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equencing with Cubase

Introduction to MIDI Sequencing withCubase

What We're Going To Do

his page will demonstrate the mechanics of creating a MIDI sequence for a typical pop song. We w

e how we start off by creating some simple building blocks and then use them to gradually build up

mplete sequence.

t first, we will create repetitive patterns (normally 1 or 2 bars long) for the various instruments. The

ort patterns are copied, bar by bar, to create longer sections such as the verse, chorus and intro. As

o this, of course we have to modify the patterns slightly to reflect the chord changes.

ow Long Will It Take?

reating a sequence is very labour intensive and time-consuming. An experienced Cubase user migh

end around 10 hours creating this sequence. You should expect to spend more time as you will also

arning your way around Cubase's complex user interface.

What Equipment Do We Need?

o work through this workshop, we'll need a suitable computer running Cubase 5, connected to a muyboard via Midi interfaces. Any inexpensive home musical keyboard should be suitable, provided

rries the "General Midi" logo. A wide range of suitable products are available from manufacturers

Yamaha, Casio and Roland.

ection 1 shows how to connect the keyboard to the computer.

"General Midi" keyboard has a set ofstandard voices which we will use for this sequence.

ote. We will not be using any digital audio or VST voices in this workshop.

What Song Are We Going To Sequence

he song we're going to sequence is called Your Eyes. We've chosen this song because you won't ha

ard it before (and so you won't have any preconceptions about it). We recommend that you print ou

e sheet music for the song as it makes life a lot easier.

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he song-writers have presented us with a very rough form of the song. All we have are the melody a

ords for the verse and chorus, plus the chords for the introduction. As we create the sequence, we w

ve to compose and choose instrumentation for all the different parts in the final sequence.

Plan Of Attack

we examine the song carefully, we see it breaks down into the following sections:

q Intro - 16 bars

q First Verse - 18 bars

q Chorus - 16 bars

q Second Verse - 18 bars

q Chorus - 16 bars

q Chorus - repeated 3 times, fade out on final repeat

mmediately, we see that there are a number of repeated sections which will allow us to cut and paste

me instrumental backings:

q The first and second verses use the same chords

q The chorus appears five different times.

we look carefully at the Intro, we can see that it has the same chord sequence as the Chorus. Perha

e can use a modified version of the Chorus for the Intro?

utting all this together gives us a general strategy for creating the sequence:

1. Create the basic parts for the first verse

2. Create the basic parts for the chorus

3. Add extra instrumentation.

4. Cut and paste repeats for the verse and chorus

5. Edit the chorus to create the intro

6. Further additions.

he number of repeats makes the job easier, but we have to take care to avoid the song becoming bor

his is achieved by adding extra instruments to the later repeats and (towards the end) having one vo

oss-fade into another.

What About the Fade-Out at the End?

is possible to create proper fade-outs, but it is generally hard work. A far easier method is to set Cu


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repeat the final chorus indefinitely and use a manual volume control to fade out onto the final mix

ou should certainly follow this approach if you intend to take your sequence to a recording studio a

e it as the basis for an audio recording. If that seems too crude for you, then you can build in a prop

de using "Expression" control changes as an extra step at the very end.

Creating The Sequence

or convenience, we've divided the course into a number of separate sections. We recommend that y

int out each section and work from theprintedversion. That way you can put a tick next to each ste

ou finish it. It is very easy to miss a step when working from the computer screen

equencing the Song

etting up:

q Section 1 - Making a Start

reating the Verse:

q Section 2 - Verse Electric Piano part

q Section 3 - Verse Synth Bass part

q Section 4 - Verse Drums part

q Section 5 - Recording the Verse

reating the Chorus

q Section 6 - Chorus Electric Piano part

q Section 7 - Chorus Synth Bass part

q Section 8 - Chorus Drums part

q Section 9 - Recording the Chorus

eviewing what we have so far

q Section 10 - Making a Trial Mix

dding more tracks

q Section 11 - Adding Strings to the Verse and Chorus

q Section 12 - Adding the Harpsichord to the Verse and Chorus


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uilding up a complete song

q Section 13 - Pasting Up a Complete Song

q Section 14 - Creating an Intro

nishing touches

q Section 15 - Adding Synth Brass

q Section 16 - Revisiting the Drums

y the time we've got this far, we're pretty confident at using Cubase and should be well prepared fo

eating our own original sequences.

appy Sequencing

ith grateful thanks to Rory Bathrickfor writing the lyric to "Your Eyes" and allowing it to be used

is example.

ob Lang

nuary 2001evised March 2001

http://www.rorybathrick.com/http://www.rorybathrick.com/

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king a Start (Section 1)

Introduction to MIDI Sequencing with Cubase

Section 1 - Making a Start

Briefing

Before we can start sequencing, we have to make some decisions about track and channel usage. A reasonable way to allocate instruments to tracks is follows:

q Track 1 for the melody (using the Grand Piano voice).

q Tracks 2-9 for the instrumental backing.

q Track 10 for drums.q Tracks 11-16 for scratch storage of small segments of music.

Each track should have its own name, and common practice is to give each track the same name as the instrument it plays.

In this sequence we are not going to be using any digital audio, so we can delete any audio tracks. (It's very easy to create new tracks if we decide later that we n

them after all).

Making the Connections

We'll be assuming that you'll be using an inexpensive home keyboard to record andplay back your sequence. We also assume that home keyboard includes the

"General Midi" set of standard voices (most of them do).

If you have a PC, then you'll probably find that your existing sound card incorporates a midi interface; however, you'll need to buy a suitable adapter from a mu

shop. Plug the adapter into the joystick (or game) port on your PC, and then connect the two midi leads (usually supplied as part of the adapter) to the In and Ouconnections on your keyboard.

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If you have a Mac, then you'll probably need to use a "midisport" (or similar) interface. Plug the interface into a USB port at the back of your Mac and use two m

cables to connect to your keyboard.

Whenever you plug the midi cables into your keyboard, you have a 50:50 chance of getting them the wrong way round! If your computer and keyboard don't ap

to want to talk to each other, try swapping round the cables going into the In and Out keyboard connections. Provided your equipment is in good working order,

swapping the connections won't damage anything.


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ToDECREASEa number by 1:

q PC: Click on the number once with the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON

q Mac: Click on the bottom halfof the number once with the MOUSE BUTTON

Note that you can increase or decrease by 10 if you hold down the [SHIFT] button whilst you click.

To put in an entirely new number:

q Double click on the number, type in the new value and press [RETURN].

(PC users should double click with the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON)

Some numbers are divided into several fields ('1.2.1.78' for example). The increase/decrease method will modify whichever one of these values you point thmouse at. If you use the double click method, then you should enter values for all the individual fields, separated by dots. (If you don't enter values for all the fi

then Cubase will assume a default value for the ones you miss out).

Some number values can also be set to 'Off' (which is not the same as '0'). You can set a value to Off by setting it to 0 and then decreasing it by 1.

Changing Other Values

The same mouse click operations which change numbers sometimes change other values, too. One notable example is the pitch of a note. Each increase by one

sharpens the note by a semitone and each decrease by oneflattens it by a semitone.

Changing Names

Some values may actually be names. You can change a name by double clicking on it, typing in a new name and pressing [RETURN].

Pop Up Menus

Some items are changed by using a pop up menu. These are usually (but not always) identified by one of the following symbols: or

To change an option controlled by a pop up menu:

q Click once on the arrow head icon. Click on the new value from the list that appears

(PC users should click with the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON)

Tool Boxes and Selecting Tools

From time to time, you will need to select a tool from a tool box. You'll know when you've selected a tool, because the mouse cursor will change from its usual

shape. To use a tool, just click the mouse button at the appropriate place on the screen.


