renaming Multiple Busses

You can rename all the selected busses at once using incrementing numbers or letters.

●

To use incrementing numbers, select the busses that you want to rename and enter a new name for one of the busses, followed by a number.

For example, if you have 8 inputs that you want to be named “In 1, In 2, …, In 8”, you select all the busses and enter the name In 1 for the first bus. All other busses are then renamed automatically.

●

To use letters from the alphabet, select the busses that you want to rename and enter a new name for one of the busses, followed by a space and a capital letter.

For example, if you have 3 FX channels that you want to be named “FX A, FX B, and FX C”, you select all the channels and enter the name FX A for the first. All other channels are renamed automatically. The last letter that can be used is Z. If you have more selected entries than there are letters available, the remaining entries are skipped.

NOTE

You can begin renaming from any position in the list. The renaming starts from the bus where you edit the name, goes down the list to the bottom, and then continues from the top until all selected busses have been renamed.

Audio Connections Editing the Bus Configurations

Identifying Exclusive Port Assignments

For certain channel types, the port assignment is exclusive.

Once a port has been assigned to such a bus or channel, it must not be assigned to another bus, otherwise the connection to the first bus will be broken.

The corresponding ports are marked in the Audio Connections window on the Device Port popup menu.

Project Window

The Project window provides an overview of the project, and allows you to navigate and perform large scale editing.

Each project has one Project window. The Project window is displayed whenever you open or create a new project.

● To open a project, select File> Open.

● To create a new project, select File> New Project.

The Project window is divided into several zones:

1 Left Zone

The left zone shows the Track Inspector for the selected track or the Editor Inspector for the editor in the lower zone.

The Visibility Inspector allows you to show or hide individual tracks from the track list.

2 Project Zone

The project zone shows the toolbar, the track list with the tracks, the event display with the parts and events of the project, and the Project window ruler.

Project Window Showing/Hiding Zones

On the toolbar, you can activate/deactivate the status line, the info line, the overview line, and the transport.

3 Lower Zone

The lower zone shows the Chord Pads, the Editor, the Sampler Control, and the MixConsole.

4 Right Zone

The right zone shows the VSTi rack, the Media rack, the Control Room rack(Cubase Pro only), and the Meter rack(Cubase Pro only).

RELATED LINKS

Project Zone on page 40 Left Zone on page 52 Lower Zone on page 62 Right Zone on page 68 Toolbar on page 41

Showing/Hiding Zones

You can show/hide the zones in the Project window according to your needs.

PROCEDURE

● Do one of the following:

Project Zone

The project zone is the heart of the Project window and cannot be hidden.

The project zone features the track list and the event display with the ruler. Furthermore, you can activate/deactivate the status line, the info line, the overview line, and the transport for the project zone.

●

To show/hide the left zone, click Show/Hide Left Zone on the Project window toolbar.

●

To show/hide the lower zone, click Show/Hide Lower Zone on the Project window toolbar.

●

To show/hide the right zone, click Show/Hide Right Zone on the Project window toolbar.

NOTE

The project zone is always shown.

Project Window Project Zone

RELATED LINKS

Track List on page 45 Event Display on page 46 Global Track Controls on page 46 Ruler on page 47 Status Line on page 49 Info Line on page 49 Overview Line on page 50 Transport on page 50

Toolbar

The toolbar contains tools and shortcuts for opening other windows and various project settings and functions.

● To show/hide tools, open the toolbar context menu by right-clicking in an empty area of the toolbar and activate the tools that you want to display. To show all tools, select Show All.

NOTE

The number of elements that are shown also depends on the size of the Project window and the screen resolution.

The following options are available:

Activate Project

NOTE

This button is only available if more than one project is open.

Allows you to activate a project.

Project History

Allows you to undo/redo actions in the Project window.

Project Window Project Zone

Constrain Delay Compensation

Allows you to minimize the latency effects of the delay compensation.

Left Divider

Allows you to use the left divider. Tools that are placed to the left of the divider are always shown.

Media & MixConsole Windows

These buttons allow you to open or close the MediaBay, the Pool, the MixConsole, the Control Room(Cubase Pro only), and the Direct Offline Processing(Cubase Pro only).

Track Visibility Configurations

Allows you to create configurations that are useful for switching between different visibility setups.

State Buttons

These buttons show the mute, solo, listen, and automation states.

Automation Mode(Cubase Pro only)

Shows the automation mode and allows you to open the Automation Panel. Activate Automation Follows Events if you want your automation events to follow automatically when you move an event or part on a track.

Auto-Scroll

Allows you to keep the project cursor visible during playback.

Locators

Allows you to go to the left or right locator position, and to set the left and right locator position numerically.

Shows the left and right locator positions.

Transport Buttons

Shows the main transport controls.

External Sync State

Allows you to activate/deactivate external synchronization and to open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog.

Arranger Controls

Shows the controls for the arranger track.

Project Window Project Zone

Time Display

Shows the position of the project cursor in the selected time format.

Markers

Allows you to set and locate marker positions.

Tool Buttons

Shows the buttons for editing in the project zone.

Color Menu

Allows you to define the project colors.

Nudge Palette

Allows you to nudge or trim events or parts.

Project Root Key

Allows you to change the root key of the project.

Snap to Zero Crossing

If this option is activated, it finds zero crossings when you split and size audio events.

Snap On/Off

Allows you to activate/deactivate snap to restrict horizontal movement and positioning to certain positions.

Snap Type

Allows you to specify to what positions you want events to snap.

Grid Type

Allows you to specify a grid type for the snap function. This setting only has effect if

Snap Type is set to one of the grid options.

Quantize

Allows you to move recorded audio or MIDI to musical relevant positions.

System Performance Meter

Shows the meters for ASIO time usage and hard disk transfer load.

Project Window Project Zone

Right Divider

Allows you to use the right divider. Tools that are placed to the right of the divider are always shown.

Window Zone Controls

Allows you to show or hide the left zone, the lower zone, and the right zone of the Project window. The Setup Window Layout pop-up menu allows you to show or hide the status line, the info line, the overview line, and the Transport.

Set Up Toolbar

Opens a pop-up menu where you can set up which toolbar elements are visible.

RELATED LINKS

Left/Right Toolbar Divider on page 44 Snap Types on page 80 Arranger Track on page 289 Markers on page 306 Automation on page 602 Synchronization on page 940

Left/Right Toolbar Divider

The left and right toolbar dividers allow you to lock the position of specific tools at the left or at the right side of the toolbar, so that they are always shown.

All other items are shown in the center of the toolbar. When you reduce the width of the Project window, these toolbar items are hidden successively. When you increase the width, they are shown again.

Toolbox

The toolbox makes the editing tools from the toolbar available at the mouse pointer position. It can be opened instead of the standard context menus in the event display and editors.

● To activate the toolbox function, activate Pop-up Toolbox on Right-Click in the Preferences dialog (Editing—Tools page).

● To open the toolbox, right-click in the event display or editor.

If Pop-up Toolbox on Right-Click is deactivated, the context menu opens.

● To open the context menu instead of the toolbox, press any modifier key and right-click in the event display or editor.

If Pop-up Toolbox on Right-Click is deactivated, press any modifier key to open the toolbox instead of the context menu.

● To change the number of rows in which the tools are arranged on the toolbox, keep the right mouse button pressed on the toolbox until the mouse pointer changes to a double arrow, and drag to the bottom or right.

Project Window Project Zone

Track List

The track list shows the tracks that are used in the project. When a track is added and selected, it contains name fields and settings for this track.

●

To decide which controls are visible for each track type, right-click the track list and open the Track Controls Settings dialog.

RELATED LINKS

Track Control Settings on page 97

Dividing the Track List

You can divide the track list into an upper track list and a lower track list. These track lists can have independent zoom and scroll controls.

Dividing the track list is useful if you are working with a video track and multi-track audio, for example. It allows you to place the video track in the upper track list and to scroll the audio tracks separately in the lower track list, so that they can be arranged with the video.

●

To divide the track list, select Project> Divide Track List.

You can also click Divide Track List in the top right corner of the Project window below the ruler.

Video, marker, or arranger tracks are automatically moved to the upper track list. All other track types are moved to the lower track list.

●

To move any type of track from the lower track list to the upper and vice versa, right-click it in the track list and select Toggle Track List from the context menu.

●

To resize the upper part of the track list, click and drag the divider between the track list sections.

●

To revert to a single track list, click Divide Track List again.

Project Window Project Zone

Event Display

The event display shows the parts and events that are used in the project. They are positioned along the timeline.

Global Track Controls

The global track controls above the track list allows you to manage the tracks in the track list.

