Steinberg Cubase AI - 5.0 Operation Manual

Operation Manual

Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Marion Bröer, Sabine Pfeifer, Heike Schilling 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.

All product and company names are ™ or ® trademarks of their respective owners. Windows XP is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Windows Vista is a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The Mac logo is a trademark used under license. Macintosh and Power Macintosh are registered trademarks.

7 About this manual

8 Welcome!

9 VST Connections: Setting up input and

output busses

10 About this chapter 10 Setting up busses 12 Using the busses 13 About monitoring

14 The Project window

15 Background 17 Window Overview 21 Operations 40 Options

42 Playback and the Transport panel

43 Background 44 Operations 45 Options and Settings 47 The Virtual Keyboard

48 Recording

49 Background 49 Basic recording methods 51 Audio recording specifics 55 MIDI recording specifics 59 Options and Settings 61 Recovery of audio recordings after system failure

62 Fades, crossfades and envelopes

63 Creating fades 65 The Fade dialogs 66 Creating crossfades 67 The Crossfade dialog 68 Auto Fades and Crossfades

69 The mixer

70 About this chapter 70 Overview 70 Configuring the mixer 73 The audio-related channel strips 73 The MIDI channel strips 74 The output channels 74 Basic mixing procedures 76 Audio-specific procedures 81 MIDI-specific procedures 82 Utilities

85 Audio effects

86 About this chapter 86 Overview 87 Insert effects 90 Send effects 94 Editing effects 94 Effect presets 96 Installing and managing effect plug-ins

99 VST Instruments and Instrument

tracks

100 Introduction 100 VST Instrument channels vs. instrument tracks 100 VST Instrument channels 102 Instrument tracks 103 What do I need? Instrument channel or Instrument

track?

103 VST instruments and processor load 103 Using presets for VSTi configuration 106 About latency

108 Automation

109 Introduction 109 Enabling and disabling the writing of automation

data

110 What can be automated? 111 Hints and further options 111 Automation track operations 114 Working with automation curves 116 MIDI Part Data vs Track Automation

117 Audio processing and functions

118 Background 118 Audio processing 123 Freeze Edits

124 The Sample Editor

125 Background 126 Window overview 128 General Operations 132 Options and settings 132 AudioWarp: Tempo matching audio 134 Working with hitpoints and slices

Table of Contents

138 The Audio Part Editor

139 Background 139 Opening the Audio Part Editor 139 Window overview 141 Operations 142 Common methods 142 Options and Settings

143 The Pool

144 Background 144 Window overview 146 Operations

155 Working with Track Presets

156 Introduction 156 Types of track presets 157 Applying track presets 158 Creating a track preset 159 Creating tracks from track presets or VST presets 159 Previewing MIDI, instrument and VST presets

independently of tracks

160 Remote controlling Cubase AI

161 Introduction 161 Setting Up 162 Operations 163 The Generic Remote device 165 Apple Remote (Macintosh only)

166 MIDI realtime parameters

167 Introduction 167 The Inspector – General handling 167 The Inspector sections

171 MIDI processing and quantizing

172 Introduction 172 The Quantizing functions 176 Permanent settings with Freeze MIDI Modifiers 177 Dissolve Part 178 Other MIDI functions

181 The MIDI editors

182 Introduction 182 Opening a MIDI editor 184 The Key Editor – Overview 186 Key Editor operations 199 The Drum Editor – Overview 200 Drum Editor operations 202 Working with drum maps 205 Using drum name lists 206 The List Editor – Overview 207 List Editor operations 210 Working with System Exclusive messages 211 Recording System Exclusive parameter changes 211 Editing System Exclusive messages 213 The Score Editor – Overview 214 Score Editor operations

221 Editing tempo and signature

222 Background 222 Tempo and signature display 223 Editing tempo and signature

226 Export Audio Mixdown

227 Introduction 227 Mixing down to audio files 228 The available file formats

232 Synchronization

233 Background 233 Synchronization signals 234 Synchronizing the transport vs. synchronizing

audio

235 Making basic settings and connections 236 Synchronization settings 240 Sync Options 240 Working with VST System Link 240 Preparations 243 Activating VST System Link 246 Application examples

248 Video

249 Background 249 Before you start 251 Operations

253 File handling

254 Working with Projects 258 Importing audio 259 Exporting and importing standard MIDI files

Table of Contents

261 Customizing

262 Background 262 Using the Setup options 263 Customizing track controls 265 Appearance 265 Applying track and event colors 267 Where are the settings stored?

268 Key commands

269 Introduction 269 Setting up key commands 271 Setting up tool modifier keys 272 The default key commands

275 Index

Table of Contents

About this manual

Welcome!

This is the Operation Manual for Steinberg’s Cubase AI. Here you will find detailed information about all the features and functions in the program.

About the program versions

The documentation covers two different operating systems or “platforms”; Windows and Mac OS X.

Some features and settings are specific to one of the platforms. This is clearly stated in the applicable cases. In other words:

Ö If nothing else is said, all descriptions and procedures in the documentation are valid for both Windows and Mac OS X.

The screenshots are taken from the Windows version of Cubase AI.

Key command conventions

Many of the default key commands in Cubase AI use modifier keys, some of which are different depending on the operating system. For example, the default key command for Undo is [Ctrl]-[Z] under Windows and [Command]-[Z] under Mac OS X.

When key commands with modifier keys are described in this manual, they are shown with the Windows modifier key first, in the following way:

[Win modifier key]/[Mac modifier key]-[key] For example, [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Z] means “press [Ctrl]

under Windows or [Command] under Mac OS X, then press [Z]”.

Similarly, [Alt]/[Option]-[X] means “press [Alt] under Windows or [Option] under Mac OS X, then press [X]”.

Ö Please note that this manual often refers to right-clicking, e.g. to open context menus. If you are using a Mac with a single-button mouse, hold down [Ctrl] and click.

About this manual

VST Connections: Setting up input and

output busses

About this chapter

Cubase AI 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 on your audio hardware into the program. This means that when you record audio, you will always do this through one or several input busses.

• Output busses let you route audio from the program to the outputs on your audio hardware. When you play back audio, you will always do this through one or several output busses.

As you can see, the input and output busses are vital when you work with Cubase AI. This is why you find this chapter at the beginning of the Operation Manual – once you understand the bus system and know how to set up the busses properly, it will be easy to go on with recording, playing back and mixing.

Setting up busses

Strategies

In Cubase AI, you can create up to 8 stereo busses or up to 16 mono busses.

Ö The bus configuration is saved with the project – therefore it is a good idea to add and set up the busses you need and save these in a template project (see “Save

as Template” on page 256).

When you start working on new projects, you start from this template. That way you get your standard bus configuration without having to make new bus settings for each new project. If you need to work with different bus configurations in different projects, you can either create several different templates or store your configurations as presets (see “Other bus

operations” on page 12). The templates can of course also contain other

settings that you regularly use – sample rate, record format, a basic track layout, etc.

