Steinberg Cubase 5 Operation Manual
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101 The Arranger track 3.You can now flatten the Arranger track by clicking the Flatten button. If you realize that you want to do further arrangements, you can click the “Go Back” button and make your adjustments. Your Flattening settings will be kept. 4.Click the “Go Back” button to go back to the Arranger Editor or close the window by clicking its Close button. Live Mode If you have set up an Arranger track and play it back, you have also the possibility to influence the playback order “live”. Note that the Arranger mode has to be activated to be able to use the Live mode. 1.Add an Arranger track by selecting “Arranger” from the Add Track submenu of the Project menu. 2.Create the desired Arranger events by drawing with the Pencil tool on Arranger track. 3.Set up an Arranger chain in the Inspector for the Ar- ranger track or in the Arranger Editor, activate the Arran- ger mode and play back your project. Now you can use your Arranger events listed in the lower section of the Arranger track Inspector to play back your project in Live Mode: 4.Switch into Live mode by clicking on the little arrow in the lower list of the Arranger track Inspector to the left of the Arranger event you want to trigger. The Arranger event will be looped endlessly, until you click on another Ar- ranger event. This might be useful, if you want to loop e.g. a guitar solo with a flexible length. You can stop Live mode by clicking the Stop button or go back to “normal” playback in Arranger mode by clicking on any arranger event in the upper list. In the latter case, playback will be continued from the arranger event where you clicked. The “Select grid” pop-up menu will always be taken into ac- count. When the grid is set to “1 Bar” and you click the Stop button e.g., playback will be stopped after the next bar. The active Arranger event will be played back as long as defined before jumping to the next. Don’t Split EventsIf this option is activated, MIDI notes that start before or are longer than the Arranger event will not be included. Only MIDI notes that begin and end inside the Arranger event boundaries will be taken into account. Open New ProjectsIf you activate this option, a new project will be created for every flattened Arranger chain. If you activate the op- tion “Cascade New Projects” the opened projects will be cascaded. Option Description Option Description None Jumps to the next section immediately. 4 bars, 2 barsWhen one of these modes is selected, a grid of 4 or 2 bars (de- pending on the setting) will be placed on the active Arranger event. Whenever the respective grid line is reached, playback will jump to the next Arranger event. An example: Let’s say you have an Arranger event which is 8 bars long and the grid is set to 4 bars. When the cursor is anywhere within the first 4 bars of the Arranger event when you hit the next Arranger event, playback will jump to the next event when the end of the fourth bar of the Arranger event is reached. When the cursor is anywhere within the last 4 bars of the Arranger event, playback will jump to the next event at the end of the event. When an event is shorter than 4 (or 2) bars when this mode is selected, playback will jump to the next section at the event end. 1 bar Jumps to the next section at the next bar line. 1 beat Jumps to the next section at the next beat. End Plays the current section to the end, then jumps to the next sec- tion.
102 The Arranger track Arranging your music to video The relative time of your Arranger track can be taken as a reference instead of the project time. This is useful, if you want to use the Arranger track to compose music for video and fill e.g. a specific video section with music, by repeating the corresponding number of Arranger events. If you position your external sync master device to a posi- tion that does not match the Project Start time, Cubase will jump automatically to the right position in the Arranger track and will start playback from there, i.e. the correct rel- ative position and not the absolute project time will be found. The reference for the external timecode can be MIDI or any other Timecode that can be interpreted/read by Cubase. An example: 1.Set up a project with a MIDI track and three MIDI parts. The first should start at position 00:00:00:00 and end at position 00:01:00:00, the second should start at position 00:01:00:00 and end at position 00:02:00:00 and the third should start at position 00:02:00:00 and end at po- sition 00:03:00:00. 2.Activate the Sync button on the Transport panel. 3.Add an Arranger track and create Arranger events that match the MIDI parts. 4.Set up the Arranger chain “A-A-B-B-C-C”, activate the Arranger mode and play back your project. 5.Start external Timecode at position 00:00:10:00 (within the range of “A”). In your project, the position 00:00:10:00 will be located and you will hear “A” playing. Nothing special! Now, let’s see what happens if your external sync master device starts at a position that does not match the Project Start time: 6.Start at 00:01:10:00 (within the range of what origi- nally was “B”). In your project, the position 00:01:10:00 will be located and you will hear “A” playing, because it plays twice in the Arranger track. 7.Start external Timecode at position 00:02:10:00 (within the range of what originally was “C”). In your project, the position 00:02:10:00 will be located and you will hear “B” playing, because it plays “later” in the Arranger track. ÖIf the Arranger mode is not activated or no Arranger track exists, Cubase will work as usual.
