Steinberg Cubase 4 Plug In Reference Manual

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The included VST Instruments
Spectrum displays
Allows you to draw a filter contour with your mouse for 
spectrum filters A & B. 
To set up the contour, click in one of the displays and 
drag the mouse to draw the desired curve. Note that this 
will produce the inverse contour in the other display, for 
maximum sonic versatility.
To set up the contour independently for the two filters, hold down [Shift] 
and click and drag the mouse in either display.
Use the Preset pop-up menu to select a preset contour 
if you like.
If you want to random calculate a spectrum filter curve, 
you can choose the Randomize function from the Preset 
pop-up.
Each time you choose this function, a new randomized spectrum will ap-
pear.
Waveform pop-up
The pop-up at the bottom of the waveform section (the 
central box at the top of the panel) allows you to select a 
basic waveform to be sent through filter contour A. The op-
tions are especially suited for use with the spectrum filter.
Cut
This offsets the frequency of the filter contour, working 
somewhat like a cutoff control on a standard synth filter. 
To use the filter contour in its full frequency range, set Cut 
to its maximum value.
Morph
Adjusts the mix between the two signal paths: waveform A 
spectrum contour A and waveform B spectrum contour B.
Coarse
This offsets the pitch for the impulse sound. In a typical 
“string setup”, when the impulse sound is very short, this 
will not change the pitch of the final sound, but the tonal 
color.
Raster
This removes harmonics from the impulse sound. As the 
harmonic content of the impulse sound is reflected in the 
comb filter sound, this will change the final timbre.
Comb filter sound parameters
Damping
This is a 6 dB/oct lowpass filter that affects the sound be-
ing fed back into the comb filters. This means the sound 
will become gradually softer when decaying, i.e. high har-
monics to decay faster than the lower harmonics (as when 
plucking a string on a guitar, for example). 
The lower the Damping, the more pronounced this ef-
fect.
If you open the filter completely (turn Damping up to max) the harmonic 
content will be static – i.e. the sound will not get softer when decaying.
Level
This determines the level of the impulse sound being fed 
into the comb filters. By default, this parameter is modu-
lated by envelope 2. That is, you use envelope 2 as a level 
envelope for the impulse sound. 
For a string-type sound, you want an envelope with a 
quick attack, a very short decay and no sustain (an “im-
pulse” in other words), but you can also use other enve-
lopes for other types of sounds.
Try raising the attack for example, or raising the sustain to allow the im-
pulse sound to be heard together with the comb filter sound. 
						

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The included VST Instruments
Crackle
This allows you to send noise directly into the comb filters. 
Small amounts of noise will produce a “crackling”, erratic 
effect; higher amounts will give a more pronounced noise 
sound.
Feedback
This determines the amount of signal sent back into the 
comb filters (the feedback level). 
 Setting Feedback to zero (twelve o’clock) will effectively turn 
off the comb filter sound, as no feedback tone is produced.
 Setting Feedback to a positive value will create a feedback 
tone, with higher settings generating longer decays.
 Setting Feedback to a negative value will create a feedback 
tone with a more hollow sound, pitched one octave lower. 
Lower settings generate longer decays.
Detune
This offsets the notch frequencies of the three parallel 
comb filters, effectively changing the pitches of their feed-
back tones. At low settings, this creates a chorus-like de-
tune effect. Higher settings detunes the three tones in 
wider intervals.
Pitch and Fine
Overall pitch adjustment of the final sound. This changes 
the pitch of both the impulse sound and the final comb fil-
ter sound.
Key Tracking
This button determines whether the impulse sound should 
track the keyboard or not. This will affect the sound of the 
comb filters in a way similar to a key track switch on a reg-
ular subtractive synth filter.
Portamento
This parameter makes the pitch glide between the notes 
you play. The parameter setting determines the time it 
takes for the pitch to glide from one note to the next. Turn 
the knob clockwise for longer glide time.
The “Mode” switch allows you to apply glide only when 
you play a legato note (when switch is set to Legato). Le-
gato is when you play a note without releasing the previ-
ously played note. Note that Legato mode only works with 
monophonic Parts.
Master Volume and Pan
The master Volume controls the master volume (ampli-
tude) of the instrument. By default this parameter is con-
trolled by Envelope 1, to generate an amplitude envelope 
for the oscillators.
