Steinberg Cubase 5 Operation Manual

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Editing tempo and signature
You need to create a “lock point” – a tempo event at the 
first cue position:
9.Press [Shift] and click with the Time Warp tool in the 
event display at the cue position.
In our case this is bar 33.
As you can see, a tempo event (with the same value as the 
first one) is added at that position.
10.Now match the second musical cue to the correct 
video position by dragging the musical position to the 
desired time position as before.
The new tempo event is edited – the first tempo event is unaffected and 
the original cue is still matched.
If you know you are going to match several cues this 
way, you should make it a habit to press [Shift] each time 
you use the Time Warp tool to match positions.
This adds a new tempo event – that way, you do not have to add tempo 
events afterwards as described above.
About snapping
If Snap is activated in the Project window and “Events” is 
selected on the Snap Type pop-up menu, the Time Warp 
tool will be magnetic to events when you drag the tempo 
grid. This makes it easier to snap a tempo position to a 
marker, the start or end of an audio event, etc.
Using the Time Warp tool in an audio editor
Using the Time Warp tool in the Sample Editor or Audio 
Part Editor is different from using it in the Project window, 
in the following ways:
 When you use the Time Warp tool, a tempo event is automa-
tically inserted at the beginning of the edited event or part – 
this tempo event will be adjusted when you warp the tempo 
grid with the tool. This means that material before the edited 
events will not be affected.
 Only the default mode for the Time Warp tool is available. So 
when you use the tool, the edited track is temporarily switched 
to linear time base.
Making a tempo map for a “free” recording
The following example shows how to use the Time Warp 
tool in the Sample Editor to create a tempo map matching 
freely recorded music. Let’s say you have recorded a drum-
mer, playing without a metronome – this typically means the 
tempo varies ever so slightly. To be able to add more mate-
rial and easily rearrange the recorded audio, you want the 
tempo in Cubase to match the recorded drum track:
1.If necessary, move the recorded event.
Move it so that the first downbeat (“one”) happens at the start of the bar 
– zoom in if needed.
2.Open the drum recording in the Sample Editor and 
make sure Hitpoint mode is not selected.
The Time Warp tool cannot be used in Hitpoint mode. However, if you 
have calculated hitpoints already, these will be visible when the Time 
Warp tool is selected (see below).
3.Set the zoom so that you can see the individual drum 
hits clearly.
To achieve this type of “visual” beat matching, it is important to have a 
fairly clean recording, such as the drum track in this example.
4.Select the Time Warp tool.
You have already matched the first downbeat with the 
start of a bar. However, if the recording starts before the 
first downbeat (with a fill, some silence, etc.), you want to 
“lock” the first downbeat so that it stays in position:
5.Press [Shift] and click in the event at the position of 
the first downbeat (the start of the bar).
When you press [Shift], the pointer turns into a pencil. Clicking adds a 
tempo event at the first downbeat – when you later adjust the tempo with 
the Time Warp tool, the first downbeat will stay in place. Note that if the 
event starts exactly on the first downbeat (no audio before the “one”), 
you do not need to do this. This is because a tempo event is automati-
cally added at the start of the edited event.
6.Now, locate the start of the next bar in the ruler. 
7.Click at that position in the event display and drag to 
the downbeat of the second bar in the recording.
When you click, the pointer will snap to the ruler grid.
By dragging the grid, you changed the tempo value in the 
tempo event at the first downbeat. If the drummer held a 
fairly consistent tempo, the following bars should now 
match pretty well too.
8.Check the following bars and locate the first position 
where the audio drifts from the tempo. 
						

