STEINBERG Cubase LE 4 User Manual
Operation Manual
Revision for Cubase LE and Quality Control:
Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, 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.
All product and company names are ™ or ® trademarks of their respective owners. Windows XP is a trademark of
Microsoft Corporation. The Mac logo is a trademark used under license. Macintosh and Power Macintosh are registered
trademarks.
© Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2007.
All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
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
16 Window Overview
21 Operations
37 Options
39 Playback and the Transport panel
40 Background
41 Operations
42 Options and Settings
44 Recording
45 Background
45 Basic recording methods
47 Audio recording specifics
50 MIDI recording specifics
55 Options and Settings
57 Recovery of audio recordings after system failure
58 Fades and crossfades
59 Creating fades
60 The Fade dialogs
62 Creating crossfades
63 The Crossfade dialog
64 Auto Fades and Crossfades
66 Folder tracks
67 About folder tracks
67 Handling folder tracks
68 Working with folder parts
70 Using markers
71 About markers
71 The Marker window
72 Using the Marker track
74 Marker key commands
75 The mixer
76 About this chapter
76 Overview
76 Configuring the mixer
79 The audio-related channel strips
80 The MIDI channel strips
80 The common panel
80 The output channels
80 Basic mixing procedures
83 Audio specific procedures
87 MIDI specific procedures
88 Utilities
90 Automation
91 Background
91 What can be automated?
92 Automation track operations
94 Using Write/Read automation
96 Working with automation curves
98 Tips and common methods
99 Options and Settings
100 Audio processing and functions
101 Background
101 Audio processing
105 Freeze Edits
106 The Sample Editor
107 Background
107 Opening the Sample Editor
107 Window overview
109 Operations
112 Options and settings
113 The Audio Part Editor
114 Background
114 Opening the Audio Part Editor
114 Window overview
116 Operations
117 Common methods
117 Options and Settings
118 Audio warp realtime processing
119 Background
119 Determining the tempo of an audio loop and
activating Musical mode
121 Realtime pitch shifting of audio events
121 Freezing the realtime processing
4
Table of Contents
122 Working with hitpoints and slices
123 Background
123 Using hitpoints
124 Editing hitpoints
127 About Q-points
127 Creating slices
128 Other hitpoint functions
129 The Pool
130 Background
130 Window Overview
132 Operations
141 VST Instruments and Instrument
tracks
142 Introduction
142 Activating and using VST Instruments
143 Editing an instrument track/channel
143 Using VST presets
145 Exporting Instrument tracks
145 About latency
145 Constrain Delay Compensation
145 Automating a VST Instrument
146 MIDI realtime parameters and effects
147 Introduction
147 The Inspector – General handling
147 Basic track settings
148 MIDI Modifiers
150 The MIDI Device Manager
154 MIDI processing and quantizing
155 Introduction
155 The Quantizing functions
160 Permanent settings with Freeze MIDI Modifiers
160 Dissolve Part
161 Other MIDI functions
165 The MIDI editors
166 About editing MIDI
166 Opening a MIDI editor
168 The Key Editor – Overview
170 Key Editor operations
182 The Drum Editor – Overview
183 Drum Editor operations
185 Working with drum maps
188 Using drum name lists
189 The List Editor – Overview
190 List Editor operations
193 The Score Editor – Overview
194 Score Editor operations
201 Working with System Exclusive
messages
202 Introduction
202 Bulk dumps
203 Recording System Exclusive parameter changes
203 Editing System Exclusive messages
205 Working with the Tempo track
206 Background
206 The Tempo Track Editor – Overview
207 Operations
210 Options and settings
211 Export Audio Mixdown
212 Introduction
212 Mixing down to an audio file
213 The available file formats
216 Synchronization
217 Background
217 Synchronization signals
218 Synchronizing the transport vs. synchronizing
audio
219 Making basic settings and connections
220 Synchronization settings
223 Application options
224 Working with VST System Link
224 Preparations
227 Activating VST System Link
230 Application examples
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Table of Contents
231 Video
232 Background
232 Before you start
233 Operations
236 File handling
237 Working with Projects
239 Startup Options
240 Revert
240 Importing audio
241 Exporting and importing MIDI files
243 Customizing
244 Background
244 The Setup dialogs
245 Appearance
245 Applying track and event colors
248 Where are the settings stored?
249 Key commands
250 Background
250 Setting up key commands
253 Setting up tool modifier keys
253 The default key commands
257 Index
6
Table of Contents
1
About this manual
Welcome!
This is the Operation Manual for Steinberg’s Cubase LE 4.
