Steinberg Cubase AI – Operation Manual 5.0 OM

User Manual: Steinberg AI - 5.0 - Operation Manual Free User Guide for Cubase Software, Manual - page1

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Operation Manual

Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Marion Bröer, Sabine Pfeifer, Heike Schilling
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part
of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement
and may not be copied to other media except as specifically allowed in the License Agreement. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission
by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
All product and company names are ™ or ® trademarks of their respective owners. Windows XP is a trademark of
Microsoft Corporation. Windows Vista is a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United
States and/or other countries. The Mac logo is a trademark used under license. Macintosh and Power Macintosh are
registered trademarks.
Release Date: June 04, 2009
© Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2009.
All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

About this manual

Audio effects

Welcome!

VST Connections: Setting up input and
output busses

10
10
12
13

About this chapter
Setting up busses
Using the busses
About monitoring

86
86
87
90
94
94
96

About this chapter
Overview
Insert effects
Send effects
Editing effects
Effect presets
Installing and managing effect plug-ins

The Project window

VST Instruments and Instrument
tracks

15
17
21
40

Background
Window Overview
Operations
Options

Playback and the Transport panel

100
100
100
102
103

43
44
45
47

Background
Operations
Options and Settings
The Virtual Keyboard

Introduction
VST Instrument channels vs. instrument tracks
VST Instrument channels
Instrument tracks
What do I need? Instrument channel or Instrument
track?
VST instruments and processor load
Using presets for VSTi configuration
About latency

Recording

49
49
51
55
59
61

Background
Basic recording methods
Audio recording specifics
MIDI recording specifics
Options and Settings
Recovery of audio recordings after system failure

Fades, crossfades and envelopes

63
65
66
67
68

Creating fades
The Fade dialogs
Creating crossfades
The Crossfade dialog
Auto Fades and Crossfades

The mixer

70
70
70
73
73
74
74
76
81
82

About this chapter
Overview
Configuring the mixer
The audio-related channel strips
The MIDI channel strips
The output channels
Basic mixing procedures
Audio-specific procedures
MIDI-specific procedures
Utilities

103
103
106

108 Automation
109
109
110
111
111
114
116

Introduction
Enabling and disabling the writing of automation
data
What can be automated?
Hints and further options
Automation track operations
Working with automation curves
MIDI Part Data vs Track Automation

117 Audio processing and functions
118
118
123

Background
Audio processing
Freeze Edits

124 The Sample Editor
125
126
128
132
132
134

4
Table of Contents

Background
Window overview
General Operations
Options and settings
AudioWarp: Tempo matching audio
Working with hitpoints and slices

138 The Audio Part Editor

181 The MIDI editors

139
139
139
141
142
142

182
182
184
186
199
200
202
205
206
207
210
211
211
213
214

Background
Opening the Audio Part Editor
Window overview
Operations
Common methods
Options and Settings

143 The Pool
144
144
146

Background
Window overview
Operations

155 Working with Track Presets
156
156
157
158
159
159

Introduction
Types of track presets
Applying track presets
Creating a track preset
Creating tracks from track presets or VST presets
Previewing MIDI, instrument and VST presets
independently of tracks

Introduction
Opening a MIDI editor
The Key Editor – Overview
Key Editor operations
The Drum Editor – Overview
Drum Editor operations
Working with drum maps
Using drum name lists
The List Editor – Overview
List Editor operations
Working with System Exclusive messages
Recording System Exclusive parameter changes
Editing System Exclusive messages
The Score Editor – Overview
Score Editor operations

221 Editing tempo and signature
222
222
223

Background
Tempo and signature display
Editing tempo and signature

160 Remote controlling Cubase AI

226 Export Audio Mixdown

161
161
162
163
165

227
227
228

Introduction
Setting Up
Operations
The Generic Remote device
Apple Remote (Macintosh only)

232 Synchronization
233
233
234

166 MIDI realtime parameters
167
167
167

Introduction
The Inspector – General handling
The Inspector sections

235
236
240
240
240
243
246

171 MIDI processing and quantizing
172
172
176
177
178

Introduction
Mixing down to audio files
The available file formats

Introduction
The Quantizing functions
Permanent settings with Freeze MIDI Modifiers
Dissolve Part
Other MIDI functions

Background
Synchronization signals
Synchronizing the transport vs. synchronizing
audio
Making basic settings and connections
Synchronization settings
Sync Options
Working with VST System Link
Preparations
Activating VST System Link
Application examples

248 Video
249
249
251

Background
Before you start
Operations

253 File handling
254
258
259
5
Table of Contents

Working with Projects
Importing audio
Exporting and importing standard MIDI files

261 Customizing
262
262
263
265
265
267

Background
Using the Setup options
Customizing track controls
Appearance
Applying track and event colors
Where are the settings stored?

268 Key commands
269
269
271
272

Introduction
Setting up key commands
Setting up tool modifier keys
The default key commands

275 Index

6
Table of Contents

1
About this manual

Welcome!
This is the Operation Manual for Steinberg’s Cubase AI.
Here you will find detailed information about all the features and functions in the program.

About the program versions
The documentation covers two different operating systems
or “platforms”; Windows and Mac OS X.
Some features and settings are specific to one of the platforms. This is clearly stated in the applicable cases. In other
words:
Ö If nothing else is said, all descriptions and procedures
in the documentation are valid for both Windows and Mac
OS X.
The screenshots are taken from the Windows version of Cubase AI.

Key command conventions
Many of the default key commands in Cubase AI use modifier keys, some of which are different depending on the
operating system. For example, the default key command
for Undo is [Ctrl]-[Z] under Windows and [Command]-[Z]
under Mac OS X.
When key commands with modifier keys are described in
this manual, they are shown with the Windows modifier
key first, in the following way:
[Win modifier key]/[Mac modifier key]-[key]
For example, [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Z] means “press [Ctrl]
under Windows or [Command] under Mac OS X, then
press [Z]”.
Similarly, [Alt]/[Option]-[X] means “press [Alt] under Windows or [Option] under Mac OS X, then press [X]”.
Ö Please note that this manual often refers to right-clicking, e.g. to open context menus. If you are using a Mac with
a single-button mouse, hold down [Ctrl] and click.

8
About this manual

2
VST Connections: Setting up input and
output busses

About this chapter

• Although you can record mono tracks from one side of a stereo input, it may be a good idea to add a dedicated mono input bus. This could be assigned to an analog input to which
you have connected a dedicated microphone pre-amp for example. Again, you can have several different mono busses.
• You probably want a dedicated stereo input bus assigned to
the digital stereo input, for digital transfers.

Cubase AI uses a system of input and output busses to
transfer audio between the program and the audio hardware.
• Input busses let you route audio from the inputs on your audio
hardware into the program. This means that when you record
audio, you will always do this through one or several input
busses.
• Output busses let you route audio from the program to the
outputs on your audio hardware. When you play back audio,
you will always do this through one or several output busses.

Output busses
• For digital transfers, you need a stereo bus assigned to the
digital stereo output as well.

Preparations

As you can see, the input and output busses are vital when
you work with Cubase AI. This is why you find this chapter
at the beginning of the Operation Manual – once you understand the bus system and know how to set up the busses properly, it will be easy to go on with recording, playing
back and mixing.

Before you set up busses, you should name the inputs and
outputs on your audio hardware.
The reason for this is compatibility – it makes it easier to
transfer projects between different computers and setups.
For example, if you move your project to another studio,
the audio hardware may be of a different model. But if
both you and the other studio owner have given your inputs and outputs names according to the setup (rather
than names based on the audio hardware model), Cubase
AI will automatically find the correct inputs and outputs for
your busses and you will be able to play and record without having to change the settings.

Setting up busses
Strategies
In Cubase AI, you can create up to 8 stereo busses or up
to 16 mono busses.
Ö The bus configuration is saved with the project –
therefore it is a good idea to add and set up the busses
you need and save these in a template project (see “Save
as Template” on page 256).

Use the Device Setup dialog to assign names to the inputs and outputs of your audio hardware:

When you start working on new projects, you start from this template.
That way you get your standard bus configuration without having to make
new bus settings for each new project. If you need to work with different
bus configurations in different projects, you can either create several different templates or store your configurations as presets (see “Other bus
operations” on page 12). The templates can of course also contain other
settings that you regularly use – sample rate, record format, a basic track
layout, etc.

2. Make sure that the correct driver for your audio hardware is selected on the VST Audio System page, so that
the audio card is listed in the Devices list.

1. Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu.

3. Select your audio card in the list.
The available input and output ports on your audio hardware are listed on
the right.

4. To rename a port, click its name in the “Show as” column and enter a new name.

Input busses

• If needed, you can also disable ports by deactivating
them in the “Visible” column.

• Most likely you need at least one stereo input bus assigned to
an analog input pair. This would let you record stereo material. If
you want to be able to record in stereo from other analog input
pairs as well, you add stereo input busses for these, too.

Disabled ports will not show up in the VST Connections window when
you are making bus settings. If you attempt to disable a port that is used
by a bus, you will be asked whether this is really what you want – note
that this will remove the port from the bus!

5. Click OK to close the Device Setup dialog.

10
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

Ö If you open a project created on another computer and
the port names do not match (or the port configuration is
not the same), the Missing Ports dialog will appear.

The VST Connections window
You add and set up busses in the VST Connections window, opened from the Devices menu.

This allows you to manually re-route ports used in the project to ports
available in your system.

Mac OS X only: Retrieving channel names
For some audio cards, you can automatically retrieve the
ASIO channel names for the ports of your audio hardware:
1. Open the Device Setup dialog via the Devices menu.
2. On the VST Audio System page, select your audio
card on the “ASIO driver” pop up menu.

This window contains the Inputs and Output tabs for viewing input busses and output busses.

3. In the Devices list to the left, select your audio card.
The available settings are displayed.

Depending on which tab you have selected, the window
lists the current input or output busses, with the following
columns:

4. In the settings section to the right, click the Control
Panel button.
This opens the control panel for your audio hardware.

5. Activate the “Use CoreAudio Channel Names” option.
6. When you now open the VST Connections window to
set up the busses in your system, you will find that the port
names in the Device Port column correspond to the names
that are used by the CoreAudio driver.
Ö If you want to use the project later on with an earlier
version of Cubase AI, you will have to re-assign the port
connections in the VST Connections window (see below).

Column

Description

Bus Name

Lists the busses. You can select busses and rename
them by clicking on them in this column.

Speakers

Indicates the speaker configuration (mono, stereo) of
each bus.

Audio Device

This shows the currently selected ASIO driver.

Device Port

When you have “opened” a bus (by clicking its + button
in the Bus Name column) this column shows which physical inputs/outputs on your audio hardware are used by
the bus.

Click

You can route the click to a specific output bus.

Mac OS X only: Port selection and activation
Adding a bus

On the settings page for your audio card (opened via the
Device Setup dialog, see above), you can specify which
input and which output port should be active. This allows
you, for example, to use the Microphone input instead of
the Line input or even to deactivate the audio card input or
output completely, if required.

1. Click the Inputs or Outputs tab depending on which
you want to add.
2. Click the Add Bus button.
A dialog appears.

Ö This function is only available for Built-In Audio, standard USB audio devices and a certain number of other audio cards (e.g. Pinnacle CineWave).

3. Select the desired (channel) configuration.
You can add stereo and mono busses.

11
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

• Alternatively you can right-click in the VST Connections
window and add a bus in the desired format directly from
the context menu.

• You can also save your own setups as presets.
To store the current configuration as a preset, click the Store “+” button
and enter a name for the preset. You can then select the stored configuration directly from the Presets pop-up menu at any time. To remove a
stored preset, select it and click the “-” button.

The new bus appears with the ports visible.

4. Click in the Device Port column to select an input/output port for a channel in the bus.

Other bus operations

The pop-up menu that appears lists the ports with the names you have assigned in the Device Setup dialog. Repeat this for all channels in the bus.

• To change the port assignment for a bus, you proceed
as when you added it: Make sure the channels are visible
(by clicking the “+” button next to the bus, or by clicking
the “+ All” button at the top of the window) and click in the
Device Port column to select ports.

Setting the Main Mix bus (the default output bus)
The Main Mix is the output bus that each new channel in
the mixer will be assigned to when it is created.

• To remove a bus you do not need, select it in the list,
right-click and select “Remove Bus” from the pop-up
menu, or press [Backspace].

Any of the output busses in the VST Connections window
can be the default output bus. By right-clicking on the
name of an output bus, you can set this bus as the Main
Mix bus.

Using the busses
This section describes briefly how to use the input and output busses you have created. For details refer to the chapters “Recording” on page 48 and “The mixer” on page 69.

Routing

Setting the default output bus in the VST Connections window.

When you play back an audio track (or any other audio-related channel in the mixer), you route it to an output bus. In
the same way, when you record on an audio track you select from which input bus the audio should be sent.

When creating new audio, group or FX channels in the
mixer, they will automatically be routed to the default bus.
!

The default bus is indicated by an orange colored
speaker icon next to its name in the VST Connections window.

• You can select input and output busses in the Inspector, using the Input and Output Routing pop-up menus.

Presets
On the Inputs and Outputs tabs, you will find a Presets
menu. Here you can find three different types of presets:
• A number of standard bus configurations.
• Automatically created presets tailored to your specific
hardware configuration.
On each startup, Cubase AI will analyze the physical inputs and outputs
provided by your audio hardware and create a number of hardwaredependent presets with the following possible configurations:

Ö For audio-related channel types other than audio track
channels (i.e. VST Instrument channels, Group channels
and FX channels), only the Output Routing pop-up menu
is available.

• one stereo bus
• various combinations of stereo and mono busses
• a number of mono busses

12
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

When selecting an input bus for a track you can only select busses that correspond to the track’s channel configuration. Here are the details for input busses:

Output channels

• Mono tracks can be routed to mono input busses or individual
channels within a stereo input bus.
• Stereo tracks can be routed to mono or stereo input busses.
For output busses any assignment is possible.
!

Assignments that will lead to feedback are not available in the pop-up menu. This is also indicated by a
one-way symbol.

To disconnect input or output bus assignments, select
“No Bus” from the corresponding pop-up menu.

Viewing the busses in the mixer

The output channels are shown to the right in the mixer.
Here you can do the following:

Ö Note that only the output busses are available in the
mixer – not the input busses.

• Adjust the output level for the busses with the faders.
• Open the Channel Settings window to add effects or EQ.

The available output busses are represented as output
channel strips in the mixer (shown in a separate pane to
the right). You can show or hide output channels by clicking the corresponding button in the mixer common panel:

These will affect the whole bus. Examples of effects you may want to add
here include compressors, limiters and dithering, see the chapter “Audio
effects” on page 85.

About monitoring
The Main Mix bus (the default output bus) is used for monitoring (see “Setting the Main Mix bus (the default output
bus)” on page 12).
You can adjust the monitoring level in the Mixer.

Hide Output Channels

13
VST Connections: Setting up input and output busses

3
The Project window

Background
The Project window is the main window in Cubase AI. This
provides you with an overview of the project, allowing you
to navigate and perform large scale editing. Each project
has one Project window.

About tracks

Track type

Description

Audio

For recording and playing back audio events and audio
parts. Each audio track has a corresponding audio channel in the mixer.
An audio track can have an automation track for automating mixer channel parameters, effect settings, etc.

Folder

Folder tracks function as containers for other tracks, making it easier to organize and manage the track structure.
They also allow you to edit several tracks at the same time,
see “Folder tracks” on page 37.

FX Channel

FX channel tracks are used for adding send effects. Each
FX channel can contain up to eight effect processors – by
routing effect sends from an audio channel to an FX channel, you send audio from the audio channel to the effect(s)
on the FX channel. Each FX channel has a corresponding
channel strip in the mixer – in essence an effect return
channel, see the chapter “Audio effects” on page 85.
All FX channel tracks are automatically placed in a special
FX channel folder in the Track list, for easy management.
An FX channel can also have an automation track for automating mixer channel parameters, effect settings, etc.

Group
Channel

By routing several audio channels to a Group channel,
you can submix them, apply the same effects to them,
etc. (see “Using group channels” on page 80).
A Group channel track contains no events as such, but
displays settings and automation curves for the corresponding Group channel. Each Group channel track has
a corresponding channel strip in the mixer. In the Project
window, Group channels are organized as tracks in a
special Group Tracks folder.

MIDI

Description

Marker

The Marker track displays markers which can be moved
and renamed directly in the Project window (see “Markers” on page 38). A project can have only one marker
track.

Video

For playing back video events. A project can have only
one video track.

About parts and events

The Project window is divided vertically into tracks, with a
timeline running horizontally from left to right. The following track types are available:

Instrument

Track type

This allows you to create a track for a dedicated instrument, making e.g. VST instrument handling easier and
more intuitive. Instrument tracks have a corresponding
channel strip in the mixer. Each instrument track can have
an automation track in the Project window. However, Volume and Pan are automated from within the mixer. For
more information on instrument tracks, see the chapter
“VST Instruments and Instrument tracks” on page 99.
For recording and playing back MIDI parts. Each MIDI
track has a corresponding MIDI channel strip in the mixer.
A MIDI track can have an automation track for automating
mixer channel parameters, etc.

The tracks in the Project window contain parts and/or
events. Events are the basic building blocks in Cubase AI.
Different event types are handled differently in the Project
window:
• Video events and automation events (curve points) are always
viewed and rearranged directly in the Project window.
• MIDI events can always be found in MIDI parts, which are containers for one or more MIDI events. MIDI parts are rearranged
and manipulated in the Project window. To edit the individual
MIDI events in a part, you have to open the part in a MIDI editor (see “The MIDI editors” on page 181).
• Audio events can be displayed and edited directly in the
Project window, but you can also work with audio parts containing several events. This is useful if you have a number of
events which you want to treat as one unit in the project. Audio parts also contain information about the time position in
the project.

An audio event and an audio part

Audio handling
When you work with audio files, it is crucial to understand
how audio is handled in Cubase AI:
When you edit or process audio in the Project window,
you always work with an audio clip that is automatically
created on import or during recording. This audio clip refers to an audio file on the hard disk that itself remains untouched. This means, that audio editing and processing is
“non-destructive”, in the sense that you can always undo
changes or revert to the original versions.

15
The Project window

An audio clip does not necessarily refer to just one original audio file! If you apply e.g. some processing to a specific section of an audio clip, this will create a new audio
file containing only this section. The processing will then
be applied to the new audio file only, leaving the original
audio file unchanged. Finally, the audio clip is automatically adjusted, so that it refers both to the original file and
to the new, processed file. During playback, the program
will switch between the original file and the processed file
at the correct positions. You will hear this as a single recording, with processing applied to one section only. This
feature makes it possible to undo processing at a later
stage, and to apply different processing to different audio
clips that refer to the same original file.
An audio event is the object that you place on a time position in Cubase AI. If you make copies of an audio event
and move them to different positions in the project, they
will still all refer to the same audio clip. Furthermore, each
audio event has an Offset value and a Length value. These
determine at which positions in the clip the event will start
and end, i.e. which section of the audio clip will be played
back by the audio event. For example, if you resize the audio event, you will just change its start and/or end position
in the audio clip – the clip itself will not be affected.
Ö If you want to use one audio file in different contexts,
or if you want to create several loops from one audio file,
you should convert the corresponding regions of the audio clip to events and bounce them into separate audio
files. This is necessary since different events that refer to
the same clip access the same clip information.

16
The Project window

Window Overview
Toolbar
Info line
Ruler

Inspector

The event display, showing audio parts and events, MIDI parts, automation, markers, etc.

The Track list with various track types

The Track list
The Track list displays all the tracks used in a project. It
contains name fields and settings for the tracks. Different
track types have different controls in the Track list. To see
all the controls you may have to resize the track in the Track
list (see “Resizing tracks in the Track list” on page 23).
• The Track list area for an audio track:
Mute &
Solo

Track
name

Record Enable &
Monitor

• The Track list area for an automation track (opened by
clicking the Show/Hide Automation button on a track):
Automation Read/Write

Mute

Automation
Read/Write

Automation parameter (click to select parameter)

• The Track list area for a MIDI track:
Mute & Solo

Track activity
indicator
Show/hide
automation

Edit channel
settings

Indicate whether effect sends, EQ
or insert effects are activated for the
track. Click to bypass.

Track
name

Record Enable &
Monitor

Automation
Read/Write
Track activity
indicator

Edit
channel
settings

MIDI channel
Drum map

17
The Project window

Bank

Patch

MIDI Output

The Inspector
The area to the left of the Track list is called the Inspector.
This shows additional controls and parameters for the track
you have selected in the Track list. If several tracks are selected (see “Handling tracks” on page 26), the Inspector
shows the setting for the first (topmost) selected track.

Ö Please note that not all Inspector tabs are shown by
default. You can show/hide Inspector sections by rightclicking on an Inspector tab and activating/deactivating
the desired option(s).
Make sure you right-click on an inspector tab and not on the empty area
below the Inspector, as this will open the Quick context menu instead.

To hide or show the Inspector, click the Inspector icon in
the toolbar.

The Inspector icon

The Inspector Setup context menu

• For most track classes, the Inspector is divided into a
number of sections, each containing different controls for
the track. You can hide or show sections by clicking on
their names.
Clicking the name for a hidden section brings it into view and hides the
other sections. [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking the section name allows you
to hide or show a section without affecting the other sections. [Alt]/[Option]-clicking a section name shows or hides all sections in the Inspector.

Inspector sections
The Inspector contains the controls that can be found on
the Track list, plus some additional buttons and parameters. In the table below, these additional settings and the
different sections are listed. Which sections are available
for which track type is described in the following sections.
Parameter

Description

Auto Fades
Settings
button

Opens a dialog in which you can make separate Auto
Fade settings for the audio track, see “Making Auto Fade
settings for a separate track” on page 68.

Edit Channel
settings

Opens the Channel Settings window for the track, allowing you to view and adjust effect and EQ settings, etc.,
see “Using Channel Settings” on page 76.

Volume

Use this to adjust the level for the track. Changing this
setting will move the track’s fader in the mixer window,
and vice versa. See “Setting volume in the mixer” on page
74 to learn more about setting levels.

Pan

Use this to adjust the panning of the track. As with the
Volume setting, this corresponds to the Pan setting in the
mixer.

Delay

This adjusts the playback timing of the audio track. Positive
values delay the playback while negative values cause the
track to play earlier. The values are set in milliseconds.

Input Routing

This lets you specify which Input bus or MIDI input the
track should use. See “Setting up busses” on page 10
for information about Input busses.

Output
Routing

Here you decide to which output the track should be
routed. For audio tracks you select an output bus (see
“Setting up busses” on page 10) or Group channel, for
MIDI tracks you select a MIDI output and for Instrument
tracks, you select the Instrument to which it is routed.

Inserts section

Allows you to add insert effects to the track, see the
chapters “Audio effects” on page 85 and “MIDI realtime
parameters” on page 166. The Edit button at the top of
the section opens the control panels for the added insert
effects.

• You can also use key commands to show different Inspector sections.
These are set up in the Key Commands dialog, see “Setting up key commands” on page 269.

Ö Hiding a section does not affect its functionality.
For example, if you have set up a track parameter or activated an effect,
your settings will still be active even if you hide the respective Inspector
section.

Which sections are available in the Inspector depends on
the selected track.

18
The Project window

Parameter

Description

Equalizers
section

Lets you adjust the EQs for the track. You can have up to
four bands of EQ for each track, see “Making EQ settings” on page 77. The Edit button at the top of the section opens the Channel Settings window for the track.

Channel
section

Shows a duplicate of the corresponding mixer channel
strip. The channel overview strip to the left lets you activate and deactivate insert effects, EQs and sends.

Audio tracks
For audio tracks, all settings and sections listed above are
available.
Instrument tracks
As explained in the chapter “VST Instruments and Instrument tracks” on page 99, the Inspector for an Instrument
track shows some of the sections you would find for VST
Instrument channels and MIDI tracks.
MIDI tracks
When a MIDI track is selected, the Inspector contains a
number of additional sections and parameters, affecting the
MIDI events in realtime (e.g. on playback). Which sections
are available for MIDI tracks is described in the chapter
“MIDI realtime parameters” on page 166.
Folder tracks
When a folder track is selected, the Inspector shows the
folder and its underlying tracks, much like a folder structure in the Windows Explorer or Mac OS X Finder.

FX channel tracks are automatically placed in a special
folder, for easier management. When this folder track is
selected, the Inspector shows the folder and the FX channels it contains. You can click one of the FX channels
shown in the folder to have the Inspector show the settings for that FX channel – this way you don’t have to
“open” a folder track to access the settings for the FX
channels in it.
Group channel tracks
When a Group channel track is selected, the following
controls and sections are available:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Edit button
Volume control
Pan control
Output Routing pop-up menu
Inserts section
Equalizers section
Sends section
Channel section

Just like FX channel tracks, all Group channel tracks are
placed in a separate folder – when this is selected, the Inspector shows the folder and the Group channels it contains. You can click one of the Group channels shown in
the folder to have the Inspector show the settings for that
Group channel – this way, you don’t have to “open” a folder
track to access the settings for the Group channels in it.
Marker tracks

Ö You can click one of the tracks shown under the folder
in the Inspector to have the Inspector show the settings
for that track. This way, you don’t have to “open” a folder
track to make settings for tracks within it.

When the marker track is selected, the Inspector shows
the marker list. For more information, see the section
“Markers” on page 38.

FX channel tracks

When a video track is selected, the Inspector contains a
Mute button for interrupting video playback.

When an FX channel track is selected, the following controls and sections are available:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Video tracks

Edit button
Volume control
Pan control
Output Routing pop-up menu
Inserts section
Equalizers section
Sends section
Channel section
19
The Project window

The toolbar
The toolbar contains tools and shortcuts for opening other
windows and various project settings and functions:
Constrain delay compensation (see “Constrain Delay Compensation”
on page 106).
Show/hide info line
Active project
indicator

Open Pool

If you have two audio events selected and the first is one bar long and
the other two bars long, the info line shows the length of the first event
(one bar). If you now edit this value to 3 bars in the info line, the other
event will be resized by the same amount – and will thus be 4 bars long.

Transport controls
(Previous/Next Marker, Cycle, Stop, Play, and Record)

Snap on/off

Grid pop-up
menu

Snap mode

Quantize
value

When several elements are selected

• If you edit a value on the info line, the value change is
applied to all selected elements, relatively to the current
values.

Project window tools

Autoscroll and Suspend
Autoscroll when Editing

MIDI parts
Video events
Markers
Automation curve points

• If you have several elements selected, the info line will
show information about the first item in the selection. The
values will be shown in yellow to indicate that several elements are selected.

Open Mixer

Show/hide Inspector

•
•
•
•

Snap to Zero
Crossing

Color pop-up
menu

Ö In addition to these, the toolbar can contain a number
of other tools and shortcuts, not visible by default. How to
set up the toolbar and specify which tools should be displayed or hidden is described in the section “Using the
Setup options” on page 262.

• If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and edit on the info line,
the values will be absolute instead. In our example above,
both events would be resized to 3 bars. Note that [Ctrl]/
[Command] is the default modifier key for this – you can
change this in the Preferences (Editing–Tool Modifiers
page, under the Info Line category).
Editing Transpose and Velocity for MIDI parts
When one or several MIDI parts are selected, the info line
contains Transpose and Velocity fields.
• Adjusting the Transpose field transposes the selected
parts in semitone steps.
Note that this transposition doesn’t change the actual notes in the part –
it’s just a “play parameter”, affecting the notes on playback. The transposition you specify for a part on the info line is added to the transposition
set for the whole track.

The info line

The info line shows information about the currently selected
event or part in the Project window. You can edit almost all
values on the info line using regular value editing. Length
and position values are displayed in the format currently selected for the ruler (see “The ruler” on page 21).

• Adjusting the Velocity field shifts the velocity for the selected parts – the value you specify is added to the velocities of the notes in the parts.
Again, this velocity shift only affects the notes on playback, and again,
the value you specify is added to the Vel.Shift. value set for the whole
MIDI track in the Inspector.

• To hide or show the info line, click the Show Event Info
Line button on the toolbar.
The following elements can be selected for display and
editing on the info line:
• Audio events
• Audio parts

20
The Project window

Getting on-the-fly info with the Arrow tool
If the option “Select Tool: Show Extra Info” is activated in
the Preferences (Editing–Tools page), a tooltip will be
shown for the Arrow tool, displaying information depending
on where you point it. For example, in the Project window
event display, the tool will show the current pointer position
and the name of the track and event you’re pointing at.

• To set the display format globally (for all windows), use
the primary display format pop-up on the Transport panel,
or hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and select a display format in any ruler.
• If you use the “Timecode” option and the option “Show
Timecode Subframes” is activated in the Preferences
(Transport page), the frames will also display subframes.
There are 80 subframes per frame.

The ruler

Operations
The ruler at the top of the event display shows the timeline.
Initially, the Project window ruler uses the display format
specified in the Project Setup dialog (see “The Project
Setup dialog” on page 22), as do all other rulers and position displays in the project. However, you can select an independent display format for the ruler by clicking the arrow
button to the right of it and selecting an option from the
pop-up menu (you can also bring up this pop-up menu by
right-clicking anywhere in the ruler).
Option

Positions and lengths displayed as

Bars+Beats

Bars, beats, sixteenth notes and ticks. By default there
are 120 ticks per sixteenth note.

Seconds

Hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds.

Timecode

This format displays hours, minutes, seconds and frames.
The number of frames per second (fps) is set in the
Project Setup dialog (see “The Project Setup dialog” on
page 22). You can choose between 24, 25, 29.97 and
30fps or 29.97 and 30dfps (“drop frame”).

Samples

Samples.

Time Linear

When this is selected, the ruler will be linear relative to
time. This means that if there are tempo changes on the
tempo track, the distance between the bars will vary in
Bars+Beats mode.

Bars+Beats
Linear

When this is selected, the ruler will be linear relative to
the meter position – bars and beats. This means that if
there are tempo changes on the tempo track, there still
will be the same distance between bars in Bars+Beats
mode. If the ruler is set to a time-based mode, the distance between seconds will vary depending on the
tempo changes.

• The selection you make here affects the ruler, the info
line and tooltip position values (which appear when you
drag an event in the Project window).

Creating a new project
You create a new project in the following way:
1. Select “New Project…” from the File menu.
The Project Assistant dialog appears, listing a number of recently
opened projects as well as the available templates. For detailed information about this dialog, see “New Project” on page 254.

• To create the project based on an existing template (including the corresponding tracks, events and settings),
select a template from the desired category.
• To create an empty project, select the Empty template
from the More category.
An emtpy project is also created if no template is selected in the currently shown category.

2. Select a location for saving the project.
• To create the project in the default location, select the
corresponding option. You can also enter a name for the
project folder in the “Project folder” field.
If you do not enter a name here, the project will reside in a folder named
“Untitled”. Naming is recommended at this stage, since having many folders titled “Untitled1”, “Untitled2”, etc. can be very confusing.

• To save your project in a different location, activate the
“Prompt for project location” button.
Click Continue to specify a location and set a project folder before creating
the project. New projects created like this are always untitled to begin with.

3. Depending on your choice above, click Create or
Continue.
If you selected the “Prompt for project location” option, a file dialog opens,
otherwise the new project is directly opened in the Project window.

You can also select independent formats for other rulers and position
displays.

21
The Project window

The Project Setup dialog

Setting

Description

General settings for the project are made in the Project
Setup dialog. This is opened by selecting “Project
Setup…” from the Project menu.

Display Offset

Offsets the time positions displayed in the ruler etc., allowing you to compensate for the Start position setting.
Typically, if you synchronize Cubase AI to an external
source starting at a frame other than zero, you set the
Start position to this value. However, if you still want the
display in Cubase AI to start at zero, set the Display Offset to the same value.

Sample Rate

The sample rate at which Cubase AI records and plays
audio.

Record
Format/
File Type

When you record audio in Cubase AI, the files that are
created will be of this resolution and file type, see “Selecting a recording file format” on page 51.

Stereo Pan
Law

Decides whether panning should use power compensation or not, see “About the “Stereo Pan Law” setting (audio channels only)” on page 76.

Ö If the “Run Setup on Create New Project” option is activated in the Preferences dialog (General page), the Project Setup dialog will open automatically when you create
a new project.

While most Project Setup settings can be changed
at any time, you must select a sample rate once and
for all when starting with a new project! All audio files
must be of this sample rate to play back correctly.

Zoom and view options
Zooming in the Project window is done according to the
standard zoom techniques, with the following special notes:
The following settings are available in the Project Setup
dialog:
Setting

Description

Start

The start time of the project. Allows you to have the project
start at another time than zero. Also used for setting the
sync start position when synchronizing Cubase AI to external devices (see “Setting up Cubase AI for external sync to
timecode” on page 237). When you change this setting
you will be asked whether you want to keep the project
content at its timecode positions. “Yes” means that all
events will stay at their original timecode positions – i.e.
they will be moved in relation to the start of the project.
“No” means that all events keep their position relative to
the project start.

Length

The length of the project.

Frame Rate

Used when synchronizing Cubase AI with external equipment. If Cubase AI is slave, this value is automatically set
to the frame rate of the incoming sync signal. If Cubase
AI is the master, this determines the frame rate of the sent
sync signal, see “Setting the Frame Rate” on page 235.

Display Format This is the global display format used for all rulers and
position displays in the program. However, you can make
independent display format selections for the individual
rulers and displays if you like.
For descriptions of the different display format options,
see “The ruler” on page 21.

• When you are using the Zoom tool (magnifying glass),
the result depends on the option “Zoom Tool Standard
Mode: Horizontal Zooming Only” in the Preferences (Editing–Tools page).
If this is activated and you drag a selection rectangle with the Zoom tool,
the window will only be zoomed horizontally (track height will not change).
If the option is off, the window will be zoomed both horizontally and vertically.

• When using the vertical zoom sliders, the tracks are
scaled relatively.
In other words, if you have made any individual track height adjustments
(see below), the relative height differences are maintained.

You find the following options are available on the Zoom
submenu on the Edit menu:
Option

Description

Zoom In

Zooms in one step, centering on the project cursor.

Zoom Out

Zooms out one step, centering on the project cursor.

Zoom Full

Zooms out so that the whole project is visible. “The
whole project” means the timeline from the project
start to the length set in the Project Setup dialog (see
above).

Zoom to
Selection

Zooms in horizontally and vertically so that the current
selection fills the screen.

22
The Project window

Option

Description

Resizing tracks in the Track list

Zoom to Selection (Horiz)

Zooms in horizontally so that the current selection fills
the screen.

Zoom to Event

This option is available only in the Sample Editor (see
“Zooming” on page 128).

• You can change the height of an individual track by
clicking on its lower border in the Track list and dragging
up or down.

Zoom In Vertically Zooms in one step vertically.
Zoom Out
Vertically

Zooms out one step vertically.

Zoom In Tracks

Zooms in on the selected track(s) one step vertically.

To change the height of all tracks simultaneously, hold down [Ctrl]/
[Command] and resize one of the tracks in this way. If “Snap Track
Heights” is activated on the Track scale pop-up (see below), the track
height will change in fixed increments when you resize it.
!

Zoom Out Tracks Zooms out the selected track(s) one step vertically.
Zoom Selected
Tracks

This zooms in vertically on the selected track(s) and
minimizes the height of all other tracks.

• If the option “Zoom while Locating in Time Scale” is activated in the Preferences (Transport page), you can also
zoom by clicking in the main ruler and dragging up or
down with the mouse button pressed.
Drag up to zoom out; drag down to zoom in.

This behavior is different when “Enlarge Selected
Track” is activated on the Edit menu (see below).

• You can also change the width of the Track list area, by
dragging the border between the Track list and the event
display.
• By default, the controls shown for tracks in the Track list
will adapt to the track size. This means that when resizing
a track’s height or width the controls will be placed where
they best “fit in”.

• You can zoom the contents of parts and events vertically,
using the waveform zoom slider in the top right corner of
the event display.

If you prefer to have the controls in fixed positions, you can deactivate the
option “Wrap Controls” in the Track Controls settings dialog (see “Customizing track controls” on page 263).

This is useful when viewing quiet audio passages.

• You can decide for each track type which controls
should be shown in the Track list – see “Customizing
track controls” on page 263.
• You can use the Track scale pop-up (opened by clicking
the arrow button above the vertical zoom control) to set the
number of tracks to view in the current Project window.

To get an approximate reading on the level of the audio events by viewing the waveforms, make sure this
slider is all the way down. Otherwise, zoomed waveforms may be mistaken for clipped audio.

The track height will be adjusted to show only the number of tracks specified on the pop-up menu. By selecting “Zoom N Tracks” from the popup you can manually set the number of tracks to fit in the current Project
window.

• If you activate the option Quick Zoom in the Preferences (Editing page), the contents of parts and events will
not be continuously redrawn when you zoom manually.
Instead, the contents are redrawn once you have stopped changing the
zoom – activate this if screen redraws are slow on your system.

23
The Project window

The Enlarge Selected Track option
When this option is activated on the Edit menu (or in the
Preferences, Editing–Project & Mixer page), the selected
track is enlarged automatically. This is useful if you are
stepping through the tracks in the Track list, to check or
edit the settings. The tracks will revert to the size they had
before when they are deselected. You can adjust the size
directly in the Track list if the default enlargement factor
does not suit you.
While this is the program behavior you will want in most
cases, it may be a disadvantage when changing the track
height you started out with for one or more tracks (i.e. their
“original” height, before “Enlarge Selected Track” was activated). As soon as you try to resize a track, it is selected
and automatically enlarged. Instead of turning off “Enlarge
Selected Track”, resizing the desired track(s) and the activating “Enlarge Selected Track” again, you can resize a
track in the Track list without selecting it.
Proceed as follows:
1. Move the mouse pointer over the lower border of the
(unselected) track you want to resize.
The mouse pointer turns into a divider symbol.

2. Hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag the lower border of
the track until it reaches the desired height.
Now, when you select this track, (and “Enlarge Selected Track” is activated), it will be enlarged. It will revert to the changed size, when you select a different track.

Zoom presets and Cycle markers
The pop-up menu to the left of the horizontal zoom control
allows you to select, create and organize zoom presets.
These are useful if you want to toggle between different
zoom settings (e.g. one where the whole project is displayed in the project window and another with a high zoom
factor for detailed editing). With this pop-up menu, you can
also zoom in on the area between cycle markers in the
project.

Click here…

…to open the context
menu.

The upper part of the menu lists the zoom presets:
• To store the current zoom setting as a preset, select
Add from the pop-up menu.
A dialog appears, allowing you to type in a name for the preset.

• To select and apply a preset, select it from the pop-up
menu.
• The “Zoom Full” preset is always available. Selecting
this option zooms out so that the whole project is visible.
“The whole project” means the timeline from the project
start to the length set in the Project Setup dialog (see
“The Project Setup dialog” on page 22).
• If you want to delete a preset, select “Organize…” from
the pop-up menu.
In the dialog that appears, select the preset in the list and click the Delete button. The preset is removed from the list.

• If you want to rename a preset, select “Organize…”
from the pop-up menu.
In the dialog that appears, select the desired preset in the list and click
the Rename button. A second dialog opens, allowing you to type in a
new name for the preset. Click OK to close the dialogs.
!

Zoom presets are global for all projects, i.e. they are
available in all projects you open or create.

The middle part of the pop-up lists any cycle markers you
have added in the project:
• If you select a cycle marker from this menu, the event
display is zoomed in to encompass the marker area (see
“Markers” on page 38).

24
The Project window

• You cannot edit the cycle markers in this pop-up menu.
For information on editing markers, see “Editing markers in
the Marker window” on page 38.
!

Only the cycle markers you create in the current
project are available on the menu.

Option

Description

Show
Waveforms

Determines whether audio waveforms should be shown
at all.

Background
Color
Modulation

When this is activated, the backgrounds of audio waveforms are displayed in a different way, reflecting the
waveform dynamics. This is especially useful to get an
overview when working with small track heights.

Adjusting how parts and events are shown
The Preferences on the File menu (the Cubase AI menu,
under Mac OS X) contains several settings for customizing the display in the Project window.
The Event Display page contains common settings for all
track types:
Option

Description

Colorize Event
Background

Determines whether the backgrounds or “contents”
(waveforms, etc.) of parts and events will be colorized,
see “Handling tracks” on page 26.

Show Event
Names

Determines whether the names of parts and events
should be shown in the Project window.

Transparent
Events

When this is activated, events and parts will be transparent, showing the waveforms and MIDI events only.

Show Data on
Small Track
Heights

If this is activated, the contents of events and parts will be
shown, even if the height of a track is very small.

The Event Display–Audio page contains settings for audio
events:
Option

Description

Interpolate
Audio Images

If the option is deactivated, single sample values are
drawn as “steps”. If the option is activated they are interpolated to form “curves”.

Wave Image
Style

Determines whether audio waveforms should be displayed as solid images, frames or “inverted” images
(solid+frame). This selection affects all waveform images
in the Project window, Sample Editor and Audio Part Editor.
Note that the “Framed” and “Solid and Framed” styles
are more demanding for the computer. If the system feels
slower in these modes, please switch back to “Solid”
wave image style.

The Event Display–MIDI page contains settings for MIDI
parts:
Option

Description

Default Edit
Action

Determines which editor should be opened when you
double-click a MIDI part or select it and press [Ctrl]/
[Command]-[E]: the Key, List, Drum or Score Editor.
Note that this setting is overridden for tracks with drum
maps if the option “Edit as Drums when Drum Map is assigned” (see below) is activated.

Part Data Mode Determines if and how events in MIDI parts should be
shown in the Project window: as score notes, as drum
notes or as lines. If “No Data” is selected, events will not
be shown at all. Note that this setting is overridden for
tracks with drum maps if the option “Edit as Drums when
Drum Map is assigned” (see below) is activated.
Show
Controllers

Governs whether non-note events (controllers, etc.)
should be shown in MIDI parts in the Project window.

Edit as Drums
when Drum
Map is
assigned

If this is activated, parts on MIDI tracks with drum maps
assigned will be shown with drum note symbols in the
Project window. Also, the parts will automatically open in
the Drum Editor when double-clicked (overriding the Default Edit Action setting above).

Note Name
Style

Determines how MIDI note names (pitches) should be
displayed in editors, etc.

The Event Display–Video page contains settings for video
events:
Option

Description

Show Video
Thumbnails

When this is activated, thumbnail frames of the video
contents are shown on the Video track.

Video Cache
Size

This determines how much memory is available for video
thumbnails. If you have long video clips and/or work with
a large zoom factor (so that a lot of frames are shown in
the thumbnails), you may have to raise this value.

Show Event
If this is activated the “volume curves” created with the
Volume Curves volume and fade handles are always shown – if not, the
Always
curves are only shown for selected events.
Fade Handles
always on top

When this option is activated, the fade handles stay at
the top of the event, and vertical help lines indicate the
exact end or start points of fades.

Thick Fade
Lines

If this option is activated, the fade lines and volume
curves are thicker, increasing their visibility.

25
The Project window

Handling tracks

• To select a track, click on it in the Track list.

To add a track to the project, select “Add Track” from the
Project menu and select a track type from the submenu
that appears. The new track is added below the currently
selected track in the Track list.

A selected track is indicated by a light gray color in the Track list.

This track is selected.

• The items on the “Add Track” submenu are also available on the context menu.
This is accessed by right-clicking in the Track list.

It is possible to select several tracks by pressing [Ctrl]/[Command] and
clicking on them. [Shift]-click to select a continuous range of tracks.

• To move a track, click and drag it up or down in the list.
• To duplicate a track, complete with all contents and
channel settings, right-click in the Track list and select
“Duplicate tracks” from the context menu, or select “Duplicate tracks” from the Project menu.
The duplicated track will appear below the original track.

• If you select Audio, MIDI, Group Channel or Instrument
from the Add Track submenu, a dialog opens, allowing
you to insert several tracks in one go.
Just enter the desired number of tracks in the value field.

• For audio and group channel tracks, the channel configuration – mono or stereo – can be set in the Configuration
pop-up.
• The Browse Sounds option in the Add Track dialog is
described in the chapter “Working with Track Presets” on
page 155.
• In the Preferences (Editing–Project & Mixer page), you
can find the option “Auto Track Color Mode”.
This offers you several options for automatically assigning colors to
tracks that are added to the project.

Once you have created tracks, you can manipulate and rearrange them in various ways:
• To rename a track, double-click in the name field and
type in a new name.
If you hold down any modifier key when pressing [Return] to close the
name field, all events on the track will get the name you entered.

• You can select a default color for a track by activating
“Show Track Colors” above the Track list and selecting a
color from the Color pop-up menu on the toolbar. This color
will be used for all events on the track and will also be
shown in the Mixer. You can override the default track color
for individual events and parts by using the Color tool or the
Color Selector pop-up menu. For more information, see
“Applying track and event colors” on page 265.
The option “Colorize Event Background” in the Preferences dialog
(Event Display page) determines whether the backgrounds or waveforms
of events will be colorized.

• To remove a track, right-click on it in the Track list and
select “Remove Selected Tracks” from the context menu.
You can also remove multiple selected tracks, by selecting “Remove Selected Tracks” either from the context menu or from the Project menu.

• To change the track height of an individual track, click
on its lower border in the Track list and drag up or down,
see “Resizing tracks in the Track list” on page 23.
Ö Note that you can also automatically enlarge the selected track, see “The Enlarge Selected Track option” on
page 24.

26
The Project window

Disabling audio tracks

• By drawing.

Audio tracks can be disabled by selecting “Disable Track”
from the Track list context menu. Disabling a track is similar to muting it (see “Muting events” on page 33), since a
disabled track will not be played back. However, disabling
a track not only “zeroes” the output volume from the track,
but actually shuts down all disk activity for it. See “About
track disable/enable” on page 45 for more information.

Adding events to a track
There are a number of ways to add events to a track:
• By recording (see “Basic recording methods” on page
49).
• By dragging files and dropping them on the track at the
desired position.
You can create events by dragging and dropping from the
following locations:
•
•
•
•
•
•

The desktop
The Pool
The “Find media” dialog
The Project window of another open project
The Audio Part Editor of any open project
The Sample Editor – press [Ctrl]/[Command] and drag to create an event of the current selection.

While you drag the clip in the Project window, its position will be indicated by a marker line and a numerical position box (see also “Using
drag and drop” on page 147).

• By selecting “Audio File…” or “Video File…” from the
Import submenu on the File menu.
This opens a file dialog, allowing you to locate the file you wish to import.
When you import a file this way, a clip is created for the file and an event
that plays the whole clip is inserted on the selected track, at the position
of the project cursor.
You can also import MIDI files by using the Import submenu, but this
works in a slightly different way (see “Exporting and importing standard
MIDI files” on page 259).

• By using Copy and Paste on the Edit menu.
This allows you to copy all kinds of events between projects. You can
also copy events within the project, e.g. from the Sample Editor.

Some types of events (markers and automation events) can be drawn directly into the Project window. For audio and MIDI tracks, you can draw
parts (see “Creating parts” on page 28).

Audio file import options
When you are importing audio files there are a number of
options concerning how the files should be treated by Cubase AI:
• You can choose to copy the file into the audio folder of the
project and have the project make reference to the copied file
rather than the original file. This helps you keep your project
“self-contained”.
• Furthermore, you may want all files in the project to have the
same sample rate and sample size (resolution).
The Preferences dialog (Editing–Audio page) contains a
setting that lets you decide which options to use. Select
one of the following options on the “On Import Audio
Files” pop-up menu:

• Open Options Dialog
An Options dialog appears when you import, allowing you to select
whether you want to copy the files to the Audio folder and/or convert them
to the project settings. Please note the following:
– When importing a single file of a format other than the project settings,
you can specify which properties (sample rate and/or resolution) should be
changed.
– When importing multiple files at the same time, you can select to convert
the imported files automatically if necessary, i.e. if the sample rate is different than the project’s or the resolution is lower than the project setting.

• Use Settings
No Options dialog will appear when you import. Instead, you can choose
to make any of the options below the pop-up the standard action(s). Activate any number of the following options to have them performed automatically each time you import audio files:
Option

Description

Copy Files to
Working
Directory

If files are not already in the project’s audio folder they are
copied there before being imported.

Convert and
Copy to
Project If
Needed

If files are not already in the project’s audio folder they are
copied there before being imported. Furthermore, if the
files have a different sample rate or a lower resolution than
the project settings, they are automatically converted.

27
The Project window

Creating parts
Parts are containers for MIDI or audio events. If you record
MIDI, a MIDI part is automatically created, containing the
recorded events. You can also create empty audio or MIDI
parts and later add events to them.

2. Click where you want playback to start, and keep the
mouse button pressed.
Only the track on which you click is played back, starting at the click position.

3. Release the mouse button to stop playback.

There are two ways to do this:

Scrubbing

• Draw a part on a MIDI or audio track with the Pencil tool.

The Scrub tool allows you to locate positions in the audio
by playing back, forwards or backwards, at any speed:

You can also draw parts by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and using the Arrow
tool.

• Double-click with the Arrow tool on a MIDI or audio
track, between the left and right locator.

1. Select the Scrub tool.
Note that the Play tool and the Scrub tool share the same tool button. If the
tool icon on the toolbar doesn’t show a “scrub symbol”, first click on the
icon to select it, then click again and select “Scrub” from the pop-up menu.

2. Click at the desired position and keep the mouse button pressed.
The project cursor is moved to the position at which you click.

To add events to a MIDI part, you use the tools and functions in a MIDI editor (see “The Key Editor – Overview” on
page 184). Adding events to audio parts is done in the
Audio Part Editor (see “Window overview” on page 139)
by pasting or by using drag and drop.
• You can also gather existing audio events into a part, by
using the “Events to Part” function on the Audio menu.
This creates an audio part containing all selected audio events on the
same track. To remove the part and make the events appear as independent objects on the track again, select the part and use the “Dissolve
Part” function on the Audio menu.

Auditioning audio parts and events
Audio parts and events can be auditioned in the Project
window with the Play tool:
!

When auditioning, the Main Mix bus is used.

3. Drag to the left or right.
The project cursor follows the mouse pointer and the audio is played back.
The speed and pitch of the playback depend on how fast you move the
pointer.

You can adjust the responsiveness of the Scrub function
in the Preferences (Transport–Scrub page).
• Note that scrubbing can be quite a burden on your system. To avoid playback problems, you will find the “CPU
Saving Scrub Mode” option in the Preferences (Transport–
Scrub page).
When you activate this option, scrubbing will be less demanding on the
processor. This can be very useful when scrubbing in a large project,
where the “normal” scrub behavior leads to processing overloads. When
“CPU Saving Scrub Mode” is activated, the effects are disabled for scrubbing and the resampling quality is lower.

Editing parts and events

1. Select the Play tool.
Note that the Play tool and the Scrub tool share the same tool button. If the
tool icon on the toolbar doesn’t show a speaker symbol, first click on the
icon to select it, then click again and select “Play” from the pop-up menu.

This section describes techniques for editing in the Project
window. If not explicitly stated, all descriptions apply to both
events and parts, even though we use the term “event” for
convenience.
Ö When you are using the tools for editing, you can in
many cases get additional functions by pressing modifier
keys (e.g. pressing [Alt]/[Option] and dragging with the
Arrow tool creates a copy of the dragged event).
On the following pages, the default modifier keys are described – you
can customize these in the Preferences (Editing–Tool Modifiers page),
see “Setting up tool modifier keys” on page 271.

28
The Project window

Selecting events

• Note that in the Preferences (Editing page), you can
find the option “Use Up/Down Navigation Commands for
selecting Tracks only”.

Selecting events is done using any of the following
methods:

By default, tracks are selected with the up/down arrow keys on the computer keyboard. However, these are also used for selecting events (see
above) which can lead to confusing results in some cases. Since track
selection is a most vital operation in both editing and mixing, you have the
option to use the navigation controls for track selection only. The following applies:

• Use the Arrow tool.
The standard selection techniques apply.

• Use the Select submenu on the Edit menu.
The options are:
Option

Description

All

Selects all events in the Project window.

None

Deselects all events.

In Loop

Selects all events that are partly or wholly between
the left and right locator.

From Start to
Cursor

Selects all events that begin to the left of the project
cursor.

From Cursor to
End

Selects all events that end to the right of the project
cursor.

All on Selected
Tracks

Selects all events on the selected track.

Select Event

This is available in the Sample Editor (see “Window
overview” on page 126).

Left/Right SelecThese two functions are only used for range selection
tion Side to Cursor editing (see “Creating a selection range” on page 34).

Note that these functions work differently when the
Range Selection tool is selected (see “Creating a
selection range” on page 34).

• Select all events on a track by right-clicking on it in the
Track list and selecting “Select All Events” from the context menu.
• You can also use the arrow keys on the computer keyboard to select the closest event to the left, right, above or
below.
If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, the current selection will be
kept, allowing you to select several events.

• If the option “Auto Select Events under Cursor” is activated in the Preferences (Editing page), all events on the
selected track(s) that are “touched” by the project cursor
are automatically selected.

• When this option is deactivated and no event/part is selected
in the Project window, the up/down arrow keys on the computer keyboard are used to step through the tracks in the
Track list – just as you would expect this to work.
• When this option is deactivated and an event/part is selected in
the Project window, the up/down arrow keys still step through
the tracks in the Track list – but on the currently selected track,
the first event/part will automatically be selected as well. If this is
not the desired behavior, you have to activate “Use Up/Down
Navigation Commands for selecting Tracks only”.
• When this option is activated, the up/down arrow keys are
only used to change the track selection – the current event/
part selection in the Project window will not be altered.
• Also in the Preferences (Editing–Tools page), you can
find the Cross Hair Cursor options section.
This allows you to display a cross hair cursor when working in the Project
window and editors, facilitating navigation and editing, especially when
arranging in large projects. You can set up the colors for the line and the
mask of the cross hair cursor, and define its width. The cross hair cursor
works as follows:

• When the Selection tool (or one of its subtools) is selected,
the cross hair cursor appears when you start moving/copying
a part/event, or when using the event trim handles.
• When the Pencil tool, the Scissors tool or any other tool that
makes use of this function is selected, the cross hair cursor appears as soon as you move the mouse over the event display.
• The cross hair cursor is only available for tools where such a
function is of any use. The Mute tool for example does not use
a cross hair cursor, as you have to click directly on an event to
mute it.

This can be helpful when rearranging your project, since it allows you to
select whole sections (on all tracks) by selecting all tracks and moving
the project cursor.

• It is also possible to select ranges, regardless of the
event and track boundaries.
This is done using the Range Selection tool (see “Range editing” on
page 34).
29
The Project window

Moving events

• Use the Nudge buttons in the toolbar.

To move events in the Project window, use the following
methods:

These move the selected events to the left or right. The amount of movement depends on the selected display format (see “The Project Setup dialog” on page 22) and the value set on the Grid pop-up menu.

• Click and drag to a new position.
All selected events will be moved, maintaining their relative positions. You
can only drag events to tracks of the same type. If Snap is activated, this
determines to which positions you can move the events (see “The Snap
function” on page 40).
Note also that you can restrict movement to be either horizontal or vertical
only, by holding down [Ctrl]/[Command] while dragging.
!
!

You will note that there is a slightly delayed response
when you move an event by dragging. This helps you
avoid accidentally moving events when you click on
them in the Project window. You can adjust this delay with the Drag Delay setting in the Preferences
(Editing page).

• Select the event and edit the Start position in the info
line.
• Use the “Move to” options on the Edit menu.

When the Range Selection tool is used, the Nudge
buttons move the selection range (see “Moving and
duplicating” on page 36).

Ö The Nudge buttons are not visible in the toolbar by default.
You can decide which items should be visible by right-clicking in the
toolbar and activating the corresponding option on the context menu.
See “The setup context menus” on page 262 for more information.

Duplicating events
Events can be duplicated in the following ways:

The following options are available:
Option

Description

Cursor

Moves the selected event to the project cursor position. If
there are several selected events on the same track, the
first event will start at the cursor, and the following will be
lined up end-to-start after the first one.

Origin

Moves the selected events to their original positions, i.e.
the positions at which they were originally recorded.

Front/Back

This function doesn’t actually change the position of the
events, but moves the selected events to the front or
back, respectively. This is useful if you have overlapping
events, and want to see one that is partially obscured.
For audio events, this is an extra important feature, since
only the visible sections of events will be played back.
Moving an obscured audio event to front (or moving the
obscuring event to back) will allow you to hear the whole
event on playback (see also “Overlapping events” on
page 140).
Note that it is also possible to use the “To Front” function
on the event context menu for this.

• Hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag the event to a new
position.
If Snap is activated, this determines to which positions you can copy the
events (see “The Snap function” on page 40).
!

If you hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] as well, movement direction is restricted to either horizontal or vertical. That means if you drag an event vertically it
cannot be moved horizontally at the same time.

• Audio and MIDI parts can also be duplicated by pressing [Alt]/[Option]-[Shift] and dragging.
This creates a shared copy of the part. If you edit the contents of a
shared copy, all other shared copies of the same part are automatically
edited in the same way.

Shared copies are indicated by showing the name in italic text and an
icon in the right corner of the part.

30
The Project window

Note:

Using Cut, Copy and Paste

• When you duplicate audio events, the copies are always shared. This means that shared copies of audio
events always refer to the same audio clip (see “Audio
processing” on page 118).

You can cut or copy selected events, and paste them in
again, using the functions on the Edit menu.

• You can convert a shared copy to a real copy by selecting “Convert to Real Copy” from the Edit menu. This creates a new version of the clip (that can be edited independently) and adds this to the Pool. Note that no new files are
created by this operation – for that you need to use the
“Bounce Selection” function from the Audio menu.
• Selecting “Duplicate” from the Edit menu creates a
copy of the selected event and places it directly after the
original.
If several events are selected, all of these are copied “as one unit”, maintaining the relative distance between the events.

• Selecting “Repeat…” from the Edit menu opens a dialog, allowing you to create a number of copies (regular or
shared) of the selected event(s).
This works just like the Duplicate function, but you can specify the number of copies.

• You can also perform the Repeat function by dragging:
Select the event(s) to repeat, press [Alt]/[Option], click the
handle in the lower right corner of the last selected event
and drag to the right.
The longer to the right you drag, the more copies are created (as shown
by the tooltip).

• When you paste an audio event, it is inserted on the selected track, positioned so that its snap point is aligned
with the cursor position.
If the selected track is of the wrong type, the event will be inserted on its
original track. See “The Snap function” on page 40 for information about
the snap point.

• If you use the “Paste at Origin” function, the event is
pasted at its original position (the position from which you
cut or copied it).
Renaming events
By default, audio events show the name of their clip, but
you can enter a separate descriptive name for separate
events if you like. This is done by selecting the event and
typing in a new name in the “Description” field in the info
line.
• You can also give all events on a track the same name
as the track by changing the track name, holding down a
modifier key and pressing [Return].
See “Handling tracks” on page 26.

Splitting events
You can split events in the Project window in the following
ways:
• Click with the Scissors tool on the event you want to
split.
If Snap is activated, this determines the exact split position (see “The
Snap function” on page 40). You can also split events by pressing [Alt]/
[Option] and clicking with the Arrow tool.

• Selecting “Fill Loop” from the Edit menu creates a number of copies starting at the left locator and ending at the
right locator.
The last copy is automatically shortened to end at the right locator position.

• Select “Split at Cursor” from the Edit menu.
This splits the selected events at the position of the project cursor. If no
events are selected, all events (on all tracks) that are intersected by the
project cursor will be split.

• Select “Split Loop” from the Edit menu.
This splits events on all tracks at the left and right locator positions.

31
The Project window

Ö If you split a MIDI part so that the split position intersects one or several MIDI notes, the result depends on the
option “Split MIDI Events” in the Preferences (Editing–MIDI
page).

To select one of the resizing modes, select the Arrow tool
and then click again on the Arrow tool icon on the toolbar.
This opens a pop-up menu from which you can select one
of the resizing mode options.

If the option is activated, the intersected notes will be split (creating new
notes at the beginning of the second part). If it is deactivated, the notes
will remain in the first part, but “stick out” after the end of the part.

Gluing events together
You can glue events together using the Glue Tube tool.
There are three possibilities:

The icon on the toolbar will change, indicating the selected resizing
mode.

• Clicking on an event with the Glue Tube tool glues it together with the next event on the track. The events do not
have to touch one another.

The actual resizing is done by clicking and dragging the
lower left or right corner of the event. If Snap is activated,
the Snap value determines the resulting length (see “The
Snap function” on page 40).

The result is a part containing the two events, with one exception: If you
first split an event and then glue the two sections together again (without
moving or editing them first), they become a single event again.

• You can select several events on the same track and
click on one of them with the Glue Tube tool.
A single part is created.

• When you hold down [Alt]/[Option] while clicking on an
event with the Glue Tube tool, this event will be glued together with all following events on this track.
You can change the default key command for this in the Preferences
(Editing–Tool Modifiers page).
Normal sizing

Resizing events
Resizing events means to move their start or end positions
individually. In Cubase AI, there are three types of resizing:
Resizing type Description
Normal Sizing

The contents of the event stay fixed, and the start or end
point of the event is moved to “reveal” more or less of the
contents.

Sizing Moves
Contents

The contents follow the moved start or end of the event
(see the figure below).

Sizing Applies
Time Stretch

The contents will be time stretched to fit the new event
length (see the separate section “Resizing events using
time stretch” on page 33).

Sizing moves contents.

• If several events are selected, all will be resized in the
same way.
• You can also resize events with the Scrub tool.
This works just the same as when resizing with the Arrow tool, but the
audio under the pointer is played back (scrubbed) while you drag.

32
The Project window

• It is also possible to resize events by using the Trim buttons (located in the Nudge palette) on the toolbar.
This will move the start or end position of the selected Event(s) by the
amount set on the Grid pop-up menu. The sizing type currently selected
applies to this method too, with the exception of “Sizing Applies Time
Stretch” which is not possible with this method. You can also use key
commands for this (by default, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and use the left
and right arrow key).

4. Release the mouse button.
The part is “stretched” or “compressed” to fit the new length.

• For MIDI parts, this means that the note events are
stretched (moved and resized).
Controller data will be moved.

• For audio parts, this means that the events are moved,
and that the referenced audio files are time stretched to fit
the new length.
A dialog shows the progress of the time stretch operation.

Sliding the contents of an event or part
You can move the contents of an event or part without
changing its position in the Project window. By default,
this is done by pressing [Alt]/[Option]-[Shift], clicking in
the event or part and dragging to the left or right.
!

Ö Note that the Nudge palette is not visible in the toolbar
by default. See “The setup context menus” on page 262 for
instructions on how to show and hide items in the toolbar.
Ö When resizing events, any automation data will not be
taken into account.
Resizing events using time stretch
If you want to resize a part and make its contents “fit” the
new size, you should use this option. Proceed as follows:

When sliding the contents of an audio event, you cannot slide past the start or end of the actual audio clip.
If the event plays the whole clip, you cannot slide the
audio at all.

Muting events
To mute individual events in the Project window, proceed
as follows:
• To mute or unmute a single event, click on it with the
Mute tool.

1. Click the Arrow icon on the toolbar and select the “Sizing Applies Time Stretch” option from the pop-up menu.
2. Point close to the end point of the part you want to
stretch.
3. Click and drag left or right.
When you move the mouse, a tooltip shows the current mouse position
and length of the part. Note that the snap value applies, as with any part
operation.

• To mute or unmute several events, select them – either
by using the standard selection techniques, or by using
one of the options on the Select submenu on the Edit
menu – and click on one of the selected events with the
Mute tool.
All selected events will be muted.

• You can also click in an empty area with the Mute tool
and drag a selection rectangle around several events you
want to mute or unmute, and then click on one of them
with the Mute tool.

33
The Project window

• You can mute events by selecting them and selecting
“Mute” from the Edit menu.
Similarly, you can unmute the selected events by selecting “Unmute”
from the Edit menu.

• You can also change the mute status of selected events
on the info line.
Muted events can be edited as usual (with the exception
of adjusting fades), but are not played back.

Creating new files from events
An audio event plays a section of an audio clip, which in
turn refers to one or more audio files on the hard disk.
However, in some situations you may want to create a new
file that consists only of the section played by the event.
This is done with the function “Bounce Selection” on the
Audio menu:
1. Select one or several audio events.
2. Set up fade in, fade out and event volume (on the info
line or using the volume handle) as desired.
These settings will be applied to the new file. For details on fades and
event volume, see “Creating fades” on page 63.

Muted events are “grayed out”.

3. Select “Bounce Selection” from the Audio menu.

• You can also mute whole tracks by clicking the Mute
(“M”) button in the Track list, the Inspector or the mixer.

You are asked whether you want to replace the selected event or not.

Clicking the Solo (“S”) button for a track mutes all other tracks. Note that
there are two modes for the track solo function:
If the option “Enable Solo on Selected Track” is activated in the Preferences (Editing–Project & Mixer page) and you have soloed a track, selecting another track in the Track list will automatically solo that track
instead – the solo state “moves” with the track selection.
If the option isn’t activated, the track you solo stays soloed, regardless of
the selection.

Removing events
To remove an event from the Project window, use any of
the following methods:
• Click on the event with the Erase tool.
Note that if you press [Alt]/[Option] while you click, all following events
on the same track will be deleted, but not the event you clicked and all
events before it.

• Select the event(s) and press [Backspace], or select
“Delete” from the Edit menu.

• If you click “Replace”, a new file is created, containing
only the audio in the original event. A clip for the new file is
added to the Pool, and the original event is replaced by a
new event playing the new clip.
• If you click “No”, a new file is created and a clip for the
new file is added to the Pool.
The original event is not replaced.

You can also apply the Bounce Selection function to an audio part. In that case, the audio from all events in the part
will be combined into a single audio file. If you choose “Replace” when asked, the part will be replaced with a single
audio event playing a clip of the new file.

Range editing
Editing in the Project window isn’t necessarily restricted
to handling whole events and parts. You can also work
with selection ranges, which are independent from the
event/part and track boundaries.
Creating a selection range
To make a selection range, drag with the Range Selection
tool.

34
The Project window

When the Range Selection tool is selected, the Select
submenu on the Edit menu has the following items for
making selection ranges:

• By using the Trim buttons on the toolbar.
The left Trim buttons will move the start of the selection range and the
right buttons will move the end. The edges will be moved by the amount
specified on the Grid pop-up.

Option

Description

All

Makes a selection that covers all tracks, from the start of
the project to the end (as defined by the Length setting
in the Project Setup dialog).

None

Removes the current selection range.

In Loop

Makes a selection between the left and right locator, on
all tracks.

From Start to
Cursor

Makes a selection on all tracks, from the start of the
project to the project cursor.

From Cursor to
End

Makes a selection on all tracks, from the project cursor
to the end of the project.

All on Selected
Tracks

Only used for event selection (see “Selecting events” on
page 29).

Select Event

This is available in the Sample Editor (see “Using the
Select menu” on page 130).

…will move the start of the selection range to the right by 1beat.

Left Selection
Side to Cursor

Moves the left side of the current selection range to the
project cursor position.

Right Selection
Side to Cursor

Moves the right side of the current selection range to
the project cursor position.

These will move the whole selection range to the left or the right. The
amount of movement depends on the selected display format (see “The
Project Setup dialog” on page 22) and the value specified on the Grid
pop-up menu.

• Double-clicking on an event with the Range Selection
tool creates a selection range encompassing the event.
If you hold down [Shift] you can double-click several events in a row, and
the selection range will expand to encompass them all. Double-clicking a
second time on an event opens it for editing in the Sample Editor.

Adjusting the size of the selection range
You can adjust the size of a selection range in the following ways:

Clicking this Trim button…

• By using the Nudge buttons on the toolbar.

Note that the contents of the selection are not moved
– using the Nudge buttons is the same as adjusting
the start and end of the selection range at the same
time, by the same amount.

Ö The Trim buttons and the Nudge buttons are located
in the Nudge palette, which is not visible in the toolbar by
default.
See “The setup context menus” on page 262 for instructions on how to
show and hide items in the toolbar.

• By dragging its edges.
The pointer takes the shape of a double arrow when you move it over an
edge of the selection range.

• By holding down [Shift] and clicking.
The closest selection range edge will be moved to the position at which
you clicked.

• By adjusting the selection range start or end position on
the info line.

35
The Project window

Making selection ranges for several non-contiguous
tracks
You can create selection ranges that cover several tracks
by pressing [Alt]/[Option]-[Shift]. However, it is also possible to exclude tracks from a selection range:
1. Create a selection range from the first to the last desired track.
2. Press [Alt]/[Option] and click in the selection range on
the tracks you want to exclude from the selection.

Function

Description

Paste

Pastes the clipboard data at the start position and track
of the current selection. Existing events are not moved to
make room for the pasted data.

Paste at Origin Pastes the clipboard data back at its original position. Existing events are not moved to make room for the pasted
data.
Cut Time

Cuts out the selection range and moves it to the clipboard. Events to the right of the removed range are
moved to the left to fill out the gap.

Paste Time

Pastes the clipboard data at the start position and track
of the current selection. Existing events are moved to
make room for the pasted data.

Paste Time at
Origin

Pastes the clipboard data back at its original position. Existing events are moved to make room for the pasted data.

Deleting selection ranges
Again, you can either use “regular” Delete or “Delete Time”:

3. In the same manner, you can add a track to the selection range by [Alt]/[Option]-clicking in the selection range
area on the track.
Moving and duplicating

• If you use the Delete function on the Edit menu (or press
[Backspace]), the data within the selection range is replaced by empty track space.
Events to the right of the range keep their position.

• If you use “Delete Time” on the Edit menu’s Range submenu, the selection range is removed and events to the
right are moved to the left to close up the gap.

• To move a selection range, click and drag it to a new
position.