1 Filter Track Types

Allows you to determine which track types are shown in the track list.

2 Number of Visible Tracks

Displays how many tracks are hidden. Click this, to show all tracks that are filtered out with the Track Visibility.

NOTE

If the track was outside the view or hidden, it is now shown. Tracks that are hidden using

Filter Track Types are not shown.

3 Add Track

Allows you to add tracks to the track list.

4 Find Tracks

Allows you to find and select a specific track in the track list.

Project Window Project Zone

RELATED LINKS

Opening the Track Visibility on page 59

Filtering Track Types

PROCEDURE

1. Click Filter Track Types above the track list.

This opens the track types filter.

2. Uncheck a track type to hide it.

RESULT

Tracks of the filtered type are removed from the track list and the color of the Filter Track Types button changes to indicate that a track type is hidden.

Finding Tracks

The Find Tracks function allows you to find specific tracks. This is useful if you have a large project with many tracks or if you have hidden tracks using the track visibility features.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Find Tracks above the track list, to open a selector that lists all tracks.

2. In the search field, enter the name of the track.

3. In the selector, select the track and press Return.

RESULT

The selector closes and the track is selected in the track list.

NOTE

If the track was outside the view or hidden, it is now shown. Tracks that are hidden using Filter Track Types are not shown.

As you type, the selector updates automatically.

Ruler

The ruler shows the timeline and the display format of the project.

Initially, the Project window ruler uses the display format that is specified in the Project Setup dialog.

Project Window Project Zone

●

To select an independent display format for the ruler, click the arrow button to the right of the ruler and select an option from the pop-up menu.

●

To set the display format globally for all windows, use the primary display format pop-up on the Transport panel, or hold down Ctrl/Cmd and select a display format in any ruler.

RELATED LINKS

Project Setup Dialog on page 88

Ruler Display Formats

You can select a display format for the ruler.

● To select a new display format for the ruler, click the arrow button to the right of the ruler and select an option from the pop-up menu.

The selection that you make affects the time display formats in the following areas:

● Ruler

● Info line

● Tooltip position values

The following options are available:

Bars+Beats

Bars, beats, sixteenth notes, and ticks. By default, there are 120 ticks per sixteenth note. To change this, adjust the MIDI Display Resolution setting in the Preferences dialog (MIDI page).

Seconds

Hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.

Timecode

Hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. The number of frames per second (fps) is set in the Project Setup dialog with the Frame Rate pop-up menu. To display subframes, activate Show Timecode Subframes in the Preferences dialog (Transport page).

Samples

Samples.

fps (User)

Hours, minutes, seconds, and frames, with a user-definable number of frames per second. To display subframes, activate Show Timecode Subframes in the

Preferences dialog (Transport page). You can also set the number of fps.

Time Linear

Sets the ruler linear to time.

Bars+Beats Linear

Sets the ruler linear to bars and beats.

Project Window Project Zone

Status Line

The status line shows the most important project settings.

To activate the status line, click Set up Window Layout on the toolbar and activate Status Line.

The following information is shown on the status line:

Audio Inputs/Audio Outputs

These fields are shown if the audio device ports are not connected. Click to open the

Audio Connections dialog and connect the ports.

Max. Record Time

Displays the remaining time for recording, depending on your project settings and the available hard disk space. Click in this field to display the remaining record time in a separate window.

Info Line

Record Format

Displays the sample rate and the bit resolution used for recording. Click in this field to open the Project Setup dialog.

Project Frame Rate

Displays the frame rate used in the project. Click in this field to open the Project Setup dialog.

Project Pan Law

Displays the current pan law setting. Click in this field to open the Project Setup dialog.

The info line shows information about the event or part that you selected in the project zone.

To activate the info line, click Set up Window Layout on the toolbar and activate Info Line.

Editing on the Info Line

You can edit almost all event or part data on the info line using regular value editing.

If you select several events or parts, the info line is shown in another color and only the information about the first item in the selection is displayed. The following rules apply:

●

Value changes are applied to all selected elements, relatively to the current values.

Project Window Project Zone

●

Overview Line

The overview line allows you to zoom and navigate to other sections in the project.

To activate the overview line, click Set up Window Layout on the toolbar and activate Overview Line.

For example, you have selected two audio events. The first event has a length of 1 bar, the second of 2 bars. If you change the info line value to 3, the first event is resized to 3 bars and the second event to 4 bars.

Value changes are applied absolutely to the current values if you press Ctrl/Cmd while modifying the value on the info line.

In the example above, both events are resized to 3 bars.

NOTE

To change the modifier, select a new modifier in the Info Line category of the Preferences dialog (Editing—Tool Modifiers page).

Transport

In the overview line, events and parts are displayed as boxes. A rectangle indicates the section of the project that is displayed in the event display.

●

To zoom the event display in or out horizontally, resize the rectangle by dragging the edges.

●

To navigate to another section of the event display, drag the rectangle to the left or right, or click in the upper part of the overview.

The Transport allows display the transport functions in an integrated and fixed zone of the Project window.

● To activate the Transport, click Set up Window Layout on the Project window toolbar and activate Transport.

● To show/hide tools, open the Transport context menu by right-clicking in an empty area of the Transport and activate the tools that you want to display. To show all tools, select Show All.

The following options are available:

Constrain Delay Compensation

Allows you to minimize the latency effects of the delay compensation.

Project Window Project Zone

Common Record Modes

Allow you to determine what happens if you click Record during an audio or MIDI recording.

Audio Record Modes

Allow you to select what happens when you record over existing audio events.

MIDI Record Modes

Allow you to select what happens when you record over existing MIDI parts.

Left Divider

Allows you to use the left divider. Tools that are placed to the left of the divider are always shown.

System Performance Meter

Shows the meters for ASIO time usage and hard disk transfer load.

Locators

Allows you to go to the left or right locator position, and to set the left and right locator position numerically.

Punch Points

Allows you to activate/deactivate Punch In and Punch Out. These points determine the record start and stop positions.

The section to the right of the punch buttons allows you to set up the punch positions numerically. For this to work, Lock Punch Points to Locators must be deactivated. You can hide/show that section by clicking the points on the divider.

Main Transport

Shows the main transport controls.

Time Displays

Shows the time display options.

Pre-roll & Post-roll

Allows you to activate/deactivate pre-roll and post-roll, and to set the values numerically.

Tempo & Time Signature

Project Window Left Zone

Allows you to activate/deactivate the tempo track, and to set the tempo value and the first time signature value numerically.

External Sync State

Allows you to activate/deactivate external synchronization and to open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog.

Click & Count-In & Click Pattern

Allows you to activate/deactivate the metronome click, the metronome click in countin, and the click pattern.

Right Divider

Allows you to use the right divider. Tools that are placed to the right of the divider are always shown.

Input/Output Activity

Left Zone

Allows you to monitor the MIDI input/output signals, the audio input/output signals, and allows you to control the output level.

RELATED LINKS

Common Record Modes on page 239 Audio Record Modes on page 244 MIDI Record Modes on page 250 Left/Right Toolbar Divider on page 44

The left zone of the Project window allows you to display the Inspector and the Visibility.

To show/hide the left zone, click Show/Hide Left Zone on the Project window toolbar.

The top of the left zone features two tabs: Inspector and Visibility.

Project Window Left Zone

Inspector

RELATED LINKS

Inspector on page 53 Visibility on page 59

The Inspector allows you to show controls and parameters for either the selected track in the track list or the event or part that is shown in the editor in the lower zone.

If the Inspector tab is activated at the top of the left zone, the bottom of the left zone features two tabs: Track and Editor.

●

Click the Track tab to open the Track Inspector for the selected track.

●

Click the Editor tab to open the Editor Inspector for the event or part that is shown in the editor in the lower zone.

Project Window Left Zone

RELATED LINKS

Opening the Track Inspector on page 54 Opening the Editor Inspector on page 55 Opening the Editor in the Lower Zone on page 65

Opening the Track Inspector

The Track Inspector shows controls and parameters for the selected track in the track list.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Show/Hide Left Zone on the Project window toolbar to activate the Left Zone.

2. At the bottom of the left zone, click the Track tab.

Project Window Left Zone

RESULT

The Track Inspector for the selected track in the track list is opened. If more than one track is selected, the controls and parameters for the topmost selected track are shown.

Opening the Editor Inspector

The Editor Inspector shows controls and parameters for the event or part that is shown in the editor in the lower zone.

PREREQUISITE

The Sample Editor, the Key Editor, the Drum Editor or the Score Editor is shown in the lower zone.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Show/Hide Left Zone on the Project window toolbar to activate the Left Zone.

