Steinberg Cubase 4 Plug In Reference Manual

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The included effect plug-ins
Tremolo
Tremolo produces amplitude (volume) modulation.
Parameters are as follows:
Vibrato
The Vibrato plug-in produces pitch modulation.
Parameter Description
Tempo sync 
on/offThe button below the Rate knob is used to switch tempo 
sync on or off. The button is lit when tempo sync is on.
Rate If tempo sync is on, this is where you specify the base 
note value for tempo-syncing the effect (1/1 to 1/32, 
straight, triplet or dotted). 
If tempo sync is off, the modulation speed can be set 
freely with the Rate knob, without sync to tempo.
Depth This governs the depth of the amplitude modulation.
Spatial This will add a stereo effect to the modulation.
Output Adjusts the output volume.
Side-Chain
On/OffWhen this is activated, the modulation can be controlled 
by a signal routed to the Side-Chain input. When the 
side-chain signal exceeds the threshhold, the modulation 
will be controlled by the side-chain signal’s envelope. For 
a description of how to set up Side-Chain routing, see 
the chapter “Audio effects” in the Operation Manual.
Parameter Description
Tempo sync
on/offThe button below the Rate knob is used to switch tempo 
sync on or off. The button is lit when tempo sync is on.
Rate If tempo sync is on, this is where you specify the base 
note value for tempo-syncing the effect (1/1 to 1/32, 
straight, triplet or dotted).
If tempo sync is off, the modulation speed can be set 
freely with the Rate knob, without sync to tempo.
Depth This governs the depth of the pitch modulation.
Spatial This will add a stereo effect to the modulation.
Side-Chain
On/OffWhen this is activated, the modulation can be controlled 
by a signal routed to the Side-Chain input. When the 
side-chain signal exceeds the threshhold, the modulation 
will be controlled by the side-chain signal’s envelope. For 
a description of how to set up Side-Chain routing, see 
the chapter “Audio effects” in the Operation Manual. 
						

							32
The included effect plug-ins
Other plug-ins
This section contains descriptions of the plug-ins in the 
“Others” category.
Bitcrusher
If you’re into lo-fi sound, Bitcrusher is the effect for you. It 
offers the possibility of decimating and truncating the in-
put audio signal by bit reduction, to get a noisy, distorted 
sound. You can for example make a 24-bit audio signal 
sound like an 8 or 4-bit signal, or even render it completely 
garbled and unrecognizable. The parameters are:
Chopper
Chopper is a combined tremolo and autopan effect. It can 
use different waveforms to modulate the level (tremolo) or 
left-right stereo position (pan), either using tempo sync or 
manual modulation speed settings. The parameters are as 
follows: 
Parameter Description
Mode Select one of four operating modes for the Bitcrusher. 
Each mode will produce a result sounding a bit different. 
Modes I and III are nastier and noisier, while modes II and 
IV are more subtle.
Sample Divider This sets the amount by which the audio samples are 
decimated. At the highest setting (65), nearly all of the in-
formation describing the original audio signal will be elim-
inated, turning the signal into unrecognizable noise.
Depth Use this to set the desired bit resolution. A setting of 24 
gives the highest audio quality, while a setting of 1 will 
create mostly noise.
Output Governs the output level from the Bitcrusher. Drag the 
slider upwards to increase the level.
Mix This slider regulates the balance between the output from 
the Bitcrusher and the original audio signal. Drag the slider 
upwards for a more dominant effect, and drag it down-
wards if you want the original signal to be more prominent.
Parameter Description
Waveform 
buttonsSets the modulation waveform. 
Depth Sets the depth of the Chopper effect. This can also be 
set by clicking in the graphic display.
Speed If tempo sync is on, this is where you specify the base 
note value for tempo-syncing the effect (1/1 to 1/32, 
straight, triplet or dotted). Note that there is no note value 
modifier for this effect.
