getting into the details

7/28/2019 Getting Into the Details

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Getting into the Details


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Operat ion Manua l by Ernst Nathorst-Bs, Ludvig Carlson, Anders Nordmark, Rog er WiklanderQuality Control: Katja Albrecht, Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Sab ine Pfeifer, Claudia Schomburg

The information in this document is subject to change without not ice and does not represent a commit-ment on the part of Steinberg Media Technologies AG. The softw are d escribed by this document is subjectto a License Agreement a nd may no t be copied to other media except as specically allow ed in the LicenseAgreement. No pa rt of t his publicat ion may b e copied, reproduced or otherw ise transmitted o r recorded,

for any purpose, without prior written permission by Steinberg Media Technolog ies AG.

All product a nd company names a re or trad ema rks of their respective ow ners. Windows, Windows 95,Windows 98 and Windows 2000 are t radema rks of Microsoft Inc.

Steinb erg Med ia Technolog ies AG, 2001.All rights reserved.


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Table of Contents


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10 Setting up an Advanced AudioSystem

11 Introduction11 General Precautions12 A few words on Word Clock and

Sample Rates14 What Devices can be used?

Example Hook-ups20 About the Busing System20 Selecting Inputs for Mono, Stereo

and Multi Recordings22 Routing Channels and Effects to

Audio Outputs23 Applicat ion Examples

25 Recording in High Resolution andUsing TrueTape

26 About this Chapter26 Selecting Recording Resolution27 The Available Recording Resolutions

29 How Cubase VST handles audioand MIDI

30 Why you should read this Chapter30 Audio Channels vs Tracks33 Audio Files34 Audio Segments and Events -

Non-Destructive Editing36 MIDI Inputs36 MIDI Outputs37 How Cubase VSTrecords MIDI

Channel data38 Recha nnelizing The MIDI Channel

setting for the Track38 Recha nnelizing also w orks on

Thru-put!39 Turning off Rechannelization

MIDI Channel Any

40 Using Auto Crossfade

41 Background41 How does Auto Crossfade work?42 Activating a nd making settings

43 Stereo, Multi Channel and MultiTrack Recording

44 Stereo audio recording46 Multi Channel Recording -

Channel Any

49 Multi Track Recording

55 The Arrangement - More on whatyou can do with Parts and Tracks

56 Creating Pa rts58 Overlapping MIDI Parts59 Merging Parts60 About Cut, Copy &Paste61 Part Operat ions using the Toolbox72 Renaming Pa rts73 Ghost Parts74 Using the Repea t function75 Trim Events to Part75 Cut At Locato rs76 Insert At Locators77 Split At Locators

77 Copy Loca tor Rang e78 Explod e By Channel80 Merge Tracks82 Merge Audio Segments82 Merge Overlapping Parts83 Optimize Arrangement

84 Instruments

85 About Instruments85 Setting up89 Selecting Instruments89 Redirecting Instruments91 Working with Patch Names

96 More about Play Parameters andthe Inspector

97 What are Play Parameters?98 The Parameters101 Using the Multi Out feature105 Using the Randomize feature107 Using the Dynamic feature


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114 Program Changes and MIDIVolume

115 Why you should read this Chapter115 About Prog ram Chang e116 Entering Program Change as a Play

Parameter119 Recording or Entering Program

Chang e in the Editors120 Which should I choose?121 About Bank Select122 About MIDI Volume122 Entering Volume as a Play Pa rameter123 Entering Volume in an Editor124 Entering Volume in the MIDI Track

Mixer124 About Chase

125 Working with SoundFonts

126 What a re SoundFonts?126 Setting up for SoundFonts in

Cuba se VST

127 Manag ing SoundFont Banks inCuba se VST

128 Selecting a Bank and Patch forplayback in Cubase VST

129 Programming and RecordingMutes and Solo

130 Pre-programming Mutes130 Recording Mutes and Solo132 About editing recorded Mutes

133 Folder Tracks

134 About Folder Tracks134 Using Folders

140 Groups

141 About Groups142 How to use Groups - The basic steps142 Building Groups145 Using Groups

152 More about Quantizing andGrooves

153 About this chapter153 Using Groove Control159 Importing and Mana ging Grooves

161 Using the Groove Tool161 Additiona l Quantizing Types

162 The MIDI Editors - GeneralInformation

163 About this Chapter163 Similarities and differences between

Editors164 Opening an Editor167 Closing an Editor168 Editing music during playback170 How Events are displayed in the

Editors173 Moving around and the Goto pop-up

menu174 Monitoring Event s in the Editors

174 Selecting and the To pop-up menu176 The Do pop-up menu179 The Info Line181 Quantize and Snap Values183 Creat ing Note Events185 Editing Notes191 Deleting Events192 Creating and Editing Continuous

Data

196 Step Recording

197 Introduction197 Preparations198 Entering notes and chords201 Using the Insert button202 Playing ba ck202 When you are finished

203 Key Edit

204 About this Chapter


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205 Drum Edit and Drum Tracks

206 About this Chapter206 About Drum Tracks and Drum Pa rts207 About Drum Maps210 Loa ding and Selecting Drum Maps

212 Editing and Creat ing Drum Maps215 Saving your Drum Map215 Removing Drum Maps216 Editing Drum Pa rts in the Drum Editor219 Editing MIDI Pa rts in Drum Edit220 Converting betw een MIDI and Drum

Parts

221 List Edit

222 The Columns in the List228 Creat ing Events229 Editing in the List232 Editing in the Event Display233 Editing in the Value 2 Display234 Hiding Event s235 Using Mask

236 About Quantizing and Functions237 Score Edit

238 About this Chapter239 Overview 240 Gett ing the Score displayed correctly244 Editing severa l Tracks245 Manipulating Notes248 Chord Symbols249 Adding Text250 Moving and Duplicating Chords And

Text250 Deleting Text and Chord Symbols250 Title, Comment and Copyright251 Printing

252 The Controller Editor253 What can I do w ith the Controller

Editor?254 Opening the Cont roller Editor255 Selecting which Event Types should

be d isplayed262 Customizing the Display264 Creating and Editing Cont inuous

data271 Various Functions on the Do menu271 Closing the Editor

272 Logical Edit

273 Why Should I Use Logical Edit?273 Opening Log ical Edit274 Working with Presets276 Mana ging and Creat ing Presets

278 Selecting Easy or Expert Mod e278 Initializing the Settings278 How Log ical Edit Operates279 About Setting Values280 Setting up Filters283 Applying a Filter284 Setting Up for Processing289 Processing Functions290 Expert Mode

293 Filtering and Mapping MIDI Data

294 Introduction294 Recording Filters296 Thru Filters297 Mapping Controller Messag es298 The MIDI Input Transformer

301 Rema pping MIDI Inputs and Outputs

302 The MIDI Track Mixer

303 About this chapter303 The MIDI Track Mixer layout304 The Controls309 Automating the MIDI Track Mixer316 Customizing the MIDI Track Mixer319 What is GM/GS/XG?

320 The Audio Pool

321 Introduction321 Overview of the Window 322 Displaying Segments323 The Headings and Columns

325 Customizing the View 327 Finding Out how a Segment is used

in the Song328 File Operat ions331 Hand ling Missing Files332 Creat ing Wave Images and Keeping

them up to date333 Segment Operations

335 Deleting Unused Portions of AudioFiles (Erase Unused)337 Importing Audio Files into the Audio

Pool


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338 Exporting Files and Segments338 Drag ging Segments into Other

Windows341 Prepa ring File Archives and Masters342 Saving and Loading the Audio Pool

344 The Audio Editor

345 Introduction345 Opening the Audio ed itor345 About Events, Lanes and Segments350 About Zero Crossings352 Customizing the View 356 Recording in the Audio editor357 Importing and Drag ging Audio into

the Editor359 Auditioning and Scrubbing360 Editing on the Info Line361 Chang ing Start and End Insets365 Working with Q-Points367 Moving Audio Events368 Duplicat ing and Repeating Events371 Using Cut, Copy a nd Paste372 Muting Events373 Splitting Events374 Deleting Events375 Add ing and Editing Match Points378 Quantizing Audio Events381 Match Quant izing Audio383 Fitt ing Audio Events to the Loop385 Working with Grouped Events

387 Creat ing Crossfades, Fade Ins andFade Outs391 Using Cycled Recording for

assembling a perfect ta ke393 Chang ing the Volume and Panning

of an Event395 Making an Event Play another

Segment395 Exporting Events into Files

396 Audio Functions

397 Introduction398 Applying the Processing399 The Functions

406 The Wave editor

407 Wha t is the Wave Editor?407 Precautions408 Opening Wave Editor Windows

409 Adjusting the View 412 Playing Back413 Selecting414 Working with Segments415 Turning the Select ion into a File416 Cutting and Pasting Audio416 Applying Processing Functions

417 Using an External Wave Editor

418 Why use a n externa l Wave Editor?418 Precautions419 Setting which Wave Editor to use420 Editing in the selected Wave Editor

