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.

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