The Pan dial controls the position in the stereo spectrum 
for the instrument. You can use Pan as a modulation des-
tination.
Modulation and controllers
The lower half of the control panel displays the various 
modulation and controller assignment pages available as 
well as the effect page. You switch between these pages 
using the buttons above this section.
The following pages are available:
The LFO page has two low frequency oscillators (LFOs) 
for modulating parameters – see below.
The Envelope page contains the four Envelope genera-
tors which can be assigned to control parameters – see 
“Envelope page” on page 64.
The Event page contains the common MIDI controllers 
(Mod wheel, Aftertouch etc. and their assignments – see 
“The Event page.” on page 65.
The Effect page has three separate effect types avail-
able; Distortion, Delay and Modulation – see “Effects 
(EFX) page” on page 66.
LFO page
This is opened by clicking the LFO button at the top of the 
lower half of the control panel. The page contains all pa-
rameters and the modulation and velocity destinations for 
two independent LFOs. Depending on the currently se-
lected Preset, there may already be modulation destina-
tions assigned, in which case these are listed in the “Mod 
Dest” box for each LFO – see “Assigning LFO modulation 
destinations” on page 63.  
						

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The included VST Instruments
A low frequency oscillator (LFO) is used for modulating 
parameters, for example the pitch of an oscillator (to pro-
duce vibrato), or for any parameter where cyclic modula-
tion is desired.
The two LFOs have identical parameters:
About the sync modes
The Sync modes determine how the LFO cycle affects the 
notes you play:
About the waveforms
Most standard LFO waveforms are available for LFO mod-
ulation. You use Sine and Triangle waveforms for smooth 
modulation cycles, Square and Ramp up/down for differ-
ent types of stepped modulation cycles and Random or 
Sample for random modulation. The Sample waveform is 
different:
In this mode, the LFO actually makes use of the other 
LFO as well. 
For example, if LFO 2 is set to use Sample the resulting effect will also 
depend on the speed and waveform of LFO 1.
Assigning LFO modulation destinations
To assign a modulation destination for a LFO, proceed as 
follows:
1.Click in the “Mod Dest” box for one of the LFOs.
A pop-up appears with all possible modulation destinations are shown. 
All Sound parameters as well as most LFO and Envelope parameters are 
available as destinations.
The modulation destination pop-up.
2.Select a destination, e.g. Cut.
The selected modulation destination is now shown in the list. Beside the 
destination, a default value (50) has been set. The value represents the 
modulation amount. 
You can set positive and negative modulation values by 
clicking on the value in the list, typing in a new value and 
pressing the Enter key.
To enter negative values type a minus sign followed by the value.
3.Select a suitable LFO Waveform, Speed, Depth and 
Sync mode.
You should now hear the Cut parameter being modulated by the LFO. 
4.Using the same basic method, you can add any num-
ber of modulation destinations for the LFO.
They will all be listed in the “Mod Dest” box.
To remove a modulation destination click on its name in 
the list and select “Off” from the pop-up.
Parameter Description
Speed This governs the rate of the LFO. If MIDI Sync is activated 
(see below), the available rate values are selectable as 
note values, so the rate will synced to the sequencer 
tempo in Cubase in various beat increments.
Depth This controls the amount of modulation applied by the 
LFO. If set to zero, no modulation is applied.
Waveform This sets the LFO waveform. 
Sync mode 
(Part/MIDI/
Voice/Key)This sets the sync mode for the LFO. See below for a de-
scription.
Parameter Description
Part In this mode, the LFO cycle is free running and will affect 
all the voices in sync. “Free running” means that the LFO 
cycles continuously, and doesn’t reset when a note is 
played.
MIDI In this mode the LFO rate is synced in various beat incre-
ments to MIDI clock.
Voice In this mode each voice in the Part has its own indepen-
dent LFO cycle (the LFO is polyphonic). These cycles are 
also free running – each key down starts anywhere in the 
LFO cycle phase.
Key Same as Voice except that it is not free running – for 
each key down the LFO cycle starts over. 
						

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The included VST Instruments
Assigning LFO velocity destinations
You can also assign LFO modulation that is velocity con-
trolled (i.e. governed by how hard or soft you strike a key). 
This is done as follows:
1.Click in the “Vel Dest” box for one of the LFOs.
A pop-up appears with all possible velocity destinations are shown. 