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The process of selecting a tool is quite different depending upon which platform you're using:

q PC: To select a Tool from a Tool Box:

r Hold down the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON to bring up the tool box.

r Still holding the button, move the mouse over the required tool.

r Release the mouse button.

q PC: To de-select a Tool (revert to standard arrow mouse pointer)

r Press and immediately release the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON.

q Mac: To select a Tool from a Tool Box:

r Click on the Tools menu on the menu bar at the top of the window.

r Keep the mouse button pressed and drag the tool menu to a suitable place.r Click on the required tool from the menu.

q Mac: To de-select a Tool (revert to standard arrow mouse pointer)

r Move back to the tool menu and select the usual mouse arrow pointer.

Changing the Magnification of a Window

You should be used to using draw and scroll bars as most windows based programs use them. However, in addition to the usual scroll bars, Cubase also provide

second pair of sliders which change the horizontal and vertical magnification of a window.

To change the magnification, drag the slider to a new position whilst holding down the mouse button . When you release the mouse button, the window will be

redrawn at the new magnification. You can control the horizontal and vertical magnification separately.

Step 1 - Setting Up The Transport Bar

The transport bar looks rather like a letter box. It holds the main 'play' and 'record' buttons (just like a tape recorder), and a lot of other useful options and da

Here's what the transport bar looks like on the PC


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Note

q P.In = "Punch In" buttonq P.Out = "Punch Out" button

It looks very similar on the Macintosh, except the P.In button, Cycle and P.Out buttons are stacked on above the other.

To change a number, you can either double click on it, or use the increase and decrease methods shown above. To change a push button, just click on it. Most bu

"light up" when selected.

What To Do

Follow these steps. Put a tick next to each one as you finish it:

q Fire up Cubase.

q When it is running, make it a full size window.

q Use the mouse to make the following settings on the transport bar (working more or less from left to right):

Rec Mode: Overdub (Pop up menu)

Cycle Rec: Mix (Pop up menu)

Auto Quantize (AQ): Not selected (Push button)

Punch In (P.In): Not selected (Push button)

Cycle: Not selected (Push button)

Punch Out (P.Out): Not selected (Push button)

Tempo: 128.00 (Numeric field)


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Signature: 4/4 (Two numeric fields)

Click: Selected (Push button)

Sync: Not selected (Push button)

Master: Not selected (Push button)

Step 2 - Deleting the Audio Tracks

Cubase can record sounds captured from a microphone and incorporate them into a sequence as a digital audio track. Unfortunately, this is just too complicated

beginners and we're not going to use this feature in this sequence. Since we're not using recorded audio, we should turn it off completely.

What To Do


q Find the list of tracks on the screen.

You will probably see a number of Audio tracks, with names such as 'Audio 1', 'Audio 2', etc,

and a number of Midi tracks, with names such as 'Midi 1', 'Midi 2', etc.

q Look at the column headed 'C' and you should see that digital audio tracks are marked with a wavy line icon, whilst Midi tracks are marked with a note ic

(Track 10 may be marked by a drum stick icon).

q Delete any digital audio tracks (marked by the wavy line icon) by clicking on the track name and pressing [DELETE]

Step 3 - Setting Up the MIDI Tracks

We have already seen how we will be using the different MIDI tracks and channels. We now set up Cubase so that we can use the tracks as we have decided.

What To Do


q Look at the remaining tracks in the window.

q Make sure that you have 16 MIDI tracks, named 'Midi 1' to 'Midi 16'.


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q Look at the column headed 'Chn' and make sure that each track has the appropriate channel number. If there are any discrepancies then use the mouse to

correct the channel number.

Tracks 11 to 16 are used for scratch storage and we should mute these tracks so Cubase doesn't play any data stored on them. The 'M' column indicates whether

track is muted or not; a big spot in this columns shows that the track is muted.

q Look at the column headed 'M'. If there is a big spot in this column then the corresponding track is muted.

q Ensure that tracks 11 to 16 are muted by clicking next to them in the 'M' column.

Track 10 will be used for drums, and track 11 for scratch storage of drum data. We need to tell Cubase that these tracks will be drum tracks.

q Click in the 'C' column next to tracks 10.

q When the pop up menu appears, select Drum Track.Note that the icon now changes to a drum stick.

q Repeat the process for track 11.

Step 4 - Setting the Number of Ticks and Auto Save Option

Cubase measures the length of a note using ticks. In the early versions of Cubase there were exactly 384 ticks in a crotchet (quarter note) and this is sufficiently

accurate for most applications. Later versions of Cubase give increased (but generally unnecessary) accuracy by allowing a greater number of ticks in a crotchet

recommend dispensing with this extra accuracy and sticking with 384 ticks per crotchet.

The same menu which allows us to the change the number of ticks, also allows us to specify an Auto Save option. When activated, this option periodically save

the information about the sequence to a backup file. We should set this up so that it performs a save every 15 minutes. This can be useful if things go badly wron

but should not be relied upon.

Working with Cubase has shown that there are several further options which are useful for more experienced users, but which can seriously confuse beginners. W

take the opportunity to make appropriate settings.

What To Do


q From the Edit menu (at the top of the screen), select Preferences and then General.

A new window will appear.

q PC: Click on the 'General tab at the top of the new window

Mac: Click on at the top of the new window and select 'Miscellaneous' from the pop-up menu


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q Next to 'Display Resolution' will be a number, probably '15360'.

q Click on this number and select '384' from the pop up menu.

q Ensure that the 'Autosave' option is ticked.

q Set the 'Autosave every .... minutes' setting to '15'

q Look for the following options on the window (note that there are detailed differences between PC and Mac platforms):

r Set Midi channels with pop-up

r Transpose Midi with mini keyboard

r Change volume with slider -- Possibly combined with next option

r Set panorama with slider

q Ensure that all of these options are turned off (no ticks).

q (PC only: Click on Apply)

q PC: Click on the 'Arrangement tab at the top of the window

Mac: Select 'Arrangement' from the pop-up menu at the top of the window.

q Ensure that the option 'Restrict Inspector to Track Changes' is selected (ticked)


q Click on OK

Step 5 - Setting Up MIDI Playback Preferences

During testing, we have noticed that Cubase sometimes plays tracks even though they have been muted. This fix appears to solve this problem.

What To Do


q From the Edit menu (at the top of the screen), select Preferences and then Midi.


q PC: Click on the 'Playback tab at the top of the new window

Mac: Click on at the top of the new window and select 'Playback' from the pop-up menu

q Scroll down the window until you find the entry:

'Play muted tracks in Editors'

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q Click on OK

Step 6 - Setting Up The Score Editor

The Cubase score editor is rather quirky and can sometimes be confusing for beginners. However, there are numerous options which control its detailed operatio

and getting these just right can increase your productivity.

For example, when editing musical scores, it is quite useful if the bar number appears above every bar. Additionally, if you're a little hazy about sharps and flatsasking Cubase to put a sign in front ofevery accidental can be useful.

What To Do


q From the Edit menu (at the top of the screen), select Preferences and then Scores.


q PC: Click on the 'Beams and Bars tab at the top of the new window

Mac: Click on at the top of the new window and select 'Beams and Bars' from the pop-up menu

q Next to 'Show Bar Numbers Every...' will be a number, probably '4'.

q Double click on this number and then change it to '1'.


q PC: Click on the 'Accidentals' tab at the top of the new window

Mac: Click on at the top of the new window and select 'Accidentals' from the pop-up menu

q Select the 'All Not In Key' option.


q Click on OK

Step 7 - Naming the File


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We should save what we have so far, and give it a suitable file name. Preferably, a name that reflects the song title.

