STEINBERG Cubase LE 1 User Manual
Operation Manual
Manual by Ludvig Carlson, Anders Nordmark, Roger Wiklander
VST System Link chapter by Rodney Orpheus
Quality Control: C. Bachmann, H. Bischoff, S. Pfeifer, C. Schomburg
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
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© Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2004.
All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
9 Playback and the
Transport panel
10 Background
13 Operations
15 Options and Settings
19 Recording
20 Background
21 Basic recording methods
25 Audio recording specifics
33 MIDI Recording Specifics
43 Options and Settings
47 The Project Window
48 Background
50 Window Overview
58 Operations
90 Options
95 Folder tracks
96 About folder tracks
97 Using folders
103 Using Markers
104 About markers
105 The Marker Window
108 Using the Marker track
115 Fades and
Crossfades
116 Creating Fades
119 The Fade Dialogs
122 Creating Crossfades
124 The Crossfade Dialog
127 The Mixer
128 About this chapter
129 Overview
137 The audio channel strips
139 The MIDI channel strips
140 The Common panel
141 The Master section
142 The VST Outputs window
143 Basic mixing procedures
147 Audio specific procedures
158 MIDI specific procedures
159 Utilities
165 Audio effects
166 Background
168 Using effects
181 The included effects
182 Installing and managing
effect plug-ins
189 Automation
190 Background
193 Automation subtrack
operations
198 Using Write/Read
automation
200 Working with automation
curves
206 Tips and common methods
207 Options and Settings
209 Remote Controlling
the Mixer
210 Background
210 Operations
217 Audio processing and
functions
218 Background
219 Audio processing
CUBASE LE
4 Table of Contents
237 The Sample Editor
238 Background
238 Opening the Sample Editor
238 Window overview
244 Operations
253 Options and settings
255 The Audio Part Editor
256 Background
256 Opening the Audio Part
Editor
257 Window overview
260 Operations
262 Common methods
264 Options and Settings
265 Working with
hitpoints and slices
266 Background
267 Using Hitpoints
270 Editing hitpoints
279 Creating slices
280 Creating Groove Quantize
maps
281 Divide audio events
281 Using the Close Gaps
function
283 The Pool
284 Background
286 Window Overview
290 Operations
306 Options and Settings
307 MIDI devices and
patches
308 About program change and
bank select
309 Opening the MIDI Device
Manager
310 Installing a MIDI Device
313 Selecting a patch for an
installed device
314 Renaming patches in a
device
315 Defining a new device
318 Exporting and importing
device setups
319 MIDI realtime
parameters
320 Introduction
321 The Inspector – General
handling
322 Basic track settings
324 Track parameters
328 The Channel section
329 Merge MIDI in Loop
331 MIDI processing and
quantizing
332 Introduction
333 Quantizing
343 Other MIDI menu functions
348 Dissolve Part
351 The MIDI Editors
352 About editing MIDI
353 Opening a MIDI editor
354 The Key Editor – Overview
358 Key Editor operations
378 The List Editor – Overview
379 List Editor operations
385 The Score Editor –
Overview
388 Score Editor operations
Table of Contents 5
CUBASE LE
404 Common MIDI editor
options and settings
405 Working with drum maps
413 The Input Transformer
414 Introduction
417 Setting up filter conditions
423 Specifying actions
427 The Tempo Track
Editor
428 Background
428 Opening the Tempo Track
Editor
428 Window overview
432 Operations
437 Options and settings
438 The Beat Calculator
441 Working with System
Exclusive messages
442 Introduction
442 Bulk dumps
445 Recording System Exclusive
parameter changes
446 Editing System Exclusive
messages
449 Export Audio
Mixdown
450 Background
451 Mixing down to an audio file
453 File Format Specifics
461 Synchronization
467 VST System Link
468 Introduction
469 Preparations
477 Activating VST System Link
484 Application examples
487 Video
488 Background
489 Operations
492 Options
493 ReWire
494 Introduction
495 Launching and quitting
496 Activating ReWire channels
497 Using the transport and
tempo controls
498 How the ReWire channels
are handled in Cubase LE
499 Routing MIDI via ReWire2
500 Considerations and
limitations
501 File Handling
502 File Operations
516 Options and Settings
519 Key Commands
520 Background
521 The Key Commands dialog
526 Setting up tool modifier keys
527 Troubleshooting/FAQ
528 Frequently Asked Questions
462 Background
463 Synchronization Setup
466 Options
CUBASE LE
6 Table of Contents
531 Menu reference
532 About this chapter
532 Cubase LE menu
(Mac OS X only)
533 File menu
537 Edit menu
543 Project menu
544 Audio menu
548 MIDI menu
553 Pool menu
556 Transport menu
559 Devices menu
561 Window menu
562 Help menu
563 Index
Table of Contents 7
CUBASE LE
CUBASE LE
8 Table of Contents
1
Playback and the Transport
panel
Background
This chapter describes the various methods available for controlling
Playback and Transport functions in Cubase LE.
