Steinberg Cubase Essential - 4.0 Plug-in Reference
Plug-in Reference
Original manual by Anders Nordmark
Revision: Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Marion Bröer, Sabine Pfeifer
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.
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Release Date: January 30, 2008
© Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2008.
All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
5 The included effect plug-ins
6 Introduction
6 Delay plug-ins
7 Distortion plug-ins
8 Dynamics plug-ins
12 Filter plug-ins
15 Mastering – UV 22 HR
15 Modulation plug-ins
20 Other plug-ins
22 Restoration plug-ins
22 Reverb plug-ins
23 Spatial plug-ins
24 HALionOne
25 Introduction
25 HALionOne parameters
27 MIDI effects
28 Introduction
28 Arpache 5
29 Autopan
30 Chorder
31 Compress
32 Density
32 Micro Tuner
32 MIDIControl
33 MIDIEcho
34 Note to CC
34 Quantizer
35 Step Designer
37 Track Control
38 Track FX
39 Transformer
45 Index
4
Table of Contents
1
The included effect plug-ins
Introduction
Delay plug-ins
This chapter contains descriptions of the included plug-in
effects and their parameters.
In Cubase Essential, the plug-in effects are arranged in a
number of different categories. This chapter is arranged in
the same fashion, with the plug-ins listed in separate sections for each effect category.
Ö Most of the included effects are compatible with
VST3, this is indicated by an icon in front of the name of
the plug-in as displayed in plug-in selection menus (for
further information, see the chapter “Audio Effects” in the
Operation Manual).
This section contains descriptions of the plug-ins in the
“Delay” category.
MonoDelay
This is a mono delay effect that can either be tempo-based
or use freely specified delay time settings.
The parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Delay This is where you specify the base note value for the delay
Tempo sync
on/off
Feedback This sets the number of repeats for the delay.
Filter Lo This filter affects the feedback loop of the effect signal
Filter Hi This filter affects the feedback loop of the effect signal
Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the ef-
if tempo sync is on (1/1–1/32, straight, triplet or dotted). If
tempo sync is off, it sets the delay time in milliseconds.
The button below the Delay Time knob is used to turn
tempo sync on or off. If set to off, the delay time can be set
freely with the Delay Time knob, without sync to tempo.
and allows you to roll off low frequencies from 10Hz up
to 800Hz. The button below the knob activates/deactivates the filter.
and allows you to roll off high frequencies from 20kHz
down to 1.2kHz. The button below the knob activates/
deactivates the filter.
fect. If MonoDelay is used as a send effect, this should be
set to maximum as you can control the dry/effect balance
with the send.
6
The included effect plug-ins
PingPongDelay
This is a stereo delay effect that alternates each delay repeat between the left and right channels. The effect can
either be tempo-based or use freely specified delay time
settings.
The parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Delay This is where you specify the base note value for the delay
Tempo sync
on/off
Feedback This sets the number of repeats for the delay.
Filter Lo This filter affects the feedback loop and allows you to roll
Filter Hi This filter affects the feedback loop and allows you to roll
Spatial This parameter sets the stereo width for the left/right re-
Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the
if tempo sync is on (1/1–1/32, straight, triplet or dotted). If
tempo sync is off, it sets the delay time in milliseconds.
The button below the Delay Time knob is used to turn
tempo sync on or off. If set to off, the delay time can be set
freely with the Delay Time knob, without sync to tempo.
off low frequencies up to 800 Hz. The button below the
knob activates/deactivates the filter.
off high frequencies from 20kHz down to 1.2kHz. The
button below the knob activates/deactivates the filter.
peats. Turn clockwise for a more pronounced stereo
“ping-pong” effect.
effect. If PingPongDelay is used as a send effect, this
should be set to maximum as you can control the dry/
effect balance with the send.
Distortion plug-ins
This section contains descriptions of the plug-ins in the
“Distortion” category.
AmpSimulator
AmpSimulator is a distortion effect, emulating the sound
of various types of guitar amp and speaker cabinet combinations. A wide selection of amp and cabinet models is
available.
The parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Drive Governs the amount of amp overdrive.
Bass Tone control for the low frequencies.
Middle Tone control for the mid frequencies.
Treble Tone control for the high frequencies.
Presence Use this to boost or damp the higher frequencies.
Volume This controls the overall output level.
