Steinberg Sequel - 3.0 Operation Manual

Operation Manual

Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Marion Bröer, Sabine Pfeifer, Heike Schilling, Benjamin Schütte This PDF provides improved access for vision-impaired users. Please note that due to the complexity

and number of images in this document, it is not possible to include text descriptions of images. 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. Registered licensees of the product described herein may print one copy of this document for their personal use.

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5 Introduction

5 Welcome 6 Key Command Conventions

7 System Requirements and

Installation

7 About this Chapter 7 Minimum Requirements 8 Installing Sequel

9 Setting Up Your System

9 About this Chapter 9 General Notes on How to Set Up Your

System

9 MIDI Requirements 9 Audio Hardware 11 Setting Up Audio 15 Setting Up MIDI 16 Optimizing Audio Performance

17 The Sequel Window

17 Overview

19 Recording

19 Recording Audio 26 Recording Instrument Parts

28 Editing

28 Introduction 28 Importing 28 Common Editing Functions 32 The Draw Tool 33 The Sample Editor 33 The Key Editor 37 The Beat Page 37 Adding Tempo Changes

39 Mixing

39 Introduction 39 Setting Levels 40 Setting Pan 40 Mute and Solo 40 Adding EQ 42 Audio Effects 44 Adding Automation 47 Exporting

49 Live Pads and Chain Play Mode

49 Introduction 49 Performance Parts 50 Live Record Mode 50 Playback Mode 51 Step Input Mode

53 The Beat Page

53 Introduction 53 Adding Pattern Banks 54 Editing Patterns on the Beat Page 55 Editing Pattern Parts 56 Assigning Audio Samples to Pads 57 Saving your Pattern Bank

58 The Pilot Zone

58 Introduction 58 The Sequel Menu 59 The Project Menu 60 The Edit Menu 62 The Edit Remote Control Assignment

Button

62 The Tuner 62 Sound Input Activity 63 Musical Keyboard Input Activity 63 The Transport Controls 64 The Metronome 64 The Performance Mode Button 64 The Pilot Zone Display 66 The Virtual Keyboard

68 The Arrange Zone

68 Overview 74 Working with Tracks 75 Working with Parts and Events 75 Working with the MediaBay 80 Output Effects

81 The Multi Zone

81 Introduction 82 The Track Inspector Page 85 The Editor Page 94 The Track Picture Page 95 The Mixer Page 96 The Performance Page 99 The Settings Page 100 Computer Usage

101 Advanced Features

101 Introduction 101 Adding Silence 102 About Time Stretch and Pitch Shift

Algorithms

103 Audio Quantization and Free Warp 105 Step Envelope Editing 107 Detecting the Tempo of an Audio File 108 Smart Transpose 110 Remote-controlling Sequel 114 Quick Controls

116 Key Commands

116 Introduction 116 The Available Key Commands

119 Effects and Instruments Reference

119 Introduction 119 Effects Parameters 122 Instrument Parameters

123 Index

Table of Contents

Welcome

Introduction

Welcome and congratulations on purchasing Sequel 3. With Steinberg’s latest version of Sequel you are now able to create, record, mix, and perform your own musical ideas within one powerful music production center – in the most intuitive way.

It’s your idea. Let’s hear it! Sequel 3 is designed to support you in turning your ideas into reality. Whether it’s a melody stuck in your head, a rhythm that will not let you go or a synth sound that keeps you up at night, Sequel is the perfect tool to capture your ideas and make them last. And you don’t necessarily need to have musical skills or play an instrument. You are now equipped with thousands of pre-recorded loops, hundreds of instruments sounds, and a massive load of effects and tools to make your creative ideas come true and add your own sound to your mix.

You’ll be surprised how easily you’ll earn your first achievements and create tracks that feel and sound just like you want them to – there are no boundaries to your creativity. Combine different styles from rock to R’n’B, techno and hip hop or electro and jazz, and develop your own sound by experimenting with the included sound library.

Sequel 3 is the perfect tool to record your instrument or vocals. Plug in your guitar or microphone and start your recording session instantly. With the technology of a professional recording system built on the same engine as the award-winning Cubase audio production system, Sequel meets the highest requirements for modern music production.