422 Mixing Audio and using Effects

423 Introduction423 About Routing and Signal Paths429 Volume430 Panning431 EQ434 VSTDynamics

441 Effects455 Using Dither458 Copying settings betw een Channels459 Saving Mixer Sett ing s461 Loa ding Mixer Setting s462 Group Channels467 ReWire Channels467 VSTInstrument Channels

468 VSTMixer Views471 Chang ing the Meter Characteristics471 Reset Switch472 Volume and Pan Automation

Dyna mic Events or VSTChannelMixer

473 Automating the VSTChannel Mixer

480 Installing and using external effectplug-ins

481 About this chapter482 VST-native Plug-ins484 DirectX Plug-ins

487 Remote Controlling VST Objects

488 About this Chapter488 Setting Up489 Writing Automation using Remote

Controls


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490 VST Instruments

491 Introduction491 About the included VSTInstruments492 Activating and Using Instrument s in

Cuba se VST

495 Automating a VSTInstrument

496 ReWire

497 Introduction498 Launching and Quitt ing499 Activat ing ReWire Cha nnels500 Using the Transport and Tempo

Controls501 How the ReWire Channels are

handled in Cubase VST502 Routing MIDI via ReWire2503 Considerations and Limitations

504 The Input/Output Bus System

505 Introduction

505 What you can do w ith the Bus system506 Activating Inputs507 Recording from an Input509 Activating and routing Output Buses511 Routing Audio Channels to Buses512 Sends and Effects

515 Importing and Exporting Audio

516 Importing aud io files into theArrangement

518 Mixing down to an audio file522 Including your MIDI music in the

mixdown

523 Working with ReCycle files

524 About ReCycle524 Using ReCycle files in VST525 About Tempo Chang es and the last

Segment(s)526 If you g et clicks during playback528 Editing Tips and Tricks

529 Working with Mixman TRK files

530 Background Informat ion531 Importing a Mixman TRK File

533 Making the Most of the Event/Segment Relationship

534 What is an Event really?534 What is a Seg ment rea lly?534 Copying Audio Events

537 Optimizing Audio Performance

538 Introduction538 Audio System Sett ing s547 About the ASIO Control Panel dialog s548 Methods of Optimizing Performance549 Maintaining the Hard Disk

550 Using Multi-Processing

551 Requirements551 About the two Multi-Processing

Modes553 Activating Multi-Processing

554 The Master Track

555 Wha t is the Master Track?556 Opening the Graphic Editor557 The Window Sect ions558 About the Tempo Display558 About Time Signa ture Events559 About Rulers and Positions560 Switching between Meter and Time

ba sed Display561 Moving around a nd setting Song

Position561 About Hitpoints562 About the Toolbox562 Activate Master!563 Recording Tempo Changes565 Selecting567 Editing on the Info Line

568 Redraw ing the Tempo Curve569 Drawing new Events570 Moving Events Using the Mouse570 Duplicating Events570 Add ing a Tempo Change at the Song

Position570 Cut, Copy and Pa ste571 Deleting Events

571 Repeating Events571 Creating Accelerandi and Ritardandi572 Reducing the number of Tempo

Events


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572 Smoothing Tempo Event values573 Numerical processing of Tempo

Events575 The Master Track List Editor578 Moving Master Track data between

Arrangements

579 Hitpoints

580 About this Chapter580 What can I do w ith Hitpoints?580 What a re Hitpoints?582 Setting Out Hitpoints584 Editing Hitpoints586 Playing b ack Hitpoints via MIDI587 Linking Hitpoints590 Working with Tempo Matching594 Working with Straighten Up597 Tempo Mapping freely recorded

Music using Time Locked Tracks

600 Matching Audio and Tempo

601 Introduction601 Opening the Audio/Tempo MatchEditor

602 Adding and Editing Match Points inthe Editor

605 Making the Playback Tempo follow the Audio

610 Making the Audio Follow the Tempo614 Creat ing a Groove template615 Using Snip at M-points

618 Time Locked Tracks

619 What are Time Locked Tracks?619 Time Locking a Track619 Chang ing the Tempo620 Turning Time Lock On a nd Off

620 Editing Time Locked Tracks620 Crea ting Multiple Tempi620 Things To Note

621 Synchronization

622 Introduction622 The two types of Sync Signals622 Cuba se VST Master Or Slave?

623 Synchronizat ion and audio playback- Introduction623 If your Audio Hardware supports the

ASIO Positioning Protocol

626 If your Audio Hardw are doesntsupport the ASIO PositioningProtocol

629 The Synchronization Dialog Box630 Interna l Sync - No Externa l

Synchronization used631 Synchronizing Cubase VSTto MIDI

Time Code (MTC) or Time Code viaASIO Positioning Protocol

633 Synchronizing Cubase VSTto MIDIMachine Control (MMC)

634 About Frame Rates635 Synchronizing Cubase VSTto

another MIDI Device via MIDI Clock

637 Synchronizing other Eq uipment toCubase VST638 Transmitt ing Synchronization

Signa ls while Cubase VSTissynchronized to an Externa l Source

639 Song Start639 Time Display Offset640 Bar Display640 MROS Resolution and System Preroll642 Sync Options

643 Customizing Cubase VST

644 Why Customize?644 Creating a Custom Startup Song

648 Keyboard Commands, MIDI

Remote Control and the Toolbar649 Defining and Using Key Commands652 The Toolbar656 MIDI Remote Control658 The Default Key Commands

663 Track Views and Window Sets

664 Track Views666 About Window Sets667 Creat ing a Window Set668 Reca lling a Window Set669 Rena ming and Removing Window

Sets670 Applicat ion Examples670 File Hand ling of Window Sets

671 Index
http://vst%205.0%20win%20detailsix.pdf/


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1Setting up an Advanced Audio System


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IntroductionThis chapter is devoted to users who have (or plan to get) advanced audio hard-ware, i.e. hardw are that goes beyond the basic sound card with analog stereo in-puts and outputs only. Advanced audio hardw are may have various additiona lfeatures, such as multiple inputs and outputs, digital audio connectors, synchroni-zation facilities, etc. Furthermore they may support higher resolutions and samplerates. This chapter describes considerat ions and possibilities with such systems.

General Precautions For all installation procedures, please refer to the instructions that came with the hard-

ware. If in doubt, please contact your dealer - do not guess about anything.

Some combinations of computer components may interfere with each other. Makesure to check the hardware documentation and the manufacturers web site for knowncompatibility issues.

Make sure you get the latest drivers for your audio hardware.If there is a specific ASIO driver for the audio hardware, you should use this.


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A few words on Word Clock and Sample RatesAs described in the chapter Synchronizationand below , there are several issuesinvolved in g ett ing a digita l aud io system to synchronize properly:

Word Clock A digita l audio device is always clocked by some signa l running at the same fre-q uency as the sample rate (most often 44.1 or 48kHz). This clock is often providedby a built-in, extremely accurate, crystal circuitry.

When you make digita l audio connections between two devices, the clock signalsmust be synchronized, or you w ill get glitches in the audio. This is done by routinga sync signal from the master (the device transmitt ing the clock signal) to theslave (the device receiving the clock signa l). The slave device then replaces its inter-nal clock with the one provided b y the ma ster. In this way the two devices are inperfect sync.

In the most basic connection, like when transferring digita l audio between tw oDATtype recorders, the synchronization signal is part of the a udio signal itself. Inthis setup, the recording device is automatically locked to the clock of the incom-ing audio.

In more advanced setups, the synchronizat ion signa l often referred to as wordclock can be carried either as part of some a udio signal (in a number of formats S/PDIF, AES/EBU or ADATfor example) or in a separate cable (again in a number ofdifferent formats).

When sett ing up a digita l audio system, it is extremely important tha t a ll the de-vices are synchronized to the same clock source. That is, there can only be one mas-ter, but a n infinite number of slaves.

Failing to provide proper synchronization for digital audio will most likely lead inglitches or distortion in your audio recordings.

Please consult the dealer providing the eq uipment for exact instructions on how toset things up.

Sample Rates

The sample rate is the speed with which you a re capturing the digita l audio. CDsuse a sample rate of 44.1kHz and DATrecorders most often use 48kHz. Some sys-tems use a sample rate of 96 kHz. Most audio hardw are can be switched b etw eenseveral sample rates.

To b e able to digita lly transfer audio b etw een components in your system, all re-cordings must be done a t the same sample rate, the sample rat e tha t Cuba se VSTisset to . If you intend to include recordings made at other rates, you must first usesome separate application to sample rate convert them to the rate used in yourCubase VSTsystem.


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Transport Synchronization

The audio synchronization described a bove may not be the only type of sync re-q uired . If you a re using Cubase VSTin conjunction with some other type of re-corder, (digita l multitrack tape ma chine, analog tape recorder or other hard d iskba sed recorder) you w ill probably need to set up time code synchronization so that

the actual transports are synchronized. That is, you need to make all componentsthat have playback facilities agree on time positions. This is done in a similar fash-ion, but b y providing a time code signal (rather than a w ord clock signal) tha t canbe read by all devices. See the chapter Synchronizationfor details.