Amplifier This allows you to select between various amplifier mod-
Cabinet Various speaker cabinet models. Click on the currently
Damping Lo/Hi Further tone controls for shaping the sound of the se-
els. Click on the currently selected amplifier name to
open a pop-up with all the available amplifier models.
This section can be bypassed by selecting “No Amp”.
selected cabinet name to open a pop-up with all the
available amplifier models. This section can be bypassed
by selecting “No Speaker”.
lected speaker cabinet. Click on the values, enter a new
value and press the [Enter] key.
7
The included effect plug-ins
DaTube
This effect emulates the characteristic warm, lush sound
of a tube amplifier.
The parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Drive Regulates the pre-gain of the “amplifier”. Use high values
Balance This controls the balance between the signal processed
Output Adjusts the post-gain, or output level, of the “amplifier”.
if you want an overdriven sound just on the verge of
distortion.
by the Drive parameter and the dry input signal. For maximum drive effect, set this to its highest value.
Distortion
Distortion will add crunch to your tracks.
The parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Boost Increases the distortion amount.
Feedback This parameter feeds part of the output signal back to the
Tone Lets you select a frequency range to which to apply the
Spatial Changes the distortion characteristics of the left and
Output Raises or lowers the signal going out of the effect.
effect input, increasing the distortion effect.
distortion effect.
right channel, thus creating a stereo effect.
Dynamics plug-ins
This section contains descriptions of the plug-ins in the
“Dynamics” category.
Gate
Gating, or noise gating, silences audio signals below a
certain set threshold level. As soon as the signal level exceeds the set threshold, the gate opens to let the signal
through.
The available parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Threshold
(-60–0dB)
state LED This indicates whether the gate is open (LED lights up in
Filter buttons When the Side-chain button (see below) is activated, you
Side-chain
(Off/On)
Center
(50Hz–
20000Hz)
Q-Factor
(0.01–10000)
Monitor
(Off/On)
This setting determines the level where Gate is activated.
Signal levels above the set threshold trigger the gate to
open, and signal levels below the set threshold will close
the gate.
green), closed (LED lights up in red) or something in between (LED lights up in yellow).
can use these buttons to set the filter type to either Low
Pass, Band Pass or High Pass.
This button (below the Center knob) activates the filter. The
input signal can then be shaped according to set Center
and Q-Factor parameters which may be useful in tailoring
how the Gate operates.
Sets the center frequency of the filter.
Sets the Resonance of the filter.
Allows you to monitor the filtered signal.
8
The included effect plug-ins
Parameter Description
Attack
(0.1–1000
ms)
Hold
(0–2000ms)
Release
(10–1000ms
or “Auto”)
Analysis
(0–100)
(Pure Peak to
Pure RMS)
Live mode
(On/Off)
This parameter sets the time it takes for the gate to open after being triggered. If the Live button (see below) is deactivated, it will ensure that the gate will already be open when a
signal above the threshold level is played back. Gate manages this by “looking ahead” in the audio material, checking
for signals loud enough to pass the gate.
This determines how long the gate stays open after the signal drops below the threshold level.
This parameter sets the amount of time it takes for the gate
to close (after the set hold time). If the “Auto” button is activated, Gate will find an optimal release setting, depending
on the audio program material.
This parameter determines whether the input signal is analysed according to Peak or RMS values (or a mixture of
both). A value of 0 is pure Peak and 100 pure RMS. RMS
mode operates using the average power of the audio signal
as a basis, whereas Peak mode operates more on peak levels. As a general guideline, RMS mode works better on material with few transients such as vocals, and Peak mode
better for percussive material, with a lot of transient peaks.
When activated, Live mode disengages the “look ahead”
feature of the Gate. Look ahead does produce more accurate processing but will add a certain amount of latency as
a trade-off. When Live mode is activated, there is no latency, which might be better for “live” processing.
Limiter
Limiter is designed to ensure that the output level never
exceeds a certain set output level, to avoid clipping in following devices. Limiter can adjust and optimize the Release parameter automatically according to the audio
material, or it can be set manually. Limiter also features
separate meters for the input, output and the amount of
limiting (middle meters).
The available parameters are the following:
Parameter Description
Input
(-24–+24dB)
Output
(-24–+6dB)
Release
(0.1–1000ms
or
Auto mode)
Allows you to adjust the input gain.