Other functions

This will move the contents of the selection range to the new position. If
the range intersected events or parts, these will be split before moving,
so that only the sections within the selection range are affected.

On the Range submenu on the Edit menu, you will find
three more range editing functions:

• To duplicate a selection range, hold down [Alt]/[Option]
and drag.
You can also use the Duplicate, Repeat and Fill Loop functions, just as
when duplicating events (see “Duplicating events” on page 30).

Function

Description

Split

Splits any events or parts that are intersected by the selection range, at the positions of the selection range edges.

Crop

All events or parts that are partially within the selection
range are cropped, that is, sections outside the selection
range are removed. Events that are fully inside or outside
the selection range are not affected.

Insert Silence

Inserts empty track space from the start of the selection
range. The length of the silence equals the length of the
selection range. Events to the right of the selection range
start are moved to the right to “make room”. Events that
are intersected by the selection range start are split, and
the right section is moved to the right.

Using Cut, Copy and Paste
When working with selection ranges, you can either use
Cut, Copy and Paste on the Edit menu, or use the functions “Cut Time” and “Paste Time” on the Range submenu
on the Edit menu. These work differently to their related
functions on the Edit menu:
Function

Description

Cut

Cuts out the data in the selection range and moves it to
the clipboard. The selection range is replaced by empty
track space in the Project window, meaning that events
to the right of the range keep their positions.

Copy

Copies the data in the selection range to the clipboard.

36
The Project window

The Preferences dialog

Handling folder tracks
• Creating a folder track
Select “Add Track” from the Project menu and select “Folder” from the
submenu that appears, or right-click in the Track list and select “Add
Folder Track” from the context menu to create a folder track.

• Moving tracks into a folder
In the Track list, click on a track that you want to move into a folder and
drag it onto a folder track. A green arrow pointing to a folder appears when
you drag the track onto the folder track in the list. The track is placed in the
folder track, and all parts and events on the track will be represented by a
corresponding folder part (see below). You can also create sub-folders by
moving one folder track into another. For example, you could have a folder
containing all the vocals in a project, and each vocal part could have a
folder containing all the takes for easier handling etc.

When you open the File menu (the Cubase AI menu on a
Mac) and select “Preferences…”, the Preferences dialog is
opened. This dialog provides a large number of options and
settings that control the global behavior of Cubase AI.
The dialog has a number of pages, each containing options and settings belonging to a particular topic.
• In the list on the left, click on one of the entries to open
the corresponding page.
• You can find detailed descriptions of all Preferences
options in the dialog help, opened by clicking the Help
button at the bottom left of the dialog.

• Removing tracks from a folder
Drag a track out of the folder and release it in the Track list to remove it
from the folder.

• Hiding/showing tracks in a folder
Click on the “Expand/Collapse Folder” button (the folder icon) to hide or
show the tracks located in a folder. Hidden tracks are played back as
usual.

• Muting and soloing folder tracks

Folder tracks
Moving tracks into a folder is a way to structure and organize tracks in the Project window. By grouping tracks in
folder tracks, you can solo and mute them in a quicker and
easier way and perform editing on several tracks as one
entity. Folder tracks can contain any type of track including other folder tracks.
A folder track
Tracks in the folder

Click the Mute or Solo button on the folder track to mute or solo all
tracks in the folder as one unit.

Working with folder parts
A folder part is a graphic representation of events and
parts on the tracks in the folder. Folder parts indicate the
position and length of the events and parts, as well as on
which track they are (their vertical position). If part colors
are used, these are also shown in the folder part.
Any Project window editing you perform to a folder part
affects all the events and parts it contains. You can select
several folder parts if you like – this allows you to handle
and edit them together. The editing you can perform includes:
• Moving a folder part. This will move its contained events and
parts (possibly resulting in other folder parts, depending on
how the parts overlap).

37
The Project window

• Using cut, copy and paste.
• Deleting a folder part. This will delete its contained events and
parts.
• Splitting a folder part with the Scissors tool.
• Gluing folder parts together with the Glue tube tool. This will
only work if the adjacent folder parts contain events or parts
on the same track.
• Resizing a folder part resizes the contained events and parts
according to the selected resizing method, see “Resizing
events” on page 32.
• Muting a folder part. This will mute its contained events and
parts.
Tracks inside a folder can be edited as one entity by performing the editing directly on the folder part containing
the tracks. You can also edit individual tracks within the
folder by showing the contained tracks, selecting parts
and opening editors as usual.
Double-clicking a folder part opens the editors for the corresponding track classes present in the folder. The following applies:
• All MIDI parts located on the tracks within the folder are
displayed as if they were on the same track, just like when
opening the Key Editor with several MIDI parts selected.

Ö The left and right locators are handled separately –
see “The left and right locators” on page 45.
Editing markers in the Marker window

The Marker window lists the markers in the order in which
they occur in the project. To open the Marker window, select “Markers” from the Project menu, click the “Show”
button in the Marker section on the Transport panel or use
the key command (by default [Ctrl]/[Command]-[M]).
The Marker window is divided into six columns:
Column

Description

To be able to easily discern the different tracks in the editor, give each
track a different color in the Project window and use the “Part Colors”
option in the editor (see “Coloring notes and events” on page 188).

Locate (leftmost column)

• If the folder contains tracks with audio events and/or audio parts, the Sample and/or Audio Part Editors are opened
with each audio event and audio part in a separate window.

If you click in this column the project cursor will be moved
to the corresponding marker position. A blue arrow indicates the marker at the project cursor position (or the
closest marker before the project cursor).

In this column you can edit marker ID numbers. Each time
you add a marker, it is automatically and sequentially assigned an ID number, starting from ID 1. IDs for cycle
markers are shown in brackets and start from [1]. The
nine first markers (1 to 9) can be recalled by using key
commands (by default [Shift]-[1] to [9] on the typewriter
part of the keyboard).

Position

In this column you can view and edit the markers’ time
positions (or start positions for cycle markers).

End

In this column you can view and edit the end positions of
cycle markers.

• Cycle markers allow you to store the start and end positions of a range.

Length

In this column you can view and edit the length of cycle
markers.

On the Marker track they are shown as two markers bridged by a horizontal line. They are ideal for setting sections of a song, for example “Intro”, “Verse”, and “Chorus”, this enables you to quickly navigate to the
song sections, and also to optionally repeat the section (by activating
Cycle on the Transport panel). Cycle markers can freely overlap.

Description

Here you can enter names or descriptions for markers.

Markers
Markers are used to locate certain positions quickly. If you
often find yourself jumping to a specific position within a
project, you should insert a marker at this position. There
are two types of markers:

Click on a column heading to sort the marker list by that
column. The Marker columns can also be reordered by
dragging and dropping the column headers.

• Standard markers store a specific position.

38
The Project window

The following actions can be performed in the Marker
window:

• Selecting markers

• Adding markers

• Drawing markers

Click the Add button or press [Ins] (Windows only) on the computer keyboard to add position markers at the current project cursor position.
Select “Cycle Markers” from the Show pop-up menu and click the Add
button to add a cycle marker between the left and right locator.

Use the Pencil tool (or press [Alt]/[Option] and use the Arrow tool) to
draw position markers. Snap is taken into account.
Hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] while using the Pencil or the Arrow tool to
draw cycle markers. Snap is taken into account.

• Removing markers

• Resizing

Select a marker and click the Remove button to remove it.

Select and drag a cycle marker by the handles that appear at the bottom
of the start and end events to resize it. This can also be done numerically
on the info line.

• Moving marker positions
Set the project cursor to the position to which you want to move (or reprogram) a marker, select the marker that you want to change in the
Marker window and click the Move button. If a cycle marker is selected,
the Move operation affects the cycle marker start position, the length of
the range is not affected. You can also move markers by editing their position numerically in the Position column.

Editing markers on the Marker track
Locators

Use the standard techniques.

• Moving
Click and drag, or edit the positions on the info line to move a marker.
Snap is taken into account if activated.

• Removing
Select a position marker and press [Delete] or use the Erase tool to remove it.
Click with the Erase tool to delete a cycle marker. If you hold down [Alt]/
[Option] when you click, all consecutive markers will also be deleted.

• Naming
Select a marker and enter a name on the info line.
Markers

• Moving the left and right locators

Cycle marker

The Marker track is used for viewing and editing markers.
Any changes made on the Marker track are reflected in the
Marker window and vice versa. Standard position markers
are shown as vertical lines with the marker name (if assigned) and number beside it. If you select the Marker
track, all markers are shown in the Inspector.
To add the Marker track to the Project, select “Marker” from
the Add Track submenu of the Project menu (or right-click
in the Track list and select “Add Marker Track”). You can
only have one Marker track in a project.
The following editing functions can be performed directly
on the Marker track:
• Adding markers
Press the [Insert] key (Win) or the “Add Marker” button in the Track list,
to add a position marker at the current cursor position during playback.
Click the “Add Cycle Marker” button in the Track list, to add a cycle
marker at the left and right locator positions.

Double-click on a cycle marker or select it from the Cycle pop-up menu
in the Track list, to move the left and right locators to encompass the cycle marker.
Use the numeric pad keys [1] and [2] to move the project cursor position
to the start or the end of the cycle marker. You can also use key commands for this – see “Editing markers using key commands” on page 39.

• Zooming
Select a cycle marker on the Zoom pop-up menu, to zoom in the event
display to encompass the selected range only (see the section “Zoom
presets and Cycle markers” on page 24).
You can also do this by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and double-clicking on
the cycle marker in the event display.

• Making range selections in the Project window
Double-click with the Range Selection tool between any two markers to
create a selection range between the markers, spanning all tracks in the
project. This is a quick way to move or copy (hold down [Alt]/[Option])
complete sections of the project (on all tracks).

Editing markers using key commands
You can use key commands for marker operations, see
“Transport category” on page 274.

Add Marker/Add Cycle Marker buttons

39
The Project window

Options
The Snap function
The Snap function helps you to find exact positions when
editing in the Project window. It does this by restricting
horizontal movement and positioning to certain positions.
Operations affected by Snap include moving, copying,
drawing, sizing, splitting, range selection, etc.
• You turn Snap on or off by clicking the Snap icon in the
toolbar.

Snap activated.

When you are moving audio events with Snap activated, it
isn’t necessarily the beginning of the event that is used as
Snap position reference. Instead, each audio event has a
snap point, which you can set to a relevant position in the
audio (such as a downbeat, etc.).
Exactly how Snap works depends on which mode is selected on the Snap mode pop-up menu.

When Seconds is selected as ruler format, the Grid Type pop-up menu
contains time-based grid options.

Grid Relative
When you move events and parts in this mode they will not
be “magnetic” to the grid. Rather, the grid determines the
step size for moving the events. This means that a moved
event will keep its original position relative to the grid.
For example, if an event starts at the position 3.04.01 (one
beat before bar 4), Snap is set to Grid Relative and the Grid
Type pop-up menu is set to “Bar”, you can move the event
in steps of one bar – to the positions 4.04.01, 5.04.01 and
so on. The event will keep its relative position to the grid, i.e.
stay one beat before the bar lines.
• This only applies when dragging existing events or parts
– when you create new events or parts this mode works
like the Grid mode.
Events
In this mode, the start and end positions of other events
and parts become “magnetic”. This means that if you drag
an event to a position near the start or end of another
event, it is automatically aligned with the start or end of the
other event. For audio events, the position of the snap
point is also magnetic (see “Adjusting the snap point” on
page 129).

The following sections describe the different Snap
modes:

• Note that this includes marker events on the marker
track.

Grid

This allows you to snap events to marker positions, and vice versa.

In this mode, the Snap positions are set with the Grid
Type pop-up menu to the right. The options depend on
the display format selected for the ruler. For example, if the
ruler is set to show bars and beats, the grid can be set to
bars, beats or the quantize value set with the next pop-up
menu to the right. If a time or frame-based ruler format is
selected, the Grid Type pop-up menu contains time or
frame-based grid options, etc.

Shuffle
Shuffle mode is useful when you want to change the order
of adjacent events. If you have two adjacent events and
drag the first one to the right, past the second event, the
two events will change places.

40
The Project window

Autoscroll

“Autoscroll” and “Suspend Autoscroll when Editing” are activated

When the Autoscroll option is activated, the waveform display will scroll during playback, keeping the project cursor
visible in the window. You can find the Autoscroll button in
the toolbars of the Project window and all editors.
The same principle works when changing the order of
more than two events:

Suspending autoscroll

When editing parts or events during playback with Autoscroll enabled, you may suddenly “loose sight” of the edited material as the display follows the project cursor.

Dragging event 2 past event 4…

• If the option “Stationary Cursors” is activated in the
Preferences (Transport page), the project cursor will be
positioned in the middle of the screen (if possible).

…changes the order of events 2, 3 and 4.

Magnetic Cursor
When this mode is selected, the project cursor becomes
“magnetic”. Dragging an event near the cursor causes the
event to be aligned with the cursor position.

If you don’t want the Project window display to change
when editing during playback, you can activate the “Suspend Autoscroll when Editing” button. You will find this
button right next to the Autoscroll button. When this option is enabled, autoscrolling is suspended as soon as you
click anywhere in the event display during playback.
Proceed as follows:
1. Open a project that contains audio or MIDI parts/events.

Grid + Cursor
This is a combination of the “Grid” and “Magnetic Cursor”
modes.
Events + Cursor
This is a combination of the “Events” and “Magnetic Cursor” modes.
Events + Grid + Cursor
This is a combination of the “Events”, “Grid” and “Magnetic Cursor” modes.

Snap to Zero Crossing

2. Enable both the “Autoscroll” and the “Suspend Autoscroll when Editing” buttons (both buttons turn blue).
3. Start playback.
4. Edit an audio or MIDI part/event of your project (e.g.
click and drag it to a different location on its track).
The Autoscroll button will turn orange.

Autoscrolling is now suspended, i.e. when the project cursor moves to the right edge of the Project window, the
display will not follow to keep the cursor visible.
As soon as playback stops, or when you click the Autoscroll button again (so it turns blue), Cubase AI will return
to the normal Autoscroll behavior.

When this option is activated on the toolbar or in the Preferences (Editing–Audio page), splitting and sizing of audio
events is done at zero crossings (positions in the audio
where the amplitude is zero). This helps you avoid pops and
clicks which might otherwise be caused by sudden amplitude changes.
41
The Project window

4
Playback and the Transport panel

Background

Metronome
click on/off

This chapter describes the various methods available for
controlling Playback and Transport functions in Cubase AI.

Tempo track
on/off

The Transport panel

Synchronization
on/off

Below you can find a brief description of each item on the
Transport panel.

Show Markers (opens
Marker window)

Precount on/off

The tempo and time
signature display

Jump to Marker

Clipping indicators

The pictures below show the Transport panel with all controls visible. The Transport panel is divided into the following sections, from left to right.

MIDI In/Out
activity
(left/right)

Output Level
Control

Note Velocity Level
Audio input/output activity

Change Virtual Keyboard
Display Type

Octave Offset

CPU load and
Disk Cache
meters

Record mode
pop-up menu

Activates Auto
Quantize

Cycle Record mode
pop-up menu

Left locator

Ö Note that the Output Activity and Clipping indicator as
well as the Output Level Control refer to the Main Mix
Output bus as defined on the Outputs tab in the VST
Connections window.
• The main Transport functions (Cycle/Stop/Play/Record)
can also be shown on the toolbar.

In addition, various play options are available on the Transport menu.

Preroll: value and on/off

Punch In

Hiding and showing the Transport Panel
Punch Out

Right locator

The Transport panel is shown automatically when you
launch a new project. To hide or show it, select “Transport
Panel” on the Transport menu (or use a key command – by
default [F2]).

Postroll: value and on/off

Nudge position
right/left

About Pre-roll and Post-roll

Position
slider

These items are described in the chapter “Recording”,
see “About Pre-roll and Post-roll” on page 59.

Go to
previous
marker/
project
Rewind
start

Record
Fast
forward

Cycle
on/off

Stop

Changing the Transport panel setup
You can customize the appearance of the Transport panel
by right-clicking anywhere on the panel and selecting/deselecting the corresponding options on the context menu.

Play

Go to next marker/ project end

This is described in detail in the section “The setup context menus” on page 262.

43
Playback and the Transport panel

The numeric keypad

The following functions are available:

In the default Key Command settings, various Transport
panel operations are assigned to the numeric keypad on
the computer keyboard. The keypads are slightly different
on PC and Macintosh computers:

Function

Description

Locate Selection/Locate
Selection End

Moves the project cursor to the beginning or end of the
current selection. For this to be available, you must
have selected one or more events or parts, or made a
selection range.

Numeric Key

Function

[Enter]

Play

Locate Next/
Previous Marker

This moves the project cursor to the closest marker to
the right or left (see “Marker tracks” on page 19).

[+]

Fast Forward

Locate Next/
Previous Event

[-]

Rewind

This moves the project cursor forwards or backwards
respectively, to the closest beginning or end of any
event on the selected track(s).

[*]

Record

[÷] (Win)/[/] (Mac)

Cycle On/Off

[,]

Return to Zero

[0]

Stop

[1]

Go to Left Locator

[2]

Go to Right Locator

[3-9]

Go to marker 3 to 9

Ö If Snap is activated when dragging the project cursor,
the Snap value is taken into account. This is helpful for
finding exact positions quickly.
Ö There are also numerous key commands available for
moving the project cursor (in the Transport category in the
Key Commands dialog).
For example, you can assign key commands to the “Step Bar” and “Step
Back Bar” functions, allowing you to move the project cursor in steps of
one bar, backwards and forwards.

Operations

About the Transport panel display format

Setting the project cursor position
There are several ways to move the project cursor position:
• By using Fast Forward and Rewind.

The time display in the Transport panel

• By dragging the project cursor in the lower part of the
ruler.

The time unit shown in the ruler can be independent from
the time unit shown in the time display on the Transport
panel. This means that you can display timecode in the
transport position display and bars and beats in the ruler,
for example.

• By clicking in the ruler.
Double-clicking in the ruler moves the cursor and starts/stops playback.

• If the option “Locate when Clicked in Empty Space” is
activated in the Preferences (Transport page) you can click
anywhere in an empty section of the Project window to
move the cursor position.

The following rules apply:
• If you change the time format of the time display on the
Transport panel, the time format of the ruler will be changed
as well.

• By changing the value in any of the position displays.

This is the same as changing the display format in the Project Setup.
Therefore, to have different display formats in the ruler and the time display you should change the format in the ruler.

• By using the position slider above the transport buttons
in the Transport panel.
The range of the slider relates to the Length setting in the Project Setup
dialog. Hence, moving the slider all the way to the right will take you to
the end of the project.

• The time display format is set on the pop-up menu to
the right in the position display.

• By using markers (see “Markers” on page 38).

• This setting also determines the time format displayed
for the left and right locators on the Transport panel.

• By using playback options (see “Playback functions” on
page 46).
• By using functions on the Transport menu.
44
Playback and the Transport panel

The left and right locators

• You can also adjust the locators numerically on the
Transport panel.

The left and right locators are a pair of position markers
used for specifying punch-in and punch-out positions during recording, and as boundaries for cycle playback and
recording.

Clicking the L/R buttons in the locator section on the Transport panel will
move the project cursor to the respective locator. If you press [Alt]/[Option] and click the L or R button, the corresponding locator will be set to
the current project cursor position.

Ö When cycle mode is activated on the Transport panel,
the area between the left and right locator will be repeated
(cycled) on playback.

Options and Settings

However, if the right locator is positioned before the left, this will work as
a “jump” or “skip mode” – when the project cursor reaches the right locator it will immediately jump to the left locator position and continue
playback from there.

The “Return to Start Position on Stop”
preference
This setting is found on the Transport page in the Preferences (found on the File menu under Windows, or on the
Cubase AI menu under Mac OS X).

There are several ways to set locator positions:
• To set the left locator, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click
at the desired position in the ruler.

• If “Return to Start Position on Stop” is activated when
you stop playback, the project cursor will automatically return to the position where recording or playback last
started.

Similarly, pressing [Alt]/[Option] and clicking in the ruler sets the right locator. You can also drag the locator “handles” directly in the ruler.

• If “Return to Start Position on Stop” is deactivated, the
project cursor will remain at the position where you stop
playback.

The locators are indicated by the “flags” in the ruler. The area between
the locators is highlighted in the ruler and in the Project window (see
“Appearance” on page 265). Note that if the right locator is before the
left locator, the color of the ruler between the locators will change (from
blue to red).

Pressing Stop again will return the project cursor to the position where
recording or playback last started.

About track disable/enable

• Click and drag in the upper half of the ruler to “draw” a
locator range.

For audio tracks, the track context menu contains an item
named “Disable Track”. This shuts down all disk activity for
the track, as opposed to using Mute, which merely turns
down the output volume for a track. For example, if you often record “alternative takes” you can easily build up a large
number of takes on different tracks. Even though these
tracks are muted, they are actually still “playing back” from
the hard disk during playback. This puts an unnecessary
load on your disk system, so using “Disable Track” is recommended for such situations.

If you click on an existing locator range, you can drag to move it.

• Pressing [Ctrl]/[Command] and pressing [1] or [2] on
the numeric keypad sets the left or right locator to the
project cursor position.
Similarly, you can press [1] or [2] on the numeric keypad (without [Ctrl]/
[Command]) to set the project cursor position to the left or right locator
position. Note that these are default key commands – you can change
these if you like.

• By creating cycle markers you can store any number of
left and right locator positions, which can be recalled by
simply double-clicking on the corresponding marker (see
“Editing markers on the Marker track” on page 39).

• Select “Disable Track” for tracks that you want to keep in
the project for later use but do not want to play back now.
The track color changes to indicate that the track is disabled.

• The “Locators to Selection” item on the Transport menu
(default key command [P]) sets the locators to encompass
the current selection.

• Select “Enable Track” from the track context menu to
re-enable disabled tracks.

This is available if you have selected one or several events or made a selection range.

45
Playback and the Transport panel

Playback functions

You now play back the song. It begins with the piano sound
and then switches to the string sound. In the middle of the
chorus you stop and rewind to some point between the beginning and the second program change. The synth will
now still play the string sound although in this section it really should be a piano!

Apart from the standard transport controls on the Transport panel, you can also find a number of functions on the
Transport menu that can be used to control playback. The
items have the following functionality:
Option

Description

Play from Selection
Start/End

Activates playback from the beginning or end of
the current selection.

Play until Selection
Start/End

Activates playback two seconds before the start or
end of the current selection and stops at the selection start or end, respectively.

The Chase function takes care of that. If program change
events are set to be chased, Cubase AI will track the music
back to the beginning, find the first program change and
transmit it to your synth, setting it to the correct sound.
The same thing can apply to other event types as well. The
Chase Events settings in the Preferences dialog (MIDI
page) determine which event types will be chased when
you locate to a new position and start playback.

Play until Next Marker This activates playback from the project cursor and
stops at the next marker.
Play Selection Range This activates playback from the start of the current
selection and stops at the selection end.
Loop Selection

This activates playback from the start of the current
selection and keeps starting over again when
reaching the selection end.

The functions listed above (except “Play until Next
Marker”) are only available if you have selected one
or more events or made a selection range.

Ö In the Preferences dialog (Editing–Audio page) you
will find the option “Treat Muted Audio Events like Deleted”. When you activate this option, any events overlapped by a muted event will become audible.

Ö Event types for which the checkbox is activated here
will be chased.

About Chase

• In this section of the Preferences dialog, you will also
find the option “Chase not limited to Part Boundaries”.
When you activate this option, MIDI controllers are also chased outside
the part boundaries, i.e. the Chase will be performed on the part touched
by the cursor as well as on all the parts to the left of it. Please note that
this option should be deactivated for very large projects, as it considerably slows down operations such as positioning and soloing. When you
deactivate this option, the MIDI controllers are only chased within the
parts under the position cursor.

Chase is a function that makes sure your MIDI instruments
sound as they should when you locate to a new position
and start playback. This is accomplished by the program
transmitting a number of MIDI messages to your instruments each time you move to a new position in the project,
making sure all MIDI devices are set up correctly with regard to program change, controller messages (such as
MIDI Volume), etc.
For example, let’s say you have a MIDI track with a program change event inserted at the beginning. This event
makes a synth switch to a piano sound.
At the beginning of the first chorus you have another program change event which makes the same synth switch to
a string sound.

46
Playback and the Transport panel

The Virtual Keyboard

• You can also press several keys simultaneously to enter
polyphonic parts. The maximum number of notes that can
be played at one time varies between the different operating systems and hardware configurations.

The Virtual Keyboard can be displayed in the Transport
panel. It allows you to play and record MIDI notes by using
your computer keyboard or mouse. This is useful if you have
no external MIDI instrument at hand and you do not want to
draw in notes with the Pencil tool. The Virtual Keyboard can
perform all functions that can be controlled by external MIDI
keyboards, e.g. playing and recording MIDI notes.
!

4. Use the fader “Note velocity level” to the right of the
virtual keyboard to adjust the volume.
You can also use the up and down arrow keys for this.

5. Enter the desired notes this way.
6. When you are done, hit the Stop button and close the
Virtual Keyboard.

When the Virtual Keyboard is displayed, the usual key
commands are blocked because they are reserved for
the Virtual Keyboard. The only exceptions are: [Ctrl]/
[Command]-[S] (Save), Num [*] (Start/Stop Record),
[Space] (Start/Stop Playback), Num [1] (Jump to left
locator), [Delete] or [Backspace] (Delete), Num [/]
(Cycle on/off), [F2] (Show/Hide Transport panel), and
[Alt]/[Option]-[K] (Show/Hide Virtual Keyboard).

When the Virtual Keyboard is hidden, all key commands are available
again.

Options and settings
• In piano keyboard mode, you have a wider range of keys
at your disposal, allowing you to enter two voices simultaneously, for example bass and lead voice or bass drums
and HiHats.

• You can choose between two different keyboard display modes: computer keyboard and piano keyboard. To
switch between these two modes, click the “Change Virtual Keyboard Display Type” button or use the [Tab] key.

In computer keyboard mode, you can use the two rows of keys that are displayed on the Virtual Keyboard to enter notes. In piano keyboard mode, you
can also use the two rows of keys below these.

• You have seven full octaves at your disposal. Use the
“Octave Offset” buttons at the bottom of the virtual keyboard to offset the octave range of the keyboard.
You can also use the left and right arrow keys to switch the keyboard range
to a lower or higher octave, respectively.

The Virtual Keyboard in computer keyboard display mode

The Virtual Keyboard in piano keyboard display mode

• In piano keyboard mode, you can use the two sliders to
the left of the keyboard to introduce pitchbend (left slider)
or modulation (right slider).

To record MIDI using the Virtual Keyboard, proceed as follows:
1. Create or choose a MIDI or an instrument track and activate the “Record Enable” button for it.

You can also click on a key, hold the mouse button pressed until the
mouse pointer becomes a crosshair tool and drag upwards/downward to
introduce modulation or left/right to create pitchbend.

2. Open the Virtual Keyboard by selecting “Virtual Keyboard” on the Devices menu or by pressing [Alt]/[Option][K]. You can also open the Virtual Keyboard by right-clicking on the Transport panel and selecting “Virtual Keyboard”
on the context menu.
The Virtual Keyboard is displayed in the Transport panel.

3. Activate the Record button and press a key on your
computer keyboard to enter a note.
You can also click on the keys of the Virtual Keyboard to enter notes.

47
Playback and the Transport panel

5
Recording

Background
This chapter describes the various recording methods
that you can use in Cubase AI. As it is possible to record
both audio and MIDI tracks, both recording methods are
covered in this chapter.

Before you start
This chapter assumes that you are reasonably familiar with
certain basic recording concepts, and that the following
initial preparations have been made:
Record Enable in the Inspector, Track list and mixer

• You have properly set up, connected and calibrated
your audio hardware.

Ö If the option “Enable Record on Selected Track” is activated in the Preferences (Editing–Project & Mixer page),
tracks are automatically record-enabled when you select
them in the Track list.

• You have opened a project and set the project setup
parameters to your specifications.
Project setup parameters determine the record format, sample rate, project
length etc. that affect the audio recordings you make during the course of
the project, see “The Project Setup dialog” on page 22.

Ö The exact number of audio tracks you can record simultaneously depends on your computer CPU and hard
disk performance.

• If you plan to record MIDI, your MIDI equipment should
be set up and connected correctly.

In the Preferences (VST page), you can find the option “Warn on Processing Overloads”. When this is activated, a warning message will be displayed as soon as the CPU clip indicator (on the Transport panel) lights
up during recording.

Basic recording methods
This section describes the general methods used for recording. However, there are additional preparations and
procedures that are specific to audio and MIDI recording
respectively. Make sure to read these sections before you
start recording (see “Audio recording specifics” on page
51 and “MIDI recording specifics” on page 55).

Manually activating recording
You activate recording by clicking the Record button on
the Transport panel or toolbar or by using the corresponding key command (by default [*] on the numeric keypad).
Recording can be activated in Stop mode (from the current
cursor position or from the left locator) or during playback:

Record-enabling tracks

• If you activate recording in Stop mode, and the option
“Start Record at Left Locator” is activated on the Transport menu, recording will start from the left locator.

Cubase AI can record on a single track or on several
tracks (audio and/or MIDI) simultaneously. To make a
track ready for recording, click the Record Enable button
for the track in the Track list, in the Inspector or in the
mixer. When activated, the buttons turn red, indicating
record ready mode.

The pre-roll setting or the metronome count-in will be applied (see
“About Pre-roll and Post-roll” on page 59).

• If you activate recording in Stop mode, and “Start Record
at Left Locator” is deactivated, recording will start from the
current project cursor position.
• If you activate recording during playback, Cubase AI will
immediately enter Record mode and start recording from
the current project cursor position.
This is known as “manual punch in”.

49
Recording

Activating recording in Sync mode

• If the Punch Out button is activated on the Transport
panel, recording will be deactivated when the project cursor reaches the right locator.

If you are synchronizing the Cubase AI transport to external
equipment (Sync is activated on the Transport panel) and
you activate recording, the program will go into “record
ready” mode (the record button on the Transport panel will
light up). In this case, recording will start when a valid timecode signal is received (or when you click the Play button).
See the chapter “Synchronization” on page 232 for more
information.

This is known as “automatic punch out”. By combining this with automatic
punch in, you can set up a specific section to record – again very useful if
you want to replace a certain part of a recording (see also “Stop after Automatic Punch Out” on page 59).

Automatically activating recording

Punch In and Out activated

Cubase AI can automatically switch from playback to recording at a given position. This is known as “automatic
punch in”. A typical use for this would be if you need to replace a section of a recording, and want to listen to what is
already recorded, up to the recording start position.

Cycle recording
Cubase AI can record and play back in a cycle – a loop.
You specify where the cycle starts and ends by setting the
left and right locators. When the cycle is active, the selected section is seamlessly repeated until you hit Stop or
deactivate cycle mode.

1. Set the left locator to the position where you want recording to start.

• To activate cycle mode, click the cycle button on the
Transport panel.

2. Activate the Punch In button on the Transport panel.

Punch In activated

3. Activate playback from some position before the left
locator.

Cycle activated

When the project cursor reaches the left locator, recording is automatically activated.

• To record in cycle mode, you can start recording from
the left locator, from before the locators or from within the
cycle, in Stop mode or during playback.

Stopping recording

As soon as the project cursor reaches the right locator, it will jump back
to the left locator and continue recording a new lap.

Again, this can be done automatically or manually:

• The results of cycle recording depend on the selected
cycle record mode and are different for audio (see “Recording audio in cycle mode” on page 54) and MIDI (see
“Recording MIDI in cycle mode” on page 57).

• If you click the Stop button on the Transport panel (or
use the corresponding key command, by default [0] on the
numeric keypad), recording is deactivated and Cubase AI
goes into Stop mode.
• If you click the Record button (or use the key command
for recording, by default [*]), recording is deactivated but
playback continues.
This is known as “manual punch out”.

50
Recording

Audio recording specifics

Setting up the track
Creating a track and selecting the channel configuration

Selecting a recording file format

Audio tracks can be configured as mono or stereo tracks.
This allows you to record or import a file containing multiple channels and treat it as one entity, with no need to split
it up into several mono files etc. The signal path for an audio track maintains its channel configuration all the way
from the input bus, via EQ, level and other mixer settings
to the output bus.

The format for recorded files is set in the Project Setup dialog on the Project menu. There are three settings: sample
rate, record format (bit depth) and record file type. While
the sample rate is set once and for all when you start working on a new project, the bit depth and file type can be
changed at any time.
Record file type

You specify the channel configuration for a track when you
create it:

The Record File Type setting determines which type of
files will be created when you record:
File type

Description

Wave File

Wave files have the extension “.wav” and are a common
file format on the PC platform.

AIFF File

Audio Interchange File Format, a standard defined by Apple Inc. AIFF files have the extension “.aif” and are used
on most computer platforms. AIFF files can contain embedded text strings (see below).

1. Select “Add Audio Track” from the Track list context
menu or the Project menu (or, if an audio track is already
selected, double-click in an empty area of the Track list).
A dialog appears with a channel configuration pop-up menu.

2. Select the desired format from the pop-up menu.
You can choose between mono and stereo.

• The Browse item in this dialog allows you to browse
your disk(s) for created Track Presets, which can be used
as a basis (or template) for tracks.

Record format (bit depth)

This is described in detail in the chapter “Working with Track Presets” on
page 155.

The available options are 16 bit and 24 bit. Use the following guidelines:

3. Click OK.

• Normally, select the record format according to the bit
depth delivered by your audio hardware.

A track appears, set to the specified channel configuration. In the mixer,
a corresponding channel strip appears. You cannot change the channel
configuration for a track.

For example, if your audio hardware has 20 bit A/D converters (inputs),
you may want to record at 24 bit resolution to capture the full bit depth.
On the other hand, if your hardware has 16 bit inputs, it is pointless to
record with a higher bit depth – this will only make the audio files larger,
with no difference in audio quality.

• The higher the bit depth, the larger the files and the
more strain is put on the disk system.
If this is an issue, you may want to lower the record format setting.
!

For further information on the options in the Project
Setup dialog, see “The Project Setup dialog” on
page 22.

51
Recording

Selecting an input bus for a track

4. Adjust the output level of your audio source so that the
meters go reasonably high without reaching 0.0dB.

Here we assume that you have added and set up the required input busses (see “Setting up busses” on page
10). Before you record, you need to specify from which input bus the track should record. You can do this in the Inspector.

Check the numerical peak level indicator below the meter in the bus
channel strip. To reset the peak level indicator, click on it.

Ö You must adjust the output level of the audio source –
you cannot use the faders in Cubase AI to adjust the input
level!

• Select an input bus on the Input Routing pop-up menu
in the top section.

Ö An alternative way of checking the input levels would
be to use the control panel for your audio hardware (if it
features input level meters). It may also be possible to adjust the input level in the control panel.

As described in the section “The Inspector” on page 18, the Inspector
shows the settings for the selected track. You show or hide the Inspector
by clicking the “Show/Hide Inspector” button on the Project window
toolbar.

See the documentation of your audio hardware for details.

Monitoring
In this context, “monitoring” means listening to the input
signal during recording. There are three fundamentally different ways to do this: via Cubase AI, externally (by listening
to the signal before it reaches Cubase AI), or by using
ASIO Direct Monitoring (which is a combination of both
other methods – see below).

Click here to show/hide
the Inspector.

Click here to select an input
bus for the track.

Monitoring via Cubase AI

Setting input levels

If you monitor via Cubase AI, the input signal is mixed in
with the audio playback. The advantage of this is that you
can adjust the monitoring level and panning in the mixer,
and add effects and EQ to the monitor signal just as during playback (using the track’s channel strip – not the input bus!).

When recording digital sound, it is important to set the input levels correctly – loud enough to ensure low noise and
high audio quality, but not so loud that clipping (digital distortion) occurs.
Clipping typically occurs in the audio hardware when a
too loud analog signal is converted to digital in the hardware’s A/D converters.

The disadvantage of monitoring via Cubase AI is that the
monitored signal will be delayed according to the latency
value (which depends on your audio hardware and drivers). Therefore, monitoring via Cubase AI requires an audio hardware configuration with a low latency value. You
can check the latency of your hardware in the Device
Setup dialog (VST Audio System page).

You need to check the level at the channel strip for the
track on which you are recording:
1. Locate the channel strip for the track you’re about to
record on.
2. Activate monitoring for the channel by clicking the
speaker button next to the fader.

Ö If you are using plug-in effects with large inherent delays, the automatic delay compensation function in Cubase
AI will increase the latency.

When monitoring is activated, the meter shows the level of the incoming
audio signal.

If this is a problem, you can use the Constrain Delay Compensation function while recording, see “Constrain Delay Compensation” on page 106.

3. Play the audio source that you want to record and
check the level meter for the channel.

52
Recording

When monitoring via Cubase AI, you can select one of four
Auto Monitoring modes in the Preferences (VST page):

ASIO Direct Monitoring
If your audio hardware is ASIO 2.0 compatible, it may support ASIO Direct Monitoring (this feature may also be available for audio hardware with Mac OS X drivers). In this
mode, the actual monitoring is done in the audio hardware,
by sending the input signal back out again. However, monitoring is controlled from Cubase AI. This means that the audio hardware’s direct monitoring feature can be turned on
or off automatically by Cubase AI, just as when using internal monitoring.
• To activate ASIO Direct Monitoring, open the Device
Setup dialog on the Devices menu and activate the Direct
Monitoring checkbox on the page for your audio hardware.
If the checkbox is grayed out, your audio hardware (or its driver) does not
support ASIO Direct Monitoring. Consult the audio hardware manufacturer for details.

• Manual

• When ASIO Direct Monitoring is activated, you can select a monitoring mode in the Preferences (VST page), as
when monitoring via Cubase AI (see “Monitoring via Cubase AI” on page 52).

This option allows you to turn input monitoring on or off by clicking the
Monitor button in the Inspector, the Track list or in the mixer.

• While Record Enabled
With this option, you will hear the audio source connected to the channel
input whenever the track is record enabled.

• Depending on the audio hardware, it may also be possible to adjust the monitoring level and panning from the
mixer by adjusting the volume faders, and the input gain
controls.

• While Record Running
This option switches to input monitoring only during recording.

• Tapemachine Style

Consult the documentation of the audio hardware if in doubt.

This option emulates standard tapemachine behavior: input monitoring in
Stop mode and during recording, but not during playback.

• VST effects and EQ cannot be applied to the monitor
signal in this mode, since the monitor signal does not pass
through Cubase AI.

External monitoring
External monitoring (listening to the input signal before it
goes into Cubase AI) requires some sort of external mixer
for mixing the audio playback with the input signal. This
can be a stand-alone physical mixer or a mixer application
for your audio hardware, if this has a mode in which the input audio is sent back out again (usually called “Thru”,
“Direct Thru” or similar).

• Depending on the audio hardware, there may be special
restrictions as to which audio outputs can be used for direct monitoring.
For details on the routing of the audio hardware, see its documentation.

The latency value of the audio hardware configuration
does not affect the monitor signal when using ASIO Direct
Monitoring.

When using external monitoring, you cannot control the
level of the monitor signal from within Cubase AI or add
VST effects or EQ to the monitor signal. The latency value
of the audio hardware configuration does not affect the
monitor signal in this mode.

When using Steinberg hardware (MR816 series) in combination with ASIO Direct Monitoring, monitoring will be
virtually latency-free.
Ö If you are using RME Audio Hammerfall DSP audio
hardware, make sure that the pan law is set to -3dB in the
card’s preferences.

Ö If you want to use external monitoring, you need to make
sure that monitoring via Cubase AI is not activated as well.
Select the “Manual” monitoring mode in the Preferences (VST page) and
do not activate the Monitor buttons.

53
Recording

Recording

• In “Normal” or “Merge” mode, recording where something has already been recorded creates a new audio
event that overlaps the previous one(s).

Recording is done using any of the general recording methods (see “Basic recording methods” on page 49). When
you finish recording, an audio file is created in the Audio
folder within the project folder. In the Pool, an audio clip is
created for the audio file, and an audio event that plays the
whole clip appears on the recording track. Finally, a waveform image is calculated for the audio event. If the recording
was very long, this may take a while.

When you record audio, there is no difference between “Normal” and
“Merge” mode – the difference only applies to MIDI recording (see
“About overlap and the Record Mode setting” on page 56).

• In “Replace” mode, existing events (or portions of events)
that are overlapped by the new recording will be removed.
This means that if you record a section in the middle of a longer existing
recording, the original event will be cut into two events with a gap for the
new event.

Ö If the option “Create Audio Images During Record” is
activated in the Preferences (Record–Audio page), the
waveform image will be calculated and displayed during
the actual recording process.
This realtime calculation uses some processing power – if your processor is slow or you are working on a CPU-intensive project, you should
consider turning this option off.

Undoing recording

Which event will be heard?

If you decide that you do not like what you just recorded,
you can delete it by selecting Undo from the Edit menu.
The following will happen:

If two or more events are overlapping, you will only hear the
events (or portions of events) that are actually visible. Overlapped (hidden) events or sections are not played back.

• The event(s) you just created will be removed from the Project
window.
• The audio clip(s) in the Pool will be moved to the Trash folder.
• The recorded audio file(s) will not be removed from the hard
disk.

• The functions “Move to Front” and “Move to Back” on
the Edit menu (Move submenu, see “Moving events” on
page 30) are useful for managing overlapping events, as is
the “To Front” function (see below).

Recording audio in cycle mode

However, since their corresponding clips are moved to
the Trash folder, you can delete the files by opening the
Pool and selecting “Empty Trash” from the Media menu,
see “Deleting from the hard disk” on page 147.

If you are recording audio in cycle mode, the last complete
“take” (the last completely recorded lap) is kept as an audio event.

Recording overlapping events
The basic rule for audio tracks is that each track can play
back a single audio event at a time. This means that if two
or more events are overlapping, only one of them will be
heard at any given time.
What happens when you record overlapping events
(record in an area where there are already events on the
track) depends on the Linear Record Mode setting on the
Transport panel:

54
Recording

MIDI recording specifics

Naming MIDI ports in Cubase AI

Activating MIDI Thru

MIDI inputs and outputs are often displayed with unnecessarily long and complicated names. However, you can rename your MIDI ports to more descriptive names:

Normally, when working with MIDI, you will have MIDI Thru
activated in Cubase AI, and Local Off selected in your MIDI
Instrument(s). In this mode, everything you play during recording will be “echoed” back out again on the MIDI output
and channel selected for the recording track.

1. Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu.
2. Select the MIDI Port Setup item in the Device list.
The available MIDI inputs and outputs are listed. Under Windows, which
device to choose depends on your system.

1. Make sure the option “MIDI Thru Active” is activated in
the Preferences (MIDI page).

3. To change the name of a MIDI port, click in the “Show
As” column and type in a new name.

2. Record enable the track(s) on which you want to
record.

After closing the dialog, the new name will appear on the MIDI Input and
Output Routing pop-up menus.

Now, incoming MIDI is “echoed” back out again for all record-enabled
MIDI tracks.

Setting the MIDI input in the Inspector
You select MIDI inputs for tracks in the Inspector (the area
to the left of the Track list in the Project window):

Record Enable button

1. If the Inspector is hidden, click the Show Inspector
button on the toolbar.

Monitor button

Ö If you just want to use the Thru function for a MIDI
track without recording, activate the monitor button for the
track instead.

2. Select the track(s) by clicking in the Track list.
To select multiple tracks, press [Shift] or [Ctrl]/[Command] and click. The
Inspector shows the settings for the first selected track (for details, see
“The Inspector” on page 18).

This is useful e.g. if you want to try out different sounds or play a VST
instrument in realtime without recording your playing.

3. Click the track name in the Inspector to make sure the
topmost section is shown.

Setting MIDI channel, input and output
Setting the MIDI channel in the instrument
Most MIDI synthesizers can play several sounds at the
same time, each on a different MIDI channel. This is the
key to playing back several sounds (bass, piano etc.) from
the same instrument. Some devices (such as General
MIDI compatible sound modules) always receive on all 16
MIDI channels. If you have such an instrument, there is no
specific setting you need to make in the instrument. On
other instruments, you will have to use the front panel controls to set up a number of “Parts”, “Timbres” or similar so
that they receive on one MIDI channel each. See the manual that came with your instrument for more information.

4. Pull down the Input Routing pop-up menu and select
an input.
The available MIDI inputs are shown. The items on the menu depend on
the type of MIDI interface you are using, etc.

• If you select the “All MIDI Inputs” option, the track will
receive MIDI data from all available MIDI inputs.

55
Recording

Selecting a sound

• If you hold down [Shift]-[Alt]/[Option] and select a MIDI
input, this will be used for all selected MIDI tracks.

You can select sounds from within Cubase AI by instructing the program to send Program Change and Bank Select messages to your MIDI device. This is done using the
“Patch Selector” and “Bank Selector” fields in the Inspector or Track list.

Setting the MIDI channel and output
The MIDI channel and output settings determine where
the recorded MIDI is routed during playback, but are also
relevant for MIDI Thru in Cubase AI. Channel and output
can be selected in the Track list or in the Inspector. The
procedure below describes how to make the settings in
the Inspector, but it can be done in largely the same manner in the Track list as well.

Program Change messages give access to 128 different
program locations. If your MIDI instruments have more
than 128 programs, Bank Select messages (set in the
“Bank Selector” field) allow you to select different banks,
each containing 128 programs.

1. To select the track(s) and show the settings in the
Inspector, proceed as when selecting a MIDI input (see
above).
2. Pull down the Output Routing pop-up menu and select an output.

Ö Bank Select messages are recognized differently by
different MIDI instruments. The structure and numbering
of banks and programs may also vary. Consult the documentation of your MIDI instruments for details.

The available MIDI outputs are shown. The items on the menu depend on
what type of MIDI interface you are using etc.

Recording
Recording MIDI is done according to the basic recording
methods (see “Basic recording methods” on page 49).
When you finish recording, a part containing MIDI events
is created in the Project window.

• If you hold down [Shift]-[Alt]/[Option] and select a MIDI
output, this is selected for all selected MIDI tracks.
3. Use the Channel pop-up menu to select a MIDI channel for the track.

About overlap and the Record Mode setting
MIDI tracks are different from audio tracks when it comes
to overlapping parts:
Ö All events in overlapping parts are always played back.
If you record several parts at the same locations (or move parts so that
they overlap), you will hear the events in all parts on playback, even
though some of the parts are obscured in the Project window.

When recording overlapping parts, the result depends on
the Linear Record Mode setting on the Transport panel:

• If you set the track to MIDI channel “Any”, each MIDI
event on the track will be sent out on the channel stored in
the event itself.

• If the record mode is set to “Normal”, overdub recording
works as with audio tracks, i.e. if you record again where
something has already been recorded, you get a new part that
overlaps the previous one(s).
• If the record mode is set to “Merge”, the overdubbed events
are added to the existing part.
• If the record mode is set to “Replace”, the new recording replaces any existing events in the area on that track.

In other words, the MIDI material will be played back on the channel(s)
used by the MIDI input device (the MIDI instrument you play during recording).

56
Recording

About punch in and out on MIDI tracks

4. On the next lap, you wait until bar seven and start
playing.

Performing and setting up manual and automatic punch
in/out recording for MIDI tracks is done in exactly the
same way as for audio tracks. There is one thing to note,
however:

This way you will overwrite the last two bars only.

5. Make sure you stop playing before the next lap begins
– otherwise you will overwrite the entire take.

• Punching in and out on recordings with Pitchbend or
controller data (modulation wheel, sustain pedal, volume
etc.) may lead to strange effects (apparently hanging
notes, constant vibrato etc.).

Cycle Record mode: Keep Last

If this happens, you may need to use the Reset item on the MIDI menu
(see “The Reset function” on page 58).

• The cycle lap must be completed – if you deactivate recording or press Stop before the cursor reaches the right
locator, the previous take will be kept.

Each completed lap replaces the previously recorded lap.
Note the following:

About the Automatic MIDI Record Quantize function

• If you do not play or input any MIDI during a lap, nothing
happens (the previous take will be kept).

If Auto Quantize is activated on the Transport panel (the
“Auto Q” button), the notes you record are automatically
quantized according to the current Quantize settings. For
more information about quantizing, see “The Quantizing
functions” on page 172.

Recording different types of MIDI messages
!

Recording MIDI in cycle mode
When you record MIDI in cycle mode, the result depends
on which Cycle Record mode is selected on the Transport
panel:

You can decide exactly which event types should be
recorded by using the MIDI filters – see “Filtering
MIDI” on page 59.

Notes

For each completed lap, everything you record is added to
what was previously recorded in the same part. This is useful for building up rhythm patterns, for example. Record a
hi-hat part on the first lap, the bass drum part on the second lap etc.

When you press and release a key on your synth or other
MIDI keyboard, a Note On (key down) and a Note Off (key
up) message are sent out. The MIDI note message also
contains the information which MIDI channel was used.
Normally, this information is overridden by the MIDI channel
setting for the track, but if you set the track to MIDI channel
“Any”, the notes will be played back on their original channels.

Cycle Record mode: Overwrite (MIDI)

Continuous messages

As soon as you play a MIDI note (or send any MIDI message), all MIDI you have recorded on previous laps is overwritten from that point on in the part. An example:

Pitchbend, aftertouch and controllers (like modulation
wheel, sustain pedal, volume etc.) are considered as MIDI
continuous events (as opposed to the momentary key
down and key up messages). If you move the Pitchbend
wheel on your synthesizer while recording, this movement
is recorded together with the key (Note On and Note Off
messages), just as you’d expect. But the continuous messages can also be recorded after the notes have been recorded (or even before). They can also be recorded on
their own tracks, separately from the notes to which they
belong.

Cycle Record mode: Mix (MIDI)

1. You start recording in an eight bar cycle.
2. The first take was not good enough – you start directly
with a new take on the next cycle lap and overwrite the
first take.
3. After recording the second take you let the recording
roll on and listen, without playing anything.
You find that the take was good up until bar seven, for example.

57
Recording

Retrospective Record

Say, for instance, that you record one or several bass
parts on track 2. If you now set another track, like track 55,
to the same output and MIDI channel as track 2, you can
make a separate recording of just pitchbends for the bass
parts on track 55. This means that you activate recording
as usual and only move the pitchbend wheel during the
take. As long as the two tracks are set to the same output
and MIDI channel, it will appear to the MIDI instrument as
if the two recordings were made at the same time.

This feature allows you to capture any MIDI notes you play
in Stop mode or during playback and turn them into a MIDI
part “after the fact”. This is possible due to the fact that
Cubase AI can capture MIDI input in buffer memory, even
when not recording.
Proceed as follows:
1. Enable the Retrospective Record option in the Preferences (Record–MIDI page).

Program Change messages

This activates the buffering of MIDI input, making Retrospective Record
possible.

Normally, when you switch from one program to another
on your keyboard (or whatever you use to record), a number corresponding to that program is sent out via MIDI as
a Program Change message. These can be recorded on
the fly with the music, recorded afterwards on a separate
track, or manually entered in the Key or List Editors.

2. Make sure a MIDI track is record-enabled.
3. When you have played some MIDI material you want
to capture (either in Stop mode or during playback), select
Retrospective Record from the Transport menu (or use
the key command, by default [Shift]-Num[*]).

System Exclusive messages

The content of the MIDI buffer (i.e. what you just played) is
turned into a MIDI part on the record enabled track. The
part will appear where the project cursor was when you
started playing – this means that if you played along during
playback, the captured notes will end up exactly where you
played them in relation to the project.

System Exclusive (SysEx) is a special type of MIDI message used to send data that only makes sense to a unit of
a certain make and type. SysEx can be used to transmit a
list of the numbers that make up the settings of one or
more sounds in a synth. For details about viewing and editing SysEx messages, see the section “Working with System Exclusive messages” on page 210.

• The Retrospective Record Buffer Size setting in the
Preferences (Record–MIDI page) determines how much
data can be captured.

The Reset function
The Reset function on the MIDI menu sends out note-off
messages and resets controllers on all MIDI channels.
This is sometimes necessary if you experience hanging
notes, constant vibrato, etc.

MIDI Preferences

There are two other options to perform a reset:

MIDI page

• Cubase AI can automatically perform a MIDI reset on
stop.

• Length Adjustment

There are several other options and settings in the Preferences that affect MIDI recording and playback:

Adjusts the length of notes so that there is always a short time between the
end of one note and the start of another (of the same pitch and on the
same MIDI channel). The time is set in ticks. By default there are 120 ticks
per 1/16 note.

You can turn this function on or off in the Preferences (MIDI page).

• Cubase AI can automatically insert a reset event at the
end of a recorded part.

Record–MIDI page

Open the Preferences (MIDI page) and activate the option “Insert Reset
Events after Record”. The inserted Reset event will reset controller data
such as Sustain, Aftertouch, Pitchbend, Modulation, Breath Control, etc.
This is useful if a MIDI part is recorded and e.g. the Sustain pedal is still
held after stopping recording. Usually, this would cause all following parts
to be played with Sustain, as the Pedal Off command was not recorded.
This can be prevented by activating “Insert Reset Events after Record”.

• Snap MIDI Parts to Bars
When this is activated, recorded MIDI parts will automatically be lengthened to start and end at whole bar positions. If you are working in a
Bars+Beats-based context, this can make editing (moving, duplicating,
repeating, etc.) easier.

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Recording

• Solo Record in MIDI Editors
If this is activated and you open a part for editing in a MIDI editor, its track
is automatically record-enabled. Furthermore, Record Enable is deactivated for all other MIDI tracks until you close the editor again.
This makes it easier to record MIDI data when you’re editing a part – you
will always be sure the recorded data ends up in the edited part and not
on any other track.

Section

Description

Channels

If you activate a channel button, no MIDI messages on
that MIDI channel will be recorded or thruput. Already recorded messages will, however, be played back normally.

Controller

Allows you to prevent certain MIDI controller types from
being recorded or thruput.
To filter out a controller type, select it from the list at the
top of the Controller section and click “Add”. It will appear on the list below.
To remove a controller type from the list (allow it to be recorded and thruput), select it in the lower list and click
“Remove”.

• MIDI Record Catch Range in ms
When you record starting at the left locator, this setting helps you make
sure the very start of the recording is included. A very annoying scenario is
when you have recorded a perfect MIDI take, only to find out that the very
first note was not included – because you started playing a little bit too
early! If you raise the Record Catch Range, Cubase AI will catch the events
played just before the recording start point, eliminating this problem.

Options and Settings
Recording-related Transport Preferences

For a description of the other options, click the Help button in the Preferences.

A couple of settings in the Preferences (Transport page)
are relevant for recording. Set these according to your
preferred method of work:

Filtering MIDI

Deactivate Punch In on Stop
If this is activated, punch in on the Transport panel is automatically deactivated whenever you enter Stop mode.
Stop after Automatic Punch Out
If this is activated, playback will automatically stop after
automatic punch out (when the project cursor reaches the
right locator and punch out is activated on the Transport
panel). If the post-roll value on the Transport panel is set
to a value other than zero, playback will continue for the
set time before stopping (see below).

About Pre-roll and Post-roll
Pre-roll value field and on/off switch.

The MIDI–MIDI Filter page in the Preferences allows you
to prevent certain MIDI messages from being recorded
and/or “thruput” (echoed by the MIDI Thru function).

Post-roll value field and on/off switch.

Section

Description

The pre-roll and post-roll value fields (below the left/right
locator fields) on the Transport panel have the following
functionality:

Record

Activating any of these options prevents that type of MIDI
message from being recorded. It can, however, be thruput, and if already recorded, it will play back normally.

• By setting a pre-roll value, you instruct Cubase AI to
“roll back” a short section whenever playback is activated.

Thru

Activating any of these options prevents that type of MIDI
message from being thruput. It can, however, be recorded
and played back normally.

The dialog is divided into four sections:

This applies whenever you start playback, but is perhaps most relevant
when recording from the left locator (punch in activated on the Transport
panel) as described below.

59
Recording

• By setting a post-roll value, you instruct Cubase AI to
play back a short section after automatic punch out before
stopping.

• To activate the precount, click the Precount button on
the Transport panel.
You can also activate the “Precount On” option on the Transport menu
or set up a key command for this.

This is only relevant when punch out is activated on the Transport panel
and “Stop after Automatic Punch Out” is activated in the Preferences
(Transport page).

Click on/off

• To turn pre-roll or post-roll on or off, click the corresponding button on the Transport panel (next to the pre/
post-roll value) or use the “Use Pre-roll” and “Use Postroll” options on the Transport menu.

Precount on/off

Metronome settings
You make settings for the metronome in the Metronome
Setup dialog, opened from the Transport menu.

An example:
1. Set the locators to where you want to start and end recording.
2. Activate Punch in and Punch out on the Transport
panel.
3. Activate the option “Stop after Automatic Punch Out”
in the Preferences (Transport page).
4. Set suitable pre-roll and post-roll times by clicking in
the corresponding fields on the Transport panel and typing in time values.
5. Activate pre-roll and post-roll by clicking the buttons
next to the pre-roll and post-roll times so that they light up.
6. Activate recording.
The project cursor “rolls back” by the time specified in the pre-roll field
and playback starts. When the cursor reaches the left locator, recording
is automatically activated. When the cursor reaches the right locator, recording is deactivated, but playback continues for the time set in the
post-roll field before stopping.

The metronome can use either an audio click played back
via the audio hardware, send MIDI data to a connected
device which will play back the click or do both.

Using the metronome

The following metronome settings can be made in the
dialog:

The metronome can output a click that can be used as a
timing reference. The two parameters that govern the timing of the metronome are tempo and time signature, as set
in the Tempo Track Editor (see “Editing the tempo curve”
on page 223).
You can use the metronome for a click during recording
and/or playback or for a precount (count-in) that will be
heard when you start recording from Stop mode. Click
and precount are activated separately:

Metronome
Options

Description

Metronome in
Record / Play

Allows you to specify whether the metronome should be
heard during playback, recording or both (when Click is
activated on the Transport panel).

Use Count
Base

If this option is activated, a field appears to the right where
you specify the “rhythm” of the metronome. Normally, the
metronome plays one click per beat, but setting this to e.g.
“1/8” gives you eighth notes – two clicks per beat. It is
also possible to create unusual metronome rhythms such
as triplets etc.

• To activate the metronome, click the Click button on the
Transport panel.
You can also activate the “Metronome On” option on the Transport menu
or use the corresponding key command (by default [C]).

60
Recording

Precount
Options

Description

Precount Bars

Sets the number of bars the metronome will count in before it starts recording if precount is activated on the
Transport panel.

Use Time
Signature at
Record Start
Time

When this is activated, the precount will automatically
use the time signature and tempo set at the position
where you start recording.

Use Time
Signature at
Project Time

When this is activated, the precount will be in the time
signature set on the tempo track. Furthermore, any tempo
changes on the tempo track during the precount will be
applied.

Use Signature

This lets you set a time signature for the precount. In this
mode, tempo changes on the tempo track will not affect
the precount.

MIDI Click

Description

Activate MIDI
Click

Selects whether or not the metronome will sound via
MIDI.

MIDI Port/
Channel

This is where you select a MIDI output and channel for the
metronome click. Note that you can select a VST Instrument previously set up in the VST Instruments window
from this menu, allowing you to use a VST Instrument
sound for the Metronome click.

Hi Note/
Velocity

Sets the MIDI note number and velocity value for the
“high note” (the first beat in a bar).

Lo Note/
Velocity

Sets the MIDI note number and velocity for the “low
notes” (the other beats).

Audio Click

Description

Activate
Audio Click

Selects whether or not the metronome will sound via the
audio hardware. You can set the level of the click with the
slider.

When you experience a computer crash during a recording, simply relaunch the system and check the project
record folder (by default this is the Audio subfolder inside
the project folder). It should contain the audio file you
were recording at the time of the crash.
!

This feature does not constitute an “overall” guarantee by Steinberg. While the program itself was improved in such a way that audio recordings can be
recovered after a system failure, it is always possible
that a computer crash, power cut, etc. might have
damaged another component of the computer, making it impossible to save or recover any of the data.

Please do not try to actively bring about this kind of
situation to test this feature. Although the internal
program processes have been improved to cope
with such situations, Steinberg cannot guarantee
that other parts of the computer are not damaged as
a consequence.

Recovery of audio recordings after
system failure
Normally, when a computer crashes, all changes made to
your current project since you last saved it will be lost. Usually, there is no quick and easy way to recover your work.
With Cubase AI, when your system crashes while you are
recording (because of a power cut or other mishap), you
will find that your recording is still available, from the moment when you started recording to the time when your
computer crashed.

61
Recording

6
Fades, crossfades and envelopes

Creating fades

• If the option “Show Event Volume Curves Always” is activated in the Preferences (Event Display–Audio page), the
fade curves will be shown in all events, regardless of
whether they are selected or not.

There are two main types of fade-ins and fade-outs in audio events in Cubase AI: fades created by using the fade
handles (see below) and fades created by processing
(see “Fades created by processing” on page 64).

If the option is deactivated, the fade curves are shown in selected events
only.

• If the option “Thick Fade Lines” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Event Display–Audio page), the fade lines
and volume curve are thicker, increasing their visibility.

Fades created by using the fade handles
Selected audio events have blue handles in the upper left
and right corners. These can be dragged to create a fadein or fade-out respectively.

Fade handles on top of the event and thicker fade and volume lines allow you to edit and view fades even in situations where event volume is
very low.

Creating a fade-in. The fade is automatically reflected in the shape of
the event’s waveform, giving you a visual feedback of the result when
you drag the fade handle.

• When the option “Use Mouse Wheel for Event volume
and Fades” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Editing–Audio page), you can use the mouse wheel to move
the volume curve up or down. When you hold down [Shift]
while moving the mouse wheel, this will change the fade
curves. This is useful in situations where the fade handles
are not visible (e.g. because of a very high zoom factor).

Fades created with the handles are not applied to the audio clip as such but calculated in realtime during playback.
This means that several events referring to the same audio
clip can have different fade curves. It also means that having a huge number of fades may demand a lot of processor
power.

When you position the mouse pointer somewhere in the left half of the
event, the fade in end point is moved. When the mouse pointer is in the
right half of the event, the fade out start point will move.

• If you select multiple events and drag the fade handles
on one of them, the same fade will be applied to all selected events.

Ö You can set up key commands for changing the event
volume curve and any fade curves, if you do not want to
use the mouse for this.

• A fade can be edited in the Fade dialog, as described
on the following pages.
You open the dialog by double-clicking in the area above the fade curve,
or by selecting the event and selecting “Open Fade Editor(s)” from the
Audio menu (note that this will open two dialogs if the event has both
fade-in and fade-out curves).
If you adjust the shape of the fade curve in the Fade dialog, this shape
will be maintained when you later adjust the length of a fade.

You will find these commands in the Key Commands dialog, in the Audio
category, see “Key commands” on page 268.

• You can make the fade longer or shorter at any time, by
dragging the handle.
You can actually do this even without selecting the event first, i.e. without
visible handles. Just move the mouse pointer along the fade curve until
the cursor turns into a bidirectional arrow, then click and drag.

• If the option “Fade Handles always on Top” is activated
in the Preferences dialog (Event Display–Audio page), the
fade handles stay at the top of the event, and vertical help
lines indicate the exact end or start points of fades.
This is useful in situations where you want the event volume to be very
low, as this option allows you to still see the fade handles.
63
Fades, crossfades and envelopes

Creating and adjusting fades with the Range Selection
tool

Removing fades
To remove the fades for an event, select the event and select “Remove Fades” from the Audio menu.
You can also use the Range Selection tool to remove
fades and crossfades within the selected range this way.

“Handle-type” fades can also be created and adjusted
with the Range Selection tool, in the following way:

Fades created by processing

1. Select a section of the audio event with the Range Selection tool.

If you have selected an audio event or a section of an audio event (using the Range Selection tool), you can apply
a fade-in or fade-out to the selection by using the “Fade
In” or “Fade Out” functions on the Process submenu on
the Audio menu. These functions open the corresponding
Fade dialog, allowing you to specify a fade curve.

The result depends on your selection:

• If you select a range from the beginning of the event, a fade-in
will be created within the range.
• If you select a range that reaches the end of an event, a fadeout will be created in the range.
• If you select a range encompassing a middle section of the
event, but not reaching neither the start nor the end, both a
fade-in and a fade-out will be created outside of the selected
range. In other words, the fade-in will cover the area from the
beginning of the event to the beginning of the selected range,
and the fade-out will cover the area from the end of the selected range to the end of the event.

Note that the length of the fade area is determined
by your selection. In other words, you specify the
length of the fade before you enter the Fade dialog.

Also note that you can select multiple events and apply the same processing to all of them simultaneously.

Fades created this way are applied to the audio clip rather
than to the event. Please note the following:

2. Pull down the Audio menu and select “Adjust Fades to
Range”.

• If you later create new events that refer to the same clip, these
will have the same fades.

The fade areas are adjusted according to the selection range.
!

If other events refer to the same audio clip, you will be
asked whether you want the processing to be applied to
these events or not.

You can select multiple audio events on separate
tracks with the Range Selection tool, and apply the
fade to all of them simultaneously.

• Continue will apply the processing to all events that refer to
the audio clip.
• New Version will create a separate, new version of the audio
clip for the selected event.

About the volume handle
A selected audio event also has a blue handle in the top
middle. This is the volume handle, and it provides a quick
way of changing the volume of an event, directly in the
Project window. It is linked directly to the volume setting
on the info line, that is, dragging the volume handle also
changes the value on the info line.

• You can also activate the option “Do not show this message again”. Regardless of whether you then choose “Continue” or “New Version”, any further processing will conform
to the option you select.
You can change this setting at any time in the Preferences (Editing–Audio
page), under “On Processing Shared Clips”.

The volume change is displayed numerically on the info line.
Drag the Volume handle
up or down to change the
volume of the event.

The event waveform reflects the volume change.

64
Fades, crossfades and envelopes

The Fade dialogs

Restore button

The Fade dialogs appear when you edit an existing fade or
use the Fade In/Fade Out functions on the Process submenu on the Audio menu. The picture below shows the
Fade In dialog; the Fade Out dialog has identical settings
and features.

The Restore button (to the right above the fade display) is
only available when editing fades made by dragging the
fade handles. Click this to cancel any changes you have
made since opening the dialog.
As Default button
The “As Default” button is only available when editing
fades made by dragging the fade handles. Click this to
store the current settings as the default fade. This shape
will be used whenever you create new fades.
Fade Length Value
The Fade Length Value is only available when editing fades
made by dragging the fade handles. It can be used to enter
fade lengths numerically. The format of values displayed
here are determined by the Time Display in the Transport
Panel.

• If you open the Fade dialog(s) with several events selected, you can adjust the fade curves for all these events
at the same time.
This is useful if you want to apply the same type of fade-in to more than
one event, etc.

When you activate the “Apply Length” option, the value entered in the Fade Length value field will be used when clicking “Apply” or “OK”. This setting is deactivated by default.

Curve Kind
These buttons determine whether the fade curve should
consist of spline curve segments (left button), damped
spline segments (middle button) or linear segments (right
button).

When you set the current Fade as the Default fade, the
length value is included as part of the default settings.

Fade display

If you have set up a fade in or fade out curve that you may
want to apply to other events or clips, you can store it as a
preset by clicking the Store button.

Presets

The Fade display shows the shape of the fade curve. The
resulting waveform shape is shown in dark gray, with the
current waveform shape in light gray.

• To apply a stored preset, select it from the pop-up menu.
• To rename the selected preset, double-click on the
name and type a new one.

You can click on the curve to add points, and click and
drag existing points to change the shape. To remove a
point from the curve, drag it outside the display.

• To remove a stored preset, select it from the pop-up
menu and click Remove.

Curve shape buttons

These buttons give you quick access to some common
curve shapes.

Stored fade in presets will only appear in the Fade In
dialog, and fade out presets will only appear in the
Fade Out dialog.

65
Fades, crossfades and envelopes

Preview, Apply and Process

• If the events do not overlap but are directly consecutive
(lined up end-to-start, with no gap) it is still possible to
crossfade them – provided that their respective audio
clips overlap! In this case, the two events are resized so
that they overlap, and a crossfade of the default length
and shape is applied.

The buttons in the bottom row are different depending on
whether you are editing a fade made with the fade handles
or applying a fade using processing:

The Edit Fade dialog

The default crossfade length and shape are set in the Crossfade dialog
(see “Default buttons” on page 68).

The Process Fade dialog

An example:

The Edit Fade dialogs have the following buttons:
Button

Function

Applies the set fade curve to the event, and closes the dialog.

Cancel

Closes the dialog.

Apply

Applies the set fade curve to the event, without closing the
dialog.

Audio events

Audio clips

The Process Fade dialogs have the following buttons:
Button

Function

Preview

Plays back the fade area. Playback will repeat until you click
the button again (the button is labeled “Stop” during playback).

Process

Applies the set fade curve to the clip, and closes the dialog.

Cancel

Closes the dialog without applying any fade.

The events themselves do not overlap, but their clips do. Therefore, the
events can be resized so that they overlap, which is required for a crossfade to be created.

When you select the Crossfade function, the two events are resized so that
they overlap, and a default crossfade is created in the overlapping section.

Creating crossfades

• If the events do not overlap, and cannot be resized
enough to overlap, a crossfade cannot be created.

Overlapping audio material on the same track can be crossfaded, for smooth transitions or special effects. You create
a crossfade by selecting two consecutive audio events and
selecting the Crossfade command on the Audio menu (or
by using the corresponding key command, by default [X]).
The result depends on whether the two events overlap or
not:

• Once you have created a crossfade, you can edit it by
selecting one or both crossfaded events, and selecting
“Crossfade” from the Audio menu again (or by doubleclicking in the crossfade zone).