Input busses

• Most likely you need at least one stereo input bus assigned to an analog input pair. This would let you record stereo material. If you want to be able to record in stereo from other analog input pairs as well, you add stereo input busses for these, too.

• Although you can record mono tracks from one side of a stereo input, it may be a good idea to add a dedicated mono input bus. This could be assigned to an analog input to which you have connected a dedicated microphone pre-amp for example. Again, you can have several different mono busses.

• You probably want a dedicated stereo input bus assigned to the digital stereo input, for digital transfers.

Output busses

• For digital transfers, you need a stereo bus assigned to the digital stereo output as well.

Preparations

Before you set up busses, you should name the inputs and outputs on your audio hardware.

The reason for this is compatibility – it makes it easier to transfer 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 both you and the other studio owner have given your inputs and outputs names according to the setup (rather than names based on the audio hardware model), Cubase AI will automatically find the correct inputs and outputs for your busses and you will be able to play and record without having to change the settings.

Use the Device Setup dialog to assign names to the inputs and outputs of your audio hardware:

1. Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu.

2. Make sure that the correct driver for your audio hard-

ware is selected on the VST Audio System page, so that the audio card is listed in the Devices list.

3. Select your audio card in the list.

The available input and output ports on your audio hardware are listed on the right.

4. To rename a port, click its name in the “Show as” col-

umn and enter a new name.

• If needed, you can also disable ports by deactivating

them in the “Visible” column.

Disabled ports will not show up in the VST Connections window when you are making bus settings. If you attempt to disable a port that is used by a bus, you will be asked whether this is really what you want – note that this will remove the port from the bus!

5. Click OK to close the Device Setup dialog.

VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

Ö If you open a project created on another computer and the port names do not match (or the port configuration is not the same), the Missing Ports dialog will appear.

This allows you to manually re-route ports used in the project to ports available in your system.

Mac OS X only: Retrieving channel names

For some audio cards, you can automatically retrieve the ASIO channel names for the ports of your audio hardware:

1. Open the Device Setup dialog via the Devices menu.

2. On the VST Audio System page, select your audio

card on the “ASIO driver” pop up menu.

3. In the Devices list to the left, select your audio card.

The available settings are displayed.

4. In the settings section to the right, click the Control Panel button.

This opens the control panel for your audio hardware.

5. Activate the “Use CoreAudio Channel Names” option.

6. When you now open the VST Connections window to

set up the busses in your system, you will find that the port names in the Device Port column correspond to the names that are used by the CoreAudio driver.

Ö If you want to use the project later on with an earlier version of Cubase AI, you will have to re-assign the port connections in the VST Connections window (see below).

Mac OS X only: Port selection and activation

On the settings page for your audio card (opened via the Device Setup dialog, see above), you can specify which input and which output port should be active. This allows you, for example, to use the Microphone input instead of the Line input or even to deactivate the audio card input or output completely, if required.

The VST Connections window

You add and set up busses in the VST Connections window, opened from the Devices menu.

This window contains the Inputs and Output tabs for viewing input busses and output busses.

Depending on which tab you have selected, the window lists the current input or output busses, with the following columns:

Column Description

Bus Name Lists the busses. You can select busses and rename

Speakers Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo) of

Audio Device This shows the currently selected ASIO driver. Device Port When you have “opened” a bus (by clicking its + button

Click You can route the click to a specific output bus.

Adding a bus

1. Click the Inputs or Outputs tab depending on which

you want to add.

2. Click the Add Bus button.

A dialog appears.

them by clicking on them in this column.

each bus.

in the Bus Name column) this column shows which physical inputs/outputs on your audio hardware are used by the bus.

Ö This function is only available for Built-In Audio, standard USB audio devices and a certain number of other audio cards (e.g. Pinnacle CineWave).

VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

3. Select the desired (channel) configuration.

You can add stereo and mono busses.

• Alternatively you can right-click in the VST Connections

window and add a bus in the desired format directly from the context menu.

The new bus appears with the ports visible.

4. Click in the Device Port column to select an input/output port for a channel in the bus.

The pop-up menu that appears lists the ports with the names you have assigned in the Device Setup dialog. Repeat this for all channels in the bus.

Setting the Main Mix bus (the default output bus)

The Main Mix is the output bus that each new channel in the mixer will be assigned to when it is created.

Any of the output busses in the VST Connections window can be the default output bus. By right-clicking on the name of an output bus, you can set this bus as the Main Mix bus.

• You can also save your own setups as presets.

To store the current configuration as a preset, click the Store “+” button and enter a name for the preset. You can then select the stored configuration directly from the Presets pop-up menu at any time. To remove a stored preset, select it and click the “-” button.

Other bus operations

• To change the port assignment for a bus, you proceed

as when you added it: Make sure the channels are visible (by clicking the “+” button next to the bus, or by clicking the “+ All” button at the top of the window) and click in the Device Port column to select ports.

• To remove a bus you do not need, select it in the list,

right-click and select “Remove Bus” from the pop-up menu, or press [Backspace].

Using the busses

This section describes briefly how to use the input and output busses you have created. For details refer to the chapters “Recording” on page 48 and “The mixer” on page 69.

Setting the default output bus in the VST Connections window.

When creating new audio, group or FX channels in the mixer, they will automatically be routed to the default bus.

The default bus is indicated by an orange colored speaker icon next to its name in the VST Connections window.

Presets

On the Inputs and Outputs tabs, you will find a Presets menu. Here you can find three different types of presets:

• A number of standard bus configurations.

• Automatically created presets tailored to your specific

hardware configuration.

On each startup, Cubase AI will analyze the physical inputs and outputs provided by your audio hardware and create a number of hardwaredependent presets with the following possible configurations:

• one stereo bus

• various combinations of stereo and mono busses

• a number of mono busses

VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

Routing

When you play back an audio track (or any other audio-related channel in the mixer), you route it to an output bus. In the same way, when you record on an audio track you select from which input bus the audio should be sent.

• You can select input and output busses in the Inspec-

tor, using the Input and Output Routing pop-up menus.

Ö For audio-related channel types other than audio track channels (i.e. VST Instrument channels, Group channels and FX channels), only the Output Routing pop-up menu is available.

When selecting an input bus for a track you can only se-

Hide Output Channels

lect busses that correspond to the track’s channel configuration. Here are the details for input busses:

• Mono tracks can be routed to mono input busses or individual channels within a stereo input bus.

• Stereo tracks can be routed to mono or stereo input busses.

For output busses any assignment is possible.

Assignments that will lead to feedback are not available in the pop-up menu. This is also indicated by a one-way symbol.

To disconnect input or output bus assignments, select “No Bus” from the corresponding pop-up menu.

Output channels

Viewing the busses in the mixer

Ö Note that only the output busses are available in the mixer – not the input busses.

The available output busses are represented as output channel strips in the mixer (shown in a separate pane to the right). You can show or hide output channels by clicking the corresponding button in the mixer common panel:

The output channels are shown to the right in the mixer. Here you can do the following:

• Adjust the output level for the busses with the faders.