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 described in the documentation are specific to one of the platforms, Windows or Mac
OS X. 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 under Windows and Mac
OS X.
The screenshots are taken from the Windows version.
Key command conventions
Many of the default key commands in Cubase LE 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, etc. If you are using a Mac
with a single-button mouse, hold down [Ctrl] and click.
About this manual
8
2
VST Connections: Setting up input and
output busses
About this chapter
Cubase LE 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 LE. This is why you find this
chapter at the beginning of the Operation Manual – once
you understand the bus system and set up the busses
properly, it will be easy to go on with recording, playing
back and mixing.
Setting up busses
Strategies
In Cubase LE, you can create up to 8 stereo busses or up
to 16 mono busses, respectively.
Ö The bus configuration is saved with the projects –
therefore it’s 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 238).
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 will let you record stereo material. If
you want to be able to record in stereo from other analog input
pairs as well, you could 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
• You probably want one or several stereo output busses for
monitoring and listening to stereo mixes.
• 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
LE 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 won’t 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!
10
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses
5. Click OK to close the Device Setup dialog.
Ö If you open a project created on another computer and
the port names don’t match (or the port configuration isn’t
the same – e.g. the project is created on a system with
multi-channel i/o and you open it on a stereo in/out system), a Pending Connections dialog will appear.
This allows you to manually re-route ports used in the project to ports
available in your system.
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 or output busses, respectively.
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 VST output bus.
them by clicking on them in this column.
each bus.
in the Bus Name column) this column shows which physical input/output on your audio hardware is used by the
bus.
Adding a bus
1. Open the Inputs or Outputs tab depending on which
you want to add.
2. Click the Add Bus button.
A dialog appears.
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 that appears.
The new bus appears with the ports visible.
4. Click in the Device Port column to select an input/out-
put 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 one 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.
Setting the default output bus in the VST Connections window.
11
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses
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 speaker
icon next to its name in the VST Connections window.
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 don’t need, select it in the list,
right-click and select “Remove Bus” from the pop-up
menu, or press [Backspace].
• You can store and recall bus presets with the pop-up
menu at the top of the window.
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.
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 44 and “The mixer” on page 75.
For audio-related channel types other than audio track
channels (i.e. Group channels and FX channels), only the
Output Routing pop-up menu is available. Select one of
its subtracks in the Track list to open it.
When selecting an input bus for a track you can only select 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 stereo or mono input busses.
For output busses any assignment is possible.
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:
Routing
When you play back an audio track (or any other audio
based 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 Inspector, using the Input and Output Routing pop-up menus.
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses
The output channel strips
12
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 or limiters. See the chapter “Audio effects” in
the separate Plug-in Reference manual.
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 11).
Setting the monitoring level
You can adjust the monitoring level in the Mixer.
• When auditioning or scrubbing in the Sample Editor,
you can also set the monitoring level using the small fader
on the Sample editor toolbar.
13
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses
3
The Project window
Background
The Project window is the main window in Cubase LE.
This provides you with an overview of the project, allowing
you to navigate and perform large scale editing. Each
project has one Project window.
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
FX Channel FX channel tracks are used for adding send effects. Each
Folder Folder tracks function as containers for other tracks,
Group Channel By routing several audio channels to a 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 has an automation track for automating
mixer channel parameters, insert effect settings etc.
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” in the
separate Plug-in Reference manual.
An FX channel also has an automation track for automating mixer channel parameters, effect settings etc. All FX
channel tracks are automatically placed in a special FX
channel folder in the Track list, for easy management.
making 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 66.
you can submix them, apply the same effects to them,
etc. (see “Using group channels” on page 86).
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 subtracks in a
special Group Tracks folder.
ment. Instrument tracks have a corresponding channel
strip in the mixer. Each instrument track also has an automation track in the Project window. However, Volume
and Pan are automated from within the mixer. For more
information on instrument tracks, see “VST Instruments
and Instrument tracks” on page 141.
track has a corresponding MIDI channel strip in the mixer.
A MIDI track has an automation track for automating mixer
channel parameters, insert and send effect settings etc.
Track type Description
Marker The Marker track displays markers which can be moved
Video For playing back video events. A project can only have
and renamed directly in the Project window (see “Using
the Marker track” on page 72). A project can have only
one marker track.
one video track.
About parts and events
Events are the basic building blocks in Cubase LE. 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 are always gathered in MIDI parts, 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
“About editing MIDI” on page 166).
• 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.
An audio event and an audio part.
15
The Project window
Window Overview
The rulerThe info line The toolbar
The Inspector
The Track list with
various track types
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 22).