What To Do


q From the Edit menu (at the top of the screen), select Save As...

A new window will appear. This should be a standard file dialogue window for the type of computer you are using.

q Use the mouse to move to a suitable directory for the file.

The actual choice of directory is outside the scope of this tutorial; you may need to ask your teacher for help at this stage.

q Set the File Name to "youreyes" (or whatever name you prefer)

q Ensure that the File Type is 'Song', or '.all'

q Click on "Save"

We've now set up Cubase and we're ready to proceed to the next section.

It's worth noting that if you're going to be using Cubase a lot, then you can save the file at step 5 and use it for all your future sequences. In fact, the screen you

see when Cubase starts is loaded from a file called 'def.all' - some advanced users create their own version of def.all which this use as the basis for all their

sequences.

Return to main page


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Electric Piano part (Verse) (Section 2)


Section 2 - Creating the Electric Piano part for the

Verse

What You Will Learn

his is probably the most complex section of the whole sequencing process and therefore the most tim

nsuming. In this section you will be introduced to the following concepts:

q TheArrange window

q The use of different Tracks in the Arrange windowq The concept ofParts in the Arrange window

q The Score Editor

q The Key Editor

riefing

he main rhythmical backing for the sequence is from the electric piano, which plays a two bar rhyth

sed on quavers. These two bars are repeated as necessary with appropriate shifts for each chord cha

e have to make a decision about which track we should use for the Electric Piano. We have previou

cided that tracks 11-16 will be used for scratch storage, track 10 for drums, and track 1 for the melo

uite arbitrarily, we choose track 4 for the electric piano.

he final rhythm is syncopated and so somewhat tricky to play. We get around the problem by record

easier, non-syncopated version, tidying it up, and then deleting some unwanted notes.

o "Tidy Up" the rhythm that we've just recorded, first of all we have to Quantize the notes; that is, mem so they all start exactly on a quaver beat. Fortunately, Cubase provides a feature to do this for us

e finish the tidying up process by making sure that the notes are legato; that is, the end of each note

mmediately followed by the start of the next note, with no gap between them. Fortunately, Cubase al

ovides features that will perform this step.

o create the syncopated rhythm we simply delete some unwanted notes. An interesting effect is that

leting a note (or the last note of a chord), Cubase appears to replace the note by an equivalent lengt

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st. In fact, Cubase only stores notes and doesn't store rests at all. When a note (or the last note in a

ord) is deleted, it leaves a period of silence which Cubase's Score Editor interprets as a rest.

nce we have the syncopated rhythm for two bars, we need to create multiple copies of it, changing t

ord as appropriate. As we create any particular two bar section, we also copy it to a scratch track, s

at we can quickly find it and re-use it as necessary. We will find that these sections will also help us

eate the Electric Piano part for the chorus, too.

e will use the Score Editor to create each new part, each time based upon some previously created p

he simplest way is to use the mouse to select the notes we want to change, and then move them up a

own the staff as necessary. By holding down the mouse button and dragging, we can draw a selectio

ox around a group of notes and then move the whole group in one go.

ote. To select a note, you must click on the headonly, not the tail.

we want to, we can select an entire chord and move it up and down the staff; however, if we move

tire minorchord up or down in an attempt to create a majorchord, the middle notes will remain

attened (minor thirds). We then have to select only the middle notes and move them up one semiton

ake major thirds).

similar situation occurs if we try to move an entire minor chord to make a major chord, except this

e middle notes remain sharpened and have to be selected separately and then moved down by a

mitone.

quick reminder for Mac users: whenever you're asked to use the [CONTROL] key, you should actu

e the key with the "Apple/Four Leaf Clover" logo!

More on Using Cubase

eft and Right Locators

ubase provides us with two special settings, called the Left and Right locators, which have various

mportant functions when recording, editing and playing back music. These will be explained as we g

em. For now, you should remember that the Left locator should be set at the startof the section we

tend to work on, and the Right locator should be set at the endof the section.

e can see the position of both locators on the transport bar, and also in the main Arrange window w

ey look like thin vertical lines headed by 'L' or 'R' as appropriate. You can see them circled in this

agram:


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e can set the locators from the transport bar using the mouse techniques we've already seen, but it i

ormally more convenient to use the mouse (in the Arrange window) to drag the 'L' and 'R' flags to th

sired positions.

ote. On the PC we must drag theLeftlocator using the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON and theRightloca

ing the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON.

ubase "Parts"

ubase stores all musical information in one or more Parts. A Part might hold just a few notes, or all

ta for one midi track.

hen we look at the main Arrange window, we can see all the parts that make up the song. We can u

e mouse to drag a part left or right and so change the time when it starts playing, or we can drag a p

p and down so that it appears on a different track.

uantization and Snap Settings

ometimes it is useful to pull the start of a note exactly onto a beat. This function is called Quantizati

d is used to tidy up inaccurate playing. Notes are moved to positions specified by the current

uantization setting (a number). The number has the following meaning:

Setting Moves notes to.. Comments

1 Nearest whole note (semibreve) First beat in the bar

2 Nearest half note (minim) First and third beats in the bar

4 Nearest quarter note (crotchet) Any beat in the bar

8 Nearest eighth note (quaver) Any half beat in the bar

o, if the quantization setting is n then the bar is divided into n equal time intervals. When Quantizati

lected, notes are moved to the start of the nearest time interval.

he Snap setting is similar to the Quantization setting, but it is only relevant when inside an editor. If

e the mouse to slide a note left or right, then it is only moved to a position given by the current Snap


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tting. For example, if the snap setting is 8, then the note can only be moved to the nearest quaver

osition.

he snap positions and quantization positions are identical, and most of the time it makes sense to set

oth values to the same number. The following keyboard shortcuts (on the main keyboard) set both S

d Quantization values to the same value:

Shortcut Snap/Quant Setting Position in bar

[1] 1 Nearest whole note (semibreve)

[2] 2 Nearest half note (minim)

[3] 4 Nearest quarter note (crotchet)

[4] 8 Nearest eighth note (quaver)

[5] 16 Nearest sixteenth note (semiquaver)

[.] Dotted (toggle) Lengthen current setting by 50%

[T] Triplet (toggle) Divide current setting into three equal parts

ote: The "Dotted" and "Triplet" settings are not required for this sequence, but may be inadvertantly

tivated by pressing either [.] or [T]. Pressing the same key again, turns off the setting.

oving and Dragging Notes in the Score Editor

dividual notes can be selected and then dragged up and down the stave by using the mouse.

owever, many users find this very fiddly and prefer the following keyboard short cuts. Each short cu

volves holding down the [CONTROL] button (or both [CONTROL] and [SHIFT]) and then pressin

row key.

Shortcut Movement

[CONTROL] [UP ARROW] Move selected note(s) up by one semitone

[CONTROL] [DOWN ARROW] Move selected note(s) down by one semitone

[CONTROL] [SHIFT] [UP ARROW] Move selected note(s) up by one octave

[CONTROL] [SHIFT] [DOWN ARROW] Move selected note(s) down by one octave

[CONTROL] [LEFT ARROW] Move selected note(s) left by one snap position

[CONTROL] [RIGHT ARROW] Move selected note(s) right by one snap position

Step 1 - Setting Up The Track


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ere we set up the initial values for the track, give it a meaningful name and set to it program number

lectric Piano 2).

What To Do

ollow these steps. Put a tick next to each one as you finish it:

q Click on 'Midi 4' to highlight it.

You should see a separate information box (called theInspector) containing details about the

track. If you don't see this box then click on the icon at the bottom left of the window. This sho

open the Inspector.

q Double click on 'Midi 4' and change its name to "EPiano2".

q Look at the Inspector and double click on the program number ('PRG') field. Set its value to 6.

q The 'Chn' field should be set to 4. All other settings should be either 'Off' or '0'.