This setting determines the maximum output level.
This parameter sets the amount of time it takes for the gain
to return to its original level. If the “Auto” button is activated,
Limiter will automatically find an optimal release setting that
varies depending on the audio material.
9
The included effect plug-ins
MIDI Gate
Gating, in its fundamental form, silences audio signals below a certain set threshold level. That means, when a signal rises above the set level, the Gate opens to let the
signal through while signals below the set level are cut off.
MIDI Gate, however, is a Gate effect that is not triggered
by threshold levels, but instead by MIDI notes. Hence it
needs both audio and MIDI data to function.
Setting up
MIDI Gate requires both an audio signal and a MIDI input
to function.
To set it up, proceed as follows:
1. Select the audio to be affected by the MIDI Gate.
This can be audio material from any audio track, or even a live audio input
(provided you have a low latency audio card).
2. Select the MIDI Gate as an insert effect for the audio
track.
The MIDI Gate control panel opens.
3. Select a MIDI track to control the MIDI Gate.
This can be an empty MIDI track, or a MIDI track containing data, it
doesn’t matter. However, if you wish to play the MIDI Gate in real-time –
as opposed to having a recorded part playing it – the track has to be
selected for the effect to receive the MIDI output.
4. Open the Output Routing pop-up menu for the MIDI
track and select the MIDI Gate option.
The MIDI Output from the track is now routed to the MIDI Gate.
What to do next depends on whether you are using live or
recorded audio and whether you are using real-time or recorded MIDI. We will assume for the purposes of this
manual that you are using recorded audio, and play the
MIDI in real-time.
Make sure the MIDI track is selected and start playback.
5. Now play a few notes on your MIDI keyboard.
As you can hear, the audio track material is affected by what you play on
your MIDI keyboard.
The following MIDI Gate parameters are available:
Parameter Description
Attack This is used for determining how long it should take for
Hold Regulates how long the Gate remains open after a Note
Release This determines how long it takes for the Gate to close
Note To
Attack
Note To
Release
Velocity To
VCA
Hold Mode Use this switch to set the Hold Mode. In Note-On mode,
the Gate to open after receiving a signal that triggers it.
On or Note Off message (see Hold Mode below).
(in addition to the value set with the Hold parameter).
The value you specify here determines to which extent
the velocity values of the MIDI notes should affect the Attack. The higher the value, the more the Attack time will
increase with high note velocities. Negative values will
give shorter Attack times with high velocities. If you do
not wish to use this parameter, set it to the 0 position.
The value you specify here determines to which extent
the velocity values of the MIDI notes should affect the Release. The higher the value, the more the Release time
will increase. If you do not wish to use this parameter, set
it to the 0 position.
This controls to which extent the velocity values of the
MIDI notes determine the output volume. A value of 127
means that the volume is controlled entirely by the velocity values, while a value of 0 means that velocities will
have no effect on the volume.
the Gate will only remain open for the time set with the
Hold and Release parameters, regardless of the length of
the MIDI note that triggered the Gate. In Note-Off mode
on the other hand, the Gate will remain open for as long
as the MIDI note plays, and then apply the Hold and Release parameters.
10
The included effect plug-ins
VSTDynamics
Gate
Compressor
VSTDynamics is an advanced dynamics processor. It combines three separate processors: Gate, Compressor and
Limiter, covering a variety of dynamic processing functions.
The window is divided into three sections, containing controls and meters for each processor.
Activating the individual processors
You activate the individual processors using the buttons
at the bottom of the plug-in panel.
The Gate section
Gating, or noise gating, is a method of dynamic processing
that silences audio signals below a certain set threshold
level. As soon as the signal level exceeds the set threshold,
the gate opens to let the signal through. The Gate trigger
input can also be filtered using an internal side-chain.
The available parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Threshold
(-60–0dB)
state This indicates whether the gate is open (LED lights up in
Side-chain
(On/Off)
LP (Lowpass),
BP (Bandpass),
HP (Highpass)
Center
(50–22000Hz)
Q-Factor
(0.001–10000)
This setting determines the level where Gate is activated.
Signal levels above the set threshold trigger the gate to
open, and signal levels below the set threshold will close
the gate.
green), closed (LED lights up in red) or something in between (LED lights up in yellow).