And Sequel takes it a step further by breaking the barrier between creation and performance and building the bridge from music production to live experience. Let your ideas be heard and perform your tracks live with the included performance mode.

After you have registered Sequel 3 online, take some time to explore the community section at www.steinberg.net/forum. You will find lots of useful information and get to know other users in our discussion forums. Registering at www.steinberg.net/mysteinberg also gives you access to special offers from Steinberg in the future.

Have fun making your ideas come true. The Steinberg Sequel Team

Key Command Conventions

Many of the default key commands in Sequel 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:

[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]”.

Key Command Conventions

Introduction

System Requirements and Installation

About this Chapter

This chapter describes the requirements and installation procedures for Sequel.

Minimum Requirements

To use Sequel, your computer must meet the following minimum requirements:

Windows

-Windows 7

- Intel or AMD Dual Core CPU

-2 GB RAM

- 9 GB of free hard disk space

- Windows compatible audio hardware; ASIO compatible audio hardware recommended for low latency performance.

- Display resolution of 1280x800 pixels

- DVD ROM drive required for installation

- Internet connection required for license activation

Macintosh

- Mac OS X 10.6 or 10.7

- Intel Dual Core CPU

-2 GB RAM

- 9 GB of free hard disk space

- Display resolution of 1280x800 pixels

- CoreAudio compatible audio hardware

- DVD ROM drive required for installation

- Internet connection required for license activation

Installing Sequel

Depending on your system, the Start Center program on the DVD may start automatically. If no interactive start center appears, open the DVD and double-click the file “Start_Center.exe” (Win) or “Start_Center.app” (Mac). From the Start Center you can initiate the installation of Sequel and browse through the additional options and information presented there.

In case you do not want to install Sequel via the interactive Start Center, follow the procedure below.

Windows

1. Insert the Sequel DVD into the DVD drive of your computer.

2. Locate and double-click the file called “Setup.exe” on the Sequel installation DVD.

3. Follow the instructions on screen.

Macintosh

1. Insert the Sequel DVD into the DVD drive of your computer.

2. Double-click the file called “Sequel.mpkg”.

3. Follow the instructions on screen.

Installing Sequel

Activating Sequel

The process for license activation is described in detail on the Steinberg web site. To open the corresponding page, follow the “Activation & Registration” link in the Start Center.

System Requirements and Installation

Setting Up Your System

About this Chapter

In this chapter, you will find information on the basic computer setup and on more advanced audio and MIDI system setups.

General Notes on How to Set Up Your System

On the Steinberg web site, under “Support–DAW Components”, you find detailed information on what to consider when setting up a computer system dedicated to audio work.

• RAM – There is a direct relation between the amount of available RAM and the number of audio channels that you can have running.

The amount of RAM specified in the minimum requirements is a must, but as a general rule, the more the better applies.

• Hard-disk size – The size of the hard disk determines how many minutes of audio you can record.

Recording one minute of stereo CD quality audio requires 10 MB of hard disk space. That is, eight stereo tracks in Sequel use up at least 80 per recording minute.

MB of disk space

• Hard-disk speed – The speed of the hard drive also determines the number of audio tracks you can run.

That is the quantity of information that the disk can read, usually expressed as sustained transfer rate. Again, the more the better applies.

MIDI Requirements

If you intend to use the MIDI features of Sequel, you need the following:

• A USB MIDI keyboard or a MIDI instrument and a MIDI interface to connect external MIDI equipment to your computer.

• Any audio equipment required to listen to the sound from your MIDI devices.

Audio Hardware

Sequel runs with audio hardware that meets the following specifications:

-Stereo

- 16 bit

- Sampling rate: 44.1kHz

Using the Built-In Audio Hardware of Macintosh Computers

All current Macintosh models provide at least built-in 16 bit stereo audio hardware. For detailed information, refer to the documentation describing your computer.

Depending on your preferences and requirements, using the built-in audio hardware may be sufficient for use with Sequel. It is always available for selection in Sequel – you do not need to install any additional drivers.

