Steinberg Cubase 5.5 New Features Manual

							11
Working with the new features
•By holding [Shift] when selecting entries in the Bus Name 
column, you can select multiple entries at the same time.
This is useful for automatic renaming or changing the port assignments 
globally, see below.
ÖIf you select a subentry (e. g. a speaker channel in a 
bus) the parent entry is automatically selected as well.
Selecting entries by typing the name
In the Bus Name list you can jump to an entry by typing the 
first letter of the bus name on the keyboard.
Navigating the Bus Name list using the [Tab] key
By pressing the [Tab] key you can jump to the next entry in 
the Bus Name list, allowing you to rename your busses 
quickly. Similarly, by pressing [Shift]-[Tab] you can return 
to the previous list entry.
Automatically renaming selected busses
You can rename all the selected busses at once using in-
crementing numbers or letters from the alphabet.
•To use incrementing numbers, select the busses that 
you want to rename and enter a new name for one of the 
busses, followed by a number.
For example, if you have eight inputs that you want to be named “In 1, 
In 2, …, In 8”, you select all the busses and enter the name “In 1” for the 
first bus. All other busses are renamed automatically.
•To use letters from the alphabet, proceed as with num-
bers, but enter a capital letter instead of a number.
For example, if you have three FX channels that you want to be named 
“FX A, FX B, and FX C”, you select all the channels and enter the name 
“FX A” for the first. All other channels are renamed automatically. The last 
letter to be used is Z. If you have more selected entries than there are let-
ters available, the remaining entries will be skipped.
ÖYou do not have to begin renaming with the topmost 
selected entry. The renaming will start from the bus where 
you edit the name, will go down the list to the bottom and 
then continue from the top until all selected busses have 
been renamed.
Changing the port assignment for multiple busses
To change the port assignment (or the output routing in 
case of groups/FX channels) for multiple entries in the 
Bus Name column at the same time, you need to select 
the corresponding busses first.
•To assign different ports to the selected busses, press 
[Shift], open the Device Port pop-up menu for the first se-
lected entry (i. e. the topmost bus) and select a device port.
All subsequent busses are automatically connected to the next available 
port.
•To assign the same port to all selected busses, press 
[Shift]-[Alt]/[Option], open the Device Port pop-up menu 
for the first selected entry (i. e. the topmost bus) and select 
a device port.
ÖUsing this procedure, you can also set all selected 
busses or channels to Not Connected.
!This will only work if the table has the focus. To do 
this, simply select any list entry.
!When using letters instead of numbers, it is impor-
tant to note that these must be preceded by a space. 
If you leave out the space before the letter or if you 
do enter neither a letter nor a number, only the first 
selected entry is renamed.
!Exclusive ports (e. g. ports already assigned to Con-
trol Room channels) will be skipped! 
						

							12
Working with the new features
New and improved automation 
features
The automation panel was slightly redesigned and ex-
panded so that you will now find a few familiar functions in a 
different place (e. g. the Global Automation Mode pop-up 
menu, the Trim button and the Functions pop-up menu). 
The “Return Time”, and “Reduction Level” settings can now 
be found in the Automation Preferences, opened by click-
ing the corresponding button in the lower left corner of the 
panel. Here you will also find the “Show Data on Tracks” 
and “Continue Writing” (previously “Allow Continue Writing 
after Transport Jump”) options, previously found on the Op-
tions pop-up menu.
Trim improvements
When enabling Trim on the Automation panel, a trim curve 
is now positioned in the exact middle position of your au-
tomation track. You can use the trim curve to modify the 
original automation curve. Just drag the trim curve up or 
down and add automation events to it. These increase or 
decrease the values of the original automation curve, but 
allow you to preserve the original data.
You can now freeze your trim curve automatically or manu-
ally and render all trim data into a single automation curve.
To freeze your trim curve automatically, open the Freeze 
Trim pop-up menu in the Automation Preferences, and se-
lect one of the following options: Use “On Pass End” to 
perform a freeze whenever a write operation is finished, or 
“On Leaving Trim Mode” to freeze the trim data when Trim 
mode is switched off.
To freeze your trim curve manually, select the Manually op-
tion on the Freeze Trim pop-up menu in the Automation 
Preferences. You have the following possibilities to freeze 
your trim data manually:
•On the automation track, click on the parameter name 
and select the “Freeze Trim” option from the pop-up menu 
to freeze a specific parameter of one track.
•Open the Functions pop-up menu on the Automation 
panel and select “Freeze All Trim Automation in Project” to 
freeze all tracks in the project.
•Open the Functions pop-up menu on the Automation 
panel and select “Freeze Trim Automation of Selected 
Tracks” to freeze all selected tracks. 
						