If tempo sync is off, the tremolo/auto-pan speed can be 
set freely with the Speed knob, without sync to tempo.
Tempo sync
on/offThe button above the Speed knob is used to switch 
tempo sync on (the button lights up) or off. 
Stereo/Mono 
buttonDetermines whether the Chopper will work as an auto-
panner (button set to “Stereo”) or a tremolo effect (but-
ton set to “Mono”). 
Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the ef-
fect. If Chopper is used as a send effect, this should be 
set to maximum.  
						

							33
The included effect plug-ins
Octaver
This plug-in can generate two additional voices that track 
the pitch of the input signal one octave and two octaves 
below the original pitch, respectively. Octaver is best used 
with monophonic signals. The parameters are as follows:
Tuner
This is a guitar tuner. Simply connect a guitar or other in-
strument to an audio input and select the Tuner as an in-
sert effect (make sure you deactivate any other effect that 
alters pitch, like chorus or vibrato). When the instrument is 
connected, proceed as follows:
Play a note.
The key is shown in the middle of the display. In addition, the frequency in 
Hz is shown in the bottom left corner and the octave range in the bottom 
right corner. If the key is wrong (e.g. if you wish to tune the E string and the 
key is shown as Fb), first tune the string so that the correct key is shown.
The two arrows indicate any deviation in pitch by their 
position. If the pitch is flat, they will be positioned in the 
left half of the display, if the pitch is sharp they will be in 
the right half.
The deviation is also shown (in Cent) in the upper area of the display.
Tune the instrument so that the two arrows are in the 
middle.
Repeat this procedure for each string.
Parameter Description
Direct This adjusts the mix of the original signal and the gener-
ated voice(s). A value of 0 means only the generated and 
transposed signal is heard. By raising this value, more of 
the original signal is heard.
Octave 1 This adjust the level of the generated signal one octave 
below the original pitch. Set to 0 means the voice is 
muted.
Octave 2 This adjust the level of the generated signal two octaves 
below the original pitch. Set to 0 means the voice is 
muted. 
						

							34
The included effect plug-ins
Restoration plug-ins
This section contains descriptions of the plug-ins in the 
“Restoration” category.
Grungelizer
The Grungelizer adds noise and static to your recordings 
– kind of like listening to a radio with bad reception, or a 
worn and scratched vinyl record. The available parameters 
are as follows:
Reverb plug-ins
This section contains descriptions of the plug-ins in the 
“Reverb” category.
RoomWorks
RoomWorks is a highly adjustable reverb plug-in for creat-
ing realistic room ambience and reverb effects in stereo 
and surround formats. The CPU usage is adjustable to fit 
the needs of any system. From short room reflections to 
cavern-sized reverb, this plug-in delivers high quality re-
verberation. RoomWorks has the following parameters:
Parameter Description
Crackle This adds crackle to create that old vinyl record sound. 
The farther to the right you turn the dial, the more crackle 
is added.
RPM switch When emulating the sound of a vinyl record, this switch 
lets you set the RPM (revolutions per minute) speed of 
the record (33/45/78 RPM).
Noise This dial regulates the amount of static noise added.
Distort Use this dial to add distortion.
EQ Turn this dial to the right to cut off the low frequencies, 
and create a more hollow, lo-fi sound.
AC This emulates a constant, low hum of AC current.
Frequency 
switchThis sets the frequency of the AC current (50 or 60 Hz), 
and thus the pitch of the AC hum.
Timeline This dial regulates the amount of overall effect. The far-
ther to the right (1900) you turn this dial, the more notice-
able the effect.
Parameter Description
Low Freq Frequency at which the low shelving filter takes effect.
High Freq Frequency at which the high shelving filter takes effect. 
Both the high and low filters EQ the input signal prior to 
reverb processing.
Low Gain The amount of boost or cut for the low shelving filter.
High Gain The amount of boost or cut for the high shelving filter.