2. At the bottom of the left zone, click the Editor tab.

Project Window Left Zone

RESULT

The Editor Inspector for the event or part that is shown in the editor in the lower zone is opened.

NOTE

The Editor Inspector only contains information if the lower zone shows an editor. Otherwise, it is empty.

RELATED LINKS

Opening the Editor in the Lower Zone on page 65

Selecting a different Inspector for the Score Editor(Cubase Pro only)

The Score Editor Inspector allows you to select the following tabs: Inspector and Symbols.

PREREQUISITE

The Score Editor is shown in the lower zone.

PROCEDURE

1. At the bottom of the left zone, click the Editor tab.

2. Select an option from the Switch Score Editor Inspector Content pop-up menu.

Project Window Left Zone

RESULT

The selected Inspector is shown.

RELATED LINKS

Key Editor Inspector on page 715

Inspector Sections

The Track Inspector and the Editor Inspector are divided into a number of sections that each contain different controls for the track, event or part.

Not all Inspector sections are shown by default. The available sections depend on the type of the selected track, event, or part, and on the settings in the setup dialog for the Track Inspector/Editor Inspector.

●

To open/close sections, click their names.

Opening one section closes the other sections.

●

To open a section without closing the other sections, Ctrl/Cmd-click the section name.

RELATED LINKS

Inspector Settings Dialog on page 57 Audio Track Inspector on page 99 Instrument Track Inspector on page 106 MIDI Track Inspector on page 113 Sampler Track Inspector on page 120 Arranger Track Inspector on page 126 Marker Track Inspector on page 142 Signature Track Inspector on page 144 Tempo Track Inspector on page 146 Transpose Track Inspector on page 147 VCA Fader Track Inspector on page 148 Video Track Inspector on page 150 Key Editor Inspector on page 715 Drum Editor Inspector on page 758 Sample Editor Inspector on page 452

Inspector Settings Dialog

The Inspector settings dialogs allow you to set up the sections that are available in the Track Inspector and the Editor Inspector.

●

To open the Setup dialog for the Track Inspector settings, click Setup Inspector in the Track Inspector, and from the pop-up menu select Setup.

Project Window Left Zone

●

To open the Setup dialog for the Editor Inspector settings, click Setup Inspector in the Editor Inspector, and from the pop-up menu select Setup.

NOTE

This is only available for the Key Editor, the Drum Editor and the Score Editor.

Hidden Items

Displays sections that are hidden in the Inspector.

Visible Items

Displays sections that are visible in the Inspector.

If you activate Pin by clicking the column for a section the open/close status of the selected Inspector section is pinned.

Add

Allows you to move an item selected in the hidden sections list to the list of visible sections.

Project Window Left Zone

Visibility

Remove

Allows you to move an item selected in the visible sections list to the list of hidden sections.

Move Up/Move Down

Allows you to change the order of an item in the list of visible sections.

Presets

Allows you to save Inspector section settings as presets.

Reset All

Allows you to restore the default Inspector section settings.

The Visibility Inspector allows you to show or hide individual tracks from the track list and to determine the position of certain MixConsole channels in the lower zone.

If the Visibility tab is activated at the top of the left zone, the bottom of the left zone features two tabs: Track and Zones.

●

Activate the Track tab to open the Track Visibility that allows you to show or hide individual tracks from the track list.

●

Activate the Zones tab to open the Zones Visibility that allows you to determine and lock the position of certain MixConsole channels in the lower zone.

RELATED LINKS

Opening MixConsole in the Lower Zone on page 64

Opening the Track Visibility

The Track Visibility allows you to show or hide individual tracks from the track list.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Show/Hide Left Zone on the Project window toolbar to activate the Left Zone.

2. At the top of the left zone, click the Visibility tab.

3. At the bottom of the left zone, click the Track tab.

Project Window Left Zone

RESULT

The Track Visibility for your project is shown.

RELATED LINKS

Showing/Hiding Individual Tracks on page 60

Showing/Hiding Individual Tracks

The Track Visibility shows a list of all tracks of your project. This list allows you to show and hide individual tracks.

●

To show/hide a track in the track list, check/uncheck it by clicking to the left of the track name.

●

To activate/deactivate several tracks at the same time, select them and press Return.

●

To show a hidden track exclusively, check it by Shift-clicking to the left of the track name.

●

To expand or collapse a folder, click the triangle to the left of a folder track.

NOTE

●

The channels of the MixConsole in the lower zone are updated accordingly. This means that if you hide a track with the Track Visibility, the channel corresponding to that track is also hidden in the MixConsole in the lower zone.

●

If you want to synchronize the track and the channel visibility in a separate MixConsole window, you must use the Sync Track/Channel Visibility function.

RELATED LINKS

Synchronizing Track and Channel Visibility on page 61

Project Window Left Zone

Synchronizing Track and Channel Visibility

You can synchronize the track visibility in the Project window with the channel visibility in a separate MixConsole window.

PROCEDURE

1. At the top of the left zone, open the Visibility tab.

2. At the bottom of the left zone, open the Track tab.

3. Click the equals sign to open the Sync Visibility of Project and MixConsole: On/Off

menu.

4. Select Sync Project and MixConsole to synchronize the track visibility with the channel visibility.

RESULT

The track and channel visibility are synchronized.

NOTE

● You can only synchronize the track visibility in the Project window with the channel visibility of one MixConsole. If you enable Sync Visibility of Project and MixConsole: On/ Off for a second MixConsole, the first link is lost.

● If you divide the track list, the top part of the list is not affected. Likewise, channels in the left or right zones of the MixConsole are not synchronized.

RELATED LINKS

Synchronizing Channel and Track Visibility on page 322

Opening the Zones Visibility

The Zones Visibility allows to determine and lock the position of certain MixConsole channels in the lower zone.

PROCEDURE

1. At the top of the left zone, click the Visibility tab.

2. At the bottom of the left zone, click the Zones tab.

Project Window Lower Zone

RESULT

The MixConsole is opened in the lower zone, and the Zones Visibility for the MixConsole in the lower zone is shown in the left zone.

RELATED LINKS

Opening MixConsole in the Lower Zone on page 64

Lower Zone

The lower zone of the Project window allows you to display specific windows and editors in an integrated and fixed zone of the Project window. This is useful if you work on single screen systems and notebooks, for example.

To show/hide the lower zone, click Show/Hide Lower Zone on the Project window toolbar.

The lower zone features the following tabs: Chord Pads, MixConsole, Sampler Control, and Editor.

To close the lower zone, click Close Lower Zone to the left of the tabs.

Project Window Lower Zone

RELATED LINKS

Opening Chord Pads on page 63 Opening MixConsole in the Lower Zone on page 64 Opening Sampler Control on page 65 Opening the Editor in the Lower Zone on page 65

Setting up the Lower Zone

In the lower zone, the tabs MixConsole, Editor, Sampler Control, and Chord Pads are shown. You can change the order of these tabs, and you can hide tabs that you do not need.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Set up Lower Zone in the bottom right of the lower zone.

2. Do one of the following:

●

Activate/Deactivate the options in the pop-up menu to show/hide tabs from the lower zone.

●

Select Setup to open a dialog where you can activate/deactivate the tabs and change their position.

NOTE

In the Presets section of this dialog you can also save a preset of your tab configuration.

RESULT

The tabs in the lower zone are shown according to your configuration.

Opening Chord Pads

Chord Pads allow you to play with chords, and to change their voicings and tensions.

PREREQUISITE

The Chord Pads tab is activated in the Lower Zone Setup.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Show/Hide Lower Zone on the Project window toolbar to activate the lower zone.

2. At the bottom of the lower zone, click the Chord Pads tab.

Project Window Lower Zone

RESULT

The Chord Pads are opened.

RELATED LINKS

Chord Pads on page 834 Setting up the Lower Zone on page 63

Opening MixConsole in the Lower Zone

The MixConsole in the lower zone allows you to perform all basic mixing procedures from within the lower zone of the Project window, and at the same time to see the context of your tracks and events.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Show/Hide Lower Zone on the Project window toolbar to activate the lower zone.

2. At the bottom of the lower zone, click the MixConsole tab.

Project Window Lower Zone

RESULT

The MixConsole is opened in the lower zone.

RELATED LINKS

MixConsole in Lower Zone on page 316

Opening Sampler Control

Sampler Control allows you display and edit the waveform of an audio sample on a sampler

track.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Show/Hide Lower Zone on the Project window toolbar to activate the lower zone.

2. At the bottom of the lower zone, click the Sampler Control tab.

RESULT

Sampler Control is opened.

