Steinberg Cubase LE - 1.0 User Manual
Cubase LE Effects Parameters
Manual by Ludvig Carlson, Anders Nordmark, Roger Wiklander
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
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 2000 and Windows XP are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. The Mac
logo is a trademark used under license. Macintosh and Power Macintosh are registered
trademarks.
© Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2004.
All rights reserved.
DoubleDelay
This effect provides two separate delays that can be either tempo
based or use freely specified delay time settings. Cubase LE automatically provides the plug-in with the tempo currently used in the project.
The parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the effect. If Double-
Delay is used as a send effect, this should be set to maximum (100%)
as you can control the dry/effect balance with the send.
Tempo sync
on/off
Delay Time 1 This is where you specify the base note value for the delay if tempo
Delay Time 2 As above.
Feedback This sets the number of repeats for both delays.
The buttons above the two Delay Time knobs are used to turn tempo
sync on or off for the respective delay. If set to off (the buttons are
white) the delay time can be set freely with the Delay Time knobs, without sync to tempo.
sync is on (1/1 - 1/32, straight, triplet or dotted). If tempo sync is off, it
sets the delay time in milliseconds.
Tempo Sync 1 The note value multiplier (x1 to x10) for the first delay unit.
Tempo Sync 2 As above, but for the second delay unit.
Pan1 This sets the stereo position for the first delay.
Pan2 This sets the stereo position for the second delay.
Effects Parameters CUBASE LE
3
You can also change parameters in the graphic display window. This
works as follows:
•
If tempo sync is on, you can set the Tempo Sync 1 parameter by dragging the light blue handle left and right.
When tempo sync is off, this sets the Delay Time 1 parameter.
•
You can set the Pan 1 parameter by dragging the light blue handle up
and down.
•
The dark blue handle works in the same way but for the corresponding second delay parameters.
CUBASE LE Effects Parameters
4
ModDelay
This is a delay effect that can either be tempo-based or use freely
specified delay time settings. The delay repeats can also be modulated. The parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the effect. If ModDelay
is used as a send effect, this should be set to maximum as you can control the dry/effect balance with the send.
Tempo sync
on/off
Feedback This sets the number of repeats for the delay.
Delay Time This is where you specify the base note value for the delay if tempo sync
Tempo Sync
knob
DelayMod. This controls the pitch modulation rate for the delay effect.
The button above the Delay Time knob is used to turn tempo sync on or
off. If set to off (white button) the delay time can be set freely with the
Delay Time knob, without sync to tempo.
is on (1/1 - 1/32, straight, triplet or dotted). If tempo sync is off, it sets
the delay time in milliseconds.
This is the note value multiplier (x1 to x10) for the delay when tempo
sync is used.
Effects Parameters CUBASE LE
5
DaTube
This effect emulates the characteristic warm, lush sound of a tube amplifier. It is usable both as an insert effect and a send effect:
Parameter Description
Drive Regulates the pre-gain of the “amplifier”. Use high values if you want an
overdriven sound just on the verge of distortion.
Balance This controls the balance between the signal processed by the Drive pa-
rameter and the dry input signal. For maximum drive effect, set this to its
highest value.
Output Adjusts the post-gain, or output level, of the “amplifier”.
CUBASE LE Effects Parameters
6
Distortion
The Distortion effect plug-in is capable of producing anything from a
soft “crunch” to all-out distortion.
The parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Input Sets the Input level.
Output Sets the Output level. As distortion generates harmonics, it increases the
level of the processed signal. You can use the Output fader to compensate for the level increase.
Shapes Determines how much the input signal is affected by the distortion effect.
Non-linear 2 will produce the strongest distortion.
Contour This is a selective low pass filter, altering the tonal quality of the distortion.
Drive Governs the amount of distortion.
Factory
Presets
Select one of five presets, which can be used as they are, or as a basis
for further “tweaking”. Note that these presets are not stored parameter
settings, but different basic distortion algorithms.
Effects Parameters CUBASE LE
7
Overdrive
Overdrive is a distortion-type effect, emulating the sound of a guitar
amplifier. A selection of factory styles is available. Note that these are
not stored parameter settings, but different basic overdrive algorithms,
with the style names indicating the basic character of each algorithm.
The parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Input Sets the input level.
Output Sets the output level. As overdrive generates harmonics, it increases the
level of the processed signal. You can use the Output fader to compensate
for the level increase.
Speaker
simulation
Factory
Styles
Bass Tone control for the low frequencies.
Mid Tone control for the mid frequencies.
Simulates the sound of a speaker cabinet.