Pre-Delay The amount of time before the onset of reverb. This al-
lows you to simulate larger spaces by increasing the time 
it takes for first reflections to reach the listener.
Reverb Time Reverb Time in milliseconds.
Size This alters the delays times of early reflections to simulate 
larger or smaller spaces.
Diffusion This affects the character of the reverb tail. Higher diffu-
sion is smoother while less diffusion can be clearer. This 
emulates changing the types of surfaces in a room (brick 
vs. carpet for instance).
Width This controls the width of the stereo image. 100 % gives 
you full stereo reverb. At 0 %, the reverb is all in mono.
Variation Pressing this button will generate a new version of the 
same reverb program using altered reflection patterns. 
This is helpful when certain sounds are causing odd ring-
ing or undesirable results. Creating a new variation will of-
ten solve these issues. There are 1000 possible variations.
Hold Pressing this button freezes the reverb buffer in an infinite 
loop (yellow circle around button). You can create some 
interesting pad sounds using this feature.
Low Range This determines the frequency below which low damping 
will occur. 
						

							35
The included effect plug-ins
ÖCubase only: Note that the options in the Surround 
section on the far right of the RoomWorks panel are avail-
able only when using the plug-in as an insert for a surround-
enabled track.
RoomWorks SE
RoomWorks SE is a “lite” version of the RoomWorks plug-
in. This plug-in delivers high quality reverberation, but has 
fewer parameters and is less CPU demanding than the full 
version. RoomWorks SE has the following parameters:
High Range This determines the frequency above which high fre-
quency damping will occur.
Low  Damping  The amount of damping applied to the low frequencies. At 
100 %, no damping occurs. Values lower than 100 % in-
crease the amount of damping, reducing low frequencies 
over time. Values above 100 % have the opposite effect.
High Damping This affects the decay time of high frequencies. Normal 
room reverb decays quicker in the high and low frequency 
range than in the midrange. Lowering the damping per-
centage will cause high frequencies to decay quicker. 
Damping percentage values above 100 % will cause high 
frequencies to decay longer than the midrange.
Amount This determines how much effect the envelope attack 
and release controls have on the reverb itself. Lower 
numbers have a more subtle effect while higher numbers 
sound more drastic.
Attack The envelope settings in RoomWorks control how the re-
verb will follow the dynamics of the input signal in a fash-
ion similar to a noise gate or downward expander. Attack 
determines how long in milliseconds it takes for the re-
verb to reach full volume after a signal peak. This is similar 
to a predelay but the reverb is ramping up instead of 
starting all at once.
Release The release determines how long after a signal peak the 
reverb can be heard before being cut off, similar to a 
gate’s release time.
Mix Determines the blend of dry (unprocessed) signal to wet 
(processed) signal. When using RoomWorks inserted in 
an FX channel, you will most likely want to set this to 
100 % or use the Send button.
Wet only This button defeats the mix parameter, setting the effect 
to 100 % wet or affected signal. This button should nor-
mally be pressed when RoomWorks is being used as a 
send effect inserted on an FX or group channel.
Distance This control is only available for surround configurations. 
With this parameter you can control where the virtual lis-
tening position is within the room. Positive values position 
the listener closer to the front of the room and negative 
values place the listener towards the rear of the room.
Rotate This button is only available for surround configurations. 
When active, the perspective of the room is shifted 90°.
Balance This control is only available for surround configurations. 
Balance controls the relative levels between the forward 
and rear speakers. Positive values favor the front speak-
ers and negative values favor the rear speakers. Note that 
when the Rotate option is activated, these relationships 
will shift 90°.
Efficiency This unique control determines how much of the CPU is 
used for RoomWorks. The lower the percentage of effi-
ciency, the more CPU resources will be used. This will 
yield a higher quality reverb than higher percentage set-
tings. Interesting effects can be created with very high 
Efficiency settings (>90 %). Experiment for yourself. Parameter DescriptionExport This button determines if during audio export Room-
Works will use the maximum CPU power for the highest 
quality reverb or not. You may wish to keep a higher effi-
ciency setting for a desired effect during export. If you 
want the highest quality reverb during export make sure 
this is selected (yellow circle around button).