RELATED LINKS

Controlling Sample Playback with Sampler Tracks on page 515

Opening the Editor in the Lower Zone

The Editor in the lower zone allows you to perform event editing procedures from within the lower zone of the Project window, and at the same time to see the context of your tracks and events.

NOTE

By default, double-clicking an audio event/part or a MIDI part in the event display or selecting it and pressing Return opens the corresponding editor in the lower zone of the Project window. Using a menu command opens a separate editor window. You can change this in the Preferences dialog (Editors page).

PROCEDURE

1. Click Show/Hide Lower Zone on the Project window toolbar to activate the lower zone.

2. At the bottom of the lower zone, click the Editor tab.

3. In the event display, do one of the following:

●

Select a MIDI part.

●

Select an audio event.

●

Select an audio part.

Project Window Lower Zone

RESULT

Depending on your event or part selection the lower zone shows either the Audio Part Editor, the Sample Editor or one of the MIDI Editors.

NOTE

To change the default MIDI editor, select MIDI> Set up Editor Preferences, and select an option from the Default MIDI Editor pop-up menu.

NOTE

If you open the editor and no event or part is selected, the editor in the lower zone is empty.

RELATED LINKS

Selecting a different MIDI Editor on page 66

Selecting a different MIDI Editor

You can display the MIDI part that is opened in the editor in the lower zone in a different MIDI editor. To do this, you do not necessarily need to change the default MIDI editor.

PROCEDURE

1. On the Editor tab in the editor in the lower zone, click Select MIDI Editor.

2. Select an editor from the pop-up menu.

Project Window Lower Zone

RESULT

The MIDI part is displayed in the selected editor.

NOTE

This selection is temporary. Next time you open the MIDI part, the default MIDI editor is used.

Link Project and Lower Zone Editor Cursors

You can link cursors and zoom factors of the project zone and the Key Editor, Drum Editor, and the Audio Part Editor in the lower zone.

NOTE

The ruler display format setting is not affected by this function. You can still select different ruler display formats for the project zone and the editor in the lower zone.

Project Window Right Zone

If you activate Link Project and Lower Zone Editor Cursors, the cursors and zoom factors are linked in the event displays of the project zone and the lower zone. This is useful if you edit in both zones and you want to keep the same position in view.

NOTE

In the Key Commands dialog in the Edit category, you can assign a key command for this.

RELATED LINKS

Ruler on page 47 Ruler Display Formats on page 48 Zooming in the Project Window on page 75

Right Zone

The right zone of the Project window allows you to display the VSTi rack, the Media rack, the Control Room rack(Cubase Pro only), and the Meter rack(Cubase Pro only).

To show/hide the right zone, click Show/Hide Right Zone on the Project window toolbar.

The top of the right zone features the following tabs: VSTi, Media, CR(Cubase Pro only), and Meter(Cubase Pro only).

Project Window Right Zone

NOTE

You can show/hide specific tabs from the right zone by right-clicking a tab header and activating/ deactivating the options in the context menu.

RELATED LINKS

VSTi Rack in the Right Zone on page 70 Media Rack in the Right Zone on page 72

Opening the VSTi Rack in the Right Zone

You can show the VSTi rack in the right zone of the Project window. This allows you to add and edit VST instruments, and at the same time to see the context of your tracks and events.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Show/Hide Right Zone on the Project window toolbar to activate the Right Zone.

2. At the top of the right zone, click the VSTi tab.

RESULT

The VSTi rack is opened in the right zone of the Project window.

RELATED LINKS

VSTi Rack in the Right Zone on page 70

Project Window Right Zone

VST Instruments on page 624

VSTi Rack in the Right Zone

The VSTi rack in the right zone of the Project window allow you to add and edit VST instruments in the context of the Project window.

The following sections are available:

● Track

Shows the associated VST instrument for an instrument track.

● Rack

Shows a VST instrument.

The following controls are available:

1 Add Track Instrument

Opens the Add Instrument Track dialog that allows you to select an instrument and add an instrument track that is associated to this instrument.

2 Find Instruments

Opens a selector that allows you to find a loaded instrument.

3 Set Remote-Control Focus for VST Quick Controls to Previous/Next Instrument

Allows you to set the remote-control focus to the next/previous instrument.

4 Show/Hide all VST Quick Controls

Shows/Hides the default quick controls for all loaded instruments.

5 Settings

Opens the Settings menu where you can activate/deactivate the following modes:

● Show VST Quick Controls for One Slot Only shows the VST Quick Controls

exclusively for the selected instrument.

● MIDI Channel follows track selection ensures that the Channel selector follows

the MIDI track selection in the Project window. Use this mode if you work with multitimbral instruments.

● Remote-Control Focus for VST Quick Controls follows track selection ensures

that the VST Quick Control remote-control focus follows the track selection.

RELATED LINKS

VST Instruments Window on page 626

Project Window Right Zone

Opening the Media Rack in the Right Zone

You can show the Media rack in the right zone of the Project window. This allows you to see the context of your tracks and events when you drag audio events, MIDI parts, presets, or instruments into the Project window.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Show/Hide Right Zone on the Project window toolbar to activate the Right Zone.

2. At the top of the right zone, click the Media tab.

RESULT

The Media rack is opened in the right zone of the Project window.

RELATED LINKS

Media Rack in the Right Zone on page 72 MediaBay on page 546

Project Window Right Zone

Media Rack in the Right Zone

The Media rack in the right zone of the Project window allows you to drag audio events, MIDI parts, or instrument presets into the event display. It lists Steinberg factory content and any installed Steinberg content sets.

The Media rack Home page is divided into several sections:

Allows you to search media files by name or by attribute.

Navigation Controls

Allow you to go back to the previous page, to the Home page , or to any subpage.

Show All Items

Shows the Results page for a selected tile. If no tile is selected, all media files are shown.

Instruments Tile

Shows all included VST instruments.

Loops & Samples Tile

Shows audio loops, MIDI loops, or instrument sounds ordered by content set.

Presets Tile

Shows track presets, strip presets, pattern banks, FX chain presets, and VST FX presets.

User Presets Tile

Shows track presets, strip presets, pattern banks, FX chain presets, VST FX presets, and instrument presets that are listed in the User Content folder.

Favorites Tile

Shows your favorite folders and allows you to add new favorites. The folder content is automatically added to the MediaBay database.

Project Window Right Zone

File Browser Tile

Shows your file system and the pre-defined folders Favorites, This Computer, VST Sound, Factory Content, and User Content where you can search for media files

and access them immediately.

RELATED LINKS

Favorites Section on page 555 Media Rack in Right Zone on page 546 MediaBay on page 546

Opening the Control Room in the Right Zone(Cubase Pro only)

You can show the Control Room in the right zone of the Project window.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Show/Hide Right Zone on the Project window toolbar to activate the Right Zone.

2. At the top of the right zone, click the CR tab.

RESULT

The Control Room is opened in the right zone of the Project window. It has exactly the same features as the Control Room that you open from the Studio menu as a separate window.

RELATED LINKS

Control Room(Cubase Pro only) on page 371

Opening the Meter in the Right Zone(Cubase Pro only)

You can show the Meter in the right zone of the Project window.

PROCEDURE

1. Click Show/Hide Right Zone on the Project window toolbar to activate the Right Zone.

2. At the top of the right zone, click the Meter tab.

Project Window Keyboard Focus in the Project Window

RESULT

The Meter is opened in the right zone of the Project window. It has exactly the same features as the Meter that you open in the right zone of the MixConsole.

RELATED LINKS

Metering and Loudness (Cubase Pro only) on page 384

Keyboard Focus in the Project Window

The different zones in the Project window can be controlled by using key commands. To make sure that a key command has effect on a specific zone, you must make sure that this zone has the keyboard focus.

The following Project window zones can have the keyboard focus:

●

Project zone

●

Left zone

●

Lower zone

●

Right zone

If a zone has the keyboard focus, the border that surrounds it is highlighted in a specific color.

NOTE

You can change the focus color in the Preferences dialog (User Interface—Custom Colors page).

RELATED LINKS

Project Zone on page 40 Left Zone on page 52

Project Window Zooming in the Project Window

Lower Zone on page 62 Right Zone on page 68 Project Window on page 39

Activating Keyboard Focus for a Zone

You can activate the keyboard focus for a zone by clicking with the mouse and by using key commands.

PROCEDURE

● Do one of the following:

●

To activate any zone, click in it.

●

To activate the next zone, press Tab. This allows you to cycle forward through the zones.

●

To activate the previous zone, press Shift-Tab.

NOTE

The editor in the lower zone automatically gets the keyboard focus if you double-click an event or part in the event display, if you select an event or part and press Return, or if you use key commands to open the zone.