About Drivers

A driver is a piece of software that allows a program to communicate with a certain piece of hardware. In this case, the driver allows Sequel to use the audio hardware. For audio hardware, there are different cases, requiring different driver configurations.

Specific ASIO Drivers

Professional audio cards often come with an ASIO driver written especially for the card. This allows for communication directly between Sequel and the audio card. As a result, audio cards with specific ASIO drivers can provide lower latency (input-output delay). The ASIO driver may also provide special support for multiple inputs and outputs, routing, synchronization, etc.

Audio card-specific ASIO drivers are provided by the card manufacturers. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s web site for the latest driver versions.

Audio Hardware

If your audio hardware comes with a specific ASIO driver we strongly recommend that you use this.

DirectX Drivers (Windows only)

DirectX is a Microsoft package for handling various types of multimedia data under Windows. Sequel supports DirectX, or to be more precise, DirectSound, which is a part of DirectX used for playing back and recording audio. This requires two types of drivers:

- A DirectX driver for the audio card, allowing it to communicate with DirectX. If the audio card supports DirectX, this driver should be supplied by the audio card manufacturer. If it is not installed with the audio card, please check the manufacturer’s web site for more information.

- The ASIO DirectX Full Duplex driver, allowing Sequel to communicate with DirectX. This driver is included with Sequel, and does not require any special installation.

Generic Low Latency ASIO Driver (Windows 7 only)

On Windows systems you can use the Generic Low Latency ASIO driver. This is a generic ASIO driver that provides ASIO support for all audio cards supported by Windows 7, thus allowing for low latency. The Generic Low Latency ASIO driver provides the Windows Core Audio technology in Sequel.

This driver should be used if no specific ASIO driver is available. Although the Generic Low Latency ASIO driver supports all audio devices, you might get better results with on-board audio cards than with external USB audio interfaces.

Mac OS X Drivers (Mac only)

If you are using a Macintosh computer, make sure that you are using the latest Mac OS X drivers for your audio hardware. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to install the driver.

Setting Up Your System

Testing the Audio Hardware

To make sure that the audio card works as expected, perform the following two tests:

• Use any software included with the audio card to make sure you can record and play back audio without problems.

• If the card is accessed via a standard operating system driver, try playing back audio using the computer’s standard audio application.

Setting Up Audio

Make sure that all equipment is turned off before making any connections!

Connecting Audio

Exactly how to set up your system depends on many different factors, such as the kind of project you want to create, the external equipment you want to use, or the computer hardware available to you. Therefore, the following sections can only serve as examples.

How you connect your equipment, that is, whether you use digital or analog connections, also depends on your individual setup.

Setting Up Audio

A simple stereo audio setup

Stereo Input and Output – the Simplest Connection

If you only use a stereo input and output from Sequel, you can connect your audio hardware directly to the input source, and the outputs to a power amplifier and speaker.

This is probably the simplest of all setups – once you have set up the internal input and output busses, you can connect your audio source, for example, a microphone, to your audio interface and start recording.

Multi-Channel Input and Output

You may have other audio equipment that you want to integrate with Sequel, using several input and output channels. Depending on the equipment available to you, there are two ways to go: either mixing using an external mixing desk, or mixing using the mixer inside Sequel.

External mixing means having a hardware mixing device with a group or bus system that can be used for feeding inputs on your audio hardware.

Setting Up Your System

A multi-

channel audio setup using an external mixer

Setting Up Audio

In the example below, four busses are used for feeding signals to the audio hardware inputs. The four outputs are connected back to the mixer for monitoring and playback. Remaining mixer inputs can be used for connecting audio sources like microphones, instruments, etc.

Mixing inside Sequel

When connecting an input source (like a mixer) to the audio hardware, you should use output busses, sends, or similar that are separate from the mixer’s master output to avoid recording what you are playing back. You may also have mixing hardware that can be connected via FireWire.

When using the Mixer inside Sequel, you can use the inputs on your audio hardware to connect microphones and/or external devices. Use the outputs to connect your monitoring equipment.

Recording from a CD Player

Most computers come with a disc drive that can also be used as a regular CD player. In some cases the CD player is internally connected to the audio hardware so that you can record the output of the CD player directly into Sequel. Refer to the audio hardware documentation if you are uncertain.