• The Track list area for an audio track:
Edit channel settings
Track
Mute & Solo
Indicates whether effect sends, EQ or insert effects
are activated for the track. Click to bypass.
name
Record Enable &
Monitor buttons
Lane Display TypeShow/hide automation
Automation Read/
Write buttons
Track activity
indicator
The Project window
The event display, showing audio parts and events,
MIDI parts, automation, markers, etc.
• The Track list area for an automation track (opened by
clicking the Show/Hide Automation button on a track):
Mute
Automation
Automation Read/
Write buttons
Automation parameter
(click to select parameter)
• The Track list area for a MIDI track:
MIDI channel
MIDI OutputBank Patch
Read/Write buttons
Edit channel settings
Lane display
type
Track activity
indicator
Track name
Mute & Solo
Drum
Map
16
Record Enable &
Monitor buttons
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 25), the Inspector
shows the setting for the first (topmost) selected track.
To hide or show the Inspector, click the Inspector icon in
the toolbar.
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 respective 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. Finally,
[Alt]/[Option]-clicking a section name shows or hides all sections in the
Inspector.
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 Setup context menu.
Sections
• You can also use key commands to show different Inspector settings.
These are set up in the Key Commands dialog, see “Setting up key com-
mands” on page 250.
Ö Hiding a section does not affect its functionality.
In other words, if you have set up a track parameter or activated an effect
for example, 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 Project window
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
available sections are listed. Which sections are available
for which track type is described in the following sections.
Parameter Description
Edit Channel
settings
Auto Fades
Settings button
Volume Use this to adjust the level for the track. Changing this
17
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 83.
Opens a dialog in which you can make separate Auto
Fade settings for the track. See “Making Auto Fade set-
tings for a separate track” on page 65.
setting will move the track’s fader in the mixer window,
and vice versa. See “Setting volume in the mixer” on page
80 to learn more about setting levels.
Parameter Description
Pan Use this to adjust the panning of the track. As with the
Delay This adjusts the playback timing of the audio track. Posi-
Input Routing This lets you specify which Input bus or MIDI input the
Output Routing Here you decide to which output the track should be
Inserts section Allows you to add insert effects to the track, see the
Equalizers
section
Sends section Allows you to route an audio track to one or several FX
Channel section Shows a duplicate of the corresponding mixer channel
Volume setting, this corresponds to the Pan setting in the
mixer.
tive 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).
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.
chapter “Audio effects” in the separate Plug-in Reference manual. The Edit button at the top of the section
opens the control panels for the added insert effects.
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 84. The Edit button at the top of the sec-
tion opens the Channel Settings window for the track.
channels (up to eight), see the chapter “Audio effects” in
the separate Plug-in Reference manual. The Edit button
at the top of the section opens the control panel for the
first effect in each FX channel.
strip. The channel overview strip to the left lets you activate and deactivate insert effects, EQs and sends.
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.
Audio tracks
For audio tracks, all settings and sections listed above are
available.
MIDI tracks
When a MIDI track is selected, the Inspector contains a
number of different sections and parameters, affecting the
MIDI events in real time (e.g. on playback).
Marker tracks
When the marker track is selected, the Inspector shows
the marker list. See “The Marker window” on page 71.
Video tracks
When a video track is selected, the Inspector contains a
Mute button for interrupting video playback.
The Project window
Here, an audio track within the folder is selected.
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.
• Channel section.
18
FX channel folder tracks
Proj
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.
Group channel folder tracks
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.
The toolbar
The toolbar contains tools and shortcuts for opening other
windows and various project settings and functions:
Constrain delay compensation (see “Constrain Delay
Compensation” on page 145).
Show/hide
info line
Active project
indicator
Open Pool
Show/hide
Inspector
Open Mixer
Transport controls (Previous/Next Marker,
Cycle, Stop, Play, and Record)
ect window tools
Nudge palette
Snap on/off
Autoscroll on/off
Grid pop-up menu
Snap mode
Quantize value
Color pop-up menu
Snap to Zero
Crossings
Ö How to set up the toolbar and specify which tools
should be displayed or hidden is described in the section
“The Setup dialogs” on page 244.
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 20).
• 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.
• 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.
19
The Project window
• 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).
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 with the Transpose track parameter in the Inspector.
• Adjusting the Velocity field shifts the velocity for the selected 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.
!
Audio events can also be transposed – see “Real-
time pitch shifting of audio events” on page 121.
Getting on-the-fly info with the Arrow tool
If the option “Select Tool: Show Extra Info” is activated in
the Preferences dialog (Editing–Tools page), a tool tip 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
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 21), as do all other rulers
and position 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 that appears (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. There are 120
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
• The selection you make here affects the ruler, the info
line and tool tip 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.