RESULT

The keyboard focus is activated for this zone and the border of the zone is highlighted.

NOTE

The project zone and the lower zone have separate toolbars and info lines. If you use the toolbar or the info line for one of these zones, the corresponding zone automatically gets the focus.

RELATED LINKS

Customizing the User Interface Colors on page 999

Zooming in the Project Window

You can zoom in the Project window according to the standard zoom techniques.

NOTE

If screen redraws are slow on your system, consider activating Quick Zoom in the Preferences dialog (Editing page).

Zooming Horizontally

● Select the Zoom tool and click in the event display to zoom in. To zoom out, hold down Alt and click.

● Use the horizontal zoom sliders to zoom in and out.

● Click the lower half of the ruler and drag down to zoom in horizontally. Click the lower half of the ruler and drag up to zoom out horizontally.

● Click H to zoom in horizontally. Click G to zoom out horizontally.

Project Window Zooming in the Project Window

NOTE

If the Grid Type in the Project window toolbar is set to Adapt to Zoom, the horizontal zoom level affects the grid and snap resolution in the event display.

Zooming Vertically

● Select the Zoom tool, click in the event display, and drag a selection rectangle to zoom in vertically and horizontally.

NOTE

For this to work, you must deactivate the Zoom Tool Standard Mode: Horizontal Zooming Only option in the Preferences dialog (Editing—Tools page).

● Use the vertical zoom sliders to zoom in and out. If you have made any individual track height adjustments, the relative height differences are maintained.

● Click Shift-H to zoom in vertically. Click Shift-G to zoom out vertically.

RELATED LINKS

Zoom Submenu on page 76 Zoom Presets on page 77 Zooming In On Cycle Markers on page 78 Zoom History on page 79 Link Project and Lower Zone Editor Cursors on page 67 Grid Types on page 81

Zooming in on Audio Contents

You can zoom in vertically on the contents of audio parts and events. This is useful when viewing quiet audio passages.

PROCEDURE

● Click the waveform zoom slider in the top right corner of the event display and drag up.

RESULT

The contents of audio parts and events in your project are zoomed in vertically.

AFTER COMPLETING THIS TASK

To get an approximate reading on the level of the audio events by viewing the waveforms, zoom out by dragging the slider is all the way down again. Otherwise, zoomed waveforms may be mistaken for clipped audio.

Zoom Submenu

The Zoom submenu contains options for zooming in the Project window.

● To open the Zoom submenu, select Edit> Zoom.

The following options are available:

Project Window Zooming in the Project Window

Zoom In/Out

Zooms in/out one step, centering on the project cursor.

Zoom Full

Zooms out so that the whole project is visible. The whole project means the timeline from the project start to the length set in the Project Setup dialog.

Zoom to Selection

Zooms in horizontally and vertically so that the current selection fills the screen.

Zoom to Selection (Horiz.)

Zooms in horizontally so that the current selection fills the screen.

Zoom to Event

This option is available in the Sample Editor and in some MIDI editors.

Zoom In/Out Vertically

Zooms in/out one step vertically.

Zoom In/Out Tracks

Zooms the selected tracks in/out one step vertically.

Zoom Selected Tracks

Undo/Redo Zoom

RELATED LINKS

Zoom Submenu on page 457

Zoom Presets

You can create zoom presets that allow you to set up different zoom settings. For example, one where the whole project is displayed in the Project window and another with a high zoom factor for detailed editing. The Zoom Presets pop-up menu allows you to select, create, and organize zoom presets.

●

This zooms in vertically on the selected tracks and minimizes the height of all other tracks.

These options allow you to undo/redo the last zoom operation.

To open the Zoom Presets pop-up menu, click the button to the left of the horizontal zoom control.

The upper part of the menu lists the zoom presets.

Project Window Zooming in the Project Window

●

To save the current zoom setting as a preset, open the Zoom Presets pop-up menu and select Add. In the Type In Preset Name dialog that opens, type in a name for the preset and click OK.

●

To select and apply a preset, select it from the Zoom Presets pop-up menu.

●

To zoom out so that the whole project is visible, open the Zoom Presets pop-up menu and select Zoom Full.

This displays the project from the project start to the length that is set in the Project Setup dialog.

●

To delete a preset, open the Zoom Presets pop-up menu and select Organize. In the dialog that opens, select the preset in the list and click Delete.

●

To rename a preset, open the Zoom Presets pop-up menu and select Organize. In the dialog that opens, select a preset in the list and click Rename. In the dialog that opens, type in a new name for the preset. Click OK to close the dialogs.

IMPORTANT

Zoom presets are global for all projects. They are available in all projects that you open or create.

Zooming In On Cycle Markers

You can zoom in on the area between cycle markers in the project.

●

To zoom in on a cycle marker, click the button to the left of the horizontal zoom control to open the Zoom Presets pop-up menu and select a cycle marker.

The middle part of the Zoom Presets pop-up menu lists any cycle markers that you have added to the project.

NOTE

Only the cycle markers that you create in the current project are available on the menu.

If you select a cycle marker, the event display is zoomed in to encompass the marker area.

You cannot edit the cycle markers in the Zoom Presets pop-up menu.

RELATED LINKS

Markers Window on page 307

Project Window Snap Function

Zoom History

You can undo and redo zoom operations. This way you can zoom in several steps and then easily go back to the zoom stage at which you started.

You can undo and redo zoom operations in the following ways:

●

To undo zoom, select Edit> Zoom> Undo Zoom or double-click with the zoom tool.

●

To redo zoom, select Edit> Zoom> Redo Zoom or press Alt and double-click with the zoom tool.

Snap Function

The Snap function helps you to find exact positions when editing in the Project window. It does this by restricting horizontal movement and positioning to certain positions. Operations affected by Snap include moving, copying, drawing, sizing, splitting, range selection, etc.

●

To activate/deactivate Snap, activate/deactivate the Snap icon on the toolbar.

Setting the Snap Point

You can set the snap point at any position of the audio event.

PROCEDURE

1. Select an event.

2. Place the project cursor at a position within the selected audio event.

3. Select Audio> Snap Point To Cursor.

RESULT

The snap point is set at the cursor position. The snap point for an event is displayed as a vertical line in the Project window.

NOTE

You can also set the snap point in the Sample Editor.

RELATED LINKS

Adjusting the Snap Point on page 464

Snap to Zero Crossing

When splitting and sizing audio events, sudden amplitude changes can cause pops and clicks. To avoid this, you can activate Snap to Zero Crossing to snap to points where the amplitude is zero.

● To activate Snap to Zero Crossing, activate Snap to Zero Crossing on the toolbar.

Project Window Snap Function

Snap Types

You can select between different snap types to determine the snap point.

● To select a snap type, open the Snap Type pop-up menu.

The following snap types are available:

Grid

If this option is activated, the snap points are set with the Grid Type pop-up menu. The options depend on the display format that is selected for the ruler.

If you select Seconds as ruler format, time-based grid options are available.

If you select Bars+Beats as a ruler format, musical grid options are available.

Grid Relative

If this option is activated, events and parts are not magnetic to the grid. Rather, the grid determines the step size for moving the events. This means that a moved event keeps its original position relative to the grid.

For example, if an event starts at the position 3.04.01, snap is set to Grid Relative and the Grid Type pop-up menu is set to Bar, you can move the event in steps of one bar to the positions 4.04.01, 5.04.01, and so on.

NOTE

This only applies when dragging existing events or parts. When you create new events or parts this snap type works like Grid.

Events

If this option is activated, the start and end positions of other events and parts become magnetic. This means that if you drag an event to a position near the start or end of another event, it is automatically aligned with the start or end of the other event.

For audio events, the position of the snap point is also magnetic. This includes marker events on the marker track.

Shuffle

Shuffle is useful when you want to change the order of adjacent events. If you have two adjacent events and drag the first one to the right, past the second event, the two events will change places.

Project Window Snap Function

The same principle works when changing the order of more than two events.

Magnetic Cursor

This grid type lets the project cursor become magnetic. Dragging an event near the cursor causes the event to be aligned with the cursor position.

Grid + Cursor

This is a combination of Grid and Magnetic Cursor.

Events + Cursor

This is a combination of Events and Magnetic Cursor.

Events + Grid + Cursor

This is a combination of Events, Grid, and Magnetic Cursor.

Grid Types

Allows you to specify a grid type that determines the grid and snap resolution in the event display.

NOTE

This setting only has an effect if Snap Type is set to one of the grid options.

● To select a grid type, open the Grid Type pop-up menu.

The following grid types are available:

Bar

Sets the grid and snap resolution to bars.

Beat

Sets the grid and snap resolution to beats.