Both audio and time code synchronization is sometimes req uired in a digita l audiosystem (for syncing to video for example). Althoug h they a re related, neither is a re-placement for the other. Furthermore, it is very important tha t the same mastersource is used for both type of sync. That is, one and the same unit in the system

should be the master source for all time code and word clock signals in the system.This master can b e a digital ta pe recorder, a special synchronization device or someother device with similar capabilities.

ASIO Positioning Protocol

The ASIO Positioning Protocol (a part of the ASIO 2.0 feature specificat ion) is a tech-nology that ensures tha t audio in Cubase VSTis in sample accurate sync with exter-na l devices. By combining word clock sync and time code (transport) sync, ASIOPositioning Protocol facilita tes sample accurate positioning and synchronizat ion,as described on pag e 623 . If your aud io ha rdw are and its ASIO driver support ASIOPositioning Protocol, we recommend tha t you use this.

MIDI Machine Control and Tape Tracks

If you are using Cubase VSTtogether with some other type of recorder, you mightbe able to use MMC (MIDI Machine Control) to control its transport from the Trans-

port pa nel in Cubase VST. Combine this with Tape Tracks, and you can record,punch in and play ba ck all tracks in the system, all from the Cubase Arrang e win-dow ! It is also possible to combine MMC with ASIO Positioning Protocol.

MIDI Machine Cont rol and Tape Tracks are described in a separate d ocument .


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What Devices can be used? Example Hook-ups

Completely Analog System - Multiple Inputs and Outputs

In this system, the multiple analog inputs and outputs on the audio hardware are

connected to an ana log mixer.

Possibilities

The multiple outputs allow you to separate the channels in Cubase VSTfor further process-ing in an external mixer. Seethe chapter The Input/Output Bus System for deta ils on how to map channels to outputs.

Having multiple inputs allow s you to record several separate Audio Tracks at once (usingMulti Track Recording - see page 49), which is useful if you w ant to record several players at

the same time, etc.

Considerations

As always when using an external mixer, it is necessary to use some kind of bus or send sys-tem for feeding signals to the inputs on the a udio hardware, thus allow ing you to selectwhich signals should be recorded. Simply connecting the main outputs o f the mixer to theaudio ha rdw are is usually not a g ood idea, since this would cause everything you hea r to bere-recorded (and possibly cause feedback).

Some audio hardware models have special routing opt ions, allowing you to send incomingaudio directly back to any output. Most likely, you would want to turn these off to avoidfeedback.

No special type of synchronization is required in this system. The sync issues are exactly thesame as for a built-in audio system. Seethe chapter Optimizing Audio Performance.

Computer w.Audio Card

Ana log Mixer

Dig ita l 2-channel a udio (S/PDIF, AES/EBU)

Digital Multi Channel Audio (e.g. ADATOptical)

Word Clock

Ana log Audio


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Analog System with Digital In and Out

This figure show s the same system as in the previous example, but w ith one ad di-tion digita l stereo inputs and outputs. How ever, the issues listed below also apply

to an audio card w ith stereo analog in/out a nd stereo digita l in/out, or a card w ithstereo digita l in/out only.

Possibilities

The digital output a llow s you to transfer the stereo output from Cubase VSTdigita lly onto DATrecorder, for example. Recording digita lly this way ensures tha t no aud io quality is losin the mastering stage.

In the same w ay, locat ion recordings made on a DATrecorder (or similar) can be transferreddigita lly into Cuba se VSTwith no audio q uality loss.

Another advantage is that you are not restricted to the audio hardwares built-in analog todigita l converters - if you have access to external, professional analog to digita l converterthese may provide even higher audio quality.

Considerations

When ma king connections for digital audio, make sure you are using the correct type of cabling. Although they often use the same types of connectors, cables for digital and analogaudio are not identical. Please ask your dealer for the correct type of cables.

When recording digitally, it is very important that the digital input of the audio hardware issynchronized to the device producing the S/PDIF signal. This is done in Cubase VSTin theAudio System Setup dialog (which you can find in the Audio Setup submenu on the Optionmenu), by adjusting the Audio Clock Source sett ing .

When playing back digitally, it is equally important that the device at the other end of the cable (the DATin our example) is set to synchronize its digita l audio input to the computer audio hardware.


Ana log Mixer



Word Clock

Ana log Audio

DAT


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Computer and Multitrack Digital Recorder (MDR)

In this system, audio ha rdware with ADATOptical connectors is connected to anMDR, tha t is, some kind of d ig ita l stand-alone recording device (not necessarily anADATtype ta pe recorder). No other equipment uses dig ita l audio connections.

Audio input is not included in the diag ram ab ove, but w ould probab ly happen viathe computer audio hardw are.

In this system, the most straightforward w ay to set t hings up is probably this:

Monitoring of the MDR is done via analog outputs, connected to the a nalog mixer. Monitoring of the audio hardware is also done via analog outputs, connected to the same

mixer. A digita l two w ay connection is established via the ADATOptical connectors on the MDR an

on the audio hardware. This allow s you to transfer data in either direction. The ADATOpticaconnection also carries the Word Clock signal.

Possibilities

This setup a llow s you to t ransfer MDR tracks into Cubase VSTfor editing and processing .Submixes created in Cubase VSTcan be transferred back to the MDR. If your audio hardw asupports ASIO Positioning Protoco l, sample accurate transfer is possible (seepag e 623).

If the device supports it, you can a lso use MMC and Tape Tracks in Cubase VSTto control the

MDR completely from the Cubase VSTarrange window . See the sepa rateTape Tracksdoc-ument.


Ana log Mixer



Word Clock

Ana log AudioMDR (e.g . ADAT)


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Considerations

Only one unit in the system can be the sync master (see the chapter Synchroniza-tion for more information on sync). There are several options. Which to choose de-pends on the exact nature of the equipment you are using:

You can let the MDR be the master. This is the most common choice. This req uires that theMDR can provide a clocking signal in a format the audio hardw are can read . The Audio CloSource setting in the Audio System Setup dialog must then also be ad justed accordingly. Italso assumes tha t the MDR can generate MIDI Time code messag es, either directly or via aditional hardware (a special synchronization device).

You can let Cubase VSTbe the sync master. This assumes you can route w ord clock from theaudio hardw are in the computer to the MDR. It a lso assumes the MDR can sync its transpoto MIDI Time Code (MTC) messages transmitted from Cuba se VST, via the MIDI interface inthe computer.

If you want to use Cubase VSTto cont rol the transport of the MDR, MMC is always t ransmted from the computer to the MDR, regardless of which unit is the sync master. Again, seethe Tape Tracks document for deta ils.

If your aud io hardware and its ASIO driver support ASIO Positioning Protocol, we recom-mend tha t you use this, for sample accurate positioning and synchronization (seepag e 623).

An add itional consideration is the choice of sample rates. The audio ha rdware in thecomputer must be set to record and play back at the same sample rate as the MDR,or you probab ly won t be able to transfer audio recordings betw een the tw o.

Finally, just note that it is possible to create a udio feedba ck loops if you feed audiothrough both the a udio hardw are and the MDR. Be careful when activating moni-toring on the two devices at the same time.


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Computer and Digital Mixer

In this system, an a udio mixer with digita l inputs and outputs is used together withsome audio ha rdw are with d ig ita l connectors.

All monitoring is done via the mixer which a lso ha s analog inputs to record va rious

sources, such as microphones.Note tha t the digita l mixer may be a part of the audio hardware itself! One exampleof this is the Yamaha DSP Factory, for which Cubase VSThas special support fea-tures (see the separate DSP Factory document for details).

Possibilities

All the mixers facilities can be used for sett ing up the sound when recording . The audio is

then t ransferred d igitally to the computer without a ny loss of q uality. The mixers internal effects and eq ualizat ion can b e used as a complement to those in VST,either when bouncing (seepag e 518) or during mixdown.

Considerations

As with the MDR/Cubase VSTsetup described above, there must be synchronization be-tween the mixer and the audio hardware in the computer. This can either be done as part ofthe audio signal or separately.

In this setup, it w ould be reasonable to have the mixer slave to the computer audio ha rd-ware, instead of vice versa. No t ime code sync is required, since the mixer doesnt have atransport.

The note about coherent sample rates throughout the system applies here as well, of course




Word Clock

Ana log Audio Digital Mixer


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Computer, Digital Mixer, MDR and effects with Digital Inputs

This setup is just an expansion on the two a bove. Any number of MDRs and dig ita lmixers and effect units can be connected to a Cubase VSTsystem. There is evencomputer aud io hardw are with more than one dig ita l multitrack connector, allow -ing you to expand the number of audio channel buses in the system.

Possibilities

The possibilities in such a system are endless. When recording you can route a udiofrom the mixer to the MDRs or to Cubase. You can route signa ls to audio effects andbounce t racks via Cuba se VSTand the MDRs. During mixdow n a ll the recorders canplay back and the mixer in Cubase VSTcan be combined with the externa l mixer forincreased processing possibilities.

ConsiderationsSince this system can be practically anything, it is impossible to say exactly how towire things.

Again, the w ord clock synchronization needs to be planned carefully. Only one de-vice can be the master and all the o thers must slave to it. You should also considerusing ASIO Positioning Protocol, if your audio hardware and ASIO driver support it.