• If the events overlap, a crossfade is created in the overlapping area.

To remove a crossfade, proceed as follows:

This opens the Crossfade dialog, see below.

Removing crossfades
• Select the events and select “Remove Fades” from the
Audio menu.

The crossfade will be of the default shape – initially a linear, symmetric
crossfade, but you can change this as described below.

You can also use the Range Selection tool: drag the Range Selection
tool so that the selection encloses all the fades and crossfades you wish
to remove, and select “Remove Fades” from the Audio menu.

• You can also remove a crossfade by clicking and dragging it outside the track.

Overlapping
section

66
Fades, crossfades and envelopes

The Crossfade dialog

Play buttons
• The “Play Fade Out” and “Play Fade In” buttons allow
you to audition the fade-out or fade-in part only, without
the crossfade.
• The “Play Crossfade” button plays back the whole
crossfade.
You can also use the Transport panel controls to play back
the crossfaded audio events. However, that method will
play back all unmuted audio events on other tracks as well.

Pre-roll and Post-roll

The Crossfade dialog contains separate, but identical,
sections for the fade-in and fade-out curve settings in the
crossfade on the left, and common settings on the right.

When auditioning with the Play buttons, you can choose
to activate pre-roll and/or post-roll. Pre-roll lets you start
playback before the fade area, and post-roll lets you stop
playback after the fade area. This can be useful for auditioning the fade in a context.

Fade Displays
Shows the shape of the fade-out and fade-in curve, respectively. You can click on the curve to add points, and
click and drag existing points to change the shape. To remove a point from the curve, drag it outside the display.

• To specify how long the pre-roll and post-roll should be,
click in the time fields and enter the desired time (in seconds and milliseconds).
• To activate pre-roll and post-roll, click the respective
button. To deactivate it, click the button again.

Curve kind buttons
These buttons determine whether the corresponding fade
curve should consist of spline curve segments (left button), damped spline segments (middle button) or linear
segments (right button).

Length settings
You can adjust the length of the crossfade area numerically in the “Length” field. If possible, the length change
will be applied equally to “both sides” of the crossfade
(i.e. Cubase AI tries to “center” the crossfade).

Curve shape buttons
These buttons give you quick access to some common
curve shapes.

Equal Power and Gain

To be able to resize a crossfade this way, it must be
possible to resize the corresponding event. For example, if the left crossfaded event already plays its
audio clip to the end, its endpoint cannot be moved
any further to the right.

• If you activate the “Equal Gain” checkbox, the fade
curves are adjusted so that the summed fade-in and fadeout amplitudes will be the same all along the crossfade
region. This is often suitable for short crossfades.

Presets

• If you activate the “Equal Power” checkbox, the fade
curves are adjusted, so that the energy (power) of the
crossfade will be constant all along the crossfade region.

If you have set up a crossfade shape that you may want to
apply to other events, you can store it as a preset by clicking the Store button.

• To apply a stored preset, select it from the pop-up menu.

Equal Power curves have only one editable curve
point. You cannot use the Curve kind buttons or the
presets when this mode is selected.

• To rename the selected preset, double-click on the
name and type in a new one.
• To remove a stored preset, select it from the pop-up
menu and click Remove.
67

Fades, crossfades and envelopes

Default buttons

2. Use the checkboxes in the upper right corner to activate or deactivate Auto Fade In, Auto Fade Out and Auto
Crossfades, respectively.

• Clicking the “As Default” button stores all of the current
settings as the default crossfade. These settings will then
be used whenever you create new crossfades.

3. Use the Length value field to specify the length of the
Auto Fade or Crossfade (1–500ms).

• The Crossfade Length setting is included in the Default
settings. However, it is only applied if the events to be
crossfaded do not overlap, otherwise the crossfade will be
in the overlap area (see “Creating crossfades” on page 66).

4. To adjust the shapes of Auto Fade In and Auto Fade
Out, select the “Fades” tab and make settings as in the
regular Fade dialogs.

• Clicking the “Recall Default” button copies the curves
and settings of the Default crossfade to the Crossfade
dialog.

5. To adjust the shape of the Auto Crossfade, select the
“Crossfades” tab and make settings as in the regular
Crossfade dialog.

Auto Fades and Crossfades

6. If you want to use the settings you have made in future
projects, click the “As Default” button.
The next time you create a new project, it will use these settings by default.

Cubase AI features an Auto Fade function that can be set
both globally, i.e. for the entire project, and separately for
each audio track. The idea behind the Auto Fade function
is to create smoother transitions between events by applying short (1–500ms) fade-ins and fade-outs.
!

As mentioned earlier, fades are calculated in realtime
during playback. This means that the larger the number of audio tracks with Auto Fades activated in a
project, the higher the demands on the processor.

Note that auto fades are not indicated by the fade
lines!

7. Click OK to close the dialog.

Making Auto Fade settings for a separate track
By default, all audio tracks will use the settings you have
made in the project’s Auto Fades dialog. However, since
Auto Fades use computing power, a better approach may
be to turn Auto Fades off globally and activate them for individual tracks, as needed:
1. Right-click the track in the Track list and select “Auto
Fades Settings…” from the context menu (or select the
track and click the “Auto Fades Settings” button in the Inspector).

Making global Auto Fade settings

The Auto Fades dialog for the track opens. This is identical to the project’s
Auto Fades dialog, with the addition of a “Use Project Settings” option.

1. To make Auto Fades settings globally for the project,
select “Auto Fades Settings…” from the Project menu.

2. Deactivate the “Use Project Settings” option.
Now, any settings you make will be applied to the track only.

This opens the Auto Fades dialog for the project.

3. Set up the Auto Fades as desired and close the dialog.
Reverting to project settings
If you want a track to use the global Auto Fade settings,
open the Auto Fades dialog for the track and activate the
“Use Project Settings” checkbox.

68
Fades, crossfades and envelopes

7
The mixer

About this chapter

• By clicking the Mixer button in the Devices panel.
You open the Devices panel by selecting Show Panel from the Devices
menu.

What channel types can be shown in the mixer?
The following track-based channel types are shown in the
mixer:
• Audio
• MIDI
• Effect return channels (referred to as FX channels in the
Project window)
• Group channels
• Instrument track channels
The order of audio, MIDI, instrument, group and effect return channel strips (from left to right) in the mixer corresponds to the Project window Track list (from the top
down). If you reorder tracks of these types in the Track list,
this will be mirrored in the mixer.

This chapter contains detailed information about the elements used when mixing audio and MIDI, and the various
ways you can configure the mixer.
Some mixer-related features are not described in this
chapter. These are the following:

In addition to the above, the following channel types are
also shown in the mixer:

• Setting up and using audio effects.
See the chapter “Audio effects” on page 85.

• VST Instrument channels (see the chapter “VST Instruments
and Instrument tracks” on page 99).

• Automation of all mixer parameters.
See the chapter “Automation” on page 108.

The other track types are not shown in the mixer.

• How to mix down several audio tracks (complete with
automation and effects if you wish) to a single audio file.
See the chapter “Export Audio Mixdown” on page 226.

Output busses in the mixer

Overview

Output busses are represented by output channels in the
mixer. They appear in a separate “pane” separated by a
movable divider and with its own horizontal scrollbar, see
“The output channels” on page 74.

The mixer offers a common environment for controlling
levels, pan, solo/mute status etc. for both audio and MIDI
channels.

Configuring the mixer

Opening the mixer

• By clicking the Mixer icon on the toolbar.

The mixer window can be configured in various ways to
suit your needs and to save screen space. Here follows a
run through of the various view options (the following descriptions assume that you have an active project containing some tracks).

• By using a key command (by default [F3]).

The mixer shows the channel faders for the various tracks
of your project. On the right of the fader panel you find the
output channel fader. On the left is the common panel
which allows for global settings affecting all channels.

The mixer can be opened in several ways:
• By selecting Mixer from the Devices menu.

70
The mixer

The common panel

Showing/hiding individual channels
(the “Can Hide” setting)

The common panel appears to the left in the mixer window
and contains settings for changing the look and behavior of
the mixer, as well as global settings for all channels.
Global Mute and
Solo buttons
Global automation Read/
Write buttons

Reset Mixer/
Reset Channels
Channel settings copy/
paste, see “Copying settings between audio
channels” on page 79.
Opens the VST Connections window, see “The
VST Connections window” on page 11.

You can also show/hide individual channels of any type in
the mixer. For this, you can assign channels a “Can Hide”
status, which allows you to hide these channels collectively. Proceed as follows:

Toggle channel strips in the
mixer between “All Targets
Wide” and “All Targets Narrow”.

1. [Alt]/[Option]-click in the top middle section of the
channel strip activate the “Can Hide” option.
The “/” icon is shown if “Can Hide” is activated for a channel strip.

With these indicator buttons you can select which
channel types are shown
in the mixer (see “Selecting what channel types to
show/hide” on page 71)
and/or will be affected by
commands (see “About
the Command Target” on
page 72).

2. Repeat this for all channels you want to hide.
3. Click the button “Hide Channels set to ‘Can Hide’” on
the common panel.

Store/Remove View set
buttons (+/-) and Select
View set pop-up, see
“Channel view sets” on
page 72.

This hides all channels set to “Can Hide”. To show them again, click the
button again or click the “Reveal All Channels” button at the bottom of
the common panel.

Below the “Hide Channels set to ‘Can Hide’” button, there
are three additional buttons.

Selecting what channel types to show/hide
You can specify what channel types to show or hide in the
mixer. In the lower part of the common panel you find a
vertical strip with different indicator buttons. Each indicator represents a channel type to show or hide in the mixer:

“Can Hide” options,
see below

These have the following functionality:

“Command Target” options –
see “About the Command
Target” on page 72.

Option

Description

Set Target Channels
to ‘Can Hide’

This activates “Can Hide” for all Channels you
specified as “Command Targets”, see below.

Remove ‘Can Hide’
This deactivates “Can Hide” for all Channels you
from Target Channels specified as “Command Targets”, see below.
Remove ‘Can Hide’
from All Channels

Audio Channels
Group Channels
MIDI Channels
VST Instrument Channels
FX Channels
Output Channels
Reveal all channels

• To hide or show a channel type, click the corresponding
indicator.
If an indicator is dark, the corresponding channel type will be shown in
the mixer. If it is orange, the corresponding channel type will be hidden.

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The mixer

This deactivates “Can Hide” for all Channels in the
Mixer.

About the Command Target

• To remove a stored channel view set, select it and click
the “Remove View Set” button (the minus sign).

Command targets let you specify which channels should
be affected by the “commands” (basically all the functions
that can be assigned key commands) when working with
the Mixer, e.g. the width setting of the channel strips, etc.
You can set command targets using the Mixer common
panel or the context menu.

Some remote control devices (such as Steinberg’s
Houston) feature this function, which means that you
can use the remote device to switch between the
channel view sets.

Setting the width of channel strips
Each channel strip can be set to either “Wide” or “Narrow”
mode by using the Channel Narrow/Wide button on the left
above the fader strip.

The Command Target Controls on the common panel

The following options are available:
• All Channels – Select this if you want your commands to affect all channels.
• Selected Only – Select this if you want your commands to affect the selected channels only.
• Exclude Outputs – Select this if you do not want your commands to affect the output channels.

The Channel Narrow/Wide button

• Narrow channel strips contain a narrow fader, miniature
buttons, and the View options pop-up.

Channel view sets
Channel view sets are saved configurations of the mixer
window, allowing you to quickly switch between different
layouts for the mixer. Proceed as follows:
1. Set up the mixer the way you wish to store it as a view
set.
The following settings will be stored:

• Settings for individual channel strips (e.g. narrow or wide mode
and whether the channel strip is (or can be) hidden or not).
• The hide/show status for channel types.

Wide and narrow channel strips

• When selecting “All targets narrow” or “All targets
wide” on the common panel, all channel strips selected as
command targets (see “About the Command Target” on
page 72) are affected.

2. Click the “Store View Set” button (the plus sign) at the
bottom of the common panel.
3. A dialog appears, allowing you to enter a name for the
view set.
4. Click OK to store the current mixer view set.
• You can now return to this stored configuration at any
time, by clicking the “Select Channel View Set” button
(the down arrow to the left of the “Store View Set” button)
and selecting it from the pop-up menu.

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The mixer

The audio-related channel strips
Narrow/Wide button
Pan control

The common
panel (see “The
common panel”
on page 71)

The Can Hide State for
the channel
Level fader
Level meter
Edit button (opens
the Channel Settings
window)

Record Enable
and Monitor
buttons

Channel name

Channel automation controls

Opens the control panel for the
VST Instrument

All audio-related channel types (audio, instrument track,
output channels, group, effect return, VST Instrument) basically have the same channel strip layout, with the following differences:

Insert/EQ/Send indicators and bypass
buttons (see below)

• If you click these buttons when lit, the corresponding
EQ or effects section will be bypassed.
Bypass is indicated by yellow buttons. Clicking the button again deactivates bypass.

• Only audio and instrument track channels have a Monitor and
Record Enable button.
• Output channels do not have sends.
• Instrument track and VST Instrument channels have an additional button for opening the instrument’s control panel.
• Output channels have clipping indicators.

The MIDI channel strips
Can Hide State
Channel Narrow/Wide
button

Pan control

Mute and Solo

About the Insert/EQ/Send indicators and bypass buttons

Channel automation
controls

Level (velocity) meter
Edit button

The three indicator buttons in each audio channel strip
have the following functionality:
• If an Insert or Send effect or an EQ module is activated
for a channel, the corresponding button is lit.

Monitor and Record
Enable buttons

The effect indicators will be blue, the EQ indicator will be green.

The MIDI channel strips allow you to control volume and
pan in your MIDI instrument (provided that they are set up to
receive the corresponding MIDI messages). The settings

Level fader
(MIDI volume)

here are also available in the Inspector for MIDI tracks.

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The mixer

The output channels

Basic mixing procedures

The output busses you set up in the VST Connections
window are represented by output channels in the mixer.
They are shown in a separate “pane” (to the right of the
regular channel strips), with its own divider and horizontal
scrollbar. The output channel strip is very similar to other
audio channels.

Setting volume in the mixer
In the mixer, each channel strip has a volume fader.
• For audio channels, the faders control the volume of the
channels before they are routed (directly or via a group)
channel to an output bus.
• An output channel fader determines the master output
level of all audio channels routed to that output bus.

Pan control
Mute and Solo
buttons

Bus volume fader

• MIDI channels handle fader volume changes in the mixer
by sending out MIDI volume messages to the connected instrument(s).

Bus level meter
Read/Write
Automation
Inserts and EQ
indicators and
Bypass buttons

Connected instruments must be set to respond to MIDI messages (such
as MIDI volume in this case) for this to function properly.
Edit button

• The fader settings are displayed numerically below the
faders, in dB for audio channels and in the MIDI volume 0
to 127 value range for MIDI channels.
You can click in the fader value fields and enter a volume setting by typing.

Clipping indicator, see
“Setting input levels”
on page 52.

• To make fine volume adjustments, hold down [Shift]
when you move the faders.
• If you hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on a fader,
it will be reset to its default value, i.e. 0.0dB for audio
channels, or MIDI volume 100 for MIDI channels.

• For information on how to set up input and output busses, see the chapter “VST Connections: Setting up input
and output busses” on page 9.

This reset to default values works for most mixer parameters.

You can use the faders to set up a volume balance between the audio and MIDI channels and perform a manual
mix by moving the faders and other controls while playing
back. By using the Write function (see “Enabling and
disabling the writing of automation data” on page 109),
you can automate the levels and most mixer actions.

• How to route audio channels to busses is described in
the section “The output channels” on page 74.
• The Main Mix (the default output) bus is used for monitoring. For information about Monitoring, see “About monitoring” on page 13.

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The mixer

It is also possible to make static volume settings for
an event on the info line or with the volume handle
(see “About the volume handle” on page 64).

About the level meters for audio channels

MIDI tracks set to the same MIDI channel and output

When playing back audio in Cubase AI, the level meters in
the mixer show the level of each audio channel.

If you have several MIDI tracks set to the same MIDI channel (and routed to the same MIDI output), making volume
and pan settings for one of these MIDI tracks/mixer channels will also affect all other mixer channels set to the
same MIDI channel/output combination.

• Directly below the level meter is a small level readout –
this shows the highest registered level in the signal.
Click this to reset the peak levels.

If the peak level of the audio goes above 0dB, the numerical level indicator will show a positive value (i.e. a value
above 0dB).

Using Solo and Mute

Ö Cubase AI uses 32 bit floating point processing internally, so there is virtually limitless headroom – signals can
go way beyond 0dB without clipping. Having higher levels
than 0dB for individual audio channels is therefore not a
problem in itself. The audio quality will not be degraded by
this.

The Mute and Solo buttons

You can use the Mute and Solo buttons to silence one or
several channels. The following applies:
• The Mute button silences the selected channel.
Clicking the Mute button again unmutes the channel. Several channels
can be muted simultaneously. Muting Group channels can have two different results depending on how the Preferences are set (see “Settings
for group channels” on page 80). A muted channel is indicated by a lit
Mute button and also by the lit Global Mute indicator on the common
panel.

However, when many high level signals are mixed in an output bus, this
may require that you lower the output channel level a lot (see below).
Therefore it is good practice to keep the maximum levels for individual
audio channels roughly around 0dB.

About the level meters for output channels

A muted channel
in the mixer.

For the output channels, things are different. These channels have clipping indicators.
• When you are recording, clipping can occur when the
analog signal is converted to digital in the audio hardware.

• Clicking the Solo button for a channel mutes all other
channels.

It is also possible to get clipping in the signal being recorded to disk. For
more information, see “Setting input levels” on page 52.

A soloed channel is indicated by a lit Solo button, and also by the lit Global Solo indicator on the common panel. Click the Solo button again to
turn off Solo.

• In the output busses, the floating point audio is converted
to the resolution of the audio hardware. In the integer audio
domain, the maximum level is 0dB – higher levels will cause
the clipping indicator for each bus to light up.

• Several channels can be soloed at the same time.
However, if you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click the Solo button for a
channel, any other soloed channels will automatically be un-soloed (i.e.
this Solo mode is exclusive).

If the clipping indicators light up for a bus, this indicates actual clipping –
digital distortion which should always be avoided.
!

A lit Global Mute indicator on the
common panel shows that one or
more channels are muted.

• [Alt]/[Option]-clicking a Solo button activates “Solo Defeat” for that channel.

If the clipping indicator lights up for an output channel, reset the indicator by clicking on it, and lower the
level until the indicator does not light up.

In this mode the channel will not be muted if you solo another channel. To
turn off Solo Defeat, [Alt]/[Option]-click the Solo button again.
[Alt]/[Option]-click a Solo
button…

Level meters for MIDI channels
The level meters for MIDI channels do not show actual volume levels. Instead, they indicate the velocity values of the
notes played back on MIDI tracks.

…to activate Solo Defeat for that channel.

• You can un-mute or un-solo all channels by clicking the
Mute or Solo indicator on the common panel.
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The mixer

Audio-specific procedures

Setting pan in the mixer

This section describes the options and basic procedures
regarding audio channels in the mixer.
The pan control

Using Channel Settings

The pan controls in the mixer are used to position a channel between the left and right side of the stereo spectrum.
By default for stereo audio channels, pan controls the balance between the left and right channels. You can change
this in the Preferences. By selecting one of the other pan
modes (see below), you can set pan independently for the
left and right channel.

For each audio channel strip in the mixer and in the Inspector and Track list for each audio track, there is an Edit button (“e”).
Clicking this opens the VST Audio Channel Settings window. By default, this window contains:
• A section with eight insert effect slots (see “Audio effects” on
page 85).
• Four EQ modules and an associated EQ curve display (see
“Making EQ settings” on page 77).
• A section with eight sends (see “Audio effects” on page 85).
• A duplicate of the mixer channel strip

• To make fine pan adjustments, hold down [Shift] when
you move the pan control.
• To select the (default) center pan position, hold down
[Ctrl]/[Command] and click on the pan control.
• For MIDI channels, the pan control sends out MIDI pan
messages.

You can customize the Channel Settings window, by
showing/hiding the different panels and/or by changing
their order:

The result depends on how your MIDI instrument is set to respond to pan
– check your documentation for details.

• To specify which panels should be shown/hidden, right-click
in the Channel settings window, and activate/deactivate the
respective options on the Customize View submenu on the
context menu.
• To change the order of the panels, select “Setup…” on the
Customize View pop-up menu and use the “Move up” and
“Move Down” buttons.

About the “Stereo Pan Law” setting (audio channels only)
In the Project Setup dialog there is a pop-up menu named
“Stereo Pan Law”, on which you can select one of several
pan modes. This is related to the fact that without power
compensation, the power of the sum of the left and right
side will be higher (louder) if a channel is panned center
than if it is panned left or right.

Ö For further information, see the chapter “Customizing”
on page 261.

To remedy this, the Stereo Pan Law setting allows you to
attenuate signals panned center, by -6, -4.5 or -3dB (default). Selecting the 0dB option effectively turns off constant-power panning. Experiment with the modes to see
which fits best in a given situation. You can also select
“Equal Power” on this pop-up menu, which means that the
power of the signal will remain the same regardless of the
pan setting.

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The mixer

Every channel has its own channel settings window (although you can view each in the same window if you like –
see below).

You can also select a channel manually (thereby changing
what is shown in the open Channel Settings window).
Proceed as follows:
1. Open the Channel Settings window for any channel.

Click the Edit button to open the Channel Settings
window.

2. Open the Choose Edit Channel pop-up menu by
clicking the arrow button to the left of the channel number
at the top of the Fader view.

3. Select a channel from the pop-up to show the settings
for that channel in the open Channel Settings window.
• Alternatively, you can select a channel in the mixer by
clicking its channel strip (make sure not to click on a control as this will change the respective parameter setting
instead).

The Channel Settings window is used for the following
operations:
•
•
•
•

Apply equalization, see “Making EQ settings” on page 77.
Apply send effects, see “Audio effects” on page 85.
Apply insert effects, see “Audio effects” on page 85.
Copy channel settings and apply them to another channel, see
“Copying settings between audio channels” on page 79.
!

This selects the channel, and the Channel Settings window is updated.

• To open several Channel Settings windows at the same
time, press [Alt]/[Option] and click the Edit buttons for the
respective channels.

All channel settings are applied to both sides of a
stereo channel.

Making EQ settings
Each audio channel in Cubase AI has a built-in parametric
equalizer with up to four bands. There are several ways to
view and adjust the EQs:

Changing channels in the Channel Settings window
You can view any channel’s settings from a single window.
If the option “Sync Project and Mixer Selection” is activated in the Preferences (Editing–Project & Mixer page),
this can be done “automatically”:

• By selecting the “Equalizers” tab in the Inspector.

• Open the Channel Settings window for a track and position it so that you can see both the Project window and
the Channel Settings window.

• By using the Channel Settings window.

Selecting a track in the Project window automatically
selects the corresponding channel in the mixer (and vice
versa). If a Channel Settings window is open, this will immediately switch to show the settings for the selected
channel. This allows you to have a single Channel Settings
window open in a convenient position on the screen, and
use it for all your EQ and channel effect settings.

Below we describe how to set up EQ in the Channel Settings window, but the parameters are the same in the mixer.

The “Equalizers” section is similar to the “Equalizers” section in the
Channel Settings window. Setting EQ in the Inspector is only possible
for track-based audio channels.
This offers both parameter sliders and a clickable curve display (the
Equalizer + Curve pane) and also lets you store and recall EQ presets.

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The mixer

The Equalizers + Curve pane in the Channel Settings window consists of four EQ modules with parameter sliders, an
EQ curve display and some additional functions at the top.

Using the curve display
When you activate EQ modules and make settings, you will
see that your settings are automatically reflected in the
curve display above. You can also make settings directly in
the curve (or combine the two methods any way you like):
1. To activate an EQ module, click in the curve display.
This adds a curve point and one of the modules below are activated.

2. Make EQ settings by dragging the curve point in the
display.
This allows you to adjust gain (drag up or down) and frequency (drag left
or right).

3. To set the Q parameter, press [Shift] and drag the
curve point up or down.
You will see the EQ curve become wider or narrower as you drag.

• You can also restrict the editing by pressing [Ctrl]/
[Command] (sets gain only) or [Alt]/[Option] (sets frequency only) while you drag the curve point.
4. To activate another EQ module, click somewhere else
in the display and proceed as above.

Using the parameter controls

5. To turn off an EQ module, double-click its curve point
or drag it outside the display.

1. Activate an EQ module by clicking its on/off button.
Although the modules have different default frequency values and different Q names, they all have the same frequency range (20Hz to 20kHz).
The only difference between the modules is that you can specify different
filter types for each individual module (see below).

6. To mirror (“inverse”) the eq curve on the x axis, click
the button to the right of the curve display.

2. Set the amount of cut or boost with the gain control –
the upper slider.
The range is ± 24dB.

The Inverse Equalizers button

3. Set the desired frequency with the frequency slider.

EQ bypass

This is the center frequency of the frequency range (20Hz to 20kHz) to
be cut or boosted.

Whenever one or several EQ modules are activated for a
channel, the EQ button will light up in green in the mixer
channel strip, Inspector (Equalizer and Channel sections),
Track list and Channel Settings window (top right corner
of the EQ section).

4. Click on the lower slider (to the left) to open the filter
type pop-up menu and select the desired filter type.
The “eq1” and “eq4” bands can act as parametric, shelving or high/lowpass filters, while “eq2” and “eq3” will always be parametric filters.

You can also bypass all EQ modules. This is useful, as it
allows you to compare the sound with and without EQ.
Proceed as follows:

5. Set the Q value with the lower slider (to the right).
This determines the width of the affected frequency range. Higher values
give narrower frequency ranges.

• In the mixer, the Track list and in the Channel section in
the Inspector, click the EQs state button so that it turns
yellow.

6. If needed, you can activate and make settings for up to
four modules.
• Note that you can edit the values numerically as well, by
clicking in a value field and entering the desired gain, frequency or Q value.

To deactivate EQ Bypass, click the button again, so that it turns green
again.

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The mixer

• In the Inspector (Equalizers tab) and in the Channel
Settings window, click the Bypass button (next to the EQ
button) so that it turns yellow.
Click again to deactivate EQ Bypass mode.

EQ bypass in the mixer, the Channel Settings window and the Inspector

EQ reset
The channel overview in the Inspector

On the Presets pop-up menu in the Channel Settings window and in the Inspector, you will find the Reset command.
Select this to turn off all EQ modules and reset all EQ parameters to their default values.

Copying settings between audio channels
It is possible to copy all channel settings for an audio channel and paste them to one or several other channels. This
applies to all audio-based channel types. For example, you
can copy EQ settings from an audio track and apply these
to a group or VST Instrument channel, if you want them to
have the same sound.

Using EQ presets
Some useful basic presets are included with the program.
You can use them as they are, or as a starting point for further “tweaking”.

Proceed as follows:

• To call up a preset, pull down the presets pop-up menu
in the Channel Settings window or in the Inspector and
select one of the available presets.

1. In the mixer, select the channel you want to copy settings from.
2. Click the “Copy First Selected Channel’s Settings”
button on the common panel.

• To store the current EQ settings as a preset, select
“Store Preset” on the presets pop-up menu and enter the
desired name for the preset in the dialog that appears.
• To rename the selected preset, select “Rename Preset”
on the pop-up menu and enter a new name.
• To delete the selected preset, select “Remove Preset”
on the pop-up menu.

3. Select the channel(s) you want to copy the settings to
and click the “Paste Settings to Selected Channels” button
(below the “Copy First Selected Channel Settings” button).

Ö You can also apply EQ (and Inserts) settings from
Track presets, see “Applying Inserts and EQ settings from
track presets” on page 158.

The settings are applied to the selected channel(s).

EQ in the channel overview

You can copy channel settings between different types of
channels, but only those channels will be used for which
corresponding settings are available in the target channel:

If the “Channel” section is selected in the Inspector, you
will get an overview of which EQ modules, insert effects
and sends are activated for the channel.

• For example, since output channels do not have send effects,
copying from them will leave the Sends settings in the target
channel unaffected.

By clicking the respective indicator (1 to 4), you can turn
the corresponding EQ module on or off.

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The mixer

Initialize Channel and Reset Mixer

Settings for group channels

The Initialize Channel button can be found in the lower
part of the Control Strip section in the Channel Settings
window (if this section is not shown in the Channel Settings window, open the context menu and select “Control
Strip” on the Customize View submenu). Initialize Channel
resets the selected channel to the default settings.

The group channel strips are (almost) identical to audio
channel strips in the mixer. The descriptions of the mixer
features earlier in this chapter apply to group channels as
well. Some things to note:

Similarly, the mixer common panel holds a Reset Mixer/
Reset Channels button – when you click this, you will be
asked whether you want to reset all channels or just the
selected channels.

You cannot route a group to itself. Routing is done with the Output Routing pop-up menu in the Inspector (select the subtrack for the Group in
the Track list).

• You can route the output of a group to an output bus or
to another group.

• There are no Input Routing pop-ups, Monitor buttons or
Record Enable buttons for group channels.

The default settings are:

This is because inputs are never connected directly to a group.

• All EQ, Insert and Send effect settings are deactivated and reset.
• Solo/Mute is deactivated.
• The fader is set to 0dB.
• Pan is set to center position.

• Solo functionality is automatically linked for channels
routed to a group and the group channel itself.
This means that if you solo a group channel, all channels routed to the
group are automatically soloed as well. Similarly, soloing a channel
routed to a group will automatically solo the group channel.

• Mute functionality depends on the setting “Group Channels: Mute Sources as well” in the Preferences (VST page).

Using group channels
You can route the outputs from multiple audio channels to
a group. This enables you to control the channel levels using one fader, apply the same effects and equalization to all
of them etc. To create a group channel, proceed as follows:

By default, when you mute a group channel no audio will pass through
the group. However, other channels that are routed directly to that group
channel will remain unmuted. If any of those channels have aux sends
routed to other group channels, FX channels or output busses, those will
still be heard.
If the option “Group Channels: Mute Sources as well” is activated in the
Preferences (VST page), muting a group channel will cause all other
channels directly routed to it to be muted as well. Pressing mute again
will unmute the group channel and all other channels directly routed to it.
Channels that were muted prior to the group channel being muted will
not remember their mute status and will be unmuted when the group
channel is unmuted.

1. Select Add Track from the Project menu and select
“Group Channel” from the submenu that appears.
2. Select the desired channel configuration and click OK.
A group channel track is added to the Track list and a corresponding
group channel strip is added to the mixer. By default the first group channel strip is labeled “Group 1”, but you can rename it just like any channel
in the mixer.

3. Pull down the Output Routing pop-up for a channel
you want to route to the group channel, and select the
group channel.

The output of the audio channel is now redirected to the selected group.

4. Do the same for the other channels you wish to route
to the group.

The option “Group Channels: Mute Sources as well”
does not affect how mute automation is written. Writing mute automation on a group channel only affects
the group channel and not channels routed to it.
When writing the automation, you will see the other
channels being muted when this option is activated.
However, upon playback, only the group channel will
respond to the automation.

One application of group channels is to use them as “effect
racks” – see the chapter “Audio effects” on page 85.

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The mixer

About output busses

• To change the order of the panels, select “Setup” on the Customize View pop-up menu and use the “Move up” and “Move
Down” buttons in the dialog that opens.

Cubase AI uses a system of input and output busses
which are set up using the VST Connections dialog. This
is described in the chapter “VST Connections: Setting up
input and output busses” on page 9.

Every MIDI channel has its own channel settings window.

Output busses let you route audio from the program to the
outputs on your audio hardware.
Viewing the output busses in the mixer
Output busses are shown as output channels in a separate pane to the right in the mixer. You show or hide this
pane by clicking the Hide Output Channels button in the
mixer’s common panel.

Each output channel resembles a regular audio channel
strip. Here you can do the following:
• Adjust master levels for all configured output busses using the
level faders.
• Add effects or EQ to the output channels (see the chapter
“Audio effects” on page 85).

The MIDI Channel Settings window

MIDI-specific procedures
This section describes basic procedures for MIDI channels in the mixer.

Using Channel Settings
For each MIDI channel strip in the mixer (and MIDI track in
the Track list or the Inspector), there is an Edit (“e”) button.
Clicking this opens the MIDI Channel Settings window.
By default, this window contains a duplicate of the mixer
channel strip.
You can customize the Channel Settings window, by
showing/hiding the different panels and/or by changing
their order:
• To specify, which panels should be shown/hidden, right-click
in the Channel settings window, and activate/deactivate the
respective options on the Customize View submenu on the
context menu.

81
The mixer

Utilities

• Any individual channel settings you have made before
linking will remain until you alter the same setting for any of
the linked channels.

Link/Unlink channels

For example, if you link three channels, and one of them was muted at the
time you applied the Link Channel function, this channel will remain muted
after linking. However, if you mute another channel all linked channels will
be muted. Thus, the individual setting for one channel is lost as soon as
you change the same parameter setting for any of the linked channels.

This function is used to “link” selected channels in the
mixer so that any change applied to one channel will be
mirrored by all channels in that group. You can link as
many channels as you like, and you can also create as
many groups of linked channels as you like. To link channels in the mixer, proceed as follows:

• Fader levels will be “ganged”.
The relative level offset between channels will be kept if you move a
linked channel fader.

1. Press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on all the channels
you want to link.
[Shift]-clicking allows you to select a continuous range of channels.

The three channels shown are linked. Pulling down one fader changes
the levels for all three channels, but keeps the relative level mix.

• By pressing [Alt]/[Option], you can make individual settings and changes for channels that are linked.

2. Right-click somewhere on the gray mixer panel.
The Mixer context menu appears.

Ö Linked channels have individual automation tracks.
These are completely independent, and are not affected
by the Link function.

3. Select “Link Channels” from the context menu.
• To unlink channels, select one of the linked channels and
select “Unlink Channels” from the Mixer context menu.
The channels are unlinked. Note that you do not have to select all the
channels that are linked, only one of them.

Ö It is not possible to remove individual channels from
Link status.
To make individual settings to a linked channel, press [Alt]/[Option] when
changing the setting.

What will be linked?
The following rules apply for linked channels:
• Only level, mute, solo, select, monitor and record enable
will be linked between channels.
Effect/EQ/pan/input and output routing settings are not linked.

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The mixer

Saving mixer settings

• Mixer settings will be applied in the same order as they
were in the mixer.

It is possible to save complete mixer settings for all or all
selected audio-related channels in the mixer. These can
later be loaded into any project. Channel settings are saved
as mixer settings files. These have the file extension “.vmx”.

Thus, if you save settings from channels 4, 6 and 8 and apply these settings to channels 1, 2 and 3, the settings saved for channel 4 would be applied to channel 1, the settings saved for channel 6 to channel 2 and so on.

2. Right-click the mixer panel to open the context menu,
and select “Load Selected Channels”.
A standard file dialog appears, where you can locate the saved file.

3. Select the file and click “Open”.
The channel settings are applied to the selected channels.
!

Loading mixer settings does not apply to MIDI channels in the mixer – only audio-related channels (group,
audio, instrument, effect return, VSTi) are saved and
can be loaded with this function!

If you choose to apply mixer settings to fewer channels than you saved, the order of the saved channels
in the mixer applies – i.e. the saved channels that are
“left over” and not applied will be the channels with
the highest channel numbers (or furthest to the right
in the mixer).

Right-clicking somewhere in the mixer panel or in the
Channel Settings window brings up the context menu
where the following Save options can be found:
• “Save Selected Channels” will save all channel settings
for the selected channels.

Loading All Mixer Settings

• “Save All Mixer Settings” saves all channel settings for
all channels.

Selecting “Load All Mixer Settings” from the context menu
allows you to open a saved mixer settings file, and have
the stored settings applied to all channels for which there
is information included in the file. All channels, output settings, VST Instruments, sends and “master” effects will be
affected.

When you select any of the above options, a standard file
dialog opens where you can select a name and storage location on your disk for the file.
!

Saving mixer settings does not apply to MIDI channels in the mixer – only audio-related channels
(group, audio, instrument, effect return, and VSTi)
are saved with this function!

Ö Please note that if the saved mixer settings were for
24 channels, for example, and the mixer you apply it to
currently contains 16 channels, only the settings for channels 1 to 16 will be applied – this function will not automatically add channels.

Loading mixer settings
Loading Selected Channels
To load mixer settings saved for selected channels, proceed as follows:
1. Select the same number of channels in the new project
to match the number of channels you saved settings for in
the previous project.
For example, if you saved settings for six channels, select six channels in
the mixer.

83
The mixer

About the VST Performance window

The VST Performance window is opened from the Devices
menu. The window shows two meter displays: The ASIO
meter, which indicates CPU load, and the Disk meter,
which shows the hard disk transfer rate. It is recommended
that you check this from time to time, or keep it always
open. Even if you have been able to activate a number of
audio channels in the project without getting any warning,
you may run into performance problems when adding EQ
or effects.
• The ASIO meter (at the top) shows the ASIO time usage,
i.e. the time required to complete the current processing
tasks. The more tracks, effects, EQ etc. you use in your
project, the longer processing will take, and the longer the
ASIO meter will show activity.
If the red Overload indicator lights up, you need to decrease the number
of EQ modules, active effects and/or audio channels playing back simultaneously.

• The lower bar graph shows the hard disk transfer load.
If the red overload indicator lights up, the hard disk is not supplying data
fast enough to the computer. You may need to reduce the number of tracks
playing back by using the Disable Track function (see “About track disable/
enable” on page 45). If this does not help, you need a faster hard disk.
Note that the overload indicator may occasionally blink, e.g. when you locate during playback. This does not indicate a problem, but happens because the program needs a moment for all channels to load data for the
new playback position.

Ö The ASIO and Disk load meters can also be shown on
the Transport panel (as “Performance”) and on the Project
window toolbar (as “Performance Meter”).
There they are shown as two miniature vertical meters (by default at the
left side of the panel/toolbar).

84
The mixer

8
Audio effects

About this chapter

VST Preset management

Overview

From a user perspective, the main difference between
VST 2 and VST 3 is in the effect preset management. The
“.fxp/.fxb” files used in VST 2 have been replaced by
VST 3 Presets (extension “.vstpreset”). Using the preset
management features, you can assign various attributes to
your effect presets to help you quickly find the right patch.
You can also preview effect presets before you load them.
A large number of presets for effects are included with the
program. If you have any previous VST plug-ins installed
on your computer, you can still use them, and you can also
convert their programs to VST 3 presets, see “Effect presets” on page 94.

There are two ways to use audio effects in Cubase AI:

Smart plug-in processing

• As insert effects.

Another feature of the VST3 standard is “smart” plug-in
processing. Previously, any loaded plug-in was processing
continuously, regardless of whether a signal was present or
not. In VST3, processing by a plug-in can be disengaged if
there is no signal present. This can greatly reduce the CPU
load, thus allowing for more effects to be used.

Cubase AI comes with a number of effect plug-ins included. This chapter contains general details about how to
assign, use and organize effect plug-ins. The effects and
their parameters are described in the separate manual
“Plug-in Reference”.
!

This chapter describes audio effects, i.e. effects that
are used to process audio, group, and VST Instrument
channels.

An insert effect is inserted into the signal chain of an audio channel, which
means that the whole channel signal passes through the effect. This makes
inserts suitable for effects for which you do not need to mix dry and wet
sound, e.g. distortion, filters or other effects that change the tonal or dynamic characteristics of the sound. You can have up to eight different insert effects per channel (and the same is true for output busses – for
recording with “master effects”).

This is achieved by activating the option “Suspend VST3
plug-in processing when no audio signals are received” in
the Preferences dialog (VST–Plug-ins page).

• As send effects.
Each audio channel has eight sends, each of which can be freely routed
to an effect (or to a chain of effects). Send effects are practical for two
reasons: you can control the balance between the dry (direct) and wet
(processed) sound individually for each channel using the sends, and
several different audio channels can use the same send effect. In Cubase AI, send effects are handled by means of FX channel tracks.

When this is activated, VST 3 plug-ins will not consume
CPU power on silent passages, i.e. when no audio data
runs through them.
Be aware, however, that this can lead to a situation where
you added more plug-ins on “transport stop” than the system can handle on playback. Therefore, you should always
find the passage with the largest number of events playing
simultaneously to make sure that your system offers the required performance.

About VST 3
The new VST 3 plug-in standard offers many improvements over the previous VST 2 standard, yet retains full
backwards compatibility, i.e. you will still be able to use
your previous VST effects and presets.

Ö Activating this option can increase your system performance a lot in certain projects, but it also makes it more
unpredictable whether the project can play back fine on
any timecode position of the project.

In the program, effects compatible with previous VST versions will be easily recognized:
An effect compatible
with a previous VST
version

A VST 3 effect

86
Audio effects

Insert effects

About plug-in delay compensation
A plug-in effect may have some inherent delay or latency.
This means that it takes a brief time for the plug-in to process the audio fed into it – as a result, the output audio
will be slightly delayed. This especially applies to dynamics processors featuring “look-ahead” functionality.

Background
As the name implies, insert effects are inserted into the
audio signal path – this means that the audio channel data
will be routed through the effect. You can add up to eight
different insert effects independently for each audio-related channel (audio track, group channel track, FX channel track or VST Instrument channel) or output bus. The
signal passes through the effects in series from the top
downwards, with the signal path shown below:

Cubase AI provides full plug-in delay compensation
throughout the entire audio path. All plug-in delays are
compensated for, maintaining the sync and timing of all
audio channels.
Normally, you do not have to make any settings for this.
However, VST3 dynamics plug-ins with look-ahead functionality have a “Live” button, allowing you to disengage
the look-ahead to minimize latency, if they are to be used
during realtime recording (see the separate manual “Plugin Reference”).

Input gain
Insert effect 1
Insert effect 2
Insert effect 3

You can also constrain the delay compensation, which is
useful to avoid latency when recording audio or playing a
VST Instrument in real time, see “Constrain Delay Compensation” on page 106.

Insert effect 4
Insert effect 5
Insert effect 6

About tempo sync

Plug-ins can receive timing and tempo information from the
host application (in this case, Cubase AI). Typically, this is
used to synchronize certain plug-in parameters (such as
modulation rates or delay times) to the project tempo.

Volume (fader)
Insert effect 7
Insert effect 8

• This information is automatically provided to any VST
plug-in (2.0 or later) that “requests it”.

As you can see, the last two insert slots (for any channel)
are post-EQ and post-fader. Post-fader slots are best
suited for insert effects where you do not want the level to
be changed after the effect, such as dithering (see “Dithering” on page 89) and maximizers – both typically used as
insert effects for output busses.

You do not have to make any special settings for this.

• You set up tempo sync by specifying a base note value.
You can use straight, triplet or dotted note values (1/1 to 1/32).

Please refer to the separate manual “Plug-in Reference”
for details about the included effects.

Ö Applying several effects on several channels may be
too much for your CPU to handle!
If you want to use the same effect with the same settings on several
channels, it may be more efficient to set up a group channel and to apply
your effect only once, as a single insert for this group. You can use the
VST Performance window to keep an eye on the CPU load.

87
Audio effects

Routing an audio channel or bus through
insert effects

Deactivating vs. bypassing
If you want to listen to the track without having it processed by a particular effect, but do not want to remove
this effect completely from the insert slot, you can either
deactivate or bypass it.

Insert effect settings are available in the Channel Settings
window and the Inspector. The examples below show the
Channel Settings window, but the procedures are the
same for all the inserts sections:

Deactivating means to terminate all processing, whereas
bypassing means to play back only the unprocessed original signal – a bypassed effect is still processing in the
background. Bypassing allows for crackle-free comparison
of the original (“dry”) and the processed (“wet”) signal.

1. Bring up the Channel Settings window.
By default, the inserts are located to the far left.

2. Pull down the effect type pop-up for one of the insert
slots, and select an effect.

• To deactivate an effect, click the blue button on the left
above the insert slot.
• To bypass an effect, click its Bypass button (the middle
button above the insert slot).
When an effect is bypassed, this button is yellow.
This effect is activated, and its control
panel is open.

The effect is loaded and automatically activated and its control panel opens. You can open or close the control panel
for an effect by clicking the “e” button for the insert slot.

This insert effect is bypassed.

• If the effect has a dry/wet Mix parameter, you can use
this to adjust the balance between the dry signal and the
effect signal.

• To bypass all inserts for a track, click the global bypass
button.

See “Editing effects” on page 94 for details about editing effects.

This button can be found at the top of the Inserts section in the Inspector
or the Channel Settings window. It lights up in yellow to indicate that the
inserts of this track are bypassed. In the Track list and the channel strip in
the mixer, the Inserts State button will also light up in yellow.

• To remove an effect, pull down the effect type pop-up
menu and select “No Effect”.
You should do this for all effects that you do not intend to use, to reduce
the CPU load.

• You can add up to 8 insert effects per channel this way.
• You can reorder the effects by clicking in the area above
the name field and dragging the effect onto another slot.
• You can copy an effect into another effect slot (for the
same channel or between channels) by holding down [Ctrl]/
[Command] and dragging it onto another effect slot.

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Audio effects

Insert effects in the channel overview

Dithering

If the “Channel” section is selected in the Inspector, you will
get an overview of which insert effects, EQ modules and effect sends are activated for the channel.

Dithering is a method for controlling the noise produced
by quantization errors in digital recordings. The theory behind this is that during low level passages, only a few bits
are used to represent the signal, which leads to quantization errors and hence distortion.

You can activate or deactivate individual insert effect slots
by clicking the corresponding number (in the top part of
the overview).

For example, when “truncating bits”, as a result of moving
from 24 to 16 bit resolution, quantization errors are added
to an otherwise immaculate recording. By adding a special kind of noise at an extremely low level, the effect of
these errors is minimized. The added noise could be perceived as a very low-level hiss under exacting listening
conditions. However, this is hardly noticeable and much
preferred to the distortion that otherwise occurs.

The blue color of inserts 1 and 2 and the
blue Inserts State button in the channel strip
indicate that this track has active inserts.

Ö Note that there is no Dithering plug-in included with
Cubase AI. To use this function, you have to have a dithering plug-in installed on your computer.
When should I use dithering?
• Consider dithering when you mix down to a lower resolution, either in realtime (during playback) or with the Export Audio Mixdown function.

The channel overview in the Inspector

Adding insert effects to output busses

A typical example is when you mix down a project to a 16-bit stereo audio file for audio CD burning.

All output busses have eight insert slots, just like regular
audio channels. The procedures for adding insert effects
are the same.

What is a “lower resolution” then? Well, Cubase AI uses
32-bit float resolution internally, which means that all integer resolutions (16 bit, 24 bit, etc.) are lower. The negative
effects of truncation (no dithering) are most noticeable
when mixing down to 8 bit, 16 bit and 20 bit format;
whether to dither when mixing down to 24 bits is a matter
of taste.

• Insert effects added to an output bus will affect all audio
routed to that bus, like a “master insert effect”.
Typically you would add compressors, limiters, EQ or other plug-ins to
tailor the dynamics and sound of the final mix. Dithering is a special case,
as described below.

Ö Please note that the output busses only appear as
tracks in the Track list, when their automation W(rite) buttons have been activated once. Therefore you can only
use the Inspector section to make Inserts settings for the
busses if you have activated Write automation for the respective bus beforehand.

Applying dithering
1. Open the VST Output Channel Settings window by
clicking the “e” button for the Output channel in the mixer.
2. Open the Inserts pop-up menu for slot 7 or 8.
The two last Insert effect slots (for all channels) are post-fader, which is
crucial for a dithering plug-in. The reason is that any master gain change
applied after dithering would bring the signal back to the internal 32 bit
float domain, rendering the dithering settings useless.

However, you can always make Inserts settings in the Channel Settings
window.

3. Select a dithering plug-in from the pop-up menu.

89
Audio effects

4. Make sure the plug-in is set to dither to the correct
resolution.

Send effects

This would be the resolution of your audio hardware (on playback) or the
desired resolution for the mixdown file you want to create (as set in the
Export Audio Mixdown dialog, see the chapter “Export Audio Mixdown”
on page 226).

Background
As their name implies, send effects are outside of an audio
channel’s signal path, i.e. the audio data to be processed
must be sent to the effect (as opposed to insert effects,
which are inserted into the channel’s signal path).

5. Use the other parameters in the control panel to set up
the dithering to your liking.

To this end, Cubase AI provides FX channel tracks. When
you have created such a track, it is added to the Track list
and can be selected as a routing target in the Send slots
of audio channels.

Using group channels for insert effects
Like all other channels, group channels can have up to
eight insert effects. This is useful if you have several audio
tracks that you want to process through the same effect
(e.g. different vocal tracks that all should be processed by
the same compressor).

• When selecting an FX channel track in one of the send
slots of an audio channel, the audio is sent to the FX channel and through any insert effects set up for it.
Each audio channel has eight sends, which can be routed to different FX
channels, and thus different FX channel insert effect configurations. You
control the amount of signal sent to the FX channel by adjusting the effect
send level.

Another special use for group channels and effects is the
following:
If you have a mono audio track and want to process this
through a stereo insert effect (e.g. a stereo chorus or an
auto panner device), you cannot just insert the effect as
usual. This is because the audio track is in mono – the
output of the insert effect will be in mono as well, and the
stereo information from the effect will be lost.

• If you have added several effects to the FX channel, the
signal passes through the effects in series, from the top
(the first slot) downward.
This allows for “custom” send effect configurations – e.g. a chorus followed by a reverb followed by an EQ and so on.

One solution would be to route a send from the mono track
to a stereo FX channel track, set the send to pre-fader
mode and lower the fader completely for the mono audio
track. However, this makes mixing the track cumbersome,
since you cannot use the fader.

• The FX channel track has its own channel strip in the
mixer, the effect return channel.
Here you can adjust the effect return level and balance, add EQ and
route the effect return to any output bus.

• Each FX channel track can have an automation track, for
automating various effect parameters.

Here’s another solution:

See the chapter “Automation” on page 108 for more information.

1. Create a group channel track in stereo and route it to
the desired output bus.
2. Add the desired effect to the group channel as an insert effect.
3. Route the mono audio track to the group channel.
Now the signal from the mono audio track is sent directly
to the group, where it passes through the insert effect, in
stereo.

90
Audio effects

Setting up send effects

Adding and setting up effects

Adding an FX channel track

As mentioned above, you can add a single insert effect
when you create the FX channel track. To add and set up
effects after the FX channel track is created, you can either use the Inspector for the track (click the Inserts tab)
or the VST FX Channel Settings window:

1. Pull down the Project menu and select “FX Channel”
from the “Add Track” submenu.
A dialog appears.

1. Click the Edit (“e”) button for the FX channel track (in
the Track list, mixer or Inspector).
The VST FX Channel Settings window appears, similar to a regular
Channel Settings window.

2. Select a channel configuration for the FX channel track.
Normally, stereo is a good choice since most effect plug-ins have stereo
outputs.

3. Select an effect for the FX channel track.
This is not strictly necessary at this point – you can also leave the plug-in
pop-up menu set to “No Effect” and add effects to the FX channel later.

4. Click OK.
An FX channel track is added to the Track list, and the selected effect, if
any, is loaded into the first insert effect slot for the FX channel (in that
case, the lit Inserts tab for the FX channel track in the Inspector indicates
that an effect has been assigned and automatically activated).

On the left in the window you can find the Inserts section with eight effect slots.

• All FX channel tracks you create will appear in a dedicated “folder” track in the Track list.

2. Make sure the FX channel is routed to the correct output bus.

This makes it easy to manage and keep track of all your FX channel
tracks, and also allows you to save screen space by folding in the FX
Channel folder.

This is done with the Output Routing pop-up menu at the top of the fader
section (also available in the Inspector).

3. To add an insert effect in an empty slot (or to replace
the current effect in a slot), click in the slot and select an
effect from the pop-up menu.
This works just like when selecting insert effects for a regular audio
channel.

4. When you add an effect, its control panel will automatically appear. When you set up send effects, you would
normally set the wet/dry Mix control to all “wet”.

FX channel tracks are automatically named “FX 1”, “FX 2” etc., but you
can rename them if you wish. Just double-click the name of an FX channel track in either the Track list or the Inspector and type in a new name.

This is because you control the balance between the wet and the dry signal with the effect sends. For more information, see “Editing effects” on
page 94.

• You can add up to eight effects for an FX channel.
The signal will pass through all the effects in series. It is not possible to
adjust the send and return levels separately for the effects – this is done
for the FX channel as a whole. If what you want is several separate send
effects (where you can control the send and return levels independently),
you should instead add more FX channel tracks – one for each effect.

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Audio effects

• You can reorder the effects by clicking in the area above
the name field and dragging the effect onto another slot.

2. Pull down the Routing pop-up menu for a send by
clicking in the empty slot, and select the desired routing
destination.

• You can copy an effect into another effect slot (for the
same channel or between channels) by holding down [Ctrl]/
[Command] and dragging it onto another effect slot.
• To remove an insert effect from a slot, click in the slot
and select “No Effect” from the pop-up menu.
You should do this for all effects that you do not intend to use, to reduce
the CPU load.

• You can bypass individual effects (or all effects) by
clicking the corresponding Bypass button(s) for the FX
channel track.

• If the first item on this menu (“No Bus”) is selected, the send is
not routed anywhere.
• Items called “FX 1”, “FX 2” etc. correspond to existing FX
tracks. If you renamed an FX track (see “Adding an FX channel
track” on page 91), that name will appear on this menu instead
of the default.
• The menu also allows for routing a send directly to output busses, separate output bus channels or Group channels.

See “Routing an audio channel or bus through insert effects” on page 88.

• You can also adjust level, pan and EQ for the effect return in the FX Channel Settings window.
This can also be done in the mixer or in the Inspector.

Ö Remember that the more effect units you use, the
higher the CPU load.

3. Select an FX channel track from the pop-up menu.

Making settings for the sends

Now the send is routed to the FX channel.

The next step is to set up a send for an audio channel and
route it to the FX channel. This can be done in the Channel Settings window or in the Inspector for the audio track.
The example below shows the Channel Settings window,
but the procedure is similar for all the sections:

4. Click the power button for the effect send so that it
lights up in blue.
This activates the send.

1. Click the “e” button for an audio channel to bring up its
Channel Settings window.
By default, the send section is located to the left of the
channel strip. Each of the eight sends has the following
controls:
•
•
•
•

5. Click and drag the send level slider to a moderate
value.
The send level determines how much of the signal from the audio channel is routed to the FX channel via the send.

An On/Off button for activating/deactivating the effect
A send level slider
A pre/post-fader switch
An “e” (edit) button

Note that the last three items are not shown until the send
is activated and an effect has been loaded.

Setting the Send level.

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Audio effects

• In the mixer, you can use the level fader for the FX channel to set the effect return level.

Ö You can choose whether a send in pre-fader mode
should be affected by the channel’s Mute button or not.

By adjusting the return level, you control the amount of the signal sent
from the FX channel to the output bus.

This is done with the option “Mute Pre-Send when Mute” in the Preferences dialog (VST page).

• When one or several sends are activated for a channel,
the Send Effects buttons light up in blue.
Bypassing the sends
• In the mixer, you can click on the lit (blue) Sends State
button for a channel to bypass (disable) all its sends.
When the sends are bypassed, the button is yellow. Click the button again
to enable the sends.

Setting the effect return level.

• In the Inspector and the Channel Settings window, click
the button to the left of the Sends button (so that it lights
up yellow) to bypass the sends.

6. If you want the signal to be sent to the FX channel before the audio channel’s volume fader in the mixer, click on
the Pre-Fader button for the send so that it lights up.

• You can also bypass individual sends in the channel
overview.
See “Insert effects in the channel overview” on page 89.

• You can also bypass the send effects by clicking the
“Bypass Inserts” button for the FX channel.

A send set to pre-fader mode.

This bypasses the actual effects which may be used by several different
channels. Bypassing a send affects that send and that channel only. If
you bypass the insert effects, the original sound will be passed through.
This may lead to unwanted side effects (higher volume). To deactivate all
effects, use the mute button in the FX channel.

Normally you want the effect send to be proportional to
the channel volume (post-fader send). The picture below
shows where the sends are “tapped” from the signal in
pre and post-fader mode:
Input gain

FX channels and the Solo Defeat function

Volume (fader)

When mixing, you might sometimes want to solo specific
audio channels, and listen only to these while other channels are muted. However, this will mute all FX channels as
well. If the soloed audio channels have sends routed to FX
channels, this means you will not hear the send effects for
the channels.

Insert effects 7–8

To remedy this, you can use the Solo Defeat function for
the FX channel:

Insert effects 1–6
EQ
Pre-fader sends

Post-fader sends

1. [Alt]/[Option]-click the Solo button for the FX channel.
This activates the Solo Defeat function for the FX channel. In this mode,
the FX channel will not be muted if you solo another channel in the mixer.

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Audio effects

Effect presets

2. You can now solo any of the audio channels without
having the effect return (the FX channel) muted.

Effect preset management in Cubase AI is very versatile.
In the Save Preset dialog you can assign attributes to presets which allow you to organize and browse them according to various criteria. Cubase AI comes with
categorized track and VST presets that you can use
straight out of the box. You can also preview effect presets before loading them which considerably speeds up
the process of finding the right effect preset.

• To turn off the Solo Defeat function for the FX channel,
[Alt]/[Option]-click the Solo button for the FX channel
again.

Editing effects
All inserts and sends have an Edit (“e”) button. Clicking
this opens the control panel for the effect, in which you
can make parameter settings.

Selecting effect presets

The contents, design and layout of the control panel depends on the selected effect. However, all effect control
panels have an On/Off button, a Bypass button, Read/
Write automation buttons (for automating effect parameter changes, see the chapter “Automation” on page 108),
a preset pop-up menu and a Preset Management pop-up
menu for saving and loading effect presets.

Most VST effect plug-ins come with a number of useful
presets for instant selection.
To select an effect preset in the Presets browser, proceed
as follows:
1. Load an effect, either as a channel insert or into an FX
channel.
The control panel for the effect is displayed.

2. Click in the preset field at the top of the control panel.
This opens the Presets browser.

The Rotary effect control panel

• Please note that all effects can be edited using a simplified control panel (horizontal sliders only, no graphics). This
panel is opened by pressing [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Alt]/[Option]-[Shift] and clicking on the Edit button for the effect
send or slot.
Effect control panels may have any combination of knobs,
sliders, buttons and graphic curves.
Ö The included effects and their parameters are described in detail in the separate manual “Plug-in Reference”.

• You can also open the Presets browser from the Inspector (Inserts tab) or the Channel Settings window.

• If you edit the parameters for an effect, these settings
are saved automatically with the project.

3. Select the desired preset in the list.
4. Activate playback to audition the selected preset.

• You can also save the current settings as a preset, see
below.

Simply step through the presets until you found the right sound. It may be
helpful to set up cycle playback of a section to make comparisons between different preset settings easier.

• Effects parameters can be automated – see the chapter
“Automation” on page 108.

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Audio effects

2. Select “Save Preset…” from the pop-up menu.

5. Double-click on the desired preset (or click outside
the Presets browser) to apply the preset.

This opens a dialog where you can save the current settings as a preset.

• To return to the preset that was selected when you
opened the Presets browser, click the Reset button.
• You can also open the Presets browser by clicking the
button to the right of the preset field an selecting “Load
Preset” from the Preset Management pop-up menu.
• The preset handling for VST 2 plug-ins is slightly different, see “About earlier VST effect presets” on page 96.
The Browser sections
The Presets browser contains the following sections:
• The “Search & Viewer” section (displayed by default)
lists the available presets for the selected effect.

3. In the File name field in the lower part of the Save Preset dialog, enter a name for the new preset.

• The Filter section (displayed when you click the Categories button) shows the available preset attributes for the
selected effect.

• If you wish to assign attributes to the preset, click the
Tag Editor button.

If no attributes have been specified for the effect presets, the columns
will be empty. If attributes have been assigned to a preset for this effect,
you can click on the attribute in the respective column (Category, Style
etc.), to filter out all presets that do not match the selected attribute(s).

Click in the Value column to select an appropriate “tag” for one or several of the available categories in the Attributes column.

4. Click OK to store the preset and exit the dialog.
User-defined presets are saved in the following location:

• If you also activate the “Show Location” button, the
Browser & Filter section is displayed, allowing you to
specify the Presets folder that should be searched for
preset files.

• Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\\Application data\VST3 presets\\
• Windows Vista: \Users\\AppData\Roaming\
VST3 presets\\
• Mac: /Users//Library/Audio/Presets//

Saving effect presets
You can save your edited effect settings as presets for
further use (e.g. in other projects):

You cannot change the default folder, but you can add further subfolders inside the individual effect preset folders.

1. Open the Preset Management pop-up menu.

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Audio effects

Installing and managing effect
plug-ins

About earlier VST effect presets
As stated previously, you can use any VST 2.x plug-ins in
Cubase AI. For a description of how to add VST plug-ins,
see “Installing and managing effect plug-ins” on page 96.

Cubase AI supports two plug-in formats; the VST 2 format
(with the file name extensions “.dll” on the PC and “.VST”
on the Mac) and the VST 3 format (extension “.vst3” on
both platforms). The formats are handled differently when
it comes to installation and organizing.

When you add a VST 2 plug-in, any previously stored presets for it will be in the old FX program/bank format (.fxp/
.fxb). You can import such files, but the preset handling will
be slightly different. You will not be able to use the new features until you have converted the old “.fxp/.fxb” presets to
VST 3 presets. If you save new presets for the included
VST 2 plug-ins, these will automatically be saved in the new
“.vstpreset” format.
!

Installing additional VST plug-ins
Installing VST 3 plug-ins under Mac OS X
To install a VST 3.x plug-in under Mac OS X, quit Cubase
AI and drag the plug-in file into one of the following folders:

All VST 2 presets can be converted to VST 3 presets.

• /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/
Importing and converting FXB/FXP files

This is only possible if you are the system administrator. Plug-ins installed in this folder will be available to all users, for all programs that
support them.

To import .fxp/.fxb files, proceed as follows:
1. Load any VST 2 effect you may have installed, and
open the Preset Management pop-up menu.

• /Users//Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/
“” is the name you use to log on to the computer (the easiest way to open this folder is to go to your “Home” folder and use the
path /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ from there). Plug-ins installed in this
folder are only available to you.

When you launch Cubase AI again, the new effects will appear on the effect pop-up menus. In the VST 3 protocol, the
effect category, sub-folder structure etc. are built-in and
cannot be changed. The effect(s) will simply show up in the
assigned category folder(s) on the Effect pop-up menu.

2. Select “Import FXB/FXP…” from the pop-up.
This menu item is only available for VST 2 plug-ins.

Installing VST 2.x plug-ins under Mac OS X

3. In the file dialog that opens, locate the .fxp file and
click Open.

To install a VST 2.x plug-in under Mac OS X, quit Cubase
AI and drag the plug-in file to one of the following folders:

If you load a bank (.fxb), it will replace the current set of all effect programs. If you load a single program, it will replace the currently selected
effect program only. Note that such files exist only if you created your
own .fxp/.fxb presets with a previous version of Cubase AI (or any other
VST 2 application).

• /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/
This is only possible if you are the system administrator. Plug-ins installed in this folder will be available to all users, for all programs that
support them.

4. After importing, you can convert the current program
list to VST presets by selecting “Convert Program List to
VST Presets” from the Preset Management pop-up.

• /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/
“” is the name you use to log on to the computer (the easiest way to open this folder is to go to your “Home” folder and use the
path /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/ from there). Plug-ins installed in this
folder are only available to you.

After converting, the presets will be available in the Presets browser. The
new converted presets will be stored in the VST3 Preset folder.

When you launch Cubase AI again, the new effects will
appear on the effect pop-up menus.

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Audio effects

Ö If an effect plug-in comes with its own installation application, you should use this.

The Plug-in Information window
On the Devices menu, you will find an item called “Plug-in
Information”. Selecting this opens a dialog listing all the
available VST compatible plug-ins in your system (including VST Instruments).

As a general rule, always read the documentation or readme files before
installing new plug-ins.

Installing VST 3 plug-ins under Windows
Under Windows, VST 3 plug-ins are installed by dragging
the files (with the extension “.vst3”) into the vst3 folder in
the Cubase AI application folder. When you launch Cubase
AI again, the new effects will appear on the Effect pop-up
menus. In the VST 3 protocol, the effect category, subfolder structure etc. are built-in and cannot be changed.
The installed new effect(s) will simply show up in the assigned category folder(s) on the effect pop-up menu.
Installing VST 2 plug-ins under Windows
Under Windows, VST 2.x plug-ins are installed by dragging
the files (with the extension “.dll”) into the Vstplugins folder
in the Cubase AI application folder, or into the Shared VST
Plug-in folder – see below. When you launch Cubase AI
again, the new effects will appear on the effect pop-up
menus.

Managing and selecting VST plug-ins
To display all available VST plug-ins, open the “VST
PlugIns” tab.
• To enable a plug-in (make it available for selection), put
a check mark in the left column.

Ö If an effect plug-in comes with its own installation application, you should use this.

Only the enabled plug-ins will appear on the effect menus.

As a general rule, always read the documentation before installing new
plug-ins.

• The Instances column indicates how many instances of
the plug-in are currently used in Cubase AI.

Organizing VST 2 plug-ins

Clicking in this column for a plug-in which is already in use produces a
pop-up showing exactly where each use occurs.

If you have a large number of VST 2 plug-ins, having them
all on a single pop-up menu in the program may become
unmanageable. For this reason, the VST 2 plug-ins installed with Cubase AI are placed in appropriate subfolders according to the effect type.

Ö A plug-in may be in use even if it is not enabled in the
left column.
You might for example have opened a project containing effects that are
currently disabled on the menu. The left column only determines whether
or not the plug-in will be visible on the effect menus.

• Under Windows, you can organize VST plug-ins by moving, adding or renaming subfolders within the Vstplugins
folder.

• All columns can be resized by dragging the divider in
the column header.

When you launch the program and pull down an effects pop-up menu,
the subfolders will be represented by hierarchical submenus, each listing
the plug-ins in the corresponding subfolder.

The other columns show the following information about
each plug-in:

• Under Mac OS X, you cannot change the hierarchic arrangement of the “built-in” VST plug-ins.

Name

The name of the plug-in.

Vendor

The manufacturer of the plug-in.

File

This shows the complete name of the plug-in (with extension).

Category

This indicates the category of each plug-in (such as VST Instruments, etc.).

Version

Shows the version of the plug-in.

Column

However, you can arrange any additional plug-ins you have installed (in the
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/ folders, see above) by placing them in subfolders. In the program, the subfolders will be represented by hierarchical
submenus, each listing the plug-ins in the corresponding subfolder.

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Audio effects

Description

Column

Description

SDK

Shows with which version of the VST protocol a plug-in is
compatible.

Latency

This shows the delay (in samples) that will be introduced if the
effect is used as an Insert. This is automatically compensated
for by Cubase AI.

I/O

This column shows the number of inputs and outputs for each
plug-in.

Path

The path and name of the folder in which the plug-in file is
located.

Update button
Clicking this button will make Cubase AI re-scan the designated VST folders for updated plug-in information.
VST 2.x Plug-in Paths button
This opens a dialog where you can see the current paths
to where VST 2.x plug-ins are located. You can add/remove folder locations by using the corresponding buttons.
If you click “Add”, a file dialog is opened, where you can
select a folder location.
About the “shared” plug-ins folder (Windows and VST
2.x only)
You can designate a “shared” VST 2.x plug-ins folder.
This will allow VST 2.x plug-ins to be used by other programs that support this standard.
You designate a shared folder by selecting a folder in the
list and clicking the “Set As Shared Folder” button in the
VST 2.x Plug-in Paths dialog.
Exporting plug-in information files
You can also save plug-in information as an .xml file, e.g.
for archiving purposes or troubleshooting. The Export function is available for VST, MIDI and Audio Codec plug-ins.
Proceed as follows:
1. Right-click on the desired tab in the Plug-in Information
window to open the context menu and select “Export”.
A file dialog opens.

2. In the dialog, specify a name and location for the Plugin Information export file and click OK to export the file.
• The Plug-in Information file contains information on the
installed/available plug-ins, their version, vendor, etc.
• The .xml file can then be opened in any editor application supporting the xml format.
98
Audio effects

9
VST Instruments and Instrument tracks

Introduction

VST Instrument channels

VST Instruments are software synthesizers (or other sound
sources) that are contained within Cubase AI. They are
played internally via MIDI. You can add effects or EQ to
VST Instruments, just as with audio tracks.

You can access a VST Instrument from within Cubase AI
by creating a VST Instrument channel and associating this
channel with a MIDI track. Proceed as follows:

The VST Instrument HALionOne is included with Cubase
AI, others can be purchased separately from Steinberg
and other manufacturers.

The VST Instruments window opens.

1. On the Devices menu, select “VST Instruments”.

Ö This chapter describes the general procedures for
setting up and using VST Instruments.
For a description of HALionOne and its parameters, see the separate
PDF document “Plug-in Reference”.

2. Click in one of the empty slots to open the instrument
pop-up menu and select the desired instrument.

Ö Depending on the VST version the instrument is compatible with, an icon may be displayed in front of the instrument name, see “About VST 3” on page 86.

3. You will be asked if you want to create an associated
MIDI track connected to the VST Instrument. Do so.
The instrument is loaded and activated, and its control panel is opened.
A MIDI track with the name of the instrument is added to the Track list.
The output of this track is routed to the instrument.

VST Instrument channels vs.
instrument tracks

In the Preferences dialog (VST–Plug-ins page), you can
specify what should happen when loading a VST instrument in an instrument slot. Open the pop-up menu “Create MIDI track when loading VSTi” and select one of the
available options:

Cubase AI allows you to make use of VST Instruments in
two different ways:
• By activating instruments in the VST Instruments window.

