Steinberg Cubase 4 Operation Manual

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Working with System Exclusive messages
Introduction
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.
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.
Cubase allows you to record and manipulate SysEx data 
in various ways. This chapter points to various features 
that help you manage and create SysEx data.
(To learn about the possibilities of the MIDI Device Man-
ager for controlling your device, please refer to the sepa-
rate PDF document “MIDI Devices”.)
Bulk dumps
Recording a bulk dump in Cubase
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 devices 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.
1.Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu (on 
the Mac, this is located on the Cubase menu) and select 
the MIDI–MIDI Filter page.
This allows you to govern which MIDI event types should be recorded 
and/or thru-put.
2.Make sure that recording of Sysex data is not filtered, 
by unchecking the Sysex checkbox in the Record section. 
The Sysex checkbox in the Thru section can be left as it is 
(by default activated).
This way, SysEx messages will be recorded but not echoed back out to 
the instrument (which may lead to unpredictable results).
3.Activate recording on a MIDI track and initiate the 
dump from the front panel of the 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.
!If your MIDI instrument doesn’t offer a way to initiate a 
dump “by itself”, you have to send a Dump Request 
message from Cubase to start the dump. In that case, 
use the MIDI SysEx Editor (see “Editing System Exclu-
sive messages” on page 393) to insert the specific 
Dump Request message (see the instrument’s docu-
mentation) 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. 
						

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Working with System Exclusive messages
Transmitting a bulk dump back to a device
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.
2.Solo the track.
This might not be necessary, but it is a good safety measure.
3.Make sure the device is set up to receive SysEx mes-
sages (often, receiving SysEx is turned off by default).
4.If necessary, put the device in “Standby to Receive 
System Exclusive” mode.
5.Play back the data.
Some advice
 Dont transmit more data than you need. If all you want is a sin-
gle program, dont 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.
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, 
and thus incorporated into a regular MIDI recording.
Heres how it works: lets 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.
1.Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu, se-
lect the MIDI–MIDI Filter page and make sure that SysEx is 
recorded, i.e. the Sysex checkbox in the Record section is 
deactivated.
2.Make sure the instrument is actually set to transmit 
changes of front panel controls as SysEx messages.
3.Record normally.
When you’re done, you can check that the events were recorded pro-
perly in the List Editor. 
						

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Working with System Exclusive messages
Editing System Exclusive messages
While SysEx events are shown in the List Editor/Project 
Browser, 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/Project 
Browser.
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 mes-
sage 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.
You can edit all values except for the first (F0) and last one 
(F7).
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 dis-
play 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 se-
lection.
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. 
						

							31
Working with the Tempo track 
						

							395
Working with the Tempo track
Background
For each track in Cubase that can make use of this func-
tion, you can specify whether it should be time-based or 
tempo-based (see “Switching between musical and linear 
time base” on page 42). For tempo-based tracks, the 
tempo can either be fixed through the whole project (this 
is called “Fixed tempo mode”) or follow the Tempo track 
(this is called “Tempo track mode”), which may contain 
tempo changes.
To switch between Fixed tempo mode and Tempo track 
mode, use the Tempo button on the Transport panel:
When the Tempo button is lit (and the text “Track” is 
shown), the tempo follows the Tempo track; when it is de-
activated (and the text “Fixed” is shown), the Fixed tempo 
is used (see “Setting the Fixed tempo” on page 399). You 
can also switch tempo mode in the Tempo Track Editor 
(see below).
In Tempo track mode, the tempo cannot be changed on 
the Transport panel, i. e. the tempo information here is for 
display purposes only.
The Tempo track also contains time signature events. 
These are always active, regardless of whether Fixed 
tempo mode or Tempo track mode is selected.
A note about tempo-based audio tracks
For tempo-based tracks, the start time position of audio 
events 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’s good practice to 
make the proper tempo and time signature settings before 
you start recording tempo-based audio.
ÖTo make an already recorded audio track follow the 
tempo changes, you can use the Sample Editor, see “The 
Sample Editor” on page 233.
How well this works depends on the character of the audio recordings, 
since the Hitpoint detection feature works best with fairly rhythmical 
material.
ÖTo adapt the tempo track to time-based material, you 
can use the Time Warp tool, see “The Time Warp tool” on 
page 402.
This allows you to adjust the tempo track so that tempo-based material 
(e.g. positions in music) coincides with time-based material (e.g. positions 
in narration, video, etc.).
The Tempo Track Editor – Overview
To make changes to the actual Tempo track, you need to 
open the Tempo Track Editor by selecting “Tempo Track” 
on the Project menu.
The toolbar
The toolbar contains various tools and settings. The tempo 
and time signature displays to the right allow you to view 
and edit the value of the selected tempo curve point or time 
signature event, much like the info line in other editors.
Tools
Tempo track on/offAutoscroll Snap on/offSnap pop-up
Curve type selector
Curve type for new tempo eventsTime signature
The selected tempo
Tempo 
record sliderOpen Process Tempo 
dialog (Cubase only)Open Process Bars 
dialog (Cubase only) 
						