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About the Busing SystemCuba se VSTs busing system is described in detail in the chapter The Input /OutputBus System. It is the key to all the examples outlined below . It allow s you to mixchannels into stereo pa irs and bus these pa irs to output connectors on your aud iohardware.

Selecting Inputs for Mono, Stereo and Multi RecordingsThe b asic methods of recording a sing le or stereo input a re described in the Get-ting Started book. Below follow some notes pertinent to users of audio hardw arewith multiple inputs.

Activating InputsBefore you can record from an input, you need to be sure it is activated .

1. Select VST Inputs from the Panels menu.The VSTInputs window appears.

2. Activate the inputs you need, by clicking the green buttons in the middle column.Deactivate inputs that you dont use, since they may consume processing pow er.

3. If you like, you can label the inputs in the right column, to reflect what is connected tothem.The labels will appear on the input pop-up menus in the VSTChannel Mixer and Inspector.


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Mapping Inputs to Channels

The next step is to set up the Tracks so tha t the correct Inputs are used. This assumesyou have already set up a t rack for recording as described in the Getting Startedbook.

1. Make sure the Track is selected.

2. In the Inspector, hold down [Ctrl] and click on the Input button.A pop-up menu appea rs.

3. Select the desired input from the list.If the Track is set to stereo, the pop-up menu will list input pairs.

Multi Track- and Channel Recordings

Multi Channel and Multi Track recordings are described in the chapter Stereo, MultiChannel and Multi Track Recording . Here are the procedures related specifically toaudio ha rdw are with multiple inputs.

1. Activate the Inputs you want to use.

2. For a Multi Channel recording on one Track, set the Track to Any and set up the desiredchannels for recording. For a Multi Track recording, set up each Track.See the chapterStereo, Multi Channel and Multi Track Recording for details.

3. Open the VST Channel Mixer and locate the channels on which you plan to record.

4. Hold down [Ctrl] and click on the Input button (at the top of the channel strip) for thefirst recording channel.A pop-up menu appea rs.

5. Select an input for that channel.

6. Repeat with the other channels.


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Routing Channels and Effects to Audio OutputsRouting a channel to a certa in output is a two stag e process. First you route channelsto buses, and then you route buses to outputs. For log ic reasons we will describethese tw o steps in reverse order!

Activating and naming buses

This is described in detail on pag e 509 . Here are the basic steps:

1. Select VST Master Mixer from the Panels menu.A window with as many stereo buses as your audio hardw are has stereo outputs appea rs.You can also view the Master strip (but not the sepa rate Output Buses, if any) in the VSTChannel Mixers, by act ivat ing the Master On button.

2. For each bus, select a stereo output from the pop-up menu at the bottom.

3. Activate the stereo buses you want to use, by clicking the corresponding Active but-tons.The leftmost bus, Master, is always active. Do not activate outputs that you wont use, as theymay consume processing pow er.

4. If desired, rename the various buses, by clicking on the Bus name fields at the top of each section.Generally, it is always recommended that you label the Buses to reflect w hats connected tothem.

Routing channels to buses

Once the buses are active, you can route outputs from the respective windows:

In the VST Channel Mixers you can route all kinds of channels to buses, using themenus at the bottom of the window.

In the VST Channel Settings windows, you can route sends to buses (see page 512 ).

In the VST Send effects window you route the return signals from the effects to buses(see page 512 ).


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Application Examples

Using Outputs as Effect Sends

As described above, you can route effect sends to physical outputs on your audiohardware. This allow s you to route sends to external effects. This is described onpag e 512 .

Bouncing

It seems that it s a common law of recording that you never have enough audiotracks/cha nnels. A system w here Cubase VSTis used in tandem w ith an MDR (seepag e 16 ) allow s you to use Cubase VSTs mixing facilities to bounce recordings,tha t is mix dow n a multi track recording to stereo or mono.

1. Route the audio from the MDR to the inputs on your computer audio hardware.

2. Create a multi track recording of the outputs of the MDR, each on a separate audioTrack in Cubase VST.See the chapterStereo, Multi Channel and Multi Track Recording. If you have a limitedamount of audio cha nnels availab le, you can temporarily mute some existing Tracks in Cu-base VST, to makeroom for the recordings.

3. Create a stereo or mono mix of all the Tracks you want to bounce.This might involve using eq , effects and automat ion.

4. Solo the Tracks you want to bounce.

5. Route the output of Cubase VST into the MDR and use it to record the stereo mix of theTracks back on tape (or whatever media your MDR is using).

Using Cubase for Editing tape Tracks Off-line

It is common to have a field or on-location digita l tape recording tha t involves multi-ple takes of the same performance, distributed over several tracks, or lined up one af-ter the other on the same track. Cuba se VSTis perfect for assembling such material toa single, perfect take.

1. Route the audio from the tape machine to the inputs on your computer audio hard-ware.

2. Record all the various takes onto one or a few tracks in Cubase VST.

3. Also record a guide track, for example a rough mix, from the tape recorder, that youcan use for reference during the assembly process.

4. Use Cubase VSTs extensive editing possibilities (such as the Toolbox facilities in theAudio Editor) to assemble the material into a single take, that plays well together withthe guide track.

5. If required, route the output of Cubase VST into the MDR and record the perfect take

back on tape.


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Mastering to Stereo

If you a lready have a portable MDR in your system, you ca n very well use it for mas-tering fina l mixes. Just record the stereo output o f the mix in Cuba se VSTonto tw ofree t racks on w hatever media your MDR is using .

Using the Busing System for ThroughputCubase VSTwith some add itional aud io ha rdw are can even be used for masteringpurposes or for audio conversion. Here are a few examples:

Use the busing system to route audio coming in via S/PDIF inputs to ADAT Optical out-puts, for recording onto some other media.Please note that you need to put the tw o input channels in Input Monitor mode, for the audio to be routed through without recording.

Route audio through some Cubase VST plug-in effects and dithering, and record theoutput onto other media.This could be useful for example as part o f a mastering process.

Use the audio hardware for converting audio from e.g. ADAT format to S/PDIF, forrouting though an external device. Then patch the audio back and reconvert back tothe desired format (ADAT in this example).

Please note that the throughput audio will be delayed by whatever latency (see page540 ) there is in your system!


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2Recording in High Resolution and Using TrueTape


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About this ChapterThis chapter describes some implications of recording high resolution audio, thatis, audio files of a resolution higher tha n 16 bit. It a lso describes how to use theunique TrueTape recording mode (available in Cuba se VST/32 only).

Selecting Recording ResolutionThe resolution for recording ca n be set in tw o places:

On the Record Mode pop-up menu above the Part Display in the Arrange Window . On the Bit Recordingpop-up menu in the Audio System Setup dialog .

These tw o pop-up menus a re mirrors - it doesn t ma tter which one you use.Note:

You can freely mix audio files of different resolution in the same Song.

Regardless of the resolution of the audio files, Cubase VST processes audio internallyin 32 bit float resolution to ensure pristine audio quality.

The recording resolution has nothing to do with the resolution of the final mix.

If you use the Export Audio Tracks funct ion to mix dow n to a file, you can freely specify thedesired resolution as described onpag e 518. If you are mixing down to an external recorder,the resolution depends on the audio hardware, the connection and the recorder.

Audio hardware that supports high resolution may also support high sample rates, al-lowing for very high audio quality.You select a sample rate in the Audio System Setup dialog . Note that this setting is g lobal fthe Song - all files must be recorded w ith the same sample rate, otherwise some w ill playback with the w rong speed and pitch.


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The Available Recording ResolutionsAll versions of Cubase VSTallow you to select 16 or 24 Bit resolution. If you are us-ing Cubase VST/32, there will be two a dditiona l modes on the pop-up menu: 32 Bitand TrueTape 32 Bit.

24 Bit Recording

24 Bit files have a greater dyna mic rang e than 16 Bit files. Note:

24 Bit recording is only useful if your audio hardware supports a higher resolution than16 Bit.Preferab ly, 24 Bit resolution should be supported, but it w ould a lso make sense to use 24 Brecording if your aud io hardw are supported e.g. 20 Bit resolution. How ever, recording in 2

Bit mode with a 16 Bit audio card w ould not add to the audio q uality in any w ay. 24 bit files will be 1.5 times the size of 16 bit files.

If you are using the ASIO Multimedia driver, you need to deactivate the Use 16-Bitonly option in the ASIO Control Panel (ASIO Multimedia Setup Advanced Options - seethe online help).

32 Bit Recording (Cubase VST/32 only)

When 32 Bit is selected, files are recorded in 32 Bit Float forma t. This is a very highresolution that involves floa ting point numbers, for extreme dynamic range. Note:

32 Bit Float recording is only useful if your audio hardware supports 24 Bit resolutionor higher.

32 Bit files will be twice the size of 16 Bit files.Not only will this result in files taking up more hard disk space, it w ill also increase disk tranfer demands (as larger amounts of da ta will have to be moved to and from the hard disk).