2.Select a destination. 
The selected velocity destination is now shown in the list. Beside the 
destination, a default value (50) has been set. The value represents the 
modulation amount. See below for an example of how velocity modula-
tion works.
You can set positive and negative values by clicking on 
the value in the list, typing in a new value and pressing the 
Enter key.
To enter negative values type a minus sign followed by the value.
3.Using the same basic method, you can add any num-
ber of velocity destinations for the LFO.
They will all be listed in the “Vel Dest” box.
To remove a modulation destination click on its name in 
the list and select “Off” from the pop-up.
LFO modulation velocity control – an example:
If you follow the steps above and select the Cut parameter 
as a Velocity destination, the following happens:
The harder you strike the key, the more the Cut parame-
ter will be modulated by the LFO.
If you should enter a negative value for the velocity mod-
ulation amount, the opposite happens; the harder you play 
the less the Cut parameter is modulated by the LFO.
Envelope page
The Envelope page is opened by clicking the ENV button 
at the top of the lower half of the control panel. The page 
contains all parameters and the modulation and velocity 
destinations for the four independent envelope generators. 
Envelope generators govern how a parameter value will 
change when a key is pressed, when a key is held and fi-
nally when a key is released.
The Envelope page.
On the Envelope page, the parameters for one of the four 
envelope generators is shown at a time.
You switch between the four envelopes in the section to 
the left.
Clicking on either of the four mini curve displays 1 to 4 will select it and 
display the corresponding envelope parameters to the right. The mini 
curve displays also reflect the envelope settings for each corresponding 
envelope.
Envelope generators have four parameters; Attack, De-
cay, Sustain and Release (ADSR).
See below for a description of these.
You can set envelope parameters in two ways; either by 
using the sliders or by click-dragging the curve in the En-
velope curve display.
You can also do this in the mini curve displays.
By default Envelope 1 is assigned to the master volume, 
and therefore acts as an amplitude envelope. The ampli-
tude envelope is used to adjust how the volume of the 
sound should change from the time you press a key until 
the key is released.
If no amplitude envelope were assigned, there would be no output.
Envelope 2 is by default assigned to the Level parameter.
See “Level” on page 61.
The Envelope parameters are as follows:
Attack
The attack phase is the time it takes from zero to the max-
imum value. How long this should take, depends on the 
Attack setting. If the Attack is set to “0”, the maximum 
value is reached instantly. If this value is raised, it will take 
time before the maximum value is reached. Range is from 
0.0 milliseconds to 91.1 seconds.
Decay
After the maximum value has been reached, the value 
starts to drop. How long this should take is governed by 
the Decay time parameter. The Decay time has no effect if 
the Sustain parameter is set to maximum. Range is from 
0.0 milliseconds to 91.1 seconds.
Sustain
The Sustain parameter determines the level the envelope 
should rest at, after the Decay phase. Note that Sustain 
represents a level, whereas the other envelope parame-
ters represent times. Range is from 0 to 100. 
						

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The included VST Instruments
Release
Release determines the time it takes for the value to fall 
back to zero after releasing the key. Range is from 0.0 mil-
liseconds to 91.1 seconds.
Punch
When Punch is activated, the start of the decay phase is 
delayed a few milliseconds (the envelope “stays” at top 
level for a moment before moving on to the decay phase). 
The result is a punchier attack similar to a compressor ef-
fect. This effect is more pronounced with short attack and 
decay times.
Retrigger
When Retrigger is activated, the envelope will re-trigger 
each time you play a new note. However, with certain tex-
tures/pad sounds and a limited number of voices it is rec-
ommended to leave the button deactivated, due to click 
noises that might occur, when the envelope is ended up 
abruptly. This is caused by the incoming re-trigger that 
forces the envelope to start over again.
Assigning Envelope modulation destinations
To assign a modulation destination for an Envelope, pro-
ceed as follows:
1.Click in the “Mod Dest” box for one of the Envelopes.
A pop-up appears with all possible modulation destinations are shown. 
All Sound parameters as well as most LFO and Envelope parameters are 
available as destinations.
2.Select a destination, e.g. Cut.
The selected modulation destination is now shown in the list. Beside the 
destination, a default value (50) has been set. The value represents the 
modulation amount. 
