Steinberg Cubase 4 Plug In Reference Manual

11
The included effect plug-ins
SPL DeEsser (Cubase only)
A de-esser is used to reduce excessive sibilance, primarily 
for vocal recordings. Basically, it is a special type of com-
pressor that is tuned to be sensitive to the frequencies 
produced by the “s” sound, hence the name de-esser. 
Close proximity microphone placement and equalizing can 
lead to situations where the overall sound is just right, but 
there is a problem with sibilants. Conventional compres-
sion and/or equalizing will not easily...

12
The included effect plug-ins
EnvelopeShaper (Cubase only)
EnvelopeShaper can be used to cut or boost the gain of 
the Attack and Release phase of the audio material. You 
can either use the knobs or drag the breakpoints in the 
graphic display to change parameter values. Be careful 
with levels when boosting the gain and if needed reduce 
the Output level to avoid clipping.
The following parameters are available:
Expander (Cubase only)
Expander reduces the output level in relation to the input 
level...

13
The included effect plug-ins
Gate
Gating, or noise gating, silences audio signals below a 
certain set threshold level. As soon as the signal level ex-
ceeds the set threshold, the gate opens to let the signal 
through. 
The available parameters are as follows:
Live mode 
(On/Off)When activated, Live mode disengages the look ahead fea-
ture of Expander. Look ahead does produce more accurate 
processing but will add a certain amount of latency as a 
trade-off. When Live mode is activated, there is no...

14
The included effect plug-ins
Limiter
Limiter is designed to ensure that the output level never 
exceeds a certain set output level, to avoid clipping in fol-
lowing devices. Limiter can adjust and optimize the Re-
lease parameter automatically according to the audio 
material, or it can be set manually. Limiter also features 
separate meters for the input, output and the amount of 
limiting (middle meters).
The available parameters are the following:
Maximizer
Maximizer can be used to raise the...

15
The included effect plug-ins
MIDI Gate
Gating, in its fundamental form, silences audio signals be-
low a certain set threshold level. That means, when a sig-
nal rises above the set level, the Gate opens to let the 
signal through while signals below the set level are cut off. 
MIDI Gate, however, is a Gate effect that is not triggered 
by threshold levels, but instead by MIDI notes. Hence it 
needs both audio and MIDI data to function.
Setting up
MIDI Gate requires both an audio signal and a MIDI...

16
The included effect plug-ins
MultibandCompressor (Cubase only)
The MultibandCompressor allows a signal to be split in up 
to four frequency bands, each with its own freely adjust-
able compressor characteristic. The signal is processed 
on the basis of the settings that you have made in the Fre-
quency Band and Compressor sections. You can specify 
the level, bandwidth and compressor characteristics for 
each band by using the various controls.
The Frequency Band editor
The Frequency Band editor in...

17
The included effect plug-ins
VintageCompressor (Cubase only)
This is modelled after vintage type compressors. Com-
pressor features separate controls for input gain, attack, 
release and output gain parameters. In addition, there is a 
Punch mode which preserves the attack phase of the sig-
nal and a program dependent Auto feature for the Release 
parameter.
The available parameters work as follows:
VSTDynamics
VSTDynamics is an advanced dynamics processor. It com-
bines three separate processors:...

18
The included effect plug-ins
The Compressor section
Compressor reduces the dynamic range of the audio, 
making softer sounds louder or louder sounds softer, or 
both. Compressor functions like a standard compressor 
with separate controls for threshold, ratio, attack, release 
and make-up gain parameters. Compressor features a 
separate display that graphically illustrates the compres-
sor curve shaped according to the Threshold, Ratio and 
MakeUp Gain parameter settings. Compressor also fea-
tures a...

19
The included effect plug-ins
EQ plug-ins
This section describes the plug-ins in the “EQ” category.
GEQ-10/GEQ-30 (Cubase only)
These graphic equalizers are identical in every respect ex-
cept for the number of available frequency bands (10 and 
30 respectively). Each band can be cut or boosted by up to 
12 dB allowing for fine control of the frequency response. In 
addition there are several preset modes available which can 
add “color” to the sound of the GEQ-10/GEQ-30.
•You can draw response curves...

20
The included effect plug-ins
StudioEQ (Cubase only)
This is a high-quality 4-band parametric stereo equalizer 
with two fully parametric midrange bands. The low and 
high bands can act as either shelving filters (three types) 
or as a Peak (bandpass) or Cut (lowpass/highpass) filter.
Making settings
1.Click the corresponding On button to the left of the EQ 
curve display to activate any or all of the Low, Mid 1, Mid 2 
or High equalizer bands.
When a band is activated, a corresponding eq point appears...