However, for technical reasons a 32 Bit data stream can sometimes actually be easierto handle for the processor.This means that under certain circumstances, 32 Bit files may actua lly putless demand on theprocessor than 24 Bit files. Note that this depends on many factors, like memory bus andcache speed, so this should no t be read as an absolute truth.


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TrueTape 32 Bit Recording (Cubase VST/32 only)

TrueTape is a unique Steinberg technolog y that emulates the behavior of a profes-siona l analog tape recorder. While d ig ita l audio recording has a number of benefits,some may perceive dig ita l sound to be somew hat sterile and cold compared tohigh q uality ana log recording s. The TrueTape fea ture remed ies this prob lem by

recreat ing the sound of analog t ape saturat ion a t the recording stag e.Note:

TrueTape produces 32 Bit float files.The hard disk and processor speed considerations of the regular 32 Bit format apply here aswell.

Unlike the regular 32 Bit mode, you can make use of the TrueTape mode even if youraudio hardware only supports 16 Bit resolution.This is because the TrueTape fea ture converts the signal to 32 Bit Float format , and adds audio information in the floating point domain. Note, how ever, tha t only Cubase VST/32 canplay back TrueTape audio files.

The TrueTape Control Panel

Once you have selected the TrueTape 32 Bit format , you can ma ke settings by se-lecting VSTTrueTape from the Pa nels menu. This brings up a control panel for theTrueTape process.

Use the Drive control to ad just the amount of tape saturation effect to your liking . Ifyou a re monitoring through Cubase VST, you w ill hear how the changes color thesound of the monitored signal. This allow s you to try out the sett ings before actu-ally recording .

The pop-up menu above the TrueTape panel allows you to select one of four Drive pre-sets, for quick changes.These contain nohidden parameters - selecting the24dB Super Saturationpreset is thesame as moving the Drive control all the w ay to the right. Note that any adjustments youmake to the Drive cont rol are automat ically applied to the selected preset. You can also rename a preset by double clicking and typing in a new name.

Raising the Drive level will also raise the level in the audio file. When input level meter-ing is selected in the VST Channel Mixer, you may find that the Clip indicators light up.However, unlike when recording in 16 bit format, this is nothing to worry about - it isvirtually impossible to get digital distortion in a 32 Bit float file.


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3How Cubase VST handles audio and MIDI


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Why you should read this ChapterThis chapter conta ins some deta ils and ba ckground theory about how Cubase VSThandles audio and MIDI, as well as some terminology used throughout this manualand in the program. Please take the time to read this, as it w ill aid you in using theprog ram in the most effective wa y (when w orking with audio, you should a lso readthe chapter Optimizing Audio Performance for best results).

Audio Channels vs TracksMany audio recording systems do not ma ke a difference between audio channelsand Tracks, which is the way a regular tape recorder works: one cha nnel - one Track.Cuba se VSThowever, has a much more flexible approach to handling audio, as we

shall see. This is important to note, especially if you have previously been workingwith a system where Tracks and Channels are one and the same thing .

Tracks

An Arrang ement ca n contain a pract ically unlimited number of Tracks. Each Trackhas a Channel (Chn) sett ing that determines which audio channel the Track recordsand plays back on, just like you select MIDI Channel for a MIDI Track. The possibili-ties are:

A sing le (mono) channel, for example7. A stereo pair, for example3+ 4. Any.

All these alternat ives are described below.

Audio Channels

An audio channel plays back one mono a udio recording at a time. The absolutemaximum number of audio channels you can access is limited b y your computer sprocessor, the amount of free RAM and the speed of the hard disk. You decide how many audio channels you can use (up to this limit) by setting the Number of Chan-nels parameter in the Audio System Setup dialog . The procedures and limitationsare described in the chapter Optimizing Audio Performance .


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The number of audio channels puts a limit to how many audio recordings can beplayed ba ck at the same time. For example, in a four channel system, you couldplay ba ck:

One stereo drum recording (tw o channels), plus One mono bass recording (one channel), plus

One mono guita r recording (one channel)......all at t he same t ime.

Mono/Stereo

A stereo recording occupies tw o consecutive channels. If you for example make astereo recording on channels 3+ 4, this sing le recording uses up both channels 3and 4. Its your decision w hen to record in mono and w hen to record in stereo.Since the number of channels is limited , some care should be taken so that the ste-reo fa cility is only used w hen a ctually needed.

More about stereo recording on pag e 44 .

Channel Any

A Track can a lso be set to Channel Any . This allows you to a ccess all available au-dio cha nnels from one Track. This fea ture is mainly useful for the more advancedsystems w here is it possible to record a large number of aud io inputs (and hencechannels) simultaneously.

Imagine a situa tion w here you make a multi channel recording, for example a re-cording of a drum kit via a large number of microphones. Using the Any featurethen allow s you to handle the w hole recording a s one entity (one Track) although itactually consists of recordings on many separate audio channels.

Four channels of audio


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Setting Two Tracks to the same Audio Channel

You ca n set thing s up so that two Tracks use the same audio channel. This is not aproblem as long as there is no audio happening at the same t ime, on the tw oTracks. For example like this:

Here, the Trumpet Track plays through the verses and the TenorSax Track plays inthe chorus. Since the Pa rts don t overlap, both Tracks can have access to the sameaud io channel during playba ck.

How ever, if there is any overlap between the tw o if, for example, the saxophonestarts playing in the midd le of the trumpet, the two Tracks will compete for the singleaudio channel, and only one of them can use it a t the same moment. In this case, thelatest recording w ill always steal the audio channel, as described in the illustra-tion below.

This situation extends to stereo recordings. If one Track records in stereo, on for ex-ample channels 3+ 4, both these channels are occupied when this Track plays back.You cant overlap stereo recordings tha t use these channels.

The trumpet w ill play unt il the sax Part sta rts. Then the sax will be hea rd instead.

These sections will not be heard!


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Audio FilesWhen you record, your audio hardw are dig itizes the audio signal coming from themicrophone (or other sources) and stores the d ig ita l data as a file on your hard disk.

One File per RecordingOne file is always created for each sing le recording you ma ke.

File Format

The audio files crea ted when you record in Cubase VSTare Wave files (WAV), themost common audio file format for the PC. It is also possible to import a nd exportaudio files in the AIFF format, which is a very common Macintosh format .

Since practically all Window s audio processing programs read and write Wave orAIFF files, this allows you to process your Cubase VSTfiles in other prog rams, andimport files that have been crea ted elsew here, into Cuba se VST. See the chapterImporting and Exporting Audio for informat ion about importing and exportingfiles.

Stereo files

This version of Cubase VSTuses Interleaved stereo files, that is, both stereo sides are saved in the same file.

About split stereo files

Earlier versions of Cubase and some other audio softw ares use Split stereo files,where each stereo side is a separate file. In other words, Split stereo files alwayscome in pairs, one file for the left side and one for the right side. You cannot importboth files in a Split stereo pair into Cuba se VSTas one entity. You can, however, im-

port the two files one by one as normal mono files. You can also export split stereofiles w ith the Export Audio Track function (see page 518 ).

Audio Files are big

Audio files are comparat ively large, compared to Cubase VSTSong files, MIDI files, orfor example, word processor files. For each minute of recording at 44.1 kHz mono,you w ill use up 5 MBytes of hard disk storage per mono audio channel. This mea nstha t to record continuously on four channels for three minutes, you w ill need 60Mbyte of free ha rd d isk space (5MByte * 4 channels * 3 minutes = 60MByte).

Take good care of your Audio Files!

This can not be repea ted too many t imes: Back up your files! Hard disk crashes are awell know n fact in the computer industry, and the only way to insure yourselfag ainst any d isasters is to mainta in a meticulous back-up scheme. If you w ork pro-fessiona lly, we sugg est you invest in a removable d isk ba sed, DATba sed or other

back-up system a nd that you keep multiple copies of a ll files.


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Audio Segments and Events - Non-Destructive EditingCuba se VSTis a random a ccess based, non-destructive audio recording system and even if that sounds like g ibb erish, you should b e happy about it, as you w illsoon find out.

Non-destructive editing

Let s say you ha ve recorded a couple of minutes of g uita r. During the first verse,there happens to be a brilliant section tha t you would like to use again in a ll theother verses. As you may know, this is possible using the Copy and Paste tech-niques employed in most computer prog rams.

How ever, reusing material over and over ag ain, normally wastes computer mem-ory a nd/or hard d isk space. With Cubase VSTit doesn t!

If you cut out a section of audio, and paste it in, over and over ag ain in the song,you are simply instructing the program to use the same portion of the audio file inmany places, without actua lly copying the file. This is made possible via CubaseVSTs use of segments .

Segments

A segment is a specification for a section of an audio file. The seg ment contains in-format ion a bout w here in the audio file to start playing and where to stop. It mightbe that the segment plays the entire file, or it could also be that it just plays a cou-ple of second s somewhere in the middle of the file.

You can create as many segments as you like from the same file, as the examplebelow shows.