You can set positive and negative modulation values by 
clicking on the value in the list, typing in a new value and 
pressing the Enter key.
To enter negative values type a minus sign followed by the value.
3.Select a suitable envelope curve for the modulation.
You should now hear the Cut parameter being modulated by the enve-
lope as you play. 
4.Using the same basic method, you can add any num-
ber of modulation destinations for the envelope.
They will all be listed in the “Mod Dest” box.
To remove a modulation destination click on its name in 
the list and select “Off” from the pop-up.
Assigning Envelope velocity destinations
You can also assign Envelope modulation that is velocity 
controlled (i.e. governed by how hard or soft you strike a 
key). This is done as follows:
1.Click in the “Vel Dest” box for one of the envelopes.
A pop-up appears with all possible velocity destinations are shown. 
2.Select a destination. 
The selected velocity destination is now shown in the list. Beside the 
destination, a default value (50) has been set. The value represents the 
modulation amount. See below for an example of how velocity modula-
tion works.
You can set positive and negative values by clicking on 
the value in the list, typing in a new value and pressing the 
Enter key.
To enter negative values type a minus sign followed by the value.
3.Using the same basic method, you can add any num-
ber of velocity destinations for the Envelope.
They will all be listed in the “Vel Dest” box.
To remove a modulation destination click on its name in 
the list and select “Off” from the pop-up.
Envelope modulation velocity control – an example:
If you follow the steps above and select the Cut parameter 
as a Velocity destination, the following happens:
The harder you strike the key, the more the parameter 
will be modulated by the Envelope.
If you enter a negative value for the velocity modulation 
amount, the opposite happens; the harder you play the 
less the Cut parameter will be modulated by the Envelope.
Event page
The Event page is opened by clicking the EVENT button 
at the top of the lower half of the control panel. This page 
contains the most common MIDI controllers and their re-
spective assignments.
The Event page. 
						

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The included VST Instruments
The following controllers are available:
To assign any of these controllers to one or several pa-
rameters, proceed as follows:
1.Click in the “Mod Dest” box for one of the controllers.
A pop-up appears with all possible modulation destinations are shown. 
All Sound parameters as well as most LFO and Envelope parameters are 
available as destinations.
2.Select a destination.
The selected modulation destination is now shown in the list. Beside the 
destination, a default value (50) has been set. The value represents the 
modulation amount when the controller is at its full range. 
You can set positive and negative modulation values by 
clicking on the value in the list, typing in a new value and 
pressing the Enter key.
To enter negative values type a minus sign followed by the value.
3.Using the same basic method, you can add any num-
ber of modulation destinations for the controllers.
They will all be listed in the “Mod Dest” box for the respective controller.
To remove a modulation destination click on its name in 
the list and select “Off” from the pop-up.
Effects (EFX) page
This page features three separate effect units: Distortion, 
Delay and Modulation (Phaser/Flanger/Chorus). The Ef-
fect page is opened by clicking the EFX button at the top 
of the lower half of the control panel.
Each separate effect section is laid out with a row of 
buttons that determine the effect type or characteristic 
and a row of sliders for making parameter settings.To activate an effect, click the “Active” button so that a 
dot appears.
Clicking again deactivates the effect.
Distortion
You can select between 4 basic distortion characteristics:
 Distortion provides hard clipping distortion.
 Soft Distortion provides soft clipping distortion.
 Tape Emulation produces distortion similar to magnetic tape 
saturation.
 Tube Emulation produces distortion similar to valve amplifiers.
The parameters are as follows:
Delay
You can select between 3 basic delay characteristics:
 Stereo Delay has two separate delay lines panned left and 
right.
 In Mono Delay the two delay lines are connected in series for 
monophonic dual tap delay effects.
 In Cross delay the delayed sound bounces between the ste-
reo channels.
The parameters are as follows:
Controller Description
Modulation 
WheelThe modulation wheel on your keyboard can be used to 
modulate parameters.
Velocity Velocity is used to control parameters according to how 
hard or soft you play notes on your keyboard. A common 
application of velocity is to make sounds brighter and 
louder if you strike the key harder.
Aftertouch Aftertouch, or channel pressure, is MIDI data sent when 
pressure is applied to a keyboard after the key has been 
struck, and while it is being held down or sustained. Af-
tertouch is often routed to control filter cutoff, volume, 
and other parameters to add expression. Most (but not 
all) MIDI keyboards send Aftertouch.