104 The Transpose functions Introduction Cubase offers transpose functions for audio, MIDI and in- strument parts and for audio events. These allow you to create variations of your music or change the harmonics of an entire project or separate sections. Transpose can be applied on three levels: On the entire project By changing the project Root Key in the Project window toolbar, the whole project will be transposed (see “Transposing an entire project with the Root Key” on page 104). On sections of the project By creating Transpose events on the Transpose track, you can set trans- pose values for separate sections of your project (see “Transposing sep- arate sections of a project using Transpose events” on page 106). On individual parts or events By selecting individual parts or events and changing their transpose value in the info line, you can transpose individual parts or events (see “Transposing individual parts or events using the info line” on page 106). Apart from the transpose features described in this chap- ter, you can also transpose all MIDI notes on the selected track using the MIDI modifiers (see “Transpose” on page 308), selected notes using the Transpose dialog (see “Transpose” on page 330), and MIDI tracks using MIDI ef- fects (see the separate manual “Plug-in Reference”). Transposing your music In the following sections we will describe the different possibilities of transposing your music. Note that these can also be combined. However, we recommend you to set the root key first, before recording or changing trans- pose values on the transpose track. Transposing an entire project with the Root Key The root key you specify for a project will be the reference that audio or MIDI events in your project will follow. You can however exclude separate parts or events from being trans- posed, e.g. drums or percussion (see “The Global Trans- pose setting” on page 107). Depending on whether you are using events which already contain root key information or not, the procedures differ slightly. If the events already contain root key information Let’s say you want to create a project based on loops. Proceed as follows: 1.Open the MediaBay and drag some loops into an emp- ty project, see “Browsing for media files” on page 276. For this example, import audio loops with different root keys. 2.Now, open the Root Key pop-up menu in the Project window toolbar and set the project root key. The entire project will be played back with this root key. Note that by de- fault, the project root key is not specified (“-”). A loop-based project with different event root keys The separate loops will be transposed in order to match the project root key. If you e.g. have imported a bass loop in C and the project root key is set to E, the bass loop will be transposed up by 4 semitones. !The transpose functions do not change the actual MIDI notes or the audio, but only affect the playback. !As a general rule, you should always set the root key first when you work with content with a defined root key.
105 The Transpose functions 3.Now (with the root key set), record audio or MIDI. The recorded events will get the project root key. 4.When you are done and satisfied with the result, you can change the project root key and your events will follow. If the events do not contain root key information Let’s say you have created a project by recording audio and importing some MIDI loops, and you want to match the root key of the whole project to the register of a certain singer. Proceed as follows: 1.In your project, open the Project menu and select “Transpose” from the Add Track submenu (or right-click in the Track list and select “Add Transpose Track”) to add the Transpose track. You can only have one Transpose track in a project. 2.Set the project to the desired root key by selecting the corresponding option from the Root Key pop-up in the Project window toolbar. 3.Right-click in the Track list for the Transpose track and select “Set root key for unassigned events” from the con- text menu. This sets the project root key for all parts or events not containing any root key information. This option is only available, if a project root key has been set. Recording with a project root key Let’s say that you want to record a guitar line for a project that is in D# minor, but your guitar player prefers to play in A minor. In this case, change the project root key to A, so that you can record your guitar. Proceed as follows: 1.Open your project and set the project root key to A. All parts and events will be transposed in order to match the root key. 2.Listen to your project and verify that no drums and percussions have been transposed. If drums have been transposed, select them and set their Global Trans- pose setting to “Independent”. 3.Record your guitar line as desired. 4.When you are done and satisfied with the result, you can change the project root key back to D# minor and your events will follow. Changing the Root key of single events or parts If you want to check if an audio event or part has root key information or if you want to change it, proceed as follows: 1.Open the Pool and display the Key column by select- ing “Root Key” from the “View/Attributes” pop-up menu in the Pool. An audio event with the root key set to “C” 2.Click in the Root Key column for the desired audio event and set the key according to your needs. You can also check and assign Root Keys in the MediaBay. ÖIf you change the root key of an audio part or event, the corresponding audio file will not change. To save the Root Key setting in the audio file, you have to use the “Bounce Selection” function from the Audio menu. !If you work with drums or percussion, you should ex- clude these from being transposed by setting the “Global Transpose” setting on the info line to “Inde- pendent” (see “The Global Transpose setting” on page 107). !If you work with drums or percussion, you should ex- clude these from being transposed by setting the “Global Transpose” setting on the info line to “Inde- pendent” (see “The Global Transpose setting” on page 107). !For recorded audio events and MIDI parts, the “Global Transpose” setting on the info line is automatically set to “Follow”, i.e. the events or parts will get the project root key.