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Working with the Tempo track
The ruler
The ruler in the Tempo Track Editor shows the timeline. As 
in other windows, you can select a display format by click-
ing on the arrow button to the right of the ruler and select-
ing an option from the pop-up menu that appears.
The two additional items at the bottom of the menu have 
the following functionality:
If “Time Linear” is selected, the ruler, time signature area 
and tempo curve display will be linear in relation to the 
timeline.
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, time signa-
ture area and tempo curve display will be linear in relation 
to beats.
If the ruler shows bars and beats, the distance between beats will be 
constant.
The time signature area
The area below the ruler contains time signature events. 
The tempo curve display
The main display shows the tempo curve (or, if Fixed tempo 
mode is selected, the Fixed tempo – see “Setting the Fixed 
tempo” on page 399). To the left of the display is a tempo 
scale to help you quickly locate the desired tempo.
Note that the vertical “grid lines” correspond to the dis-
play format selected for the ruler. 
						

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Working with the Tempo track
Operations
Zooming
Changing the magnification is done using any of the fol-
lowing methods:
By using the zoom sliders in the lower right corner of the 
window.
By using the Magnifying Glass tool.
This works according to the standard procedures.
By using the Zoom submenu on the Edit menu.
The options on the menu work as in other windows.
Editing the tempo curve
Adding tempo curve points
1.Use the “insert curve” pop-up menu in the toolbar 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”).
2.Select the Pencil tool.
3.Click at the desired time position in the tempo curve 
display, and keep the mouse button pressed.
If Snap is activated on the toolbar, this determines at which time posi-
tions you can insert tempo curve points, see “Snap” on page 401.
When you click, the tempo display in the toolbar shows the tempo value.
4.Drag the curve point to the desired tempo value (indi-
cated in the tempo display), and release the mouse button.
The tempo curve point is inserted. The result depends on whether you 
selected “Ramp” or “Jump” in step 1 above:
You can also just click and draw a tempo curve with the 
Pencil tool, so that curve points are inserted while you draw.
For this, the “Ramp” Insert Curve mode is useful.
Instead of using the Pencil tool, you can press [Alt]/[Op-
tion] and use the Arrow tool. 
This will only insert a single point (i.e. you cannot draw a curve with the 
Arrow tool).
!This section assumes that you are working in Tempo 
track mode, i.e. the Tempo button must be activated 
on the Transport panel.
!You can also have tempo values automatically in-
serted by the Beat Calculator, see “The Beat Calcu-
lator” on page 401.
Insert curve set to “Ramp”:
Insert curve set to “Jump”: 
						

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Working with the Tempo track
Selecting tempo curve points
Selecting curve points is done using any of the following 
methods:
Use the Arrow tool.
The standard selection techniques apply.
Use the Select submenu on the Edit menu.
The options are:
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, the current selection will be 
kept, allowing you to select several points.
Editing tempo curve points
Curve points can be edited in the following ways:
By clicking and dragging horizontally and/or vertically.
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 “Snap” on page 401.
By adjusting the tempo value in the tempo display on 
the toolbar.
For this to work, a single tempo curve point must be selected.
Adjusting the curve type
You can change the curve type of a tempo curve segment 
at any time, using the following method:
1.Select all curve points within the segment you want to 
edit.
2.Pull down the Curve pop-up menu on the toolbar and 
select “Jump” or “Ramp”.
The curve sections between the selected points are adjusted.
Removing tempo curve points
To remove a curve point, either click on it with the Eraser 
tool or select it and press [Backspace]. The first tempo 
curve point cannot be removed.
Recording tempo changes
The tempo record slider on the toolbar allows you to record 
tempo changes “on the fly”: simply start playback and use 
the slider to raise or lower the tempo at the desired posi-
tions. Useful for creating natural sounding ritardandos, etc.
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 CursorSelects all points to the left of the project cursor.
From Cursor
to EndSelects all points to the right of the project cursor.
!Dragging tempo curve points with a time-based dis-
play 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. For example, let’s say you move a tempo point to 
the right and drop it on 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 that you use the Bars+Beats display 
format when editing tempo curves. 
						