• Open the Channel Settings window to add effects or EQ.

These will affect the whole bus. Examples of effects you may want to add here include compressors, limiters and dithering, see the chapter “Audio

effects” on page 85.

About monitoring

The Main Mix bus (the default output bus) is used for monitoring (see “Setting the Main Mix bus (the default output

bus)” on page 12).

You can adjust the monitoring level in the Mixer.

VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

The Project window

Background

The Project window is the main window in Cubase AI. This provides you with an overview of the project, allowing you to navigate and perform large scale editing. Each project has one Project window.

Track type Description

Marker The Marker track displays markers which can be moved

Video For playing back video events. A project can have only

and renamed directly in the Project window (see “Mark-

ers” on page 38). A project can have only one marker

track.

one video track.

About tracks

The Project window is divided vertically into tracks, with a timeline running horizontally from left to right. The following track types are available:

Track type Description

Audio For recording and playing back audio events and audio

Folder Folder tracks function as containers for other tracks, mak-

FX Channel FX channel tracks are used for adding send effects. Each

Group Channel

Instrument This allows you to create a track for a dedicated instru-

MIDI For recording and playing back MIDI parts. Each MIDI

parts. Each audio track has a corresponding audio channel in the mixer. An audio track can have an automation track for automating mixer channel parameters, effect settings, etc.

ing it easier to organize and manage the track structure. They also allow you to edit several tracks at the same time, see “Folder tracks” on page 37.

FX channel can contain up to eight effect processors – by routing effect sends from an audio channel to an FX channel, you send audio from the audio channel to the effect(s) on the FX channel. Each FX channel has a corresponding channel strip in the mixer – in essence an effect return channel, see the chapter “Audio effects” on page 85. All FX channel tracks are automatically placed in a special FX channel folder in the Track list, for easy management. An FX channel can also have an automation track for automating mixer channel parameters, effect settings, etc.

By routing several audio channels to a Group channel, you can submix them, apply the same effects to them, etc. (see “Using group channels” on page 80). A Group channel track contains no events as such, but displays settings and automation curves for the corresponding Group channel. Each Group channel track has a corresponding channel strip in the mixer. In the Project window, Group channels are organized as tracks in a special Group Tracks folder.

ment, making e.g. VST instrument handling easier and more intuitive. Instrument tracks have a corresponding channel strip in the mixer. Each instrument track can have an automation track in the Project window. However, Volume and Pan are automated from within the mixer. For more information on instrument tracks, see the chapter

“VST Instruments and Instrument tracks” on page 99.

track has a corresponding MIDI channel strip in the mixer. A MIDI track can have an automation track for automating mixer channel parameters, etc.

About parts and events

The tracks in the Project window contain parts and/or events. Events are the basic building blocks in Cubase AI. Different event types are handled differently in the Project window:

• Video events and automation events (curve points) are always viewed and rearranged directly in the Project window.

• MIDI events can always be found in MIDI parts, which are containers for one or more MIDI events. MIDI parts are rearranged and manipulated in the Project window. To edit the individual MIDI events in a part, you have to open the part in a MIDI editor (see “The MIDI editors” on page 181).

• Audio events can be displayed and edited directly in the Project window, but you can also work with audio parts containing several events. This is useful if you have a number of events which you want to treat as one unit in the project. Audio parts also contain information about the time position in the project.

An audio event and an audio part

Audio handling

When you work with audio files, it is crucial to understand how audio is handled in Cubase AI:

When you edit or process audio in the Project window, you always work with an audio clip that is automatically created on import or during recording. This audio clip refers to an audio file on the hard disk that itself remains untouched. This means, that audio editing and processing is “non-destructive”, in the sense that you can always undo changes or revert to the original versions.

The Project window

An audio clip does not necessarily refer to just one original audio file! If you apply e.g. some processing to a specific section of an audio clip, this will create a new audio file containing only this section. The processing will then be applied to the new audio file only, leaving the original audio file unchanged. Finally, the audio clip is automatically adjusted, so that it refers both to the original file and to the new, processed file. During playback, the program will switch between the original file and the processed file at the correct positions. You will hear this as a single recording, with processing applied to one section only. This feature makes it possible to undo processing at a later stage, and to apply different processing to different audio clips that refer to the same original file.

An audio event is the object that you place on a time position in Cubase AI. If you make copies of an audio event and move them to different positions in the project, they will still all refer to the same audio clip. Furthermore, each audio event has an Offset value and a Length value. These determine at which positions in the clip the event will start and end, i.e. which section of the audio clip will be played back by the audio event. For example, if you resize the audio event, you will just change its start and/or end position in the audio clip – the clip itself will not be affected.

Ö If you want to use one audio file in different contexts, or if you want to create several loops from one audio file, you should convert the corresponding regions of the audio clip to events and bounce them into separate audio files. This is necessary since different events that refer to the same clip access the same clip information.

The Project window

Window Overview

Inspector

Ruler

Info line

Toolbar

The Track list with various track types

The event display, showing audio parts and events, MIDI parts, automation, markers, etc.

Mute & Solo

Record Enable & Monitor

Track name

Show/hide automation

Indicate whether effect sends, EQ or insert effects are activated for the track. Click to bypass.

Automation Read/Write

Track activity indicator

Edit channel settings

Automation Read/Write

Automation parameter (click to select parameter)

Mute

Record Enable & Monitor

Track name

MIDI Output

Bank Patch

MIDI channel

Drum map

Automation Read/Write

Edit channel settings

Mute & Solo

Track activity indicator

The Track list

The Track list displays all the tracks used in a project. It contains name fields and settings for the tracks. Different track types have different controls in the Track list. To see all the controls you may have to resize the track in the Track list (see “Resizing tracks in the Track list” on page 23).

• The Track list area for an audio track:

• The Track list area for an automation track (opened by

clicking the Show/Hide Automation button on a track):

• The Track list area for a MIDI track:

The Project window

The Inspector

The area to the left of the Track list is called the Inspector. This shows additional controls and parameters for the track you have selected in the Track list. If several tracks are selected (see “Handling tracks” on page 26), the Inspector shows the setting for the first (topmost) selected track.

To hide or show the Inspector, click the Inspector icon in the toolbar.

Ö Please note that not all Inspector tabs are shown by default. You can show/hide Inspector sections by rightclicking on an Inspector tab and activating/deactivating the desired option(s).

Make sure you right-click on an inspector tab and not on the empty area below the Inspector, as this will open the Quick context menu instead.

The Inspector icon

• For most track classes, the Inspector is divided into a number of sections, each containing different controls for the track. You can hide or show sections by clicking on their names.

Clicking the name for a hidden section brings it into view and hides the other sections. [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking the section name allows you to hide or show a section without affecting the other sections. [Alt]/[Option]-clicking a section name shows or hides all sections in the Inspector.

• You can also use key commands to show different Inspector sections.

These are set up in the Key Commands dialog, see “Setting up key com-

mands” on page 269.