Select one of six presets, which can be used as they are or as a basis for
further “tweaking”.
Hi Tone control for the high frequencies.
Drive Governs the amount of overdrive. You can also adjust this by clicking and
dragging in the display.
CUBASE LE Effects Parameters
8
Dynamics
Compress Autogate
Limiter
Routing selector
Dynamics is an advanced dynamics processor. It combines three separate processors: Autogate, Compress and Limit, 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 by clicking on their labels. Activated processors have highlighted labels.
Effects Parameters CUBASE LE
9
Autogate 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. Autogate offers all the features of a standard noise
gate, plus some very useful additional features, such as auto-calibration of the threshold setting, a look-ahead predict function, and frequency selective triggering. Available parameters are as follows:
Parameter Values Description
Threshold -60 - 0dB This setting determines the level where Autogate
is activated. Signal levels above the set threshold
trigger the gate to open, and signal levels below
the set threshold will close the gate.
Attack 0,1 -100 ms or
“Predict mode”
Hold 0 - 1000 ms This determines how long the gate stays open af-
Release 10 - 1000 ms or
“Auto”
This parameter sets the time it takes for the gate
to open after being triggered. If the Predict button is activated, it will ensure that the gate will already be open when a signal above the threshold
level is played back. Autogate manages this by
“looking ahead” in the audio material, checking
for signals loud enough to pass the gate.
ter 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, Autogate will find
an optimal release setting, depending on the audio program material.
CUBASE LE Effects Parameters
10
Trigger Frequency Range
Autogate has a feature that allows the gate to be triggered only by signals within a specified frequency range. This is a most useful feature
because it lets you filter out parts of the signal that might otherwise
trigger the gate in places you don’t want it to, thus allowing more control over the gate function. The Trigger Frequency Range function is
set using the control in the upper part of the Autogate panel, and the
buttons located below it.
The basic operation of the Trigger Frequency Range function is as
follows:
1.
While playing back audio, click the “Listen” button.
You will now monitor the audio signal, and the gate will be bypassed.
2.
While listening, drag the two handles in the Trigger Frequency Range
window to set the frequency range you wish to use to trigger the gate.
You will hear the audio being filtered as you move the handles.
• Dragging the left handle to the right will progressively cut frequencies starting
from the low end of the frequency spectrum.
• Dragging the right handle to the left will progressively cut frequencies starting
from the high end of the frequency spectrum.
The frequency range between the two handles will
be used to trigger the gate.
3.
After setting the frequency range, click the “On” button.
Autogate will now use the selected frequency range as the trigger input.
4.
To disable the Trigger Frequency Range function, click the “Off” button.
Autogate will now use the unfiltered audio signal as the trigger input.
Effects Parameters CUBASE LE
11
Calibrate Function
This function, activated by using the Calibrate button located below the
Threshold knob, is used to automatically set the threshold level. It is especially useful for material with consistent inherent background noise,
like tape hiss. This may most of the time be masked by the audio content, but becomes noticeable during silent passages. Use it as follows:
1.
Find a part of the audio material, preferably not too short, where only
the background noise is heard.
If you can only find a short background noise section, try looping it.
2.
Play it back, and click on the Calibrate button.
The button will blink for a few seconds, and then automatically set the threshold so that
the noise will be silenced (gated) during passages where there is no other signal present.
Compress section
Compress reduces the dynamic range of the audio, making softer
sounds louder or louder sounds softer, or both. Compress functions
like a standard compressor with separate controls for threshold, ratio,
attack, release and make-up gain parameters. Compress features a
separate display that graphically illustrates the compressor curve
shaped according to the Threshold, Ratio and MakeUp Gain parameter settings. Compress 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.
CUBASE LE Effects Parameters
12
The available parameters have the following functionality:
Parameter Values Description
Threshold -60 - 0dB This setting determines the level where Compress
“kicks in”. Signal levels above the set threshold are
affected, but signal levels below are not processed.
Ratio 1:1 - 8:1 Ratio determines the amount of gain reduction ap-
plied to signals over the set threshold. A ratio of 3:1
means that for every 3 dB the input level increases,
the output level will increase by only 1 dB.
Attack 0.1-100 ms This determines how fast Compress 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.
Release 10-1000ms or
“Auto mode”
MakeUp Gain 0 - 24dB This parameter is used to compensate for output
Compressor
Mode
RMS/Peak RMS mode operates using the average power of
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,
Compress will automatically find an optimal release
setting that varies depending on the audio program
material.
gain loss, caused by compression.
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.
Effects Parameters CUBASE LE
13
Loading...