All routing and level adjustments for recording from a CD are done in the audio hardware setup application.

Setting Up Your System

About Recording Levels and Inputs

When you connect your equipment, you should make sure that the impedance and levels of the audio sources and inputs match. Typically, different inputs may be designed for use with microphones, consumer line level (-10 dBV), or professional line level (+4 dBV), or you may be able to adjust input characteristics on the audio interface or in its control panel. Refer to the audio hardware documentation for details.

Using the correct types of input is important to avoid distortion or noisy recordings.

Sequel does not provide any input level adjustments for the signals coming in to your audio hardware, since these are handled differently for each card. Adjusting input levels is either done in a special application included with the hardware or from its control panel.

Making Settings for the Audio Hardware

Most audio cards come with one or more small applications that allow you to configure the inputs of the hardware to your liking. This includes:

- Selecting which inputs/outputs are active.

- Setting up word clock synchronization (if available).

- Setting levels for each input. This is very important!

- Setting levels for the outputs, so that they match the equipment you use for monitoring.

- Selecting digital input and output formats.

- Making settings for the audio buffers.

In many cases all available settings for the audio hardware are gathered in a control panel, that can be opened from within Sequel as described below. If Sequel is not running, the control panel can also be opened separately. In some cases, there may be several different applications and panels. Refer to the audio hardware documentation for details.

Setting Up Audio

Selecting a Driver and Making Audio Settings in Sequel

The first thing you need to do is select the correct driver in Sequel to make sure that the program can communicate with the audio hardware:

1. Launch Sequel.

2. Open the Settings Page in the Multi Zone.

3. In the Audio Settings section, click on the “Audio Connection” field, and select

your audio hardware driver.

4. Bring up the control panel for the audio hardware and adjust the settings as

recommended by the audio hardware manufacturer.

• Under Windows, you open the control panel by clicking the “Setup…” button. The control panel that opens is provided by the audio hardware manufacturer and

not Sequel. Hence it is different for each audio card brand and model. The control panel for the ASIO DirectX driver is an exception, as it is provided by Steinberg. It is described in the dialog help, opened by clicking the Help button.

Setting Up Your System

• Under Mac OS X, you can open the control panel for your audio hardware from the

System Preferences, opened from the Apple menu or from the Dock. If you are using the built-in audio hardware of the Macintosh, you use the Sound

control panel in the System Preferences to set levels, balance, etc. If you are using ASIO audio hardware, you can click the “Control Panel” button to bring up its panel.

If you are Using Audio Hardware with a DirectX Driver (Windows only)

If your Windows audio hardware does not have a specific ASIO driver, a DirectX driver is the next best option.

Sequel comes with a driver called ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Driver available for selection on the Audio Connection pop-up menu on the Settings Page.

To take full advantage of DirectX Full Duplex, the audio hardware must support WDM (Windows Driver Model) in combination with DirectX version 8.1 or higher.

In all other cases, the audio inputs are emulated by DirectX. See the dialog help for the ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Setup dialog for details about how this is reported.

Setting Up the Input and Output Ports

Setting Up Audio

Setting up the inputs and outputs primarily depends on the configuration settings of your audio card. You can check the configuration by clicking “Setup…” on the Settings Page.

If you have a stereo in/out audio card, this is most likely set up automatically.

Inputs

Setting up the recording input for Sequel is described in “Adding an Audio Track” on

page 20.

Outputs

Audio outputs can be selected on the Settings Page from the “Output Selector” popup menu.

Retrieving Channel Names (Mac only)

For some audio cards, it is possible to automatically retrieve the ASIO channel names for the ports of your audio hardware:

1. Open the Settings Page in the Multi Zone.

2. In the Audio Settings section, select your audio card from the “Audio Connection”

pop up menu.

3. Open the control panel for your audio hardware.

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

When you now open the “Output Selector” pop-up menu in the Audio Settings section or the Input pop-up menu in the track list for audio tracks, you will find that the port names correspond to the names that are used by the CoreAudio driver.

Port Selection and Activation (Mac only)

On the settings page for your audio card, you can specify which input and which output port are active. For example, this allows you to use the microphone input instead of the line input or even to deactivate the audio card input or output completely, if required.