• To set the display format globally (for all windows), use
the time 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.
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 21). You can choose between 24, 25, 29.97 and
30 fps or 29.97 and 30 dfps (“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.
20
The Project window
Operations
Creating a new project
You create a new project in the following way:
1. Select “New Project” from the File menu.
A dialog appears, listing a number of project templates, including any
custom templates you may have created (see “Save as Template” on
page 238).
2. Select a template and click OK.
A file dialog appears, allowing you to specify a location for the project
folder. This will contain all files related to the project.
3. Select an existing folder or type the name of a new
one. Click OK.
A Project window appears. The new project will be based on the selected
template, and include tracks, events and settings from the template.
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.
The following settings are available in the Project Setup
dialog:
Setting Description
Start The start time of the project. Allows you to have the
Length The length of the project.
Frame Rate Used when synchronizing Cubase LE with external
Display Format This is the global display format used for all rulers and
Display Offset Offsets the time positions displayed in the ruler etc., al-
Sample Rate The sample rate at which Cubase LE records and plays
Record Format/
File Type
Stereo Pan Law Decides whether panning should use power compensa-
project start at another time than zero. Also used for setting the sync start position when synchronizing Cubase
LE to external devices (see “Setting up Cubase LE for ex-
ternal sync to timecode” on page 221). 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.
equipment. If Cubase LE is slave, this value is automatically set to the frame rate of the incoming sync signal. If
Cubase LE is the master, this determines the frame rate
of the sent sync signal. See “Setting the Frame Rate” on
page 219.
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 20.
lowing you to compensate for the Start position setting.
Typically, if you synchronize Cubase LE 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 LE to start at zero, set the Display Offset to the same value too.
audio.
When you record audio in Cubase LE, the files that are
created will be of this resolution and file type. See “Se-
lecting a recording file format” on page 47.
tion or not (see “About the “Stereo Pan Law” Preference
(audio channels only)” on page 82).
!
21
The Project window
While most Project Setup settings can be changed at
any time, you should 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 whole
Zoom to
Selection
Zoom to
Selection
(Horiz)
Zoom to Event This option is available only in the Sample Editor (see
Zoom In
Vertical
Zoom Out
Vertical
Zoom In
Tracks
Zoom Out
Tracks
Zoom Selected
Tracks
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.
Zooms in horizontally so that the current selection fills the
screen.
“Zooming” on page 109).
Zooms in one step vertically.
Zooms out one step vertically.
Zooms in on the selected track(s) one step vertically.
Zooms out the selected track(s) one step vertically.
This zooms in vertically on the selected track(s) and minimizes the height of all other tracks.
• You can zoom the contents of parts and events verti-
cally, using the waveform zoom slider in the top right corner of the event display.
This can be useful when viewing quiet audio passages.
!
To get an approximate reading on the level of the audio events by viewing the waveforms, make sure the
slider is all the way down. Otherwise, zoomed waveforms may be mistaken for clipped audio.
• If you activate the option Quick Zoom in the Prefer-
ences (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.
!
Note that 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.
• 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 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.
The Project window
22
• 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.
• Tracks can also be divided vertically in lanes – see
“Editing in Lane Display mode” on page 34.
The Enlarge Selected Track option
When this option is activated on the Edit menu (or in the
Preferences dialog, 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.
Click here… … to open the context menu
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 21).
23
The Project window
• 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
“Zooming to cycle markers” on page 73).
• You cannot edit the cycle markers in this pop-up menu.
For information on editing markers, see “The Marker win-
dow” on page 71.
!
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 LE 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 25.
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–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 Event Display–Audio page contains settings for audio
events:
Option Description
Interpolate
Audio Images
Wave Image
Style
Show Event
Volume Curves
Always
Show
Waveforms
Background
Color
Modulation
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.
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
Show
Controllers
Determines which editor should be opened when you
double-click a MIDI part or select it and press [Ctrl]/
[Command]-[E]: the Key, Drum, List 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.
Determines if and how events in MIDI parts should be
shown in the Project window: as lines, as score notes or
as drum notes. 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.
24
The Project window
Option Description
Edit as Drums
when Drum Map
is assigned
Note Name
Style
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.
Handling tracks
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 Quick 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.
• 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 grey color in the Track list.
This track is selected.
It is possible to select several tracks, by pressing [Ctrl]/[Command] and
clicking them. To select a continuous range of tracks, use [Shift]-clicking.
• 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 track” from the context menu, or select “Duplicate track” 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.
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 Track” from the context menu.