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Editing tempo and signature
Now, if you simply adjusted that beat in the tempo grid to 
match the beat in the recording, the tempo event at the 
first downbeat would be changed – this would ruin the 
match in the previous bars! We need to lock these by in-
serting a new tempo event.
9.Locate the last beat that is in sync.
This would be the beat just before the position where the audio and 
tempo drift apart.
10.Press [Shift] and click at that position to insert a tempo 
event there.
This locks this matched position. The material to the left will not be af-
fected when you make adjustments further along.
11.Now match the tempo grid to the next (unmatched) 
beat by clicking and dragging with the Time Warp tool.
The tempo event you inserted in step 10 will be adjusted.
12.Work your way through the recording this way – when 
you find that the recording drifts from the tempo, repeat 
steps 9 to 11 above.
Now the tempo track follows the recording and you can 
add more material, rearrange the recording etc.
Matching to hitpoints
If you have calculated hitpoints for the audio event you are 
editing, these will be shown when the Time Warp tool is 
selected.
 The number of hitpoints shown depends on the Hitpoint Sen-
sitivity slider setting you’ve made in Hitpoint mode.
 If you activate the Snap to Zero Crossing button on the tool-
bar, the Time Warp tool will snap to hitpoints when you drag 
the tempo grid.
 You can use the Create Markers from Hitpoints function (on 
the Hitpoints submenu of the Audio menu) to create markers 
at the hitpoint positions. This can be useful when using the 
Time Warp tool in the Project window, as the tool will be mag-
netic to markers (if Snap to Events is activated on the toolbar).
Using the Time Warp tool in a MIDI editor
This is very similar to using the tool in an audio editor:
 When you use the Time Warp tool, a tempo event is automat-
ically inserted at the beginning of the edited part – this tempo 
event will be adjusted when you warp the tempo grid with the 
tool. Material before the edited part will not be affected.
 Only the default mode for the Time Warp tool is available. So 
when you use the tool, the edited MIDI track is temporarily 
switched to linear time base.
 The rulers in the MIDI editors can be set to “Time Linear” or 
“Bars+Beats Linear” mode (see “The ruler” on page 340) – 
the Time Warp tool requires Time Linear mode. If necessary, 
the ruler mode will be switched when you select the Time 
Warp tool.
 If Snap is activated on the toolbar in the MIDI editor, the tool 
will snap to the start and end of MIDI notes when you drag the 
tempo grid.
Typically, you would use the Time Warp tool in a MIDI 
editor to match the Cubase tempo to freely recorded MIDI 
material (much like the audio example above). 
						

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The Project Browser 
						

							414
The Project Browser
Window Overview
The Project Browser window provides a list based repre-
sentation of the project. This allows you to view and edit all 
events on all tracks by using regular value editing in a list.
Opening the Project Browser
You open the Project Browser by selecting “Browser” from 
the Project menu. The Browser window can be open while 
you are working in other windows; any changes made in the 
Project window or an editor are immediately reflected in the 
Project Browser and vice versa.
Navigating in the Browser
You use the Project Browser much like you use the Win-
dows Explorer and Mac OS X Finder for browsing folders 
on your hard disk:
Click on an item in the Project Structure list to select it 
for viewing.
The contents of the item are shown in the event display.
In this figure, the parts on a MIDI track are displayed.
Items with hierarchical substructures can be folded out 
by clicking the plus symbols or the “closed folder” symbols 
in the Project Structure list.
When the substructure of an item is revealed, a minus symbol or an “open 
folder” symbol is shown instead – click this to hide the substructure.
To reveal or hide all substructures in the Project Struc-
ture list, use the buttons “(+) All” and “(–) All” above the list.
The actual editing is done in the event display, using 
regular value editing techniques.
There is one exception: You can rename items in the Project Structure 
list by clicking on their names and typing.
Customizing the view
You can drag the divider between the Project Structure 
list and the event display to make one of them wider and 
the other narrower. Furthermore, the event display can be 
customized in the following ways:
You can change the order of the columns by dragging 
the column headings to the left or right.
You can resize columns by dragging the dividers be-
tween the column headings.
Project Structure list. 
This is where you 
navigate through the 
project.Event display. This is 
where you view and 
edit parts, events and 
regions. Add pop-up menu and Add button for 
creating new parts, events and regions.Filter pop-up menu, used for 
MIDI editing Time Format (display format)
pop-up menu 
						