The Transport panel
Below you can find a brief description of each item on the Transport
panel.
Right locator: punch out
point and end of Cycle
Activates Auto Quantize
Position display
Nudge position right
Nudge position left
Position slider
Go to project start
Metronome click on/off
Tempo follows Tempo
track on/off
Left locator: record start point, punch
in point and beginning of Cycle
Cycle on/off
Fast forwardRewind Stop
Go to project end
Preroll setting
Postroll setting
Activates punch outActivates punch in
Display format
pop-up
Record
Play
Synchronization on/off
CUBASE LE
1 – 10 Playback and the Transport panel
The tempo and time signature display
•
The main Transport functions (Play/Stop/Cycle/Record) are also
available on the toolbar.
In addition, various play options are available on the Transport menu.
Hiding and showing
The Transport panel is shown by default when you launch a new project.
To hide or show it, select the “Transport Panel” item from the Transport
menu (or use the corresponding key command, by default [F2]).
About Preroll and Postroll
These items are described in the Recording chapter – see page 44.
Resizing
You can change the size of the Transport panel by deciding which
parts of it you wish to be visible. If you right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click
(Mac) anywhere within the Transport panel area, a pop-up menu will
appear. On this menu, you can check or uncheck elements of the
Transport panel as desired.
CUBASE LE
Playback and the Transport panel 1 – 11
The numeric keypad
In the default Key Command settings, the numeric keypad on the
computer keyboard is assigned various Transport panel operations
The keypads are slightly different on PC and Macintosh computers:
PC:
Cycle On/Off
Go to Marker
number 3-9
Go to right
locator
Go to left
locator
Stop
Mac:
Cycle On/Off
Go to Marker
number 3-9
Num
Lock
x —
7 8 9
4 5 6+
1 2 3
0
num
lock
,
= / *
Enter
7 8 9 –
Record
Rewind On/Off
Fast Forward On/Off
Play
Return to Zero
Record
Rewind On/Off
Fast Forward On/Off
4 5 6 +
Go to right
locator
Go to left
locator
Stop
CUBASE LE
1 – 12 Playback and the Transport panel
1 2 3
0
Play
enter
,
Return to Zero
Operations
Setting the Project cursor position
There are several methods you can use to move the project cursor po-
sition:
• By using Fast Forward and Rewind.
• By dragging the project cursor.
• By clicking in the ruler.
Double clicking in the ruler will start or stop playback, moving the cursor at the same
time.
• If the option “Locate When Clicked in Empty Space” is activated in the Preferences (Transport page) you can click anywhere in an empty section of the
Project window to move the cursor position.
• By changing the value in the position display.
• By using the position slider.
The range of the slider relates to the Length setting in the Project Setup dialog. Hence,
moving the slider all the way to the right will take you to the end of the project.
• By using the nudge position buttons (see page 14).
• By using markers (see page 104).
• By using playback options (see page 16).
• By using functions on the Transport menu.
The following functions are available:
Function Description
Locate Selection Moves the project cursor to the beginning of the current se-
lection. For this to be available, you must have selected one
or more events or parts, or made a selection range.
Locate Next/
Previous Marker
Locate Next/
Previous Event
This moves the project cursor to the closest marker to the right
or left (see page 104).
This moves the project cursor forwards or backwards respectively, to the closest beginning or end of any event on the selected track(s).