Step 2 - Recording the Basic Rhythm

e will begin by recording a very simple rhythm, which will eventually become the basis for the Ele

ano parts of both the verse and chorus.

What To Do


q Set the Left Locator to bar 1 and the Right Locator to bar 9.

q Click on the name 'EPiano2' to select (highlight) track 4.

q Press 'Record' on the transport bar.

Cubase will give you a two bar count in, and then record whatever you play on the keyboard.

Everything you play will be recorded into a new Parton track 4.

q Record the following simple pattern for (about) 8 bars. It is an Em chord played just above midC:

q When you've finished, press 'Stop' .

You should see a part appear in the Arrange window. By default, the part gets the same name


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the track ("EPiano2").

he first few times you try, you'll probably make a complete mess of it! Delete the newly created part

ghlighting it and then pressing [DELETE]. You can then try again.

hen you think you've got it (more or less) right, proceed to the next step.

Step 3 - Quantizing the Recorded Notes

hat you've played may be rather ragged, but Quantizing the notes may well tidy everything up.

What To Do


q Highlight the part and then type [CONTROL-R] to open the Score Editor.

(On the Macintosh, remember to use the "Apple" key instead of the Control key!).

q When the Score Editor opens, make it a full size window.

q Set the Quantize and Snap settings to 8 (= eighth notes, or quavers). You can do this from the

down menus at the top of the window, but a simple shortcut is to press [4] on the main keyboa

q Now press [Q] to perform Quantization.

q

If you see at least consecutive two bars which look correct, then yippee!, otherwise you'll haveexit the score editor, delete the part and go back to the previous step.

q Remember the bar numbers which have the correct notes and exit the Score Editor.

q On the Arrange window, select the Scissors tool.

q Use the Scissors tool to cut the part at the beginning of the first bar number you remembered,

again at the end of the second bar number.

You should now have a two bar part containing the notes you want; together with a couple of p

which you don't want.

q

Select theEraser

tool and delete the parts you don't want.q De-select the Eraser tool.

q Drag the remaining part so that it starts on bar 1.

Step 4 - Tidying Up the Note Lengths


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e now have a simple two bar quaver rhythm, with the notes starting exactly on the beats. The next s

to make sure that the notes end at the right time.

or this part, we're going to use the Key Editor. This editor shows a piano keyboard going up the left

de of the window, with bars and beats going horizontally across the top. Each note is shown as a

loured horizontal line, where the length of the line indicates the length of the note. You can easily s

here each note starts and ends.

eally, the end of each note shouldjustreach the beginning of the next note. The last notes in the

quence should just reach the end of the part. Since the start positions of all the notes are already

uantized, all we have to do is set the length of each note to exactly one quaver.

What To Do


q Highlight your two bar part and type [CONTROL-E] to enter the Key Editor.

(On the Macintosh, remember to use the "Apple" key instead of the Control key!).

q In the Key Editor, set the Quantize and Snap settings to 8 (= eighth notes, or quavers). You can

this from the drop down menus at the top of the window, but a simple shortcut is to press [4] o

the main keyboard.

q From the main menu, select: Functions, then MIDI Functions, then Note Length, then Fixed

Length.

This sets all the notes to the same length as the current Quantize value (quavers).

You should see that all notes change in length to the same size.q Exit the Key Editor.

Step 5 - Setting the Correct Rhythm

he simple quaver rhythm is too boring to use throughout the entire song. We will selectively delete n

om the part to create a more interesting rhythm. Note that deleting the final note in a chord appears eate an equivalent rest. This is a desirable feature and is due to the way that Cubase defines notes an

sts.

What To Do



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q Type [CONTROL-R] to re-enter the Score Editor.

q Selectively erase unwanted notes by clicking on the headof each note and then using [DELET

or [BACKSPACE].

You will probably find it a good idea to drag the mouse to select all the notes in a chord and th

press [DELETE] or [BACKSPACE] to delete them in one go.

Carefully erase notes until you end up with the following part:

q A single mistake can be reversed by typing [CONTROL-Z].

If you make a more drastic mistake, then you can abandon all the changes by pressing [ESC].

course, you should re-enter the Score Editor and try again.

q When it looks right, exit the Score Editor.

Step 6 - Naming and Saving the Two Bar Rhythm

he part you've just created has the same name as the track (probably "EPiano2"). However, we will uilding up all 18 bars for the verse using (and re-using) two bar parts. To avoid getting horribly

nfused, we will need to give each part a different name. We should also copy our basic part to a scr

ack so that we can re-use it later.

o give a new name to a part, we have to hold down [ALT] and double click.

e also use [ALT] to make a copy a part. Dragging a part whilst holding [ALT] makes a new copy o

rt.

What To Do


q If the part isn't already selected, click on it once to select it.

q Hold down the [ALT] key and double-click on it.

This should open up a little edit box showing the name of the part.


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q Enter the new part name "EPEmEm" (that is, "Electric Piano, E minor, E minor") and press

[RETURN].

You should now preserve a copy of this part.

q Hold down [ALT] and use the mouse select the part. Don't release [ALT]

q Still holding down [ALT], drag the part to track 12. When you release the mouse button, it wil

make a copy of your part.q Now you can release [ALT].

Step 7 - Creating the First Two Chords

he first bar of the verse is Em (which is why we've set up that chord in our Electric Piano part).

owever, the second bar is F (major) and so we need to edit this chord change into our part.

s we'll only be making changes to the pitch of the notes (and note their horizontal positions) we'll se

ap setting to 1 (whole note/semibreve) so any accidental left/right mouse movements have to be rea

rge to have any effect.

What To Do


q Select the part (on track 4, not the copy we just made) and enter the Score Editor.

q Set the Snap setting to 1.

You can do this from the drop down menus at the top of the window, but a simple shortcut is t

press [1] on the main keyboard.

q Make sure that the loudspeaker icon at the top of the window is selected.

With this icon selected, you can immediately hear the effect of any edits that you make.

q Hold down the mouse button and drag a box around all the notes in bar 2.

When you release the button, all the notes should be selected. It may take you several tries bef

you get the hang of it.

q Now hold down the [CONTROL] key and press [UP ARROW]. This moves all the selected no

up by one semitone. You should see their position change on the staff but the middle notes wil

acquire flat signs (b).

nfortunately, this change has created an F minorchord (with an Ab), not the F major chord require


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o correct this problem, we need to raise all the Ab notes by one semitone.

q Drag the mouse to select all the middle notes in bar 2. Your selection box should only touch th

heads of these notes. As before, this may take you several tries before you get it right.

q Hold down the [CONTROL] key and press [UP ARROW]. This moves all the selected notes (

Ab's) up by a further semitone, converting the minor chord into a major chord. The flat signs

should disappear from the stave.

you make a hash of it, then you can undo the previous command using [CONTROL-Z].

lternatively, you can exit the Score Editor without saving any changes by typing [ESC].

dditionally, you also have a spare copy of the part on track 12 which you can use in case of disaster

q When everything looks right, exit the Score Editor.

q Use [ALT] and double-click to rename the part to "EPEmF" (that is, "Electric Piano - E minor

F").

q Holding down [ALT], drag a copy of the part to track 12, as we will need it later.

Step 8 - Creating the Rest of the Chord Sequence

e now continue creating the rest of the chord sequence, working in chunks (ie parts) of two bars. Ea

me we create a new part, we put a copy on track 12. Sometimes, we'll need to repeat a two bar part t

e've already created, in which case we just copy it from track 12 and drag it to the appropriate positin track 4. We work this way until the entire chord sequence for the verse is finished.

ur chord sequence would sound very strange if we used a basic triad for every chord. To make the

quence sound better we need to make use of chord inversions. For the verse, we recommend you us

e following inversions.