Ö Hiding a section does not affect its functionality.

For example, if you have set up a track parameter or activated an effect, your settings will still be active even if you hide the respective Inspector section.

Which sections are available in the Inspector depends on the selected track.

The Inspector Setup context menu

Inspector sections

The Inspector contains the controls that can be found on the Track list, plus some additional buttons and parameters. In the table below, these additional settings and the different sections are listed. Which sections are available for which track type is described in the following sections.

Parameter Description

Auto Fades Settings button

Edit Channel settings

Volume Use this to adjust the level for the track. Changing this

Pan Use this to adjust the panning of the track. As with the

Delay This adjusts the playback timing of the audio track. Positive

Input Routing This lets you specify which Input bus or MIDI input the

Output Routing

Inserts section Allows you to add insert effects to the track, see the

Opens a dialog in which you can make separate Auto Fade settings for the audio track, see “Making Auto Fade

settings for a separate track” on page 68.

Opens the Channel Settings window for the track, allowing you to view and adjust effect and EQ settings, etc., see “Using Channel Settings” on page 76.

setting will move the track’s fader in the mixer window, and vice versa. See “Setting volume in the mixer” on page

74 to learn more about setting levels.

Volume setting, this corresponds to the Pan setting in the mixer.

values delay the playback while negative values cause the track to play earlier. The values are set in milliseconds.

track should use. See “Setting up busses” on page 10 for information about Input busses.

Here you decide to which output the track should be routed. For audio tracks you select an output bus (see

“Setting up busses” on page 10) or Group channel, for

MIDI tracks you select a MIDI output and for Instrument tracks, you select the Instrument to which it is routed.

chapters “Audio effects” on page 85 and “MIDI realtime

parameters” on page 166. The Edit button at the top of

the section opens the control panels for the added insert effects.

The Project window

Parameter Description

Equalizers section

Channel section

Lets you adjust the EQs for the track. You can have up to four bands of EQ for each track, see “Making EQ set-

tings” on page 77. The Edit button at the top of the sec-

tion opens the Channel Settings window for the track. Shows a duplicate of the corresponding mixer channel

strip. The channel overview strip to the left lets you activate and deactivate insert effects, EQs and sends.

Audio tracks

For audio tracks, all settings and sections listed above are available.

Instrument tracks

As explained in the chapter “VST Instruments and Instru-

ment tracks” on page 99, the Inspector for an Instrument

track shows some of the sections you would find for VST Instrument channels and MIDI tracks.

MIDI tracks

When a MIDI track is selected, the Inspector contains a number of additional sections and parameters, affecting the MIDI events in realtime (e.g. on playback). Which sections are available for MIDI tracks is described in the chapter

“MIDI realtime parameters” on page 166.

Folder tracks

When a folder track is selected, the Inspector shows the folder and its underlying tracks, much like a folder structure in the Windows Explorer or Mac OS X Finder.

Ö You can click one of the tracks shown under the folder in the Inspector to have the Inspector show the settings for that track. This way, you don’t have to “open” a folder track to make settings for tracks within it.

FX channel tracks

When an FX channel track is selected, the following controls and sections are available:

• Edit button

• Volume control

• Pan control

• Output Routing pop-up menu

• Inserts section

• Equalizers section

• Sends section

• Channel section

FX channel tracks are automatically placed in a special folder, for easier management. When this folder track is selected, the Inspector shows the folder and the FX channels it contains. You can click one of the FX channels shown in the folder to have the Inspector show the settings for that FX channel – this way you don’t have to “open” a folder track to access the settings for the FX channels in it.

Group channel tracks

When a Group channel track is selected, the following controls and sections are available:

• Edit button

• Volume control

•Pan control

• Output Routing pop-up menu

• Inserts section

• Equalizers section

• Sends section

• Channel section

Just like FX channel tracks, all Group channel tracks are placed in a separate folder – when this is selected, the Inspector shows the folder and the Group channels it contains. You can click one of the Group channels shown in the folder to have the Inspector show the settings for that Group channel – this way, you don’t have to “open” a folder track to access the settings for the Group channels in it.

Marker tracks

When the marker track is selected, the Inspector shows the marker list. For more information, see the section

“Markers” on page 38.

Video tracks

When a video track is selected, the Inspector contains a Mute button for interrupting video playback.

The Project window

The toolbar

Active project indicator

Show/hide Inspector

Show/hide info line

Open Mixer

Open Pool

Constrain delay compensation (see “Constrain Delay Compensation” on page 106).

Project window tools

Transport controls (Previous/Next Marker, Cycle, Stop, Play, and Record)

Snap on/off

Snap mode

Grid pop-up menu

Quantize value

Color pop-up menu

Snap to Zero Crossing

Autoscroll and Suspend Autoscroll when Editing

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

• MIDI parts

• Video events

•Markers

• Automation curve points

When several elements are selected

• If you have several elements selected, the info line will

show information about the first item in the selection. The values will be shown in yellow to indicate that several elements are selected.

• If you edit a value on the info line, the value change is

applied to all selected elements, relatively to the current values.

If you have two audio events selected and the first is one bar long and the other two bars long, the info line shows the length of the first event (one bar). If you now edit this value to 3 bars in the info line, the other event will be resized by the same amount – and will thus be 4 bars long.

• If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and edit on the info line,

the values will be absolute instead. In our example above, both events would be resized to 3 bars. Note that [Ctrl]/ [Command] is the default modifier key for this – you can change this in the Preferences (Editing–Tool Modifiers page, under the Info Line category).

Ö In addition to these, the toolbar can contain a number of other tools and shortcuts, not visible by default. How to set up the toolbar and specify which tools should be displayed or hidden is described in the section “Using the

Setup options” on page 262.

The info line

The info line shows information about the currently selected event or part in the Project window. You can edit almost all values on the info line using regular value editing. Length and position values are displayed in the format currently selected for the ruler (see “The ruler” on page 21).

• To hide or show the info line, click the Show Event Info Line button on the toolbar.

The following elements can be selected for display and editing on the info line:

• Audio events

•Audio parts

Editing Transpose and Velocity for MIDI parts

When one or several MIDI parts are selected, the info line contains Transpose and Velocity fields.

• Adjusting the Transpose field transposes the selected

parts in semitone steps.

Note that this transposition doesn’t change the actual notes in the part – it’s just a “play parameter”, affecting the notes on playback. The transposition you specify for a part on the info line is added to the transposition set for the whole track.

• Adjusting the Velocity field shifts the velocity for the se-

lected parts – the value you specify is added to the velocities of the notes in the parts.

Again, this velocity shift only affects the notes on playback, and again, the value you specify is added to the Vel.Shift. value set for the whole MIDI track in the Inspector.

The Project window

Getting on-the-fly info with the Arrow tool

If the option “Select Tool: Show Extra Info” is activated in the Preferences (Editing–Tools page), a tooltip will be shown for the Arrow tool, displaying information depending on where you point it. For example, in the Project window event display, the tool will show the current pointer position and the name of the track and event you’re pointing at.