This button activates the internal side-chain filter. This
lets you filter out parts of the signal that might otherwise
trigger the gate in places you don’t want it to, or to boost
frequencies you wish to accentuate, allowing for more
control over the gate function.
These buttons set the basic filter mode.
This sets the center frequency of the filter.
This sets the resonance or width of the filter.
Limiter
Routing selector
Parameter Description
Monitor
(Off/On)
Attack
(0.1–100ms)
Hold
(0–2000ms)
Release
(10–1000ms
or “Auto”)
Allows you to monitor the filtered signal.
This parameter sets the time it takes for the gate to open
after being triggered.
This determines how long the gate stays open after the
signal drops below the threshold level.
This parameter sets the amount of time it takes for the
gate to close (after the set hold time). If the “Auto” button
is activated, Gate will find an optimal release setting, depending on the audio program material.
The Compressor section
Compressor reduces the dynamic range of the audio,
making softer sounds louder or louder sounds softer, or
both. Compressor functions like a standard compressor
with separate controls for threshold, ratio, attack, release
and make-up gain parameters. Compressor features a
separate display that graphically illustrates the compressor curve shaped according to the Threshold, Ratio and
MakeUp Gain parameter settings. Compressor also features a Gain Reduction meter that shows the amount of
gain reduction in dB, and a program dependent Auto feature for the Release parameter.
The available parameters work as follows:
Parameter Description
Threshold
(-60–0dB)
Ratio
(1:1–8:1)
Make-Up
(0–24dB)
Attack
(0.1–100ms)
Release
(10–1000ms
or “Auto”)
Graphic
display
This setting determines the level where Compressor “kicks
in”. Signal levels above the set threshold are affected, but
signal levels below are not processed.
Ratio determines the amount of gain reduction applied to
signals over the set threshold. A ratio of 3:1 means that for
every 3dB the input level increases, the output level will increase by only 1dB.
This parameter is used to compensate for output gain loss,
caused by compression. When Auto is on, gain loss will be
compensated automatically.
This determines how fast Compressor will respond to signals above the set threshold. If the attack time is long, more
of the early part of the signal (attack) will pass through unprocessed.
Sets the amount of time it takes for the gain to return to its
original level when the signal drops below the Threshold
level. If the “Auto” button is activated, Compressor will automatically find an optimal release setting that varies depending on the audio material.
Use the graphic display to graphically set the Threshold or
the Ratio value.
11
The included effect plug-ins
The Limiter section
Limiter is designed to ensure that the output level never
exceeds a certain set output level, to avoid clipping in following devices. Conventional limiters usually require very
accurate setting up of the attack and release parameters,
to prevent the output level from going beyond the set
threshold level. Limiter adjusts and optimizes these parameters automatically, according to the audio material.
You can also adjust the Release parameter manually.
The available parameters are the following:
Parameter Description
Output
(-24–+6dB)
Soft Clip
(On/Off)
Release
(10–1000ms
or “Auto”)
This setting determines the maximum output level. Signal
levels above the set threshold are affected, but signal levels
below are left unaffected.
Soft Clipper acts differently compared to the limiter. When
the signal level exceeds -6dB, SoftClip starts limiting (or
clipping) the signal “softly”, at the same time generating
harmonics which add a warm, tubelike characteristic to the
audio material.
This parameter sets the amount of time it takes for the gain
to return to its original level when the signal drops below
the threshold level. If the “Auto” button is activated, Limiter
will automatically find an optimal release setting that varies
depending on the audio material.
The Module Configuration button
Filter plug-ins
This section contains descriptions of the plug-ins in the
“Filter” category.
DualFilter
This effect filters out certain frequencies while allowing
others to pass through.
The following parameters are available:
Parameter Description
Position This parameter sets the filter cutoff frequency. If you set
Resonance Sets the sound characteristic of the filter. With higher
this to a negative value, DualFilter will act as a low-pass
filter. Positive values cause DualFilter to act as a highpass filter.
values, a ringing sound is heard.
In the bottom right corner of the plug-in panel you will find
a button with which you can set the signal flow order for
the three processors. Changing the order of the processors can produce different results, and the available options allow you to quickly compare what works best for a
given situation. Simply click the Module Configuration button to change to a different configuration. There are three
routing options:
• C-G-L (Compressor-Gate-Limit)
• G-C-L (Gate-Compressor-Limit)
• C-L-G (Compressor-Limit-Gate)
The included effect plug-ins
StepFilter
StepFilter is a pattern-controlled multimode filter that can
create rhythmic, pulsating filter effects.