❐
If Snap is activated when dragging the project cursor, the Snap value is
taken into account. This can be helpful for finding exact positions quickly.
CUBASE LE
Playback and the Transport panel 1 – 13
About the Transport panel display format
The time unit shown in the ruler can be independent from the time unit
shown in the Transport panel. This means that you can display timecode in the transport position display and bars and beats in the ruler,
for example. The following rules apply:
•
If you change the display format from the Transport panel, this will apply “globally” in the project.
This is the same as changing the display format in the Project Setup. Thus, to have different display formats in the ruler and the Transport panel, you should change the format in the ruler.
•
The Transport panel display format is set on the pop-up menu to the
right in the position display.
•
The setting here also determines the time format displayed for the left
and right locators.
Using the nudge position buttons
The + and – buttons to the left of the Position slider allows you to
nudge the project cursor position to the right or left, respectively. The
increments depend on the display format selected on the Transport
panel:
• If the Seconds format is selected, the position will be nudged by whole seconds.
• If any frame-based format is selected, the position will be nudged by frames.
• If Bars+Beats is selected, the position will be nudged by ticks. There are 480
ticks per beat.
• If the Samples format is selected, the position will be nudged by samples.
CUBASE LE
1 – 14 Playback and the Transport panel
Options and Settings
The “Return to Start Position on Stop” preference
You have the option to set the behavior of the project cursor when you
press Stop. This is done in the Preferences dialog on the Transport
page:
1.
Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu (on the Mac, the
Preferences are located on the Cubase LE menu) and select the
Transport page.
2.
Activate or deactivate the “Return to Start Position on Stop” item.
•
If activated (ticked), the project cursor will automatically return to the
position where recording or playback last was activated from, when
you press Stop.
•
If deactivated, the project cursor will remain at the position where you
hit Stop.
Pressing Stop
playback last was activated from.
3.
Click OK to close the Preferences dialog and apply the changes.
About track disable/enable
again
will return the project cursor to the position where recording or
For audio tracks, the track context menu contains an item named “Disable Track”. This shuts down all disk activity for the track, as opposed
to using Mute, which merely turns down the output volume for a track.
If you often record “alternative takes”, you can easily build up a large
number of takes that are actually still “playing back” from the hard disk
during playback, although the tracks may be muted. This puts an unnecessary load on your disk system, so using “Disable Track” is recommended for such situations.
•
Select “Disable Track” when you have recorded many alternative
takes of a performance on separate tracks, that you want to keep for
later evaluation and/or editing.
Select “Enable Track” from the track context menu to re-enable disabled tracks.
CUBASE LE
Playback and the Transport panel 1 – 15
Playback functions
Apart from the standard transport controls on the Transport panel, you
can also find a number of functions that can be used to control playback on the Transport menu. The items have the following functionality:
Option Description
Play from Selection Start This activates playback from the beginning of the currently
selected range.
Play from Selection End This activates playback from the end of the currently se-
lected range.
Play until Selection Start This activates playback two seconds before the start of the
currently selected range and stops at the selection start.
Play until Selection End This activates playback two seconds before the end of the
selected range and stops at the selection end.
Play until Next Marker This activates playback from the project cursor and stops at
the next marker.
Play Selection Range This activates playback from the start of the selected range
and stops at the selection end.
Loop Selection This activates playback from the start of the selected range
and continuously starts over again upon reaching the selection end.
❐
The functions listed above (except “Play to Next Marker”) are only available if you have selected one or more events or made a selection range.
CUBASE LE
1 – 16 Playback and the Transport panel
About Chase
Chase is basically a function that makes sure your MIDI instruments
sound as they should when you locate to a new position and start
playback. This is accomplished by having the program transmitting a
number of MIDI messages to your instruments each time you move to
a new position in the project, making sure all MIDI devices are set up
correctly with regard to Program Change, controller messages (such
as MIDI Volume) etc.
For example, let’s say you have a MIDI track with a Program Change
event inserted at the beginning. This event makes a synth switch to a
piano sound.
In the beginning of the first chorus you have another Program Change
event which makes the same synth switch to a string sound.