Audio file

Segments


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Audio Events

To a ctually play ba ck a segment in your Song , you need to place an Audio Event inthe Song. Each Audio Event plays a certa in seg ment .Audio Events and segments are of course automatically created as you record, butyou can a lso manually create events and segments when you are editing or assem-

bling recorded material.In many cases, you w ill not feelany difference betw een handling Audio Events andsegments, but there is one. For example, an Audio Event specifies where to start play-ing some audio, but the segment specifies the duration of playback. Also, you mightdelete Audio Events and still have access to the segment it played, so that some otherAudio Event can play back the same segment in another part of the song. When thereis an important difference betw een these tw o, this manual will tell you.

A Part contains Audio Events...

...which play seg ments (portions of an audio file).


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MIDI InputsCubase VSTrecords from all active MIDI Inputs at the same t ime. In essence, thismeans you don t ha ve to ca re about selecting or act ivating MIDI Inputs. How ever, ifyou have multiple interfaces and want to dea ctivate an input for some reason, youcan do this in the MIDI Setup System dialog on the Options menu.

Which MIDI Inputs are available in the MIDI Setup System dialog depends on the set-tings made in the Setup MME application before launching Cubase VST, as described inthe Installation booklet.

MIDI OutputsEach MIDI Track has a MIDI Output setting. This routes the data on the Track to aphysical MIDI Output on one o f your MIDI Interfaces.

Standard Interfaces

Stand ard interfaces a re ident ified in Cubase VSTby the names provided by their re-spective drivers.

Multi-port Interfaces

If you have a multi-port interface, each of its MIDI Out connectors appears as a MIDIOutput in the Output list. Setting a Track to a certain Output routes a ll the MIDI Dataon that Track to that specific MIDI Out connector on the interface.

Direct Connections

Some MIDI eq uipment provide direct connections to the computer, using serialor USB cab les instead of a ctual MIDI cables. From Cubase VSTs point of view, thesebehave exactly like regular MIDI interfaces, i.e. each Direct Output appears in theOutput list, named according to the respective driver.

For details, see the documentat ion of the MIDI eq uipment in q uestion.


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How Cubase VST records MIDI Channel dataEach MIDI Event that Cubase VSTrecords has a MIDI Channel number.

If for example you set your MIDI keyboa rd to transmit on MIDI Channel 5, all thenotes, Pitch Bend data , prog ram change or wha tever you transmit from it, w ill have

the MIDI Channel number 5.

This keyb oa rd t ransmits o n MIDI Channel 5.

Some MIDI devices can t ransmit on more tha n one MIDI Channel. In this case theMIDI input data coming in to Cubase VSTwill conta in mixed channel numbers.

This keyb oa rd t ransmits on tw o MIDI Channels, 2 and 6. It ma y for example transmit ea chchannel from one side of a split po int.

Cubase VSTstores the MIDI Channel with the Event. If you look in List Edit for exam-ple, you can see the MIDI Channel for each Event that has been recorded.

55

5

55

26

6

2

6

In List Edit you can seethe MIDI Channel sto redwith each Event.


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Rechannelizing The MIDI Channel setting for the Track When you play back a recording , you w ant it to be routed to a certa in sound in oneof your synthesizers. Let s say you ha ve a synthesizer tha t plays a bass sound onMIDI Channel 3. To route a Track to that sound you set it to MIDI Channel 3.

Now the follow ing happens: When you hit play Cuba se VSTplays ba ck all the dataon the Track, but w hen doing so it replaces the MIDI Channel number stored in the Events with that of the Track in this example, MIDI Channel 3!

This replacement is done as part of the playba ck procedure, that is, it does not affectthe recording permanently. If you check the data on the Track in List ed it (as men-tioned above) all the Events still have their MIDI channel intact.

This is what we refer to as rechannelizing chang ing the MIDI Channel of the Eventson playback.

Recha nnelizing is very convenient because it lets you forget what MIDI Channelnumber your keyboard is set to transmit on. Instead, to route a Track to a certa insound, you simply set the MIDI Channel number in the Track list in Cubase VST.And, if you decide you want to route the Track to another synthesizer, later, theonly thing you have to do is to change the MIDI Channel setting for the Track.

Rechannelizing also works on Thru-put!The text above only described w hat happens on playback. But in fact, Rechannelizinghappens on the da ta that passes Thru Cubase VST.

If you click on a Track to activate it, its MIDI Channel sett ing is used for rechannelizingthe data tha t passes through the prog ram. This automatically routes your playing tothe correct MIDI Channel when you a re recording , or rehearsing for a recording youare about to make.

This Track is set t o play backon MIDI Channel 3.

These Events, on d ifferentMIDI Channels...

3

33

33

...get their MIDI Channel changed tothat of the Track, during playback.

If you make aTrack active...

3

33

33

...its MIDI Channel value is used forrechannelizing the da ta thatpasses throug h Cubase VST.

26

62

6


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Turning off Rechannelization MIDI Channel AnyThere s one situat ion w here you might not w ant rechannelizing and tha t s whenyou have a Track that contains Events on multiple MIDI Channels. You might for ex-ample have:

Recorded with a keyboard tha t can besplit so that it t ransmits on two MIDI Channels. A guitar synthesizer where each string can transmit on a different MIDI Channel. Recorded the output of another MIDI seq uencer onto a Track in Cubase VST. Imported a MIDI File of Type 0, which by definition conta ins only one Track, possibly w ith

Events on several MIDI Channels.

In each of these situa tions you might want to have the Track transmit on a ll its MIDIChannels the MIDI Channels actua lly stored with each Event, as described above.This would a llow you to set up several sounds and play them all from one Track.

To do this, set the Track to MIDI Channel Any (the lowest value).

Summary

To summa rize: When a Track is set to MIDI Cha nnel Any , rechannelizing is turnedoff, and the Events will be transmitted on their orig ina l MIDI Channels instead.

These Events, on differentMIDI Channels...

6

62

62

...will play ba ck on their original MIDIChannels since the Track is set to Any .


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4Using Auto Crossfade


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BackgroundPlaying ba ck consecutive aud io segments (with no space in betw een) on the sameaudio channel can sometimes result in audible pops and clicks. The reason is thatthe signals in the tw o segments may have a d ifferent a mplitude (level) at the inter-section point, which in turn creates a t ransient (a sudd en and d ramatic change insigna l level).

Two consecut ive audio waveforms. The vertica l line indicate s the intersection point.

This may be especially not iceable w hen playing ba ck imported ReCycle file (seepag e 524 ) or when playing ba ck audio in Cycle mode (in w hich case the intersec-tion happens when the playba ck position jumps from the end of the Cycle to thestart).

To remed y this, you can activate the Auto Crossfade function for a cha nnel.

How does Auto Crossfade work?The Auto Crossfade function is independent for each audio cha nnel. If the functionis activated for an a udio channel, Cuba se VSTwill pre-calculate small linea r cross-fades at the intersection points between segments. During playb ack, the cross-

fades are inserted into the a udio stream at the correct positions, for smoothtransitions between segments.

No crossfade is calculated if there is any gap whatsoever between two segments.

When are the Crossfades calculated?

The pre-calculating of the crossfad es is done a t the follow ing occasions:

When you activate the Auto Crossfade for a channel. When you move o r edit Audio Events playing on a channel for which Auto Crossfade is act

vated. When you open a Song (or activate an Arrangement) in which Auto Crossfades are act ivate

If you open a Song with a lot of Auto Crossfaded segments, the calculat ion may take a fewmoments.


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About Crossfades and RAM

Whereas the regularCrossfade function in the Audio Editor (see pag e 388 ) createsnew audio files, the crossfades created by the Auto Crossfade function are cachedin RAM and never written to disk.

Unused crossfades in memory are removed if they are not used for 2 minutes.This allow s you to mute and unmute sections, etc, without the program having to re-calcu-late crossfades each time.

If you have turned off crossfades and want to make the used memory available imme-diately, switch to another Arrangement and back.

Activating and making settings

To activate Auto Crossfade for an audio cha nnel, proceed as follow s:

1. Open the Inspector for an Audio Track playing back on the channel in question.

Note that the Auto Crossfade works on audio channels - not on Audio Tracks! Thismeans that activating Auto Crossfade in the Inspector for one Track will automaticallyaffect all other Tracks set to the same channel.This also means that the Auto Crossfade works even if the consecutive segments are ondifferent Audio Tracks.

2. Locate the Channel Crossfade settings in the Inspector, and set the Status parame-ter to On.Auto Crossfade is now activated for the audio channel.

3. Start playback and check whether the audio plays back properly.4. If you still get pops or clicks, try raising the Samples value in the Inspector.

This value determines the length of the ca lculated crossfades. Generally, higher values givesmoother crossfades but a lso require more RAM. In most cases, the defaultSamplesvalueshould be sufficient.

If you dont specifically need Auto Crossfade for an audio channel, turn it off by settingthe Channel Crossfade Status parameter to Off.This makes more RAM available for other functions in the prog ram (see the notes ab ove).


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5Stereo, Multi Channel and Multi Track Recording


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Stereo audio recordingStereo recording only applies to audio Tracks and has no relevance for MIDI data .

Setting a Track to stereo

This is done in the Inspector, by clicking the Mono/Stereo button until it show s ste-reo.

The mono/stereo button in the Inspector.