This function is only available for built-in audio, standard USB audio devices, and a certain number of other audio cards.

Setting Up Your System

About Monitoring

In Sequel, monitoring means listening to the input signal while preparing to record or while recording. Sequel always monitors the signal in realtime.

The audio passes from the input into Sequel, possibly through Sequel effects and EQ and then back to the output. You control monitoring via settings in Sequel. This allows you to control the monitoring level from Sequel and add effects to the monitored signal only.

Setting Up MIDI

Make sure that all equipment is turned off before making any connections!

This section describes how to connect and set up MIDI equipment. Note that this is only an example – you might need or want to set up your equipment differently!

Connecting the MIDI Equipment

In this example we assume that you have a MIDI keyboard. The keyboard is used for feeding the computer with MIDI messages for recording. Using Sequel’s automatic MIDI Thru feature you can hear the correct sound from the instrument track while playing the keyboard or recording.

Setting Up MIDI

A typical MIDI Setup

Setting Up MIDI Ports in Sequel

Sequel automatically finds any MIDI devices connected to your computer and allows them to be used as MIDI inputs for recording.

Setting Up Your System

Optimizing Audio Performance

This section gives you some hints and tips on how to get the most out of your Sequel system in terms of audio performance.

Two Aspects of Performance

There are two distinct aspects of performance in respect to Sequel:

Tracks and Effects

Simply put: the faster your computer, the more tracks, effects, and EQ you can play.

Short Response Times (Latency)

Another aspect of performance is response time. The term latency refers to the buffering, or temporary storing, of small chunks of audio data during various steps of the recording and playback process on a computer. The more and larger those chunks, the higher the latency.

High latency is most irritating when using software instruments and when monitoring through the computer, that is, when listening to a live audio source via the Sequel mixer and effects. However, very long latency times (several hundred milliseconds) can also affect other processes like mixing, for example, when the effect of a fader movement is heard only after a noticeable delay.

A system that responds fast is always more convenient to work with.

Optimizing Audio Performance

Depending on your audio hardware, it may be possible to trim your latency times, usually by lowering the size and the number of buffers.

Setting Up Your System

Overview

Pilot

Zone

Arrange

Zone

Multi

Zone

MediaBay

Click here to open the MediaBay

Click here to open the Output Effects section

The Sequel Window

The Sequel window is divided into three main sections: the Pilot Zone, the Arrange Zone, and the Multi Zone.

The Pilot Zone

The Pilot Zone gives you access to the Sequel menu functions. Here, you can also find the functions for remote-controlling the program, the virtual keyboard and the tuner, the Pilot Zone display, the transport controls, and the metronome.

For further information on the Pilot Zone, see the chapter “The Pilot Zone” on page 58.

The Arrange Zone

The Arrange Zone displays the instrument parts and audio events of the project along the timeline. Here, you can record, edit, and arrange your project. On the left, the track list is shown.

For further information on the Arrange Zone, see the chapter “The Arrange Zone” on

page 68.

The MediaBay

The MediaBay is a browser for media files that allows you to search for media files on your computer. It can be displayed in the Arrange Zone by clicking the corresponding button in the lower right corner of the program window.

For further information on the MediaBay, see “Working with the MediaBay” on page 75.

The Output Effects

The output effects are effects that are applied to the overall output in Sequel. They can be displayed in the Arrange Zone by clicking the Output Effects button in the lower right corner of the program window.

For further information on output effects, see “Output Effects” on page 80.

The Multi Zone

In the Multi Zone, you have access to various pages where all of your project’s mixing, effects processing, and advanced editing takes place.

For further information on the Multi Zone, see the chapter “The Multi Zone” on page 81.

Overview

The Sequel Window

Recording Audio

In this section, you will learn how to record a guitar line, how to add a drum loop, and play it back. Make sure that you have your audio card set up correctly, see the chapter

“Setting Up Your System” on page 9.

Creating a New Project

By default, Sequel creates a new project on startup. You can change this in the Settings Page. For more information, see

Creating a New Project if a Project is Already Open

• Open the Project menu and select “New Project”.