Use Quantize

Sets the grid and snap resolution to the value that is activated in the Quantize Preset pop-up menu.

Adapt to Zoom

Sets the grid and snap resolution to the horizontal zoom level. The more you zoom in on the event display, the finer the resolution. High zoom levels allow you to snap to 64th notes, low zoom levels allow you to snap to bars.

NOTE

Adapt to Zoom is only available if Bars+Beats is set as a ruler display format.

Project Window Cross-Hair Cursor

If you activate Time Linear in the ruler context menu, the distances between the grid lines are still constant but based on musical values such as bars and beats.

RELATED LINKS

Snap Types on page 80 Zooming in the Project Window on page 75 Ruler Display Formats on page 48

Cross-Hair Cursor

The cross-hair cursor is displayed when working in the Project window and in the editors, facilitating navigation and editing, especially when arranging large projects.

●

You can set up the cross-hair cursor in the Preferences dialog (Editing—Tools page).

You can set up the colors for the line and the mask of the cross-hair cursor, and define its width.

The cross-hair cursor works as follows:

●

When the Object Selection tool or one of its subtools is selected, the cross-hair cursor appears when you start moving/copying a part/event, or when using the event trim handles.

Cross-hair cursor when moving an event.

●

When the Object Selection tool, the Cut tool, or any other tool that makes use of this function is selected, the cross-hair cursor appears as soon as you move the mouse over the event display.

●

The cross-hair cursor is only available for tools where such a function is of any use. The Mute tool, for example, does not use a cross-hair cursor, as you have to click directly on an event to mute it.

NOTE

If the Key Editor, Drum Editor or the Audio Part Editor is open in the lower zone of the Project window and Link Project and Lower Zone Cursors is activated, the cross-hair cursor is shown in the editor in the lower zone and in the Project window.

Edit History Dialog

The Edit History dialog contains a list of all your edits. This allows you to undo all actions in the Project window as well as in the editors.

● To open the Edit History dialog, select Edit> History.

Project Window Edit History Dialog

The Action column displays the name of the action while the Time column tells you when this action was performed. In the Details column further details are shown. Here you can enter new text by double-clicking in the column.

● To undo your actions, move the horizontal, colored line upwards to the desired position.

● To redo an action that was undone previously, move the line down the list again.

You can only undo your actions in reverse order, for example, the last performed action is the first action to be undone.

NOTE

● You can also undo applied plug-in effects (Cubase Pro only) or audio processes. However, we recommend to modify or delete these using the Direct Offline Processing window.

● All offline processing that you have applied permanently to the audio using the Make Direct Offline Processing Permanent function cannot be undone. Therefore, it is not shown in the Edit History dialog.

RELATED LINKS

Direct Offline Processing on page 416 Applying Offline Processing Permanently on page 424

Setting the Number of Maximum Undo Steps

You can limit the number of maximum undo steps. This is useful if you run out of memory, for example.

PROCEDURE

1. In the Preferences dialog, select General.

2. Set the number in the Maximum Undo Steps field.

In Cubase, projects are the central documents. You must create and set up a project to work with the program.

Creating New Projects

You can create empty projects or projects that are based on a template.

PROCEDURE

1. Select File> New Project.

Depending on your settings, either the Hub or the Project Assistant dialog opens.

2. In the location options section, select where to store the new project.

●

To use the default location, select Use default location.

●

To choose another location, select Prompt for project location.

3. Do one of the following:

●

To create an empty new project, click Create Empty.

●

To create a new project from a template, select a template and click Create.

Project Handling

RESULT

A new, untitled project is created. If you selected a template, the new project is based on this template and includes the corresponding tracks, events, and settings.

NOTE

If you create an empty project, your default presets for the input and output bus configurations are applied. If you have not defined default presets, the last used configurations are applied.

RELATED LINKS

Presets for Input and Output Busses on page 29

Project Handling Hub

Hub

When you start Cubase or create new projects using the File menu, the Hub opens. The Hub keeps you up to date with the latest information and assists you with organizing your projects. It consists of the News and Tutorials section and the Projects section.

News and Tutorials section

The News and Tutorials section displays Steinberg news, tutorial videos as well as links to the user forum, downloads, and the Help Center.

NOTE

Ensure that you have an active Internet connection to access this material.

Projects section

The Projects section lets you create new projects, which can either be empty or based on a template. It lets you specify where to save the projects. It also allows you to access recently opened projects or projects that are stored in other locations. This section offers the same functionality as the Project Assistant dialog.

Category bar

In this section, the available factory templates are sorted into the predefined categories Recording, Scoring, Production, and Mastering.

The Recent category contains a list of the recently opened projects.

The More category contains the default project template and all templates that are not assigned to any of the other categories.

Template list

When you click on one of the category items, the list below the category bar shows the available templates for this category. Any new templates that you create are added at the top of the corresponding list.

Location options

This section allows you to specify where the project is stored.

Open other

This button allows you to open any project file on your system. This is identical to using the Open command on the File menu.

Project Handling Project Assistant

RELATED LINKS

Project Assistant on page 86

Deactivating the Hub

To start Cubase or to create new projects without the Hub, you can deactivate it.

PROCEDURE

1. In the Preferences dialog, select General.

2. Deactivate Use Hub.

RESULT

Cubase starts without opening a project and opens the Project Assistant dialog when you create a new project using the File menu. However, you can still open the Hub through the Hub menu.

Project Assistant

When you deactivate the Hub and create new projects, the Project Assistant dialog opens. This dialog offers the same functions as the Projects section in the Hub.

Category bar

In this section, the available factory templates are sorted into the predefined categories Recording, Production, Scoring, and Mastering.

The Recent category contains a list of the recently opened projects.

The More category contains the default project template and all templates that are not assigned to any of the other categories.

Template list

When you click on one of the category items, the list below the category bar shows the available factory templates for this category. Any new templates that you create are added at the top of the corresponding list.

Location options

This section allows you to specify where the project is stored.

Open other

This button allows you to open any project file on your system. This is identical to using the Open command from the File menu.

About Project Files

A project file (extension *.cpr) is the central document in Cubase. A project file contains references to media data that can be saved in the project folder.

NOTE

We recommend to save files only in the project folder, even though you can save them in any other location to which you have access.

The project folder contains the project file and the following folders that Cubase automatically creates when necessary:

●

Audio

●

Edits

●

Images

Project Handling About Template Files

●

Track Pictures

About Template Files

Templates can be a good starting point for new projects. Templates are projects where you can save all settings that you regularly use, such as bus configurations, sample rates, record formats, basic track layouts, VSTi setups, drum map setups, etc.

The following template types are available from within the Hub:

●

Factory templates for specific scenarios. These are listed in the Recording, Scoring, Production, or Mastering categories.

●

The default template. This is listed in the More category.

●

Any new user templates that you create and save. These are listed in the More category.

Template projects are not saved in project folders and therefore contain no subfolders and no media files.

●

To open the location of a specific template, right-click a template in the template list and select Show in Explorer (Windows only) or Reveal in Finder (macOS only).

Saving a Project Template File

You can save the current project as a template. When you create a new project, you can select this template as a starting point for your new project.

PREREQUISITE

Remove all clips from the Pool before you save the project as a template. This ensures that references to media data from the original project folder are deleted.

PROCEDURE

1. Set up a project.

2. Select File> Save as Template.

3. In the New Preset section of the Save as Template dialog, enter a name for the new

project template.

4. In the Attribute Inspector section, double-click the Value field of the Content Summary attribute to enter a description for the template.

Project Handling Project Setup Dialog

5. Click the Value field of the Template Category attribute and select a template category from the pop-up menu.

If you do not select a category, the new template will be listed in the Hub in the More category.

6. Click OK to save the template.

Renaming Templates

PROCEDURE

1. In the Hub or the Project Assistant, right-click a template and select Rename.

2. In the Rename dialog, enter a new name and click OK.

Project Setup Dialog

You can perform general settings for your project in the Project Setup dialog.

● To open the Project Setup dialog, select Project> Project Setup.

● To open the Project Setup dialog automatically when you create a new project, activate the Run Setup on Create New Project option in the Preferences dialog (General page).

IMPORTANT

While most Project Setup settings can be changed at any time, you must set the sample rate directly after creating a new project. If you change the sample rate at a later stage, you must convert all audio files in the project to the new sample rate to make them play back properly.

The following options are available:

Author

Allows you to specify a project author that is written into the file, when you export audio files and activate the Insert iXML chunk option. You can specify a default

Project Handling Project Setup Dialog

Company

Start

Length

Frame Rate

Get From Video

author in the Default Author Name field in the Preferences dialog (General— Personalization page).