Which Tracks can be set to stereo?

The mono/stereo button indicates w hether a t rack can be set to stereo or not. Whenstereo is not available, the button is da rk . A Track must meet the follow ing criteriafor the stereo option to be available:

It must be set to an odd channel number.A stereo recording a lways uses an odd channel for the left channel and an even for the righ

It must not already contain any mono recordings.If there are already mono Parts on the Track you cannot switch it to stereo and vice versa.

No other audio Track that is already in use can be set to the other channel.If channel 4, for example, is already used by some Track for a mono recording, a Track set tochannel 3 cannot be switched to stereo.

What happens when I switch a Track to stereo?

The Chn field in the Inspector and the Chn column in the Track List indicates the two channels used for stereo.

The Inspecto r for a stereo Track using cha nne ls 1 and 2.


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The Channel pop-up (reached from the Inspector and the Chn column in the Track list)lists the two channels as a stereo pair.From this point on they can only be used together, as a pair.

Any Tracks set to the other audio channel in the resulting stereo pair, will automati-cally be set to channel Any.Lets say you have a Track set to channel 3, and sw itch it to stereo. Then, any Tracks playingback on channel 4 will automatically be set to channelAny.

In the VST Channel Mixer window, any two channels that are linked as a stereo pair dis-play a stereo symbol, and the level meters are displayed adjacent to one another.

A stereo cha nne l pair in the Mixer.

Stereo recordings that you make take up two audio channel lanes in the audio editor,see page 347 .

Recording in stereo

Making a stereo recording is actually no different from making a mono recording .Just ma ke sure tha t the tw o a udio outputs you wa nt to record (probab ly the leftand right sides of a stereo source) are connected to the correct inputs (see the Get -ting Started b ook and pag e 506 for deta ils about inputs), and that these inputs areselected for the tw o audio channels in the stereo pa ir.

In this example, all Tracks

(in a 16 channel system)are set to stereo.


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The Mixer and Stereo Channel Pairs

As described above, a stereo cha nnel pair is indicated in the VSTChannel Mixer win-dow by a stereo symbol and by the side by side positioning of the level meters.You will also note tha t there is only one button for Insert Effects and VSTDynamicsin the mixer, meaning that you cannot make individual Insert or Dynamics settings

for the tw o channels.In add ition to this, many cont rols for the channels are ganged, which means tha twhen you chang e one of them, they are both a ffected.

For example, if you adjust the level of one cha nnel in a stereo pa ir, the other chan-nel is also adjusted, automatically. This makes it easy to set up the two channels in astereo pa ir so tha t they sound ident ical.

The controls affected by this are:

Level. All EQ settings. All Send settings. Mute and Solo. Monitoring on/off, Input Level switch and Meter Reset .

More about mixing in the chapter Mixing Audio and using Effects .

Overriding gangingIf you want to make VSTChannel Mixer adjustments individually for a channel in astereo pa ir, simply hold dow n [Alt] when a djusting the control.

Multi Channel Recording - Channel Any

Multi channel recording can be used on any system but is most useful to those with

cards with more than two inputs.

Why record on an Any Track?

A sing le Any Track can contain recordings on multiple channels. In fact one Trackcan conta in mono recordings on as many channels as the system supports.

Let s say tha t you are recording a drum kit on four channels: a stereo mix of the ent ire

kit, plus two separate channels for bass drum and snare (provided your audio hard-ware can record four simultaneous inputs). If you use an Any Track for this record-ing you w ill be able to record a ll four channels onto one Track and subsequentlyhandle all four as one entity. This simplifies editing in the Arrang e window and in theAudio editor.

If the audio channels you are about to record are not directly related, but you still wantto record them at the same time, you might instead prefer to record them on one Track each, using Multi Track Recording.

See page 49.


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Performing a Multi Channel Recording

1. Connect and set up the audio sources as desired.

2. Open the VST Channel Mixer and make sure that each audio channel is set to a sepa-rate Input.This is done b y [Ctrl]-clicking on the Input but ton a t the top of each channel strip, and selecting an Input from the pop-up menu tha t appears.

3. Create an Audio Track to record on.

4. Open the Inspector for the Track and set it to channel Any.A number of Record Info buttons appea r. Exactly how many depends on the number of audio channels in your audio recording system (seepag e 539).

The Record Info buttons for even numbered channels of a stereo pair will not beshown.

A Track set to Any in a 16 channel system.

There is also a group of Monitor buttons in the Inspector, as many as there are audiochannels.These work just like the Monitor button for a single channel Track, allow ing you to manuallturn monitoring on and off for each audio channel.

If stereo inputs are used, a maximum of two audio channels - one odd, one even - canbe monitored at once. If you for example are monitoring a channel with odd number,and click on another odd-numbered channel button, monitoring will be deactivated

for the first channel.


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5. For the channels you plan to record on, click the corresponding Record Info button inthe Inspector.The Record Info but tons will change color to indicate their status, as described below.

6. Activate recording in any way you like, as described in the previous chapter.All audio channels will now be recorded on the sing le Track.

When you later open the Audio Editor you will find tha t the recorded audio chan-nels have been automa tically Grouped . More on this on pag e 385 .

About changing the Channel setting

As you noted ab ove, it is the Any channel sett ing tha t is the clue to the Track be-ing able to play back on more than one channel. If you later set the Track to a spe-cific Channel number you will only hea r one of the recorded files.

Record Info color coding

For Tracks with cha nnel Any, a color scheme is used in the Inspector to makechannel assignment more intuitive:

An audio channel box is red if the channel is record enabled.

An audio channel box has a blue border if the selected Track uses the channel and is

ready for playback. An audio channel box has a yellow border if another Track uses the channel.

This helps you determine if this channel is available for recording.

Please note that it may be perfectly OK to record on a channel that already is in use(displays a yellow or blue border). This depends on where in the Song the channel is inuse.


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Multi Track Recording

What can I do with Multi Track Recording?

Multi Track Recording allow s you to record several players at the same time and have theirperformances appear on one Track each.

If audio channels you are about to record are not directly related, but you still want to recothem at the same time, you might prefer to record them on one Track each.

If you have a keyboa rd or other MIDI Controller tha t can transmit on several MIDI ChanneMulti Track recording allow s you to record different MIDI Channels onto different Tracks.

Multi Track recording also allows you tolayerseveral MIDI sounds, and record them on oneTrack each.

When using Tape Tracks, Multi Track recording should be activated, so that you can set morethan one Track on the tape recorder to record ready. This is described in the separate Tape

Tracks document.

Activating Multi Recording

1. Pull down the Options menu and select Multirecord.

2. From the menu that appears, select Active so that it is ticked.Multi Track Recording is now turned on, and a new Track column appears, labelledR. This isused in different ways for different Recording Modes, as described below.

3. Pull down the menu again and select one of the modes on the lower half, Merge,Channel Split, Input Split or Layer.Which of thesemodesyou should select depends on what type of recording you want tomake. They are all described on the follow ing pages.

This item is used to a ctivate/dea ctivate Multi Recording.

This part of the menu is whereyou select one of the modes.

When Multi Recording is act ive, anew Track column appears.


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Recording Audio

1. If you are only recording Audio, select Multi Record Merge mode.

2. Create as many Audio Tracks as desired and set them all to different channels.The number of Tracks you can record on is limited by the number of inputs you have accessto. If you only have tw o audio inputs, you can only record two d ifferent audio sources.

3. Make sure all Tracks are set to separate audio inputs.This is done by holding down [Ctrl] and clicking on the Input but ton in the Inspector, and selecting an Input from the pop-up menu that appea rs.

4. Click in the R column for each Track, to set them up for recording.

5. Enable recording for each Track by clicking the Record Enable button in the Inspector.

6. Activate recording in any way you like, as described in the previous chapter.The a udio channels will now be recorded on one Track each.

Recording MIDI

About Merge Mode

Using Merge mode is like recording with Multirecord turned off .There is no reasonto use this mode for MIDI recording only. It is primarily used to record audio ontoseveral Audio Tracks and with Tape Tracks (for setting multiple Tracks on the taperecorder to Record Ready Mod e).

Here is how MIDI recording works in Merge mode:

Recording only happens on one MIDI or Drum Track at a time, just as when Multi Track Re-cording is turned off.

Recording happens on the Track where youlast activated recording in theRcolumn (see il-lustration on the previous page).


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Recording different MIDI Channels on different Tracks (Channel Split Mode)

This is the preferred mod e if you either have several MIDI Instruments all connectedto the same input, or if you ha ve a MIDI Cont roller that can transmit on more thanone MIDI Channel.

1. Set up your MIDI instrument(s) so that they transmit on different MIDI channels, pref-erably on consecutive MIDI Channels, starting at 1 (1, 2, 3, etc.).

2. Activate Multi Recording in Channel Split mode (see above).

3. Set up the Tracks you plan to record on so that they transmit on the desired MIDIChannels and Outputs.This does no t have to be the same MIDI Channels as your instruments are set to transmit onYou can for example make a Track record information coming in via MIDI Channel 2, whileplays back on MIDI Channel 11.