Instrument tracks are a combination of a VST Instrument, an instrument
channel and a MIDI track. You play and record MIDI note data directly for
this track.

• When you select “Always”, a corresponding MIDI track will always be created.
• When you select “Do not”, no track will be created and only
the instrument will be loaded.
• Select “Always ask to” if you want to decide whether a MIDI
track should be created whenever you load an instrument.

Both methods have their advantages, and should be selected according to what best suits your needs. The following sections describe the two approaches.

You can also use modifiers to specify what should happen
when you load a VST instrument (overriding the Preference setting):

This creates a VST Instrument channel, which can be played by one (or
several) MIDI track(s) routed to it.

• By creating instrument tracks.

• When you hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] while selecting a VST
Instrument for an instrument slot, a corresponding MIDI track
with the name of the instrument is automatically created.
• When you hold down [Alt]/[Option] while selecting a VST Instrument for an instrument slot, no MIDI track will be created
for the instrument.
• If you do not want the plug-in control panels to open every time you load a plug-in, open the Preferences dialog
(VST–Plug-ins page) and deactivate “Open Effect Editor
After Loading it”.
You can open a plug-in panel at any time by clicking the “e” button of the
corresponding plug-in slot.
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VST Instruments and Instrument tracks

4. If you now look in the Project window Track list, you
will find that a dedicated folder for the chosen instrument
has been added, within a “VST Instruments” folder (where
all your VST Instrument channels will be listed).

9. Play the VST Instrument from your MIDI keyboard.
You can use the mixer settings to adjust the sound, add EQ or effects, etc.,
just as with regular audio channels. Of course, you can also record or manually create MIDI parts that play back sounds from the VST Instrument.

The separate folder for the added VST Instrument contains two types of
automation tracks: one for automating the plug-in parameters and one for
each mixer channel used by the VST Instrument. For example, if you add a
VST Instrument with four separate outputs (four separate mixer channels),
the folder will contain five automation tracks. To keep the screen less cluttered, you may want to close the folder for the VST Instrument until you
need to view or edit any of the automation tracks. For details about automation, see the chapter “Automation” on page 108.

• VST Instrument channels give you full access to multitimbral instruments.
You can have several MIDI tracks routed to the VST Instrument, each
playing a different part.

• When you select the MIDI track routed to the VST instrument, you will see that the Inspector contains a separate section for the instrument.

• Similarly, you can route channels to any available output
provided by the VST Instrument.

This section contains the audio channel settings for the VST Instrument
(inserts, EQs, Sends and fader settings). The tab has two buttons for
opening the Channel Settings window (for the VST Instrument channel)
and the Edit Instrument button which opens the control panel for the VST
Instrument.
Opens the control
panel for the VST
Instrument.

You can have up to 2 VST Instruments activated at the
same time, either different instruments or two instances of the same instrument.

The VST Instruments window
When a VST Instrument is loaded, six controls are displayed for this slot in the VST Instruments window.
Instrument
on/off

Bypass
instrument

Activate
outputs

Opens the Channel
Settings window.

Event received

5. Depending on the selected VST Instrument, you may
also need to select a MIDI channel for the track.

Open instrument panel

• The On/Off button is used to activate or deactivate the
VST Instrument.

For example, a multitimbral VST Instrument can play back different
sounds on different MIDI channels – check the documentation for the
VST Instrument for MIDI implementation details.

6. Make sure the option “MIDI Thru Active” is activated in
the Preferences dialog (MIDI page).

When an instrument is selected from the instrument pop-up menu, it is
activated automatically, i.e. the on/off control lights up in blue.
For some instruments you may also bypass the instrument by clicking the
Bypass button to the right of the on/off button.

7. Activate the Monitor button for the MIDI track (in the
Track list, Inspector or mixer).

• Click the Edit (“e”) button to open the control panel for
the VST Instrument.

When this is activated (or when the track is record enabled), incoming
MIDI is passed on to the selected MIDI output (in this case the VST Instrument), see the chapter “Recording” on page 48.

• Below the Edit button is a small LED that will light up
when MIDI data is received by the instrument.

8. Open the mixer.

• The rightmost button allows you to activate the desired
output for the instrument.

You will find one or more channel strips for the audio outputs of the VST
Instrument. VST Instrument channel strips have the same features and
functionality as group channel strips, with the addition of an Edit button at
the bottom of the strip for opening the VST Instrument control panel. In
the Inspector you will also find an Output Routing pop-up menu for routing the VST instrument, e.g. to an output channel or group. Routing is described in detail in the chapter “VST Connections: Setting up input and
output busses” on page 9.

This is useful when you are using VST Instruments that have a large number of audio busses, which may be confusing. Click one of the entries in
the pop-up list to activate/deactivate output busses for this instrument.

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VST Instruments and Instrument tracks

Instrument tracks

• To open the control panel for the VST Instrument, click
the “Edit Instrument” button in the Inspector.

An instrument track is a combination of a VST Instrument, a
MIDI track, and a VST Instrument channel, in other words:
it is a track coupled with a sound – it allows you to think in
terms of sounds rather than in terms of track and instrument settings.
• As with MIDI tracks, you can perform the usual MIDI editing procedures on the instrument track, like duplicate, split,
or repeat the track, drag and drop the MIDI parts of an instrument track etc. For more information, see the chapter
“MIDI realtime parameters” on page 166.

Adding Instrument tracks
To open and use an Instrument track, proceed as follows:
1. Open the Project menu and select Instrument from the
Add Track submenu.
You can also right-click in the Track list and select “Add Instrument
Track” on the context menu.

• As with the MIDI track inspector and track controls, you
can adjust track delay, choose MIDI input, work with VST
Instrument panels, choose drum maps etc. For more information, see the chapter “MIDI realtime parameters” on
page 166.

2. The Add Instrument Track dialog is opened.
You can select an instrument for the track from the pop-up (but you can
also leave this until later if you wish). Specify the number of instrument
tracks you wish to create in the “count” field. If you click the “Browse
Presets” button, the dialog expands to show the Presets browser, where
you can browse for sounds.

• Instrument tracks have all options that VST Instrument
channels have, i.e. Inserts, Sends, EQ, etc.
Ö VST Instruments used in Instrument tracks do not appear in the VST Instruments window.

3. Click OK to add the Instrument track.
When you select an Instrument in the Add Track dialog, the new track
will get the name of the instrument. When no instrument is selected, the
track is named “Instrument track”.

For an overview of all used VST Instruments, open the Plug-in Information
window via the Devices menu. For further information, see the section “The
Plug-in Information window” on page 97.

Restrictions
• MIDI volume and pan cannot be controlled (there is no
“MIDI fader” tab in the Inspector); instead, the VST Instrument volume and pan are used (via the “Channel” tab in the
Inspector). This applies also to the respective automation
parameters.

An instrument track in the Track list

Properties
• Each Instrument track has a corresponding channel
strip in the mixer.

Ö Due to there being only one volume and pan control for
the instrument track, the Mute button will mute the complete track including the VST Instrument. (As opposed to a
MIDI track with an assigned VST Instrument, for which muting the MIDI track still allows you to monitor and record the
VST Instrument.)

• In the Inspector, you can select a VST Instrument from
the Instrument pop-up menu.
When you select an instrument from this pop-up, its control panel will
open automatically.

• You can also exchange the “sound” of an instrument
track (i.e. the VST Instrument and its settings) by extracting these data from another instrument track or a VST preset, see “Extracting sound from an instrument track or VST
preset” on page 158.

• Instrument tracks always have one stereo output channel only. This means that VST Instruments that do not provide a stereo output as their first output channel cannot be
used with instrument tracks, and must be loaded via the
VST Instruments window.

• On the Input Routing pop-up menu, you can select a
MIDI input.
Instrument tracks have only one MIDI input.

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VST Instruments and Instrument tracks

Using presets for VSTi configuration

• Due to the limitation to one output channel, instrument
tracks play only the first voice of a multi-timbral VST Instrument. If you want to use all voices, you have to load the
instrument via the VST Instruments window and set up a
MIDI channel to play it.

About track presets and VST presets
Track presets and VST presets allow you to quickly set up
tracks or instruments with all the settings required for the
sound you want. Cubase AI provides various types of presets for various purposes. Two of these are of relevance
for VST Instruments:

Exporting instrument tracks as MIDI file
You can also export instrument tracks as standard MIDI
files, see “Exporting MIDI files” on page 259.

• Track presets for instrument tracks store the parameter
settings of a VST Instrument together with all track/channel settings (applied audio insert effects, etc.).

Please note:
• As there is no MIDI patch information in an instrument
track, this information is missing in the resulting MIDI file.

Instrument track presets can only be applied to instrument tracks, not to
instrument channels activated in the VST Instruments window.

• If you activate “Export Inspector Volume/Pan”, volume
and pan information of the VST Instrument will be converted and written into the MIDI file as controller data.

• VST presets store all panel settings for a plug-in (VST Instruments and VST effects), but no track/channel settings.
Note that you can create instrument tracks from VST 3 presets, i.e. selecting a VST 3 preset will create an instrument track with all settings
stored in the VST preset plus an “empty” track.

What do I need? Instrument channel
or Instrument track?

As described in the chapter “Audio effects” on page 85,
there are two types of VST presets that can be used: the
VST 2 standard “.fxb/.fxp” files and the VST 3 preset standard with the extension “.vstpreset”. Some of the included
VST Instruments use the VST 2 preset standard, and others use the VST 3 standard.

• If you need a particular sound without knowing which
VST Instrument to use, create an instrument track and use
the preview features to find the sound you want.
• Do likewise if the Instrument track restrictions described
above do not matter.

All VST 2 instruments can import “.fxb/.fxp” files and also
convert them to the VST 3 standard. Once converted, you
can use all VST 3 features, see “About earlier VST Instrument presets” on page 106.

• If you are planning to create an instrument track preset,
complete with inserts and EQ settings, you have to use an
instrument track.
• If you need to use multitimbral parts and/or multiple outputs, set up a VST Instrument channel.

Ö For further information on Track presets and VST presets, see the chapter “Working with Track Presets” on
page 155.

VST instruments and processor load

Browsing for sounds

If you are working with VST 3 instruments, another way to
relieve processor load is the option “Suspend VST3 plug-in
processing when no audio signals are received” in the Preferences dialog (VST–Plug-ins page). This is described in
the section “Smart plug-in processing” on page 86.

One important and often time-consuming aspect of music
creation is the search for the right sounds. You might spend
a huge amount of time trying out the presets for a particular
instrument only to find out later that the preset for another
instrument contains the sound you were looking for.
This is why Cubase AI features extensive browsing possibilities, allowing you to preview all available presets without
having to load them first!
In addition, you can filter your search by specifying category, style, etc.
103

VST Instruments and Instrument tracks

For example, if you are looking for a bass sound, simply
select the Bass category and you can browse and preview
all bass sounds for all instruments. If you know you want a
synth bass sound, select Synth Bass as sub-category and
all synth bass sounds will be shown, etc.

4. The Presets browser is opened. It contains three sections (Browser, Search & Viewer and Filter). By default, only
the Search & Viewer section is shown. Note that it may take
a moment before all available sounds appear in the Viewer.
• The Viewer section to the right displays all track presets
for instrument tracks and all VST 3 presets.

You can also browse and preview track presets for instrument tracks, i.e. instrument sounds plus all track settings
and all channel insert effect settings for this track.

Track presets for audio tracks, MIDI tracks or “multi” track setups are not
displayed. The preset icon to the left of the file name indicates the type of
preset.

These features combined speed up the process of finding
the right sound immensely.

5. Select a preset in the list.
6. Play a few notes on your MIDI keyboard to hear the
preset sound. You can switch between presets and hear
the sound when you play. You can also play back/loop a
MIDI part on a track. Each time you select a preset, all associated track and/or instrument settings are automatically loaded.

• When creating your own presets, it is always a good
idea to set up attributes for them, as it allows you to fully
use the browsing features for your files, too.
There are two ways of browsing for sounds:
• Using the Presets browser.
This will apply preset settings to an existing track.

7. Use the Filter section to search for specific attributes if
you wish.

• Using the Browse Sounds dialog.

You can click on the attributes in the respective column (Category, Style
etc.), to filter out all presets that do not match the selected attribute(s).

Use this dialog if you have not set up a track yet.

Using the Presets browser
1. Create an instrument track and select it in the Track list.

8. Double-click the desired preset to select it and close
the dialog.

You do not have to assign an instrument to the track, but make sure to
specify a MIDI input.

Using the “Browse Sounds” dialog

2. Make sure that the track settings are shown in the
Inspector.

1. Open the Project menu–Add Track submenu and select “Browse Sounds…”.
The Browse Sounds dialog is opened. It contains the same sections as the
Apply Track Presets dialog (Browser, Viewer and Filter).

3. Click in the Track Preset field in the Inspector (the text
field currently reads “No Track Preset”).
Click here…

…to open the Presets browser.

The Viewer section of the Browse Sounds dialog displays
all preset sounds for all track types and all VST Instruments. To preview the presets, you have play MIDI notes
on your MIDI keyboard because at this stage there is no
track connected.

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VST Instruments and Instrument tracks

2. When you have found the right sound, click OK to
close the dialog.

• You can also open the Presets browser by clicking in
the preset name field in the control panel of a VST Instrument or by clicking the button next to the Preset name in
the control panel and selecting “Load Preset…” from the
pop-up menu.

An instrument track is created with all track and/or instrument settings
that were saved in the preset.

Selecting VST Instrument presets

• Selecting another preset in the Presets browser will
load it directly, replacing the previous preset.

The previous sections focussed on selecting presets for
the creation of new instrument tracks, or for changing the
setup of an existing track. However, you can also use presets to change the settings of a VST Instrument.
!

• When the Presets browser is open, you can still use
Project window key commands, allowing you to start/stop
playback or locate to different positions in the project.

Note that the following refers to the selection of VST 3
presets (.vstpreset). If you want to apply .fxp/.fxb presets to your VST 2 instruments in this way, see “About
earlier VST Instrument presets” on page 106.

• Clicking the Reset button below the Viewer will reload
the last loaded preset.

Saving VST Instrument presets

To select a VST Instrument preset, proceed as follows:

You can save your settings as presets for further use (e.g.
in other projects):

1. Load a VST Instrument (either in the VST Instruments
window or via an instrument track).

1. In the VST Instrument panel, click the button to the right
of the preset name and select “Save Preset…” from the
pop-up menu.

2. If you use the VST Instruments window, select a MIDI
track routed to the instrument. If you use an instrument
track, select this.

This opens a dialog where you can save the current settings as a preset.

Presets are saved into a default folder named VST3 Presets. Within this folder, there is a folder called “Steinberg
Media Technologies” where the included presets are arranged in subfolders named after each instrument.

3. If necessary, click on the track name at the top of the
Inspector to open the basic track settings.
4. Click in the Programs field in the Inspector.
The Presets browser is opened.

You cannot change the default folder, but you can add further subfolders inside the instrument’s preset folder.
• Under Windows XP, the default preset folder is in the
following location: \Documents and Settings\\Application data\VST3 Presets.
• Under Windows Vista, the default preset folder is in the
following location: \Users\\AppData\Roaming\VST3 Presets.
• Under Mac OS, the default preset folder is in the following location: /Users//Library/Audio/Presets/
/.

5. Step through the presets during playback to find the
sound you are looking for.

2. Enter a name for the new preset in the File name field
in the lower part of the dialog.

6. Double-click the desired preset to load it and close
the Presets browser.

• If you wish to assign attributes to the preset, click the
Tag Editor button.
Click in the Value column to select an appropriate “tag” for one or several of the available categories in the Attributes column.

3. Click OK to store the preset and exit the dialog.
105
VST Instruments and Instrument tracks

Extracting sounds from Track Presets

• After importing, you can convert the current program list
to VST presets by selecting “Convert Program List to VST
Presets” from the Preset Management pop-up.

You can extract a sound from a Track preset (disregarding
any track/channel settings) and save it as a VST preset.
Proceed as follows:

When the presets are converted, they will be available in the Presets
browser. The presets will be stored in the VST3 Preset folder.

1. Click the button “Extract sound from Track Preset” below the Output Routing pop-up menu in the Inspector.

About latency

This opens a dialog where all Track Presets are shown.

Depending on your audio hardware and its ASIO driver,
the latency (the time it takes for the instrument to produce
a sound when you press a key on your MIDI controller)
may simply be too high to allow comfortable realtime VST
Instrument playback from a keyboard.

2. Select an instrument track preset or VST preset by
double-clicking it.
The VST Instrument and the settings (but no inserts, EQs or modifiers) of
the existing track are overwritten using the data of the track preset. The
previous VST Instrument for this instrument track is removed and the
new VST Instrument with its settings is set up for the instrument track.

Track Presets are described in detail in the chapter
“Working with Track Presets” on page 155.

If this is the case, a workaround is to play and record your
parts with another MIDI sound source selected, and then
switch to the VST Instrument for playback.

About earlier VST Instrument presets

Ö You can check the latency for your audio hardware in
the Device Setup dialog (VST Audio System page).

You can use any VST 2.x Instrument plug-ins in Cubase AI.
Installing VST Instrument plug-ins works the same way as
for audio effects – see “Installing additional VST plug-ins”
on page 96.

The input and output latency values are shown below the ASIO Driver
pop-up menu. For live VST Instrument playing, these values should ideally be a few milliseconds (although the limit for “comfortable” live playing
is a matter of personal taste).

When you install a VST 2 instrument, any previously stored
presets for it will be of the old FX program/bank (.fxp/.fxb)
standard. You can import such files, but the preset handling
will be slightly different. You will not be able to use the new
features like the Preview function until you have converted
the old “.fxp/.fxb” presets to VST 3 presets. If you save new
presets for a VST 2 plug-in these will automatically be
saved in the new “.vstpreset” format in the default location.

Constrain Delay Compensation
Cubase AI features full delay compensation throughout
the entire audio path. This means that any delay inherent in
the VST plug-ins you use will automatically be compensated for during playback, so that all channels are kept in
perfect sync (see “About plug-in delay compensation” on
page 87).
However, when you play a VST Instrument in realtime or
record live audio (with monitoring through Cubase AI activated), this delay compensation may sometimes result in
added latency. To avoid this, you can activate the Constrain Delay Compensation button on the Project window
toolbar. This function tries to minimize the latency effects
of the delay compensation, while maintaining the sound of
the mix as far as possible.

Importing and converting FXB/FXP files
To import .fxp/.fxb files, proceed as follows:
1. Load any VST 2 instrument you may have installed, and
click on the VST Sound button to open the Preset Management pop-up menu.
2. Select “Import FXB/FXP” from the pop-up menu.
This menu item is only available for VST 2 instrument plug-ins.

3. In the file dialog that opens, locate the .fxp file and
click “Open”.
If you load a bank (.fxb), it will replace the current set of all effect programs.
If you load a single program, it will replace the currently selected effect program only. Note that such files exist only if you created your own .fxp/fxb
presets with a previous program version (or any other VST 2 application).

106
VST Instruments and Instrument tracks

• In the Preferences dialog (VST page) you will find a setting called Delay Compensation Threshold. Only plug-ins
with a delay higher than this setting will be affected by the
Constrain Delay Compensation function.
• VST plug-ins (with higher delay than the threshold value)
which are activated for VST Instrument channels, audio
track channels that are record enabled, group channels and
output channels will be turned off when you activate Constrain Delay Compensation.
• VST plug-ins activated for FX channels are not turned
off but their delay is disregarded by the program (delay
compensation is turned off).
After recording or using a VST Instrument with Constrain
Delay Compensation, you should turn off the function to
restore full delay compensation.

107
VST Instruments and Instrument tracks

10
Automation

Ö Note that the Read button is automatically enabled
when you enable the Write button. This allows Cubase AI
to read existing automation data at any time.

Introduction
In essence, automation means finding and recording, for
each and every moment of your project, the right values for
a particular mixer parameter. When you create your final
mix, you will not have to worry about having to adjust this
particular parameter control yourself – Cubase AI will do it
for you.

You can separately deactivate Write, if you want to only read existing
data. There is no status Write on/Read off.

There are also global Read and Write indicator buttons
(“All Automation to Read/Write Status”) in the common
panel of the mixer and at the top of the Track list:

Cubase AI provides very powerful and yet intuitive automation of virtually every mixer and effect parameter.

The “All Automation to Read/Write Status” buttons in the
mixer, and in the Track list

The following sections provide detailed descriptions of the
Cubase AI automation features.

Enabling and disabling the writing
of automation data

These buttons light up as soon as there is a single enabled Read or Write button on any channel/track within
your project.

Tracks and mixer channels in Cubase AI can be “automation enabled” by activating their automation Write (W)
buttons.

• When “All Automation to Read/Write Status” is disabled and you click on one of these buttons, all Read/
Write buttons on all tracks/channels are enabled.

The following track types feature Write (W) and Read (R)
buttons in the mixer, in the Track list and in the Channel
Settings window: Audio, MIDI, Instrument, FX Channel
and Group Channel tracks. Furthermore, the control panels for all plug-in effects and VST Instruments also feature
Write and Read buttons.

When “All Automation to Read/Write Status” is enabled, this means that
at least one of the Read/Write buttons on one of the channels of your
project is enabled.

• When “All Automation to Read/Write Status” is enabled
and you click on one of these buttons, any enabled Read/
Write buttons on the tracks/channels of your project are
disabled.

The Write and Read buttons for a channel in the mixer
and for an automation track in the Track list

Creating automation data
Within a Cubase AI project, the changes in a parameter
value over time are reflected as curves on so-called automation tracks. The curves are drawn in realtime while you
write the automation data. Most of the tracks in your
project have automation tracks, one for each automated
parameter.

• If you activate Write for a channel, virtually all mixer parameters you adjust during playback for that specific
channel will be recorded as automation events.
• If Read is activated for a channel, all your recorded
mixer actions for that channel will be performed during
playback, just like you performed them in Write mode.

Ö Automation tracks are hidden by default. For information on automation track handling, see the sections “Automation track operations” on page 111 and “Working with
automation curves” on page 114.

• The W and R buttons for a track in the Track list are mirrors of the W and R buttons in the corresponding channel
strip in the mixer.

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Automation

There are two approaches you can use to create automation curves:

• By using write automation in the mixer you do not have
to manually select parameters from the Add Parameter list.

• “Offline”, by manually drawing the curves on automation
tracks in the Project window.

You can work much like you would using a “real” physical mixer. Every
action you perform is automatically recorded on automation tracks which
you can later open for viewing and editing.

See “Editing automation events” on page 115.

The automation tracks themselves indicate the writing of
automation data:
• While writing automation data, the color of the automation track in the Track list changes to red.

• “Online”, by enabling the Write button and adjusting
parameters in the mixer or channel settings window while
rolling through the project in realtime. The value settings are
recorded and displayed as a curve on the automation track.
• The delta indicator in the automation track shows the
relative amount by which the new parameter setting deviates from any previously automated value.

In the following sections, this online writing of automation data is also referred to as an “automation pass”.

This is an additional visual aid when writing new automation data.

The delta indicator

What can be automated?

The methods are not different in terms of how the automation data is applied. They only differ in the way the automation events are created – manually drawing them or
recording them during automation passes. Any applied
automation data will be reflected in both the mixer (a fader
will move for example) and in a corresponding automation
track curve.

You can automate virtually every parameter in the Cubase
AI mixer.
• To find out which parameters can be automated for a
particular track, click in the Parameter display of the automation track to open a pop-up menu. Select “More…” to
open the Add Parameter dialog.

There are no hard and fast rules regarding which method
you should use. For example, you can create your automation data online without ever even opening an automation
track. Or you can stick to drawing automation curves offline. Every method has its advantages, but of course it is
up to you to decide what to use and when.

This dialog lists all automatable parameters for a particular track type. It is
described in detail in the section “Assigning a parameter to an automation track” on page 112.

Options and Settings
About the Automation Reduction Level preference

• Editing curves on automation tracks offers a graphical
overview in relation to the track contents and the time
position.

This item can be found on the Editing page in the Preferences dialog. The automation reduction function automatically reduces the number of automation events. During an
automation pass (or when drawing automation with the
Pencil tool), these are added as a continuous stream of
densely packed break-points. This is necessary because
the program cannot “guess” what you will be doing next.

This makes it easy to quickly change parameter values at specific points,
without having to activate playback. For example, this method gives you a
good overview if you have a voice-over or a dialog on one track and a
music bed on another track, the level of which needs to be lowered by a
specific amount every time the dialog occurs.
110

Automation

About automation undo

However, when punching out, the reduction function will
remove all break-points that are not needed. The automation curve will contain only the break-points necessary to
reproduce your actions.

Every automation write operation you perform creates its
own event in the undo history, so you can undo or redo
any of your automation moves at any time.

For example, all break-points that lie between two other
points, but do not deviate from the curve, will be automatically removed by reduction.

Automation track operations
About automation tracks
Audio tracks, group channel tracks and FX channel tracks
all have automation tracks. These allow you to view and edit
the automation of all mixer settings for the track, including
settings for the track’s insert effects. There is one automation track for each parameter, and automation tracks can be
shown or hidden in any combination.

If you try to add a break-point that does not deviate from the existing
curve between two existing points…

Similarly, MIDI tracks have automation tracks for mixer settings, track parameters and (if used) for send and insert effect settings.

…it will be removed when the mouse is released. If you move the selected break-point by any amount so that the resulting curve is not a
straight line, a new event will be added.

• If you are unhappy with the default setting (a reduction
of roughly 50%), you can change it, but normally the default setting works well.
!

VST Instruments have special automation tracks that appear in the Project window when you load a VST Instrument
via the VST Instruments window. There is one automation
track for the plug-in parameters, and one track for each
mixer channel used by the instrument. These tracks have
automation subtracks, giving you access to all parameters
and mixer settings.

The higher the number of automation events, the
higher the CPU load. If performance is an issue in
your workflow, you should consider raising the reduction level, to remove more events.

Instrument tracks, as a combination of a MIDI track and a
VST Instrument, have automation tracks that provide automation parameters for the VST Instrument itself, for the
VST Instrument channel and the respective MIDI automation parameters.

Hints and further options
Automation key commands
In the Key Commands dialog (opened from the File menu
in Cubase AI), in the Commands section on the left, you
will find an Automation category which lists all automation
commands to which you can assign key commands.

Opening automation tracks
Every track has one automation track, showing one automation parameter.

How to assign key commands is described in detail in the
chapter “Key commands” on page 268.

For audio, Instrument, group channel, MIDI and FX channel tracks, there are two ways you can open an automation track for the channel:

About linking and automation

• By right-clicking the track in the Track list and selecting
“Show Automation” from the context menu.

• Cubase AI allows you to link, in the mixer window, various parameters between different channels (see “Link/
Unlink channels” on page 82).
When automating the settings of a channel that is linked to another
channel in the mixer, the parameters of the linked channel will NOT be
automated.

111
Automation

• By clicking along the left edge of the track in the Track
list. (Also, when you position the mouse pointer over the
lower left corner of the track, a corresponding arrow icon
(“Show/Hide Automation”) appears.)

3. Select “More…”.
The Add Parameter dialog appears. This dialog shows a list with all parameters that can be automated for the selected channel (sorted into different categories), including the parameters for any assigned insert
effects. To view the parameters in each category, click the “+” sign for
the category folder.

An automation track opens in the Track list. When you open an automation track for the first time, the Volume parameter is selected by default.
Click here to open an
automation track.

Assigning a parameter to an automation track
Default parameters are already assigned to automation
tracks when you open them, according to their order in the
Add Parameter list (see below).
To select which parameter an open automation track
should display, proceed as follows:
1. If none exists, open an automation track using one of
the methods described above.
2. Click in the parameter display for the automation track.
A pop-up list is shown, containing some of the automation parameters
plus the item “More…” at the bottom of the list. The contents of the list
depend on the track type.

The Add Parameter dialog for an audio track

4. Select a parameter from the list and click OK.
The parameter will then replace the current parameter in the automation
track.

Ö Note that the “replacing” of the parameter displayed in
the automation track is completely non-destructive.
If the automation track contained any automation data for the parameter
you just replaced, this data will still be there, although it will not be visible
after you replaced the parameter. If you click in the parameter display you
can switch back to the replaced parameter. On the pop-up menu, all automated parameters are indicated by an asterisk (*) after the parameter
name.

• If the parameter you wish to automate is on the pop-up
menu, you can select it directly.
The parameter will then replace the current parameter in the automation
track.

• If you wish to add a parameter not available on the popup menu or want to view all parameters that can be automated, go on to the next step.

The first two parameters are automated.

112
Automation

Removing automation tracks

• If you copy an event or part, the automation events will
be duplicated as well.

To remove all automation for the selected parameter, click
the parameter name and select “Remove Parameter” from
the pop-up menu. This will delete any automation events
on the automation track, and the track will be closed.

Recording your actions – an example
If the settings in your current project are crucial, you may
not want to “experiment” with automation until you know
more about how it all fits together. If so, you can create a
new project for the following example. It does not even
have to contain any audio events, just a few audio tracks.
Proceed as follows:

Hiding automation tracks
• To hide a single automation track, position the pointer
over the top left border of the automation track in the
Track list and click the “Hide Automation Track” button
(the minus sign).

1. Open the Mixer window.
2. Click the global Write button (“All Automation to Write
Status”) in the mixer common panel.

• To hide all automation tracks for all tracks in the Track
list, right-click any track and select “Hide All Automation”
from the context menu.

Cubase AI is now in global Write mode.

3. Start playback and adjust some volume faders and/or
other parameter settings in the mixer or perhaps in a
Channel Settings window.

Muting automation tracks

Stop playback when you are done, and return to the position where you
started playback.

4. Deactivate Write mode and click the global Read button (“All Automation to Read Status”) in the mixer common panel.
Cubase AI is now in global Read mode.

You can mute individual automation tracks by clicking their
Mute buttons in the Track list. Unlike the Read (R) button,
which will activate or deactivate Read mode for all automation tracks of a track, the Mute button allows you to turn
off automation for a single parameter.

5. Start playback, and watch the Mixer window.
All your actions performed during the previous playback will be reproduced exactly.

The “Automation follows Events” setting

6. If you wish to redo anything that was recorded, activate Write mode again and start playback from the same
position.

If you activate “Automation follows Events” on the Edit
menu (or in the Preferences–Editing page), automation
events will automatically follow when you move an event or
part on the track.

• You can have Write and Read activated simultaneously,
if you want to watch and listen to your recorded mixer actions while you’re recording fader movements for another
mixer channel, etc.

This makes it easy to set up automation related to a specific event or part, rather than to a specific position in the
project. For example, you can automate the panning of a
sound effect event (having the sound pan from left to right,
etc.) – if you need to move the event, the automation will
automatically follow! The rules are:
• All automation events for the track between the start
and end of the event or part will be moved.
If there are automation events in the new position (to which you move the
part or event), these will be overwritten.

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Automation

Recording plug-in automation

Where did the automation data I recorded end
up?

Every parameter for every assigned effect or VST Instrument can be automated in much the same manner as described above.

When using global Write automation, you can write automation data on the automation tracks of all channels. In
the previous write operations, you probably added automation events for many different channels and parameters.

The following example assumes that you have assigned an
insert effect to an FX channel track (see the chapter “Audio effects” on page 85), and describes how to record automation for the effect:

• To view all the automation events you recorded during
the operations, select “Show All Used Automation” from
the Project menu or from the Track list context menu.

1. Select the FX channel track in the Track list and open
its Inserts section in the Inspector.

For each of the channels one subtrack with automation data is now
shown in the Project window. The automation events recorded are
shown as points in the automation curves.

2. Open the control panel for the effect by clicking the Edit
button (“e”) above the insert effect slot in the Inspector.

Working with automation curves

3. Click the Write button in the control panel to enable
Write mode.

About automation curves

The Read button is enabled as well. All effects and VST Instruments have
Write/Read buttons on their control panels. These work exactly like the
corresponding buttons in the mixer or in the Track list.

There are two kinds of automation curves, “ramp” and
“jump”:

4. Start playback and adjust some effect parameters in
the control panel.

• Jump curves are created for any parameter that only has
on/off values, like a Mute button, for example.

When you are finished, stop playback and return to the position where
you started playback.

• Ramp curves are created for any parameter that generates continuous multiple values, such as fader or encoder
movements, etc.

5. Disable Write.
The Read button remains enabled.

6. Start playback and watch the control panel.
All actions you performed during the previous playback will be reproduced exactly.

Dragging and dropping of insert plug-ins
Examples of jump and ramp automation curves

You can drag an insert plug-in from one insert slot to another, either on the same channel or on a different channel.

About the static value line

• When dragging a plug-in to a different insert slot on the
same channel, any existing automation data will move with
the plug-in.

When you open an automation track for a parameter for the
first time, it does not contain any automation events (unless
you have previously adjusted that parameter with write automation activated), and this is reflected in the event display
as a straight horizontal black line, the “static value” line. This
line represents the current parameter setting.

• When dragging a plug-in to a different insert slot on a
different channel, any existing automation data will not be
transferred to the new channel.

• If you have manually added any automation events or
used write automation for the corresponding parameter,
and then disable the reading of automation data, the automation curve will be grayed-out in the automation track
event display and the static value will be used instead.
As soon as Read mode is enabled, the automation curve will become
available.

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Automation

Editing automation events

7. Simply redo the operation if you are not happy with the
result.

Drawing automation events

If you draw over existing events, a new curve is created.

By using write automation in the mixer, you generate automation events by moving parameter encoders and faders
in the mixer. You can also add them manually by drawing
automation curves on an automation track. Proceed as
follows:

• If the automation track is in Read mode already, you can
also add automation events by clicking with the Arrow
tool.
If you are trying to add a break-point between two existing points and the
new point does not deviate from the existing curve, it will be removed by
reduction as soon as you release the mouse button (see “About the Automation Reduction Level preference” on page 110).

1. Open an automation track for the track you want to
make settings for.
The static value line is shown in the event display for the automation track
and the Volume parameter is selected.

Using the various modes of the Line tool to draw
automation curves

2. Select the Pencil tool.

The Line tool can be very useful for drawing automation
events. The various modes are accessed by selecting the
Line tool on the toolbar, clicking on it a second time and
selecting from the pop-up menu that appears.

You can also use the various modes of the Line tool for drawing curves,
see below.

3. Click on the static value line. An automation event is
added, read automation mode is automatically activated,
and the static value line changes to a blue automation
curve.

• Clicking and dragging with the Line tool in Line mode
shows a line in the automation track and creates automation events aligned with this line.
This is a quick way to create linear fades, etc.

4. If you click and hold, you can draw a curve by adding a
multitude of single automation events.

• The Line tool in Parabola mode works in the same way,
but aligns the automation events with a parabolic curve instead, resulting in more “natural” curves and fades.

Note that the track color in the Track list changes to red to indicate that
automation data is being written.

Note that the result depends on the direction from which you draw the
parabolic curve.

• The Sine, Triangle and Square Line tool modes create
automation events aligned with continuous curves.

5. When you release the mouse button, the number of
automation events is reduced to a few events, but the basic shape of the curve still remains the same.

If snap is activated and set to Grid, the period of the curve (the length of
one curve “cycle”) is determined by the grid setting. If you press [Shift]
and drag, you can set the period length manually, in multiples of the grid
value.

This “thinning out” of events is governed by the Reduction Level setting
in the Preferences dialog, see “About the Automation Reduction Level
preference” on page 110.

6. If you now activate playback, the volume will change
with the automation curve.
In the mixer, the corresponding fader moves accordingly.

115
Automation

Selecting automation events

Editing automation events

• To select a single automation break-point, click on it
with the Arrow tool.

Automation events can be edited much like other events.
You can use cut, copy and paste, and nudge events, etc.

The break-point turns red, and you can drag it in any horizontal or vertical
direction between two points.

MIDI Part Data vs Track Automation

• To select multiple break-points, you can either [Shift]click or drag a selection rectangle with the Arrow tool.

In Cubase AI, you can enter (or record) MIDI Controller
data in two ways: as automation data on an automation
track or as part data in the MIDI part. The following applies:

All break-points inside the selection rectangle will be selected.

• When the Automation Read button for a track is enabled, controller data will be written as automation data on
an automation track in the Project window.

Drawing a selection rectangle around break-points to select them.

• To select all automation events on an automation track,
right-click the automation track in the Track list and choose
“Select All Events” from the context menu.

• When the Read button is disabled, the controller data
will be written in the MIDI part and can be viewed and edited for example in the Key Editor.
Nevertheless, you can end up with both kinds of controller
data for a MIDI part if you recorded controller part data in
one pass and automation data during another. In this case,
these “conflicting” data types will be combined during
playback as follows:
• Part automation only begins when the first controller
event within the part is reached. At the end of the part, the
last controller value will be kept until an automation breakpoint is reached on the automation track.

Removing automation events
There are several ways to remove break-points:
• By selecting points and pressing [Backspace] or [Delete] or selecting Delete from the Edit menu, or by clicking
on a break-point with the Erase tool.
This will remove the break-points. The curve is redrawn to connect the
break-points immediately to the left and right of the removed points.

• By selecting a range (with the Range Selection tool),
and pressing [Backspace] or [Delete] or selecting Delete
from the Edit menu.
• By clicking in the parameter display on an automation
track and selecting “Remove Parameter” from the pop-up.
This will remove all automation events from the automation track, and the
automation track will be closed.

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Automation

11
Audio processing and functions

Background
Audio processing in Cubase AI can be called “non-destructive”, in the sense that you can always undo changes
or revert to the original versions. This is possible because
processing affects audio clips rather than the actual audio
files, and because audio clips can refer to more than one
audio file. This is how it works:

Select “New Version” if you want the processing to affect the selected
event only. Select “Continue” if you want the processing to affect all
shared copies.

1. If you process an event or a selection range, a new audio
file is created in the Edits folder, within your project folder.

Ö If you activate “Do not show this message again”, any
further processing you do will conform to the selected
method (“Continue” or “New Version”).

This new file contains the processed audio, while the original file is unaffected.

2. The processed section of the audio clip (the section
corresponding to the event or selection range) then refers
to the new, processed audio file.
The other sections of the clip will still refer to the original file.

You can change this setting at any time by using the “On Processing
Shared Clips” pop-up in the Preferences (Editing–Audio page). Also,
“Create New Version” will now be displayed as an option in the dialog for
the processing function.

• Since all edits are available as separate files, it is possible to undo any processing, at any point and in any order!

Common settings and features
If there are any settings for the selected Audio processing
function, these will appear when you select the function
from the Process submenu. While most settings are specific for the function, some features and settings work in
the same way for several functions.

• Furthermore, the original, unprocessed audio file can still
be used by other clips in the project, by other projects or by
other applications.

Audio processing

The “More…” button

Basically, you apply processing by making a selection and
selecting a function from the Process submenu on the Audio menu. Processing is applied according to the following rules:

If the dialog has a lot of settings, some options may be
hidden when the dialog appears. To reveal these, click the
“More…” button.

• When events are selected in the Project window or the
Audio Part Editor, the processing will be applied to these
events only.

To hide the settings, click the button again (now labeled
“Less…”).

Processing will only affect the clip sections that are referenced by the
events.

• When an audio clip is selected in the Pool, the processing will be applied to the whole clip.

The Preview, Process and Cancel buttons

• When you have made a selection range, the processing
will be applied to this range only.

Button

Description

Preview

Allows you to listen to the result of the processing with the
current settings. Playback will continue repeatedly until
you click the button again (the button is labeled “Stop”
during Preview playback). You can make adjustments during Preview playback, but the changes are not applied until
the start of the next “lap”. Some changes may automatically restart the Preview playback from the beginning.

Process

Performs the processing and closes the dialog.

Cancel

Closes the dialog without processing.

These buttons have the following functionality:

Other sections of the clip are not affected.

If you attempt to process an event that is a shared copy
(i.e. the event refers to a clip that is used by other events in
the project), you are asked whether you want to create a
new version of the clip or not.

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Audio processing and functions

Pre/Post-Crossfade

• To apply a stored preset, select it from the pop-up
menu.

Some processing functions allow you to gradually mix the
effect in or out. This is done with the Pre/Post-Crossfade
parameters. If you activate Pre-Crossfade and specify a
value of e.g. 1000ms, the processing will be applied gradually from the start of selection, reaching full effect 1000ms
after the start. Similarly, if you activate Post-Crossfade, the
processing will gradually be removed, starting at the specified interval before the end of the selection.
!

• To rename the selected preset, double-click on the
name and enter a new one in the dialog that appears.
• To remove a stored preset, select it from the pop-up
menu and click Remove.

Fade In and Fade Out
For a description of these functions, see the chapter “Fades, crossfades and envelopes” on page 62.

The sum of the Pre- and Post-Crossfade times cannot be larger than the length of the selection.

Gain

Envelope

Allows you to change the gain (level) of the selected audio.
The dialog contains the following settings:
Gain
This is where you set the desired gain, between -50 and
+20dB. The setting is also indicated below the Gain display as a percentage.

The Envelope function allows you to apply a volume envelope to the selected audio. The dialog contains the following settings:

Clipping detection text

Curve Kind buttons

If you use the Preview function before applying the processing, the text below the slider indicates whether the
current settings result in clipping (audio levels above
0dB). If that is the case, lower the Gain value and use the
Preview function again.

These determine whether the envelope curve should consist of spline curve segments (left button), damped spline
segments (middle button) or linear segments (right button).
Envelope display

• If you want to increase the level of the audio as much as
possible without causing clipping, you should use the Normalize function instead (see “Normalize” on page 121).

Shows the shape of the envelope curve. The resulting
waveform shape is shown in dark gray, with the current
waveform shape in light gray. You can click on the curve
to add points, and click and drag existing points to change
the shape. To remove a point from the curve, drag it outside the display.

Pre- and Post-Crossfade
See “Pre/Post-Crossfade” on page 119.

Presets
If you have set up an envelope curve that you may want to
apply to other events or clips, you can store it as a preset
by clicking the Store button.
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Audio processing and functions

Merge Clipboard

Attack Time
The time it takes for the gate to open fully after the audio
level has exceeded the threshold level.
Min. Opening Time
This is the shortest time the gate will remain open. If you
find that the gate opens and closes too often when processing material that varies rapidly in level, you should try
raising this value.

This function mixes the audio from the clipboard into the
audio selected for processing, starting at the beginning of
the selection.
!

Release Time
The time it takes for the gate to close fully after the audio
level has dropped below the threshold level.

For this function to be available, you need to have cut
or copied a range of audio in the Sample Editor first.

Linked Channels

The dialog contains the following settings:

Allows you to specify a mix ratio between the original (the
audio selected for processing) and the copy (the audio on
the clipboard).

This is available for stereo audio only. When it is activated,
the Noise Gate is opened for both channels as soon as
one or both channels exceed the Threshold level. When
Linked Channels is deactivated, the Noise Gate works independently for the left and right channel.

Pre- and Post-Crossfade

Dry/Wet mix

See “Pre/Post-Crossfade” on page 119.

Allows you to specify a mix ratio between “dry” and processed sound.

Noise Gate

Pre- and Post-Crossfade

Sources mix

See “Pre/Post-Crossfade” on page 119.

Scans the audio for sections weaker than a specified
threshold level and replaces them with silence. The dialog
contains the following settings:
Threshold
The level below which you want audio to be silenced.
Levels below this value will close the gate.

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Audio processing and functions

Normalize

axis”. DC offsets do not affect what you actually hear, but
they affect zero crossing detection and certain processing, and it is recommended that you remove them.
!

It is recommended that this function is applied to
complete audio clips, since the DC offset (if any) is
normally present throughout the entire recording.

Reverse
The Normalize function allows you to specify the desired
maximum level of the audio. It then analyzes the selected
audio and finds the current maximum level. Finally it subtracts the current maximum level from the specified level
and raises the gain of the audio by the resulting amount (if
the specified maximum level is lower than the current maximum, the gain will be lowered instead). A common use for
Normalizing is to raise the level of audio that was recorded
at too low an input level. The dialog contains the following
settings:

Reverses the audio selection, as when playing a tape
backwards. There are no parameters for this function.

Silence
Replaces the selection with silence. There are no parameters for this function.

Stereo Flip

Maximum
The desired maximum level for the audio, between -50 and
0dB. The setting is also indicated below the Gain display
as a percentage.
Pre- and Post-Crossfade

This function works with stereo audio selections only. It allows you to manipulate the left and right channel in various
ways.

See “Pre/Post-Crossfade” on page 119.

Phase Reverse

The dialog contains the following parameters:

Reverses the phase of the selected audio, turning the
waveform “upside down”.

Mode

The dialog contains the following settings:
Phase Reverse on
When processing stereo audio, this pop-up menu allows
you to specify which channel(s) should be phase-reversed.
Pre- and Post-Crossfade
See “Pre/Post-Crossfade” on page 119.
This pop-up menu determines what the function does:

Remove DC Offset
This function will remove any DC offset in the audio selection. A DC offset is when there is too large a DC (direct
current) component in the signal, sometimes visible as the
signal not being visually centered around the “zero level

Option

Description

Flip Left-Right

Swaps the left and right channel.

Left to Stereo

Copies the left channel sound to the right channel.

Right to Stereo

Copies the right channel sound to the left channel.

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Audio processing and functions

Option

Description

Resulting Length section

Merge

Merges both channels on each side for mono sound.

Subtract

Subtracts the left channel information from the right and
vice versa. This is typically used as a “Karaoke effect”, for
removing centered mono material from a stereo signal.

These settings are used if you want to stretch the audio to
fit within a specific time span or tempo. The values will
change automatically if you adjust the Time Stretch Ratio
(see below).

Time Stretch

Option

Description

Samples

The desired length in samples.

Seconds

The desired length in seconds.

BPM

The desired tempo (beats per minute). For this to work,
you have to know the actual tempo of the audio, and
specify this (along with time signature and length in bars)
in the Original Length section to the left.

Seconds Range section
These settings allow you to set the desired range for the
time stretch.
This function allows you to change the length and “tempo”
of the selected audio without affecting the pitch. The dialog contains the following parameters:

Option

Description

Range

Allows you to specify the desired length as a range between two time positions.

Use Locators

Clicking the diamond-shaped button below the Range
fields sets the Range values to the left and right Locator
positions, respectively.

Define Bars section
In this section, you set the length of the selected audio
and the time signature:
Option

Description

Bars

If you use the tempo setting (see below), you can specify
the length of the selected audio here, in bars.

Beats

If you use the tempo setting, you can specify the length of
the selected audio here, in beats.

Sign.

If you use the tempo setting, you can specify the time signature here.

Time Stretch Ratio section
The Time Stretch Ratio determines the amount of time
stretch as a percentage of the original length. If you use
the settings in the Resulting Length section to specify the
amount of time stretch, this value will change automatically. The possible range depends on the “Effect” option:
• If the “Effect” checkbox is deactivated, the range is 75–
125%.

Original Length section

This is the preferred mode if you want to preserve the character of the
sound.

This section contains information and settings regarding
the audio selected for processing:

• If the “Effect” checkbox is activated, you can specify values between 10 and 1000%.
This mode is mainly useful for special effects, etc.

Option

Description

Length in
Samples

The length of the selected audio, in samples.

Length in
Seconds

The length of the selected audio, in seconds.

Algorithm section
Here you can choose a preset for the Realtime algorithm.
This is the algorithm used for the realtime time stretching
features in Cubase AI. The Presets pop-up contains the
same presets as found in the Algorithm pop-up in the
Sample Editor.

Tempo in BPM If you are processing music, and know the actual tempo
of the audio, you can enter it here as beats per minute.
This makes it possible to time-stretch the audio to another tempo, without having to compute the actual time
stretch amount.

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Audio processing and functions

Freeze Edits
The Freeze Edits function on the Audio menu allows you
to make all processing and applied effects permanent for
a clip:
1. Select the clip in the Pool or one of its events in the
Project window.
2. Select “Freeze Edits…” from the Audio menu.
• If there is only one edit version of the clip (no other clips
refer to the same audio file), the following dialog will appear:

If you select “Replace”, all edits will be applied to the original audio file (the one listed in the clip’s Path column in
the Pool). If you select “New File”, the Freeze Edits operation will create a new file in the Audio folder within the
project folder (leaving the original audio file unaffected).
• If the selected clip (or the clip played by the selected
event) has several edit versions (i.e. there are other clips
referring to the same audio file), the following alert will
appear:

As you can see, you do not have the option to Replace the
original audio file in this case. This is because that audio
file is used by other clips. Select “New File” to have a new
file created in the Audio folder within the project folder.

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Audio processing and functions

12
The Sample Editor

Background
The Sample Editor allows you to view and manipulate audio
by cutting and pasting, removing or drawing audio data or
processing audio (see “Audio processing and functions”
on page 117). This editing can be called “non-destructive”:
The actual file (if created or imported from outside the
project) will remain untouched.
The Sample Editor also contains most of the AudioWarp
related functions, i.e. the realtime time stretching functions
in Cubase AI. These can be used to match the tempo of audio loops to the project tempo (see “AudioWarp: Tempo
matching audio” on page 132).
Another special feature of the Sample Editor is hitpoint
detection. Hitpoints allow you to create “slices”, which are
useful, for example, if you want to change the tempo without affecting the pitch (see “Working with hitpoints and
slices” on page 134).

Opening the Sample Editor
You open the Sample Editor by double-clicking an audio
event in the Project window or the Audio Part Editor, or by
double-clicking an audio clip in the Pool. You can have
more than one Sample Editor window open at the same
time.
• Note that double-clicking an audio part in the Project
window will open the Audio Part Editor, even if the part
only contains a single audio event.
This is described in a separate chapter, see “The Audio Part Editor” on
page 138.

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The Sample Editor

Window overview

The Elements menu

The toolbar
The toolbar contains the following tools:
The Sample
Editor tools

Audition, Loop & Volume
controls

Solo Editor

Show Info

Autoscroll

Suspend Autoscroll
when Editing

Show
Inspector
Show Audio Event

If you hold [Alt]/[Option] and right-click in the Sample Editor to bring up the context menu, you will find a submenu
called “Elements”. By activating or deactivating options on
this submenu, you specify what is shown in the editor window. Some of these options are also available as icons on
the toolbar.

Musical Mode
Snap on/off

Snap to Zero Crossing

To the right of the tools the estimated length of your audio
file is displayed in bars and beats (PPQ) together with the
estimated tempo and the time signature. If you want to use
Musical mode, you should always verify if the length in bars
corresponds to the audio file you imported. If necessary,
listen to your audio and enter the correct bar length. The
Algorithm pop-up allows you to select an algorithm for the
realtime time stretching.

Ö Provided that the “Popup Toolbox on Right Click” option in the Preferences dialog (Editing–Tools page) is activated, a right-click holding a modifier key brings up the
context menu.

• You can customize the toolbar by right-clicking it and
using the context menu to hide or show items.

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The Sample Editor

The thumbnail display

• Selecting “Setup…” from the context menu allows you
to rearrange sections on the toolbar, store toolbar presets,
etc., see “Using the Setup options” on page 262.

Event Start

Event End

The info line
Snap Point

If you activate the Show Info button on the toolbar, the info
line will show information about the edited audio clip:

The thumbnail display provides an overview of the whole
clip. The section currently shown in the main waveform display of the Sample Editor is indicated by a blue rectangle in
the thumbnail, while the current selection range is shown in
light blue. If the “Show Audio Event” button is activated in
the toolbar, event start/end and snap point will also be
shown in the thumbnail display.

Audio format and length

Realtime status

Number of edits made to the clip

Selected display format
(for info line and ruler)

Blue rectangle

• You can move the blue rectangle in the thumbnail to
view other sections of the clip.

Zoom factor

Click in the lower half of the rectangle and drag to the left or right to
move it.

Current selection range

• You can resize the blue rectangle (by dragging its left or
right edge) to zoom in or out, horizontally.
• You can define a new viewing area by clicking in the upper half of the overview and dragging a rectangle.

Initially, length and position values are displayed in the format specified in the Project Setup dialog. The info line can
be customized, see “The Setup dialogs” on page 262.

The ruler
The Sample Editor ruler is located between the thumbnail
and the waveform displays. The ruler is explained in detail
in the section “The ruler” on page 21.

The Sample Editor Inspector
To the left in the Sample Editor, you will find the Sample Editor Inspector. It contains tools and functions for working in
the Sample Editor.

The waveform display and the level scale

The Hitpoints tab

The waveform display shows the waveform image of the
edited audio clip according to the wave image style set in
the Preferences (Event Display–Audio page), see “Adjusting how parts and events are shown” on page 25. To the
left of the waveform display a level scale can be shown, indicating the amplitude of the audio.

On this tab, the transients or hitpoints of the audio can be
marked and edited (see “Working with hitpoints and slices” on page 134). Hitpoints allow you to slice your audio,
and to create markers and events.

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The Sample Editor

• When the level scale is shown, you can select whether
the level should be shown as a percentage or in dB.

• The following options relevant to the Sample Editor are
available on the Zoom submenu of the Edit menu or the
context menu:

This is done by right-clicking the level scale and selecting an option from
the context menu. This also allows you to hide the level scale.

Option

• To display the level scale after hiding it, bring up the
Sample Editor context menu and activate Scale on the
Elements submenu.

Description

Zoom In

Zooms in one step, centering on the position cursor.

Zoom Out

Zooms out one step, centering on the position cursor.

Zoom Full

Zooms out so that the whole clip is visible in the editor.

Zoom to
Selection

Zooms in so that the current selection fills the editor
display.

Zoom to
Selection (Horiz.)

Zooms in horizontally so that the current selection fills
the editor display.

Zoom to Event

Zooms in so that the editor shows the section of the
clip corresponding to the edited audio event. This is
not available if you opened the Sample Editor from the
Pool (in which case the whole clip is opened for editing, not an event).

Zoom In/Out
Vertical

This is the same as using the vertical zoom slider (see
above).

• The Elements submenu also allows you to select
whether you want the zero axis and/or the half level axis indicated in the waveform display.

• You can also zoom by resizing the rectangle in the
thumbnail display.
Zero axis

See “The thumbnail display” on page 127.

Half
level
axis

• The current zoom setting is shown in the info line, as a
“samples per screen pixel” value.
• Note that you can zoom in horizontally to a scale of less
than one sample per pixel!
This is required for drawing with the Pencil tool (see “Drawing in the
Sample Editor” on page 131).

• If you have zoomed in to one sample per pixel or less,
the appearance of the samples depends on the option
“Interpolate Audio Images” in the Preferences (Event Display–Audio page).

General Operations
Zooming

If the option is deactivated, single sample values are drawn as “steps”. If
the option is activated, they are interpolated to a “curve” form.

Zooming in the Sample Editor is done according to the
standard zoom procedures, with the following special
notes:

Auditioning

• The vertical zoom slider changes the vertical scale relative to the height of the editor window, in a way similar to
the waveform zooming in the Project window (see “Zoom
and view options” on page 22).

While you can use the regular play commands to play
back audio when the Sample Editor is open, it is often
useful to listen to the edited material only.
Ö You can adjust the auditioning level with the miniature
level fader on the toolbar.

The vertical zoom will also be affected if the Preference “Zoom Tool
Standard Mode: Horizontal Zooming only” (Editing–Tools page) is deactivated and you drag a rectangle with the Zoom tool.

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The Sample Editor

Using key commands

• You can adjust the response of the Scrub tool with the
Scrub Response (Speed) setting in the Preferences
(Transport–Scrub page).

If you activate the “Playback Toggle triggers Local Preview”
option in the Preferences (Transport page), you can start/
stop auditioning by pressing [Space]. This is the same as
clicking the Audition icon on the toolbar.

You will also find a separate Scrub Volume setting on this page.

Adjusting the snap point

Using the Audition icon

The snap point is a marker within an audio event (or clip,
see below). This is used as a reference position when you
are moving events with snap activated, so that the snap
point is “magnetic” to whatever snap positions you have
selected.

Clicking the Audition icon on the toolbar plays back the
edited audio, according to the following rules:

By default, the snap point is set at the beginning of the audio event, but often it is useful to move the snap point to a
“relevant” position in the event, such as a downbeat, etc.

• If you have made a selection, this selection will be played back.
• If there is no selection, but the option “Show Event” is activated (see “Show Audio Event” on page 132), the section of
the clip corresponding to the event will be played back.
• If there is no selection, and “Show Event” is deactivated, playback will start at the cursor position (if the cursor is outside
the display, the whole clip will be played back).
• If the Audition Loop icon is activated, playback will continue
repeatedly until you deactivate the Audition Loop icon. Otherwise, the section will be played back once.

1. Activate the “Show Audio Event” option on the toolbar,
so that the event is displayed in the editor.
2. Scroll so that the event is visible, and locate the “S”
flag in the event.
If you haven’t adjusted this previously, it will be located at the beginning
of the event.

Using the Speaker tool
If you click somewhere in the waveform display with the
Speaker (“Play”) tool and keep the mouse button pressed,
the clip will be played back from the position at which you
clicked. Playback will continue until you release the mouse
button.

Scrubbing

3. Click on the “S” flag and drag it to the desired position.

The Scrub tool allows you to locate positions in the audio
by playing back, forwards or backwards, at any speed:

When you drag the snap point, a tooltip shows its current position (in the
format selected on the Sample Editor ruler).

1. Select the Scrub tool.

• If the Scrub tool is selected when you move the snap
point, you will hear the audio while dragging (just like
when scrubbing).

2. Click in the waveform display and keep the mouse
button pressed.

This makes it easier to find the correct position.

The project cursor is moved to the position at which you click.

3. Drag to the left or right.
The project cursor follows the mouse pointer and the audio is played
back. The speed and pitch of the playback depends on how fast you
move the pointer.

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The Sample Editor

• It is also possible to define a snap point for a clip (for
which there is no event yet).
To open a clip in the Sample Editor, double-click it in the Pool. After having set the snap point using the procedure described above, you can insert the clip into the project from the Pool or the Sample Editor, taking
the snap point position into account.
!

Events and clips can have different snap points. If
you open a clip from the Pool you can edit the clip
snap point. If you open a clip from within the project
window, you can edit the event snap point. The clip
snap serves as a template for the event snap point
and does not affect snapping.

Function

Description

From Start
to Cursor

Selects all audio between the clip start and the project
cursor.

From Cursor
to End

Selects all audio between the project cursor and the
end of the clip. For this to work, the project cursor must
be within the clip boundaries.

Left Selection
Side to Cursor

Moves the left side of the current selection range to the
project cursor position. For this to work, the cursor must
be within the clip boundaries.

Right Selection
Side to Cursor

Moves the right side of the current selection range to
the project cursor position (or the end of the clip, if the
cursor is to the right of the clip).

Editing selection ranges

Making selections

Selections in the Sample Editor can be processed in several ways. Please note the following:

To select an audio section in the Sample Editor, you click
and drag with the Range Selection tool.

• If you attempt to edit an event that is a shared copy (i.e.
the event refers to a clip that is used by other events in the
project), you are asked whether you want to create a new
version of the clip.

A selected range

Select “New Version” if you want the editing to affect the selected event
only. Select “Continue” if you want the editing to affect all shared copies.
Note: If you activate the option “Do not show this message again” in the
dialog, any further editing you do will conform to the selected method
(“Continue” or “New Version”). You can change this setting at any time
with the “On Processing Shared Clips” pop-up menu in the Preferences
(Editing–Audio page).

Cut, Copy and Paste
The Cut, Copy and Paste commands (on the Edit menu in
the Sample Editor context menu or in the main Edit menu)
work according to the following rules:

• If Snap to Zero Crossing is activated on the toolbar, the
start and end of the selection will always be at zero crossings (see “Snap” on page 132).

• Selecting Copy copies the selection to the clipboard.

• You can resize the selection by dragging its left and
right edge or by [Shift]-clicking.

• Selecting Cut removes the selection from the clip and
moves it to the clipboard.

Using the Select menu

The section to the right of the selection is moved to the left to fill the gap.

In the Select submenu of the Edit menu you can find the
following options:
Function

Description

All

Selects the whole clip.

None

Selects no audio (the selection length is set to “0”).

In Loop

Selects all audio between the left and right locator.

Select Event

Selects the audio that is included in the edited event
only. This is not available if you opened the Sample Editor from the Pool (in which case the whole clip is
opened for editing, not an event).

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The Sample Editor

• Selecting Paste copies the data on the clipboard into
the clip.

Creating a new clip or audio file from the selection
You can extract a selection from an event and either create a new clip or a new audio file, in the following way:

If there is a selection in the editor, this will be replaced by the pasted
data. If there is no selection, the pasted data will be inserted starting at
the selection line. The section to the right of the line will be moved to
make room for the pasted material.

1. Make a selection range.
2. Holding [Alt]/[Option], right-click to open the context
menu and select “Bounce Selection” from the Audio submenu.
Provided that the “Popup Toolbox on Right Click” option in the Preferences dialog (Editing–Tools page) is activated, a right-click holding a
modifier key brings up the context menu.

A new clip is created and added to the Pool, and another
Sample Editor window opens with the new clip. This clip
refers to the same audio file as the original clip, but only
contains the audio corresponding to the selection range.

The pasted data will be inserted at the selection line.

Delete

Drawing in the Sample Editor

Selecting Delete (on the Edit menu in the Sample Editor
context menu or in the main Edit menu or by pressing
[Backspace]) removes the selection from the clip. The
section to the right of the selection is moved to the left to
fill out the gap.

It is possible to edit the audio clip at sample level by drawing with the Pencil tool. This can be useful if you need to
manually edit out a spike or click, etc.

Insert Silence

2. Select the Pencil tool.

Selecting “Insert Silence” (in the Range submenu of the
main Edit menu) will insert a silent section with the same
length as the current selection, at the selection start.

3. Click and draw at the desired position in the waveform
display.

1. Zoom in to a zoom value lower than 1.
This means that there is more than one screen pixel per sample.

When you release the mouse button, the edited section is automatically
selected.

• The selection will not be replaced, but moved to the
right to make room.
If you want to replace the selection, use the “Silence” function instead
(see “Silence” on page 121).

Processing
The Processing features (in the Process submenu on the
Audio menu) can be applied to selections in the Sample
Editor. See the chapter “Audio processing and functions”
on page 117.
Creating a new event from the selection using drag&drop
You can create a new event that plays only the selected
range, using the following method:
1. Make a selection range.
2. Press [Ctrl]/[Command] and drag the selection range
to the desired audio track in the Project window.

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The Sample Editor

Options and settings

Snap to Zero Crossing

Show Audio Event
!

Snap to Zero Crossing activated.

This is only available if you opened the Sample Editor
by double-clicking an audio event in the Project window or the Audio Part Editor and not, if you opened
the audio event from within the Pool.

This setting is linked to the Snap to Zero Crossing setting
in the Project window, see the section “Snap to Zero
Crossing” on page 41.

When the Show Audio Event button is activated on the
toolbar (or the option “Audio Event” is activated on the
Elements submenu of the context menu), the section corresponding to the edited event is highlighted in the waveform and thumbnail displays. The sections of the audio
clip not belonging to the event are shown with a dark gray
background.

Ö If hitpoints have been calculated, these will also be
taken into account when snapping to zero crossings.

Autoscroll

Autoscroll and Suspend Autoscroll when Editing activated.

When this option is activated on the Sample Editor toolbar, the waveform display will scroll during playback,
keeping the project cursor visible in the editor.
This setting is independent of the Autoscroll setting in the
Project window toolbar or other editors. For more information on this function, see the section “Autoscroll” on
page 41.

AudioWarp: Tempo matching audio

• In this mode, you can adjust the start and end of the
event in the clip by dragging the event handles in the
waveform display.

In Cubase AI you can use the Musical mode to tempomatch audio loops to the project tempo. It allows you to
lock audio clips to the project tempo by using realtime
time stretching. This is very useful if you want to use loops
in your project and do not want to worry too much about
timing.

When you move the pointer over the event handles (no matter what tool
may be selected), it takes on the shape of an arrow, to indicate that you
can click and drag.

Snap

When Musical mode is activated, audio events will adapt
to any tempo changes in Cubase AI, just like MIDI events.
However, using this function should not be confused with
quantizing: the timing, i.e. the rhythmic feeling will be
maintained.

Snap activated.

The Snap function helps you to find exact positions when
editing in the Sample Editor. It does this by restricting horizontal movement and positioning to certain grid positions.
You turn Snap on or off by clicking the Snap button in the
Sample Editor toolbar.

It is also possible to activate/deactivate Musical mode from
within the Pool by clicking the corresponding checkbox in
the Musical Mode column.

Ö The Sample Editor Snap function is independent of
the Snap setting in the Project window toolbar or other
editors. It has no effect outside the Sample Editor.

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The Sample Editor

When you have correctly set a tempo or length for an audio clip, this information is saved with the project. This allows you to import files into the project with Musical mode
already activated. The tempo (if set) is also saved when
exporting files.
!

Cubase AI supports ACID® loops. These loops are
standard audio files but with embedded tempo/length
information. When ACID® files are imported into Cubase AI, Musical mode is automatically activated and
the loops will adapt to the tempo set in the project.

Option

Description

Pads

Use this mode for pitched audio with slower rhythm and a stable spectral sound character. This will minimize sound artifacts, but the rhythmic accuracy will not be preserved.

Vocals

This mode was optimized for slower signals with transients
and a prominent tonal character (e.g. vocals).

Mix

This mode will preserve the rhythm and minimize the artifacts
for pitched material which does not meet the above criteria
(i.e. with a less homogenous sound character).
This will be selected by default for audio that is not categorized.

Advanced

This allows for a manual tweaking of the time stretching parameters. The settings that are shown when you open the dialog are those of the last used preset. The Advanced settings
are described in more detail below this table.

Proceed as follows to tempo match an audio loop to the
project tempo:
1. Import your loop into the project and double-click it to
open it in the Sample Editor.

If you select the Advanced menu item, a dialog opens
where you can manually adjust the three parameters that
govern the sound quality of the time stretching:
Parameter

Description

Grainsize

The realtime time stretching algorithm splits the audio into
small pieces called “grains”. This parameter determines the
size of the grains. For material with many transients you
should use low Grainsize values for best results.

Overlap

Overlap is the percentage of the whole grain that will overlap with other grains. Use higher values for material with a
stable sound character.

Variance

Variance is also a percentage of the whole length of the
grains and sets a variation in positioning so that the overlapping area will sound smooth. A Variance setting of 0 will
produce a sound akin to time stretching used in early samplers, whereas higher settings will produce more (rhythmic)
“smearing” effects but less audio artifacts.

2. From the Algorithm pop-up in the toolbar, select the
algorithm to be applied on realtime playback.

3. Activate the Musical Mode button on the toolbar.
Your loop will automatically be adapted to the project tempo.

In this pop-up you can find various options that govern the
audio quality of the realtime time stretching. There are presets for common types of audio material and an Advanced
option which allows you to manually set warp parameters:
Option

Description

Drums

This mode is best for percussive sounds, because it will not
change the timing of your audio. Using this option for pitched
audio will lead to noticeable artifacts. In this case, you can try
the Mix mode.

Plucked

This should be used for audio with transients and a relatively
stable spectral sound character (e.g. plucked instruments).

As you can see, it is very easy to adapt audio loops to the
project tempo.

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The Sample Editor

Working with hitpoints and slices

Which audio files can be used?
Here are some guidelines as to what type of audio files are
suited for slicing using hitpoints:

Hitpoint detection is a special feature of the Sample Editor. It detects attack transients in an audio file and then
adds a type of marker, i.e. a “hitpoint”, at each transient.
These hitpoints allow you to create “slices”, where each
slice ideally represents each individual sound or “beat” in
a loop (drum or other rhythmic loops work best with this
feature). When you have successfully sliced the audio file,
you can do a number of useful things with it:

• Each individual sound in the loop should have a noticeable attack.
Slow attacks, legato playing, etc. may not produce the desired result.

• Poorly recorded audio might be difficult to slice correctly.
In these cases, try to normalize the files or to remove DC Offset.

• There may be problems with sounds drowned in smearing effects, like short delays.

• Change the tempo without affecting the pitch.
• Replace individual sounds in a drum loop.
• Edit the actual playing in the drum loop without affecting the
basic feel.
• Extract sounds from loops.

Calculating hitpoints and slicing a loop
Before proceeding, find a suitable loop using the criteria
above. Proceed as follows:

You can further edit these slices in the Audio Part Editor.
For example you can:

1. Open the event or clip for editing in the Sample Editor.
You can do this by double-clicking an event on an audio track in the
Project window or a clip in the Pool. In this example, we assume you
work with an event on a track.

•
•
•
•

Remove or mute slices.
Change the loop by reordering or replacing slices.
Apply processing to individual slices.
Create new files from individual slices using the “Bounce Selection” function on the Audio menu.
• Edit slice envelopes.

2. Open the Hitpoints tab in the Sample Editor Inspector
and select an option from the Use pop-up.
The Use pop-up menu on the Hitpoints tab affects which hitpoints are
shown and is a useful tool for removing unwanted hitpoints.
It contains the following options:

Ö The term “loop” is used throughout this section. Loop
in this context usually means an audio file with a musical
time base, i.e. the length of the loop represents a certain
number of bars and beats at a certain tempo. Playing the
loop back at the right tempo in a cycle set to the correct
length will produce a continuous loop without gaps.
!

When a selection range is defined, hitpoints will only
be detected within this range.

Hitpoints will only be displayed in the waveform if the
Hitpoints tab is open.

Option

Description

All

All hitpoints are shown (taking the Sensitivity slider into account).

1/4, 1/8,
1/16, 1/32

Only hitpoints that are close to the selected note value positions within the loop are shown (e.g. close to exact sixteenth
note positions). Again, the Sensitivity slider is taken into account.