You now play back the song. It begins with the piano sound and then
switches to the string sound. In the middle of the chorus you stop and
rewind to some point between the beginning and the second Program
Change. The synth will now still play the string sound although in this
section it really should be a piano!
The Chase function takes care of that. If Program Change events are
set to be chased, Cubase LE will track the music back to the beginning, find the first Program Change and send this out, so that the synth
is set to the right sound.
The same thing can apply to other event types as well. The Chase
Events Filter settings in the Preferences dialog (MIDI-Chase Events
Filter page) determine which event types will be chased when you locate to a new position and start playback.
• Event types for which the checkbox is activated in this dialog will not be
chased.
CUBASE LE
Playback and the Transport panel 1 – 17
CUBASE LE
1 – 18 Playback and the Transport panel
2
Recording
Background
This chapter describes the various recording methods that you can
use in Cubase LE. As it is possible to record both audio and MIDI
tracks in Cubase LE, both of these recording methods are covered in
this chapter.
Before you start
This chapter assumes that you are reasonably familiar with certain basic recording concepts, and that the following initial preparations have
been made:
•
You have properly set up, connected and calibrated your audio hardware.
This is described in the Getting Started book.
•
You have opened a project and set the project setup parameters to
your specifications.
Project Setup parameters determine the record format, sample rate, project length etc.
that affect the resulting audio recordings you make during the course of the project.
See page 58.
•
If you plan to record MIDI, your MIDI equipment should be set up and
connected correctly.
See the Getting Started book.
CUBASE LE
2 – 20 Recording
Basic recording methods
This section describes the general methods used for recording. However, there are additional preparations and procedures that are specific
to audio and MIDI recording respectively. Make sure to read these sections before you start recording (see page 25 and page 33).
Record enabling a track
Cubase LE can record on a single track or on several tracks (audio
and/or MIDI) simultaneously. To make a track ready for recording,
click the Record Enable button for the track in the Track list, in the Inspector or in the Mixer. When activated, the button(s) turn red, indicating record ready mode.
Record Enable in the Inspector, Track list and Mixer.
• If the option “Enable Record on Selected Track” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Editing page), tracks are automatically record enabled
when you select them in the Track list.
• You can have a maximum of 48 audio tracks in a project. However, the
exact number of audio tracks you can record simultaneously depends on
your computer CPU and hard disk performance.
Furthermore, it would be pointless to record more audio tracks than you have audio inputs, since this would only result in duplicate tracks and audio files (see page 25).
CUBASE LE
Recording 2 – 21
Manually activating recording
You activate recording by clicking the Record button on the Transport
panel or toolbar, or by using the corresponding key command (by default [*] on the numeric keypad).
Recording can be activated from Stop mode (from the current cursor
position or from the left locator) or during playback:
• If you activate recording from Stop mode, and the option “Start Record at Left
Locator” is activated on the Transport menu, recording will start from the left
locator.
The preroll setting or the metronome count-in will be applied (see page 44).
• If you activate recording from Stop mode, and the “Start Record at Left Locator” is deactivated, recording will start from the current project cursor position.
• If you activate recording during playback, Cubase LE will immediately enter
Record mode and start recording at the current project cursor position.
This is known as “manual punch in”.
Automatically activating recording
Cubase LE can automatically switch from playback to recording at a
given position. This is known as “automatic punch in”. A typical use for
this would be if you need to replace a section of a recording, and want
to listen to the previously recorded audio up to the recording start position.
1. Set the left locator to the position at which you want recording to start.
2. Activate the Punch In button on the Transport panel.
Punch In activated.
3. Activate playback from some position before the left locator.
When the project cursor reaches the left locator, recording is automatically activated.
CUBASE LE
2 – 22 Recording
Stopping recording
Again, this can be done automatically or manually:
• If you click the Stop button on the Transport panel (or use the corre-
sponding key command, by default [0] on the numeric keypad), recording is deactivated and Cubase LE goes to Stop mode.
• If you click the Record button or use the key command for recording,
by default [*], recording is deactivated but playback continues.
This is known as “manual punch out”.
• If the Punch Out button is activated on the Transport panel, recording
will be deactivated when the project cursor reaches the right locator.