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o minimise the amount of editing, we should try to re-use any parts that we've already created. Here

ow to do it:

"EPEmDm" bars 3-4 created from EPEmF

"EPEmAm" bars 5-6 created from EPEmF

"EPDmG" bars 7-8 created from EPEmEm

"EPEmF" bars 9-10 a direct copy of EPEmF previously created

"EPEmAm" bars 11-12 a direct copy of EPEmAm previously created

"EPDmEm" bars 13-14 created from EPDmG

"EPG7G7" bars 15-16 created from EPEmEm (with extra notes for the sevenths)

"EPAmAm" bars 17-18 created from EPEmEm

What To Do


q Create "EPEmDm" as follows:

r Copy and drag 'EPEmF' from track 12 to track 4, bar 3

r Use the Score Editor to edit the second bar of the part so that it matches bar 4 of the cho

sequence above.

One possible way to do this as follows:

s Use the mouse to select the high notes (top c) of bar four


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s Hold down [CONTROL] and [SHIFT] and press [DOWN ARROW].

The notes are transposed down a complete octave.

s Hold down [CONTROL] and press [UP ARROW].

The notes are moved up to D, forming a D minor chord.

r Exit the Score Editor.

r Rename the part to "EPEmDm".

r Drag and copy the part to track 12.

q Repeat this process with the remaining parts of the chord sequence:

r "EPEmAm", bars 5-6 (created from EPEmF)

r "EPDmG", bars 7-8 (created from EPEmEm)

r "EPEmF", bars 9-10 (a direct copy of EPEmF previously created)

r "EPEmAm", bars 11-12 (a direct copy of EPEmAm previously created)

r "EPDmEm", bars 13-14 (created from EPDmG)

r "EPG7G7", bars 15-16 (created from EPEmEm - see next paragraph below)

r "EPAmAm", bars 17-18 (created from EPEmF)

Making the Dominant Seventh Chords

o create "EPG7G7", you'll have to add extra 'F' notes to create the dominant sevenths. Do this as

llows:

q Working from 'EPEmEm', transpose the chords in both bars to G major like this:

r Select all the lowestnotes in the first bar.

r Press [CONTROL][SHIFT][UP ARROW] to transpose up by one octave (E to e)

r Press [CONTROL][DOWN ARROW] twice to move down to 'd'.

r Repeat for the second bar.

q Drag the mouse to select all the low notes ('G') in the first bar.

q Hold down [ALT] and grab the first selected note.

q Hold down the buttons and drag the selected notes down the staff.

You should see new copies of the selected notes appear as you drag.

q Drop the newly created notes on the low F (space) on the staff.

q Repeat the process with the second bar, this placing the notes on the high F (top line) of the sta

Step 9 - What Does it Sound Like?

ow's a good time to make sure that our chord sequence sounds nice. The sequence should sound sm

ith pronounced pauses where the rests are located. Let's play back what we have so far.


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hen the Cycle button is selected, Cubase repeatedly plays all the music between the Left and Right

cators. This allows us to hear our results several times, without using the "rewind" button.

What To Do



q Make sure that the Cycle button on the transport bar is selected.

q Click once in the Arrange window to make sure that no parts are selected.

q Click on the name "EPiano2" to select (highlight) track 4.

q Type [CONTROL-R] to enter the Score Editor. This will show you the notes in all the parts on

track 4.

q Press 'Play' on the transport bar and listen to the chord sequence.

q Press 'Stop' to stop playing.

q Exit from the Score Editor.

Step 10 - Merging All The Parts

lthough working with small two-bar parts is very handy when creating the chord sequence, for futur

orking we should join all the separate parts together to create a single unit. Later on, we can

nveniently create copies of our part for the later repeats in the song. Of course, we still have the

dividual copies that we've stored on track 12.

What To Do


q In the Arrange window, select the Tube Of Glue tool.

q Click the first part with the Glue tool. This joins the first part to second part.

q Continue clicking with the Glue tool until you have joined all the parts together in a single parq Rename this single part "EPVerse".

ell done! You have now successfully created the Electric Piano part for the verse. There are still ple

ore parts to create, but all of them will be simpler. You should also find that you work faster and fas

you get increasingly used to Cubase.


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ncidentally, all of this work would have taken an experienced Cubase user about 30 minutes!)

ou're ready to proceed to the next section.

Return to main page


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ynth Bass part (Verse) (Section 3)


Section 3 - Creating the Synth Bass part for the

Verse

What You Will Learn

ompared to creating the Electric Piano part, the Synth Bass part is extremely simple. During this se

ou will learn about the following topics:

q Changing the clef.

q Dropping notes on the staff.

q Using Copy and Paste.

q Adjusting note velocities using the Key Editor.

riefing

s you could probably guess, the Synth Bass provides a bass rhythm which underlies the whole of th

ng and gives it a sense of fullness.

some pop songs, the bass part provides a counterpoint melody in its own right; however, this song

e bass to provide a fast staccato rhythm, playing the same note (pitch) for the entire bar. It is worth

oting that bass parts rarely use chords, even when the instrument is polyphonic.

s with the Electric Piano, we use a two bar rhythm which plays the same note in each bar. We chan

e note being played to reflect the chord changes through the song.

nce again, we have to make a decision about which track/channel to use and make an arbitrary deci

r track 8.

ith the Electric Piano, it was possible to play the basic rhythm using the keyboard. However, the S

ass part is too fast for most players, so we will have to create it entirely inside the Score Editor. On

ain, it will prove easier to create a simple rhythm (this time using semiquavers) and delete the

nwanted notes.

s before, we end up with a two-bar version of the rhythm. We will make multiple copies of this and


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just the pitch of the notes in each bar to match the chord being played. Because the Synth Bass onl

ays single notes, this is a relatively simple operation.

s before, if you're using a Macintosh, remember to use the "Four Leaf Clover" key instead of the

Control" key.

Step 1 - Setting Up The Trackere we set up the initial values for the track, give it a meaningful name and set to it program numbe

ynth Bass 1).

What To Do


q Click on 'Midi 8' to highlight it and make sure you can see the Inspector.

q Double click on 'Midi 8' and change its name to "SyBass1".

q Look at the Inspector and double click on the program number ('PRG') field. Set its value to 3

("Synth Bass 1").

q All other settings should be either 'Off' or '0'.

Step 2 - Creating an Empty Part

e are not going to record any notes from the keyboard; instead, we are going to create the rhythm

tirely inside the Score editor. First we need to do is create an empty part, two bars long, which will

entually contain our bass rhythm.

What To Do



q Click on the name 'SyBass1' to select (highlight) track 8.

q Double-Click between the locator lines.

This should create a new (empty) part, named 'SyBass1'.


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Step 3 - Changing to the Bass Clef

nce this is a bass part, we need to change to the Bass clef. There are several versions of the bass cle

ith numbers above and below showing octave shifts up and down. We need the simplest version.

What To Do


q Highlight the part you've just created and type [CONTROL-R] to open the Score Editor. Whe

the Score Editor opens, make it a full size window.

You should see two bars of score, with no notes and a treble clef.

q From the Score menu, select Staff Settings

A new window should open up. You should see a treble clef near the centre of this window, w

draw bars on either side.q Use the drawbar on the leftto select the correct bass clef. Make sure you choose the one with

two dots bracketing the secondline on the staff, thus:

q Click on "OK".

or information: The drawbar on the rightselects the key signature, adding sharps or flats as appropou will need to use this feature when you work on songs in different keys.