Metric Bias

This is like the “All” mode, but all hitpoints that are close to
even meter divisions (1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc.) get a “sensitivity
boost” – they are visible at lower sensitivity settings. This is
useful if you are working with dense or cluttered material with
a lot of hitpoints, but you know that the material is based on a
strict meter. By selecting Metric Bias it will be easier to find
the hitpoints close to the meter position (although most other
hitpoints are also available, at higher sensitivity settings).

Using hitpoints
The main functionality of using hitpoints to slice up a loop is
to make a loop fit the tempo of a song, or alternatively to
create a situation that allows the song tempo to be changed
while retaining the timing of a rhythmic audio loop, just like
when using MIDI files.

3. Move the Sensitivity slider to the right to add hitpoints
or to the left to remove unwanted hitpoints until one individual sound is played between each hitpoint.
If your main reason for slicing the loop is to change the tempo, you generally need as many slices as you can get, but never more than one per individual “hit” in the loop.

In the next step, the loop will be adapted to the project
tempo set in Cubase AI.
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The Sample Editor

4. Verify the Tempo and Bars values in the toolbar.

• If the project tempo is higher than the loop’s original
tempo, you may want to activate auto crossfades for the
track.

5. On the Hitpoints tab, click on the Slice & Close button
or select “Create Audio Slices from Hitpoints” from the
Hitpoints submenu on the Audio menu to create audio
slices from the hitpoints.

You can use the Close Gaps functions in this case as well, see “Close
Gaps” on page 136.

The following happens:
• The Sample Editor closes.
• The audio event is “sliced” so that the sections between
the hitpoints become separate events, all referring to the
same original file.
• The audio event is replaced by an audio part, containing
the slices (double-click the part to view the slices in the Audio Part Editor). If you edited a clip from the Pool, you need
to drag it to an audio track to get a part with the slices.
!

The slices in the Audio Part Editor. Here, the project tempo was higher
than the loop’s original tempo – the slice events overlap slightly.

When you create slices, all events containing the edited clip will also be replaced.

Setting hitpoints manually
If you cannot get the desired result by adjusting the sensitivity, try to set and edit hitpoints manually.

• The loop is automatically adapted to the project tempo.
This takes the loop length you specified into account: e.g., if
the loop was one bar long, the part is resized to fit exactly
one bar in the Cubase AI tempo, and the slices are moved
accordingly, keeping their relative positions within the part.

1. Zoom in on the waveform at the point where you wish
to add a hitpoint.
2. Select the Edit Hitpoints tool to audition the area and
make sure that the start of the sound is in view.

• In the Pool, the sliced clip is shown with a different icon.
Dragging the sliced clip from the Pool to an audio track will create an audio
part with the slices adapted to the project tempo, just as above.
!

• Activate Snap to Zero Crossing on the Sample Editor
toolbar.

Only when the audio tempo has been defined and
the audio grid matches the project tempo, your slices
will be straight (quantized).

By finding zero crossings in the waveform (positions where the amplitude
is close to zero), manually added slices won’t introduce any clicks or pops.
All hitpoints calculated by the program are automatically placed at zero
crossings.

6. Activate cycle playback on the Transport panel.
The loop should now play back seamlessly at the tempo set in the project!

• If the project tempo is lower than the original tempo of
the loop, there may be audible gaps between each slice
event in the part.
This can be remedied by using the Close Gaps function on the Advanced
submenu of the Audio menu, see “Close Gaps” on page 136. You should
also consider activating auto fades for the corresponding audio track –
fade-outs set to about 10ms will help eliminate any clicks between the
slices when you play back the part. See “Fades, crossfades and envelopes” on page 62 for details.

“Snap to Zero Crossing” may alter the timing. In
some cases it might therefore be better to deactivate
it. However, if you create slices afterwards, auto
fades will be necessary.

3. Press [Alt]/[Option] so that the mouse pointer changes
to a pencil tool and click just before the start of the sound.
A new hitpoint appears. Manually added hitpoints are locked by default.

• If you notice that a hitpoint was either placed too far
away from the start of the sound or too far into the sound,
you can move it by clicking on the hitpoint handle and
dragging it to the new position.

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The Sample Editor

4. Audition the slices by pointing and clicking in any slice
area.

• To activate Q-points, open the Preferences (Editing–
Audio page) and activate the option “Hitpoints have
Q-Points”.

The pointer changes to a speaker icon and the corresponding slice will be
played back from the beginning to the end.

Next time you use the Calculate Hitpoints function, the hitpoints will have
Q-points.

• If you hear a single sound split into two slice you can
disable an individual slice by pressing [Alt]/[Option] (the
pointer turns into a cross) and clicking on the corresponding hitpoint handle.

• To offset the position of a Q-point in relation to the hitpoint, simply click on the “Q” icon and drag it to the right
to the desired position.

The hitpoint handle gets smaller and its line disappears to indicate that it
is disabled. To reactivate a disabled hitpoint, [Alt]/[Option]-click on the
hitpoint handle again.

Other hitpoint functions
On the Hitpoints tab of the Sample Editor Inspector and
on the various submenus of the Audio menu, you will also
find the following functions:

• If you hear “double hits” (e.g. a snare hit being followed
by a hi-hat hit within the same slice) you can add further hitpoints manually, or you can move the Sensitivity slider to the
right until the hitpoint appears, lock this hitpoint by pointing
on the handle until it becomes green and click on it.

Create Markers
If an audio event contains calculated hitpoints, you can
click on the Create Markers button in the Hitpoints tab to
add a marker for each hitpoint (see “Marker tracks” on
page 19). This can be useful to snap to hitpoints, e.g. for
locating hitpoints.

Locked hitpoints are displayed in a darker color. After locking the hitpoint
you can drag the sensitivity slider to the original setting and the locked
hitpoint will remain shown. You can unlock a locked hitpoint by clicking
on its handle.

• If you want to delete a hitpoint, simply drag it out of the
Sample Editor window.

Create Events

Hitpoints that you have created manually can also be deleted by clicking
their handle.

When you wish to create separate events according to the
hitpoints for a file, you can click on the Create Events button in the Hitpoints tab. This means that you do not have to
make the same considerations as when slicing for tempo
changes. You can use any method you like to set hitpoints.

Match-quantizing audio
Hitpoints can have individual Q-points. These are mainly
used for audio quantizing. Their function is to define the
point to which the quantizing will apply. Sometimes a slice
might have a slow attack, and a peak further into the slice
which you wish to use as the Q-point. When you apply
quantize, the Q-point will define where the warp tab will be
added. This also defines the point which will be stretched
to a grid position when quantizing.

• The slices created will appear in the Project window as
separate events.
Close Gaps
This function from the Advanced submenu on the Audio
menu is useful if you sliced a loop for tempo changes.
Lowering the tempo below the loop’s original tempo will
create gaps between the slices. The lower the tempo is in
relation to the original tempo, the wider the gaps will be.
Close Gaps can be used to remedy this.
Proceed as follows:
1. Set the desired tempo.
2. Select the part containing the slices in the Project window.

Sounds with a slow attack have their rhythmic center
at some point before the peak.
136
The Sample Editor

3. Select “Close Gaps” from the Advanced submenu on
the Audio menu.
Time stretch is applied to each slice to close the gaps. Depending on the
length of the part and the algorithm set in the Preferences (Editing–Audio page), this can take a little while.

4. The waveform is redrawn and the gaps are closed!
• Note that this feature creates new clips in the Pool, one
for each slice.
• Close Gaps can also be used when the project tempo
is higher than the original loop tempo.
This will use the time stretch function to compress the slices to fit.

• If you decide to change the tempo again after using the
Close Gaps function, you should undo the Close Gaps operation or start over again, using the original unstretched
file.
• You can also use this function on individual events (in
the Audio Part Editor or Project window).
The events don’t have to be slices – you can use Close Gaps simply to
stretch an audio event to the start position of the next event.

Ö There are some restrictions concerning the highest
and lowest possible note pitch. You cannot choose note
pitches above C5 and below E0.

137
The Sample Editor

13
The Audio Part Editor

Background

Window overview

The Audio Part Editor allows you to view and edit the events
inside audio parts. Essentially, this is the same type of editing that you do in the Project window, which means that
this chapter contains a lot of references to the chapter “The
Project window” on page 14.
Audio parts are created in the Project window in one of
the following ways:
• By selecting one or several audio events on the same
track, and selecting “Events to Part” from the Audio menu.
• By gluing together two or more audio events on the
same track with the Glue Tube tool.

The toolbar
The tools, settings and icons on the toolbar have the same
functionality as in the Project window, with the following
differences:

• By drawing an empty part with the Pencil tool.
• By double-clicking between the left and right locator on
an audio track.

• A Solo button (see “Auditioning” on page 141).
• Separate tools for auditioning (Speaker) and scrubbing (see
“Scrubbing” on page 141).
• No Line, Glue Tube or Color tools.
• Play and Loop icons and an Audition Volume control (see
“Auditioning” on page 141).
• Part List controls for handling several parts: activating parts
for editing, restricting editing to active parts only and showing
part borders (see “Handling several parts” on page 141).

With the last two methods, an empty part is created. You can then add
events to the part by pasting, or by using drag and drop from the Pool.

Opening the Audio Part Editor
You open the Audio Part Editor by selecting one or more
audio part(s) in the Project window and double-clicking
on any one of them (or using the Edit-Open key command,
by default [Ctrl]/[Command]-[E]). The Audio Part Editor
can display several parts at once, and you can also have
more than one Audio Part Editor open at the same time.

Ö You can customize the toolbar by hiding or reordering
its items.
See “Using the Setup options” on page 262.

Ö Double-clicking on an audio event in the Project window will open the Sample Editor (see “Opening the
Sample Editor” on page 125).

The ruler and info line
These have the same functionality and appearance as
their counterparts in the Project window.
• You can select a separate display format for the Audio
Part Editor ruler by clicking on the arrow button on the right
and selecting an option from the pop-up menu.
For a list of the available formats, see “The ruler” on page 21.

139
The Audio Part Editor

About lanes

• To move an event to another lane without accidentally
moving it horizontally, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and drag it
up or down.

If you make the editor window larger, this will reveal additional space below the edited events. This is because an
audio part is divided vertically in lanes.

This is the default modifier key for this – you can adjust this in the Preferences if you like.

Overlapping events
Only one event per track can be played back at the same
time! This means that if you have overlapping events (on
the same lane or different lanes) these will cut each other
off, according to the following rules:
• For events on the same lane, the ones that are on top
(visible) will be played.

Lanes

To move overlapping events to the front or back, use the Move to Front
and Move to Back functions on the Edit menu.

• For events on different lanes, the event on the lowest
lane gets playback priority.
Lanes can make it easier to work with several audio events
in a part:

The overlapping sections of the upper event will not be played since the
event on the lower lane has playback priority!

Imagine the following situation: You have two overlapping
audio events, with the top event audible during playback.
What happens when you mute the audible event?
• By default, you will not hear the overlapped event when
muting an event that has playback priority over another
event.
This default behavior ensures that you do not suddenly hear audio events
that previously were not part of your mix.

• In the Preferences dialog (Editing–Audio page) you will
find the option “Treat Muted Audio Events like Deleted”.
When you activate this option, any events overlapped by a
muted event will become audible.

In the upper figure it is unnecessarily hard to discern, select and edit the separate events. In the lower figure, some
of the events have been moved to another lower lane,
making selection and editing much easier.

140
The Audio Part Editor

Operations
!

By using regular playback
You can of course use the regular playback controls while
in the Audio Part Editor. Furthermore, if you activate the
Solo Editor button on the toolbar, only the events in the
edited part will be played back.

Zooming, selecting and editing in the Audio Part Editor are done just as in the Project window (see
“Operations” on page 21).

• Note that if a part is a shared copy (i.e. you have previously copied the part by [Alt]/[Option]-[Shift] and dragging), any editing you perform will affect all shared copies
of this part.

Scrubbing
In the Audio Part Editor, the Scrub tool has a separate icon
on the toolbar. Apart from that, scrubbing works exactly as
in the Project window (see “Scrubbing” on page 28).

To indicate that it is a shared copy, its name is displayed in italics and a
symbol is displayed in the lower right corner of the part in the Project
window.

Handling several parts
When you open the Audio Part Editor with several parts selected – all on the same track or on different tracks – they
might not all “fit” in the editor window, which can make it
hard to get an overview of the different parts when editing.

Auditioning
There are three ways to listen to the events in the Audio
Part Editor:
By using the Speaker tool

Therefore, the toolbar features a few functions to make
working with multiple parts easier and more comprehensive:

If you click somewhere in the editor’s event display with the
Speaker tool and keep the mouse button pressed, the part
will be played back from the position where you clicked.
Playback will continue until you release the mouse button.

• The Part List menu lists all parts that were selected
when you opened the editor, and lets you select which
part should be active for editing.

By using the Audition icon

When you select a part from the list, it is automatically made active and
centered in the display.

The Audition and Audition Loop icons.

Clicking the Audition icon on the toolbar plays back the
edited audio, according to the following rules:
Ö Note that it is also possible to activate a part by clicking on it with the Arrow tool.

• If you have selected events in the part, only the section between the first and last selected event will be played back.
• If you have made a range selection, only this section will be
played back.
• If there is no selection, the whole part will be played back. If
the project cursor is within the part, playback starts from the
current cursor position. If the cursor is outside the part, playback starts from the beginning of the part.
• If the Audition Loop icon is activated, playback will continue
until you deactivate the Audition icon. Otherwise, the section
will be played back once.

• The button “Edit Active Part Only” lets you restrict editing operations to the active part only.
If you for example select “All” from the Select submenu on the Edit menu
with this option activated, all events in the active part will be selected but
not the events in other parts.

“Edit Active Part Only” activated on the toolbar.

• When auditioning with the Speaker tool or Audition
icon, audio will be routed directly to the Main Mix (the default output bus).

• You can zoom in on an active part so that it fills the
screen by selecting “Zoom to Event” from the Zoom submenu on the Edit menu.
141

The Audio Part Editor

• The button “Show Part Borders” can be used if you
want to see clearly defined borders for the active part.

Assembling a take
1. Double-click the part to open the Audio Part Editor.

When this is activated, all parts except the active one are grayed out,
making the borders easily discernible. There are also two “markers” in
the ruler with the name of the active part, marking its beginning and end.
These can be moved freely to change the part borders.

Now, the different takes will be placed on different lanes, with the last
take at the bottom.

“Show Part Borders” activated on the toolbar.

• It is possible to cycle between parts, making them active using key commands.
In the Key Commands dialog – Edit category, there are two functions:
“Activate Next Part” and “Activate Previous Part”. If you assign key commands to these, you can use them to cycle between parts. See “Setting
up key commands” on page 269 for instructions on how to set up key
commands.

Common methods

2. Use the tools to cut out pieces of the takes and assemble the final result.

Assembling a “perfect take”

This can include splitting with the Scissors tool, resizing events with the
Arrow tool or deleting with the Erase tool.

When you record audio in Cycle mode, an event is created for each recorded lap (see “Recording audio in cycle
mode” on page 54). These events are named “Take X”,
where “X” is the number of the take. You can create a perfect take by putting together sections of the different takes
in the Audio Part Editor.

• Remember that the events on the lowest lane have playback priority.

Ö The procedure below will not work if you recorded
with “Keep Last” mode selected on the Transport panel.

Options and Settings

Use the Audition icon to audition the result.

3. Close the Audio Part Editor.
You have now assembled a “perfect take”!

The following options and settings are available in the
Audio Part Editor:

In that case, only the last take will be kept on the track.

First, you have to create an audio part from the takes.

• Snap
Creating an audio part from events

You can specify an independent Snap mode (and snap value for the Grid
mode) in the editor. The functionality is exactly the same as in the Project
window.

1. In the Project window, use the Object Selection tool to
draw a rectangle around the recorded events.

• Autoscroll

This is necessary, since clicking on the event may just select the event on
top (the last take). If in doubt, check the info line – the info text should be
yellow.

When Autoscroll is activated on the toolbar, the window will scroll during
playback, keeping the project cursor visible in the editor. This setting can
be activated or deactivated individually for each window.

2. Pull down the Audio menu and select “Events to Part”.

• Snap to Zero Crossing

The events are converted to an audio part.

When this option is activated, all audio edits are done at zero crossings
(positions in the audio where the amplitude is zero). This helps you avoid
pops and clicks which might otherwise be caused by sudden amplitude
changes.

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The Audio Part Editor

14
The Pool

Background

The content of the Pool is divided into three main folders:
• The Audio folder

Every time you record on an audio track, a file is created
on your hard disk. A reference to this file – a clip – is also
added to the Pool. Two general rules apply to the Pool:

This contains all audio clips currently in the project.

• The Video folder
This contains all video clips currently in the project.

• All audio and video clips that belong to a project are
listed in the Pool.

• The Trash folder

• There is a separate Pool for every project.

Unused clips can be moved into the Trash folder for later permanent removal from the hard disk.

The way the Pool displays folders and their contents is
similar to the way the Mac OS X Finder and the Windows
Explorer display folders and lists of files.

These folders cannot be renamed or deleted from the Pool,
but any number of subfolders can be added (see “Organizing clips and folders” on page 152).

In the Pool you can, among other things, perform the following operations:

Window overview

Operations that affect files on disk

Audio folder

Audio clip name

Toolbar

• Importing clips (audio files can automatically be copied and/or
converted)
• Converting file formats
• Renaming clips (this will also rename the referenced files on
disk)
• Deleting clips
• Preparing file archives for backup
• Minimizing files
Trash folder

Video folder

Waveform image

Operations that only affect clips
•
•
•
•

Toolbar overview

Copying clips
Auditioning clips
Organizing clips
Applying audio processing to clips

Show Info
button

Opening the Pool

View/Attributes
pop-up

Audition, Audition Loop, and
Volume controls

You can open the Pool in any of the following ways:
• By clicking the Open Pool button on the Project window
toolbar.

Open/Close all
folders

Import and Search
buttons

Project Folder
path

Pool Record
Folder path

The info line
Click the “Show Info” button on the toolbar to show or
hide the info line at the bottom of the Pool window. It
shows the following information:
Number of audio files in
the Pool

• By selecting “Pool” on the Project menu or “Open Pool
Window” on the Media menu.
• By using a key command (by default [Ctrl]/[Command][P] – note that using this key command a second time will
close the Pool again).

Number of audio files
in use

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The Pool

Total size of all audio files in
the Pool

Number of files in the Pool that are not in
the project folder (e. g. video files)

How clips are displayed in the Pool

Column

Description

• Audio clips are represented by a waveform icon followed by
the clip name.

Path

This column shows the path to the location of a clip on
the hard disk.

Reel Name

Audio files may include this attribute, which is then shown
in this column. The Reel Name describes the “physical”
reel or tape from which the media was originally captured.

• Video clips are represented by a camera icon followed by the
clip name.

About the Status column symbols
The Status column can display various symbols that relate
to the clips status. The following symbols can be shown:
Symbol

The Pool window columns

This indicates the current Pool Record folder (see
“Changing the Pool Record folder” on page 152).

Various information about the clips can be viewed in the
Pool window columns. The columns contain the following
information:
Column

Description

Media

This column contains the Audio, Video and Trash folders. If
the folders are opened, the clip names are shown and can
be edited. This column is always shown.

Used

This column displays the number of times a clip is used in
the project. If there is no entry in this column, the corresponding clip is not used.

Status

This column displays various icons that relate to the current Pool and clip status. See “About the Status column
symbols” on page 145 for a description of the icons.

Musical Mode

The checkbox in this column allows you to activate or deactivate Musical Mode. If the Tempo column (see below)
displays “???”, you have to enter the correct tempo before you can activate Musical Mode.

Tempo

This shows the tempo of audio files, if available. If no
tempo has been specified, the column displays “???”.

Sign.

This is the time signature, e.g. “4/4”.

Description

This symbol is shown if a clip has been processed.
The question mark indicates that a clip is referenced in
the project but missing from the Pool (see “About missing files” on page 149).
This indicates that the clip file is external, i.e. located outside the current Audio folder for the project.
This indicates that the clip has been recorded in the currently open version of the project. This is useful for finding
recently recorded clips quickly.

Sorting the Pool contents
You can sort the clips in the Pool by name, date etc. This
is done by clicking on the corresponding column heading.
Clicking again on the same heading switches between ascending and descending sort order.
The arrow indicates the sort
column and sort order.

Key

This is the root key, if one was specified for the file.

Info

This column shows the following information for audio
clips: The sample rate, bit resolution, number of channels
and the length in seconds. For video clips it displays the
frame rate, number of frames, and length in seconds.

Type

This column shows the file format of the clip.

Date

This column shows the date and time when the audio file
was last changed.

Origin Time

This column shows the original start position where a clip
was recorded in the project. This value can be used as a
basis for the option “Insert into Project” in the Media or
context menu (and other functions).

Image

This column displays waveform images of audio clips.

145
The Pool

Customizing the view

Operations

• You can specify which of the columns are shown or hidden by opening the View/Attributes pop-up menu on the
toolbar and selecting/deselecting items.

Ö Most of the Pool-related main menu functions are also
available on the Pool context menu (opened by right-clicking in the Pool window).

Renaming clips in the Pool
To rename a clip in the Pool, select it and click on the existing name, type in a new name and press [Return].
Ö This will also rename the referenced files on disk!
!

Renaming a clip in the Pool is much preferred to renaming it outside Cubase AI (for example on the computer desktop). This way, Cubase AI already “knows”
about the change, and will not lose track of the clip the
next time you open the project. See “About missing
files” on page 149 for details about lost files.

• You can rearrange the order of the columns by clicking
on a column heading and dragging the column to the left
or right.

Duplicating clips in the Pool

The mouse pointer changes to a hand when you place it on the column
heading.

1. Select the clip you wish to copy.

To duplicate a clip, proceed as follows:

2. Select “New Version” on the Media menu.

• The width of a column can also be adjusted by placing
the pointer between two column headers and dragging
left or right.

A new version of the clip appears in the same Pool folder, with the same
name but with a “version number” after it, to indicate that the new clip is a
duplicate. The first copy made of a clip will get the version number “2” and
so on.

The pointer changes to a divider when you place it between two column
headers.

Duplicating a clip does not create a new file on disk,
but a new edit version of the clip (referring to the same
audio file).

Inserting clips into a project
To insert a clip into a project, you can either use the Insert
commands on the Media menu or use drag and drop.
Using menu commands
Proceed as follows:
1. Select the clip(s) you want to insert into the project.
2. Pull down the Media menu and select an “Insert into
Project” option.
“At Cursor” will insert the clip(s) at the current project cursor position.
“At Origin” will insert the clip(s) at their Origin Time position(s).

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• Note that the clip will be positioned so that its snap
point is aligned with the selected insert position.
You can also open the Sample Editor for a clip by double-clicking it, and
perform the insert operation from there. This way you can set the snap
point before inserting a clip.

3. The clip is inserted on the selected track or on a new
audio track.

If you cancel, neither the clip nor the associated events are deleted.

2. In the window that appears, select “Remove from Pool”.

If several tracks are selected, the clip will be inserted on the first selected
track.

The clip is no longer associated with the project, but still exists on the hard
disk and can be used in other projects, etc. This operation can be undone.

Using drag and drop

Deleting from the hard disk

When using drag and drop to insert clips into the Project
window, please note the following:

To delete a file permanently from the hard disk, it must first
be moved to the Trash folder:

• Snap is taken into account if activated.

1. Follow the instructions for deleting clips above, but click
the Trash button instead of the Remove from Pool button.

• While you drag the clip in the Project window, its position
is indicated by a marker line and a numerical position box.

Alternatively, you can drag and drop clips into the Trash folder.

Note that these indicate the position of the snap point in the clip. For example, if you drop the clip at the position 10.00, this will be where the snap
point ends up. See “Adjusting the snap point” on page 129 for information
on how to set the snap point.

2. On the Media menu, select “Empty Trash”.
A warning message is displayed.

3. Click “Erase” to delete the file on the hard disk permanently.

Snap point

This operation cannot be undone!
!

• If you position the clip in an empty area in the event display (i.e. below existing tracks), a new track is created for
the inserted event.

Before you permanently delete audio files from the
hard disk, make sure that they are not used by another
project!

Ö To retrieve a clip from the Trash folder, drag it back
into an Audio or Video folder.

Deleting clips

Removing unused clips

Removing clips from the Pool

This function finds all clips in the Pool that are not used in
the project. You can then decide whether to move them to
the Trash folder (from where they can be permanently deleted) or to remove them from the Pool:

To remove a clip from the Pool without deleting it from the
hard disk, proceed as follows:
1. Select the clip(s) and select “Delete” from the Edit
menu (or press [Backspace] or [Delete]).

1. Select “Remove Unused Media” on the Media or context menu.

A prompt asks whether you want to move the clip to the Trash or remove
it from the Pool.

A message appears asking you whether you want to move the file to the
Trash or to remove it from the Pool.

• If you try to delete a clip that is used by one or more
events, the program will ask you whether to remove these
events from the project.

2. Make your selection.

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Locating events and clips

3. Use the Location pop-up menu to specify where to
search.

Locating events via clips in the Pool

The pop-up menu will list all your local drives and removable media.

If you want to find out which events in the project refer to a
particular clip in the Pool, proceed as follows:

• If you want to limit the search to certain folders, choose
“Select Search Path” and select the desired folder in the
dialog that appears.

1. Select one or more clips in the Pool.
All events that refer to the selected clip(s) are now selected in the Project
window.

The search will include the selected folder and all subfolders. Note also
that folders you have recently selected using the “Select Search Path”
function will appear on the pop-up menu, allowing you to quickly select
them again.

Locating clips via events in the Project window

4. Click the Search button.

2. Select “Select in Project” on the Media menu.

The search is started and the Search button is labeled Stop – click this
to cancel the search if needed.

If you want to find out which clip belongs to a particular
event in the Project window, proceed as follows:
1. Select one or more events in the Project window.

When the search is finished, the files found are listed to
the right.

2. Pull down the Audio menu and select “Find Selected
in Pool”.

• To audition a file, select it in the list and use the playback controls to the left (Play, Stop, Pause and Loop).

The corresponding clip(s) are located and highlighted in the Pool.

If Auto Play is activated, selected files will automatically be played back.

Searching for audio files

• To import a file into the Pool, double-click on it in the list
or select it and click the Import button.

The search functions can help you locate audio files in the
Pool, on your hard disk or on other media. This works
much like the regular file search, but with a couple of extra
features:

5. To close the search pane, click the Search button in
the toolbar again.
Extended Search functionality

1. Click the Search button in the toolbar.

Apart from the search criterion Name, additional search filters are available. The Extended Search options allows for
a very detailed search, helping you to master even the
largest sound database.

A search pane appears at the bottom of the window, displaying the
search functions.

To use them, proceed as follows:
1. Click the Search button on the toolbar.
The Search pane is displayed in the lower part of the Pool window.

The search pane in the Pool

By default, the search parameters available in the search
pane are “Name” and “Location”. For using other filter criteria, see “Extended Search functionality” on page 148.
2. Specify the name of the file(s) to search for in the
Name field.
You can use partial names or wildcards (*). Note that only audio files of
the supported formats will be found.

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2. Move the mouse pointer over the “Name” text to the
right of the name field and click on the arrow that appears.

• You can save presets of your search filter settings. To
do this, click Save Preset on the Presets submenu and
enter a name for the preset.

Move the mouse pointer over
the “Name” text to the right of
the name field and click…

Existing presets can be found at the bottom of the list. To remove a preset, click on the preset to activate it, then select Remove Preset.

The Find Media window
Alternatively to the search pane in the Pool, you can open a
stand-alone Find Media window by selecting the “Search
Media…” option from the Media or context menu (also
available from the Project window). This offers the same
functionality as the search pane.

…to show the Extended Search pop-up menu.

• To insert a clip directly into the project from the Find
Media window, select it in the list and choose one of the
“Insert into Project” options from the Media menu.

3. The Extended Search pop-up menu opens.
It contains six options determining which search criterion is displayed
above the Location field (Name, Size, Bitsize, Channels, Sample Rate or
Date), as well as the Add Filter and Presets submenus.

The options are described in the section “Inserting clips into a project”
on page 146.

The search criteria have the following parameters:
• Name: partial names or wildcards (*)
• Size: Less than, More than, Equal, Between (two values), in
seconds, minutes, hours and bytes
• Bitsize (resolution): 8, 16, 24, 32
• Channels: Mono, Stereo and from 3 to 16
• Sample Rate: various values, choose “Other” for free setting
• Date: various search ranges

About missing files

4. Select one of the search criteria in the pop-up menu to
change the search option above the Location pop-up
menu.

A file is considered missing under one of the following
conditions:

5. If you want to display more search options, select the
desired element from the “Add filter” submenu.

• The file has been moved or renamed outside the program since the last time you worked with the project, and
you ignored the Resolve Missing Files dialog when you
opened the project for the current session.

When you open a project, the Resolve Missing Files dialog
(see below) may open, warning you that one or more files
are “missing”. If you click Close, the project will open anyway, without the missing files. In the Pool, you can check
which files are considered missing. This is indicated by a
question mark in the Status column.

This allows you, for example, to add the Size or the Sample Rate parameters to the already displayed Name and Location parameters.

• You have moved or renamed the file outside the program during the current session.
• You have moved or renamed the folder in which the
missing files are located.

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Locate missing files

Proceed as follows:

1. Select “Find Missing Files…” from the Media or context menu.

1. Open the Pool and locate the clip(s) for which files are
missing.

The Resolve Missing Files dialog opens.

2. Check the Status column – if it says “Reconstructible”, the file can be reconstructed by Cubase AI.
3. Select the reconstructible clips and select “Reconstruct” from the Media menu.
The editing is performed and the edit files are recreated.

Removing missing files from the Pool
If the Pool contains audio files that cannot be found or reconstructed, you may want to remove these. For this, select
“Remove Missing Files” from the Media or context menu.
This will remove all missing files from the Pool as well as the
corresponding events from the Project window.

Auditioning clips in the Pool

2. Decide if you want the program to try to find the file for
you (Search), if you want to do it yourself (Locate) or if you
want to specify in which directory the program should
search for the file (Folder).

There are three ways to audition clips in the Pool:
• By using key commands.
If you activate the “Playback Toggle triggers Local Preview” option in the
Preferences (Transport page), you can use [Space] to audition. This is
the same as clicking the Audition icon on the toolbar.

• If you select Locate, a file dialog opens, allowing you to
locate the file manually.

• By selecting a clip and activating the Audition button.

Select the file and click “Open”.

The whole clip will play back, unless you stop playback by clicking the
Audition button again.

• If you select Folder, a dialog opens to let you specify the
directory in which the missing file can be found.

• By clicking somewhere in the waveform image for a clip.

This might be the preferred method if you have renamed or moved the
folder containing the missing file, but the file still has the same name. Once
you select the correct folder, the program finds the file and you can close
the dialog.

The clip will play from the position in the waveform you click until the end
of the clip, unless you stop playback by clicking the Audition button, or
by clicking anywhere else in the Pool window.

• If you select Search, a dialog opens to let you specify
which folder or disk should be scanned by the program.
Click the Search Folder button, select a directory or a disk and click the
Start button. If found, select the file from the list and click “Accept”.
Afterwards Cubase AI tries to map all other missing files automatically.

Reconstructing missing edit files

Click in the waveform image to audition a clip.

If a missing file cannot be found (e.g. if you have accidentally deleted it from the hard disk), it will normally be indicated with a question mark in the Status column in the
Pool. However, if the missing file is an edit file (a file created when you process audio, stored in the Edits folder
within the project folder), it may be possible for the program to reconstruct it by recreating the editing to the original audio file.

The audio is routed directly to the Main Mix (the default
output) bus, bypassing the audio channel’s settings, effects and EQs.
Ö You can adjust the auditioning level with the miniature
level fader on the toolbar. This does not affect the regular
playback level.

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If you have activated the Audition Loop button before you
audition, the following will happen:

•
•
•
•

AIFF and AIFC (Compressed AIFF)
REX or REX 2 (see “Importing ReCycle files” on page 258)
SD2 (Sound Designer II)
MPEG Layer 3 (mp3 files – see “Importing compressed audio
files” on page 258)
• Windows Media Audio (Windows – see “Importing compressed audio files” on page 258)

• When you click the Audition button to audition a clip,
the clip is repeated indefinitely until you stop playback by
clicking the Audition or Audition Loop button again.
• When you click in the waveform image to audition, the
section from the point you clicked to the end of the clip is
repeated indefinitely until you stop playback.

They may have the following characteristics:
• Stereo or mono
• Any sample rate (although files with another sample rate than
the one used in the project will play back at the wrong speed
and pitch – see below).
• 8, 16, 24 bit or 32 bit float resolution

Opening clips in the Sample Editor
The Sample Editor allows you to perform detailed editing
on the clip (see “The Sample Editor” on page 124). You
can open clips in the Sample Editor directly from the Pool
in the following way:

The following videos formats can also be imported:
•
•
•
•

• If you double-click a clip waveform icon or a clip name
in the Media column, the clip opens in the Sample Editor.
One practical use for this is to set a snap point for a clip
(see “Adjusting the snap point” on page 129). When you
later insert the clip from the Pool into the project, you can
have it be properly aligned according to the set snap point.

AVI (Audio Video Interleaved)
MOV and QT (QuickTime)
DV (Mac OS X only)
MPEG 1 and 2 video files
!

For video files to be played back correctly, the right
codecs have to be installed.

Ö It is also possible to use the commands on the Import
submenu on the File menu to import audio or video files
into the Pool.

About the Import Medium dialog
The Import Medium dialog lets you import files directly into
the Pool. It is opened from the Media or context menu or
using the Import button in the Pool window.

When you select a file in the Import Medium dialog and
click Open, the Import Options dialog opens.

This is a standard file dialog, where you can navigate to
other folders, audition files, etc. The following audio file
formats can be imported:
• Wave (Normal or Broadcast, see “Broadcast Wave files” on
page 230)
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It contains the following options:

4. Select “Set Pool Record Folder” on the Media or context menu, or click in the Status column of the new folder.

• Copy File to Working Directory

The new folder now becomes the Pool Record folder, and any audio recorded in the project will be saved in this folder.

Activate this if you want a copy of the file to be made in the Audio folder of
the project, and have the clip refer to this copy. If the option is off, the clip
will refer to the original file in the original location (and will thus be marked
as “external” in the Pool – see “About the Status column symbols” on
page 145).

Organizing clips and folders
If you accumulate a large number of clips in the Pool, it
may sometimes be difficult to quickly find specific items. In
such cases, organizing clips in new subfolders with suitable names that reflect the content can be a solution. For
example, you could put all sound effects in one folder, all
lead vocals in another, etc. Proceed as follows:

• Convert to Project section
Here you can choose to convert the sample rate (if the sample rate is different than the one set for the project) or the sample size, i.e. resolution
(if the sample size is lower than the record format used in the project).
The options are only available if necessary. Note that if you are importing
several audio files at once, the Import Options dialog will instead contain
a “Convert and Copy to Project if needed” checkbox. When this is activated, the imported files will be converted only if the sample rate is different or the sample size is lower than the project’s.

1. Select the type of folder, audio or video, for which you
want to create a subfolder.
You cannot put audio clips in a video folder and vice versa.

• Do not Ask again

2. Select “Create Folder” on the Media or context menu.

If this is activated, files will always be imported according to the settings
you have made, without this dialog appearing. This can be reset in the
Preferences (Editing–Audio page).

A new empty subfolder named “New Folder” appears in the Pool.

3. Rename the folder as desired.
4. Drag and drop the clips you wish to move to the new
folder.

Ö You can always convert files later by using the Convert
Files (see “Convert Files” on page 153) or Conform Files
(see “Conform Files” on page 154) options.

5. Repeat steps 1–4 as necessary.

Applying processing to clips in the Pool

Changing the Pool Record folder

You can apply audio processing to clips from within the
Pool in the same way as to events in the Project window.
Simply select the clip(s) and choose a processing method
from the Audio menu. To find out more about audio processing, see the chapter “Audio processing and functions”
on page 117.

The Pool Record
folder

All audio clips that you record in the project will end up in
the Pool Record folder. The Pool Record folder is indicated
by the text “Record” in the Status column and by a red dot
on the folder itself. By default, this is the main Audio folder.
You can, however, at any time create a new Audio subfolder and designate this as your Pool Record folder.

Undoing processing
If you have applied processing to a clip, in the Project window, the Sample Editor, or in the Pool, this is indicated by
the red and gray waveform symbol in the Status column.

Freeze Edits

To do this, proceed as follows:

You can use the Freeze Edits function to create a new file
with processing applied or to replace the original with a
processed version, see “Freeze Edits” on page 123.

1. Select the Audio folder or any audio clip.
You cannot designate the Video folder (or any of its subfolders) as the
Pool Record folder.

2. Select “Create Folder” on the Media or context menu.
A new empty subfolder named “New Folder” appears in the Pool.

3. Select the new folder and rename it as desired.

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Minimize File

Once you have performed a Prepare Archive, you can copy
the project file, the Audio folder and any other audio material you saved in the project folder to a different location,
e.g. a backup disk.

The option “Minimize File” on the Media or context menu
allows you shrink the audio files according to the size of
the audio clips referenced in a project. The files produced
using this option only contain the audio file portions actually used in the project. This can significantly reduce the
size of the project, if large portions of the audio files are
unused. Therefore, the option is useful for archiving purposes after you have completed a project.

It is not necessary to archive the Images folder, since these
Images can be recreated by Cubase AI. You may also find a
file with the extension “.csh” in the project folder. This contains image information for edited clips and other data that
can be recreated, so it can safely be deleted.

Ö This operation will permanently alter the selected audio files in the Pool. This cannot be undone!

If this is not what you want, you can use the option “Back up Project” on
the File menu instead, see “Back up Project” on page 256. This function
also has the option of minimizing files, but copies all files into a new
folder, leaving the original project untouched.

Video clips are always referenced and not stored in
the project folder.

Convert Files

Proceed as follows:
1. Select the file(s) you wish to minimize.
2. Select “Minimize File” on the Media menu.
An alert appears, informing you that the entire Edit History will be cleared.
Click Minimize to proceed or Cancel to stop the process.

3. After the minimizing is finished, another alert appears,
because the file references in the stored project have become invalid.

Selecting the option “Convert Files” on the Media or context menu opens the Convert Options dialog which operates on selected files. Use the pop-up menus to specify
which audio file attributes you want to keep and which you
want to convert. The available settings are:

Click Save Now to save the updated project or click Later to proceed
with the unsaved project.

Only the audio portions actually used in the project remain
in the corresponding audio file(s) in the Pool Record folder.

• Sample Rate

Prepare Archive

Keep as is, or convert to a sample rate between 8.000 and 96.000 kHz.

The option “Prepare Archive” on the Media menu is useful
if you want to archive a project. It verifies that every clip
referenced in the project is located in the same folder, and
takes actions if that is not the case:

• Sample Width
Keep the sample width (resolution) as is, or convert to 16 Bit, 24 Bit or
32 Bit Float.

• Any files that are located outside the current project
folder will be copied into it.

• Channels

Please note that audio files residing within the project folder will not be
copied to the audio folder. You will therefore have to copy them there
manually before backing up the audio folder or save them separately during backup, see below.

• File Format

Keep as is, or convert the file to Mono or Stereo Interleaved.
Keep as is, or convert to Wave or AIFF format.

• If any processing has been applied, you will be asked
whether you want to Freeze Edits.
If you do this, you do not have to archive the Edits folder. Everything belonging to the project will be contained in the project file and the Audio
folder.

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Options
When you convert a file, you can use the Options pop-up
to set one of the following options regarding what to do
with the new file:
Option

Description

New Files

Creates a copy of the file in the audio folder and converts
this new file according to the chosen attributes. The new
file is added to the Pool, but all clip references will still
point to the original, unconverted file.

Replace Files

Converts the original file without changing clip references. The references are however saved with the next
save action.

New +
Replace in
Pool

Creates a new copy with the chosen attributes, replaces
the original file with the new one in the Pool and redirects
the current clip references from the original file to the new
file. This is the option to select if you want your audio clips
to refer to the converted file, but still want to keep the original file on disk (e.g. if the file is used in other projects).

Conform Files
By using this command, you will change all selected files
that have different file attributes than what is specified for
the project, to conform to this standard.
Proceed as follows:
1. Select the clips in the Pool.
2. Select “Conform Files…” on the Media menu.
A dialog opens allowing you to choose between keeping or replacing the
original unconverted files in the Pool.

The following applies:
• Clip/event references in the Pool are always redirected to the
conformed files.
• If any “keep” option is selected, original files remain in the
Project’s Audio folder and new files are created.
• If you select the “Replace” option, files in the Pool and in the
Project’s Audio folder are replaced.

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15
Working with Track Presets

Introduction

• Staff settings
• Color settings
• Drum map settings

Track presets are templates from audio, MIDI or instrument
tracks that can be applied to newly created or existing
tracks of the same type. They contain sound and channel
settings, thus allowing you to quickly browse, preview, select and change sounds, or reuse channel settings across
projects.

MIDI track presets
MIDI tracks should be used for multi-timbral VST Instruments. When creating MIDI track presets you can either include the currently set channel, or the currently set patch.
See “Creating a track preset” on page 158 for details.

Types of track presets

The following data will be saved in MIDI track presets:

There are four kinds of track presets (audio, instrument,
MIDI and Multi) and two kinds of VST presets (VST Instrument presets and VST effect plug-in presets). These are
described in the following sections.

•
•
•
•
•
•

Ö Note that volume and pan will be restored only when
creating a new track from a track preset.

Multi track presets

Audio track presets

You can use multi track presets e.g. when recording setups
that require several microphones (a drum set or a choir,
where you record always under the same conditions) and
have to edit the resulting tracks in a similar way, or for layered tracks, where you use several tracks to generate a
certain sound instead of manipulating only one track.

Track presets for audio tracks include all settings that “define” the sound. You can use the factory presets as a
starting point for your own editing and save the audio settings that you optimized for an artist you often work with as
a preset for future recordings.
The following data will be saved in audio track presets:

If you select more than one track when creating a track
preset, the settings of all selected tracks will be saved as
one multi track preset. Since you can apply a multi track
preset only if the target tracks are of the same type, number and sequence as the tracks in the track preset, multi
track presets are useful when you have a recurring situation with very similar tracks and settings.

• Insert FX settings (including VST effect presets)
• EQ settings
• Volume + Pan

Instrument track presets
Instrument track presets offer both MIDI and audio features
and are best choice when handling sounds of simple,
mono-timbral VST Instruments. Use instrument track presets for auditioning your tracks, inspiration, or saving your
preferred sound settings. You can directly extract sounds
from instrument track presets for use in instrument tracks.

VST (Instrument) presets
VST Instrument presets (extension .vstpreset) are VST
presets that behave like instrument track presets in the
context of the Project window and contain a VST Instrument and its settings but no modifiers, inserts or EQ settings. You can directly extract sounds from VST presets
for use in instrument tracks.

The following data will be saved in instrument track presets:
•
•
•
•
•

MIDI Modifiers (Transpose, etc.)
Output + Channel or Program Change
Volume + Pan
Staff settings
Color settings
Drum map settings

Audio Insert FX
Audio EQ
Audio Volume + Pan
MIDI Track Parameters
VST Instrument

The following data is saved in VST Instrument presets:
• VST Instrument
• VST Instrument settings

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Working with Track Presets

VST effect plug-ins are available in VST3 and VST2 format. Presets for these effects are also saved as VST presets. These that can be part of audio track presets (see
“Audio track presets” on page 156).
Ö In this manual, “VST presets” stands for VST3 Instrument presets, unless stated otherwise.

Applying track presets
When you apply a track preset, all saved settings are applied, see “Types of track presets” on page 156. Track
presets can be applied to tracks of their own type only, i.e.
audio track presets to audio tracks, etc. The only exception are instrument tracks: for these VST presets are also
available. Note that applying VST presets to instrument
tracks leads to removal of modifiers, inserts or EQs, since
these settings are not stored in VST presets, see “Previewing MIDI, instrument and VST presets independently of
tracks” on page 159.

4. Click outside the browser to apply the selected preset
or click the Reset button below the list to return to the unchanged track.

Applying a multi track preset
1. Select several tracks in your project.
The selected tracks have to be of the same type, number and sequence
as the tracks in the track preset.

Once a track preset is applied, you cannot undo the
changes! It is not possible to remove an applied preset from a track and return to the previous state. If you
are not satisfied with the track settings, you can either
edit the settings manually or apply another preset.

2. Right-click the track to open the context menu and select “Apply Track Preset”.

Applying track or VST presets via drag and drop

4. Click outside the browser to apply the selected preset
or click the Reset button below the list to return to the unchanged track.

The Presets browser opens. Only multi track presets corresponding to
the selection of tracks in the project will be shown.

3. Select a multi track preset from the list.

1. Open the Save Track Preset dialog for the desired
track type and select a preset.
2. Drag and drop it onto a track of the same type.

Reloading track or VST presets

Ö You can also drag and drop track presets from the
Windows Explorer or the Mac OS Finder.

To revert to the default settings of the applied preset, click
the “Reload Track Preset” button.

Applying track or VST presets in the Inspector
or the context menu of the track
1. Select a track in the Project window.
2. Click the VST Sound button in the Inspector or rightclick the track to open the context menu and select “Apply
Track Preset”.
The Presets browser opens. Here, the files are presented in list form.

3. Select a track or VST preset from the list.
If needed, activate the Categories option in order to show a customizable filter section.

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Working with Track Presets

Ö The VST instrument of an instrument track does not
show up in the VST Instrument window but only in the
Plug-In Information window, see the section “The Plug-in
Information window” on page 97.

Applying Inserts and EQ settings from track
presets
Instead of handling complete track presets, it is also possible to apply Insert or Equalizer settings from track presets:

Creating a track preset

1. Select the desired track, open the Inspector or the
Channel Settings window and click the VST Sound button
on the Inserts or Equalizers tab/section.

A track preset is created from an existing audio, MIDI or
instrument track – or several of these tracks. Proceed as
follows:

The presets pop-up menu is opened.

2. Select “From Track Preset…” in the pop-up menu.

1. Select one or more tracks in the Project window.

The Presets browser opens, showing all available track presets that contain Inserts or EQ settings.

If several tracks are selected, all of them are stored in one combined
multi track preset, see “Multi track presets” on page 156.

3. Select the track preset with the desired Inserts or EQs
and click outside the browser.

2. Right-click one of the selected tracks in the Track list to
open the context menu and select “Create Track Preset”.

For information on the general handling of Inserts presets,
see “Effect presets” on page 94. The general handling of
EQ presets is described in the section “Using EQ presets” on page 79.

The Save Track Preset dialog opens.

Extracting sound from an instrument track or
VST preset
For instrument tracks, you can extract the “sound” of an
instrument track preset or VST preset, that means the VST
Instrument and its settings.
Proceed as follows:
1. Select the instrument track to which you want to apply
a sound.

3. Enter a file name in the “File Name” field.
The track preset file name extension .trackpreset is assigned automatically.

2. Click the VST Sound button below the Output Routing field in the Inspector.

• If you selected a MIDI track, you can include either the
MIDI channel or the MIDI patch in your track preset.
Ö If you want to use a MIDI track preset for a pre-configured VST Instrument setup, load the VST Instrument(s) in
the VST Instruments window, select a VST Instrument
patch, save the track preset and do not change the patch
afterwards. To ensure this, use a template project with the
VSTi setup included and save the sounds (track presets)
of this template project in specific subfolders, as they only
work within this setup.

The Presets browser opens, showing a list of all available
presets.
3. Select an instrument track preset or VST preset by
double-clicking on it.
The VST instrument and its settings (but no inserts, EQs and modifiers)
of the existing track are overwritten with the data of the track preset. The
previous VST instrument for this instrument track is removed and the new
VST instrument with its settings is set up for the instrument track.

4. Open the “Tag Editor” by clicking on the corresponding option and edit the tags.
5. Click OK to create the track preset.

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Working with Track Presets

Track presets are saved within the application folder in the
“Track Presets” folder (in default subfolders named according to their track type: audio, MIDI, instrument and multi).
!

• If you want to see the contents of presets subfolders
within the VST Sound node, click the “Show Location”
option to open the Browser section.
3. Select a track or VST preset.

You cannot change the default folders, but you can
add further subfolders, e.g. “drums” and “choir”.

4. Click OK to create the track.
Notice that the new track will not be named after the track preset.

Creating tracks from track presets
or VST presets

Ö This method is not available for multi track presets.

Previewing MIDI, instrument and
VST presets independently of tracks

Using drag and drop
1. Open the Save Track Preset dialog for the desired
track type and select a preset.

1. Open the “Browse Sounds” dialog and select a MIDI,
an instrument track or a VST preset.

2. Drag and drop the preset onto the Track list in the
Project window.

2. Make sure the “In ‘All MIDI Inputs’” option is activated
for your MIDI input device (default setting).

One or more (in case of multi track presets) tracks will be created. If you
drag and drop a VST instrument preset, this will result in an instrument
track.

Only MIDI data incoming via “All MIDI Inputs” is used for preview.

3. Click the MIDI Input button.

Ö You can also drag and drop from the Windows Explorer or the Mac OS Finder.

4. Play some MIDI notes via your MIDI input device, for
example a keyboard.
The Activity meter on the far right mirrors the MIDI in activity.

Using the Browse Sounds dialog
1. Right-click the Track list to open the context menu and,
on the Add Track submenu, select “Browse Sounds…”.
The Browse Sounds dialog with all available presets opens.

2. Select a track or VST preset from the list of all presets.
At this point you can preview selected MIDI and instrument track presets
as well as VST presets, see “Previewing MIDI, instrument and VST presets
independently of tracks” on page 159. If you want to list a certain track preset type only, open the respective folder in the Browser section.

3. Click OK to create one or more (in case of multi track
presets) tracks.

Using the Add Track function
1. Right-click the Track list to open the context menu and
select the desired option on the context menu.
• If you want to create more than one track of the same
type, enter the number in the Count field.
2. Click “Browse Presets” to open the Browse Presets
section of the “Add Track” dialog with the search pane
and a list of all available presets.
The view is filtered to show only the corresponding track presets.

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Working with Track Presets

16
Remote controlling Cubase AI

Introduction

Selecting a remote device
1. Pull down the Devices menu and select Device Setup.

It is possible to control Cubase AI via MIDI. A large number of MIDI control devices is supported. This chapter describes how to set up Cubase AI for remote control. The
supported devices are described in the separate PDF
document “Remote Control Devices”.

A dialog window opens with a list of device categories and devices shown
in the left part of the window.

2. If you cannot find the remote device you are looking
for, click on the plus sign in the top left corner and select
the device from the pop-up menu.

• There is also a Generic Remote Device option, allowing
you to use any MIDI controller to remote control Cubase AI.

The selected device is added to the Devices list.

How to set this up is described in the section “The Generic Remote device” on page 163.

• Note that it is possible to select more than one remote
device of the same type.

Setting Up

If you have more than one remote device of the same type, these will be
numbered in the Devices list. For example, to be able to use a Mackie
Control Extender, you must install a second Mackie control device.

Connecting the remote device

3. Now select your MIDI control device model from the
Devices list.

Connect the MIDI Out on the remote unit to a MIDI In on
your MIDI interface. Depending on the remote unit model,
you may also need to connect a MIDI Out on the interface
to a MIDI In on the remote unit (this is necessary if the remote unit features “feedback devices” such as indicators,
motorized faders, etc.).

Depending on the selected device, either a list of programmable function
commands or a blank panel is shown in the right half of the dialog window.

If you will be recording MIDI tracks, you do not want any
MIDI data from the remote unit to accidentally be recorded
as well. To avoid this, you should also make the following
setting:
1. Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu.
2. Select “MIDI Port Setup” in the list to the left.
3. Check the table to the right and locate the MIDI input
to which you have connected the MIDI remote unit.
4. Deactivate the checkbox in the “In ‘All MIDI Inputs’”
column for that input, so that the State column reads “Inactive”.

A Yamaha 01x selected as remote control device.

5. Click OK to close the Device Setup dialog.

4. Select the correct MIDI input from the pop-up menu.
If necessary, select the correct MIDI output from the pop-up menu.

Now you have removed the remote unit input from the “All
MIDI Inputs” group. This means that you can record MIDI
tracks with the “All MIDI Inputs” port selected without risking to record the data from the remote unit at the same time.

5. Click OK to close the dialog.
You can now use the MIDI control device to move faders and knobs, activate Mute and Solo, etc. The exact parameter configuration depends on
which external MIDI control device you are using.

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Remote controlling Cubase AI

Writing automation using remote controls

• In the Project window (Track list) and the mixer (bottom
of channel strips) you will now see white stripes indicating
which channels are currently linked to the remote control
device.

Automating the mixer using a remote control device is done
in the same way as when you operate on-screen controls in
Write mode. However, when it comes to replacing existing
automation data, there is one important difference:
• If you activate Write mode and move a control on the remote control device, all data for the corresponding parameter is replaced from the position where you moved the
control, up until the position where playback is stopped!
In other words, as soon as you move a control in Write mode, it remains
“active” until you stop playback. The reason for this is explained below.

Audio 01 can be remote controlled, while Audio 02 is not linked to the
remote control device.
!

As a consequence, an additional precaution must be taken:

Sometimes communication between Cubase AI and
a remote device is interrupted or the handshaking
protocol fails to create a connection. To re-establish
communication with any device in the Devices list,
select it and click the Reset button in the Device
Setup dialog. Also, the “Send Reset Message to all
Devices” button at the top of the dialog will reset every device in the Devices list.

• Make sure you move only the controller you want to replace!
In order to replace existing automation data for a control,
the computer needs to know how long the user actually
“grabbed” or used the control. When doing this “on
screen”, the program simply detects when the mouse button is pressed and released. When you are using an external remote control device, however, there is no mouse
button involved, and Cubase AI cannot tell whether you
“grab and hold” a fader, or simply move it and release it.
Instead, you have to indicate that you have “released” the
control by stopping playback.

Operations
Global options for remote controllers
In the Device Setup dialog, on the page for your remote
device, some (or all) of the following global functions may
be available (depending on your remote device):
Option

Description

Reset

This allows you to revert to the factory default settings for
the remote device.

Bank

If your remote device contains several banks, you can select the bank you want to use on this pop-up menu.
The bank you select here will be the one used by default
when Cubase AI is launched.

Smart Switch
Delay

The above does not apply to the Mackie Control or
any other remote control device with touch sensitive
controls. These devices will stop writing as they have
touch sensitive faders, which means that they stop
writing as soon as you release the fader.

This is only relevant when you are using a remote control device and Write mode is activated in the mixer.

Some of the Cubase AI functions (e.g. Solo and Mute)
support the so called “smart switch” behavior: In addition
to regular activation/deactivation of a function by clicking
a button, you can also activate the function for as long as
the button is pressed. Upon releasing the mouse button,
the function is deactivated.
This pop-up menu allows you to specify how long a button
must be pressed before it goes into “smart switch” mode.
When “Off” is selected, the “smart switch” function is deactivated in Cubase AI.

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Remote controlling Cubase AI

Assigning remote key commands

The Generic Remote device

For some of the supported remote devices, you can assign
any Cubase AI function (to which a key command can be
assigned) to generic buttons, wheels or other controls. As
of this writing, these devices are:

If you have a generic MIDI controller, you can use this for
remote control of Cubase AI by setting up the Generic
Remote device:

•
•
•
•
•

1. Open the Device Setup dialog on the Devices menu.

Tascam US-428
Yamaha 01x
Yamaha DM 2000v2
Yamaha DM 1000v2
Steinberg Houston

If the Generic Remote device is not on the Devices list, you need to add it.

2. Click the “+” sign in the top left corner and select the
“Generic Remote” device from the pop-up menu.
• When the Generic Remote device is added in the Device
Setup dialog, you can open the corresponding window by
selecting “Generic Remote” from the Devices menu.

Proceed as follows:
1. Open the Device Setup dialog and select one of the
remote devices that support this feature.
On the right side of the window you will find a three column table. This is
where you assign commands.

The Generic Remote window

2. Use the “Button” column to locate a remote device control or button to which you wish to assign a Cubase AI function.

3. Select the Generic Remote device in the Devices list
to the left.
The settings for the Generic Remote device are displayed, allowing you
to specify which control on your device should control which parameter
in Cubase AI.

3. Click in the “Category” column for the control, and select one of the Cubase AI function categories from the
pop-up menu.
4. Click in the “Command” column, and select the desired
Cubase AI function from the pop-up menu.
The available items on the pop-up menu depend on the selected category.

5. Click “Apply” when you are done.
The selected function is now assigned to the button or
control on the remote device.

A note about remote controlling MIDI tracks
While most remote control devices will be able to control
both MIDI and audio channels in Cubase AI, the parameter setup may be different. For example, audio-specific
controls (such as EQ) will be disregarded when controlling MIDI channels.

4. Use the MIDI Input and Output pop-up menus to select the MIDI port(s) to which your remote device is connected.

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Remote controlling Cubase AI

• If you are uncertain of which MIDI message a certain
controller sends, you can use the Learn function.

5. Use the pop-up menu to the right to select a bank.
Banks are combinations of a certain number of channels, and are used because most MIDI devices can control only a limited number of channels at
a time (often 8 or 16). For example, if your MIDI control device has 16 volume faders, and you are using 32 mixer channels in Cubase AI, you would
need two banks of 16 channels each. When the first bank is selected you
control channel 1 to 16; when the second Bank is selected you control
channel 17 to 32. Since you can control Transport functions as well, you
may need several banks.

Select the control in the upper table (by clicking in the Control Name column), move the corresponding control on your MIDI device and click the
Learn button to the right of the table. The MIDI Status, MIDI Channel and
Address values are automatically set to those of the moved control.

7. Use the table at the bottom to specify which Cubase
AI parameters you want to control.
Each row in the table is associated to the controller in the corresponding
row in the first table (as indicated by the Control Name column). The
other columns have the following functionality:

6. Set up the table at the top according to the controls
on your MIDI control device.
The columns have the following functionality:
Column

Description

Control Name

Double-clicking this field allows you to enter a descriptive
name for the control (typically a name written on the console). This name is automatically reflected in the Control
Name column in the lower table.

MIDI Status

Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allowing you to specify the type of MIDI message sent by the
control. The options are Controller, Program Change, Note
On, Note Off, Aftertouch and Polyphonic Pressure. Also
available are Continuous Control NRPN and RPN, a way
to extend the available control messages. The “Ctrl JLCooper” option is a special version of a Continuous Controller
where the 3rd byte of a MIDI message is used as address
instead of the 2nd byte (a method supported by various
JL-Cooper remote devices).

MIDI Channel

Clicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing
you to select the MIDI channel on which the controller is
transmitted.

Address

The Continuous Controller number, the pitch of a note or
the address of a NRPN/RPN Continuous Controller.

Max. Value

The maximum value the control will transmit. This value is
used by the program to “scale” the value range of the MIDI
controller to the value range of the program parameter.

Flags

Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allowing you to activate or deactivate three flags:
Receive – activate this if the MIDI message should be
processed on reception.
Transmit – activate this if a MIDI message should be transmitted when the corresponding value in the program
changes.
Relative – activate this if the control is an “endless” rotary
encoder, which reports the number of turns instead of an
absolute value.

Column

Description

Device

Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, used
for determining which device in Cubase AI should be
controlled. The special option “Command” allows you to
perform certain command actions by remote control. One
example of this is the selection of remote banks.

Channel/
Category

This is where you select the channel to be controlled or, if
the “Command” Device option is selected, the Command
category.

Value/Action

Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allowing you to select the parameter of the channel to be
controlled (typically, if the “VST Mixer” Device option is
selected you can choose between volume, pan, send
levels, EQ, etc.).
If the “Command” Device option is selected, this is where
you specify the “Action” of the category.

Flags

Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allowing you to activate or deactivate three flags:
Push Button – When activated, the parameter is only
changed if the received MIDI message shows a value
unequal to 0.
Toggle – When activated, the parameter value is switched
between minimum and maximum value each time a MIDI
message is received. The combination of Push Button and
Toggle is useful for remote controls which do not latch the
state of a button. One example is controlling mute status
with a device on which pressing the Mute button turns it
on, and releasing the Mute button turns it off. If Push Button and Toggle are activated, the Mute status will change
between on and off whenever the button is pressed on the
console.
Not Automated – When activated, the parameter will not
be automated.

8. If necessary, make settings for another bank.
Note that you only need to make settings in the bottom table for this bank.
The table at the top is already set up according to the MIDI remote device.

• If you find that the table at the top holds too many or too
few controls, you can add or remove controls with the Add
and Delete buttons to the right of the table.

• If necessary, you can add banks by clicking the Add
button below the Bank pop-up.
Clicking the Rename button allows you to assign a new name to the currently selected bank, and you can remove an unneeded bank by selecting it
and clicking the Delete button.

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Remote controlling Cubase AI

Apple Remote (Macintosh only)

9. When you are finished, close the Device Setup window.
Now, you can control the specified Cubase AI parameters from the MIDI
remote device. To select another bank, use the pop-up menu in the Remote Status window (or use a control on the MIDI remote device, if you
have assigned one for this).

Many Apple computers come with an Apple Remote Control, a small hand-held device akin to TV remote controls. It
allows you to remotely control certain features in Cubase
AI.

Importing and exporting remote setups

1. Open the Device Setup dialog and select Apple Remote Control from the Add Device pop-up.

The Export button in the top right corner of the Generic
Remote Setup window allows you to export the current
setup, including the Control configuration (the table at the
top) and all banks. The setup is saved as a file (with the file
extension “.xml”). Clicking the Import button allows you to
import saved remote setup files.

2. In the list on the right, the Apple Remote’s buttons are
listed. For each button you can open a pop-up menu from
which you can select a Cubase AI parameter.
The parameter you select will be assigned to the corresponding button
on the Apple Remote.

• The last imported or exported remote setup will automatically be loaded when the program starts or the Generic Remote control is added in the Device Setup dialog.

By default, the Apple Remote always controls the application that currently has the focus on your Macintosh computer (provided that this application supports the Apple
Remote).
• When the option “Disable when application is not in
front” is not selected, the Apple Remote will control Cubase AI even if it does not have the focus.

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Remote controlling Cubase AI

17
MIDI realtime parameters

Introduction

• You can fold or unfold the sections individually by clicking on the section name.

For each MIDI track, you can set up a number of track parameters, or modifiers. These affect how the MIDI data is
played back, “transforming” MIDI events in realtime before
they are sent to the MIDI outputs.

Clicking the name for a hidden section brings it to view and hides the
other sections. [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking the tab allows you to hide or
show a section without affecting other sections. [Alt]/[Option]-clicking a
tab shows or hides all sections in the Inspector.

On the following pages, the available parameters are described. Keep in mind:

Ö Folding or hiding (via the Setup dialog) a section does
not affect the functionality but merely hides the section
from view.

• The actual MIDI events will not be affected – the changes
happen “on the fly”.
• Since the modifier settings do not change the actual MIDI
data on the track, they will not be reflected in the MIDI editors.
To convert the track settings into “real” MIDI events, use the
Freeze MIDI Modifiers function (see “Permanent settings with
Freeze MIDI Modifiers” on page 176).

This means your settings will still be active even if you fold or hide the Inspector settings.

The Inspector sections
Apart from the basic track settings in the topmost Inspector
section (see below), the Inspector for a MIDI track also contains the following sections: MIDI Modifiers, MIDI Fader and
one for a connected VST Instrument. These are described
below.

The Inspector – General handling
The MIDI modifiers are set up in the Inspector. Here’s a
brief rundown on how to handle the Inspector:

Basic track settings

• To show or hide the Inspector, click the Inspector icon
on the Project window toolbar.

These are settings that either affect the basic functionality
for the track (mute, solo, enable record, etc.) or send out
additional MIDI data to the connected devices (program
change, volume, etc.). The section contains all settings in
the Track list (see “The Track list” on page 17), with a few
additional parameters:

The Inspector for a MIDI track

• For a MIDI track, up to three sections are available.
Which of these sections are displayed in the Inspector is
determined in the setup context menu or the Setup dialog
of the Inspector.
For information about setting up the Inspector, see “Using the Setup options” on page 262.

Parameter

Description

Track name
field

Click once to show/hide the topmost Inspector section.
Double-click to rename the track.

Edit button

This opens the Channel Settings window for the track (a
window showing a channel strip with volume fader and
other controls, along with effect settings – see “Using
Channel Settings” on page 76).

Mute/Solo
buttons

Mutes or solos the MIDI track.

Read/Write
buttons

Used for automating the track settings – see “Enabling
and disabling the writing of automation data” on page 109.

Record enable
button

Activate this to make the track ready for recording.

Monitor button

When this is activated (and the option “MIDI Thru Active”
is activated in the Preferences–MIDI page), incoming
MIDI will be routed to the selected MIDI output.

Volume

Use this to adjust the level for the track. Changing this setting will move the track’s fader in the mixer window, and
vice versa. See “Setting volume in the mixer” on page 74
for details about setting levels.

Pan

Use this to adjust the panning of the track.

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MIDI realtime parameters

Parameter

Description

Delay

This adjusts the playback timing of the MIDI track. Positive
values delay the playback while negative values cause the
track to play earlier. The values are set in milliseconds.

In/Out/Chn
pop-ups

This is where you select MIDI input, MIDI output and MIDI
channel for the track.

Edit Instrument button

If the MIDI track is routed to a VST instrument, clicking this
button opens the control panel for the VST instrument.

Bank and
Patch Selector pop-up

Allows you to select a sound, see below. (If no bank is
available, only the Patch selector is shown.)

Apply Track
Preset button

Allows you to apply a track preset, see “Applying track
presets” on page 157.

Ö If you want to compare the result of your modifier settings with the “unprocessed” MIDI, you can use the Bypass
button in the MIDI Modifiers section.
When this is activated, the MIDI Modifiers settings will be temporarily
disabled. A bypassed section is indicated by a yellow Bypass button.

Transpose
This allows you to transpose all notes on the track in semitones. The available range is -127 to +127 semitones, but
remember that the total range of MIDI note numbers is 0
to 127. Furthermore, not all instruments can play back
notes over the whole range. Therefore, extreme transpositions can give rather strange and unwanted results.

Ö Note that the functionality of the Bank and Patch selector settings (used for selecting sounds in the connected
MIDI instrument) depends on the instrument to which the
MIDI output is routed, and how you have set it up in the
MIDI Device Manager.

• You can also transpose individual MIDI parts using the
Transpose field in the info line.

The MIDI Device Manager allows you to specify which MIDI instruments
and other devices are connected to the various MIDI outputs, thus making it possible to select patches by name.

The transposition in the info line (for the individual part) is added to the
transpose value you have set up for the whole track in the Inspector.

Ö Many of the basic track settings are duplicated in
“mixer channel strip form” in the MIDI Fader section of the
Inspector (see below).

Velocity Shift
This setting lets you change the dynamics of all notes on
the track. The value in this field is added to the velocity of
each note message that is sent out (use negative values to
lower the velocities). The range is -127 to +127 with 0
representing no change in velocity.

MIDI Modifiers

Note that the effect of changing the velocity depends on
the sound and instrument.
Ö You can also adjust the velocity of events in individual
MIDI parts using the Velocity field in the info line.
The velocity shift in the info line (for the individual part) is added to the
velocity shift you have set up for the whole track in the Inspector.

Velocity Compression
The settings on this tab affect the MIDI events on the track
in realtime during playback. They will also be in effect if you
play “live” with the track selected and record enabled (provided that “MIDI Thru Active” is activated on the Preferences–MIDI page). This makes it possible, for example, to
transpose or adjust the velocity of your live playing.

This function multiplies the velocity values with the factor
you specify. This factor is set using a numerator (left value)
and a denominator (right value), resulting in a fractional
number (1/2, 3/4, 3/2 etc.). For example, if you set the factor to 3/4, the velocities will be three quarters of their original values. This will also affect the difference in velocity
between the notes, thus compressing or expanding the velocity scale. Typically, you would combine this setting with
the Velocity Shift parameter.

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MIDI realtime parameters

An example:

2. Set the desired range of random deviation by entering
values in the two number fields.

Let’s say you have three notes with the velocity values 60,
90 and 120, and wish to “even out” the velocity differences
somewhat. If you set the Velocity Compression value to 1/
2, the notes will play back with the velocities 30, 45 and 60.
By adding 60 in the Velocity Shift field, the notes will play
back with the velocities 90, 105 and 120, meaning you
have compressed the velocity range.

The two values govern the limits of the randomization, so that the values
will vary between the left value and the right value (you cannot set the left
value higher than the right value). The maximum random range for each
property is listed in the table below:
Property

In a similar way, you can use Velocity Compression values
greater than 1/1 together with negative values in the Velocity Shift field, to expand the velocity range.
!

Remember that the maximum velocity is always 127
no matter how much you try to expand.

Range

Position

-500 to +500 ticks

Pitch

-120 to +120 semitones

Velocity

-120 to +120

Length

-500 to +500 ticks

Ö You can make independent settings for the two random
generators.
• To deactivate the Random function, pull down the Random pop-up menu(s) and select “OFF”.

Length Compression
This value adjusts the lengths of all notes on the track. As
with Velocity Compression, the value is set with a numerator and denominator. For example, the value 2/1 means
that all note lengths will be doubled, while 1/4 means all
note lengths will be a quarter of the actual lengths.