Allows you to specify a company name that is written into the file, when you export audio files and activate the Insert iXML chunk option. You can specify a default company in the Default Company Name field in the Preferences dialog (General— Personalization page).

Allows you to specify the start time of the project in timecode format. This also determines the sync start position when synchronizing to external devices.

Allows you to specify the length of the project.

Allows you to specify the timecode standard and frame rate for the project. When synchronizing to an external device, this setting must correspond to the frame rate of any incoming timecode.

Allows you to set the project frame rate to the frame rate of an imported video file.

Display Format

Allows you to specify the global display format that is used for all rulers and position displays in the program, except the ruler tracks. However, you can make independent display format selections for the individual rulers and displays.

Display Offset

Allows you to specify an offset for the time positions that are displayed in the rulers and position displays to compensate for the Start position setting.

Bar Offset

This setting is only used, when you select the Bars+Beats display format. Allows you to specify an offset for the time positions that are displayed in the rulers and position displays to compensate for the Start position setting.

Sample Rate

Allows you to specify the sample rate at which records and plays back audio.

● If your audio hardware generates the sample rate internally and you select

a non-supported sample rate, this is indicated by a different color. In this case, you must set a different sample rate to make your audio files play back properly.

● If you select a sample rate that your audio hardware supports, but that differs

from its current sample rate setting, it is automatically changed to the project sample rate.

● If your audio hardware is externally clocked and receives external clock

signals, sample rate mismatches are accepted.

Bit Resolution

Allows you to specify the resolution of the audio files that you record in Cubase. Select the record format according to the bit resolution that is delivered by your audio hardware. The available options are 16 Bit, 24 Bit, and 32 Bit float.

NOTE

● When you record with effects, consider setting the bit resolution to 32 Bit

Float. This prevents from clipping (digital distortion) in the recorded files and

Project Handling Project Setup Dialog

Record File Type

keeps the audio quality absolutely pristine. Effect processing and level or EQ changes in the input channel are done in 32 Bit Float format. If you record at 16 or 24 Bit, the audio will be converted to this lower resolution when it is written to a file. As a result, the signal may degrade. This is independent of the actual resolution of your audio hardware. Even if the signal from the audio hardware has a resolution of 16 Bit, the signal will be 32 Bit Float after the effects are added to the input channel.

● The higher the bit resolution, the larger the files and the more strain is put on

the disk system. If this is an issue, you can lower the record format setting.

Allows you to specify the file type of the audio files that you record in Cubase. The following file types are available:

● Wave File

This is the most common file format on the PC platform. Wave files have the extension .wav.

● Wave 64 File

This is a proprietary format developed by Sonic Foundry Inc. Wave 64 files offer the same quality as Wave files, but they can be considerably larger than standard Wave files. They are especially suited for long recordings with file sizes over 2 GB. The files have the extension .w64.

● Broadcast Wave Files

This format is, in terms of audio content, identical with regular Wave files. Broadcast Wave files can contain embedded text strings. The files have the extension .wav.

● AIFF Files

This is an audio file format standard defined by Apple Inc. AIFF files are used on most computer platforms. The files can contain embedded text strings. AIFF files have the extension .aif.

● FLAC File

This is an open source format that reduces the size of audio files by 50 to 60 % compared to regular Wave files. The files have the extension .flac.

NOTE

● For wave file recordings larger than 4 GB, the EBU RIFF standard is used. If a

FAT 32 disk is used (not recommended), audio files are split automatically. In the Preferences dialog, you can specify what happens, when your recorded Wave file is larger than 4 GB.

● You can set up embedded strings in the Preferences dialog.

Stereo Pan Law

If you pan a channel left or right, the sum of the left and right side is higher (louder), than if this channel is panned center. These modes allow you to attenuate signals panned center. 0 dB turns off constant-power panning. Equal Power means that the power of the signal remains the same regardless of the pan setting.

Volume Max

Allows you to specify the maximum fader level. By default, this is set to +12 dB. If you load projects that were created with Cubase versions older than 5.5, this value is set to the old default value of +6 dB.

HMT Type (MIDI only)

Allows you to specify a mode for Hermode tuning of MIDI notes.

Project Handling Opening Project Files

HMT Depth (MIDI only)

Allows you to specify the overall degree of retuning.

RELATED LINKS

Record - Audio on page 1034

Opening Project Files

You can open one or several saved project files at the same time.

IMPORTANT

If you open a project saved with a different program version that contains data for functions that are not available in your version, this data may be lost when you save the project with your version.

NOTE

● If you open an external project, the last used view that was saved on your computer is used. You can change this setting in the Preferences dialog (General page).

● External projects are automatically connected to the input and output busses. If you open a project that was created on a computer with an ASIO port configuration different from the configuration of your computer, this can result in unwanted audio connections. You can deactivate the automatic connection of input and output busses in the Preferences dialog (VST page).

PROCEDURE

1. Select File> Open.

2. In the file dialog that opens, select the project that you want to open and click Open.

3. If there already is an open project, you are asked if you want to activate the new project.

Do one of the following:

●

RELATED LINKS

Workspaces for External Projects on page 994 Do not Connect Input/Output Busses When Loading External Projects on page 1041

Activating Projects

If you have several projects opened at the same time in Cubase, only one project can be active. The active project is indicated by the lit Activate Project button in the upper left corner of the Project window. If you want to work on another project, you have to activate the other project.

PROCEDURE

● To activate a project, click Activate Project .

To activate the project, click Activate.

To open the project without activating it, click No.

This reduces load times for projects.

Opening Recent Projects

To open a recently opened project, do one of the following:

Project Handling Saving Project Files

●

In the category bar of the Hub or the Project Assistant dialog, click Recent, select a project from the projects list, and click Open.

●

Select File> Recent Projects and select a recently opened project.

Re-Routing Missing Ports

If you open a Cubase project that was created on a different system with other audio hardware, Cubase tries to find matching audio inputs and outputs for the input/output busses. If Cubase cannot resolve all audio/MIDI inputs and outputs that are used in the project, the Missing Ports dialog opens.

This allows you to manually re-route any ports specified in the project to ports that are available in your system.

NOTE

To improve the search for matching audio inputs and outputs for the input/output busses, you should use descriptive, generic names for your input and output ports.

RELATED LINKS

Renaming the Hardware Inputs and Outputs on page 27

Saving Project Files

You can save the active project as a project file. To keep your projects as manageable as possible, make sure that you save project files and all related files in the respective project folders.

●

To save the project and specify a file name and location, open the File menu and select Save As.

●

To save the project with its current name and location, open the File menu and select

Save.

About the Auto Save Option

Cubase can automatically save backup copies of all open project files with unsaved changes.

NOTE

Only the project files are backed up. If you want to include the files from the Pool and save your project in a different location, you must use the Back up Project function.

Cubase can automatically save backup copies of all open projects with unsaved changes. To set this up, activate the Auto Save option in the Preferences dialog (General page). The backup copies are named “<project name>-xx.bak” where xx is an incremental number. Unsaved projects are backed up in a similar way as “UntitledX-xx.bak”, with X being the incremental number for unsaved projects. All backup files are saved in the project folder.

●

To specify the time intervals in which a backup copy is created, use the Auto Save Interval setting.

●

To specify how many backup files are created with the Auto Save function, use the Maximum Backup Files option. When the maximum number of backup files is reached, the existing files are overwritten, starting with the oldest file.

Project Handling Reverting to the Last Saved Version

Saving Project Files As a New Version

You can create and activate a new version of an active project file. This is useful if you are experimenting with edits and arrangements and want to be able to go back to a previous version at any time.

To save a new version of the active project, do one of the following:

●

Select File> Save New Version.

●

Press Ctrl/Cmd-Alt-S.

The new file is saved with the same name as the original project and an attached incremental number. For example, if your project is called “My Project,” new versions are called “My Project-01”, “My Project-02”, and so on.

Reverting to the Last Saved Version

You can return to the last saved version and discard all changes that have been introduced.

PROCEDURE

1. Select File> Revert.

2. In the warning message, click Revert.

If you have recorded or created new audio files since the last version was saved, you are prompted to delete or keep the files.

Choosing a Project Location

In the Hub and in the Project Assistant, you can specify where to save a project.

●

To create a project in the default project location, select Use default location.

In the Project folder field, you can specify a name for the project folder. If you do not specify a project folder here, the project is saved in a folder named Untitled.

●

To change the default project location, click in the path field.

A file dialog opens that allows you to specify a new default location.

●

To create the project in a different location, select Prompt for project location.

In the dialog that opens, specify a location and a project folder.

Creating Self-Contained Projects

If you want to share your work or transfer it to another computer, your project must be selfcontained.