Parameter Description
Pre-Delay The amount of time before the onset of reverb. This al-
lows you to simulate larger spaces by increasing the time 
it takes for first reflections to reach the listener.
Reverb Time Reverb Time in seconds.
Diffusion This affects the character of the reverb tail. Higher diffu-
sion is smoother while less diffusion can be clearer. This 
emulates changing the types of surfaces in a room (brick 
vs. carpet for instance).
High Damping 
AmountThis affects the decay time of high frequencies. Normal 
room reverb decays quicker in the high and low frequency 
range than in the midrange. Lowering the damping per-
centage will cause high frequencies to decay quicker. 
Damping percentage values above 100 % will cause high 
frequencies to decay longer than the midrange.
Low Damping 
AmountThe amount of damping applied to the low frequencies. At 
100 %, no damping occurs. Values lower than 100 % in-
crease the amount of damping, reducing low frequencies 
over time. Values above 100 % have the opposite effect.
Mix Determines the blend of dry (unprocessed) signal to wet 
(processed) signal. When using RoomWorks SE inserted 
in an FX channel, you will most likely want to set this to 
100 % or use the Send button. Parameter Description 
						

							36
The included effect plug-ins
Spatial plug-ins
This section contains descriptions of the plug-ins in the 
“Spatial” category.
MonoToStereo
This effect will turn a mono signal into a “pseudo-stereo” 
signal. The plug-in must be inserted on a stereo track 
playing a mono file to work.
The parameters are as follows:
StereoEnhancer
This plug-in will expand the stereo width of (stereo) audio 
material. It cannot be used with mono files.
The parameters are as follows:
Parameter Description
Width This controls the width or depth of the stereo enhance-
ment. Turn clockwise to increase the enhancement.
Delay This parameter increases the amount of differences be-
tween the left and right channels to further increase the 
stereo effect.
Color This parameter also generates differences between the 
channels to increase the stereo effect.
Mono This switches the output to mono, to check for possible 
unwanted coloring of the sound which sometimes can 
occur when creating an artificial stereo image.
Parameter Description
Width This controls the width or depth of the stereo enhance-
ment. Turn clockwise to increase the enhancement.
Delay This parameter increases the amount of differences be-
tween the left and right channels to further increase the 
stereo effect.
Color This parameter also generates differences between the 
channels to increase the stereo enhancement.
Mono This switches the output to mono, to check for possible 
unwanted coloring of the sound which sometimes can 
occur when enhancing the stereo image. 
						

							37
The included effect plug-ins
Surround plug-ins (Cubase only)
This section describes the plug-ins in the “Surround” 
category.
Mix6To2 (Cubase only)
The Mix6To2 effect allows you to control the levels of up to 
six surround channels, and to mix these down to a stereo 
output. The pop-up menu contains a number of speaker ar-
rangement presets that correspond to some default sur-
round formats. The Mix6To2 lets you quickly mix down your 
surround mix format to stereo, and to include parts of the 
surround channels in the resulting mix.
Note that Mix6To2 does not simulate a surround mix or 
add any psycho-acoustical artifacts to the resulting output 
– it is simply a mixer. Also note that the Mix6To 2 should 
be placed in one of the post fader insert effect slots for the 
output bus.
Each of the surround channels has the following para-
meters:
 Two volume faders that govern the levels of the surround bus 
to the left and right side of the (master) bus.
 A Link button that links the two volume faders.
 Two Invert buttons allow you to invert the phase of the left and 
right side of the surround bus.
The Master bus has the following parameters:
 A Link button that links the two Master faders.