Range
The Range function lets you specify a note (pitch) or velocity range and either force all notes to fit within this
range, or exclude all notes outside this range from playback. As with the Random function, there are two separate Range settings. Set them up as follows:

Random
The Random settings let you introduce random variations
to various properties of MIDI notes. Anything from very
subtle variations to dramatic changes can be applied.
There are two separate “random generators”, set up in the
following way:

1. Pull down the Range pop-up menu and select one of
the following four modes:
Mode

Description

Vel. Limit

This function affects all velocity values outside the specified range. Velocity values below the Min setting (the lower
limit of the range) are set to the Min value, and velocity values above the Max setting are set to the Max value. Notes
with velocity values within the set range are not affected.
Use this if you want to force all velocity values to fit within a
certain range.

Vel. Filter

Velocity Filter works by excluding all notes with velocity
values outside the specified range. Notes with velocity
values below the Min setting or above the Max setting will
not be played back. Use this to “isolate” notes with certain velocity values.

1. Pull down the Random pop-up menu and select which
note property should be randomized.
The options are position, pitch, velocity and length.

Ö Keep in mind that depending on the content of the
track, certain parameter changes might not be immediately
noticeable or have any effect at all (as would be the case if
applying random length to a percussion track playing “oneshot” samples for example).
To best audition the random changes, choose a track with clearly defined
rhythm and note content (as opposed to a string pad).

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Mode

Description

Note Limit

This function allows you to specify a pitch range, and
forces all notes to fit within this range. Notes outside the
specified range are transposed up or down in octave
steps until they fit within the range.
Note: If the range is too “narrow”, so that some notes
cannot be fit within the range by octave-transposing,
these notes will get a pitch in the middle of the range. For
example, if you have a note with a pitch of F3, and the
range is C4-E4, that note will be transposed to D4.

Note Filter

• If the VST Instrument has multiple outputs (and thus
several mixer channels), there will be a setting called
“Output” at the top of the VST Instrument section.
New sub-panels will also be added in the following cases:
• When a MIDI track is routed to an effect plug-in that also receives audio data, i.e. that is used as an insert effect for an audio track (e.g. MIDI Gate), a sub-panel for this audio track
appears in the MIDI track inspector.
• If a MIDI track is routed to a plug-in assigned to a FX Channel
track, a corresponding FX sub-panel is added to the Inspector.

Note Filter works by excluding all notes with pitches outside the specified range. Notes lower than the Min setting or higher than the Max setting will not be played
back. Use this to “isolate” notes with certain pitches.

Ö For an easy way to combine MIDI and VST instruments,
check out instrument tracks (see “VST Instruments and Instrument tracks” on page 99).

2. Use the two fields to the right to set the minimum and
maximum values.
These values will be shown as numbers (0–127) for the velocity modes
and as note numbers (C-2 to G8) for the pitch modes.

Ö Note that you can make independent settings for the
two Range functions.
• To deactivate the Range function, pull down the Range
pop-up menu(s) and select “OFF”.

MIDI Fader section
This contains a single channel strip, allowing you to set
volume, pan, mute/solo and other parameters for the track,
and a panel view of the active sends/inserts. This is a “mirror” of the track’s channel strip in the Cubase AI mixer –
see “The MIDI channel strips” on page 73.

VST Instrument section
If the MIDI track is routed to a VST Instrument, a new subpanel will appear at the bottom of the Inspector, labeled
with the name of the VST instrument. Clicking this section
shows a duplicate of the Inspector settings for the VST Instrument channel. This makes it easy to adjust the channel
settings for the VST Instrument while you are editing the
MIDI track.

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MIDI realtime parameters

18
MIDI processing and quantizing

Introduction

• In the Project window, the MIDI functions apply to all
selected parts, affecting all events (of the relevant types)
in them.

This chapter describes the various MIDI processing functions available on the MIDI menu. They offer various ways
to edit MIDI notes and other events, either in the Project
window or from within a MIDI editor.

• In the MIDI editors, the MIDI functions apply to all selected events. If no events are selected, all events in the
edited part(s) will be affected.

MIDI functions vs. MIDI modifiers

The Quantizing functions

In some cases, the result of a MIDI function can also be
obtained by using MIDI modifiers (see “MIDI realtime parameters” on page 166). For example, the operations
“Transpose” and “Quantize” are available both as MIDI
modifiers and as MIDI functions.

What is quantizing?
Quantizing in its fundamental form is a function that automatically moves recorded notes, positioning them on exact note values:

The main difference is that MIDI modifiers do not affect the
actual MIDI events on the track in any way, while MIDI functions change the events “permanently” (although recent
changes can be undone).

For example, if you record a series of eighth notes, some of them may
end up slightly beside the exact eighth note positions.

Use the following guidelines to decide which path to
choose for operations that are available both as modifiers
and as functions:
Quantizing the notes with the quantize
grid set to eighth notes will move the
“misplaced” notes to exact positions.

• If you want to adjust a few parts or events only, use MIDI
functions. The MIDI modifiers affect the output of the
whole track.
• If you want to experiment with different settings, use
MIDI modifiers.
• MIDI modifiers settings are not reflected in the MIDI editors, since the actual MIDI events are not affected. This can
be potentially confusing; if you have transposed notes using
modifiers for example, the MIDI editors will still show the
notes with their original pitch (but they will play back at their
transposed pitch). Therefore, MIDI functions are a better
solution if you want to see the effects of your editing in the
MIDI editors.

However, quantizing is not only a method of correcting errors, it can also be used creatively in various ways. For example, the “quantize grid” does not have to consist of
perfectly straight notes, some notes can automatically be
excluded from quantizing, etc.
Ö When quantizing MIDI, only MIDI notes are affected
(no other event types).
However, you can choose to move the controllers together with their respective notes by activating the “Move Controller” option in the Quantize
Setup dialog, see “The Move Controller setting” on page 174.

What is affected by the MIDI functions?
Which events are affected when you use a MIDI function
depends on the function, the active window and the current selection:
• Some MIDI functions only apply to MIDI events of a certain type.
For example, quantization only affects notes, while the Delete Controllers
function only applies to MIDI controller events.

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Setting up quantize on the toolbar

Swing

At its most basic, setting up quantizing consists of selecting a note value from the Quantize pop-up menu on the
toolbar (in the Project window or a MIDI editor).

The Swing slider is only available when a straight note
value is selected for the grid and Tuplet is off (see below).
It lets you offset every second position in the grid, creating
a swing or shuffle feel. When you adjust the Swing slider,
the result is shown in the grid display.

This allows you to quantize to exact note values (straight,
triplet or dotted notes) only.

Setting up quantize in the Quantize Setup
dialog
If you want more options than those available on the popup menu, select “Quantize Setup…” from the MIDI menu
(or “Setup…” from the Quantize pop-up menu) to open
the Quantize Setup dialog.
Ö Any settings you make in the dialog are immediately
reflected in the Quantize pop-up menus. However, if you
want your settings permanently available on the Quantize
pop-up menus, you have to use the presets functions (see
“Presets” on page 174).

A straight eighth note grid compared with a grid with 60 % swing.

Tuplet
Allows you to create more rhythmically complex grids by
dividing the grid into smaller steps.

The grid display in the middle of the dialog shows one bar
(four beats), with blue lines indicating the quantize grid
(the positions that notes will be moved to). Value changes
in the grid, presets and quantize options will be graphically
reflected here, see below.

Magnetic Area

The Quantize Setup dialog contains the following settings:

• When the slider is set to 0%, the Magnetic Area function is deactivated, i.e. all notes are affected by quantizing.

The Grid and Type pop-ups

If you move the slider gradually to the right, you will note how the magnetic areas are shown around the blue lines in the grid display.

This allows you to specify that only notes within a certain
distance from the grid lines should be affected by quantizing.

These are used to determine the basic note value for the
quantizing grid. In other words, these have the same functionality as the Quantize pop-up menu on the toolbar.

Only notes within the indicated zones will be affected by quantizing.

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Presets

The Iterative Strength setting

The controls in the lower left corner of the dialog allow you
to store the current settings as a preset, which will then be
available on the Quantize menus on the toolbars. The
usual preset procedures apply:

Here you specify how much the notes should be moved
towards the grid when using the Iterative Quantize function, see below.

• To store the settings as a preset, click the Store button.
• To load a stored preset into the dialog, simply select it
from the pop-up menu.

The Move Controller setting
When this is activated, controllers related to notes (pitchbend, etc.) are automatically moved with the notes when
these are quantized.

This is useful if you want to modify an existing preset.

• To rename the selected preset, double-click on the
name and type in a new one.
• To remove a stored preset, select it from the pop-up
menu and click Remove.

Applying quantize

Apply and Auto

• The standard method is to select “Over Quantize” from
the MIDI menu (or using a key command, by default [Q]).

There are several ways to apply the quantize:

These functions allow you to apply quantizing directly from
the dialog, see below.
!

This quantizes the selected MIDI parts or notes according to the current
Quantize pop-up menu setting.

If you do not want to apply the quantizing you have
set up in the dialog, close the window by clicking its
close button.

• You can also apply quantizing directly from the Quantize
Setup dialog, by clicking the “Apply Quantize” button.
• If you activate the “Auto” checkbox in the Quantize Setup
dialog, any change you make in the dialog is immediately
applied to the selected MIDI parts or notes.

The Non Quantize setting
This setting affects the result of the quantizing. It allows you
to set a “distance” in ticks (120ths of sixteenth notes).

A great way of using this feature is to set up a playback loop, and adjust
the settings in the dialog until you get the desired result.
!

Events that already are within the specified distance from
the quantize grid will not be quantized. This allows you to
keep slight variations when you quantize, but still correct
notes that are too far from the grid.

When you apply quantize, the result is based on the
original position of the notes. Therefore, you can
freely try out different quantize settings with no risk of
“destroying” anything (see also “Undo Quantize” on
page 175).

The Auto Quantize function
If you activate the Auto Q button on the Transport panel,
all MIDI recordings you make are automatically quantized
according to the settings you have made in the Quantize
Setup dialog.

The Random Quantize setting
This setting affects the result of the quantizing. It allows you
to set a “distance” in ticks (120ths of sixteenth notes).
Events will be quantized to random positions within the
specified “distance” from the quantize grid, thus creating
a more “loose” quantizing. Much like the Non Quantize
setting, this allows for slight variations, while at the same
time keeping notes from ending up too far from the grid.

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Iterative Quantize
Another way to apply “loose” quantization is to use the Iterative Quantize function on the MIDI menu. It works like this:
Instead of moving a note to the closest quantize grid position, Iterative Quantize moves it only part of the way. You
specify how much the notes should be moved towards the
grid with the “Iterative Strength” setting in the Quantize
Setup dialog.

3. Here, the quantize value has been set to straight 16th notes with
Swing at 100 %.

Iterative Quantize also differs from “regular” quantization
in that the operation is not based on the notes’ original positions but on their current, quantized position. This makes
it possible to repeatedly use Iterative Quantize, gradually
moving the notes closer to the quantize grid until you have
found the desired timing.

4. Selecting Quantize Lengths will adjust the note lengths according to
the grid. If you compare the result to the first figure above, you will find
that notes that started within the odd sixteenth note “zones” show the
longer grid length, and notes in the even zones have the shorter length.

Quantize Ends

Advanced Quantize functions

The Quantize Ends function on the Advanced Quantize
submenu will only affect the end positions of notes. Apart
from that, it works just like regular quantizing, taking the
Quantize pop-up menu setting into account.

Quantize Lengths
!

This function is only available from within the MIDI
editors.

Undo Quantize

This function (on the Advanced Quantize submenu on the
MIDI menu) will quantize the length of the notes, without
changing their start positions. At its most basic level, this
function will set the length of the notes to the Length
Quantize value on the MIDI editor toolbar. However, if you
have selected the “Quantize Link” option on the Length
Quantize pop-up menu, the function will resize the note
according to the quantize grid, taking the Swing, Tuplet
and Magnetic Area settings into account.

As mentioned above, the original position of each quantized note is stored. Therefore, you can make the selected
MIDI notes revert to their original, unquantized state at any
time by selecting Undo Quantize from the Advanced
Quantize submenu. This is independent from the regular
Undo History.
Freeze Quantize
There may be situations when you want to make the quantized positions “permanent”. For example, you may want to
quantize notes a second time, having the results based on
the current quantized positions rather than the original positions. To make this possible, select the notes in question
and select “Freeze Quantize” from the Advanced Quantize
submenu. This makes the quantized positions permanent.

An example:

1. Length Quantize set to “Quantize Link”.

After you have performed a Freeze Quantize for a
note, you cannot undo its quantization.

2. Some 16th notes.

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Transpose

OK and Cancel

The Transpose item on the MIDI menu opens a dialog with
settings for transposing the selected notes.

Clicking OK performs the transposition. Clicking Cancel
closes the dialog without transposing.

Permanent settings with Freeze
MIDI Modifiers
The MIDI Modifier settings in the Inspector do not change
the MIDI events themselves, but work like a “filter”, affecting
the music on playback. Therefore, you may want to make
them permanent, i.e. convert them to “real” MIDI events, for
example to transpose a track and then edit the transposed
notes in a MIDI editor. For this, you can use the “Freeze
MIDI Modifiers” command from the MIDI menu. This applies
all filter settings permanently to the respective track.
The “Freeze MIDI Modifiers” function affects the following
settings for MIDI tracks:

Semitones
This is where you set the amount of transposition.

• Several settings on the main tab of the Inspector (program
and bank selection and the Delay parameter).
• The settings on the MIDI Modifiers tab (i.e. Transpose, Velocity Shift, Velocity Compression and Length Compression).

Scale Correction
Scale Correction transposes the selected notes by forcing them to the closest note of the selected scale type.
This can be used for creating interesting key and tonal
changes, either by itself or in conjunction with the other
settings in the Transpose dialog.

The following settings for MIDI parts are taken into account as well:
• The Transpose and Velocity settings for parts displayed on the
info line – please note that the Volume setting is not taken into
account.

• To activate Scale Correction, click the checkbox.
• Select a root note and scale type for the current scale
from the upper pop-up menus.

To use the “Freeze MIDI Modifiers” function, proceed as
follows:

• Select a root note and scale type for the new scale from
the lower pop-up menus.

1. Select the desired MIDI track.

Make sure to select the correct root note if you want to keep the result in
the same key as the original notes, or select an entirely different key if you
want to experiment.

2. Pull down the MIDI menu and select “Freeze MIDI
Modifiers”.
The Inspector settings will be converted to MIDI events and inserted at
the beginning of the part(s). All notes of the part(s) will be modified accordingly and the Inspector settings will be reset.

Keep Notes in Range
When this is activated, transposed notes will remain
within the Upper and Lower Limit values.
• If a note ends up outside the limits after transposition, it
will be shifted to another octave, keeping the correct
transposed pitch if possible.
If this is not possible (if you have set a very narrow range between the
Upper and Lower Limit), the note will be transposed “as far as possible”,
i.e. to the Upper or Lower Limit note. If you set the Upper and Lower Limits to the same value, all notes will be transposed to this pitch!

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Dissolve Part

Now, for each MIDI channel used in the selected parts, a
new MIDI track is created and set to the corresponding
MIDI channel. Each event is then copied into the part on
the track with the corresponding MIDI channel. Finally, the
original parts are muted.

The Dissolve Part function on the MIDI menu allows you to
separate MIDI events according to channels or pitches:
• When you work with MIDI parts (on MIDI channel “Any”)
containing events on different MIDI channels, activate the
option “Separate Channels”.

An example:
This part contains
events on MIDI
channels 1, 2 and 3.

• To separate MIDI events according to pitch, activate the
option “Separate Pitches”.
A typical example would be drum and percussion tracks, where different
pitches usually correspond to separate drum sounds.

Selecting “Dissolve Part” creates new parts on new tracks, set to
channels 1, 2 and 3. Each new part contains only the events on the
respective MIDI channel.

Ö When dissolving a part into either separate channels
or separate pitches, you can automatically remove the silent (empty) areas of the resulting parts by activating the
“Optimized Display” checkbox in the Dissolve Part dialog.

The original MIDI part is
muted.

Dissolving parts into separate channels
Setting a track to MIDI channel “Any” will cause each MIDI
event to play back on its original MIDI channel, rather than
a channel set for the whole track. There are two main situations when “Any” channel tracks are useful:

Dissolving parts into separate pitches
The Dissolve Part function can also scan MIDI parts for
events of different pitches, and distribute the events into
new parts on new tracks, one for each pitch. This is useful
when the different pitches are not used in a melodic context, but rather for separating different sounds (e.g. MIDI
drum tracks or sampler sound FX tracks). By dissolving
such parts, you can work with each sound individually, on
a separate track.

• When you record several MIDI channels at the same
time.
You may for example have a MIDI keyboard with several keyboard zones,
where each zone sends MIDI on a separate channel. Recording on an
“Any” channel track allows you to play back the recording with different
sounds for each zone (since the different MIDI notes play back on separate MIDI channels).

• When you have imported a MIDI file of Type 0.
MIDI files of Type 0 contain only one track, with notes on up to 16 different
MIDI channels. If you were to set this track to a specific MIDI channel, all
notes in the MIDI file would be played back with the same sound; setting
the track to “Any” will cause the imported file to play back as intended.

Proceed as follows:
1. Select the parts containing MIDI data.
2. Select “Dissolve Part” from the MIDI menu.

The Dissolve Part function scans MIDI parts for events on
different MIDI channels and distributes the events into new
parts on new tracks, one for each MIDI channel found. This
allows you to work with each musical part individually. Proceed as follows:

3. In the dialog that appears, select the “Separate
Pitches” option.
A new MIDI track is created for each used pitch in the selected parts.
The events are then copied into the parts on the track for the corresponding pitch. Finally, the original parts are muted.

1. Select the parts containing MIDI data on different
channels.
2. Select “Dissolve Part” from the MIDI menu.
3. In the dialog that appears, select the “Separate Channels” option.

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MIDI processing and quantizing

Other MIDI functions

Delete Controllers
This function removes all MIDI controllers from the selected MIDI parts.

The following items can be found on the Functions submenu of the MIDI menu:

Delete Continuous Controllers

Legato

This function removes all “continuous” MIDI controller
events from the selected MIDI parts. Therefore, “on/off”
events such as sustain pedal events are not removed.

Extends each selected note so that it reaches the next note.

Delete Notes
Allows you to delete very short or weak notes. This is useful for automatically removing unwanted “ghost notes” after recording. Selecting “Delete Notes…” opens a dialog
in which you set up the criteria for the function.
You can specify a gap or overlap for this function with the
“Legato Overlap” setting in the Preferences (Editing–MIDI
page).

When using Legato with this setting, each note will be extended to end
5 ticks before the next note.

When you activate “Legato Mode: Selected Only”, the
length of the note will be adjusted so that it reaches the
next selected note, allowing you e.g. to only apply Legato
to your bass line (when playing on a keyboard).

The parameters have the following functionality:
Minimum Length
When the Minimum Length checkbox is activated, the note
length is taken into account, allowing you to remove short
notes. You can either specify the minimum length (for notes
to be kept) in the value field or by dragging the blue line in
the graphical length display below.

Fixed Lengths
!

This function is only available from within the MIDI
editors.

• The graphical length display can correspond to 1/4 bar,
one bar, two bars or four bars.

This function resizes all selected notes to the length set
with the Length Quantize pop-up menu on the MIDI editor
toolbar.

You change this setting by clicking in the field to the right of the display.

Delete Doubles
This function removes double notes, i.e. notes of the same
pitch on the exact same position from the selected MIDI
parts. Double notes can occur when recording in Cycle
mode, after Quantizing, etc.

In this case, the whole length display corresponds to two bars, and the
Minimum Length is set to 32nd notes (60 ticks).

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Minimum Velocity

Velocity

When the Minimum Velocity checkbox is activated, the velocity of notes is taken into account, allowing you to remove weak notes. You specify the minimum velocity (for
notes to be kept) in the value display.

This function opens a dialog that allows you to manipulate
the velocity of notes in various ways.

Remove when under
This setting is only available when both Minimum Length
and Minimum Velocity is activated. By clicking in this field,
you select whether both the length and the velocity criteria
must be met for notes to be deleted, or whether one of the
criteria will suffice.
The following types of velocity processing are available:
OK and Cancel
Add/Subtract

Clicking OK performs the automatic delete according to
the rules set up. Clicking Cancel closes the dialog without
deleting notes.

This simply adds a fixed number to the existing velocity
values. You set the value (positive or negative) with the
Amount parameter.

Restrict Polyphony

Compress/Expand

Selecting this item opens a dialog in which you can specify how many “voices” should be used (for the selected
notes or parts). Restricting the polyphony this way is useful when you have an instrument with limited polyphony
and want to make sure all notes will be played. The effect
is achieved by shortening notes as required, so that they
end before the next note starts.

Compresses or expands the “dynamic range” of MIDI
notes by scaling the velocity values according to the Ratio
setting (0–300%). The principle behind this is that multiplying different velocity values with a factor higher than 1
(over 100%) will also make the differences between velocity values greater, while using a factor lower than 1 (under 100%) will make the differences smaller. In short:

Pedals to Note Length

• To compress (“even out” velocity differences), use ratio
values below 100%.

This function scans for Sustain pedal on/off events, lengthens the affected notes to match the Sustain pedal off position, and then removes the Sustain Controller on/off events.

After compression, you would probably want to add a velocity amount
(with the Add/Subtract function) to maintain the average velocity level.

• To expand (create greater difference in velocity), use ratio values above 100%.

Delete Overlaps (mono)

Before you expand, you may want to adjust the velocity with the Add/
Subtract function, so that the average velocity is somewhere in the middle of the range. If the average velocity is high (near 127) or low (near 0),
expansion will not work properly, simply because velocity values can only
be between 0 and 127!

This function allows you to make sure that no notes of the
same pitch overlap (i.e. that one starts before the other
ends). Overlapping notes of the same pitch can confuse
some MIDI instruments (a new Note On is transmitted before the Note Off is transmitted). This command can then
be used to automatically solve the problem.

Limit
This function allows you to make sure that no velocity values fall outside a given range (the Lower and Upper values). Any velocity values outside this range are raised/
lowered to exactly the Lower/Upper values.

Delete Overlaps (poly)
This function shortens notes when required, so that no
note begins before another ends. This happens regardless of which pitch the notes have.

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Fixed Velocity

Reverse

This function sets the velocity of all selected notes to the
Insert Velocity value on the toolbar in the MIDI editors.

This function inverts the order of the selected events (or of
all events in the selected parts), causing the MIDI music to
play backwards. Note that the effect is different from reversing an audio recording. With MIDI, the individual notes
will still play as usual in the MIDI instrument – it is only the
order of playback that is changed.

Thin Out Data
Thins out MIDI data. Use this to ease the load on your external MIDI devices if you have recorded very dense controller curves etc.
You can also manually thin out the controller data by using
the quantize function in the Key Editor.

Extract MIDI Automation
This is an extremely useful function as it allows you to
quickly and easily convert the continuous controllers of
your recorded MIDI parts into MIDI track automation data,
making them available for editing in the Project window.
Proceed as follows:
1. Select the desired MIDI part containing the continuous
controller data.
2. Select “Extract MIDI Automation”. (This command is
also available on the Key Editor context menu.)
The controller data will automatically be removed from the controller lane
in the editor.

3. In the Project window, open the automation track for
the respective MIDI track. When you select one the continuous controllers from the parameter pop-up menu, the
respective automation data will be displayed on the automation track.
This function can only be used for continuous controllers.
Data such as Aftertouch, Pitchbend or SysEx cannot be
converted to MIDI track automation data.
Ö Remember that to be able to hear the automation data,
you have to activate the Read button for the respective automation track(s).

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19
The MIDI editors

Introduction

• Double-click a part to open it in the default editor.
Which editor opens depends on the Default Edit Action setting in the
Preferences (Event Display–MIDI page).

There are several ways to edit MIDI in Cubase AI. You can
use the tools and functions in the Project window for largescale editing, or the functions on the MIDI menu to process
MIDI parts in various ways (see “What is affected by the
MIDI functions?” on page 172). For hands-on graphical editing of the contents of MIDI parts, you use the MIDI editors:
• The Key Editor is the default MIDI editor, presenting
notes graphically in an intuitive piano roll-style grid.

If the option “Edit as Drums when Drum Map is assigned”
is activated and a drum map is selected for the edited
track (see “Selecting a drum map for a track” on page
204), the Drum Editor will open. This way you can doubleclick to open the Key Editor (or the Score Editor or List
Editor, depending on your preferences) but drum tracks
will automatically open in the Drum Editor.

The Key Editor also allows for detailed editing of non-note events such as
MIDI controllers. For more information, see “The Key Editor – Overview” on
page 184.

• The Drum Editor is similar to the Key Editor, but takes
advantage of the fact that with drum parts, each key corresponds to a separate drum sound.
This is the editor to use when you’re editing drum or percussion parts.
For more information, see “The Drum Editor – Overview” on page 199.

Ö If the part you open for editing is a shared copy, any editing you perform will affect all shared copies of this part.

• The List Editor shows all events in the selected MIDI
parts as a list, allowing you to view and edit their properties
numerically. It also allows you to edit SysEx messages.

Shared copies are created by pressing [Alt]/[Option]-[Shift] and dragging, or by using the Repeat function with the “Shared copies” option
activated. In the Project window, shared copies are indicated by the part
name in italics and an icon in the bottom right corner of the part.

For more information, see “The List Editor – Overview” on page 206 and
“Working with System Exclusive messages” on page 210.

Handling several parts

• The Score Editor shows MIDI notes as a musical score.

When you open a MIDI editor with several parts (or a MIDI
track containing several parts) selected, you might find it
somewhat hard to get an overview of the different parts
when editing.

This offers basic score editing and printing – see “The Score Editor –
Overview” on page 213 for details).

Ö You can define each of the editors mentioned above
as your default MIDI editor, see below.

For such cases the editor toolbar features a few functions
to make working with multiple parts easier and more comprehensive:

Please note that features that are identical in these editors
(especially in the Key and Drum Editors) will be described
in the Key Editor section. The sections about the Drum Editor (see “The Drum Editor – Overview” on page 199), and
the List Editor (see “The List Editor – Overview” on page
206) describe the specific features of these editors only.

• The Part List menu lists all parts that were selected when
you opened the editor (or all parts on the track, if no parts
were selected), and lets you select which part should be
active for editing.
When you select a part from the list, it is automatically made active and
centered in the note display.

Opening a MIDI editor
There are two ways to open a MIDI editor:
• Select one or several parts (or a MIDI track, with no parts
selected), pull down the MIDI menu and select Open Key
Editor, Open Drum Editor, Open List Editor or Open Score
Editor from the Scores submenu (or use the corresponding
key command).

Ö Note that it is also possible to activate a part by selecting an event within this part with the Arrow tool.

The selected parts (or all parts on the track, if no part was selected) will
open in the chosen editor.
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The MIDI editors

• The button “Edit Active Part Only” lets you restrict editing operations to the active part only.
For example, if you select “All” from the Select submenu on the Edit menu
with this option activated, only events in the active part will be selected.
Similarly, if you select notes by dragging with the Arrow tool (making a selection rectangle), only the notes in the active part will be selected.

“Edit Active Part Only” is activated on the toolbar.

• You can zoom in on the active part so that it fills the
screen by selecting “Zoom to Event” from the Zoom submenu on the Edit menu.
• The button “Show Part Borders” can be used if you
want to see clearly defined borders for the active part.
When this is activated, all parts except the active one are grayed out, making the borders easily discernible. In the Key Editor, there are also two
“markers” in the ruler with the name of the active part, marking its beginning and end. These can be moved freely to change the size of the part.

“Show Part Borders” is activated on the toolbar.

• It is possible to cycle between parts (making them active) using key commands.
In the Key Commands dialog – Edit category, you will find two functions for
this: “Activate Next Part” and “Activate Previous Part”. If you assign key
commands to these, you can use them to cycle between parts in the editors. For further information, see “Setting up key commands” on page 269.

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The MIDI editors

The Key Editor – Overview
Toolbar
Info line
Ruler

Note
display

Controller
display

The toolbar

The info line

As in other windows, the toolbar contains tools and various settings. You can specify which toolbar items should
be shown and store/recall different toolbar configurations
– see “Using the Setup options” on page 262.
Solo Editor
button

Key Editor
tools

Autoscroll

The info line shows information about selected MIDI
notes. You can edit all values on the info line using regular
value editing (see “Editing on the info line” on page 192
for details). Length and position values are displayed in
the format currently selected for the ruler (see below).

Show/Hide Part
borders

• To hide or show the info line, click the icon in the toolbar.
Acoustic
Feedback

Show/Hide
Info line

Auto Select
Controllers

Edit active
part only

Part list

The ruler
The ruler shows the timeline, by default in the display format
selected on the Transport panel. You can select a separate
format for a MIDI editor ruler on the Ruler pop-up menu,
opened by clicking the arrow button to the right of it. For a
list of the available formats, see “The ruler” on page 21.

Grid modes

Velocity for inserted notes

Nudge Tools Snap on/off
Quantize settings

Step Input

At the bottom of the pop-up menu, there are two additional
items:

Step/MIDI input controls

MIDI Input
Mouse pointer display: current
pitch and meter position

Chord recognition
display

Color pop-up menu

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The MIDI editors

• If “Time Linear” is selected, the ruler, note display and
controller display will be linear in relation to time.

The chord recognition function
Cubase AI features a handy chord recognition function
that helps you identify chords in the Key Editor note display. To find out which chord is formed by simultaneously
played notes, place the project cursor over the notes. All
MIDI notes currently “touched” by the project cursor are
analyzed and the chord recognition display in the toolbar
shows you which chord the notes form.

This means that if the ruler shows bars and beats, the distance between
the bar lines will vary depending on the tempo.

• If “Bars+Beats Linear” is selected, the ruler, note display
and controller display will be linear in relation to tempo.
This means that if the ruler shows bars and beats, the distance between
beats will be constant.

In most cases, you would probably set the display format
to “Bars+Beats” in “Bars+Beats Linear” mode when editing MIDI.

The note display

In the picture above, the project cursor touches the notes C, Eb and G.
As shown in the chord recognition display, this results in a C minor chord.

The controller display
The note display is the main area in the Key Editor. It contains a grid in which MIDI notes are shown as boxes. The
width of a box corresponds to the note length, and the
vertical position of a box corresponds to the note number
(pitch), with higher notes higher up in the grid. The piano
keyboard to the left serves as a guide for finding the right
note number.

The area at the bottom of the Key Editor window is the
controller display. This consists of one or several controller lanes, each showing one of the following properties or
event types:

For a description of how to display colors in the note display, see “Coloring notes and events” on page 188.

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Velocity values of the notes
Pitchbend events
Aftertouch events
Poly Pressure events
Program Change events
SysEx events
Any type of continuous controller event (see “Editing continuous controllers on the controller lane” on page 197)

To change the size of the controller display, drag the divider between the controller display and the note display.
This will make the controller display larger and the note
display smaller, or vice versa.

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The MIDI editors

Key Editor operations

Velocity values are shown as vertical bars in the controller
display, with higher bars corresponding to higher velocity
values.

Zooming
Zooming in the Key Editor is done according to the standard zoom procedures, using the zoom sliders, the Zoom
tool or the Zoom submenu on the Edit menu.
• When you drag a rectangle with the Zoom tool, the result
depends on the option “Zoom Tool Standard Mode: Horizontal Zooming Only” in the Preferences (Editing–Tools
page).
If this is activated, the window will only be zoomed horizontally; if not, the
window will be zoomed both horizontally and vertically.

Using the Trim tool
The Trim tool allows you to change the length of note
events by cutting off the end or the beginning of notes. It
is available in the Key Editor and in the List Editor.

Each velocity bar corresponds to a note in the note display.

Events other than velocity values are shown as blocks, the
heights of which correspond to the values of the events.
The beginning of an event is marked by a curve point. To
select an event, click on the curve point, so that it turns red.

Using the Trim tool means moving the note-on or the noteoff event for one or several notes to a position defined with
the mouse. Proceed as follows:
1. Select the Trim tool in the toolbar.

Ö Unlike notes, events in the controller display have no
length. The value of an event in the display is “valid” until
the start of the next event.

The mouse pointer changes to a knife symbol.

If you delete the second event…

2. Locate the notes that you wish to edit.
3. To edit a single note, click on it with the Trim tool. The
range between the mouse pointer and the end of the note
will be removed.
You can use the mouse position display in the toolbar to find the exact
position for the trim operation.

…the first event will be “valid”
until the start of the third event.

4. To edit several notes, click and drag with the mouse
across the notes.
A line is displayed. The notes will be trimmed along this line.

For a description of editing in the controller display, see
“Editing in the controller display” on page 193.

Trimming the end of three note events.

• By default, the Trim tool will cut off the end of notes. To
trim the beginning of the note(s), press [Alt]/[Option] while
dragging.

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The MIDI editors

• If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] while dragging, you will
get a vertical trim line, allowing you to set the same start or
end time for all edited notes.

Acoustic Feedback

You can change the Trim tool key commands in the Preferences (Editing–Tool Modifiers page).
If the speaker icon on the toolbar is activated, individual
notes will automatically be played back (auditioned) when
you move or transpose them, or when you create new notes
by drawing. This makes it easier to hear what you’re doing.

Ö Note that when you trim the beginning of a note in the
List Editor, the note may move to a different position in the
list (since other events may now begin before the edited
event).

Snap

Ö Note that the trimmed note ends or starts do not snap
to the grid.

Playing back
Snap is activated on the toolbar.

You can play back your music as usual when working in a
MIDI editor. There are several features designed to make
editing easier during playback:

The Snap function helps you find exact positions when editing in a MIDI editor. It does this by restricting horizontal
movement and positioning to certain positions. Operations
affected by snap include moving, duplicating, drawing, sizing, etc.

Solo button

• How Snap works depends on the Snap mode pop-up
menu next to the Snap button.
If you activate the Solo button, only the edited MIDI parts
will be heard during regular playback.

See “The Snap function” on page 40.

• When the “Bars+Beats” display format is selected in
the ruler, the snap grid is set by the Quantize value on the
toolbar.

Autoscroll

This makes it possible to snap not only to straight note values but also to
swing grids set up in the Quantize Setup dialog (see “The Quantizing
functions” on page 172).

As described in the section “Autoscroll” on page 41, the
Autoscroll function makes the window “follow” the project
cursor during playback, so that the current play position is
visible at all times. However, when you are working in a
MIDI editor, you may want to deactivate Autoscroll – this
way, the events you are working with will stay visible.

When any of the other display formats is selected in the
ruler, positioning is restricted to the displayed grid, i.e. you
can snap in finer increments by zooming in, and in coarser
increments by zooming out the display.

The Autoscroll buttons in each MIDI editor are independent
of the Project window Autoscroll setting, which means that
Autoscroll can be activated in the Project window and deactivated in the MIDI editor you are working in.

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The MIDI editors

Coloring notes and events

• If you click once, the created note will have the length
set on the Length Quantize pop-up menu on the toolbar.

By using the Colors pop-up menu on the toolbar, you can
select a color scheme for the events in the editor. The following options are available:

You can create a longer note by clicking and dragging. The length of the
created note will be a multiple of the Length Quantize value.

Option

Description

Drawing notes with the Line tool

Velocity

The notes get different colors depending on their velocity
values.

Pitch

The notes get different colors depending on their pitch.

The Line tool can be used for creating series of contiguous notes. To do so, click and drag to draw a line and then
release the mouse button.

Channel

The notes get different colors depending on their MIDI
channel value.

Ö The Line tool has several different modes.

Part

The notes get the same color as their respective part in
the Project window. Use this option when you are working with two or more tracks in an editor, to make it easier
to see which notes belong to which track.

GridMatch

The notes get different colors depending on their time
position. This mode makes it easy to see e.g. if the notes
in a chord start at the exact same beat.

To select one of the modes, click on the Line tool icon on the toolbar
when the tool is already selected. This opens a pop-up menu from which
you can select one of the Line tool modes.

When any of the options (apart from “Part”) is selected,
you can select “Setup…” from the Colors pop-up menu.
This opens a dialog in which you can specify which colors
should be associated with which velocities, pitches or
channels, respectively.

The tool icon will change appearance according to the selected mode.

Creating and editing notes
To draw in new notes in the Key Editor, you use the Pencil
tool or the Line tool.

Mode

Description

Line

This is the default mode for the Line tool. When this
mode is selected, you click and drag to create a straight
line, in any angle. When you release the mouse button a
series of notes will be created, aligned with the line. If
Snap is activated, the notes will be spaced and sized according to the Quantize value.

Parabola, Sine,
Triangle,
Square

These modes insert events along different curve shapes.
While they can be used for creating notes, they are probably best suited for controller editing (see “Adding and
editing events in the controller display” on page 195).

Paint

Allows you to insert multiple notes by dragging with the
mouse button pressed. If Snap is activated, the notes will
be positioned and sized according to the Quantize and
Length Quantize values. If you press [Ctrl]/[Command]
while painting, movement will be restricted to horizontal
(i.e. the painted notes will have the same pitch).

Drawing notes with the Pencil tool
With the Pencil tool, you insert single notes by clicking at
the desired time (horizontal) and pitch position (vertical).
• When you move the pointer in the note display, its bar
position is indicated in the toolbar, and its pitch is indicated
both in the toolbar and on the piano keyboard to the left.
This makes it easy to find the right note and insert position.

• If Snap is activated, this determines the start position of
the created note.

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The MIDI editors

Setting velocity values

Selecting notes

When you draw notes in the Key Editor, the notes will get
the velocity value set in the insert velocity field on the toolbar.

Selecting notes is done using any of the following methods:
• Use the Arrow tool.
The standard selection techniques apply, like selecting by clicking on the
note or using a selection rectangle. Note that when you press [Shift] and
click on notes or draw a selection rectangle, these notes will be added to
the overall selection. When you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on
notes or draw a selection rectangle, these notes will be removed from
the overall selection (standard Windows behavior).

You can use one of four different methods for determining
the velocity:
• When a tool modifier is assigned for the Select tool–
Edit Velocity action (in the Editing–Tool Modifiers page of
the Preferences dialog), you can select one or more notes,
press the modifier (by default [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Shift])
and click on one of the selected notes to change the velocity.

• Use the Select submenu on the Edit menu or context
menu.
The Select menu options are:

The cursor changes into a speaker and, next to the note, a field with the
velocity value appears – the Note Velocity slider. Move the mouse
pointer up or down to change the value. Value changes will be applied to
all selected notes, as you can see in the controller lane.

Option

Description

All

Selects all notes in the edited part.

None

Deselects all events.

In Loop

Selects all notes that are partially or completely inside the
boundaries of the left and right locators (only visible if locators are set).

From Start
to Cursor

Selects all notes that begin to the left of the project cursor.

From Cursor
to End

Selects all notes that end to the right of the project cursor.

• Selecting a predefined velocity value from the insert velocity pop-up menu.
The menu contains five different predefined velocity values. The “Setup…”
item opens a dialog that allows you to specify which five velocity values
should be available on the pop-up menu. (This dialog can also be opened
by selecting “Insert Velocities…” from the MIDI menu.)

• You can also use the left and right arrow keys on the
computer keyboard to step from one note to another.
If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, the current selection will be
kept, allowing you to select several notes.

• To select all notes of a certain pitch, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on the desired key in the keyboard display
to the left.

• Manually entering the desired velocity value by clicking
in the insert velocity field and typing in the desired value.

All notes of the corresponding
pitch are selected.

• Using a key command.
You can assign a key command to each of the five available velocity values in the Key Commands dialog (MIDI category – the items Insert Velocity 1–5). This allows for quick switching between different velocity
values when entering notes. See “Setting up key commands” on page
269 for instructions on how to set up key commands.

You can also press [Shift] and double-click on a note to select all the following notes of the same pitch.

• If the option “Auto Select Events under Cursor” is activated in the Preferences (Editing page), all notes “touched”
by the project cursor are automatically selected.

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The MIDI editors

Toggle selections

• Use the Move buttons in the Nudge palette on the toolbar.

If you want to toggle the selected elements within a selection rectangle, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and enclose the
same elements within a new selection rectangle. Once
you release the mouse button, the previous selection is
deselected and vice versa.

This moves the selected note(s) by the amount set on the Quantize popup menu.
By default, the Nudge palette is not shown on the toolbar – see “Using
the Setup options” on page 262 for more information.

Ö Note that when you move selected notes to a different
position, any selected controllers for these notes will move
accordingly.
See also “Moving and copying events” on page 197.

You can also adjust the position of notes by quantizing
(see “The Quantizing functions” on page 172).

Selecting controllers within the note range
You can select the controllers within the range of the selected notes. The following applies:

Duplicating and repeating notes
Notes are duplicated much in the same way as events in
the Project window:

• When the Auto Select Controllers button is activated
on the toolbar, the controllers will always be selected
when the respective notes are selected.

• Hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag the note(s) to a new
position.

• A note range lasts until the start of the next note or the
end of the part.

If Snap is activated, this determines to which positions you can copy
notes (see “Snap” on page 187).

• Selected controllers for notes are moved when the corresponding notes are moved.

• Selecting Duplicate from the Edit menu creates a copy
of the selected note and places it directly after the original.

Moving and transposing notes

If several notes are selected, all of these are copied “as one unit”, maintaining the relative distance between the notes.

To move notes in the editor, use any of the following methods:

• Selecting “Repeat…” from the Edit menu opens a dialog, allowing you to create a number of copies of the selected note(s).

• Click and drag to a new position.

This works like the Duplicate function, but you can specify the number of
copies.

All selected notes will be moved, maintaining their relative positions. If
Snap is activated, this determines to which positions you can move the
notes, see “Snap” on page 187.
!

• You can also perform the Repeat function by dragging:
Select the note(s) to repeat, press [Alt]/[Option], click the
right edge of the last selected note and drag to the right.

Note also that you can restrict movement to horizontal or vertical only by holding down [Ctrl]/[Command]
while dragging.

The longer to the right you drag, the more copies are created (as indicated by the tooltip).

• Use the up and down arrow keys on the computer keyboard.
This method allows you to transpose the selected notes, without risking
to move them horizontally. You can also use the Transpose function (see
“Transpose” on page 176) for this. Note that pressing [Shift] and using
the up and down arrow keys will transpose notes in steps of one octave.

• Use the Move to Cursor function on the Edit menu.
This moves the selected notes to the project cursor position.

• Select a note and adjust its position or pitch on the info
line.
See “Editing on the info line” on page 192.
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The MIDI editors

Using cut and paste

Splitting notes

You can use the Cut, Copy and Paste options on the Edit
menu to move or copy material within a part or between
different parts. When you paste copied notes, you can either use the regular Paste function or the function “Paste
Time” from the Range submenu of the Edit menu.

There are three ways to split notes:

• “Paste” inserts the copied notes at the project cursor position
without affecting existing notes.
• “Paste Time” inserts at the project cursor position, but moves
(and if necessary, splits) existing notes to make room for the
pasted notes.

• If you select “Split at Cursor” from the Edit menu, all
notes that are intersected by the project cursor are split at
the cursor position.

• Clicking on a note with the Scissors tool splits the note
at the position you pointed (taking the Snap setting into
account if activated).
If several notes are selected, they are all split at the same position.

• If you select “Split Loop” from the Edit menu, all notes
that are intersected by the left or right locator are split at
the locator positions.

Selecting “Paste Time” with this data on the clipboard
and the project cursor here…

Gluing notes
Clicking on a note with the Glue Tube tool will “glue it together” with the next note of the same pitch. The result will
be one long note spanning from the start of the first note
to the end of the second note and with the properties (velocity, etc.) of the first note.

…will give you this.

Muting notes
Individual notes can be muted in the Key Editor, as opposed to muting an entire MIDI part in the Project window.
This allows you to exclude notes from playback, but keep
the option to bring them back again at any time. To mute a
note, use one of the following methods:

Resizing notes
To resize a note, use one of the following methods:
• Position the arrow tool at the start or end of the note, so
that the pointer takes on the shape of a small double arrow. Click and drag to the left or right to resize the note.

• Click on it with the Mute tool.
• Drag a rectangle with the Mute tool, enclosing all notes
you want to mute.

This method allows you to resize the note from either direction.

• Click with the Pencil tool within the note box and drag
to the left or the right (to make the note shorter or longer,
respectively).

• Select the note(s) and choose Mute from the Edit menu.
The default key command for this is [Shift]-[M].

With both these methods, the resulting length will be a
multiple of the Length Quantize value on the toolbar.
• Use the Trim Start/End buttons on the Nudge palette on
the toolbar.
This resizes the selected note(s) by moving their start or end positions, in
steps according to the Length Quantize value on the toolbar. By default,
the Nudge palette is not shown on the toolbar – see “Using the Setup options” on page 262 for more information.

Muted notes are “dimmed” in the note display.

• Select the note and adjust its length on the info line.

To unmute a note, either click it or enclose it with the Mute
tool, or select it and choose Unmute from the Edit menu.
The default key command for this is [Shift]-[U].

See “Editing on the info line” on page 192 for details on info line editing.

• Use the Trim tool, see “Using the Trim tool” on page 186.

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The MIDI editors

Deleting notes

In Cubase AI, the name of the drum sound is displayed in
the following locations:

To delete notes, either click on them with the Erase tool or
select them and press [Backspace].

In the info line, in the Pitch field.

In the Mouse Note Value field.

Editing on the info line
The info line shows the values and properties of the selected event(s). If a single event is selected, its values are
displayed on the info line. If several events are selected,
the info line shows the values of the first of these events in
yellow.

When dragging a note.

In the event itself (provided that the
zoom factor is high enough).

This allows you to use the Key Editor for drum editing, e.g.
when editing drum note lengths (which may be necessary
for some external instruments) or when editing several
parts, to identify drum events.

Several events are selected.

You can edit the values on the info line using regular value
editing. This allows you to move, resize, transpose or
change velocity of events in a very precise manner. It is
also possible to click the Pitch or Velocity field in the info
line and play a note on your MIDI keyboard – the pitch or
velocity will be adjusted according to the note you played.

Editing notes via MIDI
You can change the properties of notes via MIDI. For example, this can be a fast way to get the right velocity value,
since you will hear the result even as you edit:

Ö If you have several events selected and change a value,
all selected events will be changed by the set amount.

1. Select the note you want to edit.
2. Click on the MIDI Input button on the toolbar to enable
editing via MIDI.

Ö If you have several events selected, hold down [Ctrl]/
[Command] and change a value, the change will be absolute.
In other words, the value setting will be the same for all selected events.

How the Key Editor handles drum maps
3. Use the note buttons on the toolbar to decide which
properties should be changed by the MIDI input.

When a drum map is assigned to a MIDI or instrument track
(see “Working with drum maps” on page 202), the Key Editor will display the drum sound names as defined by the
drum map.

You can enable editing of pitch, note-on and/or note-off velocity.

With this setting, the edited notes will get the pitch and velocity values
of the notes input via MIDI, but the note-off velocities will be kept as
they are.

4. Play a note on your MIDI instrument.
The note selected in the editor will get the pitch, velocity and/or note-off
velocity of the played note.

The next note in the edited part is automatically selected,
making it easy to quickly edit a series of notes.
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The MIDI editors

Ö If Move Insert Mode is activated, all notes to the right
of the step input position will be moved to “make room” for
the inserted note or chord.

• If you want another try, select the note again (e.g. by
pressing the left arrow key on the computer keyboard) and
again play a note on your MIDI instrument.

Step input
Step input, or step recording, is when you enter notes one
at a time (or one chord at a time) without worrying about
the exact timing. This is useful e.g. when you know the part
you want to record but are not able to play it exactly as you
want it.

Move Insert Mode is activated.

6. Continue in the same way with the rest of the notes or
chords.
You can adjust the Quantize or Length Quantize value as you go along,
to change the timing or note lengths. You can also move the step input
position manually by clicking anywhere in the note display.

Proceed as follows:
1. Click the Step Input button on the toolbar to activate
Step Input mode.

• To insert a “rest”, press the right arrow key on the computer keyboard.
This advances the step input position one step.

7. When you are done, click the Step Input button again
to deactivate step input.

2. Use the note buttons to the right to decide which
properties should be included when you input the notes.

Editing in the controller display

For example, you may not want to include the velocity and/or note-off velocity of the played notes. It is also possible to turn off the pitch property,
in which case all notes will get the pitch C3, no matter what you play.

About controller lanes
By default, the controller display has a single lane, showing one event type at a time. However, you can add lanes
by clicking the plus button or by opening the context menu
and selecting “Create New Controller Lane”. The use of
several controller lanes allows you to view and edit different controllers at the same time.

3. Click anywhere in the note display to set the start position (the desired position of the first note or chord).
The step input position is shown as a blue line in the note display, and in
the lower mouse pointer display in the toolbar.

4. Specify the desired note spacing and length with the
Quantize and Length Quantize pop-up menus.
The notes you input will be positioned according to the Quantize value
and have the length set with the Length Quantize value. For instance, if
you set Quantize to 1/8 notes and Length Quantize to 1/16 note, the
notes will be sixteenth notes, appearing on each eighth note position.

5. Play the first note or chord on your MIDI instrument.

The controller display with three lanes set up

The note or chord appears in the editor and the step input position advances one quantize value step.

• To remove a lane, click on the minus sign or open the
context menu and select “Remove this Lane”.
This hides the lane from view – it does not affect the events in any way.

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The MIDI editors

• If you remove all lanes, the controller display will be
completely hidden.

• Each MIDI track has its own controller lane setup (number of lanes and selected event types).

To bring it back again, select “Create New Controller Lane” from the
context menu.

When you create new tracks, they get the controller lane setup used last.

Controller lane presets

• Editing the events in the controller display is much like
editing automation data on an automation track in the Project window (except for velocity values, see “Editing velocity values” on page 194).

Once you have added the required number of controller
lanes and selected the event types you need, you can
store this combination as a controller lane preset. You
could for example have a preset with one velocity lane
only, another with a combination of velocity, pitchbend
and modulation, and so on. This can make working with
controllers much quicker.

Selecting the event type
Each controller lane shows one event type at a time. To
select which type should be displayed, use the event type
pop-up menu to the left of the lane.

• To add the current controller lane setup as a preset, pull
down the pop-up menu to the left of the horizontal scrollbar and select “Add”.
Enter a name for the preset in the dialog that appears and click OK.

• To apply a stored preset, select it from the pop-up menu.
This immediately brings up the controller lanes and event types in the
preset.

• To remove or rename presets, select “Organize…” from
the pop-up menu.
Editing velocity values
When “Velocity” is selected, the lane shows the velocity of
each note as a vertical bar.
• Selecting “Setup…” opens a dialog in which you can
specify which continuous controller event types should be
available on the pop-up menu.
Controller types in this list are
already listed on the pop-up
menu.

Controller types in this list are
not listed on the pop-up menu.

Velocity values are edited with the Pencil or the Line tool.
The different tools and Line tool modes offer several possibilities, as listed below:
Ö The Arrow tool automatically switches to the Pencil tool
when you move the pointer into the controller display.
If you want to use the Arrow tool to select events in the controller display,
press [Alt]/[Option].

Click this button to remove the
controller type selected in the left
list from the pop-up menu.

Ö If the Speaker icon (Acoustic Feedback) is activated
on the toolbar, the notes will be played back when you adjust the velocity, allowing you to audition your changes.

Click this button to add the
selected controller type to the
pop-up menu.

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The MIDI editors

• You can use the Pencil tool to change the velocity of a
single note: click on its velocity bar and drag the bar up or
down.

• The remaining three Line tool modes (Sine, Triangle and
Square) align the velocity values to continuous curve
shapes (see below).

While you drag, the current velocity value is shown in the display to the left.

Ö If there is more than one note at the same position
(e.g. a chord), their velocity bars will overlap in the controller lane.

• You can use the Pencil tool or the Line tool in Paint
mode to change the velocity values of several notes by
painting a “freehand curve”.

If none of the notes are selected, all notes at the same position will be set
to the same velocity value when you draw. To edit the velocity of only one
of the notes at the same position, first select the note in the note display.
Now, editing will only affect the velocity of the selected note.

When editing velocity, these two methods have the same functionality.

You can also adjust the velocity of a single note by selecting it and changing its velocity value on the info line.
Adding and editing events in the controller display
When any option other than “Velocity” is selected for a
controller lane, you can create new events or edit the values of existing events using the Pencil tool or the Line tool
in its various modes:
• Use the Line tool in Line mode for creating linear velocity ramps.

• Click with the Pencil tool or the Line tool in Paint mode
to create a new event.

Click where you want the ramp to start and drag the cursor to where you
want the ramp to end. When you release the mouse button, the velocity
values are aligned with the line between the two points.

• Press [Alt]/[Option] and use the Pencil tool or the Line
tool in Paint mode to modify the value of an event (without
creating a new one).
Note that you can click and drag to change or add multiple events, draw
controller curves, etc. You can press or release [Alt]/[Option] while drawing, switching dynamically between “edit mode” and “create mode”.

If you want to enter or adjust a single event, click once
with the Pencil tool or the Line tool in Paint mode.

• Parabola mode works in the same way, but aligns the
velocity values to a Parabola curve instead.

When you move the pointer in the controller lane, the corresponding
value is displayed in this field.

Use this for smooth, “natural” velocity fades, etc.

If you want to “paint a curve”, drag with the tool in the controller lane (keeping the mouse button pressed):

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The MIDI editors

Ö With the Pencil tool and the Line tool in Paint mode, the
quantize value determines the “density” of created controller curves (if Snap is activated, see “Snap” on page 187).

• In Parabola mode, you can use modifier keys to determine the shape of the parabola curve.

For very smooth curves, you should use a small quantize value or turn off
Snap. However, this will create a very large number of MIDI events, which
can cause MIDI playback to “stutter” in some situations. A medium-low
density is often sufficient.

If you press [Ctrl]/[Command], the parabola curve will be reversed. If you
press [Alt]/[Option]-[Ctrl]/[Command] while Snap is activated, you can
change the position of the whole curve (in both cases the snap value for
the positioning will be a quarter of the quantize value). If you press [Shift],
the exponent will be increased or decreased.

• Clicking and dragging with the Line tool in Line mode
shows a line in the controller lane, and creates events with
values aligned to this line.

Ö In Line and Parabola modes, the length quantize value
determines the “density” of created controller curves (if
Snap is activated).

This is the best way to draw linear controller ramps. If you press [Alt]/[Option], no new events are created – use this mode for modifying existing
controller curves.

For very smooth curves, you should use a small length quantize value or
turn off Snap. To avoid over-dense controller curves (which may cause
MIDI playback to “stutter”), use a medium-low density.

• The Sine, Triangle and Square modes create events
with values aligned to continuous curves.

Converting a controller curve to a ramp using the
Line tool.

In these modes, the quantize value determines the period of the curve
(the length of one curve “cycle”) and the length quantize value determines the density of the events (the lower the length quantize note value,
the smoother the curve).

• In Sine, Triangle and Square mode you can also use
modifier keys to determine the shape of the curve.
If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] you can change the phase of the beginning
of the curve, if you press [Alt]/[Option]-[Ctrl]/[Command] while snap is activated you can change the position of the whole curve (in both cases the
snap value for the positioning will be a quarter of the quantize value).

• The Parabola mode works in the same way, but aligns
the values to a parabola curve instead, giving more “natural” curves and fades.
Note that the result depends on the direction from which you draw the
parabola.

Ö You can also set the curve period freely by holding
down [Shift] when you insert events in Sine, Triangle or
Square mode.
Activate Snap, [Shift]-click and drag to set the length of one period. The
period length will be a multiple of the quantize value.

• In Triangle and Square mode, you can press [Shift][Ctrl]/[Command] to change the maximum position of the
triangle curve (to create sawtooth curves) or the pulse of
the square curve. As in other modes, you can press [Alt]/
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The MIDI editors

[Option] if you want to change the existing events rather
than creating new ones. Again, the snap value for the positioning will be a quarter of the quantize value.

Deleting events in the controller display
You delete events by clicking on them with the Erase tool
or by selecting them and pressing [Backspace]. Please
note:

Moving and copying events

• Deleting a controller event makes the last event before
this valid up until the next event. It does not “zero” any
controller changes.

You can move or duplicate events in a controller lane,
much like you can with notes:
1. Click with the Arrow tool to select the events you want
to cut or copy.

• You can delete notes by deleting their velocity bars in
the controller display.

You can also click and drag to create a selection rectangle encompassing the desired events.

Please be aware that if there is more than one note on the same position,
there may still only be one velocity bar visible – make sure you delete only
the desired notes!

2. Click on a curve point and drag the events to move
them.

Editing continuous controllers on the controller lane

If Snap is activated, this determines to which positions you can move the
events (see “Snap” on page 187).
!

Remember that a non-note event does not have a
length – it is “valid” until the next event (see “The
controller display” on page 185).

When the Auto Select Controllers button is activated
in the Key Editor toolbar, selecting notes will also select the corresponding controller events. Moving
events (either using cut/copy/paste or drag & drop)
in the note display will also move the corresponding
controller events (see also “Selecting controllers
within the note range” on page 190).

When a continuous controller is selected for a controller
lane, additional data is displayed on the controller lane.
This is due to the fact that MIDI controller data can be recorded (or entered) either for an automation track or for a
MIDI part.
The following applies:
• In the event type pop-up menu, an asterisk is displayed
next to the controller name if automation data already exists for this controller.
This can be either controller data you entered in a MIDI editor (the data
will then be displayed on the controller lane), or controller data recorded
on an automation track in the Project window (in which case no events
are displayed on the controller lane).

Using cut, copy and paste
You can use the standard Cut, Copy and Paste options on
the Edit menu to move or copy events in the controller display:
1. Select the events you want to cut or copy.
2. Select Cut or Copy from the Edit menu.
3. If you want to paste the events into another MIDI part,
open that part in another Key Editor window.
4. Position the project cursor where you want to paste
the events.
5. Select Paste from the Edit menu.

For this controller, automation data is available.

The events on the clipboard are added, starting at the project cursor position, maintaining their relative distances. If a pasted event ends up at
the same position as an existing event of the same type, the old event is
replaced.

• On the controller lane, you can also see the controller
curve that is applied before the part starts. That way, you
know which controller value (if any) is currently being used
at the starting point of the part so that you can choose the
start value accordingly.
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The MIDI editors

Adding and editing Poly Pressure events
Poly Pressure events are special, in that they “belong to” a
specific note number (key). That is, each Poly Pressure
event has two editable values: the note number and the
amount of pressure. Therefore, when Poly Pressure is selected on the event type pop-up menu, there are two value
fields to the left of the controller display, one for the note
number and one for the amount.

To add a new Poly Pressure event, proceed as follows:
1. Select Poly Pressure on the event type pop-up menu.
2. Set the note number by clicking on the keyboard display.
The selected note number is displayed in the upper value field to the left
of the controller display. Note that this only works for the topmost lane. If
you have selected “Poly Pressure” for several controller lanes, you have
to type in the desired note number directly in the lower value field to the
left of each lane.

3. Use the Pencil tool to add a new event, just as when
adding regular controller events.
To view and edit existing Poly Pressure events, proceed
as follows:
1. Select Poly Pressure on the event type pop-up menu.
2. Click on the arrow button next to the note number field
to the left of the controller lane.
A pop-up menu appears, listing all note numbers for which there already
are Poly Pressure events.

3. Select a note number from the pop-up menu.
The Poly Pressure events for the selected note number are shown in the
controller lane.

4. Use the Pencil tool to edit the events as usual.
Press [Alt]/[Option] to edit existing events without adding any new ones.

• Poly Pressure events can also be added and edited in
the List Editor.

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The MIDI editors

The Drum Editor – Overview
Toolbar
Ruler

Drum
sound
list

Note
display

Drum
Maps
Controller
display

The toolbar and info line

The drum sound list

These are much the same as the toolbar and info line in
the Key Editor (see “The Key Editor – Overview” on page
184), with the following differences:
• The Drum Editor has no Pencil tool – instead there is a
Drumstick tool (for entering and removing notes) and a
Line tool with various line and curve modes (for drawing
several notes in one go or editing controller events).
• There are no Scissors and Glue Tube tools in the Drum
Editor.

A drum sound list for GM Drum Map

The purpose of the Drum Editor is to edit MIDI tracks where
each note (pitch) plays a separate sound, as is typically the
case with a MIDI drum kit. The drum sound list to the left
lists all drum sounds by name (according to the selected
drum map or name list – see below), and lets you adjust
and manipulate the drum sound setup in various ways.

• As in the Key Editor, the mouse pointer display in the
toolbar shows the pitch and position of the pointer, but the
pitch is shown as a drum sound name rather than a note
number.
• The Use Global Quantize button allows you to select
which value should be used when Snap is activated – the
global quantize value on the toolbar or the individual quantize values for the drum sounds.

Please note the following:
• The number of columns in the list depends on whether a
drum map is selected for the track or not.

• Instead of a Length Quantize pop-up, there is an Insert
Length pop-up menu.

See “Working with drum maps” on page 202.

It is used in much the same way, as described on the following pages.

• You can reorder the columns by dragging the column
headings, and resize them by dragging the dividers between the column headings.

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The MIDI editors

Drum Editor operations

The note display

The basic handling (zooming, playback, auditioning, etc.)
is the same as in the Key Editor (see “Key Editor operations” on page 186). The following sections describe the
procedures and features specific to the Drum Editor.

Creating and editing notes

The note display of the Drum Editor displays notes as diamond symbols. The vertical position of the notes corresponds to the drum sound list to the left, while the horizontal
position corresponds to the note’s position in time, just as in
the Key Editor. Note, however, that the diamond symbols do
not indicate the length of the notes. This makes sense,
since drum sounds most often are “one-shot” samples that
play to their end regardless of the note lengths.

The standard way of entering notes in the Drum Editor is
to click with the Drumstick tool.

Drum map and name pop-up menus

When you move the pointer in the note display, its bar position and
drum sound is indicated in the toolbar, making it easy to find the right
sound and position.

The position of the created note depends on the following
factors:
• If Snap is deactivated on the toolbar, the note will appear exactly where you clicked.

Below the drum sound list you will find two pop-up menus,
used for selecting a drum map for the edited track or (if no
drum map is selected) a list of drum sound names. For an
explanation of drum maps, see “Working with drum maps”
on page 202.

In this mode, notes can be positioned freely.

• If Snap is activated and Use Global Quantize is deactivated on the toolbar, the note will snap to positions according to the quantize value set for the sound in the drum
sound list.
You can set up different quantize values for different drum sounds. You
may for example want hi-hat notes snap to sixteenth notes, but snare and
bass drum snap to eighth notes.

Controller display
The controller display in the Drum Editor is the same as in
the Key Editor. You can add or remove controller lanes via
the context menu, and create and edit events as described
in the section “Editing in the controller display” on page
193.

• If Snap and Use Global Quantize are activated, the note
will snap to positions according to the Quantize setting on
the toolbar (next to the Use Global Quantize button).
The length of the inserted note is determined by the Insert
Length setting on the toolbar. However, if this is set to
“Drum-Map Link”, the note will get the length of the quantize value for the drum sound.

• Note that when you select a line in the drum sound list
(to the left of the event display), only the velocity controller
events belonging to the note events on this line are displayed in the controller display.

Ö You can quickly audition the drum sounds by clicking
in the leftmost column in the drum sound list.

• You can select more than one line in the drum sound list
(using [Shift] or [Ctrl]/[Command] as usual), which will
show all velocity controller events for all notes on all selected lines.

This plays the corresponding note.

Ö Clicking with the Drumstick tool on an existing note
will remove it.

This will help you when having to adjust the controller values between
different drum sounds.

This makes drum pattern editing very quick and intuitive.

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The MIDI editors

Ö You can also adjust the position of notes by quantizing
(see “The Quantizing functions” on page 172).

Setting velocity values
The notes you enter will get the insert velocity value set in
the insert velocity field on the toolbar – to speed up things
you may want to assign key commands to the insert velocity options, see “Setting velocity values” on page 189.

Again, which quantize value is used depends on whether Global Quantize is used.

Muting notes and drum sounds
You can mute individual notes by clicking or enclosing
them with the Mute tool or by using the Mute function on
the Edit menu (see “Muting notes” on page 191).

Selecting notes
Selecting notes is done by any of the following methods:
• Use the Arrow tool.

Furthermore, if a drum map is selected (see “Selecting a
drum map for a track” on page 204), the drum sound list will
have a Mute column. Click in the Mute column for a drum
sound to mute that sound. Clicking the Drum Solo button
will mute all drum sounds other than the selected one.

The standard selection techniques apply.

• Use the Select submenu on the context menu (see
“Selecting notes” on page 189).
• Use the left and right arrow keys on the computer keyboard to step from one note to the next or previous note.
If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, the current selection will be
kept, allowing you to select several notes.

• You can also press [Shift] and double-click on a note to
select all the following notes for the same drum sound.
• If the option “Auto Select Events under Cursor” is activated in the Preferences (Editing page), all notes currently
“touched” by the project cursor are automatically selected.

Muted drum sounds
!

Moving, duplicating or repeating notes
To move or copy notes in the editor (to other positions or
other drum sounds), you use the same methods as in the
Key Editor: click and drag, use the arrow keys or Edit
menu functions, etc. – see “Moving and transposing notes” on page 190. To help you identify the right notes, the
drum sound names as defined in the drum map are displayed in the Pitch field on the Drum Editor info line and,
when dragging notes in the event display, in the text fields
displayed next to the mouse pointer.

Please note that the mute state for drum sounds is
part of the drum map, so any other tracks using the
same map will also be affected.

Deleting notes
To delete notes, click on them with the Drumstick or Erase
tool, or select them and press [Backspace].

Other editing methods
As in the Key Editor, you can edit notes on the info line or
via MIDI, and enter notes using step input, see “Editing on
the info line” on page 192.

There is one other thing to note:
When you move or copy several selected notes by dragging them and Snap is activated but Use Global Quantize
is deactivated, the notes will snap to positions according
to the quantize values for the drum sounds. If the moved/
copied notes have different quantize values, the largest
value will determine snapping. For example, if you are
moving two notes, with the quantize values 1/16 and 1/4
respectively, the notes will snap to quarter notes (1/4).

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The MIDI editors

Working with drum maps

Now, take a look at the drum sound list (you may have to
drag the divider between the list and the note display to
the right to see all columns). The columns show the settings of the drum map for each sound.

Background
A drum kit in a MIDI instrument is most often a set of different drum sounds with each sound placed on a separate
key (i.e. the different sounds are assigned to different MIDI
note numbers). One key plays a bass drum sound, another
a snare and so on.
Unfortunately, different MIDI instruments often use different key assignments. This can be troublesome if you have
made a drum pattern using one MIDI device, and then
want to try it on another. When you switch the device, it is
very likely that your snare drum becomes a ride cymbal, or
your hi-hat becomes a tom, etc. – just because the drum
sounds are distributed differently in the two instruments.

Here’s a brief description (details follow below):

To solve this problem, and simplify several aspects of MIDI
drum kits (like using drum sounds from different instruments in the same “drum kit”), Cubase AI features socalled drum maps. A drum map is a list of drum sounds,
with a number of settings for each sound. When you play
back a MIDI track for which you have selected a drum
map, the MIDI notes are “filtered” through the drum map
before being sent to the MIDI instrument. Among other
things, the map determines which MIDI note number is
sent out for each drum sound, and so which sound is
played in the receiving MIDI device.
A solution to the problem above would therefore be to set
up drum maps for all your instruments. When you want to
try your drum pattern on another instrument, you simply
switch to the corresponding drum map and your snare
drum sound will remain a snare drum sound.

Drum map settings
A drum map consists of settings for 128 drum sounds
(one for each MIDI note number). To get an overview of
these settings, open the Drum Editor and use the Map
pop-up menu below the drum sound list to select the “GM
Map” drum map.

Column

Description

Pitch

The actual note number of the drum sound. This is what
links notes on a MIDI track to drum sounds. For example,
with the above drum map, all MIDI notes with the pitch
C1 would be mapped to the Bass Drum sound.

Instrument

The name of the drum sound.

Quantize

This value is used when entering and editing notes as described in the sections “Creating and editing notes” on
page 200 and “Moving, duplicating or repeating notes”
on page 201.

Mute

Allows you to mute a drum sound, excluding it from playback, see “Muting notes and drum sounds” on page 201.

I-note

This is the “input note” for the drum sound. When this
MIDI note is sent into Cubase AI, (i.e. played by you), the
note will be mapped to the corresponding drum sound
(and automatically transposed according to the Pitch setting for the sound).

O-note

This is the “output note”, i.e. the MIDI note number that is
sent out every time the drum sound is played back.

Channel

The drum sound will be played back on this MIDI channel.

Output

The drum sound will be played back on this MIDI output.
If you set this to “Default”, the MIDI output selected for
the track will be used.

Ö All settings in a drum map (except the pitch) can be
changed directly in the drum sound list or in the Drum
Map Setup dialog (see “The Drum Map Setup dialog” on
page 204).
Note that the changes you make will affect all tracks that use the drum
map.

This drum map is set up according to the General MIDI standard. For information on how to load, create and select other drum maps, see
“Managing drum maps” on page 204.

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The MIDI editors

About Pitch, I-note and O-note

Usage

This can be a somewhat confusing area, but once you
have grasped how it all works it is not very complicated.
Going through the following “theory” will help you make
the most out of the drum map concept – especially if you
want to create your own drum maps.

Again, the purposes are different for I-notes and O-notes:
Ö Changing the I-note settings allows you to choose
which keys will play which drum sounds, when playing or
recording from a MIDI instrument.
For example, you may want to place some drum sounds near each other
on the keyboard so that they can be easily played together, move sounds
so that the most important sounds can be played from a short keyboard,
play a sound from a black key instead of a white, and so on.
If you never play your drum parts from a MIDI controller (but draw them in
the editor) you need not care about the I-note setting.