Key Pitch 
TrackingThis can change parameter values linearly according to 
where on the keyboard you play.
Parameter Description
Drive Sets the amount of distortion by amplifying the input sig-
nal.
Filter This parameter sets the crossover frequency of the dis-
tortion filter. The distortion filter consists of a lowpass fil-
ter and a highpass filter with a cutoff frequency equal to 
the crossover frequency. 
Tone This parameter controls the relative amount of lowpass 
and high-pass filtered signal. 
Level This controls the output level of the effect.
Parameter Description
Song Sync This switches tempo sync of the delay times on or off.
Delay 1 Sets the delay time ranging from 0 ms to 728 ms. If MIDI 
sync is activated the range is from 1/32 to 1/1; straight, 
triplet or dotted.
Delay 2 Same as Delay 1.
Feedback This controls the decay of the delays. With higher set-
tings the echoes repeat longer.
Filter A lowpass filter is built into the feedback loop of the de-
lay. This parameter controls the cutoff frequency of this 
feedback filter. Low settings result in successive echoes 
sounding darker. 
Level This controls the output level of the effect.  
						

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The included VST Instruments
Modulation
You can select between 3 modulation characteristics:
 The Phaser uses an 8-pole allpass filter to produce the classic 
phasing effect. 
 The Flanger is composed of two independent delay lines with 
feedback for the left and the right channel respectively. The 
delay time of both delays is modulated by one LFO with ad-
justable frequency. 
 Chorus produces a rich chorus effect with 4 delays modulated 
by four independent LFOs.
The parameters are as follows:
SR parameters
With these buttons you can change the sample rate. 
Lower sample rates basically reduces the high frequency 
content and sound quality, but the pitch isn’t altered. This 
is a great way to emulate the “lo-fi” sounds of older digital 
synths!
 If button “F” is active, the selected Part’s program will play 
back with the sample rate set in the host application.
 If button “1/2” is active, the selected Part’s program will play 
back with half the original sample rate.
 If button “1/4” is active, the selected Part’s program will play 
back with a quarter of the original sample rate.
A bonus effect of using lower sample rates is that it re-
duces the load on the computer CPU, allowing more si-
multaneous voices to be played etc.
HALionOne
HALionOne is a sample player that can play sound content 
in the *.hsb (HALion Sound Bank) format. These samples 
have associated preset files that store the panel settings 
and reference the HSB samples. Included are several pre-
sets (as *.vstpreset and *.trackpreset files).
The operation of HALionOne is very simple; load a preset 
(a *.vstpreset or a *.trackpreset file for an Instrument 
Track) and start playing! You do, however, have the option 
to tweak the basic parameters to tailor the sound to your 
liking.
HALionOne parameters
The HALionOne differs from other VST Instruments in that 
the panel parameters shown can vary according to which 
parameters are stored in the HSB file. HSB files cannot 
be created with HALionOne – you need the full version of 
HALion to do this – but when created, certain parameters 
are assigned as part of the file and the associated pro-
gram (or preset). This means that for each preset, only 
these assigned parameters are shown on the instrument 
panel. Typically, these are filter cutoff, DCA and DCF pa-
rameters and any assigned effect parameters (the effects 
are “built in”).
If you load HALionOne for an Instrument track and select, 
for example, the “Draw Organ” preset, the following pa-
rameters are shown:
Parameter Description
Song Sync This switches tempo sync of the Rate parameter on or 
off.
Rate Sets the rate of the LFOs modulating the delay time. If 
Song Sync is activated the rate will be synced to various 
beat increments.
Depth This parameter controls the depth of the delay time mod-
ulation. 
Delay This parameter sets the delay time of the four delay lines. 
Feedback The feedback parameter controls the amount of positive 
or negative feedback for all four delay lines. The adjust-
able range is from -1 to 1.
Level This controls the output level of the effect. 
Parameter Description
Cutoff This allows you to adjust filter frequency or cutoff. The fil-
ter used is a Waldorf Low Pass filter with a 24 dB slope.
Resonance Raising the filter resonance value will emphasize the fre-
quencies around the set filter frequency.
DCF Amount Controls the amount of the DCF (filter) envelope.
DCA Attack Controls the time it takes for the DCA signal to reach its 
highest level. 