Step 4 - Creating the First Four Semiquavers

ow we have an empty part, we will now use drag and drop inside the Score Editor to create the first

ur notes of the rhythm.

What To Do


q Set the Snap and Quantise values to 16 (=semiquaver or sixteenth note).

A shortcut to do this is to press [5] on the main keyboard.


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q Inside the Score Editor, select the semiquaver note tool.

(Remember that a semiquaver has two flags on its tail)

q As you move the mouse, its horizontal and vertical position is indicated by a pair of boxes at t

top of the window.

The horizontal position is given by four numbers, such as '1.2.3.0';

the vertical position is given as a pitch, such as 'E1'.

q Guided by the position boxes at the top of the window, drop four semiquavers on the staff at tfollowing positions:

r 1.1.1.0 E1

r 1.1.2.0 E1

r 1.1.3.0 E1

r 1.1.4.0 E1

When you've dropped all four notes, you should see:

If you drop a note in the wrong position, then deselect the semiquaver tool and drag the note u

down, left or right, to the correct position. When experimenting, you may also create some

unwanted notes. Make sure you delete them.

q Exit the Score Editor.q Make a copy of the part and drag it to a scratch muted track (say track 13).

Step 5 - Pasting in the Rest of the Pattern

this step, we will copy our four semiquavers to the paste buffer, and then repeatedly paste them in

e part. Eventually, we will have two bars of semiquavers.

ote 1. Notes are pasted at the position given by the main locator (on the transport bar). You must se

is to the correct position before issuing the paste command.

ote 2. The main locator position may be preceded by a minus sign indicating a position before the s

the song. Take care that the minus sign is absent when pasting notes into the part.


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What To Do


q Highlight your part (on track 8) and enter the Score Editor.

q Drag the mouse around the heads of the four semiquavers to select them.

q Type [CONTROL-C] to copy these notes to the paste buffer.

q Move the mouse to the main locator value in the transport base.

q Double click on the main locator, enter "1.2.1" and press [RETURN].

The locator should change to '1.2.1.0'

q Type [CONTROL-V] to paste in a copy of the four notes. If you've set the main locator correc

these should appear immediately next to the first four.

q Use the mouse to increment the secondnumber of the main locator from 1.2.1.0 to 1.3.1

q Paste in a further copy of the four semiquavers.

q Continue incrementing the second number of the main locator and then pasting in notes until

you've filled up two complete bars. When you've finished you should see the following:

If you forget to increment the main locator, then you will end up with doubled notes when youpaste. The simplest way to fix this is probably to type [CONTROL-Z] to undo the previous

command. However, if this doesn't work, then select Functions from the menu, then Midi

Functions, then Delete Doubles.

q When you're happy with your two bars, exit the Score Editor.

q Make a copy of the part and drag it next to the copy you made at the end of step 4.

Step 6 - Setting the Correct Rhythm

e will selectively delete notes from the part to create a more interesting rhythm. As before, when w

lete a note, Cubase appears to either lengthen the previous note, or create an equivalent length rest

What To Do


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q Type [CONTROL-R] to re-enter the Score Editor.

q Make sure that you can clearly see both bars 1 and 2. Use the draw bar at the bottom of the

window if you can't.

q Select the Eraser tool.

q Selectively erase unwanted notes by clicking on the headof each note. The notes you should e

are marked below:

When you have finished, you should end up with the following:

If you make a simple mistake then [CONTROL-Z] will undo the previous operation. If you m

a more drastic mistake, then you can abandon all edits by pressing [ESC].

If things look desperately wrong, you can revert to the version of the part that you saved at the

end of step 5.

q When it looks right, exit the Score Editor.

q Make a copy of the part and drag it next to the copies you created in previous steps.

Step 7 - Setting the Note Velocities

he part we have just created has an interesting rhythm, but all the notes have the same length and

locity. Since we want a staccato rhythm, there's no need to worry about the note lengths; however,

ight like to vary the note velocities to make the part sound less mechanical.

e shall use a special tool in the Key Editor which creates smooth velocity ramps. We will set the no

the start and end of each bar to a high velocity (around 105-110) and those in the middle of each b

ower velocity (70-80). This will give an interesting rise and fall of loudness in each bar of the Syn

ass part.


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What To Do


q Select your two bar part and enter the Key Editor using [CONTROL-E] and make it a full size

window.

The window should appear in two sections, with a vertical piano keyboard in the upper sectio

and a separate lower section.

q If the lower section is missing, then click on the icon near the bottom left of the window. On t

PC this looks like a wavy line; on the Macintosh it is the words "Contrls".

When the lower section opens, a new icon will appear just below the piano keyboard.

q Click on the icon just below the piano keyboard and select "Velocity" from the pop-up windo

You should now see the following icon:

Along the bottom of the editor window, you'll see what looks like a bar chart underneath each

note. Provided you have set up the icon above, the height of each block indicates the velocity

the associated note.

q Select the Cross Hair tool (which looks like this: + )q Put the mouse in the bottom part of the window and drag the mouse whilst pressing the mouse

button. You will see a straight line stretching from your starting position to the mouse cursor.

q Let go of the mouse button and you'll see that the velocities of the notes are adjusted so that th

touch the line drawn by the mouse.

q Try this several times until you are sure you can see how the tool works. If you have difficulti

adjusting the first note in the part, then try dragging the mouse from right to left instead of the

more natural left to right.

q When you're ready, use the tool to achieve the following rise and fall effect:


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The velocity range should be between the values given above. There is no need to be fanatica

accurate, and it is not necessary for both bars to be exactly the same.

q When you're happy with what you've done, exit the Key Editor.

q Make a copy of the part and drag it next to the copies you created in previous steps.

Step 8 - Creating the Complete Part

this step, we create the complete part by making multiple copies of our two bar sequence. When w

ve 18 bars of data, we edit each bar in turn so that it follows with the chord sequence for the verse.

What To Do


q Select the part you've just edited, and ensure that it occupies bars 1-2 of track 8.

q With the part still selected, use the mouse to drag a copy of the part to bars 3-4.

q Repeat the process to drag a copy to bars 5-6.

q Keep repeating this process until you have filled all of bars 1-18 with copies of the part.

q Select the Tube Of Glue tool.

q Use the Glue tool to join all the separate parts into a single part.

q Use the Inspector to rename this single part "SBVerse".

Step 9 - Editing the Part to Match the Chords

his is just like we did for the Electric Piano, but the Synth Bass is lot easier because it doesn't actua

ay any chords. As we work through the part, we must select all the notes in one bar and drag them


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down the staff to the required pitch.

he Synth Bass plays the rootnote of each chord; however, there is a choice of octave. Here is a

ggested sequence.

What To Do


q Enter the Score Editor.

q Using what you've learned, change each bar in the part so that the pitch of the notes are as sho

above.

Remember to change every note in the bar to the same pitch.

q When you've finished, exit the Score Editor.

Step 10 - What Does it Sound Like?

ow we can hear both the Bass and Piano parts playing together.

What To Do


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q Click on the part 'EPVerse' to select it.

q Hold down the [SHIFT] button and click on the part 'SBVerse'.

You should now have both parts selected.q Type [CONTROL-R] to enter the Score Editor. This will show you both parts at the same tim

q Press "Play" on the transport bar and listen to the sequence.

q Press "Stop" to stop playing.

q Exit from the Score Editor.

ell done! You have now successfully created the Synth Bass part for the verse. You should have fo

at you worked considerably faster and produced this part much more quickly than the Electric Pian

ncidentally, all of this work would have taken an experienced Cubase user about 15 minutes!)