 A Normalize button. If activated, the mixed output will be nor-
malized, i.e. the output level will automatically be adjusted so 
that the loudest signal is as loud as possible without clipping.
Tools plug-ins
This section describes the plug-ins in the “Tools” category.
MultiScope (Cubase only)
The MultiScope can be used for viewing the waveform, 
phase linearity or frequency content of a signal. There are 
three different modes:
 Oscilloscope (Ampl.)
 Phase Correlator (Scope)
 Frequency Spectrum analyzer (Freq.)
Ampl (Oscilloscope) mode
To view a signal waveform, open the MultiScope control 
panel and make sure that the button “Ampl.” in the lower 
left corner is lit.
If the source signal is stereo you can now select either 
the Left or Right channel for viewing, or Stereo for both 
channels to be shown in the window. If it is a Mono signal, 
this won’t matter.
If the MultiScope is used with a multi-channel track or 
output bus, you can select any speaker channel for view-
ing, or All Channels to view them all at once.
You can now adjust the Amplitude knob to increase/
decrease the vertical size of the waveform, and the fre-
quency knob to select the frequency area for viewing. 
						

							38
The included effect plug-ins
The “Freeze” button can be used to freeze the display 
for all three Scope modes.
Click it again to exit freeze mode.
Phase Correlator mode
To select the phase correlator, click the “Scope” button 
so that it lights up. The phase correlator indicates the 
phase and amplitude relationship between channels in a 
stereo pair or a surround configuration.
For stereo pairs, the indications work in the following way:
 A vertical line indicates a perfect mono signal (the left and 
right channels are the same).
 A horizontal line indicates that the left channel is the same as 
the right, but with an inverse phase.
 A random but fairly round shape indicates a well balanced ste-
reo signal. If the shape “leans” to the left, there is more energy 
in the left channel and vice versa (the extreme case of this is if 
one side is muted, in which case the Phase Meter will show a 
straight line, angled 90° to the other side).
 A perfect circle indicates a sine wave on one channel, and the 
same sine wave shifted by 90° on the other.
 Generally, the more you can see a “thread”, the more bass in 
the signal, and the more “spray-like” the display, the more high 
frequencies in the signal.
When the MultiScope is used with a surround channel in 
Scope mode, the pop-up menu to the right of the Scope 
button determines the result:
If “Stereo (Front)” is selected, the display will indicate 
the phase and amplitude relationship between the front 
stereo channels.
If “Surround” is selected, the display indicates the 
energy distribution in the surround field.
Frequency Spectrum Analyzer
Click on the “Freq” button so that it lights up in yellow.
The MultiScope is now in Frequency Spectrum analyze mode, and will 
divide the frequency spectrum into separate vertical bands, which allows 
you to get a visual overview of the different frequencies’ relative ampli-
tude. The frequency bands are shown left to right, starting with the lower 
frequencies.
If the source signal is stereo you can now select either 
the Left or Right channel for viewing, or Stereo for both 
channels to be shown in the window. If it is a Mono signal, 
this won’t matter.
If the MultiScope is used with a multi-channel track or 
output bus, you can select any speaker channel for view-
ing, or All Channels to view them all at once.
Adjust the Amplitude knob to increase/decrease the 
vertical range of the bands. 
						

							39
The included effect plug-ins
By adjusting the Frequency knob, you can divide the 
frequency spectrum into 8, 15, or 31 bands, or you can 
select “Spectrum”, which shows a high resolution view.
Use the Mode A and Mode B buttons to switch be-
tween different view modes.
Mode A is more graphically detailed, showing a solid, blue amplitude bar 
for each band. Mode B is less detailed, showing a continuous blue line that 
displays the peak levels for each band. These view modes don’t have any 
effect if you have selected “Spectrum” with the Frequency knob.
SMPTEGenerator (Cubase only)
This plug-in is not an effect device. It sends out SMPTE 
time code to an audio output, allowing you to synchronize 
other equipment to Cubase (provided that the equipment 
can sync directly to SMPTE time code). This can be very 
useful if you don’t have access to a MIDI-to-time code 
converter.