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The Project Browser
To select a display format for all position and length val-
ues, use the Time Format pop-up menu.
You can sort events in the display by columns, by click-
ing the column heading.
For example, if you want to sort events by their start positions, click that 
column heading. An arrow appears in the column heading, indicating that 
events are sorted by that column. The direction of the arrow indicates 
whether the events are sorted in ascending or descending order. To 
change the direction, click the column heading again.
Importing files via the MediaBay
You can also import audio, video and MIDI files into the 
Project Browser via the MediaBay using drag and drop.
ÖYou can only import into existing tracks. This means, 
for example, that a video track has to exist in the Project 
window prior to importing a video file in the Project Brow-
ser.
For more information about the MediaBay, see “The Media-
Bay” on page 273.
About the Sync Selection option
If the “Sync Selection” checkbox is activated (on the Pro-
ject Browser toolbar), selecting an event in the Project 
window automatically selects it in the Project Browser, 
and vice versa. This makes it easy to locate events in the 
two windows.
Editing tracks
Editing audio tracks
Audio tracks can have two “subitems”: Track Data and 
Automation. 
 The Automation item corresponds to the Automation track in 
the Project window, and contains the track’s automation 
events (see “Editing Automation tracks” on page 417).
 The Track Data item corresponds to the actual audio track in 
the Project window. It contains audio events and/or audio 
parts, which in turn can contain audio events.
Note that if you have not performed any automation or 
opened an automation track, the Browser will only contain 
the audio data.The following parameters are available for the different 
items:
The list columns for audio events
Parameter Description
Name Allows you to change the name of the event. Double-
clicking on the waveform image beside it opens the event 
in the Sample Editor.
File The name of the audio file referenced by the event’s au-
dio clip.
Start The start position of the event. If the event belongs to an 
audio part, you cannot move it outside the part.
End The end position of the event. 
Snap The absolute position of the event’s snap point. Note that 
adjusting this value will not change the position of the 
snap point within the event – instead it is another way of 
moving the event!
Length The length of the event. 
Offset This determines “where in the audio clip” the event starts. 
Adjusting this value is the same as sliding the contents of 
the event in the Project window (see “Sliding the con-
tents of an event or part” on page 48). 
You can only specify positive Offset values, since the 
event cannot start before the start of the clip. Likewise, it 
cannot end after the end of the clip. If the event already 
plays the whole clip, the Offset cannot be adjusted at all.
Volume The volume of the event, as set with the Volume handle or 
on the info line in the Project Window.
Fade In
Fade OutThe length of the fade-in and fade-out areas respectively. 
If you use these settings to add a fade (where there pre-
viously was none), a linear fade will be created. If you ad-
just the length of an existing fade, the previous fade 
shape will be maintained.
Mute Click in this column to mute or unmute the event.
Image Displays a waveform image of the event inside a gray box 
corresponding to the clip. The image is scaled according 
to the width of the column.
Audio track
Track Data subitem 
of the audio track
Audio part
Automation track Audio part 
						

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The Project Browser
The list columns for audio parts
Creating audio parts
When the “Audio” item of an audio track is selected in the 
Project Structure list, you can create empty audio parts on 
the track by clicking the Add button on the toolbar. This 
will insert a part between the left and right locator.
Editing MIDI tracks
Just like audio tracks, MIDI tracks can have two “sub-
items”: Track Data and Automation.
 The Track Data item corresponds to the actual MIDI track in 
the Project window and can contain MIDI parts (which in turn 
can contain MIDI events).
 The Automation item corresponds to the automation track in 
the Project window, and contains the track’s automation 
events (see “Editing Automation tracks” on page 417).
Note that if you have not performed any automation or 
opened an automation track, the Browser will only contain 
the MIDI data.
When editing the Track Data, the following parameters are 
available:
The list columns for MIDI eventsThe list columns for MIDI parts
ÖFor SysEx (system exclusive) events, you can only edit 
the position (Start) in the list.
However, clicking the Comment column opens the SysEx Editor, in which 
you can perform detailed editing of system exclusive events. For a descrip-
tion of this, see “Working with System Exclusive messages” on page 368.
Parameter Description
Name The name of the part. Double-clicking on the part symbol 
beside it opens the part in the Audio Part Editor.
Start The start position of the part. Editing this value is the 
same as moving the part in the Project window.
End The end position of the part. Editing this value is the same 
as resizing the part in the Project window.
Length The length of the part. Editing this value is the same as 
resizing the part in the Project window.
Offset This adjusts the start position of the events within the 
part. Adjusting this value is the same as sliding the con-
tents of the part in the Project window (see “Sliding the 
contents of an event or part” on page 48). Setting a pos-
itive Offset value is the same as sliding the contents to 
the left, while a negative Offset corresponds to sliding 
the contents to the right.
Mute Click in this column to mute or unmute the part.
Parameter Description
Type The type of MIDI event. This cannot be changed.
Start The position of the event. Editing this value is the same as 
moving the event.End This is only used for note events, allowing you to view and 
edit the end position of a note (thereby resizing it).
Length This is only used for note events. It shows the length of 
the note – changing this resizes the note and automati-
cally changes the End value as well.
Data 1 The property of this value depends on the type of MIDI 
event:
For notes, this is the note number (pitch). This is dis-
played and edited as a note name and an octave number, 
with the values ranging between C-2 and G8.
For Controller events, this is the type of Controller, dis-
played in words. Note that you can edit this by entering a 
number – the corresponding Controller type is automati-
cally displayed.
For Pitchbend events, this is the fine adjustment of the 
bend amount.
For Poly Pressure events, this is the note number (pitch).
For other event types, this is the value of the event.
Data 2 The property of this value depends on the type of MIDI 
event:
For notes, this is the note-on velocity.
For Controller events, this is the value of the event.
For Pitchbend events, this is the coarse bend amount.
For Poly Pressure events, this is the amount of pressure.
For other event types, this is not used.
Channel The event’s MIDI Channel. See “Notes” on page 82.
Comment This column is used for some event types only, providing 
an additional comment about the event.
Parameter Description
Name The name of the part.
Start The start position of the part. Editing this value is the 
same as moving the part.
End The end position of the part. Changing this is the same as 
resizing the part (and will automatically affect the Length 
value as well).
Length The length of the part. Changing this resizes the part and 
automatically changes the End value.
Offset This adjusts the start position of the events within the 
part. Adjusting this value is the same as sliding the con-
tents of the part in the Project window (see “Sliding the 
contents of an event or part” on page 48). Setting a pos-
itive Offset value is the same as sliding the contents to 
the left, while a negative Offset corresponds to sliding 
the contents to the right.
Mute Click in this column to mute or unmute the part. Parameter Description 
						