							13
Working with the new features
The Fill options
The automation panel now features an additional Fill sec-
tion.
The Fill options define what happens in a specific section 
of your project when you punch out of a running automa-
tion pass.
The Fill options write one particular value across a defined 
section of your automation track – any previously created 
data within this section is overwritten.
The following Fill options are available:
To Punch
Let’s say you are rolling, in realtime, over a scene cut and 
volume must be softer in the next scene – you do not yet 
know how much softer, but the change in volume from the 
first to the second scene must be abrupt.
1.Select “Touch” as automation mode and click the “To 
Punch” button once to activate it as Fill option.
The “To Punch” button is highlighted. 
2.Start rolling somewhere during the first scene and 
touch the fader at the moment of scene change.
The automation pass is punched in.
3.Move the fader until you have found the volume setting 
you need in the second scene and release the fader to 
punch out.
The volume curve is set from the point of punch out back to where you 
punched in. The values written while moving the fader to find the right 
value are deleted, and the volume jumps at exactly the right moment from 
the value set in the first scene to the value found for the second scene.
To Start
“To Start” is similar to the “To Punch” option, but with the 
following difference: When “To Start” is selected, punch-
ing out of automation will fill the automation track from 
where you punched out to the start of the project.
To End
Imagine you are automating volume for the background 
tracks of a two-minute scene. Rather than holding the 
fader for two minutes, you can proceed as follows: 
1.Select “Touch” as automation mode and click the “To 
End” button once to activate it as Fill option.
The “To End” button is highlighted. 
2.Start rolling and touch the parameter control to punch 
in the automation pass.
3.Move the fader until you have found the setting you 
want and release the fader.
This will punch out the writing of automation data. As you let go of the 
fader, the automation curve will take the found value setting, from where 
you punched out to the end of the project.
Loop
To use the Loop option, you must first set up a loop range 
with the left and right locators. When you then select 
Loop, punching out will set the found value within the 
range defined by the left and right locator. 
						

							14
Working with the new features
Fill combinations
You can also combine the various Fill options. 
•Combining “To Punch” and “To End” will fill the automa-
tion track from the punch in position to the end of the 
project.
•Combining “To Start” and “To End” will fill the automa-
tion track from the beginning to the end of the project.
One shot vs. continuous fill
The Fill options can be used in two different ways:
•When you click one of the Fill buttons, it is highlighted, 
and will be enabled during the next automation pass.
Afterwards, the option is disabled again.
•If you click a Fill button a second time, a lock symbol is 
displayed on the highlighted button, indicating that you 
are permanently in “Fill to X” mode and that the operation 
can be repeated as many times as you wish.
Clicking the button a third time disables the corresponding Fill option.
Drawing curves with Fill enabled
You can use the Fill options on the Automation panel in 
combination with the Pencil tool. This provides you with an 
extremely powerful method for writing automation data 
manually:
1.Open an automation track and select the Pencil tool.
2.On the Automation panel in the Fill column select “To 
End”.
3.Click and draw to create an automation curve.
4.Release the mouse button.
At the moment of release, a final automation event is created. The automa-
tion curve is written from this last event through to the end of the project.
This procedure can be used with all the Fill options. 
Project Synchronization Setup 
dialog improvements
The Project Synchronization Setup dialog has been opti-
mized to make the relationships between the different ele-
ments involved in synchronization more evident. The arrows 
now clearly indicate the sources and destinations in the in-
formation/signal flow. Furthermore, some of the descrip-
tions have been renamed to make them more consistent 
and easier to understand.
Export Audio Mixdown 
improvements
New naming options
The Export Audio Mixdown dialog now has an additional 
button in the File Location section. Clicking the “Naming 
Scheme…” button opens a separate pop-up window. 
						