12
General operation
StepFilter can produce two simultaneous 16-step patterns
for the filter cutoff and resonance parameters, synchronized
to the sequencer tempo.
Setting step values
• Setting step values is done by clicking in the pattern
grid windows.
• Individual step entries can be freely dragged up or down
the vertical axis, or directly set by clicking in an empty grid
box. By click-dragging left or right, consecutive step entries
will be set to the pointer position.
Setting filter cutoff values in the grid window.
• The horizontal axis shows the pattern steps 1–16 from
left to right, and the vertical axis determines the (relative)
filter cutoff frequency and resonance setting.
The higher up on the vertical axis a step value is entered, the higher the
relative filter cutoff frequency or filter resonance setting.
• By starting playback and editing the patterns for the cutoff and resonance parameters, you can hear how your filter
patterns affect the sound source connected to StepFilter
directly.
Using pattern copy and paste to create variations
You can use the Copy and Paste buttons below the pattern
selector to copy a pattern to another pattern memory location, which is useful for creating variations on a pattern.
• Select the pattern you wish to copy, click the Copy button, select another pattern memory location and click Paste.
The pattern is copied to the new location, and can now be edited to create variations using the original pattern as a starting point.
StepFilter parameters
Parameter/
Value
Base Cutoff This sets the base filter cutoff frequency. Cutoff values
Base
Resonance
Glide This will apply glide between the pattern step values,
Filter Mode This slider selects between lowpass (LP), bandpass (BP)
Sync 1/1 to
1/32 (Straight,
Triplet or Dotted)
Output Sets the overall volume.
Mix Adjusts the mix between dry and processed signal.
Description
set in the Cutoff grid window are values relative to the
Base Cutoff value.
This sets the base filter resonance. Resonance values set
in the Resonance grid window are values relative to the
Base Resonance value. Note that very high Base Resonance settings can produce loud ringing effects at certain frequencies.
causing values to change more smoothly.
or highpass (HP) filter modes (from left to right respectively).
This sets the pattern beat resolution, i.e. what note values
the pattern will play in relation to the tempo.
Selecting new patterns
• Created patterns are saved with the project, and up to 8
different cutoff and resonance patterns can be saved internally.
Both the cutoff and resonance patterns are saved together in the 8 Pattern
memories.
• To select new patterns you use the pattern selector.
New patterns are all set to the same step value by default.
Pattern Selector
The included effect plug-ins
13
ToneBooster
ToneBooster is a filter that allows you to raise the gain in a
selected frequency range. It is particularly useful when inserted before AmpSimulator in the plug-in chain (see
“AmpSimulator” on page 7), greatly enhancing the tonal
varieties available.
The following parameters are available:
Parameter Description
Tone This sets the center filter frequency.
Gain Allows you to adjust the gain of the selected frequency
Width This sets the resonance of the filter.
Mode This sets the basic operational mode of the filter; Peak or
range by up to 24dB.
Bandpass.
WahWah
WahWah is a variable slope bandpass filter that can be
auto-controlled via MIDI modeling the well-known analog
pedal effect (see below). You can independently specify
the frequency, width and the gain for the Lo and Hi Pedal
positions. The crossover point between the Lo and Hi
Pedal positions is at 50.
The parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Pedal This controls the filter frequency sweep.
Freq Lo/Hi Sets the frequency of the filter for the Lo and Hi Pedal
Width Lo/Hi Sets the width (resonance) of the filter for the Lo and Hi
Gain Lo/Hi Sets the gain of the filter for the Lo and Hi Pedal posi-
Slope Specifies the slope of the filter; 6dB or 12 dB.
MIDI control
For real-time MIDI control of the Pedal parameter, MIDI
must be directed to the WahWah plug-in.
• Whenever the WahWah has been added as an insert
effect (for an audio track or an FX channel), it will be available on the Output Routing pop-up menu for MIDI tracks.
If WahWah is selected on the Output Routing menu, MIDI will be directed to the plug-in from the selected track.
positions.
Pedal positions.
tions.
14
The included effect plug-ins
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