The ruler

• To set the display format globally (for all windows), use

the primary display format pop-up on the Transport panel, or hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and select a display format in any ruler.

• If you use the “Timecode” option and the option “Show

Timecode Subframes” is activated in the Preferences (Transport page), the frames will also display subframes.

There are 80 subframes per frame.

Operations

The ruler at the top of the event display shows the timeline. Initially, the Project window ruler uses the display format specified in the Project Setup dialog (see “The Project

Setup dialog” on page 22), as do all other rulers and posi-

tion displays in the project. However, you can select an independent display format for the ruler by clicking the arrow button to the right of it and selecting an option from the pop-up menu (you can also bring up this pop-up menu by right-clicking anywhere in the ruler).

Option Positions and lengths displayed as

Bars+Beats Bars, beats, sixteenth notes and ticks. By default there

Seconds Hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds. Timecode This format displays hours, minutes, seconds and frames.

Samples Samples. Time Linear When this is selected, the ruler will be linear relative to

Bars+Beats Linear

are 120 ticks per sixteenth note.

The number of frames per second (fps) is set in the Project Setup dialog (see “The Project Setup dialog” on

page 22). You can choose between 24, 25, 29.97 and

30fps or 29.97 and 30dfps (“drop frame”).

time. This means that if there are tempo changes on the tempo track, the distance between the bars will vary in Bars+Beats mode.

When this is selected, the ruler will be linear relative to the meter position – bars and beats. This means that if there are tempo changes on the tempo track, there still will be the same distance between bars in Bars+Beats mode. If the ruler is set to a time-based mode, the distance between seconds will vary depending on the tempo changes.

• The selection you make here affects the ruler, the info line and tooltip position values (which appear when you drag an event in the Project window).

You can also select independent formats for other rulers and position displays.

Creating a new project

You create a new project in the following way:

1. Select “New Project…” from the File menu.

The Project Assistant dialog appears, listing a number of recently opened projects as well as the available templates. For detailed information about this dialog, see “New Project” on page 254.

• To create the project based on an existing template (in-

cluding the corresponding tracks, events and settings), select a template from the desired category.

• To create an empty project, select the Empty template

from the More category.

An emtpy project is also created if no template is selected in the currently shown category.

2. Select a location for saving the project.

• To create the project in the default location, select the

corresponding option. You can also enter a name for the project folder in the “Project folder” field.

If you do not enter a name here, the project will reside in a folder named “Untitled”. Naming is recommended at this stage, since having many folders titled “Untitled1”, “Untitled2”, etc. can be very confusing.

• To save your project in a different location, activate the

“Prompt for project location” button.

Click Continue to specify a location and set a project folder before creating the project. New projects created like this are always untitled to begin with.

3. Depending on your choice above, click Create or

Continue.

If you selected the “Prompt for project location” option, a file dialog opens, otherwise the new project is directly opened in the Project window.

The Project window

The Project Setup dialog

General settings for the project are made in the Project Setup dialog. This is opened by selecting “Project Setup…” from the Project menu.

Ö If the “Run Setup on Create New Project” option is activated in the Preferences dialog (General page), the Project Setup dialog will open automatically when you create a new project.

The following settings are available in the Project Setup dialog:

Setting Description

Start The start time of the project. Allows you to have the project

Length The length of the project. Frame Rate Used when synchronizing Cubase AI with external equip-

Display Format This is the global display format used for all rulers and

start at another time than zero. Also used for setting the sync start position when synchronizing Cubase AI to external devices (see “Setting up Cubase AI for external sync to

timecode” on page 237). When you change this setting

you will be asked whether you want to keep the project content at its timecode positions. “Yes” means that all events will stay at their original timecode positions – i.e. they will be moved in relation to the start of the project. “No” means that all events keep their position relative to the project start.

ment. If Cubase AI is slave, this value is automatically set to the frame rate of the incoming sync signal. If Cubase AI is the master, this determines the frame rate of the sent sync signal, see “Setting the Frame Rate” on page 235.

position displays in the program. However, you can make independent display format selections for the individual rulers and displays if you like. For descriptions of the different display format options, see “The ruler” on page 21.

Setting Description

Display Offset Offsets the time positions displayed in the ruler etc., al-

Sample Rate The sample rate at which Cubase AI records and plays

Record Format/ File Type

Stereo Pan Law

lowing you to compensate for the Start position setting. Typically, if you synchronize Cubase AI to an external source starting at a frame other than zero, you set the Start position to this value. However, if you still want the display in Cubase AI to start at zero, set the Display Offset to the same value.

audio. When you record audio in Cubase AI, the files that are

created will be of this resolution and file type, see “Se-

lecting a recording file format” on page 51.

Decides whether panning should use power compensation or not, see “About the “Stereo Pan Law” setting (au-

dio channels only)” on page 76.

While most Project Setup settings can be changed at any time, you must select a sample rate once and for all when starting with a new project! All audio files must be of this sample rate to play back correctly.

Zoom and view options

Zooming in the Project window is done according to the standard zoom techniques, with the following special notes:

• When you are using the Zoom tool (magnifying glass),

the result depends on the option “Zoom Tool Standard Mode: Horizontal Zooming Only” in the Preferences (Editing–Tools page).

If this is activated and you drag a selection rectangle with the Zoom tool, the window will only be zoomed horizontally (track height will not change). If the option is off, the window will be zoomed both horizontally and vertically.

• When using the vertical zoom sliders, the tracks are

scaled relatively.

In other words, if you have made any individual track height adjustments (see below), the relative height differences are maintained.

You find the following options are available on the Zoom submenu on the Edit menu:

Option Description

Zoom In Zooms in one step, centering on the project cursor. Zoom Out Zooms out one step, centering on the project cursor. Zoom Full Zooms out so that the whole project is visible. “The

Zoom to Selection

whole project” means the timeline from the project start to the length set in the Project Setup dialog (see above).

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

The Project window

Option Description

Zoom to Selection (Horiz)

Zoom to Event This option is available only in the Sample Editor (see

Zoom In Vertically Zooms in one step vertically. Zoom Out

Vertically Zoom In Tracks Zooms in on the selected track(s) one step vertically. Zoom Out Tracks Zooms out the selected track(s) one step vertically. Zoom Selected

Tracks

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

“Zooming” on page 128).

Zooms out one step vertically.

This zooms in vertically on the selected track(s) and minimizes the height of all other tracks.

• If the option “Zoom while Locating in Time Scale” is activated in the Preferences (Transport page), you can also zoom by clicking in the main ruler and dragging up or down with the mouse button pressed.

Drag up to zoom out; drag down to zoom in.

• You can zoom the contents of parts and events vertically, using the waveform zoom slider in the top right corner of the event display.

This is useful when viewing quiet audio passages.

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

• If you activate the option Quick Zoom in the Preferences (Editing page), the contents of parts and events will not be continuously redrawn when you zoom manually.