						

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The included VST Instruments
These parameter assignments are used for many of the 
HALionOne presets, but not for all. As stated above, other 
parameters may be shown; these will be clearly labelled 
on the panel. For most of the presets there are also asso-
ciated effects – the effect parameters are usually as-
signed to the quick controls on the right and typically 
control the dry/wet mix of the effect.
Effect Bypass
This button, located at the bottom right in the box dis-
playing the preset name, allows you to bypass any effects.
The blue LED beside the button is lit if any effects are used in the preset.
Efficiency slider
The Efficiency slider provides a way of balancing audio 
quality vs. conservation of computer power. The lower the 
setting, the more voices are available. As a trade-off, 
sound quality is reduced.
Voices allocated
The Voices field dynamically displays the number of 
voices currently used.
MIDI and Disk activity LEDs
The MIDI activity LED indicates received MIDI input. The 
Disk LED will light up green when samples are streamed 
from disk, and red when samples cannot be loaded from 
disk in time. In such a case you should consider lowering 
the Efficiency slider. When the disk LED doesn’t light up, 
samples are read from memory.
Locate Contents
If you have moved the HALionOne content files to a differ-
ent location (i. e. any other location than the folder in which 
it was stored at installation time), you need to use the Lo-
cate Contents function to inform HALion One about 
where to find its files. This is done as follows:Right-click anywhere on the control panel and select 
“Locate contents”.
A file dialog opens where you can navigate to the folder location.
HALionOne and MIDI files
When the Preferences option “Import to Instrument Tracks” 
is activated (on the MIDI–MIDI File page), importing a MIDI 
file into Cubase will automatically set up instrument tracks, 
with HALionOne as the associated instrument. This allows 
you to quickly audition any imported MIDI files, to change 
parameter settings or to add effects, etc.
DCA Decay Controls the time it takes the DCA signal to decay to the 
sustain level.
DCA Sustain Controls the DCA signal level after the Decay phase, as 
long as you press the key on your MIDI keyboard.
DCA Release Controls the DCA signal after a key is released.
DCA Amount Controls the amount of the DCA (amplifier) envelope. Parameter Description 
						

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The included VST Instruments
Embracer – Surround Pad 
Synthesizer (Cubase only)
Embracer is a simple but powerful polyphonic synthesizer 
designed entirely for producing pads and accompaniment 
sounds. With its easy-to-use envelope and tone controls, 
it gives you fast access to the sounds you need without 
having to search through thousands of presets. However, 
the most powerful feature of Embracer is its surround out-
put. With a single switch, you can turn the instrument from 
stereo to surround and the width control allows you to 
spread your pad sound anywhere from mono to stereo to 
full 360° surround. The unique “eye” controller gives you 
an exact idea of how the sound will be placed in a mix. 
If you’ve never worked with a surround system before, 
now is the time to start exploring these possibilities.
The Embracer Surround Pad Synthesizer has the follow-
ing properties:
 Embracer is a Polyphonic surround pad synthesizer.
 2 oscillators with 12 waveforms.
 Independent envelope and tone controls.
 Stereo and surround outputs.
 Up to 32 voices of polyphony per instance.
 Dynamic width control for exciting 3D sounds.
 “Eye” controller for simultaneous tone and width control.
 Full MIDI control implementation.
Osc 1 and 2
Envelope and Level
Master
Parameter Description
Wave Selects the waveform for each oscillator. Available wave-
forms are: Carpet, DigiPad, Choir, Ensemble, Metal 
Phaze, Phase Strings, Sing Sing, Soft Wave, Spit Strynx, 
Stepfloor, Submerged, Wave Bellz. 
Note: If you want to use only one oscillator, set the wave-
form to OFF. In this case only one voice per key will be 
used.
Tone Embracer offers a high pass and low pass filter for each 
oscillator. Both filters are controlled via a single Tone 
knob. In the 50 % center position, the signal will not be fil-
tered. Reducing the tone value adds low pass filtering. 
Values above 50 % add high pass filtering. This parame-
ter can also be controlled by the “eye” controller.
Width Controls the spatial spread of the signal. A value of 0 % 
puts the signal mono into the center position. In stereo 
mode, a value of 100 % results in a maximum stereo 
width. In surround mode, a value of 100 % creates a full 
360° surround image. The width parameter can be con-
trolled by a variety of modulation sources, as well as by 
the “eye” controller.