106 The Transpose functions To check or change the root key setting of a MIDI part, proceed as follows: 1.Select your MIDI part in the Project window and check the Project window info line. A MIDI part with the root key set to “D” 2.Click on the root key value in the info line to open the corresponding pop-up menu and select the desired root key. Transposing separate sections of a project using Transpose events Sometimes you may want to transpose only certain sec- tions of your project, e.g. to create harmonic variations. This can be done by creating transpose events. Trans- pose events allow you to add a relative transpose offset by specifying transpose values in semitones. You can e.g. brighten up your loops in C major by transposing them by 5 semitones, so that the subdominant on F major is played back, or you can turn your hit more interesting by trans- posing the last chorus one semitone upwards. 1.In your project, open the Project menu and select Transpose from the Add Track submenu (or right-click in the Track list and select “Add Transpose Track”) to add the Transpose track. You can only have one Transpose track in a project. 2.Select the Pencil tool from the toolbar and click in the Transpose track to create a transpose event. A transpose event will be created from the point where you clicked until the end of the project. 3.To create another transpose event, click with the pen- cil tool on the first transpose event. By default, the transpose value of new transpose events is set to 0. You can add more transpose events by clicking with the pencil tool. 4.Click in the transpose value field and enter the trans- pose value for the transpose event. You can enter the desired value with the computer keyboard, use the mouse wheel or [Alt]/[Option]-click on the transpose value to open a value fader. You can specify values between -24 and 24 semitones. 5.Play back your project. The parts of your project on the same position as the transpose events will be transposed according to the specified transpose values. ÖYou can also transpose the whole project using the transpose track. This is useful e.g. if your singer does not reach a certain pitch. In this case you can transpose your whole project by e.g. -2 semitones. Always remember to verify that the “Global Transpose” setting for drums and percussion is set to “Independent” on the info line (see “The Global Transpose setting” on page 107). You can erase and move transpose events, but you can- not mute, cut or glue them. The option “Locators to Selec- tion” does not apply on transpose events. Transposing individual parts or events using the info line You can also transpose individual audio and MIDI parts and events via the Info line (or the Inspector). This transposition will be added to the global transposition (i.e. the root key or the transpose events). Proceed as follows: 1.Select the event that you want to transpose. 2.In the Project window info line, adjust the Transpose value as desired. ÖA global transpose change will not overwrite individual part or event transpose, but will be added to the trans- pose value for the part or event. In this case, it might be useful to keep the transposition within the octave range (see “Keep Transpose in Octave Range” on page 108). !If you change the project root key after setting the event root key, the events will keep their own root key settings, and will be transposed to match the project root key. If you record an audio or a MIDI part and the project root key is specified, this root key is automat- ically set.