Instead, the contents are redrawn once you have stopped changing the zoom – activate this if screen redraws are slow on your system.

Resizing tracks in the Track list

• You can change the height of an individual track by

clicking on its lower border in the Track list and dragging up or down.

To change the height of all tracks simultaneously, hold down [Ctrl]/ [Command] and resize one of the tracks in this way. If “Snap Track Heights” is activated on the Track scale pop-up (see below), the track height will change in fixed increments when you resize it.

This behavior is different when “Enlarge Selected Track” is activated on the Edit menu (see below).

• You can also change the width of the Track list area, by

dragging the border between the Track list and the event display.

• By default, the controls shown for tracks in the Track list

will adapt to the track size. This means that when resizing a track’s height or width the controls will be placed where they best “fit in”.

If you prefer to have the controls in fixed positions, you can deactivate the option “Wrap Controls” in the Track Controls settings dialog (see “Cus-

tomizing track controls” on page 263).

• You can decide for each track type which controls

should be shown in the Track list – see “Customizing

track controls” on page 263.

• You can use the Track scale pop-up (opened by clicking

the arrow button above the vertical zoom control) to set the number of tracks to view in the current Project window.

The track height will be adjusted to show only the number of tracks specified on the pop-up menu. By selecting “Zoom N Tracks” from the popup you can manually set the number of tracks to fit in the current Project window.

The Project window

The Enlarge Selected Track option

Click here…

…to open the context menu.

When this option is activated on the Edit menu (or in the Preferences, Editing–Project & Mixer page), the selected track is enlarged automatically. This is useful if you are stepping through the tracks in the Track list, to check or edit the settings. The tracks will revert to the size they had before when they are deselected. You can adjust the size directly in the Track list if the default enlargement factor does not suit you.

While this is the program behavior you will want in most cases, it may be a disadvantage when changing the track height you started out with for one or more tracks (i.e. their “original” height, before “Enlarge Selected Track” was activated). As soon as you try to resize a track, it is selected and automatically enlarged. Instead of turning off “Enlarge Selected Track”, resizing the desired track(s) and the activating “Enlarge Selected Track” again, you can resize a track in the Track list without selecting it.

Proceed as follows:

1. Move the mouse pointer over the lower border of the (unselected) track you want to resize.

The mouse pointer turns into a divider symbol.

2. Hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag the lower border of the track until it reaches the desired height.

Now, when you select this track, (and “Enlarge Selected Track” is activated), it will be enlarged. It will revert to the changed size, when you select a different track.

Zoom presets and Cycle markers

The pop-up menu to the left of the horizontal zoom control allows you to select, create and organize zoom presets. These are useful if you want to toggle between different zoom settings (e.g. one where the whole project is displayed in the project window and another with a high zoom factor for detailed editing). With this pop-up menu, you can also zoom in on the area between cycle markers in the project.

The upper part of the menu lists the zoom presets:

• To store the current zoom setting as a preset, select

Add from the pop-up menu.

A dialog appears, allowing you to type in a name for the preset.

• To select and apply a preset, select it from the pop-up

menu.

• The “Zoom Full” preset is always available. Selecting

this option 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 (see

“The Project Setup dialog” on page 22).

• If you want to delete a preset, select “Organize…” from

the pop-up menu.

In the dialog that appears, select the preset in the list and click the Delete button. The preset is removed from the list.

• If you want to rename a preset, select “Organize…”

from the pop-up menu.

In the dialog that appears, select the desired preset in the list and click the Rename button. A second dialog opens, allowing you to type in a new name for the preset. Click OK to close the dialogs.

Zoom presets are global for all projects, i.e. they are available in all projects you open or create.

The middle part of the pop-up lists any cycle markers you have added in the project:

• If you select a cycle marker from this menu, the event

display is zoomed in to encompass the marker area (see

“Markers” on page 38).

The Project window

• You cannot edit the cycle markers in this pop-up menu.

For information on editing markers, see “Editing markers in

the Marker window” on page 38.

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

Adjusting how parts and events are shown

The Preferences on the File menu (the Cubase AI menu, under Mac OS X) contains several settings for customizing the display in the Project window.

The Event Display page contains common settings for all track types:

Option Description

Colorize Event Background

Show Event Names

Transparent Events

Show Data on Small Track Heights

Determines whether the backgrounds or “contents” (waveforms, etc.) of parts and events will be colorized, see “Handling tracks” on page 26.

Determines whether the names of parts and events should be shown in the Project window.

When this is activated, events and parts will be transparent, showing the waveforms and MIDI events only.

If this is activated, the contents of events and parts will be shown, even if the height of a track is very small.

The Event Display–Audio page contains settings for audio events:

Option Description

Interpolate Audio Images

Wave Image Style

Show Event Volume Curves Always

Fade Handles always on top

Thick Fade Lines

If the option is deactivated, single sample values are drawn as “steps”. If the option is activated they are interpolated to form “curves”.

Determines whether audio waveforms should be displayed as solid images, frames or “inverted” images (solid+frame). This selection affects all waveform images in the Project window, Sample Editor and Audio Part Editor. Note that the “Framed” and “Solid and Framed” styles are more demanding for the computer. If the system feels slower in these modes, please switch back to “Solid” wave image style.

If this is activated the “volume curves” created with the volume and fade handles are always shown – if not, the curves are only shown for selected events.

When this option is activated, the fade handles stay at the top of the event, and vertical help lines indicate the exact end or start points of fades.

If this option is activated, the fade lines and volume curves are thicker, increasing their visibility.

Option Description

Show Waveforms

Background Color Modulation

Determines whether audio waveforms should be shown at all.

When this is activated, the backgrounds of audio waveforms are displayed in a different way, reflecting the waveform dynamics. This is especially useful to get an overview when working with small track heights.

The Event Display–MIDI page contains settings for MIDI parts:

Option Description

Default Edit Action

Part Data Mode Determines if and how events in MIDI parts should be

Show Controllers

Edit as Drums when Drum Map is assigned

Note Name Style

Determines which editor should be opened when you double-click a MIDI part or select it and press [Ctrl]/ [Command]-[E]: the Key, List, Drum or Score Editor. Note that this setting is overridden for tracks with drum maps if the option “Edit as Drums when Drum Map is assigned” (see below) is activated.

shown in the Project window: as score notes, as drum notes or as lines. If “No Data” is selected, events will not be shown at all. Note that this setting is overridden for tracks with drum maps if the option “Edit as Drums when Drum Map is assigned” (see below) is activated.

Governs whether non-note events (controllers, etc.) should be shown in MIDI parts in the Project window.

If this is activated, parts on MIDI tracks with drum maps assigned will be shown with drum note symbols in the Project window. Also, the parts will automatically open in the Drum Editor when double-clicked (overriding the Default Edit Action setting above).

Determines how MIDI note names (pitches) should be displayed in editors, etc.

The Event Display–Video page contains settings for video events:

Option Description

Show Video Thumbnails

Video Cache Size

When this is activated, thumbnail frames of the video contents are shown on the Video track.