The following functions facilitate this task:

●

Select Media> Prepare Archive to verify that every clip that is referenced in the project is located in the project folder, and to take actions if that is not the case.

●

Select File> Back up Project to create a new project folder where you can save the project file and the necessary work data. The original project remains unchanged.

Project Handling Creating Self-Contained Projects

Preparing Archives

The Prepare Archive function allows you to gather all files that are referenced by your project to ensure that these are in the project folder. This is useful if you want to move or archive your project.

PROCEDURE

1. Select Media> Prepare Archive.

If your project references external files, you are prompted if you want to copy them to your working directory. If any processing has been applied, you must decide if you want to flatten edits.

2. Click Proceed.

RESULT

Your project is ready to be archived. You can move or copy the project folder to another location.

AFTER COMPLETING THIS TASK

You must copy audio files that reside within the project folder to the Audio folder or save them separately. You must also move your video clips manually, as videos are only referenced and not saved in the project folder.

Backing Up Projects

You can create a backup copy of your project. Backups only contain the necessary work data. All media files except the files from VST Sound archives are included as a copy.

PROCEDURE

1. Select File> Back up Project.

2. Select an empty folder or create a new one.

3. Make your settings in the Back up Project Options dialog and click OK.

RESULT

A copy of the project is saved in the new folder. The original project remains unaffected.

NOTE

VST Sound content provided by Steinberg is copy-protected and will not be included in the backup project. If you want to use a backup copy that uses VST Sound content on a different computer, make sure that the corresponding content is also available on that computer.

Back up Project Options Dialog

This dialog allows you to create a backup copy of your project.

● To open the Back up Project Options dialog, select File> Back up Project.

Project Name

Allows you to change the name of the backed up project.

Keep Current Project Active

Allows you to keep the current project active after clicking OK.

Minimize Audio Files

Allows you to include only the audio file portions that are actually used in the project. This can significantly reduce the size of the project folder if you are using small

Project Handling Creating Self-Contained Projects

sections of large files. It also means that you cannot use other parts of the audio files if you continue working with the project in its new folder.

Freeze Direct Offline Processing

Allows you to flatten all edits and make all processing and applied effects permanent to each clip in the Pool.

Remove Unused Files

Allows you to remove unused files and to back up only the files that are actually used.

Do Not Back up Video

Allows you to exclude video clips on the video track or in the Pool of the current project.

Tracks

Tracks are the building blocks of your project. They allow you to import, add, record, and edit data (parts and events). Tracks are listed from top to bottom in the Track list and extend horizontally across the Project window. Each track is assigned to a particular channel strip in the MixConsole.

If you select a track in the Project window, the controls, settings, and parameters displayed in the Inspector and the track list allow you to control the track.

Track Inspector Settings

For each track type you can configure which Inspector sections are shown. You can also specify the order of the sections.

● To open the Track Inspector Settings dialog, click Setup Inspector, and select Setup from the pop-up menu.

●

Tracks Track Control Settings

Hidden Items

Visible Items

Displays sections that are hidden in the Inspector.

Displays sections that are visible in the Inspector.

If you activate Pin by clicking the column for a section the open/close status of the selected Inspector section is pinned.

Add

Allows you to move an item selected in the hidden sections list to the list of visible sections.

Remove

Allows you to move an item selected in the visible sections list to the list of hidden sections.

Move Up/Move Down

Allows you to change the order of an item in the list of visible sections.

Presets

Allows you to save Inspector section settings as presets.

Reset All

Allows you to restore the default Inspector section settings.

Track Control Settings

For each track type you can configure which track controls are shown in the track list. You can also specify the order of controls and group controls so that they are always shown adjacent to each other.

● To open the Track Controls Settings dialog, right-click a track in the track list and select

Track Controls Settings from the context menu, or click Open Track Controls Settings Dialog in the bottom right corner of the track list.

Tracks Track Control Settings

Track Type

Allows you to select the track type to which your settings are applied.

Hidden Controls

Displays controls that are hidden in the track list.

Visible Controls

Displays controls that are visible in the track list.

Width

If you click in this column, you can set the maximum length for the track name.

Group

Displays the group number.

Add

Allows you to move an item selected in the hidden controls list to the list of visible controls.

Remove

Allows you to move an item selected in the visible controls list to the list of hidden controls. All controls can be removed except Mute and Solo.

Move Up/Move Down

Allows you to change the order of an item in the list of visible controls.

Group

Allows you to group two or more controls selected in the visible controls list that are adjacent to each other. This ensures that they are always positioned side by side in the track list.

Ungroup

Allows you to ungroup grouped controls in the visible controls list. To remove an entire group, select the first (topmost) element belonging to this group and click Ungroup.

Tracks Audio Tracks

Reset

Allows you to restore all default track controls settings for the selected track type.

Controls Area Preview

Shows a preview of the customized track controls.

Controls Area Width

Allows you to determine the width of the track control area for the selected track type. In the Controls Area Preview, this area is shown with a frame.

Presets

Allows you to save track controls settings as presets. To recall a preset, click Switch Presets in the bottom right corner of the track list. The name of the selected preset

is shown in the left corner.

Track Name Width (global)

Allows you to determine the global name width for all track types.

Apply

Applies your settings.

Reset All

Allows you to restore all default track controls settings for all track types.

Audio Tracks

You can use audio tracks for recording and playing back audio events and audio parts. Each audio track has a corresponding audio channel in the MixConsole. An audio track can have any number of automation tracks for automating channel parameters, effect settings, etc.

●

To add an audio track to your project, select Project> Add Track> Audio.

RELATED LINKS

Adding Tracks on page 152

Audio Track Inspector

The Inspector for audio tracks contains controls and parameters that allow you to edit your audio track.

The top section of the audio track Inspector contains the following basic track settings:

Track name

Click once to show/hide the basic track settings section. Double-click to rename the track.

Tracks Audio Tracks

Edit

Opens the Channel Settings window for the track.

Mute

Mutes the track.

Solo

Solos the track.

Read Automation

Allows you to read track automation.

Write Automation

Allows you to write track automation.

Open Device Panels(Cubase Pro only)

Allows you to create a device panel for the plug-in and device parameters of your track.

Auto Fades Settings

Opens a dialog where you can make separate audio fade settings for the track.

Record enable

Activates the track for recording.

Monitor

Routes incoming signals to the selected output.

Toggle Time Base

Switches between musical (tempo related) and linear (time related) time base for the track.

Lock

Disables all editing of all events on the track.

Show Lanes

Divides the tracks in lanes.

Freeze Audio Channel

Allows you to freeze the audio channel.

Volume

100

Steinberg Cubase 9.5 Operation Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Table of Contents

Introduction

Platform-Independent Documentation

About the Documentation

Conventions

Typographical Elements

Markup

Key Commands

Setting Up Your System

Setting Up Audio

Simple Stereo Input and Output Setup

Audio Connections

About Recording Levels and Inputs

Word Clock Connections

Selecting an Audio Driver

Setting Up Audio Hardware

VST Audio System

ASIO Driver Setup

Using External Clock Sources

Using Several Audio Applications Simultaneously

Audio Hardware Configuration

Plug and Play Support for ASIO Devices

Setting Up Input and Output Ports

Audio Bus Setup

Monitoring

Setting Up MIDI

MIDI Connections

Showing or Hiding MIDI Ports

Setting Up All MIDI Inputs

MIDI Port Setup

Plug and Play Support for USB MIDI Devices

Connecting a Synchronizer

Audio Connections

Audio Connections Window

Renaming the Hardware Inputs and Outputs

Hiding Ports

Activating and Deactivating Ports (macOS only)

Adding Input and Output Busses

Setting the Default Output Bus (Main Mix)

Presets for Input and Output Busses

Saving a Bus Configuration Preset

Deleting a Bus Configuration Preset

About Monitoring

Connecting an External Instrument/Effect

Setting Up External Effects

Adding External Effects

External Effect Parameter Window

Setting Up External Instruments

Adding External Instruments

External Instruments Parameter Window

Sending MIDI Notes to External Instruments

Saving External Instrument and Effect Configurations as Favorites

Freezing External Instruments/Effects

Missing Plug-ins

Editing the Bus Configurations

Removing Busses

Changing Port Assignments

Renaming Multiple Busses

Identifying Exclusive Port Assignments

Project Window

Showing/Hiding Zones

Project Zone

Toolbar

Left/Right Toolbar Divider

Toolbox

Track List

Dividing the Track List

Event Display

Global Track Controls

Filtering Track Types

Finding Tracks

Ruler

Ruler Display Formats

Status Line

Info Line

Editing on the Info Line