107 The Transpose functions Other functions Indicate Transpositions When you transpose your music, you may sometimes want to visually compare the original sounds and the transposed music. For MIDI parts, you can check this by opening the Key Editor and clicking the “Indicate Transpo- sitions” button. This will help you see how your MIDI notes will be transposed. If the button is activated, the Key Edi- tor will show the note pitch you will hear, if it is deacti- vated, the Key Editor shows the original pitch of the notes in your MIDI part. By default, the “Indicate Transpositions” button is deactivated. A MIDI part as originally recorded When you activate “Indicate Transpositions” you will see how your MIDI part will be transposed. The Global Transpose setting If you are working with drum and percussion loops or spe- cial effects (FX) loops, you will want to exclude these from being transposed. This can be achieved by locking them using the Global Transpose setting. Proceed as follows: 1.Open your project. 2.Select the desired event or part and set the “Global Transpose” setting on the info line to “Independent”. A symbol will be displayed in the lower right corner of the selected part or event, indicating that it will not be transposed neither by changing the root key nor by specifying transpose events. If Global Transpose is set to Independent, the selected part will not be transposed. 3.You can now change the project root key. The “Independent” parts or events will not be affected by the root key changes. ÖIf you import ready-made parts or events that are tagged drums or FX, Global Transpose will be automatically set to Independent. If you record audio or MIDI, Global Transpose will be set to “Independent”, provided that the transpose track exists and you have specified at least one transpose event (even when the transpose value is not defined). In this case, your re- cording will sound exactly the way you played it. The trans- pose events will not be taken into account during recording and the recorded event will not get the project root key. Have a look at the following example: 1.Set up a project with the root key in C. 2.Add a transpose track and enter transpose events with the values 0, 5, 7 and 0. 3.Record some chords with your MIDI keyboard. For our example, record C, F, G and C. The transpose events are not taken into account and the result of your recording will be C, F, G and C. No root key will be set. ÖRecorded events are “independent” from Global Transpose.
108 The Transpose functions If no transpose track exists or if no transpose event has been added, Global Transpose will be set to Follow. If Global Transpose is set to Follow, the selected part will follow all global transpositions. Locking the Transpose track If you want to prevent your transpose events from being changed by mistake, activate the Lock button on the transpose track. This way, you will not be able to move your transpose events or change their transpose values. Muting transpose events Sometimes it might be useful to disable the transpose track, e.g. to hear the original sound of individual tracks. If you activate the mute button on the transpose track, your transpose events will not be taken into account during playback. Keep Transpose in Octave Range The “Keep Transpose in Octave Range” button on the transpose track (the button with an up and down arrow in brackets) keeps the transposition in the octave range. This option is activated by default. This way, nothing will be transposed by more than seven semitones. This ensures that your music never sounds unnatural because the pitch was raised too high or too low. To understand the principle behind this, follow the exam- ple below: 1.Create a MIDI part, enter a C major chord, open the Key Editor and activate “Indicate Transpositions”. This way you can observe and understand what happens when you change the transposition. 2.Add a transpose track and create a transpose event. By default, the transpose value is set to 0. 3.Make sure that the “Keep Transpose in Octave Range” button is activated on the transpose track and change the transpose value of the transpose event to 7. Your chord will be transposed accordingly. If you enter a transpose value of 7, your chord will be transposed by seven semitones upwards. In this example, this would be G3/B3/D4. 4.Set the transpose value to 8 semitones. As “Keep Transpose in Octave Range” is activated, your chord will now be transposed to the nearest interval or pitch. Your chord has been transposed to the nearest pitch, this results in G#2/C3/D#3. !If you mainly work with audio loops, we recommend activating “Keep Transpose in Octave Range”.
110 The mixer About this chapter This chapter contains detailed information about the ele- ments used when mixing audio and MIDI, and the various ways you can configure the mixer. Some mixer-related features are not described in this chapter. These are the following: Setting up and using audio effects. See the chapter “Audio effects” on page 150. Setting up and using MIDI effects. See the chapter “MIDI realtime parameters and effects” on page 305. Surround Sound (Cubase only). See the chapter “Surround sound (Cubase only)” on page 180. Automation of all mixer parameters. See the chapter “Automation” on page 188. How to mix down several audio tracks (complete with automation and effects if you wish) to a single audio file. See the chapter “Export Audio Mixdown” on page 419. Overview The mixer offers a common environment for controlling levels, pan, solo/mute status etc. for both audio and MIDI channels. Opening the mixer The mixer can be opened in several ways: By selecting Mixer from the Devices menu. By clicking the Mixer icon on the toolbar. By using a key command (by default [F3]). By clicking the Mixer button in the Devices panel. You open the Devices panel by selecting Show Panel from the Devices menu. The picture shows an extended mixer (see “Normal vs. Extended channel strips” on page 112).