This is known as “automatic punch out”. By combining this with automatic punch in,
you can set up a specific section to record – again very useful if you want to replace a
certain part of a recording. See also page 43.
Punch In and Out activated.
CUBASE LE
Recording 2 – 23
Cycle recording
Cubase LE can record and play back in a cycle – a loop. You specify
where the cycle starts and ends by setting the left and right locators.
When cycle is active, the selected section is seamlessly repeated until you hit Stop or deactivate cycle mode.
• To activate cycle mode, click the cycle button on the Transport panel.
If you now activate Play, the section between the left and right locator is repeated indefinitely until you stop.
Cycle activated.
• To record in Cycle mode, you can start recording from the left locator,
from before the locators or from within the cycle, from Stop mode or
during playback.
As soon as the project cursor reaches the right locator, it will jump back to the left locator and continue recording a new lap.
• The results of cycle recording are different for audio (see page 32)
and MIDI (see page 38).
CUBASE LE
2 – 24 Recording
Audio recording specifics
Activating and selecting VST inputs
Cubase LE allows you to use audio hardware with multiple inputs and
route different inputs to different audio channels. To activate inputs,
first open the VST Inputs window on the Devices menu.
❐
Note that active inputs use processing power! Make it a habit to only activate audio inputs that you actually intend to use.
The VST Inputs window is divided into three columns:
• The left column contains the available physical input ports on the audio hardware.
• The middle column indicates which input pairs are activated. You turn input
pairs on or off by clicking the buttons in this column.
• The right column shows the names that will be used for each input throughout
the program. You can rename an input by clicking in this column and typing a
new name.
❐
If you deactivate an input pair that is currently used (selected as input
source for one or several audio channels), you will be asked whether you
want Cubase LE to remap these inputs (change the input source selection for the channels in question).
CUBASE LE
Recording 2 – 25
Routing activated VST inputs to a channel
Selecting an input source for a track’s corresponding channel is done
in the Mixer. Proceed as follows:
1. Open the Mixer from the Devices menu.
2. Locate the mixer channel strip for the audio track on which you plan to
record.
3. Pull down the input pop-up for the channel strip and select the input
to which the signal source you want to record is connected.
Selecting a recording file format
The format of recorded files is set in the Project Setup dialog on the
Project menu. There are three settings: sample rate, record format (bit
depth) and record file type. While the sample rate is set once and for
all when you start working on a new project, the bit depth and file type
can be changed at any time.
Record format (bit depth)
The available options are 16 bit and 24 bit. Use the following guidelines:
• Normally, select record format according to the bit depth delivered by your audio hardware.
For example, if your audio hardware has 20 bit A/D converters (inputs), you may want
to record at 24 bit resolution, to capture the full bit depth. On the other hand, if your
hardware has 16 bit inputs, it’s pointless to record with a higher bit depth – this will
only make the audio files larger, with no difference in audio quality.
• The higher the bit depth, the larger the files and the more strain is put on the
disk system.
If this is an issue, you may want to lower the record format setting.
CUBASE LE
2 – 26 Recording
Record file type
The Record File Type setting determines which type of files will be created when you record:
File Type Description
Wave File Wave files have the extension “.wav” and are the most common file
format on the PC platform.
AIFF File Audio Interchange File Format, a standard defined by Apple Com-
puter Inc. AIFF files have the extension “.aif” and are used on most
computer platforms.
Setting up tracks for mono or stereo recording
One of the initial decisions you have to make before you start recording audio is whether the recording should be stereo or mono. This is
determined by the stereo/mono status of the audio track selected for
recording:
• To set a track to mono or stereo, click the Stereo/Mono button in the
Track list or in the Inspector.
A lit stereo button indicates a stereo track, while a dark mono button indicates a mono
track.
The Stereo/Mono button.
❐
For more details about mono/stereo track compatibility, see page 70.
Recording 2 – 27
CUBASE LE
Monitoring
In this context, “monitoring” means listening to the input signal during
recording. There are three fundamentally different ways to do this: via
Cubase LE, externally (by listening to the signal before it reaches Cubase LE) or by using ASIO Direct Monitoring (which is a combination of
both of the other methods – see page 29).