Coarse 
(Oscillator 2 
only)Changes the pitch in semitones. Maximum range is +1/24 
semitones = 2 octaves.
Fine 
(Oscillator 2 
only)Changes the pitch in fine steps with a range of up to 
+/- 50 cents. 
Note: If you want to create a slight detune effect between 
the oscillators, make sure to set the master tune parame-
ter to a negative value of the same amount to keep the in-
strument in tune.
Parameter Description
Attack Controls the attack time of each oscillator. Higher values 
create slower attacks.
Attack Vel Sets the amount of velocity control of the attack time. 
Higher values increase the velocity sensitivity.
Level Controls the oscillator output level.
Level Vel Sets the amount of velocity control of the oscillator level. 
Higher values increase the velocity sensitivity.
Parameter Description
Release Controls the overall release time of the volume envelope. 
Higher values result in longer release times.
Mode Sets the output mode of Embracer. You can choose be-
tween “Stereo” and “Surround”. In Stereo Mode, Em-
bracer has one stereo output in the VST Mixer. In Surround 
Mode, Embracer has either a quadraphonic 4-channel out-
put or two independent stereo outputs in the Mixer. See 
below for more details on using Embracer in a surround 
mixer setup. 
						

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The included VST Instruments
The “Eye”
The Embracer’s unique “Eye” controller offers a creative 
new way of controlling the sound’s overall character and 
shape. This controller gives you access to several para-
meters at the same time. 
For each oscillator, there is a circle representing the tone 
and width of the sound. Click and drag the corresponding 
circle to change its shape. There are also two (numbered) 
oscillator handles. You can drag these vertically to change 
the tone or horizontally to change the width of the respec-
tive oscillator. When you drag a handle, the respective 
Tone and Width knobs of the oscillator are adjusted ac-
cordingly. Play a note while editing to hear the effect.
The “eye” can not only be used as a controller for the tone 
and width parameters, but also works as a surround 
scope for monitoring the spatial integration of the current 
sound. The display represents the sound’s position in the 
stereo or surround sound field. In stereo mode, the sound 
position is shown only in the upper half of the display and 
represents the front part of the sound field. In surround 
mode, the sound position is shown in the upper and lower 
half of the display and represents the front and rear part of 
the sound field.
You can use Embracer’s automation feature to record 
the movements of the mouse within the “eye” controller!
Using Embracer in Surround Mode
When you want to enjoy Embracer in 3D, set it up in sur-
round mode and listen to it on a surround system. Let’s 
assume you have a surround monitoring system set up 
with your VST mixer and your VST output connections are 
properly set up.
1.Open an instance of Embracer in the VST instruments 
rack and set it to surround mode. 
2.When you open the mixer you will see two separate 
stereo channels for the Embracer. The first is titled “Em-
bracer” and the second “Embracer rear”. 
3.Assign both channel outputs to the surround output 
bus. 
The two channel strips will now show independent surround panners. By 
default, the first output pair is assigned to the front left and right channels 
and the second output pair to the rear left and right channels. The sur-
round width can be controlled with the “width” parameter.
4.Double-click on the surround panner to open its con-
trol panel. Set the “Mono/Stereo” parameter to either 
“Y-Mirror”, “X-mirror” or “XY-mirror”. You can now freely 
adjust the surround panning to your taste.
5.If your surround configuration includes a center or LFE 
channel, you can also add some of Embracer’s signal to 
the center or LFE channels. Feel free to experiment to find 
out what works best in a given project and mix.
Width Ctr Use this parameter to select a modulation source for the 
width parameter. Available sources are: Mod Wheel, Af-
tertouch, Velocity and Envelope. 
Both oscillators are controlled simultaneously. However, 
modulation depth is controlled independently by the re-
spective width parameter of each oscillator.
Max Poly Sets the total number of voices available. Each oscillator 
uses one voice per note played. Thus, a two-oscillator 
sound with 8 voices results in 4-voice polyphony. The de-
fault value for Max Poly is 16.
Fine Tune Use this to adjust the pitch of the whole instrument. 
Range is +/- 50 cents. Use Fine Tune in combination 
with the Fine Tune parameter of OSC 2 to create smooth 
detune effects.
Master Out Sets the overall output volume of the instrument. Parameter Description