Return to main page


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Drum part (Verse) (Section 4)

Introduction to MIDI Sequencing with Cubas

ection 4 - Creating the Drum part for the Verse

What You Will Learn

this section you will learn the following.

q Creating Drum tracks.

q Painting drum "notes" into a part using Drum Editor.

q Creating ghostcopies of parts.

riefing

eating a proper drum part for a song could take many hours, so to save time we will use a simple drum pattern. T

nsists of the same two bars which are repeated for the entire duration of the song. The two bars are as follows:


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ou will actually be using the Drum editor in Cubase. The drum parts should look like this when you've finished.

ct, you might like to keep checking your drum part against this diagram.

te: There will be lots of other drum instrument names appearing and and it's unlikely that the sounds you want w

ally be the first seven names in the list!

nlike other parts, all the drum instruments are played on channel 10, with each instrument being selected by a

ferent pitch.

e easiest way to work is to drop the required notes into an empty drum part, gradually building up the pattern. E

ferent drum sound is triggered by using different note pitches and so it is important to drop the note at the corre

ace otherwise you'll get a different drum sound. (If it sounds good, then leave it!).

e Drum editor (not supported by all versions of Cubase) was designed for drum programming. Although

perficially similar to the Key Editor, it has several differences:

q Each "pitch" is labelled with the appropriate drum sound

q Each note is shown as a "blob", rather than a line. This reflects the view that drum notes are essentially of s

duration.

you don't have the Drum editor, then you'll have to make do with the Key Editor. Although it is not as convenie

e Drum Editor, it will do the job.

with previous parts, we will make multiple copies of the drum part. Because the drums are not affected by chor

anges, we can use a facility called Ghostcopies.

a later section, we will add some further embellishments to the drum parts to give a greater level of reality.


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tep 1 - Setting Up The Track

General Midi, drums are always played using track and channel 10. All we have to do is set the track name to

rums".

What To Do

llow these steps. Put a tick next to each one as you finish it:


q Check that the track type icon is a drum stick and not a note.

q Change the name of the track to "Drums".

q Look at the Inspector check that the 'PRG' and 'BANK' fields are both set to 'Off'.

q All other settings should be either 'Off' or '0'.

tep 2 - Creating an Empty Part

nce again, we are going to create an empty part (this time on track 10) and drop notes in it.

What To Do


q Set the Left Locator to bar 1 and the Right Locator to bar 3.q Click on the name 'Drums' to select (highlight) track 10.


This should create a new (empty) part, also named 'Drums'.

tep 3 - Creating the Bass Drum Sequence

ow we have an empty part, we can put the simplest drum part into it. This is the Kick Drum (also called the Bassum).

What To Do


q Double click on the 'Drums' part to open the Drum Editor.

You should see a list of drum sounds down the side of the editor window (instead of the piano keyboard yo

might expect in Key Editor).


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(On the PC we have noticed a bug that means that sometimes the drum sound names don't appear. A simple

workaround is to scroll to bottom of the window and then back to the top again).

q Set the Snap and Quantize values to 8 (= eighth notes or quavers).

A shortcut for this command is [4].

q Find the 'Bass Drum' sound and click on its name to highlight it.

q Select the Drum Stick tool.

q Click on the four strong beats of both bars, leaving "blobs" behind.

q If you click in the wrong place, deselect the Drum Stick and drag the blob to the correct position.

q Press "play" to hear what your bass drum rhythm sounds like.

tep 4 - Adding the Rest of the Drum Soundsdding the remaining instruments is just as easy as for the Bass Drum.

What To Do


q Inside the Drum Editor, find the next drum sound to be added.

q Referring to the either the musical score or the grid above, use the Drum Stick tool to add notes (blobs) at appropriate places. Remember:

r It is best to work with one drum sound at a time.

r The order of appearance of the drum sounds will probably vary from the system to system. Don't ex

them to appear in a convenient block as they do in the picture at the beginning of this section.

q Play the sequence from time to time to hear how it sounds.

q When you've finished, exit the Drum Editor.

tep 5 - Get the Volume Right

aying your sequence is probably quite painful, as all the drums sound at a high volume. You need to adjust the

locities to get them into balance.

What To Do


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q Inside the Drum Editor, find the Bass Drum line, and click on the name to select it.

q Click on the icon at the bottom of the window. On the PC, this looks like a wavy line; on the Mac, it's the w

"controls".

The window should change so that it looks like the bottom of the Key Edit window.

q You should see the same icon for velocity control as you did in Key Edit:

If you see some other icon, click on the icon, hold down the mouse button and select Velocity from the pop

window.

q You can now use the Cross Hairs tool to adjust the velocity of the bass drum sounds. We recommend setti

the values somewhere between 90 and 100, with higher values on the first beat of each bar.

q You can now select each drum sound name in turn and set the velocities according to this table:

Bass Drum 1 Between 90-100

Electric Snare Drum ~80 on the beat, ~40 off the beat

Closed Hi Hat ~90 at the start of each bar, ~50 elsewhere

Open Hi Hat Around 50

Castanet Around 60

Shaker Around 50

Tambourine Around 50

q We recommend you keep playing the part so you can hear what effect your changes are having.

q When you've finished, exit the Drum Editor.

tep 6 - Creating Ghost Copies

r now, we will not make any further embellishments to the drum part. As we expect to return to it later, we wish

e it whilst we carry on with the rest of the song, whilst leaving it in a suitable state for future enhancements.

is seems an ideal opportunity to use Ghostparts. A Ghost part is like a reference or pointer to another part. Whe

base plays a Ghost part, it actually plays the data stored at some other place in the sequence. So, if we edit the

urce part, then any ghost copies of it are automatically updated, too.

on't forget: On the Macintosh, use the "Four Leaf Clover" key instead of the "Control" key.

What To Do



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q On the Arrange window, ensure that the drum part occupies bars 1-2.

q Select the "Drums" part

q Hold down the [CONTROL] key and drag the part to bars 3-4.

This creates a ghost of the original Drums part. You should see that the copy has a slightly different appear

to the master.

q Continue making ghost copies and filling in the remaining bars 5-18.

Note that Cubase allows you to select a ghost part and make another ghost copy of it. This is the same as

selecting the original master part and making a ghost copy.

tep 6 - What Does it Sound Like?

ow we can hear all our parts playing together.

What To Do




q Press "Play" on the transport bar and listen to the sequence.

q Press "Stop" to stop playing.

ell done! You have now successfully created a first version of the drum part. Despite the complication that diffe

ches trigger different drum sounds, you should have found the process relatively straightforward, if a litte time

nsuming and messy.


Return to main page


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Recording the Verse (Section 5)


Section 5 - Recording the Verse

What You Will Learn

this section you will learn the following.

q How to use the Score Editor to correct errors.

q How to record long stretches of music.

q Using punch in and punch out.

riefing

e've done enough of the backing tracks to enable us to record the verse. Just in case you've forgotten,

is again:


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y far the most convincing way of recording the verse is to play it on the keyboard. If you are a confiden

ayer, you can probably record it in one or two takes. However, if you're less confident you may prefer

cord it in stages, building it up as you go along.

e will also quantize the recording as this allows the less confident player to produce a reasonable resu

reasonable time, but at the cost of a somewhat "robotic" result. A confident player who can accurately

e melody in just a few takes will produce a much more "human" result.