4. Click in the R column for the first Track you want to record on. A pop-up appearsfrom which you can select one of five alternatives.

The first option (Off) deactivates recording for this Track.

Selecting the second option makes this Track record a ll information coming in on MIDI Chanel 1, 5, 9 and 13. Selecting the third option makes this Track record informat ion coming in on MIDI Channel 2

6, 10 and 14. The fourth and fifth opt ions work just as the previous, but with the remaining MIDI Channe So, to separate four different players by MIDI Channel they should transmit on for exampl

MIDI Channel 1, 2, 3 and 4, respect ively.

5. Set up the other Tracks you wish to Record on.6. Activate Recording as usual.

The Multi Rec pop-up whenChannel Split Mode is selected.

The R column displays the first Channel of the four tha t t he Track records on.


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Recording different players onto different Tracks (Input Split Mode)

This is the mode to use if you have several MIDI Instrument s connected to one MIDIinput each.

1. Connect the instruments (up to four), each one to a MIDI input of its own.

2. Activate Multi Recording in Input Split mode (see the beginning of this chapter for de-tails).

3. Set up the Tracks on which you plan to record, so that they transmit on the desiredMIDI Channel and Output.

4. Click in the R column for the first Track you want to record on. A pop-up appearsfrom which you can select one of five alternatives (please refer to the table below):

Exactly which is the first a nd second etc. MIDI Inputs in your system is decided byWindow s. If you only have one MIDI interface the numbering will most likely be thesame as on the interface. If you ha ve several interfaces only experimentation cantell which is which.

5. Select a MIDI Input for the second Track.Continue in the same w ay w ith the third and fourth Track.

6. Activate Recording as usual.

Menu Option MIDI Input used

Off None (No recording on this Track).

In 1 The first MIDI Input.

In 2 The second MIDI Input.

In 3 The third MIDI Input.

In 4 The fourth MIDI Input.

The Multi Rec pop-up when InputSplit Mode is selected .

After selecting an Input, the Innumber isdisplayed in the R column.


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Using Multi Track Recording to layer sounds

In Layer Mode you record the same information onto several Tracks (up to four). Ifeach of the Tracks you record on is set to t ransmit on a different MIDI Channel andOutput you can play and record with up to four different sounds at the same time.

1. Set up the Tracks you plan to record on so that they transmit on the desired MIDI Chan-nels and Outputs.

2. Activate Multi Recording in Layer mode (see the beginning of this chapter for de-tails on how to do this).

3. Click in the R column for each of the Tracks you want to record on.You can record on a maximum of four Tracks.

4. Activate Recording as usual.The same informat ion now gets recorded onto four different Tracks. While you record youwill hear the sounds of a ll four of the instruments set to play back from those Tracks.

Recording MIDI and Audio at the Same Time

When Multi Record is activated you can record on MIDI and Audio Tracks at thesame time. There s only one special thing to note:

You can only activate Multi Recording on up to three MIDI Tracks simultaneously.

Activating recording in Multi Record Mode

Recording in Multi Record mode is no different from Recording in regular mode.Youcan use punch in and out , Cycled Recording etc. There s only one thing to note:

Cycle Modes and Multi Recording

As described in the Get ting Started book, you can record in various Cycle Mod es.You can a lso a pply recording functions like Key Erase, Delete last version etc.

During Multi Recording, these Modes and Functions only apply to the Active (selected)Track, not to all Tracks that you record on!

When four Tracks are activatedin Layer mode...

...the same information gets recorded onall four Tracks...


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Options related to Multi Track Recording

With the Merge Tracks option on the Structure menu you can merge a Multi Track re-cording into one Track set to cha nnel Any. This can also be a handy way to assem-ble several separate recordings (e.g. the different voices in a backing vocalarrangement) into one easily handled unit in the Arrange window . See page 80 for

details.


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6The Arrangement - More on what you can do with

Parts and Tracks


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Creating PartsParts are normally created in one of four wa ys:

by recording (applies to Audio Pa rts, MIDI Parts and Drum Parts only, see the Getting Startbook).

by direct creat ion of an empty Part. by duplicat ion of existing Pa rts (see Gett ing Started ). by activat ing Write Mode in the VSTChannel or MIDI Track Mixer (see the chaptersMixing

Audio and Using Effectsand The MIDI Track Mixer).

How Parts appear when you record

When you record on one Track the follow ing rules apply:

Recording from one point to another creates a Part that spans between these twopoints.

Recording again between the same points or within the start and end points of the ex-isting Part creates no new Part.The music is either added to (Overdub mode) or replaces (Replace mode) the existing .

If Prerecord in the Metronome dialog box is active, recording during the Precountwill extend the Part to the left.For obvious reasons Parts are not extended beyond the Left Locator position when yourecord in Cycle mode, or before Song Position 1.1.0.

In other cases (like starting recording in an empty section of the Track, recording overParts and recording out of existing Parts into empty areas of the Track), new Parts areonly created where there wasn't any before.As described above, the Overdub/Replace setting determines whether music is being addedto the existing, or replaces it.

An example might clarify this:You ha ve an existing Pa rt starting at 3.1.0 and ending a t 4.1.0.

You start the new recording in Overdub mode a t2.1.0 and end at 9.1.0.This creates a new Part sta rting at

2.1.0 and end ing at 3.1.0...

...and finally there is a new part created

between 4.1.0 and 9.1.0.

...the o ld one between 3.1.0 and 4.1.0 is

kept, but music gets added to it...


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Direct Creation of Empty Parts

There are three ways to create an empty Part:

By double clicking in any empty (background) area between the Left and Right Loca-tor, in the Arrange window.The new Part winds up betw een the Loca tors, on the Track on which you clicked.

By selecting Create Part from the Structure menu.In this case, the new (empty) Part winds up on the active Track beginning at the Left Loca toand ending a t the Right Locator.

By drawing it with the Pencil tool.In this case, the Track, position and leng th of the new (empty) Part depends on your draw ingjust like when you draw notes in an editor.

A directly created Part never replaces an existing Part, but might overlap one.

Group Parts are created differently, see page 148 .


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Overlapping MIDI PartsParts on the same MIDI Track might overlap or be completely on top of one a n-other. You can make good use of this feature in many ways:

Parts which start with an upbeat can overlap the end of the Part before.

Duplicate Parts (or Ghost Parts, see page 73 ) which are used to create delay effects,double sounds and so on, can be put on top of the original Parts.

You w ill probably find other crea tive uses for this feature.

Selecting overlapping Parts

To d isplay overlapped Parts in an Arrangement, use the Select Overlap item on the

Edit menu. This will select all Parts that a re partially obscured by other Parts.

The Select Overlap item...

...selects all overlapped Parts.


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Merging PartsMerging one Part w ith a nother adds a ll Events in the first Part to the second . It isdone like this:

1. Hold down [Ctrl] and [Alt] on the computer keyboard.

2. Drag the first Part and release it on top of the other Part.

The result o f this depends on the Snap Setting and the Record Mode:

Overdub Mode gives a regular merge, that is the contents of the second Part are kept,together with the inserted Events from the first Part.

Replace Mode will make the inserted Events replace the old Events in the destinationPart.

Regardless of Record Mode, the destination Part will keep a ll its Parameters (Output, MIDIChannel and so on).

The dragged Part is not erased or even moved. A copy of its contents is made, and it isthis copy that is merged into the other Part.

Appearance and size of the merged Part

The start and end points of the tw o Parts don't ha ve to ma tch a t a ll:

You can only merge two Parts which belong to the same Track class. Group Parts can-not be merged.

If the two Parts dont exact ly overlap...

...new Parts are created , follow ingthe same rules as w hen creatingParts in other wa ys.


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About Cut, Copy & PasteYou can use the comma nds Cut, Copy and Paste on the Edit menu (or their respec-tive key command s, by default [Ctrl]-[X], [Ctrl]-[C] and [Ctrl]-[V]) to rea rrange yourParts within the Arrangement , or to move Pa rts betw een d ifferent Arrange win-dows. Cut, Copy a nd Paste w orks according to standard principles. How ever, thereare a few things to note:

The Parts are always Pasted in beginning at the current Song Position. Before Pasting,move the Song Position to where you want the beginning of the first Part.The Song Position is automatically moved when a Cut or Copy is executed. When you Copthe Song Position is moved to the end of the last of a ll selected Parts, making this positionsuggestion for Pasting. When you Cut, the Song Position is moved to where the first of theCut Parts started.

If you Paste into the same Arrange window as the Parts came from, they are put in onthe same Tracks as they originally were on.

If you Paste into another Arrange window, Cubase VST tries to use existing Tracks if possible.This means that Pa rts are Pasted in on existing Tracks with the same channel and Output settings, if there are any. If not , new Tracks are created for the Pasted Parts.New Tracks are also created if Pasting would result in overlapping Parts, i.e. if there already

are Parts on the existing Tracks, at the position you Paste. If you hold down [Alt] and select Paste from the Edit menu, all the subsequent Parts in

the Arrangement will be moved forward to make room for the Parts you Paste.Note tha t the inserted Parts will end up on the same Tracks they have been Copied from.


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Part Operatio

getting into the details

Documents