As mentioned earlier, a drum map is a kind of “filter”,
transforming notes according to the settings in the map. It
does this transformation twice; once when it receives an
incoming note (i.e. when you play a note on your MIDI
controller) and once when a note is sent from the program
to the MIDI sound device.

Ö The O-note settings let you set things up so that the
“Bass Drum” sound really plays a bass drum.

In the following example, we have modified the drum map,
so that the Bass Drum sound has different Pitch, I-note
and O-note values.

If you are using a MIDI instrument in which the bass drum sound is on the
C2 key, you set the O-note for the Bass Drum sound to C2. When you
switch to another instrument (in which the bass drum is on C1) you want
the Bass Drum O-note set to C1. Once you have set up drum maps for
all your MIDI instruments, you need not care about this anymore – you
just select another drum map when you want to use another MIDI instrument for drum sounds.

I-notes (input notes)

The channel and output settings

Let’s look at what happens on input: When you play a note
on your MIDI instrument, the program will look for this note
number among the I-notes in the drum map. If you play the
note A1, the program will find that this is the I-note of the
Bass Drum sound.

You can set separate MIDI channels and/or MIDI outputs
for each sound in a drum map. The following rules apply:
• When a drum map is selected for a track, the MIDI
channel settings in the drum map override the MIDI channel setting for the track.

This is where the first transformation happens: the note
will get a new note number according to the Pitch setting
for the drum sound. In our case, the note will be transformed to a C1 note, because that is the pitch of the Bass
Drum sound. If you record the note, it will be recorded as a
C1 note.

In other words, the MIDI channel setting you make in the Track list or Inspector for the track is normally disregarded. If you want a drum sound to
use the channel of the track, set it to channel “Any” in the drum map.

• If the MIDI output is set to “default” for a sound in a
drum map, the sound will use the MIDI output selected for
the track.
Selecting any other option allows you to direct the sound to a specific
MIDI output.

O-notes (output notes)
The next step is the output. This is what happens when you
play back the recorded note, or when the note you play is
sent back out to a MIDI instrument in realtime (MIDI Thru):

By making specific MIDI channel and output settings for
all sounds in a drum map, you can direct your drum tracks
directly to another MIDI instrument simply by selecting another drum map – you need not make any channel or output changes for the actual track.

The program checks the drum map and finds the drum
sound with the pitch of the note. In our case, this is a C1
note and the drum sound is the Bass Drum. Before the
note is sent to the MIDI output, the second transformation
takes place: the note number is changed to that of the Onote for the sound. In our example, the note sent to the
MIDI instrument will be a B0 note.

Ö To select the same MIDI channel for all sounds in a
drum map, click in the Channel column, press [Ctrl]/
[Command] and select the desired channel.
All drum sounds will be set to this MIDI channel. The same procedure
can be used for selecting the same MIDI output for all sounds as well.

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The MIDI editors

Ö The settings for the drum sounds are exactly the same
as in the Drum Editor (see “Drum map settings” on page
202).

It can also be useful to select different channels and/or outputs for different sounds. This allows you to construct drum
kits with sounds from several different MIDI devices, etc.

As in the Drum Editor, you can click the leftmost column to audition a
drum sound. Note: if you audition a sound in the Drum Map Setup dialog,
and the sound is set to MIDI output “Default”, the output selected on the
Output pop-up menu in the lower left corner will be used. When auditioning a Default output sound in the Drum Editor, the MIDI output selected for the track will be used, as described in section “The channel
and output settings” on page 203.

Managing drum maps
Selecting a drum map for a track
To select a drum map for a MIDI track, use the Map popup menu in the Inspector or in the Drum Editor.
Selecting “No Drum Map” turns off the drum map functionality in the Drum Editor. Even if you do not use a drum
map, you can still separate sounds by name using a name
list (see “Using drum name lists” on page 205).
!

Open the Functions pop-up menu in the top left corner to
open a list of available functionalities:

Initially, the Map pop-up menu will only contain one
map: “GM Map”. However, you will find a number of
drum maps included on the program DVD – how to
load these is described below.

Button

Description

New Map

Click this to add a new drum map to the project. The
drum sounds will be named “Sound 1, Sound 2” and so
on, and have all parameters set to default values. The
map will be named “Empty Map”, but you can rename it
by clicking and typing in the list.

New Copy

Adds a copy of the currently selected drum map. This is
probably the quickest way to create a new drum map: select the map that is similar to what you want, create a
copy, change the desired drum sound settings and rename the map in the list.

Remove

Removes the selected drum map from the project.

Load

Opens a file dialog, allowing you to load drum maps from
disk. On the Cubase AI DVD you will find a number of
drum maps for different MIDI instruments – use this function to load the desired maps into your project.

Save

Opens a file dialog for saving the drum map selected in
the list. If you have created or modified a drum map, you
should use this function to save it as a file on disk – this
allows you to load it into other projects. Drum map files
have the extension “.drm”.

Init Display
Notes

Allows you to reset the Display Notes entry to the original
setting, i.e. the Pitch entry.

Closes the dialog.

The Drum Map Setup dialog
To set up and manage your drum maps, select Drum Map
Setup from the Map pop-up menu or the MIDI menu. This
opens the following dialog:

Ö Drum maps are saved with the project files. If you have
created or modified a drum map, you should use the Save
function to store it as a separate XML file, available for
loading into other projects.
The Drum Map Setup dialog

If you always want to have the same drum map(s) included in your projects,
you may want to load these into the template – see “Save as Template” on
page 256.

This is where you load, create, modify and save drum
maps. The list to the left shows the currently loaded drum
maps; selecting a drum map in the list displays its sounds
and settings to the right.

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The MIDI editors

O-Note Conversion
This function on the MIDI menu goes through the selected
MIDI part(s) and sets the actual pitch of each note according to its O-note setting. This is useful if you want to convert a track to a “regular” MIDI track (with no drum map)
and still have the notes play back the correct drum sound.
A typical application is if you want to export your MIDI recording as a standard MIDI file (see “Exporting and importing standard MIDI files” on page 259) – by first performing
an O-Note Conversion you make sure that your drum
tracks play back as they should when they are exported.

Using drum name lists
Even if no drum map is selected for the edited MIDI track,
you can still use the Drum Editor if needed. As previously
mentioned, the drum sound list will then only have four columns: Audition, Pitch, Instrument (drum sound name) and
Quantize. There will be no I-note and O-note functionality.
In this mode, the names shown in the Instrument column
depend on the selection on the Names pop-up menu, just
below the Map pop-up in the Drum Editor.

The options on this pop-up menu are the currently loaded
drum maps plus a “GM Default” item which is always available. This means you can use the drum sound names in any
loaded drum map without using I-notes and O-notes, if you
want to.

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The List Editor – Overview
Toolbar
Ruler

Value
display
Event list

Event display

The toolbar

The event display

The toolbar contains several items that are the same as in
the Key Editor (edit solo, snap, quantize settings, etc.).
These are described earlier in this chapter. The following
toolbar items are unique to the List Editor:

This shows the events graphically. The vertical position of
an event in the display corresponds to its entry in the list
(i.e. to the playback order), while the horizontal position corresponds to its actual position in the project. This is where
you add new parts or events, drag to move them, etc.

• The Insert pop-up menu is used when creating new
events.

The value display

This is where you determine what type of event to add (see “Inserting
events” on page 207).

This display shows the “value” of each event, allowing for
easy viewing and graphical editing. Typically, the value
shown is the “Data 2” or “Value 2” property (amounts to
MIDI controller events, velocity for notes, etc.). You can
show or hide this display by clicking the “Show List Value
View” button on the toolbar.

• The Mask pop-up menu and Filter view (Show Filter
View button) allow you to hide events from view, based on
their type and other properties.
See “Filtering” on page 208.

• The Value View button can be used for hiding and
showing the Value display (see below).
The List Editor has no info line (numerical editing is available in the list instead).
Ö If you see an empty or incomplete list of items although
the items are visible in the Key Editor, check if you have activated any filters (see “Filtering” on page 208).

The event list
This lists all events in the selected MIDI part(s), in the order (from top to bottom) in which they are played back.
You can edit the event properties by using regular value
editing, see “Editing in the list” on page 207.

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The MIDI editors

List Editor operations

• Notes will get the insert velocity value set in the insert
velocity field on the toolbar, see “Setting velocity values”
on page 189.

Customizing the view
You can click and drag the divider between the list and
the event display to make one area wider and the other
narrower. Furthermore, the list can be customized in the
following ways:

Editing in the list
The list allows you to perform detailed numerical editing of
the events properties. The columns have the following
functionality:

• You can change the order of the columns by dragging
the column headings.
• You can resize columns by dragging the dividers between the column headings.

Column

Description

An arrow in this column indicates the event that starts
closest before the project cursor position. If you click in
this column for an event, the project cursor is moved to
the start of that event. Double-clicking moves the cursor
position and starts/stops playback – useful for auditioning when editing in the list.

Setting the display format
Just like in the Project window, you set the display format
(bars+beats, seconds, etc.) by right-clicking in the ruler
and selecting an option from the pop-up menu. This setting affects both the ruler and all start, end and length values shown in the list.
Zooming
You can change the horizontal magnification in the event
display by using the zoom slider below the display or the
Zoom tool (the magnification glass).

Type

The event type. This cannot be changed.

Start

The start position of the event, shown in the format selected for the ruler. Changing this is the same as moving
the event. Note that moving the event past any other
event in the list will re-sort the list (the list always shows
the events in the order they are played back).

End

This is only used for note events, allowing you to view and
edit the end position of a note (thereby resizing it).

Length

This is only used for note events. It shows the length of
the note – changing this resizes the note and automatically changes the End value as well.

Data 1

This is the “data 1” or “value 1” property of the event. The
content of this depends on the event type – for notes,
this is the pitch, for example. Where applicable, the values are shown in the most relevant form. For instance, the
Data 1 value for notes is shown as a note number in the
format selected in the Preferences (Event Display–MIDI
page). See also the table in the section “Editing in the value display” on page 209.

Data 2

This is the “data 2” or “value 2” property of the event. The
content of this depends on the event type – for notes,
this is the note-on velocity value, for example. See the table in the section “Editing in the value display” on page
209.

Data 3

This is the “data 3” or “value 3” property of the event. This
value is only used for note events, where it corresponds
with the note-off velocity.

Channel

The MIDI channel of the event. Note that this setting is
normally overridden by the channel setting for the track.
To make a MIDI event play back on “its own” channel, set
its track to channel “Any” in the Project window.

Comment

This column is used for some event types only, providing
an additional comment about the event.

Inserting events
To add a new event to the edited part, proceed as follows:
1. Use the Insert Type pop-up menu on the toolbar to select the event type.

2. Select the Pencil tool and click in the event display at
the desired position (relative to the ruler).
If you are creating note events, you can click and drag to set the length of
the note.

The new event appears in the list and in the display. Its
properties will be set to default values, but can be adjusted in the list.
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The MIDI editors

Filtering

• You can edit several events at once. If several events
are selected and you edit a value for one event, the other
selected events’ values will be changed as well.
Normally, any initial value differences between the events will be maintained – i.e. the values will change by the same amount. If you press [Ctrl]/
[Command] when you edit, however, all events will get the same value.

However, when you click the Comment column, the MIDI SysEx Editor
opens, in which you can perform detailed editing of system exclusive
events (see “Working with System Exclusive messages” on page 210).

Clicking the “Show Filter View” button on the toolbar
opens an additional filter bar that allows you to hide specific event types from view. For example, it may be hard to
find note events if the part contains a lot of controllers. By
hiding these, the list becomes more manageable.

Editing in the event display

• To hide an event type, activate its checkbox on the filter
view.

Ö For SysEx (system exclusive) events, you can only edit
the position (Start) in the list.

The event display allows you to edit the events graphically
using the tools on the toolbar. You can edit single events
as well as several selected events simultaneously.

• To see one event type only (hide all other event types),
press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click its checkbox. If you
[Ctrl]/[Command]-click again, all checkboxes are cleared
(all events will be visible).

• To move an event, click and drag it to a new position.
Note that moving the event past any other event in the display will re-sort
the list (the list always shows the events in the order they are played
back). As a result, the vertical position of the event in the display will
change as well.

Ö The event types remain hidden even if you close the filter view.
To make sure you see all events, open the filter view and check that all
checkboxes are deactivated.

• To make a copy of an event, press [Alt]/[Option] and
drag it to a new position.

Ö The filter view does not remove, mute or change the
events in any way.

• To resize a note, select it and drag its end point with the
Arrow tool as in the Project window.
This only works with notes.

• To mute or unmute an event, click on it with the Mute
tool.
You can mute or unmute several events in one go by enclosing them in a
selection rectangle with the Mute tool.

• You can select a color scheme for the events with the
Colors pop-up menu on the toolbar.
This affects how all MIDI events are shown in the List, Key and Drum Editors – see “Coloring notes and events” on page 188.

• To delete an event, select it and press [Backspace] or
[Delete], or click on it with the Erase tool in the event display.

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The MIDI editors

Masking

Editing in the value display
The value display to the right of the event display is a tool
for quick viewing and editing of multiple values, e.g. velocities or controller amounts. The values are shown as horizontal bars, with the bar length corresponding to the value.

The Mask function is similar to the filter view but allows
you to hide events based on other criteria as well. Proceed as follows:
1. Select an event (or several events) of the type you want
to view.
2. Pull down the Mask pop-up menu on the toolbar and
select one of the options.
The results are as follows:
A velocity ramp in the value display
Option

Description

Event Types

Only events with the type of the selected event will be
shown. This does the same as the filter view but is
quicker if you only want to view a single event type.

Event Types
and Data 1

Only events of the same type and with the same “Data 1”
value will be shown. For example, if a note event is selected, only notes with the same pitch will be shown. If a
controller event is selected, only controllers of the same
type will be shown.

Event
Channels

Only events with the same MIDI channel value as the selected event will be shown.

You edit the values by clicking and dragging. Note that the
pointer automatically takes on the shape of the Pencil tool
when you move it into the value display – you do not have
to select the Pencil tool for this.
Exactly which value is shown for an event depends on the
event type. The following table shows what is displayed
and edited in the Data columns and the value display:
Event type

Data 1

Data 2

Value display

Note

Note-on
velocity

Velocity

In addition to the above options, the menu also gives you
access to the Logical presets.

Pitch
(note number)

Controller

Controller type

Controller
amount

When you apply any of the Logical presets, only the
events that meet the criteria specified will be visible.

Program
Change

Program
number

Not used

Program
number

Aftertouch

Aftertouch
amount

Not used

Aftertouch
amount

• To deactivate the Mask function, select “Nothing” from
the Mask pop-up menu.
The most typical usage of the Mask function is to view a
certain type of controller only (e.g. Modulation, Breath
Control, etc.). Since these are all the same event types
(controller), this would not be possible using the filter
view. With the “Event Types and Data 1” option on the
Mask pop-up menu, it is!

Pitchbend

Bend amount

Not used

Bend amount

SysEx

Not used

• For note events there will also be a value in the Data 3
column, which is used for note-off velocity.

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The MIDI editors

• The value display can be hidden from view by clicking the
“Show List Value View” button on the toolbar, so that it is
not lit.

2. Make sure that recording of SysEx data is not filtered,
by deactivating the SysEx checkbox in the Record section.
The SysEx checkbox in the Thru section can be left as it is
(by default activated).

Working with System Exclusive
messages
SysEx (System Exclusive) messages are model-specific
messages for setting various parameters of a MIDI device.
This makes it possible to address device parameters that
would not be available via normal MIDI syntax.

This way, SysEx messages will be recorded but not echoed back out to
the instrument (which might lead to unpredictable results).

3. Activate recording on a MIDI track and initiate the
dump from the front panel of the instrument.

Every major MIDI manufacturer has its own SysEx identity
code. SysEx messages are typically used for transmitting
patch data, i.e. the numbers that make up the settings of
one or more sounds in a MIDI instrument.

4. When done recording, select the new part and open
the List Editor from the MIDI menu.
This allows you to check that the SysEx dump was recorded – there
should be one or several SysEx events in the part/event list.

Cubase AI allows you to record and manipulate SysEx
data in various ways. The following sections point to various features that help you manage and create SysEx data.

Bulk dumps
Recording a bulk dump in Cubase AI
In any programmable device, the settings are stored as
numbers in computer memory. Change those numbers,
and you will change the settings.

Normally, MIDI devices allow you to dump (transmit) all or
some settings in the device’s memory in the form of MIDI
SysEx messages. A dump is therefore (among other
things) a way of making backup copies of the settings of
your instrument: sending such a dump back to the MIDI
device will restore the settings.
If your instrument allows the dumping of a few or all of its
settings via MIDI by activating some function on the front
panel, this dump will probably be recordable in Cubase AI.

If your MIDI instrument does not offer a way to initiate
a dump “by itself”, you have to send a Dump Request
message from Cubase AI to start the dump. In that
case, use the MIDI SysEx Editor (see “Editing System
Exclusive messages” on page 211) to insert the specific Dump Request message (see the instrument’s
documentation) at the beginning of a MIDI track.
When you activate recording, the Dump Request
message will be played back (sent to the instrument),
the dump will start and be recorded as above.

Transmitting a bulk dump back to a device

1. Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu (on
the Mac, this is located on the Cubase AI menu) and select
the MIDI–MIDI Filter page.

1. Make sure the MIDI track with the System Exclusive
data is routed to the device.
You may want to check your device’s documentation to find details about
which MIDI channel should be used, etc.

This allows you to govern which MIDI event types should be recorded
and/or thru-put.

2. Solo the track.
This might not be necessary, but it is a good safety measure.
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The MIDI editors

3. Make sure the device is set up to receive SysEx messages (often, receiving SysEx is turned off by default).

1. Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu, select the MIDI–MIDI Filter page and make sure that SysEx is
recorded, i.e. the SysEx checkbox in the Record section is
deactivated.

4. If necessary, put the device in “Standby to Receive
System Exclusive” mode.
5. Play back the data.

2. Make sure the instrument is actually set to transmit
changes of front panel controls as SysEx messages.

Some advice

3. Record normally.
When you’re done, you can check that the events were recorded properly in the List Editor.

• Do not transmit more data than you need. If all you want is a
single program, do not send them all, it will only make it harder
to find the one you want. Usually, you can specify exactly what
you want to send.
• If you want the sequencer to dump the pertinent sounds to
your instrument each time you load a project, put the SysEx
data in a silent “count-in” before the project itself starts.
• If the dump is very short (for instance, a single sound) you can
put it in the middle of the project to re-program a device on the
fly. However, you can achieve the same effect by using Program
Change. This is definitely preferable, since less MIDI data is
sent and recorded. Some devices may be set up to dump the
settings for a sound as soon as you select it on the front panel.
• If you create parts with useful SysEx dumps, you can put these
on a special muted track. When you want to use one of them,
drag it to an empty unmuted track and play it back from there.
• Do not transmit several SysEx dumps to several instruments at
the same time.
• Make a note of the current device ID setting of the instrument.
If you change this, the instrument may refuse to load the dump
later.

Editing System Exclusive messages
While SysEx events are shown in the List Editor, their entire content is not (only the beginning of the message is
displayed in the Comment column for the event). Also, you
cannot edit the event (other than moving it) as you can
with other event types in the List Editor.
Instead, you have to use the MIDI SysEx Editor for this.
• To open the MIDI SysEx Editor for an event, click in the
Comments column for the event in the List Editor.

Recording System Exclusive
parameter changes
Often you can use SysEx to remotely change individual
settings in a device, e.g. open a filter, select a waveform,
change the decay of the reverb etc. Many devices are also
capable of transmitting changes made on the front panel
as SysEx messages. These can be recorded in Cubase AI,
and thus incorporated into a regular MIDI recording.

The display shows the entire message on one or several
lines. SysEx messages always begin with F0 and end with
F7 with a number of arbitrary bytes in between. If the message contains more bytes than fit on one line, it continues
on the next. The Address indication to the left helps you
find out on which position in the message a certain value
resides.

Here’s how it works: let’s say you open up a filter while
playing some notes. In that case, you will record both the
notes and the SysEx messages generated when you
opened of the filter. When you play it back, the sound
changes exactly like it did when you recorded it.

You can edit all values except for the first (F0) and last one
(F7).
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The MIDI editors

Selecting and viewing values
To select a value, either click on it or use the cursor keys.
The selected byte is displayed in various formats:
• In the main display, values are shown in hexadecimal format.
• To the right of this, values are shown in ASCII format.
• At the bottom of the dialog, the selected value is shown in
binary and decimal formats.

Editing a value
The selected value can be edited directly in the main display or in the decimal and binary displays. Just click on it
and type in the desired value as usual.

Adding and deleting bytes
Using the Insert and Delete buttons or their corresponding
computer keyboard keys, you can add and delete bytes
from the message. Inserted data will appear before the selection.
To delete the complete SysEx message, select it in the
List Editor and press [Delete] or [Backspace].
Importing and exporting data
The Import and Export buttons allow you to get SysEx data
from disk and to export the edited data to a file. The file
has to be in “MIDI SysEx” (.SYX) binary format. Only the
first dump in a .SYX file will be loaded.
This format should not be confused with MIDI files, which
have the extension .MID.

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The MIDI editors

The Score Editor – Overview
Toolbar
Info line
Extended
Toolbar

The Score Editor shows the MIDI notes as a musical score.
The window contains the following sections and items:

Note value buttons
Click one of these to select a note value for input. The “T”
and “.” options are for triplet and dotted note values. You
can also press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click one of the note
value buttons – this will resize all selected notes to the
note value you choose.

The toolbar
The Score Editor toolbar is similar to the toolbar in the Key
Editor, with the following differences:
• The Score Editor toolbar has a button for showing or hiding
the extended toolbar (see below).
• There are no active part settings – in the Score Editor, parts
on different tracks are shown on different staves.
• There are no chord recognition functions.

Enharmonic shift

The info line

The score display

Allows you to manually select whether a note should be
shown with flat or sharp accidentals, see “Enharmonic
Shift” on page 219.

The info line shows information about selected MIDI
notes, just like in the Key and Drum Editors. You can edit
all values on the info line using regular value editing (see
“Editing on the info line” on page 192 for details).
• To hide or show the info line, click the “Show Info” button in the toolbar.
The main area of the Score Editor window shows the
notes in the edited parts on one or several staves.

The extended toolbar

• If you are editing one or several parts on the same track,
as much of them as possible is shown on several staves –
one above the other – just as with a score on paper.

The extended toolbar (shown or hidden by clicking the
“Show Tool Strip” button on the main toolbar) contains
the following items:

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The MIDI editors

• If you are editing parts on several tracks, they are put on
a grand staff (multiple staves, tied together by bar lines).
The active staff

• The number of bars across the screen depends on the
size of the window and the number of notes in each bar.
The maximum number of bars across the page is four.

• The end of the last part is indicated by a double bar line.
• Unlike the other MIDI editors, the Score Editor does not
have a ruler.

To change the active staff, click on the staff you want to
activate.

A conventional ruler would not make sense, since there is no exact relationship between a note’s horizontal position in the score and its musical
position in the project.

Getting the score displayed correctly
When you open the Score Editor for a part recorded in
real time, the score may not look as legible as you expect.
The Score Editor can ignore the minor time variances in
performance and make a neater score almost instantly. To
achieve this, there are a number of Staff Settings that determine how the program displays the music.

Score Editor operations
Opening the Score Editor
To open one or several parts in the Score Editor, select
one or several tracks or any number of parts (on the same
or different tracks), and select “Open Score Editor” from
the Scores submenu on the MIDI menu. The default key
command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]-[R].

Ö Note that the time signature follows the time signature(s) set in the Tempo Track Editor, and that these settings are common to all tracks/staves in the score.
There are two ways to open the Staff Settings dialog:

• You can also select the Score Editor as your default editor, allowing you to open it by double-clicking parts.

• Double-click in the area to the left of the staff.

This is done with the Default Edit Action pop-up menu in the Preferences
dialog (Event Display–MIDI page).

• Activate a staff by clicking in it, and select “Staff Settings…” from the Scores submenu on the MIDI menu.

About editing parts on different tracks

The Staff Settings dialog appears.

If you have selected parts on two or more tracks and open
the Score Editor, you will get one staff for each track (although you can split a staff in two, e.g. when scoring for
piano). The staves are tied together by bar lines and
placed in the order of the tracks in the Project window.
• If you need to rearrange the staves: close the editor, go
back into the Project window, drag the tracks to the order
you want them, and open the Score Editor again.
The active staff
Just as in the other editors, all MIDI input (as when recording from your instrument) is directed to one of the tracks,
here called the active staff. The active staff is indicated by
a blue rectangle to the left of the cleft symbol.
!

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The MIDI editors

The settings you make in this dialog are independent
for each staff (track), but common for a piano staff
which you have created by choosing the “Split” Staff
Mode option (see below).

Here is a description of the functions:

Staff Mode

Parameter

Description

Notes

Determines the smallest note value to be displayed and
the “smallest position” to be recognized and properly displayed. Set this to the smallest significant note position
used in your music.
For example, if you have notes on odd sixteenth note positions, you should set this value to 16.
The “T” values are for triplet note values.
This setting is partly overridden by Auto Quantize (see
below).

Rests

This value is used as a “recommendation” – the program
will not display rests smaller than this value, except where
necessary. In effect, this setting also determines how the
length of notes should be displayed. Set this value according to the smallest note value (length) you want to be
displayed for a single note, positioned on a beat.

Auto Quantize

Generally, if your music contains mixed triplets and
straight notes, try activating this checkbox. Otherwise,
make sure it is deactivated.
Auto Quantize is used to make your score look as legible
as possible. Auto Quantize allows you to mix straight
notes with tuplets (triplets) in a part. But Auto Quantize
also uses the (display) Quantize value. If it can not find an
appropriate note value for a certain note or group of
notes, it will use the set Quantize value to display it.
If the part is imprecisely played and/or complex, Auto
Quantize may have a problem “figuring out” exactly what
you “mean”.

Dev.

This option is only available if Auto Quantize is on. When
Dev. (Deviation) is activated, triplets/straight notes will be
detected even if they are not exactly “on the beat”. However, if you know your triplets/straight notes are perfectly
recorded (quantized or entered by hand), turn this off.

Adapt

This option is only available if Auto Quantize is on. When
Adapt is activated, the program “guesses” that when one
triplet is found, there are probably more triplets surrounding it. Turn this on if not all of your triplets are detected.

This pop-up menu determines how the staff is shown:
• When set to “Single”, all notes in the part are shown in
the same staff.
• When set to “Split”, the part is split on the screen into a
bass and treble clef, as in a piano score.
You use the Split-Point value field to set the note where you want the
split to occur. Notes above and including the split note will appear on the
upper staff, and notes below the split note will appear on the lower staff.

Before and after setting a split at C3.

Display Quantize

Key and Clef

Notes are not an absolute language, and you must give
the program a few hints on how the score should be displayed. This is done using the Display Quantize section of
the Staff Settings dialog.
!

The correct Key and Clef are set using the two scroll bars
in the Key/Clef section.

These are only display values used for the graphics
in the Score Editor. They do not affect the actual
playback in any way.

If you activate the “Auto Clef” checkbox, the program attempts to guess
the correct clef, judging from the pitch of the music.

• To set the clef and key for the lower staff, activate the
“Lower Staff” checkbox in the Key/Clef section.

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The MIDI editors

Display Transpose

Some instruments, for example a lot of brass instruments,
are scored transposed. For this purpose, the Staff Settings dialog allows you to specify a separate Display
Transpose setting for each staff (track). This transposes
the notes in the score (i.e. how they are displayed) without
affecting how the notes play back. This allows you to
record and play back a multi staff arrangement, and still
score each instrument according to its own transposition.

Parameter

Description

Syncopation

When this function is activated, syncopated notes are
shown in a more legible way.

This is a dotted quarter at the end of a bar when Syncopation is Off…

…and when it is On.
Shuffle

• Use the pop-up menu to select the instrument for which
you are scoring.

Activate this function when you have played a shuffle
beat and want it displayed as straight notes (not triplets).
This is very common in jazz notation.

Applying your settings

You can also manually set a display transpose value with the Semitones
box above.

After you have made your settings, click Apply to apply
them to the active staff. You can select another staff in the
score and make settings for that, without having to close
the Staff Settings dialog first – just remember to click Apply before you change staff, otherwise your changes will
be lost.

Interpret. Flags

Entering notes with the mouse
To enter notes into a part in the Score Editor, you use the
Note tool. However, first you need to set the note value
(length) and spacing:

These provide additional options for how the score should
be displayed:
Parameter

Description

Clean Lengths

When this is activated, notes that are considered to be
chords will be shown with identical lengths. This is done
by showing the longer notes as shorter than they are.
When Clean Lengths is turned on, notes with very short
overlaps are also cut off; a bit as with No Overlap (see
below), but with a more subtle effect.

No Overlap

Selecting a note value for input
This can be done in two ways:
• By clicking the note symbols on the extended toolbar.
You can select any note value from 1/1 to 1/64th and turn on and off the
dotted and triplet options by clicking the two buttons to the right. The selected note value is displayed in the Length value field on the toolbar and
in the Note tool cursor shape.

When this is activated one note will never be shown as
overlapping another, lengthwise. This allows long and
short notes starting at the same point to be displayed
without ties; the long notes are cut off in the display. This
will make the music more legible.

• By selecting an option from the Length Q pop-up on the
toolbar.
Selecting a Quantize value

An example measure with No Overlap deactivated…

When you move the mouse pointer over the score, you will
see that the position box on the toolbar tracks your movement and shows the current position in bars, beats, sixteenth notes and ticks.

…and with No Overlap activated.

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The MIDI editors

Positioning on screen is controlled by the current Quantize
value. If, for example, you set this to 1/8 you can only insert
and move notes to eighth note positions, at quarter notes,
at half bars or at bar positions. It is a good strategy to set
the Quantize value to the smallest note value in the piece.
This does not stop you from inputting notes at “coarser”
positions. However, if you set the Quantize value to too
small a note value, it is easier to make mistakes.

6. Move the mouse horizontally to find the correct position.
Check the lower mouse position box on the toolbar – the position is
“magnetically” attracted to the grid defined by the current Quantize
value. This allows you to easily find the correct position.

7. Move the mouse vertically to find the correct pitch.
The upper mouse position box shows the pitch at the pointer position,
making it easy to find the right pitch.

8. Release the mouse button.
The note appears in the score.

The notes you enter will get the insert velocity value set in
the insert velocity field on the toolbar, see “Setting velocity
values” on page 189.

With the Quantize value set to 1/8, you can only input
notes at eighth note positions.

The Quantize value is set with the Quantize pop-up menu
on the toolbar.

Selecting notes
There are several ways to select notes in the Score Editor:

• You can also assign key commands to the different
Quantize values.

By clicking

This is done in the Key Commands dialog, in the “MIDI Quantize” category.

To select a note, click on its note head with the Arrow tool.
The note head gets red to indicate that it is selected.

• Just like in the other MIDI editors, you can use the
Quantize Setup dialog to create other quantize values, irregular grids, etc.

• To select more notes, hold down [Shift] and click on
them.

However, this is not often used when entering score notes.

• To deselect notes, hold [Shift] down and click on them
again.

Entering a note

• If you hold down [Shift] and double-click on a note, this
note and all the following notes in the same staff are selected.

To add a note to the score, proceed as follows:
1. Make the staff active.
Notes are always put in on the active staff.

Using a selection rectangle

2. Select the type of note by selecting a note value.
This is described in detail above.

1. Press the mouse button with the Arrow tool in some
free (white) space in the score.

3. If you selected the note value by clicking on a symbol
on the extended toolbar, the Note tool was automatically
selected – otherwise select the Note tool from the toolbar
or context menu.

2. Drag the mouse pointer to create a selection rectangle.
You can drag to select notes on several voices or staves if you wish.

3. Release the mouse button.

4. Select a Quantize value.

All notes with their note heads inside the rectangle get selected.

As described above, the Quantize value will determine the spacing between notes. If you have Quantize set to 1/1 you will only be able to add
notes at downbeats. If you set Quantize to 1/8 you will be able to add
notes at all eighth note positions etc.

If you want to deselect one or more of the notes, hold
down [Shift] and click as described above.
Using the keyboard

5. Click in the staff and keep the mouse button pressed.

By default, you can step through the notes in the staff using the left and right arrow keys. If you press [Shift], you
will select the notes as you step through them.

A note appears under the mouse pointer.

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The MIDI editors

• If you want to use other keys for selecting notes, you
can customize the settings in the Key Commands dialog
(in the Navigate category).

• You can also move selected notes by using key commands, as assigned in the Nudge category in the Key
Commands dialog.

Deselecting everything

When moving notes to the left or right using key commands, the notes
will be moved in steps according to the current Quantize value. The keys
assigned for up/down nudging will transpose notes in semitone steps.

To deselect everything, simply click with the Arrow tool in
some “free” (white) space in the score.

Duplicating notes

Deleting notes

1. Set the Quantize value and select the notes, as for
moving.

Notes can be deleted in two ways:

2. Hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag the notes to their
new position.

Using the Erase tool
1. Select the Erase tool from the toolbar or context menu.

• If you want to restrict movements to one direction, press
[Ctrl]/[Command].

2. One at a time, click on the note(s) you want to erase,
or drag over them with the mouse button pressed.

This works just as for moving, as described above.

• [Alt]/[Option] is the default modifier key for copying/duplicating. If you like, you can change this in the Preferences dialog (Editing–Tool Modifiers page).

Using the keyboard or delete menu item
1. Select the note(s) you want to delete.

The entry for this is found in the Drag & Drop category (“Copy”).

2. Select Delete from the Edit menu, or press [Delete] or
[Backspace] on the computer keyboard.

Changing the length of notes
As described earlier (see “Getting the score displayed
correctly” on page 214), the displayed length of a note is
not necessarily the actual note length, but also depends
on the Notes and Rests values for Display Quantize in the
Staff Settings dialog. This is important to remember when
you change the length of a note, since it can lead to confusing results.

Moving notes
To move or transpose notes, proceed as follows:
1. Set the Quantize value.
The Quantize value will restrict your movement in time. You cannot place
the notes on positions smaller than the Quantize value. If Quantize for example is set to 1/8, you will not be able to move the notes to a sixteenth
note position. However, you will be able to put them on any eighth note,
quarter note, half note or whole note position.

There are several ways to change the length of a note in
the Score Editor:

2. If you want to hear the pitch of the note while moving,
activate the speaker icon on the toolbar.

By using the Note tool

When it is on, you will hear the current pitch of the “dragged” note.

1. Select the notes you want to change.

3. Select the note(s) you plan to move.

2. Select a Note value that you wish to apply to the
note(s).

4. Click one of the selected notes and drag it to a new
position and/or pitch.

This can be done by clicking a note value icon in the extended toolbar or
by selecting a new Length value.

The horizontal movement of the note is “magnetically attracted” to the
current Quantize value. The position boxes on the toolbar show what the
new position and pitch for the dragged note will be.

3. Select the Note tool if it is not already selected.
4. Hold down [Alt]/[Option] and click on the notes you
wish to set to this length.

5. Release the mouse.
The notes appear at their new position.

• If you hold [Ctrl]/[Command] and drag, movement is restricted to vertical or horizontal (depending on the direction in which you drag).
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The MIDI editors

By using the note value icons on the extended toolbar

Working with text

Using the extended toolbar is another quick way to set a
number of notes to the same length:

You can use the Text tool to add comments, articulation or
instrumentation advice and other text strings anywhere in
the score:

1. Select the notes you want to change.

Adding a text string

2. Hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on one of the
note icons on the extended toolbar.

1. Select the Text tool from the toolbar or context menu.

All the selected notes are now given the length of the clicked note.

By using the info line
You can also edit length values numerically on the info
line, just like in the Key and Drum Editors (see “Editing on
the info line” on page 192).

2. Click anywhere in the score.
A text input line dialog box appears.

3. Enter the text and press [Return].

Splitting and Gluing notes

Editing text

• If you have two notes strung together by a tie, and click
on the “tied” note head with the Scissors tool, the note will
be divided into two, with the respective length of the
“main” and the tied note.

To edit an already added text string, double-click it with
the Arrow tool. This opens the text for editing, and you can
use the arrow keys to move the cursor, delete characters
with the [Delete] or [Backspace] keys and type new text as
usual. Finish by pressing [Return].

• Conversely, if you click on a note with the Glue Tube
tool it will be joined to the next note with the same pitch.

• To delete a text block, select it with the Arrow tool and
press [Backspace] or [Delete].

Enharmonic Shift
The buttons to the right on the extended toolbar allow you
to shift the display of selected notes so that for example
an F# (F sharp) is instead shown as a Gb (G flat) and vice
versa:

• You can move or duplicate text blocks by dragging (or
[Alt]/[Option]-dragging) them, just as with notes.

1. Select the note(s) you want to affect.

To change the font settings for the text you have added,
proceed as follows:

Changing the text font, size and style

2. Click on one of the buttons to display the selected
note(s) a certain way.

1. Select the text by clicking it with the Arrow tool.
2. Pull down the MIDI menu and select “Set Font…” from
the Scores submenu.
The Font Settings dialog appears, containing the following settings:

The “off” button resets the notes to original display. The other five options are double flats, flats, No (no accidentals shown, regardless of
pitch), sharps and double sharps.

Item

Description

Font

This is where you specify the font for the text. Which
fonts are available on the pop-up menu depends on the
fonts you have installed on you computer. You probably
do not want to use the “Steinberg” fonts – these are special fonts used by the program (e.g. for score symbols)
and not suited for common text.

Flip Stems
Normally the direction of the note stems is automatically
selected according to the note pitches, but you can
change this manually if you like:

Size

Sets the size of the text.

1. Select the notes for which you want to change (flip) the
stem direction.

Frame

Allows you to encase the text in a rectangular (box) or
oval frame.

2. Pull down the MIDI menu and select Flip Stems from
the Scores submenu.

Font options

These checkboxes determine whether the text should be
bold, italic, and/or underlined.

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The MIDI editors

3. When you have made your settings, click Apply.
If you like, you can leave the Font Settings dialog open, select another
text block and adjust the settings for that – just remember to click Apply
before you select a new text block.

• If you make settings in the Font Settings dialog with no
text selected, the settings will be used as default for all
new text.
In other words, all text you enter from then on will get the settings you
have specified (although you can of course change this manually for
each text as usual).

Printing
To print your score, proceed as follows:
1. Open the parts you want to print in the Score Editor.
Printing is only available from within the Score Editor.

2. Select “Page Setup…” from the File menu and make
sure all your printer settings are correct. Close the dialog.
!

If you change your setting for paper size, scale and
margins now, the score may change its look.

3. Select “Print…” from the File menu.
4. A standard print dialog appears. Fill out the options as
desired.
5. Click Print.

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The MIDI editors

20
Editing tempo and signature

Ö To make an already recorded audio track follow the
tempo changes, you can use the Sample Editor, see the
chapter “The Sample Editor” on page 124.

Background
Whenever you create a new project, Cubase AI will automatically set the tempo and time signature for this project.
The tempo and signature settings can be displayed in the
Tempo Track Editor.

How well this works depends on the character of the audio recordings,
since the hitpoint detection feature works best with fairly rhythmical
material.

Tempo modes

Tempo and signature display

Before we go into detail about tempo and signature settings, you should understand the different tempo modes.

You can view the current tempo and signature settings of
your project in a number of ways:

For tempo-based tracks, the tempo can either be fixed
throughout the entire project (this is called “fixed tempo
mode”) or follow the tempo track (this is called “tempo
track mode”), which may contain tempo changes.

• On the Transport panel.
See above, and the section “The Transport panel” on page 43.

• In the Tempo Track Editor.
Open the Project menu and select Tempo Track Editor, or [Ctrl]/[Command]-click the Tempo button on the Transport panel.

• To switch between fixed tempo mode and tempo track
mode, use the Tempo button on the Transport panel:

About the Tempo Track Editor
Toolbar

Info line

Ruler

When the Tempo button is lit (and the text “Track” is
shown), the tempo follows the tempo track; when it is deactivated (and the text “Fixed” is shown), a fixed tempo is
used (see “Setting the fixed tempo” on page 224). You
can also switch the tempo mode with the Activate Tempo
Track button on the Tempo Track Editor toolbar.
In tempo track mode, the tempo cannot be changed on
the Transport panel, i.e. the tempo information here is for
display purposes only.
Signature events are always active, regardless of whether
fixed tempo mode or tempo track mode is selected.

Time Signature area

Tempo curve display

The Tempo Track Editor has a toolbar, info line and ruler
just like other editors in Cubase AI, plus an area for the display of time signature events and a tempo curve display.

A note about tempo-based audio tracks
For tempo-based tracks, the start position of audio events
on the timeline depends on the current tempo setting. However, it is important to realize that the actual audio (“within”
the events) will play back as recorded, regardless of any
tempo changes you make. Therefore, it is good practice to
make the proper tempo and time signature settings before
you start recording tempo-based audio.

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Editing tempo and signature

Editing tempo and signature

The toolbar
The toolbar contains various tools and settings:

Editing the tempo curve
Activate
Tempo
Track

Tools
!

Snap on/off
Show Info

Snap pop-up

Autoscroll

This section assumes that you are working in tempo
track mode, i.e. the Tempo button must be activated
on the Transport panel.

Adding tempo curve points

Curve type for new
tempo events

1. Use the “Insert curve” pop-up menu in the toolbar of the
Tempo Track Editor to select whether you want the tempo
to change gradually from the previous curve point to the new
one (“Ramp”) or change instantly to the new value (“Jump”).

The selected tempo

• The tools for Object Selection, Erase, Zoom and Draw
are used in the same way as in other editors. The Snap
and Autoscroll functions also work exactly like in the
Project window.

You can also set this to Automatic. In this case, the types of existing tempo
curve points will be used when inserting new points at the same position.

2. Select the Pencil tool.

Note that in the Tempo Track Editor, the Snap function affects tempo
events only. Time signature events always snap to the beginning of bars.

3. Click and drag in the tempo curve display to draw a
tempo curve.

• The info line in the Tempo Track Editor allows you to
change settings for selected time signature events, and
the type and tempo of selected tempo curve points.

When you click, the tempo display in the toolbar shows the tempo value. If
Snap is activated on the toolbar, this determines at which time positions
you can insert tempo curve points, see “The Snap function” on page 40.

• The ruler in the Tempo Track Editor shows the timeline,
and is similar to the ruler in the Project window. See “The
ruler” on page 21 for details.

Insert curve set to “Ramp”

Insert curve set to “Jump”

• The area below the ruler shows time signature events.
• The main display shows the tempo curve (or, if fixed
tempo mode is selected, the fixed tempo – see “Setting
the fixed tempo” on page 224). To the left of the display
you will find a tempo scale to help you quickly locate the
desired tempo.
Note that the vertical “grid lines” in the tempo curve display correspond
to the display format selected for the ruler.

• You can also click on the tempo curve with the Arrow
tool.
This adds a single point with each click.

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Editing tempo and signature

Selecting tempo curve points

Adjusting the curve type

Curve points can be selected as follows:

You can change the curve type of a tempo curve segment
at any time, using the following method:

• Using the Arrow tool.

1. With the Arrow tool, select all curve points within the
segment you want to edit.

The standard selection techniques apply.

• Using the Select submenu on the Edit menu.
The options are:
Option

Description

All

Selects all curve points on the tempo track.

None

Deselects all curve points.

In Loop

Selects all curve points between the left and right locator.

From Start
to Cursor

Selects all points to the left of the project cursor.

From Cursor
to End

Selects all points to the right of the project cursor.

2. In the info line, click below the word “Type” to switch
the curve type between “Jump” and “Ramp”.
The curve sections between the selected points are adjusted.

• You can also use the left and right arrow keys on the
computer keyboard to go from one curve point to the next.
If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, you can select several points
at the same time.

Removing tempo curve points

Editing tempo curve points

To remove a curve point, either click on it with the Erase
tool or select it and press [Backspace]. The first tempo
curve point cannot be removed.

Curve points can be edited in the following ways:
• By clicking and dragging horizontally and/or vertically
with the Arrow tool.
If several points are selected, all of them are moved. If Snap is activated
on the toolbar, this determines to which time positions you can move
curve points, see “The Snap function” on page 40.

Setting the fixed tempo
When the tempo track is deactivated, the tempo track
curve is grayed out (but still visible). Since the tempo is
fixed throughout the whole project, there are no tempo
curve points. Instead, the fixed tempo is displayed as a
horizontal black line in the tempo curve display.

• By adjusting the tempo value. You can do this in the
tempo display on the Tempo Track Editor toolbar.
!

Dragging tempo curve points with a time-based display format (any other format than “Bars+Beats”) may
lead to confusing results. This is because moving a
point will change the relationship between tempo and
time. Let’s say you move a tempo point to the right and
drop it at a certain time position. When you release
the mouse button, the mapping between tempo and
time will be adjusted (since you have changed the
tempo curve). As a result, the moved point will appear
at another position. For this reason, we recommend
using the Bars+Beats display format when editing
tempo curves.

To set the tempo in fixed mode:
• Adjust the value numerically in the tempo display on the
Tempo Track Editor toolbar.
• On the Transport panel, click on the tempo value to select it, enter a new value and press [Enter].

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Editing tempo and signature

Adding and editing time signature events
• To add a time signature event, click in the time signature
area with the Pencil tool.
This adds a default 4/4 time signature event at the closest bar position.

• To edit the value of a time signature event, select it and
adjust the value on the info line, or double-click the event
and enter a new value.
Note that there are two controls for the signature display; the left one adjusts the numerator and the right one adjusts the denominator.

• You can move a time signature event by clicking and
dragging it with the Arrow tool.
Note that you can [Shift]-click to select multiple events. Also note that
time signature events can only be positioned at the start of bars. This is
also true if Snap is deactivated.

• To remove a time signature, either click on it with the
Erase tool or select it and press [Backspace] or [Delete].
The first time signature event cannot be removed.

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Editing tempo and signature

21
Export Audio Mixdown

Introduction

The available settings and options differ depending on the
selected file format (see “The available file formats” on
page 228).

The Export Audio Mixdown function in Cubase AI allows
you to mix down audio from the program to a file on your
hard disk.

4. In the Channel Selection section to the left, select the
channel you want to mix down. The list contains all output
channels available in the project (see “About the Channel
Selection section” on page 228).

You always mix down an output channel. For example, if
you have set up a stereo mix with tracks routed to a stereo
output bus, mixing down that output bus would give you a
mixdown file containing the whole mix.

5. In the File Location section at the top you can specify
a name and path for the mixdown file.

Please note the following:

To the right of the File Name and the Path fields you will
find two pop-up menus with a number of options:

• The Export Audio Mixdown function mixes down the
area between the left and right locators.

Naming Options pop-up menu:

• When you mix down, you get what you hear – mutes,
mixer settings and insert effects are taken into account.

• Select “Set to Project Name” to use the project name
for the export file.

Note though that you will only include the sound of the channel you select for mixdown.

• Activate the “Auto Update Name” option (so that a
checkmark is displayed before it) to add a number to the
specified file name every time you click the Export button.

• MIDI tracks are not included in the mixdown!
To make a complete mixdown containing both MIDI and audio, you first
need to record all your MIDI music onto audio tracks (by connecting the
outputs of your MIDI instruments to your audio inputs and recording, as
with any other sound source).

Path Options pop-up menu:
• Select “Choose…” to open a dialog in which you can
browse for a path and enter a file name.
The file name will automatically be shown in the File Name/Prefix field.

Mixing down to audio files

• Select an entry from the Recent Paths section to reuse
a path specified for a previous export.

1. Set up the left and right locators to encompass the
section you want to mix down.

This section is only shown after an export has been completed. With the
“Clear Recent Paths” option you can delete all entries from the Recent
Paths section.

2. Set up your tracks so that they play back the way you
want.

• Activate the option “Use Project Audio Folder” to save
the mixdown file in the project’s Audio folder.

This includes muting unwanted tracks or parts, making manual mixer settings and/or activating the R (Read) automation buttons for some or all
mixer channels.

6. Choose an entry from the File Format pop-up menu.

3. Pull down the File menu and select “Audio Mixdown…”
from the Export submenu.

7. Activate the Split Channels option if you want to export
the two channels of a stereo bus as separate mono files.

The Export Audio Mixdown dialog appears.

8. Make additional settings for the file to be created.
This includes selecting sample rate, bit depth, etc. The available options
depend on the selected file format – see “The available file formats” on
page 228.

9. If you want to automatically import the resulting audio
file back into Cubase AI, activate any of the checkboxes in
the “Import into project” section.
If you activate the Pool checkbox, a clip referring to the file will appear in
the Pool. Activating the Audio Track checkbox as well will create an audio event that plays the clip, and place it on a new audio track, starting at
the left locator.

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Export Audio Mixdown

Ö Most of the settings described below for AIFF files are
available for all file types. Where this is not the case, you will
find additional information in the corresponding section.

10. If you activate Update Display, the meters will be updated during the export process.
This allows you to check for clipping, for example.

11. Click Export.

MP3 Export

A dialog with a progress bar is displayed while the audio file
is created. If you change your mind during the file creation,
you can click the Abort button to cancel the operation.

This version of Cubase AI provides a function for exporting
your audio mixdown as mp3 files. This function is limited to
20 trial encodings or a trial period of 30 days from the installation date (whichever ends first). After this period, the
function will be disabled until you purchase the mp3 encoder for Cubase AI.

• If the option “Close dialog after export” is activated, the
dialog will be closed.
• If you have activated any of the “Import into project” options, the file will be imported back into the same project.

• When the mp3 format is selected, and you click the Export button, a window opens showing you how many trial
encodings you have left. You can upgrade to an unlimited
mp3 export function by clicking the “Go to Online Shop”
button in the dialog.

When playing back the re-imported file, remember to mute the original
tracks so that you really hear the correct file.

About the Channel Selection section
The Channel Selection section shows all output and audio-related channels available in the project. These channels are organized in a hierarchical structure that allows
you to easily identify and select the channels you want to
export. The different channel types are listed below each
other, with channels of the same type being grouped in a
node (e.g. Instrument Tracks).

This will take you to Steinberg’s online shop where you can purchase the
upgrade. Note that a working internet connection is required.

• You can activate/deactivate channels by clicking on the
checkboxes in front of the channel names.

For AIFF files the following options are available:
Option

Description

About the Import Options dialog

File Name

In this field you can enter a name for the mixdown file.

Naming options
pop-up menu

This allows you to define how your project should be
named. If you select “Set to Project Name” the project
name will be used for the export file. If you activate the
“Auto Update Name” option a number will be added to
the specified file name every time you click the Export
button.

Path

Here you can specify a path where you want the mixdown to be saved.

Path options
pop-up menu

This allows you to specify where the file should be
saved. If you select “Choose…” a file dialog will open
and the file name will automatically be shown in the File
Name field. If you already have exported a file, the Recent Paths section will be shown where you can choose
to reuse a previous path. If you activate “Use Project
Audio Folder”, the mixdown file will be saved in the
project’s Audio folder.

Insert Broadcast
Wave Chunk

This allows you to include information about the date
and time of creation, a timecode position (allowing you
to insert exported audio at the correct position in other
projects, etc.) along with author, description and reference text strings in the exported file.
Some applications may not be able to handle files with
embedded info – if you get problems using the file in another application, deactivate the option and re-export.

AIFF files
AIFF stands for Audio Interchange File Format, a standard
defined by Apple Inc. AIFF files have the extension “.aif”
and are used on most computer platforms.

If you activate any of the options in the Import into project
section, the Import Options dialog will open when the export is complete. For a detailed description of the options
in this dialog see “About the Import Medium dialog” on
page 151.

The available file formats
The following pages describe the different export file formats, as well as their options and settings.
•
•
•
•

AIFF files (see “AIFF files” on page 228).
AIFC files (see “AIFC files” on page 229).
Wave files (see “Wave files” on page 229).
Broadcast Wave files (see “Broadcast Wave files” on page
230).
• MP3 files (see “MPEG 1 Layer 3 files” on page 230).
• Windows Media Audio files (Windows only, see “Windows
Media Audio files (Windows only)” on page 230).
228

Export Audio Mixdown

Option

Description

Option

Description

Edit button

By clicking this button the “Broadcast Wave Chunk” dialog opens where you can enter additional information that
will be embedded in the exported files. Note that in the
Preferences (Record–Audio–Broadcast Wave page)
you can enter default text strings for author, description
and reference that will automatically be displayed in the
“Broadcast Wave Chunk” dialog.

Audio Track

If you activate this option, an audio event that plays the
clip will be created and placed on a new audio track,
starting at the left locator.
Furthermore, the Import Options dialog appears on export. For a description of the available settings, see
“About the Import Medium dialog” on page 151.

Insert iXML
chunk

This allows you to include additional project-based or
sound metadata (e.g. scene and take information) in the
exported file.
Some applications may not be able to handle files with
embedded info – if you get problems using the file in
another application, deactivate the option and re-export.

Close Dialog
after Export

If this option is activated, the dialog will be closed after
the export, otherwise it will be left open.

Sample Rate

Bit Depth

AIFC files
AIFC stands for Audio Interchange File Format Compressed, a standard defined by Apple Inc. These files support compression ratios as high as 6:1 and contain tags in
the header. AIFC files have the extension “.aifc” and are
used on most computer platforms.

This setting determines the frequency range of the exported audio – the lower the sample rate, the lower the
highest audible frequency in the audio. In most cases,
you should select the sample rate set for the project,
since a lower sample rate will degrade the audio quality
(mainly reducing the high frequency content) and a
higher sample rate will only increase the file size, without
adding to audio quality. Also consider the future usage of
the file – if you e.g. plan to import the file into another application, you should select a sample rate supported by
that application.
If you are making a mixdown for CD burning, you should
select 44.100 kHz, since this is the sample rate used on
audio CDs.

AIFC files support the same options as AIFF files.

Wave files
Wave files have the extension “.wav” and are the most
common file format on the PC platform.
Wave files support the same options as AIFF files and
have one additional option:

Allows you to select 8, 16, 24 bit or 32 bit (float) files. If
the file is an “intermediate mixdown” that you plan to reimport and continue working on in Cubase AI, we recommend that you select the 32 bit (float) option.
32 bit (float) is a very high resolution (the same resolution
as used internally for audio processing in Cubase AI),
and the audio files will be twice the size of 16 bit files.
If you are making a mixdown for CD burning, you should
use the 16 bit option, as CD audio is always 16 bit.
In this case, we recommend dithering, see “Dithering” on
page 89.
8 bit resolution should only be used if required, since it
will result in limited audio quality. 8 bit audio may be
suitable in some multimedia applications, etc.

Mono Export

If you activate this option, the exported audio is mixed
down to mono.

Split Channels

Activate this option if you want to export the two channels of a stereo bus as separate mono files.

Update Display

If you activate this option, the meters will be updated
during the export process. This allows you to check for
clipping, for example.

Pool

Activate this option if you want to import the resulting
audio file automatically back into the Pool. A clip referring to the file will appear in the Pool.
If this option is activated, the Import Options dialog appears on export. For a description of the available settings, see “About the Import Medium dialog” on page
151.

• Don’t Use Wave Extensible Format
The Wave Extensible format contains additional metadata, such as the
speaker configuration. It is an extension to the normal Wave format that
some applications may not be able to handle.
If you get problems using the Wave file in another application, activate
this option and re-export.

Broadcast Wave files
Concerning audio, Broadcast Wave files are the same as
regular Wave files, but without compression. To create a
Broadcast Wave file, select Wave as the file format and activate the Insert Broadcast Wave Chunk option. Click Edit if
you wish to edit the chunk information, otherwise the defaults as specified in the Preferences (Record–Audio–
Broadcast Wave page) will be used. Broadcast Wave files
have the extension “.wav”.
Broadcast Wave files support the same options as regular
Wave files.

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Export Audio Mixdown

MPEG 1 Layer 3 files

Windows Media Audio files (Windows only)

MPEG 1 Layer 3 files have the extension “.mp3”. By use of
advanced audio compression algorithms, mp3 files can be
made very small, yet maintaining good audio quality.

This is a format developed by Microsoft Inc. Due to the advanced audio codecs and lossless compression used,
WMA files can be decreased in size with no loss of audio
quality. The files have the extension “.wma”.

Apart from the Sample Rate and Bit Depth options, MPEG
1 Layer 3 files support the same settings as AIFF files in the
sections File Location, Audio Engine Output and Import into
project. The File Format settings are different, though.

When you select “Windows Media Audio File” as the file
format, you can click the “Codec Settings…” button to
open the “Windows Media Audio File Settings” window.

For MPEG 1 Layer 3 files the following options are available in the File Format section:
Option

Description

Bit Rate fader

By moving this fader, you can select a bit rate for the
mp3 file. As a rule, the higher the bit rate, the better the
audio quality and the larger the file. For stereo audio,
128kBit/s is often considered to result in “good” audio
quality.

Sample Rate
pop-up

On this pop-up menu you can select a Sample Rate for
the mp3 file.

High Quality
Mode option

When this is activated, the encoder will use a different
resampling mode, which can give better results depending on your settings. In this mode, you cannot specify the
Sample Rate, but only the Bit Rate for the mp3 file.

Insert ID3 Tag
option

This allows you to include ID3 Tag information in the
exported file.

Edit ID3 Tag
button

When you click this, the ID3 Tag dialog opens, in which
you can enter information about the file. This additional
information will be embedded as text strings in the file,
and can be displayed by most mp3 playback applications.

Windows Media Audio File Settings

Note that the configuration options may vary, depending
on the chosen output.
General tab
In the Input Stream section, you set the sample rate (44.1,
48 or 96kHz) and the bit resolution (16bit or 24bit) of the
encoded file. These should be set to match the sample rate
and bit resolution of the source material. If no value matches
that of your source material, use the closest available value
that is higher than the actual value. For example, if you’re
using 20bit source material, set the bit resolution to 24bit
rather than 16bit.
Ö The setting in the Channels field depends on the chosen output and cannot be changed manually.
The settings in the Encoding Scheme section are used for
defining the desired output from the encoder. Make settings appropriate for the intended use of the file. If the file
will be downloaded or streamed on the Internet, you might
not want too high bit rates, for example. See below for descriptions of the options.

230
Export Audio Mixdown

• Mode

ever, that it is usually not recommended to change the Average value, since this affects the overall volume level of
the audio and therefore can have a negative effect on the
audio quality.

The WMA encoder can use either a constant bit rate or a
variable bit rate, or it can use lossless encoding for encoding to stereo. The options on this menu are as follows:
Mode

Description

Constant Bitrate

This will encode to a file with a constant bit rate (set in
the Bit Rate/Channels menu, see below). Constant bit
rate is preferably used if you want to limit the size of the
final file. The size of a file encoded with a constant bit
rate is always the bit rate times the duration of the file.

Variable Bitrate

Encodes to a file with a variable bit rate, according to a
quality scale (the desired quality is set in the Bit Rate/
Quality menu, see below). When you encode with variable bit rates, the bit rate fluctuates depending on the
character and intricacy of the material being encoded.
The more complex passages in the source material, the
higher the bit rate – and the larger the final file.

Lossless

Encodes to a file with lossless compression.

The Quiet Mode in a Windows Media player can be set to
one of three settings. Below, these settings are listed together with an explanation of how the Dynamic Range settings affect them:
• Off: If Quiet Mode is off, the dynamic range settings that were
automatically calculated during the encoding will be used.
• Little Difference: If this is selected and you have not manually
changed the dynamic range settings, the peak level will be
limited to 6dB above the average level during playback. If you
have manually specified the dynamic range, the peak level will
be limited to the mean value between the peak and average
values you specified.
• Medium Difference: If this is selected and you have not manually changed the dynamic range settings, the peak level will be
limited to 12dB above the average level. If you have changed
the dynamic range, the peak level will be limited to the peak
value you specified.

• Bit Rate/Quality
This menu allows you to set the desired bit rate. The available bit rate settings vary depending on the selected mode
and/or output channels (see above). If the Variable Bitrate
mode is used, the menu allows you to select from various
levels of quality, with 10 being the lowest and 100 the highest. Generally, the higher the bitrate or quality you select,
the larger the final file will be.

Media tab
In these fields you can enter a number of text strings with
information about the file – title, author, copyright information and a description of its contents. This information will
then be embedded in the file header and can be displayed
by some Windows Media Audio playback applications.

Advanced tab
• Dynamic Range Control
These controls allow you to define the dynamic range of
the encoded file. The dynamic range is the difference in
dB between the average loudness and the peak audio
level (the loudest sounds) of the audio. These settings affect how the audio is reproduced if the file is played on a
Windows XP computer with a player from the Windows
Media series, and the “Quiet Mode” feature of the player is
activated to control the dynamic range.
The dynamic range is automatically calculated during the
encoding process, but you can specify it manually as well.
To manually specify the dynamic range, first put a checkmark in the box to the left by clicking in it, and then enter
the desired dB values in the Peak and Average fields. You
can enter any value between 0 and -90dB. Note, how-

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Export Audio Mixdown

22
Synchronization

Background

Synchronization signals

What is synchronization?

Basically there are three types of synchronization signals
for audio: timecode, MIDI clock and word clock.

Synchronization is said to exist when you make two pieces
of equipment agree on time or tempo and position info. You
can establish synchronization between Cubase AI and a
number of other types of devices, including tape recorders
and video decks, but also MIDI devices that “play back”,
such as other sequencers, drum machines, “workstation
sequencers”, etc.

Timecode (SMPTE, EBU, MTC, VITC, etc.)
Timecode appears in a number of guises. No matter which
“format” it has, it always supplies a “clock on the wall”
type of synchronization, that is, a synchronization related
to hours, minutes, seconds and two smaller units called
“frames” and “subframes”.

When you set up a synchronization system, you must decide which unit is the master. All other devices are then
slaved to this unit, which means they will adjust their playback speed to the master’s.
!

• LTC (SMPTE, EBU) is the audio version of timecode. This
means that it can be recorded on the audio track of an audio
or video recorder.
• VITC is the video format timecode, stored in the actual video
image.
• MTC is the MIDI version of timecode, transmitted via MIDI
cables.
• ADAT sync (Alesis) is only used with the ASIO Positioning
Protocol, see “About the ASIO Positioning Protocol (APP)” on
page 238.

For a description of the VST System Link feature
(with which you can synchronize separate computers
running Cubase AI or Nuendo for example), see
“Working with VST System Link” on page 240.

Cubase AI as slave
When a synchronization signal is coming in to Cubase AI,
from another device, this device is the master and Cubase
AI is the slave. Cubase AI will adjust its playback to the
other device.

For the ASIO Positioning Protocol, other high precision
timecode formats may also be supported.
Format recommendations for timecode – without ASIO
Positioning Protocol

Cubase AI as master

• When using synchronizer to synchronize your system to external timecode, the most common timecode format is MTC.
Contrary to some reports you might have heard, MTC delivers
good precision for external sync. This is due to the fact that
the operating system can “time stamp” incoming MIDI messages, which increases precision.

When you set up Cubase AI to transmit synchronization
information to other devices, Cubase AI is the master and
the other devices are the slaves; they will adjust their playback to Cubase AI.
Cubase AI – both master and slave

Format recommendations for timecode – with ASIO
Positioning Protocol

Cubase AI is a very capable synchronization device. It can
operate as both master and slave at the same time. For example, Cubase AI might be slaved to a tape recorder transmitting timecode, while at the same time transmitting MIDI
Clock to a drum machine, acting as a master for that.

• LTC and VITC are the formats with the highest precision and
are recommended when available.
• MTC is the next best option and probably the most common
choice, since few audio hardware solutions have built-in LTC
or VITC readers. However, LTC and VITC offer even higher
precision when available.

233
Synchronization

MIDI Clock

Synchronizing Cubase AI’s playback

MIDI Clock is a tempo-based type of synchronization signals, i.e. it is related to the number of “beats per minute”.
MIDI Clock signals are suitable for synchronizing two devices that agree on tempo, such as Cubase AI and a drum
machine.

Let’s assume now that we use external timecode synchronization with Cubase AI. For example, we might synchronize playback to a tape recorder.

Timecode coming from an analog tape recorder will always vary slightly in speed. Different timecode generators
and different tape recorders will also supply timecode with
slight differences in speed. In addition, the shuttling of
tape mechanisms due to overdubs and re-recordings can
cause the physical tape to wear and stretch, which affects
the speed of the timecode.

MIDI Clock is not suitable as a master sync source
for an application like Cubase AI. Therefore Cubase
AI will transmit MIDI Clock signals to other devices,
but it will not receive MIDI Clock.

Word Clock

If you use a synchronizer that generates word clock and set
up Cubase AI to sync to incoming timecode, it will vary its
overall playback speed to compensate for such fluctuations
in the speed of the timecode – that’s the whole purpose of
synchronization.

Word clock is basically a replacement for the sample rate
clock (e.g. in an audio card). Word clock hence runs at
the same rate as the sample rate in the audio, 44.1kHz,
48kHz, etc.
Word clock does not contain any position information, it is
only a “simple” signal for clocking the audio at its sample
rate.

What happens with the digital audio?
The fact that Cubase AI’s playback is synchronized to the
timecode does not affect the playback of the digital audio.
It still relies on the perfectly stable, built-in clock in the audio hardware.

Word clock comes in many formats, analog on coaxial cable, digital as part of an S/PDIF, AES/EBU or ADAT audio
signal, etc.

As might be expected, problems will appear when the perfectly stable digital audio gets related to the slightly varying speed of a system synchronized to timecode.

Synchronizing the transport vs.
synchronizing audio
How timing is handled in a non-synchronized
system

The playback timing of each event will not be in total accordance with the tape or the MIDI playback, since the
playback speed of the audio is determined by the digital
audio hardware’s built-in clock.

Let’s first look at the situation where Cubase AI is not synchronized to any external source:

Resolving to word clock
The solution to this problem is to use one external clock for
all components in the system. One master clock is used to
derive whatever type of clock signal each component in
the system needs. For example, something called a house
clock can be used to generate sample rate clocks for the
digital audio hardware and timecode for Cubase AI. This
ensures that all components in the system use the same
reference source for their timing.

Any digital playback system has an internal clock that ultimately affects the playback speed and stability, and PC audio hardware is no exception. This clock is extremely stable.
When Cubase AI is playing back with no external synchronization, all playback is internally synchronized to the internal digital audio clock.

Synchronizing digital audio to external clocks running at
sample rate is often called “resolving” or “synchronizing to
word clock”.

234
Synchronization

If you aim to perform synchronization to external signals,
we strongly recommend that you obtain proper synchronization equipment. This encompasses:

In the Project Setup dialog are two settings for frame rates:

• An audio card that can be slaved to external word clock.
• A synchronizer that can read timecode (and possibly house
clock) and generate the required sync signals from that, such
as the Steinberg TimeLock Pro.

There is an exception to this when you are synchronizing Cubase AI to
MIDI Timecode: If you have selected 29.97fps or 30dfps as Frame Rate in
Cubase AI, this selection will be kept, since these frame rates are not included in the MTC format.

• The Frame Rate pop-up is automatically adjusted to the
frame rate of the incoming timecode.

The following frame rates are available:

or…

Frame Rate

• An audio system with complete built-in synchronization possibilities, preferably supporting the ASIO Positioning Protocol
(see “About the ASIO Positioning Protocol (APP)” on page
238).

The traditional frame rate of 35mm film.

25 fps

The frame rate used for all video and audio in Europe (EBU).

29.97 fps

Straight 29.97 frames per second.

29.97 dfps

“Drop frame” code running at 29.97 frames per second,
most often used in the United States of America for work
with color video.

30 fps

Straight 30 frames per second. This is often used in the
United States for audio only work.

30 dfps

Very rarely used.

Using timecode without word clock
Of course, it is possible to set up a synchronization system
where you lock Cubase AI to timecode without using word
clock. However, please note that the timing of audio vs.
MIDI cannot be guaranteed and that fluctuations in speed in
the incoming timecode will not affect the playback of audio
events. This means that synchronizing to timecode may
work in the following situations:

Description

24 fps

• The Display Format pop-up contains a number of formats that function as the “master” setting for the display
format used in the various rulers and position displays.

• When the timecode was originally generated by the audio card itself.

Making connections
The following connections are required for external sync
via a synchronizer, including resolving of the audio card.
For details on audio card and synchronizer settings and
connections, see the manuals for these devices.

• When the source providing the timecode is extremely
stable (such as a digital video system, a digital tape recorder or another computer).
• When you remain synchronized to that same stable
source throughout the entire process, both while recording and playing back audio.

• Route the master clock signal (LTC, VITC, etc.) to an input on the synchronizer.
• Connect the word clock output on the synchronizer to a
word clock input on the audio card.

Making basic settings and
connections

• Connect the MIDI Timecode (MTC) output on the synchronizer to the corresponding input on the computer.

Setting the Frame Rate
The frame rate is the number of frames per second in a film
or on a video tape. However, the frame rate used varies with
the type of media (film or video), which country the video
tape has been produced in, and other circumstances.

235
Synchronization

• Set up the synchronizer and make sure the frame rate
settings are in accordance with the master clock.

• Activate “MIDI Clock Follows Project Position” if you
want the other device to follow when you loop, jump and
locate during playback.
When this is activated, the sent MIDI Clock signals will follow the sequencer time and tempo position at all times.
!

Please note that some external devices may not react
smoothly to these repositioning messages. Especially when working with some older devices, it may
take some time for them to synchronize accurately to
the project time.

Send MIDI Clock in Stop Mode

A typical synchronization setup

When the option “Send MIDI Clock in Stop Mode” in the
Project Synchronization Setup dialog (MIDI Clock Destinations section) is activated, Cubase AI will send MIDI
Clock signals to the selected MIDI Clock destinations
even when Cubase AI is in Stop mode.