The following items and parameters are available:
Still Button
Activate this to make the device generate SMPTE time code at the current 
cursor position in stop mode.
Generate Button
Activate this to make the device generate SMPTE time code. 
Link Button
This synchronizes the time code output to the Transport time positions. 
When Link is activated, the time code output will exactly match the play 
position in Cubase. 
Activating the Generate button makes the device send the SMPTE time 
code in “free run” mode, meaning that it will output continuous time 
code, independently from the transport status in Cubase. If you wish to 
“stripe” a tape with SMPTE, you should use this mode.
Start Time
This sets the time at which the SMPTE Generator starts, when activated 
in “free run” mode (Link button off). To change the Start time, click on a 
digit and move the mouse up or down.
Current Time
When Link is on this shows the current position in Cubase. If Link is off it 
shows the current time of the SMPTE Generator in “free run” mode. This 
cannot be set manually.
Framerate
This defaults to the frame rate set in the Project Setup dialog. If you wish 
to generate time code in another frame rate than the Project is currently 
set to (for example to stripe a tape), you can select another format on the 
Framerate pop-up (provided that “Link” is off). 
Note, however, that for the other device to synchronize correctly with 
Cubase, the framerate has to be the same in the Project Setup dialog, 
the SMPTE Generator and in the receiving device.
Example – Synchronizing a device to Cubase
Proceed as follows:
1.Connect the SMPTE Generator as an insert effect on 
an audio channel, and route the output of that channel to a 
separate output.
Make sure that no other insert or send effects are used on the time code 
channel. You should also disable EQ, if this is active.
2.Connect the corresponding output on the audio hard-
ware to the time code input on the device you wish to syn-
chronize to Cubase.
Make all necessary settings in the other device, so that it is set to syn-
chronize to incoming timecode.
3.Adjust the level of the time code if needed, either in 
Cubase or in the receiving device.
Activate Generate button (make the device send the SMPTE time code 
in “free run” mode) to test the level.
4.Make sure that the frame rate in the receiving device 
matches the frame rate set in the SMPTE Generator.
5.Activate the Link button.
The SMPTE Generator will now output time code that matches the posi-
tion of the Cubase Transport panel.
Press Play on the Cubase Transport panel.
The other device is now synchronized and will follow any position 
changes set with the Cubase transport controls.
Drag offset for display
If you want to enter an offset, click with the mouse into the 
display and drag upwards or downwards to change the val-
ues. This enters a display offset - the current cursor position 
will not be affected. In Generate mode this offsets the Start 
Time, in Link mode it offsets the generated Timecode. 
						

							40
The included effect plug-ins
TestGenerator (Cubase only)
This utility allows you to generate an audio signal, which 
can be recorded as an audio file. The resulting file can 
then be used for a number of purposes:
 For testing the specifications of audio equipment.
 For measurements of various kinds, including calibrating tape 
recorders.
 For testing signal processing methods.
 For educational purposes.
The TestGenerator is based on a waveform generator 
which can generate a number of basic waveforms such as 
sine and saw and various types of noise. In addition, you 
can also set the frequency and amplitude of the generated 
signal.
As soon as you add the TestGenerator as an effect to an 
audio track and activate it, a signal is generated. You can 
then activate recording as usual to record an audio file ac-
cording to the signal specifications:
Parameter Description
Waveforms By clicking these buttons, you select the basis for the 
signal generated by the waveform generator. You can se-
lect between four basic waveforms: Sine, Square, Saw-
tooth and Triangle, or three types of noise (white, brown 
and pink noise – from left to right).
Frequency This controls the frequency of the generated signal, from 
1 Hz to 20000 Hz.
Gain This controls the amplitude of the signal. The higher the 
value (up to 0 dB) the stronger the signal.