							399
Working with the Tempo track
Setting the Fixed tempo
When the Tempo track button is deactivated, the Tempo 
track curve is grayed out (but still visible). Since the Fixed 
tempo is constant throughout the whole project, there are 
no tempo curve points. Instead, the Fixed tempo is dis-
played as a horizontal black line in the tempo curve display.
There are three ways to set the tempo in Fixed mode:
Drag the tempo line up or down with the Arrow tool.
Adjust the value numerically in the tempo display on the 
toolbar.
On the Transport panel, in Fixed tempo mode, click on 
the Tempo value to select it, enter a new value and press 
[Enter].
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. 
You can also do this by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and clicking with the Ar-
row tool.
To edit the value of a time signature event, select it and 
adjust the value in the signature display on the toolbar.
Note that there are two controls for the signature display; the left one ad-
justs 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.
Again, note that time signature events can only be positioned at the start 
of bars.
To remove a time signature, either click on it with the 
Eraser tool or select it and press [Backspace].
The first time signature event cannot be removed.
Exporting and importing Tempo tracks
You can export the current tempo track for use in other 
projects by selecting “Tempo Track” from the “Export” 
submenu on the File menu. This allows you to save the 
tempo track information (including time signature events) 
as a special xml file (file extension “.smt”).
To import a saved tempo track, select “Tempo Track” from 
the Import submenu on the File menu. Note that this re-
places all tempo track data in the current project (although 
the operation can be undone if needed).
Process Tempo (Cubase only)
Process Tempo allows you to define a specific length or 
end time for a set range, and the Tempo track will automat-
ically set a tempo that will fit the range in the specified time. 
It works as follows:
1.Open the Tempo Track Editor and specify a region or 
range that you wish to process by setting the left and right 
locators. 
2.Click on the Process Tempo button on the Tempo 
Track toolbar.
The Process Tempo dialog appears.
3.In the Process Range fields, the specified range is 
shown, in Bars and Beats (PPQ) and in a time format, which 
can be selected from the Time Display Format pop-up.
The range defined in step 1 will already be set, but you can edit the range 
by adjusting the values in the Process Range fields if you wish.
Now you can either specify a new range length or a new 
range end time. What to choose depends on whether the 
range should have a specific length or whether it should 
end at a specific time position. 
						

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Working with the Tempo track
4.Enter the desired End or Length in the corresponding 
fields of the New Range section.
You can select a time format for the new range in the Time Display For-
mat pop-up.
5.Click Process.
Now the tempo track is automatically adjusted, and the range will have 
the specified duration.
The Process Bars dialog 
(Cubase only)
The Process Bars dialog, which can be opened from the 
Tempo Track Editor, uses the global “Insert Silence” and 
“Delete Time” functions from the Edit menu – Range sub-
menu, but uses a musical “bars+beats-based” environ-
ment for calculating the necessary ranges (or parameters). 
It also ensures that the time signatures stay “in sync” after 
these operations. This allows for a much more intuitive ap-
proach when inserting, deleting or replacing “time” while 
working with a project set to the Bars+Beats time type.
The Process Bars dialog is opened by clicking on the re-
spective button on the Tempo Track toolbar (next to the 
Process Tempo button).The dialog contains the following elements:
… to open the Process Bars dialog. Click this button…Option Description
Bar Range The Bar Range display gives you a graphical overview of 
the position of the bar range within the project as well as 
its length. You can change the setting here by dragging 
the green rectangle; however this is accomplished much 
easier by using the Start and Length value fields (see be-
low).
The small arrow pair in this section mark the length of the 
current project. The area to the right marks the bar range 
that can be added (500 bars max.).
Bar Range – 
StartThis is where you specify the desired start position for the 
bar range. Click on the small arrows to raise/lower the 
value by one step or click directly in the value field and 
enter the desired number manually.
Bar Range – 
LengthThis is where you specify the desired length of the bar 
range. Click on the small arrows to raise/lower the value 
by one step or click directly in the value field and enter 
the desired number manually.
Action –
Insert BarsWhen you select this action, clicking the Process button 
will insert the specified number of empty bars with the set 
time signature at the desired start position in the project.
Action – Delete 
BarsWhen you select this action, clicking the Process button 
will delete the specified number of bars beginning at the 
set start position.
Action – 
Reinterpret 
BarsWhen you select this action, clicking the Process button 
will reinterpret the bar range to fit the specified time sig-
nature. This is very special in the sense that both 
bars+beats positions of the notes and the tempo are be-
ing changed to fit the new time signature, but the play-
back of the notes will stay just the same.
If you want to reinterpret e.g. a bar with the time signature 
3/4 so that it gets the time signature 4/4, quarter notes 
will become half note triplets. If you reinterpret a bar with 
the time signature 4/4 to attain 3/4, you will get quadru-
plets.
Action – 
Replace BarsWhen you select this action, clicking the Process button 
will cause the time signature of the specified bar range to 
be replaced by the one you specify in this dialog. 
Action – 
SignatureThis lets you specify the desired time signature for the 
action you select in the Action pop-up menu (except for 
the Delete Bars action).
Process Click this button to apply your changes to the desired bar 
range.
Close Clicking this button closes the Process Bars dialog. 
Please note that you have to click the Process button first 
to apply your settings. Clicking this button without click-
ing on “Process” first will close the dialog without apply-
ing your settings.