							15
Working with the new features
Here you can choose a number of elements that will be 
combined to form the file name. Depending on the settings 
in the Channel Selection section, the following elements 
are available: Name, Mixer Index, Channel Type, Channel 
Name, and Project Name.
The elements are defined as follows:
ÖBy combining the available naming elements, you can 
make sure that all the files of a batch are exported with 
unique names. If you have set up a naming scheme that 
would result in identical file names, a warning message 
appears when you click the Export button.
•To add an element, press the “+” button on the far right, 
and to remove an element from the naming scheme, click 
the corresponding “-” button.
You can also remove an element by dragging it out of the Elements sec-
tion.
•To rearrange the sequence, simply click on an element 
and drag it to a different position.
•To choose a different element for a certain position, 
click on the element name and select a new entry from the 
pop-up menu.
Each element can only be used once in a naming scheme. The pop-up 
menu therefore shows only those elements that are still available. 
Below the Elements section you will find some additional 
options:ÖTo close the Naming Scheme pop-up window, simply 
click anywhere outside the pop-up window. The gener-
ated name will now also be shown to the right of the 
“Naming Scheme…” button.
New L/R channels option
The “L/R Channels” option in the Audio Engine Output 
section allows you to export only the left and right sub-
channels of a multi-channel bus into a stereo file.
ÖThe Update Display option was moved to the bottom 
of the dialog.
New Import into Project option
The Import into Project section contains several options 
for importing the resulting mixdown files back into the ex-
isting or into a new project. If you activate the Pool check-
box, the resulting audio file will automatically be imported 
back into the Pool as a clip.
Now, there is also a “Pool Folder” text field, where you can 
specify in which Pool folder the clip will reside.
Gain inverse for channel EQ
Each EQ module (in the VST Channel Settings window or 
the Inspector) now features a button to invert the corre-
sponding EQ band (i.e. reflect the curve along the x axis). 
This button is located to the right of the EQ module’s On/
Off button. The button is hidden when the EQ module is 
deactivated.
This is very useful if you want to filter out unwanted noise. 
While looking for the frequency to omit, it sometimes 
helps to boost it in the first place (set the filter to positive 
gain). After you have found the frequency, you can use the 
Inverse button to cancel it out.
Support for HD frame rates
Cubase can now synchronize to 23.97 fps and other HD 
frame rates, allowing you to work with video material deliv-
ered in HD video formats. The new frame rates in the 
Project Setup window are 23.9 fps, 24.9 fps, 59.9 fps, and 
60 fps. For more information, see “Frame rates” on page 71.
Element Description
Name The name that you entered in the Name field (in the File 
Location section).
Mixer Index The number of the Mixer channel.
Channel Type The type of audio-related channel that is being exported.
Channel Name The name of the exported channel.
Project Name The name of the Cubase project.
Option Description
Separator Allows you to enter any character sequence to be used 
as a separator between the naming elements (e. g. a hy-
phen enclosed in spaces).
Leading Zeros This controls how many leading zeros the Counter and 
Mixer Index components will have. For example, if you set 
this to “2”, the numbers from 1 to 10 will be written as 
001 to 010.
Counter Start 
ValueHere you can enter a number that is used as the first 
Counter value. 
						