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The Project Browser
Filtering MIDI events
When you are editing MIDI in the Project Browser, the 
large number of different MIDI events displayed can make 
it hard to find the events you want to edit. The Filter pop-up 
menu allows you to select a single event type for display.
When this option is selected, only Controller events will be shown in 
the event display. To show all event types, select the top item (“---”) 
from the menu.
Creating MIDI parts
When a MIDI track is selected in the Project Structure list, 
you can create empty MIDI parts on the track by clicking 
the Add button. This will insert a part between the left and 
right locator.
Creating MIDI events
You can use the Project Browser to create new MIDI 
events:
1.Select a MIDI part in the Project Structure list.
2.Move the project cursor to the desired position for the 
new event.
3.Use the Add pop-up above the event display to select 
which type of MIDI event to add.
4.Click the Add button.
An event of the selected type is added to the part, at the project cursor 
position. If the cursor is outside the selected part, the event is added at 
the beginning of the part.
Editing Automation tracks
All kinds of Cubase automation (the automation tracks for 
MIDI, instrument, audio, group and FX channel tracks or 
the individual automation tracks for VST Instruments, 
ReWire channels or Input (Cubase only)/Output busses) 
are handled in the same way in the Project Browser. Each 
Automation item in the Project Structure list will have a 
number of sub-entries, one for each automated parame-
ter. Selecting one of these parameters in the Project 
Structure list shows its automation events in the list:
You can use the two columns in the list to edit the position 
of the events and their values.
Editing the Video track
When the Video track is selected in the Project Structure 
list, the event display lists the video events on the track, 
with the following parameters:
Column Description
Name The name of the video clip that the event refers to.
Start  The start position of the event. Editing this value is the 
same as moving the event.
End The end position of the event. Editing this value is the 
same as resizing the event, and will automatically change 
the Length value as well.
Length The length of the event. Editing this value is the same as 
resizing the event, and will automatically change the End 
value as well.
Offset This determines “where in the video clip” the event starts.
Note that the event cannot start before the start of the 
clip, or end after the end of the clip. Thus, if the event al-
ready plays the whole video clip, the Offset cannot be 
adjusted at all. 
						