Recording

“The Settings Page” on page 99.

This creates a new empty project and closes the project that was open.

Setting the Save Folder

To specify where the projects are saved, proceed as follows:

1. Open the Settings Page in the Multi Zone.

2. Click in the “Project Location” field.

A dialog opens allowing you to browse your computer and find a suitable location. During the installation process, Sequel automatically creates a location for saving projects.

3. Select a location and click OK.

Saving a Project

1. Open the Project menu and select “Save Project”.

2. Type in a name for your project, for example “First Sequel Project”.

3. Click OK.

The project is saved in the folder you specified on the Settings Page.

Adding an Audio Track

Recording Audio

The following sections make reference to tutorial projects, located in the default Sequel project folder.

• Load the project called “Recording” found in the “Sequel Tutorial 1” folder.

You will now add an audio track to record onto. For this example, you will record a guitar. The method is the same for all instruments.

1. Click the “Add Track” button below the track list.

The Add Track dialog opens.

2. Select the Audio option.

3. Select “empty” and click OK.

This adds an audio track to the project.

4. Double-click the track name and change it to “Guitar”.

By default, the audio input for the track is set to the first input available on the “Input Selection” pop-up menu. To see the pop-up menu, you may have to increase the track height.

Recording

Activating the Metronome Click

Click here to select a different input.

To align your recording with the bars and beats displayed in the ruler, you can activate a click or metronome.

• Activate the Metronome button in the Pilot Zone.

• Adjust the metronome volume using the slider.

The metronome is automatically set to add a two-bar precount before recording starts. You can now specify the project tempo in the Tempo field, see “The Tempo (TEMPO)”

on page 64 for more information. This affects the speed of the metronome click. The default setting is 120 which means 120 BPM or beats per minute.

Recording Audio

Adding a Drum Loop

Now, add some drums to the project. Adding a drum loop to your project is also useful for supporting the metronome when

you are recording bass or guitar.

1. Click the MediaBay button in the lower right corner of the Multi Zone.

2. In the MediaBay, click the “Show Filter” button to open the filter section.

3. Set the Category column to “Drum&Perc” and the Sub Category column to

“Beats”.

4. In the Style column, select a style that suits the guitar line you want to record.

Recording

Recording Audio

5. Make sure the Preview button is activated and step through the list on the right

until you find a suitable loop.

6. Drag the selected drum loop into the Arrange Zone and line it up with bar 1, just

below the guitar track.

7. Click in the middle of the right edge of the event and drag to the right up to the

8. Rename the track “Drums”.

The tempo of the project has changed to match the drum loop. When you drag a file into an empty project, its tempo defines the project tempo. Read more about defining or changing the project tempo in the section

Setting Levels

In this example, a guitar plays through an amplifier with a microphone in front of the amplifier’s speaker. This microphone is plugged directly into the Steinberg CI1 microphone input. You have set the level so that you have enough volume without clipping.

1. Activate the Record Ready button to hear the guitar.

beginning of bar 5 to make the loop 4 bars long.

“The Tempo (TEMPO)” on page 64.

You should see the audio coming in to the right of the track.

2. Do the best you can to send the maximum amount of volume to the audio inputs of

your audio card before you hear any distortion. Most audio cards show some kind of level or volume indication.

Recording

Tuning your Instrument

Tuning indicator Note and octave

Sequel features a built-in tuner for tuning guitar or bass, for example.

1. Make sure the guitar track is selected and the Record Ready button is activated so

that you hear the input.

2. Activate the Tuner in the Pilot Zone.

3. Pluck a string on your guitar or bass.

The Tuner automatically detects which string you are hitting as long as it is in fairly close proximity to the right tuning. The tuning indicator moves left or right. If it moves to the left, the string is flat. If it moves to the right, the string is sharp.

The Tuner also displays the current note and octave that your string is tuned to.

4. Tune each of your instrument’s strings.

Recording Audio

5. Deactivate the Tuner. You are now ready to record!

Recording the Guitar

1. Click on the ruler at the position where you want the recording to start or click the

“Jump to Previous Marker” and “Jump to Next Marker” buttons in the Pilot Zone. This moves the project cursor to this position.