							16
Working with the new features
Redesign of the Marker window
While the display of the markers on the Marker track has 
been refreshed for enhanced clarity, the Marker window 
has been completely redesigned:
In the Marker window you can view and edit markers. The 
markers on the marker track are displayed in the marker 
list in the order in which they occur in the project. 
To open the Marker window, you have the following possi-
bilities:
• Open the Project menu and select “Markers”.
• Click the Show button in the marker section on the Transport 
panel.
• Use the corresponding key command (by default [Ctrl]/[Com-
mand]-[M]).
The Type pop-up menu
•By selecting an entry from the Type pop-up menu, you 
select which markers (position markers, cycle markers, or 
all) are shown in the marker list.
Adding, moving, and removing markers 
•To select a marker, click on it in the Marker window. 
•To edit a selected marker, click on it. 
Select multiple markers by [Shift]-clicking or [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking 
them.
•To add a position marker, open the Functions pop-up 
menu and select the “Insert Marker” option. 
A position marker is added at the current project cursor position on the 
marker track. 
•To add a cycle marker, open the Functions pop-up 
menu and select the “Insert Cycle Marker” option.
This adds a cycle marker between the left and right locators on the 
marker track. 
•To move one or more markers to a specific position, set 
the project cursor to the desired position, select the mark-
ers, and select the “Move Markers to Cursor” option from 
the Functions pop-up menu.
You can also move markers by entering the new position numerically in 
the Position column. If a cycle marker is selected, the Move operation af-
fects the cycle marker start position. 
•To remove a marker, select it and select the “Remove 
Marker” option from the Functions pop-up menu.
Auto-Scroll with Project Cursor
This option helps you to keep track of the locate arrow, 
even if your project contains a large number of markers. 
When this option is activated, the window is automatically 
scrolled to keep the locate arrow visible.
Navigating in the marker list
You can navigate in the marker list using your computer 
keyboard and select entries by pressing [Enter]. This is a 
quick and easy way to jump to markers during playback or 
recording:
•To move to the previous/next marker in the list, press 
[Up Arrow]/[Down Arrow]. 
•To jump to the first/last marker, press [PageUp]/[Page-
Down]. 
Auto-Scroll with 
Project Cursor Type pop-up 
menuFunctions 
pop-up menu Locate 
arrow 
						

							17
Working with the new features
Control Room improvements
Improved Studio tab in VST Connections 
window
The Studio tab in the VST Connections window has been 
slightly redesigned. The new Configuration field indicates 
the channel width of the Control Room channel.
New button to open the Control Room Mixer
The Control Room Mixer can now be opened via the VST 
Connections window (Studio tab) or by clicking the Open 
Control Room Mixer button on the Project window toolbar. 
ÖIf this button is not visible on the toolbar, activate the 
“Media & Mixer Windows” option on the context menu of 
the toolbar.
Exclusive Device Ports for Monitor Channels
In the Preferences dialog (VST-Control Room page) there 
is a new preference named “Exclusive Device Ports for 
Monitor Channels”. When this option is activated, the port 
assignment for Monitor channels is exclusive. If your sce-
nario does not require you to assign ports to several Mon-
itor channels, it is recommended to activate this option. 
This way, you can make sure that you do not accidentally 
assign ports to inputs/outputs and Monitor channels at 
the same time.
ÖThe state of this option is saved together with the Con-
trol Room presets and not with the Preference Presets.
Support for the Yamaha XF data 
format
Cubase now supports the Yamaha XF format. XF is an ex-
tension of the standard MIDI file format that allows saving 
of song-specific data with a MIDI file of type 0.
When importing a MIDI file containing XF data, this data is 
placed in parts on separate tracks called “XF Data”, “Chord 
Data”, or “SysEx Data”. You can edit such a part in the List 
Editor (e. g. to add or change lyrics).
Cubase can also export XF data as part of a MIDI file of 
type 0. If you do not want to export the XF data together 
with the MIDI data, mute or delete the track(s) containing 
the XF data.
Track Quick Controls improvements
Track Quick Controls are now available for audio, instru-
ment, MIDI, group, FX, input, and output channels.
Enable/Disable 
Control RoomChannel width of 
the Control Room 
channel
Open Control Room 
Mixer
!Do not change the order of events within the XF data 
or the event data itself, unless you have a lot of expe-
rience with XF data. 
						