Monitoring via Cubase LE
If you monitor via Cubase LE, the input signal is mixed in with the audio
playback. The advantage of this is that you can adjust the monitoring
level and panning in the Mixer, and add effects and EQ to the monitor
signal just as during playback. The disadvantage of monitoring via Cubase LE is that the monitored signal will be delayed according to the latency value (which depends on your audio hardware and drivers).
Therefore, monitoring via Cubase LE requires an audio hardware configuration with a low latency value (see the Getting Started book).
When monitoring via Cubase LE, you can select one of four modes in
the Preferences dialog (VST page):
• Manual.
This option allows you to turn input monitoring on or off by clicking the Monitor button
in the Inspector, the Track list or in the Mixer.
• While Record Enabled.
With this option you will hear the audio source connected to the channel input whenever the track is record enabled.
• While Record Running.
This option switches to input monitoring only during recording.
• Tapemachine Style.
This option emulates standard tapemachine behavior: input monitoring in stop mode
and during recording, but not during playback.
CUBASE LE
2 – 28 Recording
External monitoring
External monitoring (listening to the input signal before it goes into
Cubase LE) requires some sort of external mixer for mixing the audio
playback with the input signal. This can be a stand-alone physical
mixer or a mixer application for your audio hardware, if this has a mode
in which the input audio is sent back out again (usually called “Thru”,
“Direct Thru” or similar).
When using external monitoring, you cannot control the level of the
monitor signal from within Cubase LE, or add VST effects or EQ to the
monitor signal. The latency value of the audio hardware configuration
does not affect the monitor signal in this mode.
• If you want to use external monitoring, you need to make sure that monitoring via Cubase LE isn’t activated as well.
Select the “Manual” monitoring mode in the Preferences dialog (VST page) and simply
don’t activate the Monitor buttons.
ASIO Direct Monitoring
If your audio hardware is ASIO 2.0 compatible, it may support ASIO
Direct Monitoring. In this mode, the actual monitoring is done in the
audio hardware, by sending the input signal back out again. However,
monitoring is controlled from Cubase LE. This means that the audio
hardware’s direct monitoring feature can be turned on or off automatically by Cubase LE, just as when using internal monitoring.
• To activate ASIO Direct Monitoring, open the Device Setup dialog on the Devices menu and use the Direct Monitoring checkbox on the Setup tab for the
VST Multitrack device.
If the checkbox is greyed out, this means that your audio hardware (or its current
driver) doesn’t support ASIO Direct Monitoring. Consult the audio hardware manufacturer for details.
• When ASIO Direct Monitoring is activated, you can select a monitoring mode
in the Preferences dialog (VST page), as when monitoring via Cubase LE (see
page 28).
• Depending on the audio hardware, it may also be possible to adjust monitoring level and panning from the Mixer.
Consult the documentation of the audio hardware if in doubt.
• VST effects and EQ cannot be applied to the monitor signal in this mode,
since the monitor signal doesn’t pass through Cubase LE.
CUBASE LE
Recording 2 – 29
• Depending on the audio hardware, there may be special restrictions as to
which audio outputs can be used for direct monitoring.
For details on the routing of the audio hardware, see its documentation.
• The latency value of the audio hardware configuration does not affect the
monitor signal when using ASIO Direct Monitoring.
Setting input levels
When monitoring a channel signal source in stop mode, the meters
show the level at the input selected for the audio channel. So if the
connected signal source is sounding you should see activity in both
the Track list meter and in the mixer strip for that channel.
❐
Note that it is not possible to set input gain with the mixer fader!
Check the levels coming in to Cubase LE, and if necessary, adjust the
input level in one of the following ways:
• Adjust the output level of the sound source or external mixer.
• Use the audio hardware’s own application program to set the input
levels, if this possibility is provided.
See the documentation of the audio hardware.
• If your audio hardware supports the ASIO Control Panel function, it
may be possible to make input level settings.
To open the ASIO Control Panel, open the Device Setup dialog on the Devices menu
and click the Control Panel button on the Setup tab for the VST Multitrack device.
❐
Input levels should be as high as possible, without exceeding 0dB.
CUBASE LE
2 – 30 Recording
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