2. Make sure the Cycle button is deactivated.

3. Activate the “Record Ready” button for the track you want to record on.

4. Click the Record button to record the guitar.

Two bars of precount are automatically added. This is indicated by a red cursor at the position where you start recording and a black cursor that jumps two bars back and advances towards the record position. This allows you to see the remaining count in time and the record start position at the same time.

The red cursor is not shown if the record start position is set to the first bar.

5. Press [Space] to stop recording.

Recording

Playback

Recording Audio

To listen to what you have just recorded, you have to play it back.

• Load the project “Playback” found in the “Sequel Tutorial 1” folder.

Starting Playback

To start playback, you have the following possibilities:

• Click the Play button.

• Press [Space] on your computer keyboard.

This toggles between start and stop.

• Press [Enter] on the numeric keypad.

• Double-click in the lower half of the ruler.

Stopping Playback

To stop playback, you have the following possibilities:

• Click the Play button during playback.

• Press [Space] on your computer keyboard.

This toggles between start and stop.

• Press [0] on the numeric keypad.

Cycle Playback

In Sequel, you can also cycle (or loop) a section of your project. To draw in a cycle region, proceed as follows:

1. Click the button on the right of the ruler to activate “Snap to Grid”.

This makes it easier to create a precise region.

2. Position the mouse pointer over the top of the ruler, so that it turns into a Draw

tool.

3. Click and drag from bar 3 to bar 4.

4. Activate the Cycle button.

5. Click the “Jump to Previous Marker” or “Jump to Next Marker” buttons until the

project cursor is positioned at the beginning of the cycle (in this example, bar 3).

6. Start playback.

Sequel plays the cycle section over and over again until you stop playback.

Recording

Recording Multiple Takes of your Audio

Sequel offers the possibility to record multiple takes of your performance. This allows for recording a section multiple times and then selecting the best take, or assembling a perfect take from the different takes. Proceed as follows:

1. Draw in a cycle region from bar 3 to 4, and set the project cursor to the beginning

of the cycle.

2. Activate the Cycle button.

3. Make sure that the “Record Ready” button for the track is activated, and click the

Record button to start recording. The project cursor jumps to a position 2 bars before the recording starts and

Sequel repeats the cycle region over and over again.

4. Record as many takes as you like.

All takes are stacked in the cycle region.

5. Press [Space] to stop recording.

Selecting a Take

When you play back what you have just recorded, you can only hear the take that is shown in the Arrange Zone. To select a different take for playback, proceed as follows:

Recording Audio

1. Position the mouse pointer over the take and click the small triangle on the top left.

2. On the pop-up menu, select the take that you want to hear.

3. Listen to all your takes and select the one you like most.

4. To delete the other takes, select “Remove Overlaps” from the pop-up menu.

Assembling the Perfect Take

You can also combine segments of the recorded takes to assemble one perfect take. Proceed as follows:

1. Move the mouse pointer over the bottom of the take so that it turns into a Split tool.

2. Click at the positions where you want to split the takes.

All stacked takes are cut at the same positions.

3. Select the segments that you want to include in the perfect take from the pop-up

menu.

4. On the Edit menu, select the “Bounce Selection” command.

A new audio event that includes all segments is created and all the unused segments are removed.

Recording

Recording Instrument Parts

In this section, you will learn how to record instrument parts on instrument tracks.

• Load the project called “Recording MIDI” found in the “Sequel Tutorial 1” folder.

Creating an Instrument Track

1. Click the “Add Track” button below the track list.

The Add Track dialog opens.

2. Select the Instrument option.

3. Use the Category filter and select a sound for your project, for example a Synth

Pad sound.

Recording Instrument Parts

4. Rename the track according to the type of sound.

Recording an Instrument Part

Now that you have a track and a sound, you can start recording. Recording instrument parts is very similar to recording audio events.

Sequel automatically finds and uses any MIDI devices that you have on your computer.

The MIDI input of an instrument track is always set to “All Inputs”.

1. Activate the “Record Ready” button for the track and press a few keys on your

MIDI keyboard. You should hear the MIDI signals and see data coming in to the right of the track.

