Steinberg Cubase 5 Operation Manual

431
Synchronization
Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Preferences dialog (accessed from the File 
menu under Windows or the Cubase menu on the Mac) 
and select the Transport page.
2.Enter the desired frame rate under “User Definable 
Framerate”.
Either type in the desired value directly or use the arrow buttons to in-
crease/decrease the value. You can enter any value between 2 and 200.
3.When you’re done, click OK to close the dialog and 
save the settings.
The Frame Rate you specified will now be used in...

432
Synchronization
Send MIDI Clock in Stop Mode
When the option “Send MIDI Clock in Stop Mode” in the 
Project Synchronization Setup dialog (MIDI Clock Desti-
nations section) is activated, Cubase will send MIDI Clock 
signals to the selected MIDI Clock destinations even 
when Cubase is in Stop mode. 
This is, for example, useful if you are working with a key-
board that has a built-in arpeggiator, the tempo of which 
you are controlling via MIDI Clock messages. This way, 
the arpeggiator will keep the...

433
Synchronization
MIDI Timecode
In this mode, Cubase is the slave and the timecode is sent 
by the MIDI Timecode Source specified in the correspond-
ing section. 
Setting up Cubase for external sync to timecode
1.In the Project Synchronization dialog, set Timecode 
Source to MIDI Timecode.
2.Use the pop-up menu in the MIDI Timecode Source 
section to select an input for the timecode.
3.Close the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and 
open the Project Setup dialog from the Project menu.
4.Use the...

434
Synchronization
ASIO Audio Device
In this mode, Cubase is the slave and the synchronization 
signal can be received from another device connected to 
a digital interface of the audio hardware.
About the ASIO Positioning Protocol (APP)
The ASIO Positioning Protocol is a technology that ex-
pands on the type of sync described above and makes 
sample-accurate positioning possible.
When transferring audio digitally between devices, it is im-
portant that synchronization using word clock and timecode 
is...

435
Synchronization
You can now set up the synchronization:
1.Open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and 
set the Timecode Source to “ASIO Audio Device”.
2.Make the necessary settings in the dialog.
For information on the different sections, click the Help button in the dialog.
3.Close the Project Synchronization Setup dialog.
4.Open the Project Setup dialog from the Project menu 
and use the Start value to set which frame on the external 
device (e.g. a video tape) should correspond to the...

436
Synchronization
Machine Control
Cubase can control external tape transports and similar 
devices via MIDI Machine Control. This allows you to op-
erate an external tape transport from Cubase’s Transport 
panel. That is, Cubase can make the tape recorder locate 
to a certain position, start, stop, rewind, etc.
About sync and machine control
Controlling tape transports is a two-way process:
Cubase sends out machine control commands to the 
tape recorder, asking it to locate to a certain position and...

437
Synchronization
It is now possible to control the external tape recorder in-
dependently or together with Cubase:
If you activate the Online button on the MMC Master 
panel you can use the transport buttons on the panel to 
control the transport of the device.
You can also use the buttons to the left on the MMC 
Master panel to arm tape tracks for recording.
The number of record arm buttons depends on the “Number of Audio 
Tracks” setting in the Master Machine Control Device section of the Pro-
ject...

438
Synchronization
Working with VST System Link
VST System Link is a network system for digital audio that 
allows you to have several computers working together in 
one large system. Unlike conventional networks it does not 
require Ethernet cards, hubs, or CAT-5 cables; instead it 
uses the kind of digital audio hardware and cables you 
probably already possess in your studio.
VST System Link has been designed to be simple to set 
up and operate, yet give enormous flexibility and perfor-
mance gains...

439
Synchronization
Synchronization 
Before you proceed, you need to make sure that the clock 
signals on your ASIO cards are synchronized correctly. 
This is essential when cabling any kind of digital audio 
system, not just VST System Link.
The Clock Mode or Sync Mode is set up in the ASIO con-
trol panel of the audio hardware. In Cubase, you proceed 
as follows:
1.Pull down the Devices menu and open the Device Set-
up dialog.
2.On the VST Audio System page, select your audio in-
terface from the “ASIO...

440
Synchronization
Setting up your software
Now it is time to set up your programs. The procedures 
below describe how to set things up in Cubase. If you are 
using another program on the other computer, please re-
fer to its documentation.
Setting the sample rate
The projects in both programs must be set to use the 
same sample rate. Select “Project Setup…” from the Pro-
ject menu and make sure the sample rate is the same in 
both systems.
Streaming digital audio between applications
1.Create input and...