You can also remove multiple selected tracks, by selecting “Remove Selected Tracks” either from the Project menu or from the context 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 22.
Ö Note that you can also automatically enlarge the selected track, see “The Enlarge Selected Track option” on
page 23.
25
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 42 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
45).
This is possible for audio and MIDI tracks.
• 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 MIDI files”
on page 241).
• 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, from the Audio Part Editor or 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 27).
• 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 of any open project – 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 “By using
drag and drop” on page 133.
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 LE:
• 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
the desired option on the “On Import Audio Files” pop-up:
• 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. Note:
– 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.
26
The Project window
• 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.
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.
Auditioning audio parts and events
Audio parts and events can be auditioned in the Project
window with the Speaker tool:
!
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 that appears.
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 that appears.
To add events to a MIDI part, you use the tools and functions in a MIDI editor (see “The Key Editor – Overview” on
page 168). Adding events to audio parts is done in the
Audio Part Editor (see “Window overview” on page 114)
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.
The Project window
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 (VST–Scrub page).
27
• Note that scrubbing can be quite a burden on your system. To avoid playback problems, you will find the “CPU
Saving Scrub Mode” option in the Preferences (VST–
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.
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 253.
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
Select Controllers
in Note Range
All on Selected
Tracks
Select Event This is available in the Sample Editor (see “Window
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.
This is available in the MIDI Editors (see “Selecting
controllers within the note range” on page 174).
Selects all events on the selected track.
overview” on page 107).
Option Description
Left/Right Selection
Side to Cursor
!
Note that these functions work differently when the
These two functions are only used for range selection
editing (see “Creating a selection range” on page 35).
Range Selection tool is selected (see “Creating a
selection range” on page 35).
• Select all events on a track by right-clicking in its Track
list and selecting “Select All Events” from the pop-up
menu that appears.
• You can also use the arrow keys on the computer key-
board 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 acti-
vated 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 35).
• 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”.
28
The Project window
• 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.
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 “Snap”
on page 37).
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” functions on the Edit menu.
The following functions are available:
Function Description
Move to Cursor Moves the selected event to the project cursor position. If
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.
Function Description
Move to Origin Moves the selected events to their original positions, i.e.
Move to Front,
Move to Back
the positions at which they were originally recorded.
This function doesn’t actually change the position of the
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.
• 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 21) and the value set on the Grid pop-up menu.
Here, clicking this button will move the event 2 frames to the right.
!
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 checking them in the pop-up menu that appears. See “The
Setup dialogs” on page 244 for more information.
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The Project window
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 “Snap” on page 37).
!
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 can
not 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.
• You can also perform the Repeat function by dragging:
Select the event(s) to repeat, press [Alt]/[Option], click the
handle in the lower right corner of the last selected event
and drag to the right.
The longer to the right you drag, the more copies are created (as shown
by the tooltip).
• Selecting “Fill Loop” from the Edit menu creates a number of copies starting at the left locator and ending at the
right locator.
The last copy is automatically shortened to end at the right locator.
Shared copies are indicated by an icon in the right corner of the part.
Note:
• When you duplicate audio events, the copies are al-
ways shared. This means that shared copies of audio
events always refer to the same audio clip (see “Audio
processing” on page 101).
• You can convert a shared copy to a real copy by select-
ing “Convert to Real Copy” from the Edit menu. This creates a new version of the clip (that can be edited
independently) and adds this to the Pool. Note that no new
files are created by this operation.
• Selecting “Duplicate” from the Edit menu creates a
copy of the selected event and places it directly after the
original.
If several events are selected, all of these are copied “as one unit”, maintaining the relative distance between the events.
• Selecting “Repeat...” from the Edit menu opens a dia-
log, allowing you to create a number of copies (regular or
shared) of the selected event(s).
This works just like the Duplicate function, but you can specify the number of copies.
The Project window
Using Cut, Copy and Paste
You can cut or copy selected events, and paste them in
again, using the functions on the Edit menu.
• When you paste an event it is inserted on the selected
track, positioned so that its snap point is aligned with the
cursor position.
If the selected track is of the wrong type, the event will be inserted on its
original track. See “Snap” on page 37 for information about the snap point.
• If you use the “Paste at Origin” function, the event is
pasted at its original position (the position from which you
cut or copied it).
Renaming events
By default, audio events show the name of their clip, but
you can enter a separate descriptive name for separate
events if you like. This is done by selecting the event and
typing in a new name in the “Description” field in the info
line.
• You can also give all events on a track the same name
as the track by changing the track name, holding down a
modifier key and pressing [Return].
See “Handling tracks” on page 25.
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