2. Make sure the Cycle button is deactivated.

3. Click on the ruler at the position where you want the recording to start.

This moves the project cursor to this position.

Recording

Recording Instrument Parts

4. Click the Record button to start recording.

5. Record 4 bars.

6. Press [Space].

7. Deactivate “Record Ready” so that you do not hear the input any more.

Congratulations! You have just recorded your first instrument part in Sequel.

8. Load the project “MIDI Playback” found in the “Sequel Tutorial 1” folder.

9. Set the project cursor to bar 1 and press [Space] to listen back.

Recording Multiple Takes of an Instrument Part

Basically, recording multiple takes of an instrument part is the same as multi-take audio recording, but there is one important difference. When it comes to MIDI multitake recording, you can choose between two recording methods:

Recording method

Take This is the default mode where all recorded MIDI takes are stacked

Mixed In this mode, all notes that you record during the cycles are recorded

You can select the recording method from the MIDI Recording pop-up menu on the Settings Page in the Multi Zone.

Description

in the cycle region. As with audio takes, you can select the take that you like most or assemble a perfect take, see

Takes of your Audio” on page 25. This is useful if you want to record

different versions of an instrument part, for example a piano performance.

into the same instrument part. This is useful for drum recordings, for example. You can record the kick drum in the first cycle, the snare in the second cycle, and so on.

“Recording Multiple

Recording

Introduction

In this chapter, the basic editing methods are described.

• The following sections make reference to tutorial projects, located in the default Sequel project folder.

Importing

You can import audio files, instrument sounds, pattern banks, or MIDI loops by simply dragging them from the MediaBay or your desktop and dropping them in the Arrange Zone.

Common Editing Functions

Editing

Renaming

In this section, you will learn how to edit audio events. This includes renaming, resizing, splitting, moving, muting, copying, repeating, deleting, and creating a new file from selected audio events. You can also apply all these functions to instrument and beat pattern parts.

• Load the project “Event Operations” found in the “Sequel Tutorial 2” folder.

Consistency in the naming of your audio files helps to keep your project clean and organized. Therefore, rename the audio event on the drum track “Drums”:

1. Double-click the name field on the event.

2. Type in “Drums” and press [Return].

The name changes to “Drums”.

Resizing

Resize handles

Common Editing Functions

In the bottom left and right corners of an event, the resize handles are shown. Click and hold either one of them and drag left or right to lengthen or shorten the event.

For this example, resize the Guitar and Synth events.

• Position the mouse pointer over one of the triangles at the lower left or right of the event. Click and adjust the Guitar and Synth events.

When you resize an event, the tooltip beside the mouse pointer displays the bar position and length of the event.

Splitting

Audio events cannot be made any longer than they were when they were created.

You can split an event at any given position or you can split them evenly at positions defined by the bars and beats position grid displayed in the Arrange Zone.

Splitting without Snap to Grid

Splitting without “Snap to Grid” allows you to cut the event anywhere you like.

1. Make sure that “Snap to Grid” is deactivated.

You can now split the event anywhere you like.

2. Select the Synth event.

3. Point the mouse at the bottom of the event so that it turns into the Split tool.

4. Click anywhere along the bottom of the event to split it. Create as many splits as

you like.

Editing

Common Editing Functions

5. Undo your actions by selecting “Undo Split” from the Edit menu.

Splitting with Snap to Grid

Having “Snap to Grid” activated allows you to split with precision, directly on bars or beats.

Moving

1. Make sure that “Snap to Grid” is activated.

2. Split the Drums event on the third beat of every bar.

If you cannot see beats in the grid, zoom in using the [H] key on your keyboard until you can see them.

3. Cut on bar 1 beat 3, bar 2 beat 3, bar 3 beat 3, and bar 4 beat 3.

4. Undo your actions by selecting “Undo Split” from the Edit menu.

Now, move the events in the project so that all the events on all tracks line up with bar 2.

1. Make sure that “Snap to Grid” is activated.

2. Click and hold the mouse in an empty area of the Arrange Zone. Drag to create a

selection of all the events. When you release the mouse button, all events are selected.

Editing

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