Synchronization settings
In the following sections you will find a description of how
to set up your system for the different timecode sources.

This is, for example, useful if you are working with a keyboard that has a built-in arpeggiator, the tempo of which
you are controlling via MIDI Clock messages. This way,
the arpeggiator will keep the right tempo even when Cubase AI is in Stop mode. You may also be able to use this
feature with some external drum machines, as it allows you
to play the drum patterns in the current sequencer tempo
even when Cubase AI is stopped.

Internal Timecode
In this mode, Cubase AI is the master.
Use the “MIDI Timecode Destinations” and “MIDI Clock
Destinations” sections to specify which devices should be
slaved to Cubase AI.
Synchronizing other Equipment to Cubase AI

• When this option is deactivated, Cubase AI will send
MIDI Clock signals to the selected MIDI Clock destinations only during playback.

You may have other MIDI devices that you want to synchronize to Cubase AI. There are two types of synchronization signals that Cubase AI can transmit: MIDI Clock
and MIDI Timecode.

In this mode, you will not be able to use the above-mentioned arpeggiator of your keyboard in Stop mode.

Transmitting MIDI Clock

Ö Keep in mind that the MIDI Clock information always
refers to the tempo at the current project position.

If you transmit MIDI Clock to a device supporting this type
of synchronization signal, the other device will follow Cubase AI’s tempo. The tempo setting in the other device is
of no relevance. If the device also reacts to Song Position
Pointers (which Cubase AI transmits) it will follow when
you wind, rewind and locate using the Cubase AI Transport panel.

Transmitting MIDI Timecode
If you transmit MIDI Timecode to a device supporting this
type of synchronization signal, the device will synchronize
time-wise to Cubase AI, that is, the time displays on Cubase AI’s Transport panel and on the other device will
agree. When you wind and locate Cubase AI and then activate playback, the other device will follow from the same
position (if it has this capability and is set up for it!).

Ö MIDI Clock transport commands include “Start”, “Stop”
and “Continue”. However, some MIDI equipment (e.g.
some drum machines) do not recognize the “Continue”
command. If this is the case with your equipment, activate
the option “Always Send Start Message” in the Project
Synchronization Setup dialog (MIDI Clock Destinations).
When this is activated, only the Start command is used.
236

Synchronization

Setting Up

MIDI Timecode

1. Connect the desired MIDI Outputs from Cubase AI to
the device(s) that you plan to synchronize.

In this mode, Cubase AI is the slave and the timecode is
sent by the MIDI Timecode Source specified in the corresponding section.

2. Open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog from
the Transport menu.

Setting up Cubase AI for external sync to timecode
1. In the Project Synchronization Setup dialog, set Timecode Source to MIDI Timecode.

Settings
for sync to
internal
timecode

2. Use the pop-up menu in the MIDI Timecode Source
section to select an input for the timecode.
Sync to timecode activated
Input port for
MIDI Timecode
Options for
incoming
timecode
Outputs for
MIDI
Timecode

3. Activate the sync outputs by using the corresponding
checkboxes.

Outputs for
MIDI Clock

You can output any combination of MIDI Timecode and MIDI Clock to
any combination of outputs (however, you probably do not want to send
MTC and MIDI Clock to the same output).
!

3. Close the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and
open the Project Setup dialog from the Project menu.

Some MIDI interfaces will automatically send MIDI
Clock to all MIDI outputs, regardless of the MIDI
Clock Port selection in Cubase AI. If this is the case,
you should only select one MIDI Clock port (consult
the documentation of the MIDI Interface if in doubt).

4. Use the Start value to set which frame on the external
device (e.g. a video tape) should correspond to the beginning of the project.

4. Set the other device(s) to their “external synchronization” mode (or some other mode with a similar name) and
activate playback on them if necessary.

Set this to the timecode
position where you want the
project to start.

5. Activate playback in Cubase AI, and the other device(s) will follow.
5. In the dialog that appears, you are asked if you want to
keep the project content at its timecode positions. Select
“No”.
This will make all events and parts keep their positions relative to the project start.

6. Close the Project Setup dialog.
7. On the Transport panel, activate the Sync button (or
select Use External Sync from the Transport menu).

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Synchronization

8. Start the tape (or video, or other master device) that
contains the timecode. Cubase AI starts playing when it
receives timecode with a position “higher” than or equal to
the project Start frame.

A typical situation is when transferring material from a digital multi-track tape recorder to Cubase AI (for editing)
and then back again. If you do not have sample-accurate
synchronization set up, you cannot be sure that the material will appear in its exact original position, when transferred back to the tape recorder.

You can wind the device that sends the timecode to any
position and start from there.
!

In order to take advantage of the ASIO Positioning Protocol, your audio hardware must be suitably equipped and
the functionality must be included in the ASIO driver for
the hardware.

When the master device with the timecode is
stopped, you can use the Cubase AI transport
controls as you normally do.

You should also take a look at the Sync Options, see
“Sync Options” on page 240.

An example of a system for doing sample-accurate transfers would be transferring audio tracks from an Alesis
ADAT to Cubase AI. Here the ADAT will be the sync master (though it does not necessarily have to be). It provides
both the digital audio (with an inherent word clock) and
position information (timecode) via its ADAT sync protocol. The master clock is generated by the ADAT itself.

The Sync indicator
On the Transport panel you can check the status of incoming timecode by observing the sync indicator. It
switches between “Offline” (not waiting for sync), “Idle”
(ready for sync but no signal is coming in), and “Lock xx”
(where xx indicates the frame rate of the incoming signal).

Hardware and software requirements for APP
• Your computer audio hardware (in the example above, this
would be an ADAT card in your computer) must support all
the functionality required for the ASIO Positioning Protocol.
That is, it must be able to read the digital audio and the corresponding position information from the external device.
• There must be an ASIO 2.0 driver for the audio hardware.
• For resolving to external timecode, the audio hardware must
have an integrated timecode reader/generator.
• For information about which audio hardware models currently
support APP, see the Steinberg web site (www.steinberg.net).

The Sync indicator

ASIO Audio Device
!

This option is only available if your hardware is compatible with the ASIO Positioning Protocol.

In this mode, Cubase AI is the slave and the synchronization signal can be received from another device connected to a digital interface of the audio hardware.

About the ASIO Positioning Protocol (APP)
!

The ASIO Positioning Protocol requires audio hardware with specific ASIO drivers.

The ASIO Positioning Protocol is a technology that expands on the type of sync described above and makes
sample-accurate positioning possible.
When transferring audio digitally between devices, it is important that synchronization using word clock and timecode is completely correlated. If not, the audio will not be
recorded at the exact intended (sample-accurate) position,
which can cause various types of problems, such as inaccurately positioned audio material, clicks and pops, etc.

238
Synchronization

The ASIO Positioning Protocol exploits the specific
advantage of having an audio card that has an integrated timecode reader. With such a card and the
ASIO Positioning Protocol, you can achieve constant
sample-accurate synchronization between the audio
source and Cubase AI.

4. Open the Project Setup dialog from the Project menu
and use the Start value to set which frame on the external
device (e.g. a video tape) should correspond to the beginning of the project.

Setting up the audio card for external synchronization
1. Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu
and, on the VST Audio System page, select the name of
your audio interface.
2. Click the Control Panel button to open the card’s proprietary setup dialog.

Set this to the timecode
position where you want the
project to start.

If this card is accessed via a special ASIO driver (as opposed to DirectX or the Generic Low Latency ASIO Driver), this dialog is provided
by the card, not by Cubase AI. Hence the settings vary with the card
brand and model.

5. A message appears, asking you whether you want to
keep the project content at its timecode positions. Select
“No”.

3. Adjust the settings as recommended by the card manufacturer, then close the dialog.
The dialog may also contain various diagnostic tools that allow you to
verify for example whether word clock is arriving correctly.

This will make all events and parts keep their positions relative to the project start.

4. From the Clock Source pop-up, select the input to
which you routed the word clock signal.

6. Close the Project Setup dialog.
7. On the Transport panel, activate the Sync button (or
select “Use External Sync” from the Transport menu).

This pop-up menu may not be used if you selected an input in the Control Panel dialog instead.

You can now set up the synchronization:
1. Open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and
set the Timecode Source to “ASIO Audio Device”.

You can wind the device that sends the timecode to any
position and start from there.

The ASIO
Audio Device
is selected as
Timecode
Source.

Options for
incoming
timecode

When the master device is stopped, you can use the
Cubase AI transport controls as you normally do,
when it is not synchronized.

You should also take a look at the Sync Options, see
“Sync Options” on page 240.

Outputs for
MIDI Clock

The Sync indicator
On the Transport panel you can check the status of incoming timecode by observing the sync indicator. It switches
between “Offline” (not waiting for sync), “Idle” (ready for
sync but no signal is coming in), and “Lock xx” (where xx
indicates the frame rate of the incoming signal).

2. Make the necessary settings in the dialog.
For information on the different sections, click the Help button in the dialog.

VST System Link

3. Close the Project Synchronization Setup dialog.

239
Synchronization

For a description of the VST System Link feature
(with which you can synchronize separate computers
running Cubase AI or Nuendo for example) see
“Working with VST System Link” on page 240.

Sync Options

chine). VST System Link can send its networking signal
over any type of digital audio cable, including S/PDIF,
ADAT, TDIF, or AES, as long as each computer in the
system is equipped with a suitable ASIO compatible audio
interface.

The following Sync options are available in the Project
Synchronization Setup dialog:

Lock Frames

Linking up two or more computers gives you vast possibilities:

Using this field you can set how many frames of “correct”
timecode Cubase AI should receive before attempting to
“lock” (synchronize) to incoming timecode. If you have an
external tape transport with a very short start-up time, you
could try lowering this number to make lock-up even faster
than it already is.

• Dedicate one computer to running VST instruments while recording audio tracks on another.
• If you need lots of audio tracks, you may simply add tracks on
another computer.
• You could have one computer serve as a “virtual effect rack”,
running CPU-intensive send effect plug-ins only.

Drop Out Frames

Since you can use VST System Link to connect different
VST System Link applications on different platforms, you
can take advantage of effect plug-ins and VST instruments that are specific to certain programs or platforms.

On an analog tape with timecode, dropouts may occur. If
a drop-out is very long, Cubase AI may (temporarily) stop.
In the Drop Out Frames field you can set how long a dropout (in frames) should be tolerated until Cubase AI decides that the tape is not good enough to synchronize to.
If you have a very stable timecode source, you may lower
this number to make Cubase AI stop more swiftly after the
tape recorder has been stopped.

Preparations
Requirements
The following equipment is required for VST System Link
operation:

Inhibit Restart
Some synchronizers will still transmit MIDI Timecode for a
short period after an external tape machine has been
stopped. These extra frames of timecode can sometimes
cause Cubase AI to restart suddenly. Inhibit Restart allows
you to control the amount of time in milliseconds that Cubase AI will wait to restart (ignoring incoming MTC) once it
has stopped.

• Two or more computers.
These can be of the same type or use different operating systems – it does
not matter. For example, you can link an Intel-based PC to an Apple Macintosh without problems.

• Each computer must have audio hardware with specific
ASIO drivers, installed and working.
• The audio hardware must have digital inputs and outputs.
Of course, to be able to connect the computers, the digital connections
must be compatible (i.e. the same digital formats and connection types
must be available).

Working with VST System Link
VST System Link is a network system for digital audio that
allows you to have several computers working together in
one large system. Unlike conventional networks it does not
require Ethernet cards, hubs, or CAT-5 cables; instead it
uses the kind of digital audio hardware and cables you
probably already possess in your studio.

• At least one digital audio cable for each computer in the
network.
• A VST System Link host application installed on each
computer.
Any VST System Link applications can connect to each other.

VST System Link has been designed to be simple to set
up and operate, yet give enormous flexibility and performance gains in use. It is capable of linking computers in a
“ring” network (the System Link signal is passed from one
machine to the next, and eventually returns to the first ma-

Additionally, we recommend that you use a KVM switchbox.

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Synchronization

Using a KVM switchbox

The Clock Mode or Sync Mode is set up in the ASIO control panel of the audio hardware. In Cubase AI, you proceed as follows:

If you want to set up a multi-computer network, or even a
small network in a limited space, it is a good idea to invest
in a KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) switchbox. With one
of these you can use the same keyboard, monitor, and
mouse to control each computer in the system, and switch
between computers very rapidly. KVM switchboxes are
not too expensive, and very easy to set up and operate. If
you decide not to go this route, the network will function
just the same, but you may end up doing a lot of jumping
from one machine to the other while setting up!

1. Pull down the Devices menu and open the Device Setup dialog.
2. On the VST Audio System page, select your audio interface from the “ASIO Driver” pop-up menu.
The name of the audio interface now appears as a subentry to the VST
Audio System entry in the Devices list.

3. Select your audio interface in the Devices list to the left.
4. Click the Control Panel button.

Making connections

The ASIO control panel appears.

Below, we assume that you are connecting two computers. Should you have more than two computers, it is still
best to start with two and add the others one by one once
the system is working – this makes troubleshooting easier
if you run into problems. For two computers, you will need
two digital audio cables, one in each direction:

5. Open the ASIO control panel on the other computer
as well.
If you are using another VST System Link host application on that computer, check its documentation for details on how to open the ASIO control panel.

6. Now, you need to make sure that one audio card is set
to be the Clock Master, and all the other cards are set to
listen for the clock signal coming from the Clock Master,
i.e. they must be Clock Slaves.

1. Use the first digital audio cable to connect digital output of computer 1 with the digital input of computer 2.
2. Use the other cable to connect the digital output of
computer 2 with the digital input of computer 1.

The naming and procedure for this differs depending on the audio hardware – consult its documentation if required. If you are using Steinberg
Nuendo ASIO hardware, all cards default to the “AutoSync” setting – in
this case you must set one of the cards (and only one) to “Master” in the
Clock Mode section of the control panel.

• If a card has more than one set of inputs and outputs,
choose whichever one that suits you – for simplicity usually the first set is best.

• Typically, the ASIO control panel for an audio card contains some indication of whether the card receives a proper
sync signal or not, and the sample rate of that signal.

Synchronization
Before you proceed, you need to make sure that the clock
signals on your ASIO cards are synchronized correctly.
This is essential when cabling any kind of digital audio
system, not just VST System Link.

This is a good indication that you have connected the cards and set up
clock sync properly. Check your audio hardware’s documentation for details.
!

All digital audio cables by definition always carry a
clock signal as well as audio signals, so you do not
have to use a special Word Clock input and output
for this (although you may find that you get a slightly
more stable audio system if you do, especially when
using multiple computers).

It is very important that one and only one card is the
clock master, otherwise the network cannot function
correctly. Once you have set this up, all the other
cards in the network will take their clock signal from
this card automatically.

The only exception to this procedure is if you are using an
external clock – which could be from a digital mixing desk
or special Word Clock synchronizer for example. If so, you
must leave all your ASIO cards in Clock Slave or AutoSync

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Synchronization

mode, and make sure that each of them is listening for the
signal coming from the synchronizer, usually passed
through your ADAT cables or Word Clock connectors in a
daisy chain fashion.

Streaming digital audio between applications
1. Create input and output busses in both applications
and route these to the digital inputs and outputs.
The number and configuration of the busses depends on your audio
hardware and on your needs. If you have a system with eight digital i/o
channels (such as an ADAT connection), you could create several stereo
or mono busses, or any combination you need. The important thing is
that you should have the same configuration in both applications – if you
have four stereo output busses on computer 1, you want four stereo input busses on computer 2, etc.

VST System Link and latency
The general definition of latency is the amount of time it
takes any system to respond to whatever messages are
sent to it. For example, if your system’s latency is high and
you play VST instruments in realtime, you will get a noticeable delay between when you press a key and when you
hear the sound of the VST instrument. Nowadays, most
ASIO-compatible audio cards are capable of operating
with very low latencies. Also, all VST applications are designed to compensate for latency during playback, making
the playback timing tight.

2. Set things up so that computer 1 plays back some
audio.
You could for example import an audio file and play it back in Cycle mode.

3. In the Inspector or Mixer, make sure the playing audio
channel is routed to one of the digital output busses you
set up.

However, the latency time of a VST System Link network
is the total latency of all the ASIO cards in the system
added together. Therefore it is extra important to minimize
the latency times for each computer in the network.

4. In computer 2, open the Mixer and locate the corresponding digital input bus.

Ö The latency does not affect the synchronization – it is
always perfectly in time. But it can affect the time it takes
to send and receive MIDI and audio signals, or make the
system seem sluggish.

5. Reverse this procedure so that computer 2 plays back
and computer 1 “listens”.

To adjust the latency of a system, you adjust the size of the
buffers in the ASIO control panel – the lower the buffer
size, the lower the latency. It is best to keep to fairly low latencies (buffer sizes) if your system can handle it – about
12ms or less is usually a good idea.

Ö From this point on in this chapter, we refer to the busses connected to the digital inputs and outputs as “VST
System Link busses”.

Setting up your software

When you send VST System Link data between computers, it is important that the digital information is not
changed in any way between the programs. Therefore,
you should open the control panel (or additional application) for your audio hardware and make sure that the following conditions are met:

The audio being played back should now “appear” in the program running on computer 2. You should see the input bus level meters moving.

Now you have verified that the digital connection works as
it should.

Settings for the audio hardware

Now it is time to set up your programs. The procedures
below describe how to set things up in Cubase AI. If you
are using another program on the other computer, please
refer to its documentation.

• If there are additional “format settings” for the digital
ports that you use for VST System Link data, make sure
these are turned off.

Setting the sample rate
The projects in both programs must be set to use the
same sample rate. Select “Project Setup…” from the Project menu and make sure the sample rate is the same in
both systems.

For example, if you are using an S/PDIF connection for VST System Link,
make sure that “Professional format”, Emphasis and Dithering are turned
off.

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Synchronization

• If your audio hardware has a mixer application allowing
you to adjust the levels of digital inputs and outputs, make
sure that this mixer is disabled or that the levels for the
VST System Link channels are set to ± 0dB.
• Similarly, make sure no other forms of DSP (pan, effects, etc.) are applied to the VST System Link signal.
Notes for Hammerfall DSP users
If you are using RME Audio Hammerfall DSP audio hardware, the Totalmix function allows for extremely complex
signal routing and mixing in the audio hardware. This can
in some situations lead to “signal loops” in which case the
VST System Link will not work. If you want to make absolutely sure this will not cause any problems, select the default or “plain” preset for the Totalmix function.
3. Use the ASIO Input and ASIO Output pop-up menus
to define which channel should be the networking channel
(and thus become a 23-bit audio channel, in our example).

Activating VST System Link

Quite often you will be able to leave these pop-ups the way they are.

Before you proceed, you need to make sure that VST System Link is set as Timecode Source in the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and that the desired Sync
options are activated, see “Sync Options” on page 240.

4. Click the Active checkbox at the top of the panel.
5. Repeat the steps above for every computer on the
network.

After setting up the inputs and outputs, you now need to
define which input/output should carry the actual VST
System Link information.

As the computers are made active, you should see the
small Sending and Receiving indicators flashing on each
active computer, and the name of each computer should
appear in the list at the bottom of the pane. Each computer
is assigned a random number – do not worry about this, it is
just so the network knows internally which one is which.

The System Link networking signal is carried on only one
bit of one channel. This means that if you have an ADAT
based system which normally carries eight channels of
24-bit audio, once you activate VST System Link you will
have seven channels of 24-bit audio and one channel of
23-bit audio (the least significant bit of this last channel
will be used for networking). In practice this makes no discernible difference to the audio quality, since you will still
have around 138dB headroom on this channel.

• You can double-click on the name in bold (which is the
name of the computer you are currently working on) and
set it to whatever other name you wish.
This name will appear in the System Link window of every computer on
the network.

Ö If you do not see the name of each computer appearing once you have made it active, you may have to check
your settings.

To set things up, open the VST System Link panel:
1. Open the Device Setup dialog on the Devices menu.

Go through the procedure above again and make sure that all ASIO
cards are listening to the digital clock signals correctly, and that each
computer has the correct inputs and outputs assigned to the System
Link network.

2. Select VST System Link in the Devices list to the left.

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Synchronization

Putting the network online

Using MIDI

After each computer’s name you will see whether it is online
or not. When a computer is online, it will receive transport
and timecode signals, and its sequencer application can be
started and stopped by remote control. If it is off-line, it can
only be started from its own keyboard – it is effectively an
independent machine, although it is still on the network.

As well as supplying transport and sync control, VST System Link also supplies up to 16 MIDI ports, each with 16
channels. You set this up as follows:

Ö Note that any computer can control any and all of the
others – VST System Link is a peer-to-peer network and
there is no absolute “master” computer.

2. Create a MIDI track in the Project window and open
the Inspector (top section).

1. Use the MIDI Inputs and Outputs value boxes to specify the number of MIDI ports you need.
The default value is 0 MIDI In and 0 MIDI Out ports.

3. If you now pull down the Input or Output Routing popup menu, you will find the specified System Link ports
added to the list of MIDI Inputs and Outputs.

However, most users do like to think of one machine as the master (in a
one person/two computer network, this would be the machine you actually sit behind most of the time).

For now, let’s put all computers online:
1. Activate the Online checkbox in the VST System Link
panel for all computers.
2. Check that the system is working by pressing Play on
one computer – all computers should start almost instantly
and play perfectly in time, with sample-accurate precision.
• The Offset setting allows you to adjust whether one machine will play back slightly ahead or behind the rest.
This is normally not needed, but occasionally with some hardware you
may find that the lock is a few samples out. In that case you can adjust
the lock with the Offset value. For now, leave it set to 0 – it will most likely
be what you want.

• The Transfer Bits setting allows you to specify whether
you want to transfer 24 or 16 bits. This allows you to use
older audio cards which do not support transfer of 24 bits.

This allows you to route MIDI tracks to VST instruments
running on another computer, as described in the application examples (see “Using one computer for VST instruments” on page 246).

VST System Link sends and understands all transport
commands, so you can play, stop, fast forward, rewind,
etc. the entire network from one computer without a problem – try it! If you jump to a locator point on one machine,
all other machines will also instantly jump to that locator
point. You can even scrub on one computer and have the
video and audio on another computer actually scrub right
along with you.
!

The “Use Selected ASIO Ports for Data only” setting
If you are sending huge amounts of MIDI data at once,
there is a small possibility that you might run out of bandwidth on your VST System Link network. This will manifest
itself by notes “choking” or timing becoming erratic.
If this happens, you can devote more bandwidth to MIDI
by activating “Use Selected ASIO Ports for Data only” in
the VST System Link Setup panel. When this is activated,
the VST System Link information will be sent on the entire
channel instead of just one bit, more than enough for all
the MIDI you could ever hope to use. The downside is that

Make sure that all computers have their tempos set
to the same value, otherwise your synchronization
will be seriously skewed.

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Synchronization

you can no longer use this ASIO channel for audio transfer
(do not connect it to a speaker!), thus leaving you only 7
channels of audio in our ADAT cable example. Depending
on how you work this might be a reasonable compromise.

8. Activate monitoring for the four tracks.
If you now start playback, the audio from computer 2 will
be sent “live” to the new tracks on computer 1, allowing
you to hear them together with any tracks you play back
on computer 1.

Hearing the network audio

For more information about Monitoring, see “About monitoring” on page 13.

If you are using an external mixing desk, hearing your audio
really is not an issue – just plug the outputs of each computer into the desired channels on the external mixing desk,
press Play on one of the computers, and you're good to go.

Adding more tracks
What if you have more audio tracks than you have VST
System Link busses (physical outputs)? Then you just use
the computer 2 mixer as a submixer: Route several audio
channels to the same output bus and adjust the output
bus level if needed.

However, many people prefer to mix internally inside the
computer and just use a desk for monitoring (or maybe not
use any external mixer at all). In this case you will need to
select one computer to be your “main mix computer” and
send the audio from your other computers into this.

Note also that if your audio cards have multiple sets of input and output connections you can link up multiple ADAT
cables and send audio via any of the busses on any of the
cables.

In the following example, we assume you are using two
computers, with computer 1 as your main mix computer
and computer 2 running two additional stereo audio
tracks, an FX channel track with a reverb plug-in and a
VST instrument plug-in with stereo outputs.

Internal mixing and latency
One problem with mixing inside the computer is the latency
issue we mentioned earlier. The VST engine always compensates for record latencies, but if you are monitoring
through computer 1 you will hear a processing delay while
you listen to signals coming from your other computers (not
on your recording!). If your audio card in computer 1 supports ASIO Direct Monitoring you should definitely turn this
on – you can find the setting in the VST Audio System Device Setup panel (see “ASIO Direct Monitoring” on page
53). Most modern ASIO cards support this function. If
yours does not you may want to change the Offset value in
the VST System Link Setup panel to compensate for any latency issues.

1. First you want to set things up so that you can listen to
the audio playback from computer 1.
In other words, you need an unused set of outputs, e.g. an analog stereo
output, connected to your monitoring equipment.

2. Go to computer 2 and route each of the two audio
tracks to a separate output bus.
These should be busses connected to the digital outputs – let’s call
them Bus 1 and 2.

3. Route the FX channel track to another VST System Link
bus (Bus 3).
4. Route the VST instrument channel to yet another bus
(Bus 4).
5. Go back to computer 1 and check the corresponding
four VST System Link input busses.

Setting up a larger network
This is not much more difficult than a two computer network. The main thing to remember is that VST System Link
is a daisy chain system. In other words, the output of computer 1 goes to the input of computer 2, the output of
computer 2 goes to the input of computer 3, and so on
around the chain. The output of the last computer in the
chain must always go back into the input of computer 1, to
complete the ring.

If you start playback on computer 2, the audio should “appear” on the input
busses on computer 1. However, to mix these audio sources you need actual mixer channels.

6. Add four new stereo audio tracks on computer 1 and
route these to the output bus you use for listening, e.g. to
the analog stereo outputs.
7. For each of the audio tracks, select one of the four input busses.
Now, each computer 2 bus is routed to a separate audio channel on
computer 1.
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Synchronization

Once you have done this, the transmission of all the transport, sync, and MIDI information to the whole network is
handled pretty much automatically. However, where you
may run into confusion in a large network is in the transmission of audio signals back to a central mix computer.

6. Assign the MIDI input of the track to be VST System
Link port 1.
Now, the MIDI track on computer 1 is routed to the MIDI track on computer 2, which in turn is routed to the VST Instrument.

7. Now activate monitoring for the MIDI track on computer 2, so that it will listen and respond to any MIDI commands coming in.

If you have lots of hardware inputs and outputs on your
ASIO cards you do not have to send audio via the chain at
all, but can transmit it directly to the master mix computer
via one or more of its other hardware Inputs. For example, if
you have a Nuendo Digiset interface or 9652 card on computer 1 you could use ADAT cable 1 for networking, ADAT
cable 2 as a direct audio input from computer 2, and ADAT
cable 3 as a direct audio input from computer 3.

In Cubase AI, you would click the Monitor button in the Track list or Inspector.

8. Start Playback on computer 1.
It will now send the MIDI information on the track to the VST Instrument
loaded on computer 2.

Even with a slow computer you should be able to stack a
whole bunch of extra VST Instruments this way, expanding
your sound palette considerably. Do not forget that VST
System Link MIDI is also sample-accurate, and thus has
much tighter timing than any hardware MIDI interface ever
invented!

You can also transmit audio via the ring system if you do
not have enough hardware I/Os for direct audio transmission. For example, in a four computer scenario you could
send audio from computer 2 into a channel in the mixer in
computer 3, and from there to a channel in the mixer in
computer 4, and from there back to the master mixer in
computer 1. This can certainly be tricky to set up, so generally it is recommended that if you want to set up a complex network, you should make sure to use ASIO cards
with at least three separate digital I/Os.

Creating a virtual effect rack

Application examples

The effect sends for an audio channel in Cubase AI can
either be routed to an FX channel track or to any activated
Group or output bus. This allows you to use a separate
computer as a “virtual effect rack”, by setting things up in
the following way:

Using one computer for VST instruments

1. Go to computer 2 (the machine you will use as effect
rack) and add a new stereo audio track.

In this example, one computer will be used as main record
and playback machine, and another computer as a virtual
synth rack.

You cannot use an FX channel track in this case, since the track must
have an audio input.

1. Record a MIDI track into computer 1.

Let’s say you add a high-quality reverb plug-in.

2. Once you have finished recording, route the MIDI output of that track to System Link MIDI port 1.

3. In the Inspector, select one of the VST System Link
busses as input for the audio track.

2. Add the desired effect as an insert effect for the track.

You want to use a separate System Link bus, which will only be used for
this purpose.

3. Now go to computer 2, open up the VST Instrument
rack and assign an instrument to the first slot in the rack.

4. Route the channel to the desired output bus.

4. Route the VST Instrument channel to the desired output bus.

If you are using computer 1 as your main mixing computer, this would be
one of the VST System Link output busses, connected to computer 1.

5. Activate monitoring for the track.
6. Now, go back to computer 1 and select a track to
which you want to add some reverb.

5. Create a new MIDI track in the Project window of
computer 2, and assign the MIDI output of the track to the
VST Instrument you created.

7. Bring up the effect sends for the track in the Inspector.

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Synchronization

8. Open the Send Routing pop-up menu for one of the
sends, and select the VST System Link bus assigned to
the reverb in step 3.
9. Use the Send slider to adjust the amount of effect as
usual.
The signal will be sent to the track on computer 2 and processed through its insert effect, without using any processor power on computer 1.
You can repeat the steps above to add more effects to the
“virtual effect rack”. The number of effects available this way
is only limited by the number of ports used in the VST System Link connection (and of course by the performance of
computer 2, but given that it will not have to handle any recording or playback, you should be able to use quite a lot of
effects).

Getting extra audio tracks
All computers on a VST System Link network are locked
with sample-accuracy. Therefore, if you find that the hard
drive on one computer is not fast enough to run as many
audio tracks as you need, you can record new tracks on
one of the other computers instead. This would create a
“virtual RAID system”, with several disks all operating together. All tracks will remain locked together just as tightly
as if they were all running on the same machine. This
means that you effectively have an unlimited track count!
Need another 100 tracks? Just add another computer.

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Synchronization

23
Video

Background

Trying to import or play back a file not supported by
the selected video playback engine leads to unpredictable results – if no information on the number of
frames, the length and the pixel resolution is available
in the Import Video dialog or the Pool, you cannot import/play this file properly with this particular video
playback engine.

You can change the video playback engine in the
Device Setup dialog. After having done so, make
sure to remove any previously imported video file
from the Pool first, and re-import it.

Cubase AI plays back video films in a number of formats.
Under Windows, video playback can be done using one
of three playback engines: Video for Windows, DirectShow or QuickTime 7.1. This ensures compatibility with as
wide a range of video files as possible. The following file
formats are supported: AVI, QuickTime and MPEG.
Under Mac OS X, QuickTime is always used as playback
engine. QuickTime supports the following video file formats: AVI, MPEG, QuickTime and DV.
There are two ways to play back video:

About the QuickTime video playback engine

• Without any special hardware.

In Cubase AI for Windows, you select a playback engine
in the Device Setup–Video Player page:

See “Playing back video without any hardware” on page 250.

• Using video hardware that, for example, connects to an
external monitor.
See “Playing back video file using video hardware” on page 251.

Before you start
When working on a project involving a video file, there are
several points to bear in mind:

Have you selected the right playback engine?
(Windows only)
The playback engine is used not only for playback of the
video file, but also to provide file information in the Pool and
in the Import Video dialog. Therefore, to make sure that you
have chosen the right playback engine for a particular type
of video file, check the file information displayed in the Import Video dialog or the Pool prior to trying to import or
playing back the file.

• Generally, you can expect most Windows hardware to
work with DirectShow.

When this information reads “0x0 pixel”, “0.000 s” and “0
Frames”, the video file is either corrupt, or the format is not
supported by the codecs available to the selected video
playback engine. You will either have to change the video
playback engine, or install the required codec.

On a Windows system, the DirectShow and Video for Windows players
are provided by the operating system, so you do not have to install any
additional software.

• Under Windows, QuickTime 7.1 must be installed on
your computer for QuickTime playback to be available.
There is a freeware version (a QuickTime installer is included on the Cubase AI DVD if required, or you can download it from www.quicktime.com)
and a “pro” version, which offers additional video cutting options. The engine is the same in both versions, so for mere playback in Cubase AI there
is no need to purchase the “pro” version.

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Video

• Under Mac OS X, only the QuickTime playback engine
is available, supporting the formats AVI, MPEG, QuickTime and DV. If your system has a FireWire port, there is
also a FireWire option – see below.
!

In the Track list and Inspector, you will find the following
controls for video tracks:

QuickTime as a video playback engine is available
only if you have QuickTime 7.1 (or higher) installed
on your computer. If you do not have QuickTime, or if
a version lower than 7.1 is installed, this option will
not be available in Cubase AI.

Button

Description

Mute Video

When this is activated, video playback will be stopped,
but playback of any other events in the project will continue (to decrease the processor load). You may have to
use the Track Controls Settings dialog to make this button visible in the Track list.

To view the video on the computer screen (as opposed to
on an external monitor, see below), proceed as follows:

Video quality in QuickTime

• If you’re running Mac OS X, open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu, click “Video Player” in the list
and make sure “Onscreen Window” is selected in the
Video Output section of the dialog.

When you are using QuickTime as your video playback
engine, you can select “High Quality” from the Video window context-menu, or “Use high-quality video settings
when available” in the Device Setup dialog, Video Player
page, in the Video Properties section for QuickTime.

• Under Windows, either pull down the Devices menu
and select Video, or use a key command – by default [F8],
or double-click the video clip.

• When your QuickTime video was recorded with the corresponding quality settings, selecting the “Use high-quality video settings when available” or the “High Quality”
option will make the video display sharper and smoother.

A video window appears. In Stop mode, this displays the video frame at
the project cursor position.

Note that this will also lead to increased processor load.

The video will be played back together with any other
events in the Project window as usual.

Video playback preferences

Playing back video without any hardware

In the Preferences (Event Display–Video page), there are
two options for video playback:

• For the DirectShow video player, open the Device Setup
dialog from the Devices menu, click Video Player in the Devices list and use the buttons in the Video Properties section to select a size or right-click in the video window to
switch to full screen. Right-click again to exit full screen.

• Show Video Thumbnails.
When this is activated, thumbnail frames of the video contents are shown
in the track.

• For the QuickTime player (Windows and Mac), you can
drag the borders, just like resizing other windows. You can
also right-click in the video window to open the Video window context menu and select one of the Size options.
There is also a Full Screen Mode available in the menu.
Right-click again or press the [Esc] key on your computer
keyboard to exit full screen mode.

• Video Cache Size.
This determines how much memory is available for video thumbnails. If you
have long video clips and/or work with a large zoom factor (so that a lot of
frames are shown in the thumbnails), you may have to raise this value.

Playing back a video file
Video files are displayed as events/clips on the video
track, with thumbnails representing the frames in the film
(if the option Show Video Thumbnails is activated in the
Preferences, see above).

Ö Playing back video on your computer screen puts a limit
on the size of the video window as well as the image quality.

A video event on a video track

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Video

Playing back video file using video hardware

Video import preferences

Under Windows, multi-head graphics cards that support
overlay functionality can be used to display the video picture on an external TV or computer monitor in full screen
mode. The manufacturers nVIDIA and Matrox have working (and tested) solutions available. Check the card’s documentation for information on how it handles video
output and how to set it up for multi-monitor display.

In the Preferences dialog (Editing–Video page), you will
find one option that affects the import of video files:
• Generate Thumbnail Cache on Import Video File
When this is activated, a thumbnail cache file will be created automatically when you import a video file. This is handy, as a cache file will also
be created when you import a video file using drag and drop.

Advantage of thumbnail cache files

For Apple computers equipped with a FireWire port, you
can easily connect external video hardware via this, as
OS X has built-in video support for the most common formats (NTSC/PAL/DVCPRO). FireWire is capable of high
data-transfer speed and is the most common standard for
communicating with video-related peripheral equipment.
To play back a video file via hardware connected to the
FireWire port, select “FireWire” in the Outputs pop-up of
the Device Setup–Video Player dialog. When FireWire is
selected as output, a number of format options appear on
the Format pop-up, allowing you to select between various video formats and resolutions.

Ö To display video thumbnails in the Project window, the
option “Show Video Thumbnails” has to be activated in
the Preferences dialog (Event Display–Video page).
When working with video in Cubase AI, video files are displayed as events/clips on the video track with thumbnails
representing the frames in the film. These are calculated in
realtime, i.e. they have to be redrawn during scrolling or
moving. As this consumes quite a lot of processor power,
reaction sometimes may be sluggish. To remedy this, you
can generate a thumbnail cache file.
The cache file is used in situations where the processor
load is very high and the correct redrawing or realtime calculation might use system resources necessary for editing
or processing. When the cache file is used and you zoom
in on the thumbnails, you will see that they are in a lower
resolution, i.e. the pictures are not as clean as when they
are calculated. When the processes that rely heavily on the
computer CPU are finished, the frames will be automatically recalculated, i.e. the program automatically switches
between realtime calculation of the pictures and using the
cache file.

Operations
Importing a video file
Video files are imported in the same manner as audio files.
• By using the File menu (Import–Video File).
• By using drag and drop from the Windows Explorer/
Mac OS Finder or the Pool.
This requires that a video track has been added to the Project and that
you drop the video file onto this track.

The generated thumbnail cache file will be stored in the
same folder as the video file and will get the name of the
file with the suffix “.videocache”.

• By importing the file to the Pool first and then dragging
it into the Project window (see the chapter “The Pool” on
page 143 for details).
Please note the following:
• You can only have one video track in each project. The Video
track is added like other tracks in the Project window by using
the Add Track submenu on the Project menu. If a project does
not contain a video track when you import a video file via File–
Import–Video file, this is added automatically.
• All video files on the track must be of the same size and compression format.

251
Video

Generating thumbnail cache files during video import

After the file is created, the window will be closed and the
thumbnail cache file is used when necessary, i.e. under
high load.

A thumbnail cache file will be created automatically before
the file is inserted in the Project window, if you activated
“Generate Thumbnail Cache on Import Video File” in the
Preferences (Editing–Video page).

A window will be displayed, showing you the progress
and the estimated time for the process.

Please note that the cache file will not be automatically updated if a video file is edited. Whenever you
change a video file (e.g. in a video editing application), you need to create a new thumbnail cache file
manually, as described above. (To refresh the “real”
thumbnails of an edited video file, resize the video
track so that they are calculated again.)

Editing a video file
Video clips are played back by events just as audio clips
are. You can use all the basic editing operations on video
events, just as with audio events. The following operations
are not possible on the video track:

The thumbnail cache file is being created.

After the cache file is created, the window will be closed
and the video clip is inserted as usual. When you now
start video playback and perform processor consuming
operations, the thumbnail file is used to display the video
frames in the Project window. When enough processor
power is available, the “real” calculated thumbnail frames
are displayed again.

• Drawing, Gluing, and Scrubbing.
Note that when you activate the Mute button for a video track, the video
playback will be stopped, but playback of any other Project events will
continue, see below.

• The video track has no editor and does not make use of
parts.
• Cubase AI allows you to cut, copy, paste and trim video
events, i.e. your video track may contain more than one
video event. However, when using the DirectShow video
player (Windows only), you may find that only the first event
on the video track is played back correctly. In such a case
make sure that the video track contains no more than one
video event.

Generating thumbnail cache files from within the Pool
When you have video files without thumbnail cache files
(e.g. if you did not create a thumbnail cache file during import), you always have the possibility to generate the
thumbnail cache file at a later stage. This is done from
within the Pool.

• Under Windows, you may find that you are unable to
edit a video file copied from a CD. This is because files
copied from CD are write protected by default. Right-click
the file, and deactivate the “Read-Only” option in the File
Properties dialog.

Proceed as follows:
1. Open the Pool window and locate the video file you
want to create a thumbnail cache file for.
2. Right-click the file to open the context menu and select “Generate Thumbnail Cache”, or select “Generate
Thumbnail Cache” from the Media menu.

• When you have a video file in a format not supported by
Cubase AI, use an external application to convert the file
to a format that Cubase AI can import.

Just as when creating the file during import, the status window opens
(see above).

252
Video

24
File handling

Working with Projects

Choosing a template
In the category bar of the Project Assistant dialog, the available factory templates are sorted into the predefined categories Recording, Production, Scoring, and Mastering.
Furthermore, there is a More category which contains the
default project template (see “Setting up a default template” on page 256) and all templates that are not assigned
to any of the other categories.

New Project
With the “New Project…” command on the File menu you
open the Project Assistant dialog which allows you to access recently opened projects and create new projects,
which can either be empty or based on a template.

When you click on one of the category items, the list below
the category bar shows the available factory templates for
this category that were installed with Cubase AI. Any new
templates that you create (see “Save as Template” on page
256) are added at the top of the corresponding list for convenient access.

Category
bar

Template
list

• To create an empty project that is not based on a template, select the “Emtpy” entry in the More category and
click the Create button.
An empty project is also created if no template is selected in the currently shown category.

• You can rename or delete a template by right-clicking it
in the list and selecting the corresponding option on the
context menu.
Location
options

Choosing a project location
The options in the lower part of the dialog allow you to
specify where the project should be stored.

Open Other button

This dialog will also open in the following cases:

• Select “Use default location” to create the project in the
default project location (as shown in the path field), and
click Create.

• If you launch Cubase AI with the option “Show Project
Assistant” selected on the “On Startup” pop-up menu in
the Preferences (General page).

In the “Project folder” field you can also specify a name for the project
folder.
If you do not specify a project folder here, the project will reside in a folder
named “Untitled”.

• If you hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] while launching Cubase AI.

Ö To change the default project location, simply click in
the path field. A file dialog opens, allowing you to specify a
new default location.

Opening recent projects
The Recent category in the category bar of the Project Assistant dialog contains a list of recently opened projects.
When you select an item in this category, the Create button changes to “Open”, allowing you to open the corresponding project. This list is similar to the list in the Recent
Projects submenu on the File menu.

• Select “Prompt for project location” and click Continue
to create the project in a different location.
In the dialog that appears, specify a location and a project folder.

Ö For a description of how to create a new project, see
also “Creating a new project” on page 21.

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File handling

Open Other

About the “Missing Ports” dialog

The “Open Other” button allows you to open any project
file on your system. This is identical to using the Open
command from the File menu, see below.

If you open a Cubase AI project created on a different system (other audio hardware), the program tries to find
matching audio inputs and outputs for the i/o busses (this is
one of the reasons why you should use descriptive, generic
names for your input and output ports – see “Preparations”
on page 10).

Open
The “Open…” command on the File menu is used for
opening saved project files.

If the program cannot resolve all audio/MIDI inputs and
outputs used in the project, a Missing Ports dialog will
open. This allows you to manually re-route any ports specified in the project to ports available in your system.

1. Select “Open…” from the File menu.
A file dialog opens, allowing you to select a project.

2. Click Open to open the selected project.
• Several projects can be open at the same time.

This is useful if you want to copy parts or entire sections from one project
to another.

The Close command on the File menu closes the active
window. If a Project window is active, selecting this closes
the corresponding project.

3. If there is already an open project, you will be asked if
you want to activate the new project.

• If the project contains unsaved changes, you are asked
whether you want to save it before closing.
If you select “Don’t Save” and have recorded or created new audio files
since saving, you will be asked if you want to delete or keep these.

Save and Save As
The commands Save and Save As allow you to save the
active project as a project file (file extension “.cpr”). The
Save command stores the project under its current name
and location, while Save As allows you to rename and/or
relocate the file. If a project has not been saved yet or if it
has not been changed since it was last saved, only Save
As is available.

• Click No to open the project inactive.
This significantly reduces load times, especially for large projects.

• Click Activate to open and activate the new project.
The active project is indicated by the blue Activate Project button in the
upper left corner of the Project window. To activate a different project,
simply click its Activate Project button.

Generally, we recommend that you save project files
in their project folders, to keep the projects as
manageable as possible.

A word about file extensions
Under Windows, file types are indicated by three letter file
name extensions (such as *.cpr for Cubase AI project files).
• You can also open project files by selecting an entry
from the “Recent Projects” submenu on the File menu.

Under Mac OS X, it is not necessary to use file name extensions, since the file types are stored internally in the
files. However, if you want your Cubase AI projects to be
compatible with both platforms, you should make sure the
option “Use File Extension in File Dialog” is activated in
the Preferences (General page). When this is activated,
the proper file name extension is automatically added
when you save a file.

This submenu lists the projects you have recently worked with, with the
most recent at the top of the list. This list can also be found in the Project
Assistant dialog, see “New Project” on page 254.

• You can also set Cubase AI to automatically open a
project when you launch the program (see “Startup Options” on page 257).

255
File handling

Save New Version

Setting up a default template

This function is only available as a key command, by default [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Alt]/[Option]-[S]. When you use
this function, an identical, new project file is being created
and activated.

If you always want the same default project to open when
you launch Cubase AI, you can save a default template.
Proceed as follows:
1. Set up a project.

The new file will get the same name as the original project,
but with an incremental number attached. For example, if
your project is called “My Project”, you will get new versions
called “My Project-01”, “My Project-02”, and so on.

2. Select “Save As Template…” from the File menu and
save the project template with the name “default”.
3. Open the Preferences dialog and select the General
page.

Save New Version is useful if you are experimenting with
edits and arrangements and want to be able to go back to
a previous version at any time. The newest versions are always listed on the Recent Projects submenu on the File
menu for instant access (see also “Opening recent projects” on page 254).

4. Open the “On Startup” pop-up and select “Open ‘Default’ Template”.
The next time you launch Cubase AI, the default template
will automatically be opened. For details on the other Startup options, see “Startup Options” on page 257.
Ö In the Project Assistant dialog, the default project template is found in the More category.

Save as Template
This function allows you to save the current project as a
template. When you create a new project, the available
templates are listed, allowing you to base the new project
on a template.

Back up Project
This function is very useful if you want to move or backup
your project.

Proceed as follows:

1. Select “Back up Project…” from the File menu.

1. Set up a project.

A file dialog opens in which you can choose an existing empty folder or
create a new folder to save the project.

2. Select “Save As Template…” from the File menu and
enter a name for the new project template.

2. Click OK.
The “Back up Project Options” dialog opens.

• In the Tag Editor section you can assign the template to
one of the four template categories shown in the Project
Assistant dialog (see “New Project” on page 254) and/or
enter a description for the template.
Simply select a category value from the Template Type pop-up menu
and/or enter a description in the Content Summary field.

Ö If you do not choose a Template Type attribute, the
new template will be shown in the More category in the
Project Assistant dialog.
3. Click OK to save the template.
• Templates can contain clips and events just like regular
projects.
If this is not what you want, make sure to remove all clips from the Pool
before you save the project as a template.

Templates are always stored in the Templates folder, see
“Where are the settings stored?” on page 267.

256
File handling

This dialog contains the following options:
Option

Description

Project Name

Enter a project name if you want to change it from the default (the current name of the project).

Keep Current
Project Active

When this option is activated, the current project will still
be the active project after clicking OK. If you wish to
switch to the new backup project instead, you need to
deactivate this option.

Minimize Audio
Files

If this is activated, only the audio file portions that are actually used in the project will be included. This can significantly reduce the size of the project folder (if you are
using small sections of large files), but it also means you
cannot use other portions of the audio files if you continue working with the project in its new folder.

Freeze Edits

This will perform a Freeze Edits operation, making all processing and applied effects permanent to each clip in the
Pool, see “Freeze Edits” on page 123.

Remove
Unused Files

When this is activated, only files in the Pool that are actually used in the project will be stored in the new folder.

Do Not Back
up Video

When this is activated, any video clips on the video track
or in the Pool of the current project will not be included in
the backup project.

• Use the “Maximum Backup Files” option to specify how
many backup files will be created with the Auto Save
function.
When the maximum number of backup files is reached, the existing files
will be overwritten (starting with the oldest file).

Ö With this option only the project files themselves will
be backed up. If you want to include the files from the Pool
and save your project in a different location, you need to
use the “Back up Project” function.

Startup Options
The “On Startup” pop-up menu in the Preferences (General page) allows you to specify what should happen each
time you launch Cubase AI.

3. Make the desired settings.
4. Click OK.

The following options are available:

A copy of the project is saved in the new folder. The original project is
not affected.

Option

Description

Do Nothing

Cubase AI launches without opening a project.

Open Last
Project

The last saved project is opened on launch.

Open ‘Default’
Template

The default template is opened, see “Setting up a default template” on page 256.

Show Open
Dialog

The Open dialog opens on launch, allowing you to manually locate and open the desired project.

Show Project
Assistant

The Project Assistant dialog opens on launch, allowing
you to open a recently opened project or to create a
new project from one of the templates (see “New Project” on page 254).

Auto Save

If you activate the Auto Save option in the Preferences
(General page), Cubase AI will automatically save backup
copies of all open projects with unsaved changes.
These backup copies are named “xx.bak”, where xx is an incremental number. Unsaved
projects are backed up in a similar way as “UntitledXxx.bak”, with X being the incremental number for unsaved
projects. All backup files are saved in the project folder.

Revert

• Use the “Auto Save Interval” setting to specify the time
intervals in which a backup copy will be created.

If you have recorded or created new audio files since saving, you will be asked whether you want to delete or keep
these.

If you select “Revert” from the File menu, you will be asked
whether you really want to revert to the last saved version
of the project. If you click “Revert”, all changes you have
made since saving will be discarded.

257
File handling

Importing audio

Unlike a regular audio file, the imported REX file will consist of several events, one for each “slice” in the loop. The
events will automatically be placed in an audio part on the
selected track and positioned so that the original internal
timing of the loop is preserved.

In Cubase AI audio can be imported in a variety of different formats. For example, you can import audio files saved
in different formats (compressed and uncompressed).
For information on audio file import preferences, see “Audio
file import options” on page 27. For information on how to
import audio files into the Pool and import options, see
“About the Import Medium dialog” on page 151.

5. If you now open the part in the Audio Part Editor, you
can edit each slice separately by muting, moving and resizing events, adding effects and processing, etc.

Importing ReCycle files

Ö You can achieve similar results by using Cubase AI’s
own loop slicing features, see “Working with hitpoints and
slices” on page 134.

You can also adjust the tempo and have the REX file automatically follow
(provided that its track is tempo based).

ReCycle by Propellerhead Software is a program designed
especially for working with sampled loops. By “slicing” a
loop and making separate samples of each beat, ReCycle
makes it possible to match the tempo of a loop and edit the
loop as if it was built of individual sounds. Cubase AI can
import two file types created by ReCycle:

Importing compressed audio files
Cubase AI can import (and export, see “Mixing down to
audio files” on page 227) several common audio compression formats. The procedure is the same as when importing any non-compressed audio file, with one important
thing to note:

• REX files (export file format of the first versions of ReCycle,
extension “.rex”).
• REX 2 files (file format of ReCycle 2.0 and later, extension
“.rx2”).
!

• When you import a compressed audio file, Cubase AI
creates a copy of the file and converts this to Wave format
(Windows) or AIFF format (Mac OS X) before importing it.
The original compressed file will not be used in the project.

For this to work, the REX Shared Library needs to be
installed on your system. If this is not the case, you will
find the corresponding installer on the installation DVD
(in the “Additional Content\Installer Data” folder).

The imported file is placed in the designated project Audio folder.
!

Proceed as follows:
1. Select an audio track and move the project cursor to
where you want the imported file to start.

The resulting Wave/AIFF file will be several times
larger than the original compressed file.

The following file types are supported:

You probably want to import REX files to tempo based audio tracks, since
this will allow you to change the tempo later on (having the imported REX
file automatically adjust).

MPEG audio files

2. Select “Audio File…” from the Import submenu on the
File menu.

MPEG, which stands for Moving Picture Experts Group, is
the name of a family of standards used for encoding audiovisual information (e.g. movies, video, music) in a digital
compressed format.

3. On the file type pop-up menu in the file dialog, select
REX File or REX 2 File.

Cubase AI can read MPEG Layer 3 (*.mp3) files.
Windows Media Audio files (Windows only)

4. Locate and select the file you want to import, and click
Open.

Windows Media Audio is an audio format developed by
Microsoft, Inc. Due to advanced audio compression algorithms, Windows Media Audio files can be made very
small, maintaining good audio quality. The files have the
extension “.wma”.

The file is imported and automatically adjusted to the current Cubase AI
tempo.

Ö For exporting Audio, see the chapter “Export Audio
Mixdown” on page 226.
258
File handling

Exporting and importing standard
MIDI files

Option

Description

Export
Automation

If this is activated, the automation data (as heard during
playback) are converted to MIDI controller events and included in the MIDI file, see the chapter “Automation” on
page 108.
Note that if a continuous controller (e.g. CC7) has been
recorded but the Read button is deactivated for the automation track (i.e. the automation is effectively switched
off for this parameter), only the part data for this controller
will be exported.
If this option is deactivated and the Automation Read
button is activated, no Continuous Controllers are exported. If the Read button is deactivated, the Controller
data of the MIDI part are exported (these will now be handled like “regular” part data).
In most cases, you would probably activate this option.

Export as
Type 0

If this is activated, the MIDI file will be of type 0 (all data
on a single track, but on different MIDI channels). If you
do not activate this option, the MIDI file will be of Type 1
(data on separate tracks). Which type to choose depends on what you want to do with the MIDI file (in which
application or sequencer it should be used, etc.).

Export
Resolution

You can specify a MIDI resolution between 24 and 960
for the MIDI file. The resolution is the number of pulses, or
ticks, per quarter note (PPQ) and determines the precision with which you will be able to view and edit the MIDI
data. The higher the resolution, the higher the precision.
The resolution should be chosen depending on the application or sequencer with which the MIDI file will be used
though, since certain applications and sequencers may
not be able to handle certain resolutions.

Export Locator
Range

If this is activated, only the range between the locators
will be exported.

Export
includes Delay

If this is activated, the delay of the MIDI track will be included in the MIDI file. For more information about the
Delay option, see “Basic track settings” on page 167.

Cubase AI can import and export Standard MIDI Files,
which makes it possible to transfer MIDI material to and
from virtually any MIDI application on any platform. When
you import and export MIDI files, you can also specify
whether certain settings associated with the tracks should
be included in the files (automation tracks, volume and
pan settings, etc.).

Exporting MIDI files
To export your MIDI tracks as a standard MIDI file, pull
down the File menu and select “MIDI File…” from the Export submenu. A regular file dialog opens, allowing you to
specify a location and name for the file.
When you have specified a location and a name for the file,
click “Save”. The Export Options dialog opens, allowing you
to specify a number of options for the file – what should be
included in the file, its type and its resolution (see below for
a description of the options).

Ö The MIDI file will include the tempo information of the
project (i.e. it will include the tempo and time signature
events of the Tempo Track Editor or, if the Tempo Track is
deactivated on the Transport panel, the current tempo and
time signature).

The Export Options dialog

You will also find these settings in the Preferences (MIDI–
MIDI File page). If you set these up in the Preferences, you
only need to click OK in the Export Options dialog to
proceed.

Ö Inspector settings other than those specified in the Export options are not included in the MIDI file!

The dialog contains the following options:
Option

Description

Export Inspector Patch

If this is activated, the MIDI patch settings in the Inspector – Bank Select and Program Select (used for selecting
sounds in the connected MIDI instrument) are included
as MIDI Bank Select and Program Change events in the
MIDI file.

Export Inspector Volume/
Pan

If this is activated, Volume and Pan settings made in the
Inspector are included as MIDI Volume and Pan events in
the MIDI file.

259
File handling

Importing MIDI files

Option

Description

To import a MIDI file from disk, proceed as follows:

Auto Dissolve
Format 0

If this is activated and you import a MIDI file of type 0 into
the project, the file will automatically be “dissolved”: For
each embedded MIDI channel in the file, a separate track
will be inserted in the Project window.
If this is deactivated, only one MIDI track will be created.
This track will be set to MIDI Channel “Any”, allowing all
MIDI events to play back on their original channels. You
can also use the “Dissolve Part” function on the MIDI
menu to distribute the events onto different tracks with
different MIDI Channels at a later stage.

Import to Instrument
tracks

If this is activated and you drag a MIDI file into the
project, an Instrument track will be created instead of a
MIDI track. Furthermore, the program will load the corresponding track preset for the instrument track (based on
the program change events included in the MIDI file).

1. Select “MIDI File…” from the Import submenu on the
File menu.
2. If there is already an open project, a dialog opens in
which you can select whether a new project should be
created for the file.
If you select “No”, the MIDI file will be imported into the current project.

3. Locate and select the MIDI file in the file dialog that
opens and click Open.
• If you choose to create a new project, select the project
folder.
Select an existing project folder or create a new one.

The MIDI file is imported. The result depends on the contents of the MIDI file and the Import Options settings in the
Preferences dialog (MIDI–MIDI File page). The Import Options are as follows:
Option

Description

Extract First
Patch

If this is activated, the first Program Change and Bank
Select events for each track are converted to Inspector
settings for the track.

Extract First
Volume/Pan

If this is activated, the first MIDI Volume and Pan events
for each track are converted to Inspector settings for the
track.

Import Controller as Automation Tracks

If this is activated, MIDI controller events in the MIDI file
will be converted to automation data for the MIDI tracks.
If this is deactivated, controller data for the MIDI Parts will
be imported.

Import to Left
Locator

If this is activated, the imported MIDI file will be placed so
that it starts at the position of the left locator – otherwise
it will start at the beginning of the project. Note that if you
choose to have a new project created automatically, the
MIDI file will always start at the beginning of the project.

Import
dropped File
as single Part

If this is activated and you drag and drop a MIDI file into
the project, the whole file will be placed on a single track.

Ignore Master
Track Events
on Merge

If this is activated and you import a MIDI file into the current project, tempo track data in the MIDI file are ignored.
The imported MIDI file will play according to the current
tempo track in the project.
If this option is deactivated, the Tempo Track Editor will be
adjusted according to the tempo information in the MIDI
file.

260
File handling

25
Customizing

Background

The following general options are available on the setup
context menus:

The user can customize the appearance and functionality
of Cubase AI in various ways.

• “Show All” makes all items visible.
• “Default” resets the interface to the default setting.

User configurable items described in this chapter are:

• “Setup…” opens the Setup dialog (see below).

• Setup dialogs

If presets are available, they can be selected on the lower
half of the menu.

Several parts of the user interface (toolbars, Transport panel, Inspector,
info lines and Channel Settings windows) provide a Setup dialog, where
you can configure which items of the respective window area or panel are
to be shown or hidden and where they should be located – see “Using the
Setup options” on page 262.

• Track list
The controls shown in the Track list can be set for each track type – see
“Customizing track controls” on page 263.

• Appearance
The general look of the program can be adjusted – see “Appearance” on
page 265.

This section shows
Setup presets, if
available.

• Track and event colors
You can adjust which colors should be used – see “Applying track and
event colors” on page 265.
The info line setup context menu

This chapter also contains a section describing where your
preferences and settings are stored (see “Where are the
settings stored?” on page 267), to help you transfer your
customized settings to another computer.

The Setup dialogs
If you select “Setup…” from the setup context menus, the
Setup dialog opens. This allows you to specify which elements should be visible/hidden and to set the order of the
elements. You can also save and recall setup presets in
this dialog.

Using the Setup options
You can customize the appearance of the following elements:
•
•
•
•
•

Transport panel
Info line
Channel Settings window
Toolbars
Inspector

The setup context menus
If you right-click the Transport panel, the toolbars, the info
lines, or the Inspector, the respective setup context menu
opens. For Channel Settings windows, these options are
found in the dialog’s context menu, on the Customize
View submenu. Here, you can activate/deactivate elements as desired.

The dialog is divided into two sections. The left section
displays the currently visible items and the right section
displays the currently hidden items.

262
Customizing

• You can change the current show/hide status by selecting items in one section and then use the arrow buttons in
the middle of the dialog to move them to the other section.

Click here to open
the pop-up menu.

Changes are applied directly.

• By selecting items in the “Visible Items” list and using the
Move Up and Move Down buttons, you can reorder the
items list.
Changes are applied directly. To undo all changes and revert to the standard layout, select “Default” on the setup context menu.

• If you click the Save button (disk icon) in the Presets
section, a dialog opens, allowing you to name the current
configuration and save it as a preset.
• To remove a preset, select it on the presets pop-up
menu and click the trash icon.
• Saved configurations are available for selection from the
Presets pop-up in the Setup dialog or directly from the
setup context menu.

Setting the track type

Customizing track controls

The settings made in the Track Controls Settings dialog
apply to the selected track type, which is shown in the
menu display in the top left corner of the dialog.

For each track type you can configure which track controls
should be shown in the Track list. You can also specify the
order of controls and group controls so that they are always
shown adjacent to each other. This is done using the Track
Controls Settings dialog.

• To change the track type, click the arrow to the right in
the menu display and select a track type from the pop-up
menu that opens.
All settings made in the dialog will apply to all tracks (current and subsequent) of the selected type.

Opening the Track Controls Settings dialog
There are two ways to open the dialog:
• Right-click a track in the Track list and select “Track
Controls Settings…” from the context menu.
• Click the arrow in the top left corner of the Track list and
select “Track Controls Settings…”.

The Track Type pop-up in the Track Controls Settings dialog

Ö Always make sure that you have selected the desired
track type when editing the track controls!

263
Customizing

Removing, adding and moving track controls

About Wrap Controls

The dialog is divided into two sections. The left section
displays controls currently visible on the Track list, and the
right section displays the controls currently hidden.

This is activated by default. Wrap Controls allows the controls to be dynamically repositioned when resizing the Track
list. That is, as many controls as possible will be displayed
depending on the current size of the Track list.

• You can hide controls from the Track list by selecting
them in the list to the left and clicking the Remove button.
To show hidden elements, select them in the list to the
right and click the Add button.

If you deactivate Wrap Controls, the positions of the controls are fixed, regardless of the size of the Track list. In this
mode, you may have to resize the tracks vertically (by dragging the dividers between them) to display all the controls.

Click OK to apply the changes.

Ö All controls can be removed except the Mute and Solo
buttons.

About the Length column

• By selecting controls in the “Visible Controls” list and
using the Move Up and Move Down buttons, you can
change the order of the list.

The Length column in the Visible Controls list allows you to
set the maximum length for certain text fields, e.g. Name.
To change the setting, click on the number in the Length
column and type in a new value.

Click OK to apply the changes.

Resetting Track list settings

Grouping track controls

You have two possibilities to reset the settings:

If you resize the Track list, the position of the controls will
change dynamically to accommodate as many controls as
possible in the available space (given that Wrap Controls is
activated – see below). By grouping several track controls
you ensure that they are always be positioned side by side
in the Track list. To group controls, proceed as follows:

• Click Reset to restore all default track controls settings
for the selected track type.
• Click Reset All to restore all default track controls settings for all track types.

1. Make sure you have selected the correct track type.

Saving presets

2. In the “Visible Controls” section, select at least two
controls.

You can save track controls settings as presets for later
recall:

You can only group controls that are adjacent to each other in the list. To
group controls that are currently not adjacent in the list, use the Move Up/
Down buttons first.

1. Click on the Save button (the plus sign) to the right of
the Presets pop-up menu.
A dialog opens, asking you to type in a name for the preset.

3. Click Group.

2. Click OK to save the settings as a preset.

A number is displayed in the Group column for the grouped controls. The
first group created has the number 1, the second 2, and so on.

Saved presets are available for selection from the Presets pop-up menu
and from the pop-up menu in the top left corner of the Track list.

4. Click OK.

• To remove a preset, select it in the Track Controls Settings dialog and click the Delete button (the minus sign).

The controls are now grouped.

• You can ungroup commands by using the Ungroup button. Please note that this will remove the selected element
and the elements below it in the list from this group. To remove an entire group, select the first (topmost) element
belonging to this group and click the Ungroup button.

Ö Cubase AI comes with a number of Track Control Settings presets available.

264
Customizing

Appearance

2. To bring up the color palette, click the Track Color
Selector.

In the Preferences dialog, you will find a page called Appearance. The following settings are available:
• Basic Appearance Scheme
Click the arrow in the track name title bar or…

By selecting an option from this pop-up menu you can adjust the general
look of the program. After selecting an Appearance Scheme and clicking
Apply or OK, you need to restart the program for the changes to take
effect.

• Brightness/Intensity sliders

…click the color strip in the Track list.

These sliders allow you to fine-tune the brightness and contrast in various
areas in the program. Changes take effect when you click Apply or OK.

Applying track and event colors
In the Mixer, click the Channel Color Selector below the channel name.

You can use color scheming for easier overview of tracks
and events in the Project window. Applying colors is divided into two areas; track and event colors.

3. Select a color from the color bar.
The track color is now applied to the Inspector title palette and the Track
list as well as the channel strips in the Mixer and any parts and events on
the selected track.

• A track color is shown and can be edited in the Inspector,
the Track list, and the corresponding channel in the Mixer. It
is furthermore displayed in all parts and events for the track
in the event display.

Applying track colors automatically
In the Preferences (Editing–Project & Mixer page), you
can find the option “Auto Track Color Mode”.

Track colors can be switched on and off globally.

• Event colors are shown for parts and events in the event
display and are independent from the track colors.
Ö An applied event color “overrides” the track color, if
both are used.
The color palette can be customized, see “The Event Colors dialog” on page 266.

Track colors

This offers you several options for automatically assigning
colors to tracks that are added to the project.

Applying track colors manually
To activate track colors, proceed as follows:
1. Click the Show/Hide Track Colors button at the top of
the Track list.

This brings up the Track Color Selector in the Inspector,
the Track list and in the Mixer.

Option

Effect

Use Default
Event Color

The default color (gray) is assigned.

Use Previous
Track Color

Uses the color of the track above the new one (i.e. the
track that is selected when you add a new track).

Use Previous
Track Color
+1

Uses the color next to the color of the track above the
new one (+1 refers to the color number in the palette).

Use Last
Applied Color

The last manually assigned color is used.

Use Random
Track Color

Track colors are assigned randomly.

265
Customizing

Coloring parts and events

• When this is activated, the events and parts in the event
display will have the selected background color.

There are two ways to color parts and events in the
Project window:

• When this is deactivated, the event “content”, e.g. MIDI
events and audio waveforms, are displayed in the selected
color and the event background is gray.

Using the color selector
1. Select the desired parts or events.

The Event Colors dialog

2. Choose a color from the Color Selector in the toolbar.

You can open the Event Colors dialog in two ways:
• Double-click the small strip below the Color tool.
• Open the Color pop-up menu on the toolbar and select
“Select Colors…”.

Using the Color tool
1. On the toolbar, select the Color tool.

2. Click the small strip below it to bring up the color palette.
In the Event Colors dialog, you can fully customize the
color palette, apart from the default color (gray).

3. Select a color.
4. Click on a part/event to assign the color.

Remove Selected Color

The color is applied to all selected parts/events and overrides the track color (if used).

Increase/decrease intensity
for all colors

Insert New
Color

• If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on a part/event
with the Color tool, the color palette is displayed and you
can choose the desired color for an event.

Increase/decrease brightness
for all colors

This Set As
Default Set
Use Default Set

• If you press [Alt]/[Option], the Color tool cursor becomes
a pipette, which can be used to select a color by clicking on
a part/event.

To add new colors to the color palette, proceed as follows:

Customizing the event background

A new color icon and color name are added to the Event Colors section.

On the Event Display page in the Preferences dialog, you
can find the option “Colorize Event Background”.

2. Click the color field next to the name field to activate
the new color for editing.

1. Click the Insert New Color button in the Event Colors
section to add a new color.

3. In the Standard Colors section, select the standard
color. You can modify the selected color as follows:
• Drag the cursor to another point in the color circle.
• Move the handle in the color meter.
• Enter the values for red, green and blue and hue, saturation
and luminosity manually.

This option affects the display of events in the Project
window.
266

Customizing

4. Click the Apply button in the Standard Colors section.

• Under Mac OS X, preference files are stored in the
folder “/Library/Preferences/Cubase AI 5/” under your
home directory.

The color setting is applied to the selected color field in the Event Colors
section.

The full path would be: “/Users//Library/Preferences/
Cubase AI 5/”.

You can edit every existing event color in the same way.
• To delete an event color item, select it and click the “Remove Selected Color” button in the Event Colors section.

Ö The RAMpresets.xml file, which contains various presets settings (see below), is saved when exiting the program.

• To increase or decrease the intensity and the brightness
of all colors, use the corresponding buttons in the Event
Colors section.

Ö Program functions (e.g. crossfade) or configurations
(e.g. panels) not used in the project will not be stored.

• To save the current set as default, click the button “This
Set As Default Set” in the Event Colors section. You can
then click the button “Use Default Set” to the right to apply the default set.

Some of the preferences are not stored in the default preferences folder. A list can be found in the article “Files for
the program settings and preferences” in the Steinberg
Knowledge Base.

• To return to the standard setting of the palette in Cubase AI, click Reset.

To open the Knowledge Base, browse to the Steinberg
web site, click “Support” and choose “Knowledge Base”
in the list on the left.

Where are the settings stored?
As you have seen, there are a large number of ways in
which you can customize Cubase AI. While some of the
settings you make are stored with each project, others are
stored in separate preference files.
If you need to transfer your projects to another computer
(e.g. in another studio), you can bring all your settings along
by copying the desired preference files and installing them
on the other computer.
Ö It is a good idea to make a backup copy of your preference files once you have set things up the way you want!
This way, if another Cubase AI user wants to use his or her personal settings when working on your computer, you can restore your own preferences afterwards.

• Under Windows XP, preference files are stored in the
folder “\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\Steinberg\Cubase AI 5\”.
On the Start menu, you will find a shortcut to this folder for easy access.

• Under Windows Vista, preference files are stored in the
folder “\Users\
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