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Using Cubase (continued)...

ternative Representations in Traditional Notation

traditional music notation, there there may be several equivalent ways of writing the same informatio

pecially when using dots (to increase the length of a note by 50%) and ties (to link two notes together ake one longer note). Here are two alternative ways of representing the same few bars of music. (Look

e lyrics "in" and "-net"):

you can't see why the two extracts are identical, then you need to read more on music notation!

he Score Editor will generally show music using the second form, rather than the first.

ow the Score Editor Interprets Musical Data

he Score Editor can often appear to behave very strangely; sometimes it seems to put in rests all over th

ace, sometimes it shows pairs of notes as chords instead of a single line of melody, and sometimes it's

mplete nightmare to change the length of a note.

o understand the behaviour of the Score Editor, we need to be aware that there is a conflict between

aditional music notation, and the way Cubase records and stores notes.

traditional music notation, there is an implicit assumption that a note starts playing only when the

evious note has finished. To find out when to play any particular note in a bar, we have to look at the

evious notes in the same bar and mentally add together their lengths. The next note in the bar will star

aying when the current note finishes. Provided the tempo doesn't change, each bar should take the sam


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mount of time to play.

owever, this does not take into account the reality of playing music with expression. Some notes may

ayed early or late; the finger holding down the key may be lifted early, leaving a short silence between

d of one note and the beginning of the next; or a note may be held down longer so that it overlaps wit

art of the next. Cubase faithfully records these variations and it is the job of the Score Editor to make s

it all and display it sensibly.

deciding whether any particular note should be displayed as a quaver, crotchet, minim, etc (eighth no

arter note, half note, etc) the Score Editor uses the following information:

q The position of the current note - how close to the beat it starts.

q The actual length of the current note - how long the key was held down.

q The position of the nextnote.

ence, the particular representation of any note in the sequence depends upon the context in which it

pears.

he following three examples show two notes: the first is approximately one beat long (a crotchet/quarte

te), the second approximately half a beat long (a quaver/eighth note). The only difference between the

amples is that the second note starts at a different time in each case, yet it is the representation of thef

te which changes.

the first example, the second note starts one beat after the first note and the Score Editor chooses to

splay the first note as a crotchet (quarter note):

the second example, the first note is held down for a beat but the second note starts well into the seco

at. Hence there is a period of silence between the end of the first note and the start of the next. The Sc

ditor displays the first note as a crotchet (quarter note) followed by a rest:

the final example, the second note starts well before the first note has finished playing. The Score Edi

w decides to display the first note as a quaver (eighth note), even though this is not a true representati


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its actual length:

he implication of this is that to change the represented length of any particular note, it may actually be

cessary to change theposition of thefollowing note!

orrecting Note Lengths using the Score Editor

uppose a player makes a mistake recording the verse, and instead of playing:

ays this instead:

(Look at the words "me" and "in" in the second bar)

s far as the player is concerned, there is one mistake: the note for "in" was played a little too late.owever, this probably led to two further errors: the "me" note being half a beat too long and the "in" n

ing half a beat too short.

ence there are three errors to be fixed:

q The note ("me") should be made shorter.

q The note ("in") should start half a beat earlier.

q The note ("in") should be made half a beat earlier.


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he problem will only be fixed when all three problems have been sorted out.

he first step is to move the "in" note half a beat to the left. This can be fixed by setting the snap value t

h notes (quavers) and then using the mouse to drag the note one snap position to the left. The Score Ed

ll now display this:

though the note now starts at the right position, it's still too short. Meanwhile, the "me" note appears t

ve been shortened (but it hasn't really). These problems are best fixed inside the Key Editor, using thechniques shown in step 6.

Word Of Warning!

you delete a rest in the Score Editor, then the remaining music in the part is shifted to the left. This is

rmally disastrous.

s a general rule, if you need to "delete" a rest then you should either lengthen the note before the rest,

ove the note following the rest towards the left.

EVER delete a rest unless you know exactly what you're doing! - and even then, think twice!!

utomatic Punch In and Punch Out

unch In and Out" are terms used in studio recording where a small section of some previously recorde

aterial is replaced by a different recording. It is commonly used to correct mistakes. Punch In is the sta

the recording and Punch Outis the endof the recording.

mple Punch In and Out can be easily done by pressing the "record" button whilst the sequence is playi

ny notes played on the keyboard are recorded onto the currently active track.

ubase also supportsAutomatic Punch In and Out. If the "Punch In" button (on the transport bar) is sele

en when playback reaches the Left locator position, recording is enabled. Similarly, if the "Punch Out

tton is selected, it turns off recording when playback hits the Right locator position.

o use this feature, we must bracket the section to be replaced by the Left and Right locators, select the


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unch In and Punch Out buttons, and start playback several bars earlier. As the music plays, we can hea

ayback approaching the Punch In point so we know when to start playing. When playback reaches the

cator, the "record" button on the transport bar lights up and recording is enabled. Anything we play no

corded into the current track. When playback reaches the Right locator, the "record" light goes out and

n stop playing.

uilding Up a Recording Using Automatic Punch In

e can use Auto Punch In to build up a part in short sections like this:

q Record the first few bars and then stop.

q Set the Left locator to the start of the next bar.

q Select the Punch In button on the transport bar

q Rewind back to the start of the sequence and press play

q When the punch in point is reached, play the next few bars.

this way, we can build up a complete part in short takes. If we make a mistake, we just delete the lastd try again.

ecording Mode: Overdub and Replace

n the transport bar, there is a field called "Rec Mode". This has two possibly values: Overdub (the defa

d Replace.

Overdub mode, when we record more information into a part, the new information is stored in additio

e previous information.

Replace more, when we record more information into a part, the previous information in the part is

placed. This is similar to a way a multi-track tape recorder works.

we use automatic punch in and out together with Replace mode, the previously recorded material in th

ction bracketed by the Left/Right locators is replaced by the new recording. This is probably too

ngerous for beginners and so we do not recommend using Replace mode. As you become more profic

th Cubase, you may use it at your own discretion.

Step 1 - Setting Up The Track

he melody for Verse 1 will be recorded on Track 1.

What To Do


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q Change the name of the track to "PianoLead".

q Look at the Inspector and double click on the program number ('PRG') field. Set its value to 1.

q The 'Chn' field should be set to 1. All other settings should be either 'Off' or '0'.

Step 2 - Creating an Empty Part

nce again, we are going to create an empty part (this time on track 1) and record our melody into it.

What To Do



q Click on the name 'PianoLead' to select (highlight) track 1.


This should create a new (empty) part, also named 'PianoLead'.

Step 3 - Recording the First Few Bars

ow we have an empty part, we start building it up until it holds the complete melody for the verse.

What To Do


q Enter the Score Editor.

q Press [5] to set the Snap and Quantize values to 8th notes (quavers)

q From the Score menu (at the top of the screen), select "Staff Settings.."


q Ensure that "Clean Lengths" and "No Overlaps" are selected.

q Click on "Ok".


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q Make sure the main locator is at bar 1.

q Press "record" on the transport bar.

q After a two bar count in, play the first four bars.

q After you've played four bars, press "stop".

q The music you've played probably looks a bit ragged, but using Quantize [Q] may well tidy it up

ou can fix individual notes by dragging them with the mouse or using [CONTROL] and an arrow keyyou make a complete hash of it then delete the part and start again.

Step 4 - Adding More Bars Using Automatic Punch

hen we've got the first four bars correct, it's time to add the next four, using the auto punch in method.

What To Do


q Working inside the Score Editor, set the Left locator to 5.1.1.0 by double clicking on the transpor

bar and entering "5" followed by [RETURN].

q Press the "stop" button several times until the main locator has returned to the beginning of the

sequence.

q Press the "Punch In" button on the main locator bar.q Press "play".

q When play back reaches the Left locator, the "record" button will light up and you should play th

next four bars of the verse.

q When you've recorded the next four bars, press "stop".

q Once again, you may have to Quantize your music to see if it looks ok.

you make a mess of it, delete the notes you've just recorded and try again. You don't have to delete th

tire part!

Step 5 - Adding More Bars

y repeating

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