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The Project Browser
Editing the Marker track
Marker events have the following parameters:
When the Marker track is selected, you can insert markers 
by selecting “Marker” or “Cycle Marker” from the Add 
pop-up menu and clicking the Add button. Regular mark-
ers will be added at the current project cursor position 
while cycle markers will be added between the current left 
and right locator positions.
Editing the tempo track
When the tempo track is selected in the Project Structure 
list, the event display shows the events on the tempo 
track, with the following parameters:
You can add new tempo events by clicking the Add button. 
This creates a jump-type event with the value 120 bpm at 
the project cursor position. Make sure that there is no other 
tempo event at the current cursor position.
Editing time signatures
When “Signature track” is selected in the Project Struc-
ture list, the event display shows the time signature events 
in the project:
You can add new time signature events by clicking the 
Add button. This creates a 4/4 event, at the beginning of 
the bar closest to the project cursor position. Make sure 
that there is no other time signature event at the current 
cursor position.
Deleting events
The procedure for deleting events is the same for all differ-
ent track types:
1.Click on an event (or a part) in the Event display to se-
lect it.
2.Select Delete from the Edit menu or press [Delete] or 
[Backspace].
Column Description
Name The name of the marker. This can be edited for all mar-
kers except the left and right locator.
Start The position of “regular” markers or the start position of 
cycle markers.
End  The end positions of cycle markers. Editing this value is 
the same as resizing the cycle marker, and will automati-
cally change the Length value as well.
Length  The length of cycle markers. Editing this value is the same 
as resizing the marker, and will automatically change the 
End value as well.
ID The number of the marker. For regular (non-cycle) mar-
kers, this corresponds to the key commands used for 
navigating to the markers. For example, if a marker has 
ID 3, pressing [Shift]-[3] on the computer keyboard will 
move the song position to that marker. By editing these 
values, you can assign the most important markers to key 
commands.
Note that you cannot edit the “L” and “R” marker IDs (left 
and right locator) or assign IDs 1 and 2 to markers (since 
these are reserved for the locators).
Parameter Description
Position The position of the tempo event. You cannot move the 
first event on the tempo track.
Tempo The tempo value of the event.
Type This indicates whether the tempo should jump to the 
value of the event (“Jump” type) or whether it should 
change gradually from the previous tempo event, creating 
a ramp (“Ramp” type). See “Editing the tempo curve” on 
page 404.
Parameter Description
Position The position of the event. Note that you cannot move the 
first time signature event.
Signature The value (time signature) of the event. 
!Note that you cannot delete the first Tempo event or 
the first Time Signature event. 
						

							32
Export Audio Mixdown 
						

							420
Export Audio Mixdown
Introduction
The Export Audio Mixdown function in Cubase allows you 
to mix down audio from the program to files on your hard 
disk, in a number of formats. In the Channel Selection sec-
tion, you can choose which channels (or busses) to ex-
port. By activating the “Channel Batch Export” option you 
can choose to mix down several channels at once. For 
each channel, an individual file will be created.
The following channel types are available:
Output channels
For example, if you have set up a stereo mix with tracks routed to a stereo 
output bus, mixing down that output bus would give you a mixdown file 
containing the whole mix. Similarly, you can mix down a complete surround 
bus, either to a single multi-channel file or to one file per surround channel 
(by activating the Split Channels option).
Audio track channels (Cubase only)
This will mix down the channels for the tracks, complete with insert effects, 
EQ, etc. This can be useful for turning a number of events into a single file, 
or to convert tracks with insert effects into audio files (that are less CPU-in-
tensive). Simply export the track and re-import the file into the project.
Any kind of audio-related mixer channel (Cubase only)
This includes VST Instrument channels, instrument tracks, effect return 
channels (FX Channel tracks), Group channels and ReWire channels. 
There are many uses for this – for example, you can mix down an effect 
return track or turn individual ReWire channels into audio files.
Please note the following:
The Export Audio Mixdown function mixes down the 
area between the left and right locators.
When you mix down, you get what you hear – mutes, 
mixer settings and insert effects are taken into account.
Note though that you will only include the sound of the channels you se-
lect for mixdown.
MIDI tracks are not included in the mixdown!
To make a complete mixdown containing both MIDI and audio, you first 
need to record all your MIDI music onto audio tracks (by connecting the 
outputs of your MIDI instruments to your audio inputs and recording, as 
with any other sound source).
Cubase only: You can also export selected tracks – this 
is a different function that does not create an audio mix-
down.
Rather, this is a way to transfer complete tracks (including clips and 
events) from one project to another. See “Exporting and importing tracks 
(Cubase only)” on page 466.
Mixing down to audio files
1.Set up the left and right locators to encompass the 
section you want to mix down.
2.Set up your tracks, so that they play back the way you 
want.
This includes muting unwanted tracks or parts, making manual mixer set-
tings and/or activating the R (Read) automation buttons for some or all 
mixer channels.
3.Pull down the File menu and select “Audio Mixdown…” 
from the Export submenu.
The Export Audio Mixdown dialog appears.
The available settings and options differ depending on the 
selected file format (see “The available file formats” on 
page 422).
4.In the Channel Selection section to the left, select the 
channel(s) you want to mix down. The list contains all out-
put and audio-related channels available in the project (see 
“About the Channel Selection section” on page 421).
Activate the Channel Batch Export option if you want to mixdown several 
channels at once.
5.In the File Location section at the top you can specify 
a name (or prefix in case of channel batch exports) and 
path for the mixdown files.
To the right of the File Name/Prefix and the Path fields you 
will find two pop-up menus with a number of options:
Naming Options pop-up menu:
Select “Set to Project Name” to use the project name 
for the export file.