							3
The MediaBay 
						

							19
The MediaBay
Introduction
One of the biggest challenges in typical computer-based music production environments is how to manage the ever-
growing number of plug-ins, instruments, presets, etc. from multiple sources. Cubase features an efficient database for 
media file management that allows you to handle all your media files from within your sequencer program.
The MediaBay is divided into several sections:
• Define Locations – Here, you can create “presets” for locations 
on your system that you want to scan for media files, see “Defin-
ing Locations” on page 22.
• Locations – Here, you can switch between the previously de-
fined Locations.
• Filters – Here, you can filter the Results list using a logical or 
an attribute filter, see “The Filters section” on page 28.
• Results – Here, all found media files are displayed. You can 
also filter the list and perform text searches, see “The Results 
list” on page 23.
• Previewer – This section allows you to preview the files shown 
in the Results list, see “Previewing files” on page 26.
• Attribute Inspector – In this section, you can view, edit and add 
media file attributes (or tags), see “The Attribute Inspector” on 
page 30.
Important notice for users updating to 
Cubase 5.5
Accessing the MediaBay
To open the MediaBay, select the MediaBay command on 
the Media menu. You can also use the corresponding key 
command (by default F5).
The Previewer 
section The Attribute 
Inspector The Define
Locations
sectionThe Locations section
The Filters
section
The Results
list
!When updating Cubase from versions 4.x, 5.0.x, or 
5.1 to 5.5, please note that any previously existing 
MediaBay database files are not supported. To cre-
ate a database, Cubase 5.5 has to rescan your sys-
tem for media files. 
						

							20
The MediaBay
Setting up the MediaBay window
You can show and hide the different sections of the 
MediaBay (except for the Results list). This is handy, as it 
allows you to save screen space and enables you to dis-
play only the information you need for your work.
Proceed as follows:
1.Click the “Set up Window Layout” button in the lower 
left corner of the MediaBay window.
A transparent pane appears, covering the window. In the center of it is a 
gray area containing checkboxes for the different sections.
2.Deactivate the checkboxes for the sections you want 
to hide from view. 
Any changes you make here are directly reflected in the MediaBay window. 
Note that the Results list cannot be hidden.
ÖYou can also use key commands for this: use the up/
down and left/right arrow keys to step through the check-
boxes and press [Space] to activate/deactivate the de-
sired checkbox.
3.When you are done, click outside the gray area to exit 
the Setup mode.
Alternatively, you can wait a few seconds for the pane to disappear auto-
matically.
•You can change the size of the individual MediaBay sec-
tions by dragging the divider line between two sections.
Working with the MediaBay
When working with many music files, the most important 
thing is to find the content you need quickly and easily. 
The MediaBay helps you find and organize your content in 
an effective and efficient way. After the first scan of the 
folders you have activated for scanning (which will take a 
certain time), all the files that were found are there for you 
to browse, tag or modify. 
At the beginning, all media files of the supported formats 
are listed in the Results section: far too many to get a 
good overview. However, by using the search and filter 
techniques, you get the desired results very quickly.
The first thing to do is to set up “Locations”, that is folders 
or directories on your system that contain media files. Usu-
ally, files are organized in a specific way on your computer. 
For example, you might have folders reserved for audio con-
tent, folders for special effects, folders for combinations of 
sounds making up the ambience noise you need for a cer-
tain film take, etc. These can all be set as different Loca-
tions in the MediaBay, allowing you to limit the files available 
in the Results list according to context.
Whenever you expand your computer system (for exam-
ple, by adding new hard disks or an external volume con-
taining media files you want to work with), you should 
make it a habit to save the new volumes as Locations or 
add them to your existing Locations. Afterwards, you can 
hide the Define Locations section from view. That way, the 
MediaBay occupies less screen space and you can con-
centrate on the important thing: the Results list. 
For this list, you can specify which file types are displayed, 
see “Filtering according to media type” on page 23. If 
there are still too many files to choose from, you can nar-
row down the results using a text search function, see 
“Performing a text search” on page 24. This is often all it 
needs to display what you want, allowing you to proceed 
by previewing the files before inserting them into your 
project (see “Previewing files” on page 26). However, if 
you need very complex and detailed filtering, this is also 
possible using either attribute or logical filtering, see “The 
Filters section” on page 28. For filtering or searches, the 
use of attributes is recommended: By specifying specific 
attribute values for your files (categorizing them as pro-
duction sound, foley, special effects, etc.), you can con-
siderably speed up the browsing process, see “The 
Attribute Inspector” on page 30.