This determines how much memory is available for video thumbnails. If you have long video clips and/or work with a large zoom factor (so that a lot of frames are shown in the thumbnails), you may have to raise this value.

The Project window

Handling tracks

This track is selected.

To add a track to the project, select “Add Track” from the Project menu and select a track type from the submenu that appears. The new track is added below the currently selected track in the Track list.

• The items on the “Add Track” submenu are also available on the context menu.

This is accessed by right-clicking in the Track list.

• If you select Audio, MIDI, Group Channel or Instrument from the Add Track submenu, a dialog opens, allowing you to insert several tracks in one go.

Just enter the desired number of tracks in the value field.

• For audio and group channel tracks, the channel configuration – mono or stereo – can be set in the Configuration pop-up.

• The Browse Sounds option in the Add Track dialog is described in the chapter “Working with Track Presets” on

page 155.

• In the Preferences (Editing–Project & Mixer page), you can find the option “Auto Track Color Mode”.

This offers you several options for automatically assigning colors to tracks that are added to the project.

Once you have created tracks, you can manipulate and rearrange them in various ways:

• To rename a track, double-click in the name field and type in a new name.

If you hold down any modifier key when pressing [Return] to close the name field, all events on the track will get the name you entered.

• To select a track, click on it in the Track list.

A selected track is indicated by a light gray color in the Track list.

It is possible to select several tracks by pressing [Ctrl]/[Command] and clicking on them. [Shift]-click to select a continuous range of tracks.

• To move a track, click and drag it up or down in the list.

• To duplicate a track, complete with all contents and

channel settings, right-click in the Track list and select “Duplicate tracks” from the context menu, or select “Duplicate tracks” from the Project menu.

The duplicated track will appear below the original track.

• You can select a default color for a track by activating

“Show Track Colors” above the Track list and selecting a color from the Color pop-up menu on the toolbar. This color will be used for all events on the track and will also be shown in the Mixer. You can override the default track color for individual events and parts by using the Color tool or the Color Selector pop-up menu. For more information, see

“Applying track and event colors” on page 265.

The option “Colorize Event Background” in the Preferences dialog (Event Display page) determines whether the backgrounds or waveforms of events will be colorized.

• To remove a track, right-click on it in the Track list and

select “Remove Selected Tracks” from the context menu.

You can also remove multiple selected tracks, by selecting “Remove Selected Tracks” either from the context menu or from the Project menu.

• To change the track height of an individual track, click

on its lower border in the Track list and drag up or down, see “Resizing tracks in the Track list” on page 23.

Ö Note that you can also automatically enlarge the selected track, see “The Enlarge Selected Track option” on

page 24.

The Project window

Disabling audio tracks

Audio tracks can be disabled by selecting “Disable Track” from the Track list context menu. Disabling a track is similar to muting it (see “Muting events” on page 33), since a disabled track will not be played back. However, disabling a track not only “zeroes” the output volume from the track, but actually shuts down all disk activity for it. See “About

track disable/enable” on page 45 for more information.

Adding events to a track

There are a number of ways to add events to a track:

• By recording (see “Basic recording methods” on page

49).

• By dragging files and dropping them on the track at the desired position.

You can create events by dragging and dropping from the following locations:

•The desktop

•The Pool

• The “Find media” dialog

• The Project window of another open project

• The Audio Part Editor of any open project

• The Sample Editor – press [Ctrl]/[Command] and drag to create an event of the current selection.

While you drag the clip in the Project window, its position will be indicated by a marker line and a numerical position box (see also “Using

drag and drop” on page 147).

• By selecting “Audio File…” or “Video File…” from the

Import submenu on the File menu.

This opens a file dialog, allowing you to locate the file you wish to import. When you import a file this way, a clip is created for the file and an event that plays the whole clip is inserted on the selected track, at the position of the project cursor. You can also import MIDI files by using the Import submenu, but this works in a slightly different way (see “Exporting and importing standard

MIDI files” on page 259).

• By using Copy and Paste on the Edit menu.

This allows you to copy all kinds of events between projects. You can also copy events within the project, e.g. from the Sample Editor.

• By drawing.

Some types of events (markers and automation events) can be drawn directly into the Project window. For audio and MIDI tracks, you can draw parts (see “Creating parts” on page 28).

Audio file import options

When you are importing audio files there are a number of options concerning how the files should be treated by Cubase AI:

• You can choose to copy the file into the audio folder of the project and have the project make reference to the copied file rather than the original file. This helps you keep your project “self-contained”.

• Furthermore, you may want all files in the project to have the same sample rate and sample size (resolution).

The Preferences dialog (Editing–Audio page) contains a setting that lets you decide which options to use. Select one of the following options on the “On Import Audio Files” pop-up menu:

• Open Options Dialog

An Options dialog appears when you import, allowing you to select whether you want to copy the files to the Audio folder and/or convert them to the project settings. Please note the following: – When importing a single file of a format other than the project settings, you can specify which properties (sample rate and/or resolution) should be changed. – When importing multiple files at the same time, you can select to convert the imported files automatically if necessary, i.e. if the sample rate is different than the project’s or the resolution is lower than the project setting.

• Use Settings

No Options dialog will appear when you import. Instead, you can choose to make any of the options below the pop-up the standard action(s). Activate any number of the following options to have them performed automatically each time you import audio files:

Option Description

Copy Files to Working Directory

Convert and Copy to Project If Needed

If files are not already in the project’s audio folder they are copied there before being imported.

If files are not already in the project’s audio folder they are copied there before being imported. Furthermore, if the files have a different sample rate or a lower resolution than the project settings, they are automatically converted.

The Project window

Creating parts

Parts are containers for MIDI or audio events. If you record MIDI, a MIDI part is automatically created, containing the recorded events. You can also create empty audio or MIDI parts and later add events to them.

There are two ways to do this:

• Draw a part on a MIDI or audio track with the Pencil tool.

You can also draw parts by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and using the Arrow tool.

• Double-click with the Arrow tool on a MIDI or audio track, between the left and right locator.

To add events to a MIDI part, you use the tools and functions in a MIDI editor (see “The Key Editor – Overview” on

page 184). Adding events to audio parts is done in the

Audio Part Editor (see “Window overview” on page 139) by pasting or by using drag and drop.

• You can also gather existing audio events into a part, by using the “Events to Part” function on the Audio menu.

This creates an audio part containing all selected audio events on the same track. To remove the part and make the events appear as independent objects on the track again, select the part and use the “Dissolve Part” function on the Audio menu.

Auditioning audio parts and events

Audio parts and events can be auditioned in the Project window with the Play tool:

2. Click where you want playback to start, and keep the

mouse button pressed.

Only the track on which you click is played back, starting at the click position.

3. Release the mouse button to stop playback.

Scrubbing

The Scrub tool allows you to locate positions in the audio by playing back, forwards or backwards, at any speed:

1. Select the Scrub tool.

Note that the Play tool and the Scrub tool share the same tool button. If the tool icon on the toolbar doesn’t show a “scrub symbol”, first click on the icon to select it, then click again and select “Scrub” from the pop-up menu.

2. Click at the desired position and keep the mouse but-

ton pressed.

The project cursor is moved to the position at which you click.

3. Drag to the left or right.

The project cursor follows the mouse pointer and the audio is played back. The speed and pitch of the playback depend on how fast you move the pointer.

You can adjust the responsiveness of the Scrub function in the Preferences (Transport–Scrub page).

• Note that scrubbing can be quite a burden on your sys-

tem. To avoid playback problems, you will find the “CPU Saving Scrub Mode” option in the Preferences (Transport– Scrub page).

When you activate this option, scrubbing will be less demanding on the processor. This can be very useful when scrubbing in a large project, where the “normal” scrub behavior leads to processing overloads. When “CPU Saving Scrub Mode” is activated, the effects are disabled for scrubbing and the resampling quality is lower.

When auditioning, the Main Mix bus is used.

1. Select the Play tool.

Note that the Play tool and the Scrub tool share the same tool button. If the tool icon on the toolbar doesn’t show a speaker symbol, first click on the icon to select it, then click again and select “Play” from the pop-up menu.

Editing parts and events

This section describes techniques for editing in the Project window. If not explicitly stated, all descriptions apply to both events and parts, even though we use the term “event” for convenience.

Ö When you are using the tools for editing, you can in many cases get additional functions by pressing modifier keys (e.g. pressing [Alt]/[Option] and dragging with the Arrow tool creates a copy of the dragged event).

On the following pages, the default modifier keys are described – you can customize these in the Preferences (Editing–Tool Modifiers page), see “Setting up tool modifier keys” on page 271.

The Project window

Selecting events

Selecting events is done using any of the following methods:

• Use the Arrow tool.

The standard selection techniques apply.

• Use the Select submenu on the Edit menu.

The options are:

Option Description

All Selects all events in the Project window. None Deselects all events. In Loop Selects all events that are partly or wholly between

From Start to Cursor

From Cursor to End

All on Selected Tracks

Select Event This is available in the Sample Editor (see “Window

Left/Right Selection Side to Cursor

the left and right locator. Selects all events that begin to the left of the project

cursor. Selects all events that end to the right of the project

cursor. Selects all events on the selected track.

overview” on page 126).

These two functions are only used for range selection editing (see “Creating a selection range” on page 34).

Note that these functions work differently when the Range Selection tool is selected (see “Creating a

selection range” on page 34).

• Select all events on a track by right-clicking on it in the Track list and selecting “Select All Events” from the context menu.

• You can also use the arrow keys on the computer keyboard to select the closest event to the left, right, above or below.

If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, the current selection will be kept, allowing you to select several events.

• If the option “Auto Select Events under Cursor” is activated in the Preferences (Editing page), all events on the selected track(s) that are “touched” by the project cursor are automatically selected.

This can be helpful when rearranging your project, since it allows you to select whole sections (on all tracks) by selecting all tracks and moving the project cursor.

• It is also possible to select ranges, regardless of the event and track boundaries.

This is done using the Range Selection tool (see “Range editing” on

page 34).

• Note that in the Preferences (Editing page), you can

find the option “Use Up/Down Navigation Commands for selecting Tracks only”.

By default, tracks are selected with the up/down arrow keys on the computer keyboard. However, these are also used for selecting events (see above) which can lead to confusing results in some cases. Since track selection is a most vital operation in both editing and mixing, you have the option to use the navigation controls for track selection only. The following applies:

• When this option is deactivated and no event/part is selected in the Project window, the up/down arrow keys on the computer keyboard are used to step through the tracks in the Track list – just as you would expect this to work.

• When this option is deactivated and an event/part is selected in the Project window, the up/down arrow keys still step through the tracks in the Track list – but on the currently selected track, the first event/part will automatically be selected as well. If this is not the desired behavior, you have to activate “Use Up/Down Navigation Commands for selecting Tracks only”.

• When this option is activated, the up/down arrow keys are only used to change the track selection – the current event/ part selection in the Project window will not be altered.

• Also in the Preferences (Editing–Tools page), you can

find the Cross Hair Cursor options section.

This allows you to display a cross hair cursor when working in the Project window and editors, facilitating navigation and editing, especially when arranging in large projects. 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 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.

• When the Pencil tool, the Scissors 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.

The Project window

Moving events

To move events in the Project window, use the following methods:

• Click and drag to a new position.

All selected events will be moved, maintaining their relative positions. You can only drag events to tracks of the same type. If Snap is activated, this determines to which positions you can move the events (see “The Snap

function” on page 40).

Note also that you can restrict movement to be either horizontal or vertical only, by holding down [Ctrl]/[Command] while dragging.

You will note that there is a slightly delayed response when you move an event by dragging. This helps you avoid accidentally moving events when you click on them in the Project window. You can adjust this delay with the Drag Delay setting in the Preferences (Editing page).

• Select the event and edit the Start position in the info line.

• Use the “Move to” options on the Edit menu.

The following options are available:

Option Description

Cursor Moves the selected event to the project cursor position. If

Origin Moves the selected events to their original positions, i.e.

Front/Back This function doesn’t actually change the position of the

there are several selected events on the same track, the first event will start at the cursor, and the following will be lined up end-to-start after the first one.

the positions at which they were originally recorded.

events, but moves the selected events to the front or back, respectively. This is useful if you have overlapping events, and want to see one that is partially obscured. For audio events, this is an extra important feature, since only the visible sections of events will be played back. Moving an obscured audio event to front (or moving the obscuring event to back) will allow you to hear the whole event on playback (see also “Overlapping events” on

page 140).

Note that it is also possible to use the “To Front” function on the event context menu for this.

• Use the Nudge buttons in the toolbar.

These move the selected events to the left or right. The amount of movement depends on the selected display format (see “The Project Setup di-

alog” on page 22) and the value set on the Grid pop-up menu.

When the Range Selection tool is used, the Nudge buttons move the selection range (see “Moving and

duplicating” on page 36).

Ö The Nudge buttons are not visible in the toolbar by default.

You can decide which items should be visible by right-clicking in the toolbar and activating the corresponding option on the context menu. See “The setup context menus” on page 262 for more information.

Duplicating events

Events can be duplicated in the following ways:

• Hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag the event to a new

position.

If Snap is activated, this determines to which positions you can copy the events (see “The Snap function” on page 40).

If you hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] as well, movement direction is restricted to either horizontal or vertical. That means if you drag an event vertically it cannot be moved horizontally at the same time.

• Audio and MIDI parts can also be duplicated by press-

ing [Alt]/[Option]-[Shift] and dragging.

This creates a shared copy of the part. If you edit the contents of a shared copy, all other shared copies of the same part are automatically edited in the same way.

Shared copies are indicated by showing the name in italic text and an icon in the right corner of the part.

The Project window

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