Steinberg Cubase 5 Operation Manual

							461
File handling
Importing Audio from Video files
While you can automatically extract the audio when im-
porting a video file (see “Extracting audio from a video file” 
on page 450), it is also possible to import the audio from a 
video file without importing the video itself:
1.Pull down the File menu, open the Import submenu and 
select “Audio from Video File…”.
2.In the file dialog that opens, locate and select the 
video file and click Open.
The audio in the selected video file is extracted and converted to a Wave 
file in the project’s Audio folder.
A new audio clip is created and added to the Pool. In 
the Project window, an event referencing the audio file is 
inserted on the selected track at the project cursor posi-
tion. If no track was selected, a new track is created.
This works just like importing regular audio files.
ÖFor importing video files, see “Importing a video file” 
on page 448.
Importing ReCycle files
ReCycle by Propellerhead Software is a program designed 
especially for working with sampled loops. By “slicing” a 
loop and making separate samples of each beat, ReCycle 
makes it possible to match the tempo of a loop and edit the 
loop as if it was built of individual sounds. Cubase can im-
port two file types created by ReCycle:
 REX files (export file format of the first versions of ReCycle, 
extension “.rex”).
 REX 2 files (file format of ReCycle 2.0 and later, extension 
“.rx2”).
Proceed as follows:
1.Select an audio track and move the project cursor to 
where you want the imported file to start.
You probably want to import REX files to tempo based audio tracks, since 
this will allow you to change the tempo later on (having the imported REX 
file automatically adjust).
2.Select “Audio File…” from the Import submenu on the 
File menu.
3.On the file type pop-up menu in the file dialog, select 
REX File or REX 2 File.
4.Locate and select the file you want to import, and click 
Open.
The file is imported and automatically adjusted to the current Cubase 
tempo. 
Unlike a regular audio file, the imported REX file will con-
sist of several events, one for each “slice” in the loop. The 
events will automatically be placed in an audio part on the 
selected track and positioned so that the original internal 
timing of the loop is preserved.
5.If you now open the part in the Audio Part Editor, you 
can edit each slice separately by muting, moving and re-
sizing events, adding effects and processing, etc.
You can also adjust the tempo and have the REX file automatically follow 
(provided that its track is tempo based).
ÖYou can achieve similar results by using Cubase’s 
own loop slicing features, see “Working with hitpoints and 
slices” on page 234.
Importing compressed audio files
Cubase can import (and export, see “Mixing down to au-
dio files” on page 420) several common audio compres-
sion formats. The procedure is the same as when 
importing any non-compressed audio file, with one impor-
tant thing to note:
When you import a compressed audio file, Cubase cre-
ates a copy of the file and converts this to Wave format 
(Windows) or AIFF format (Mac OS X) before importing it. 
The original compressed file will not be used in the project.
The imported file is placed in the designated project Audio 
folder.
!For this to work, the REX Shared Library needs to be 
installed on your system. If this is not the case, you 
will find the corresponding installer on the installation 
DVD (in the “Additional Content\Installer Data” 
folder).
!The resulting Wave/AIFF file will be several times 
larger than the original compressed file. 
						

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File handling
The following file types are supported:
MPEG audio files
MPEG, which stands for Moving Picture Experts Group, is 
the name of a family of standards used for encoding au-
dio-visual information (e. g. movies, video, music) in a digi-
tal compressed format. 
Cubase can read two types of audio MPEG files: MPEG 
Layer 2 (*.mp2) and MPEG Layer 3 (*.mp3). Currently, mp3 
is the most common of these formats, while the mp2 format 
is mostly used in broadcast applications.
Ogg Vorbis files
Ogg Vorbis is an open and patent-free format that offers 
very small audio files maintaining comparatively high audio 
quality. Ogg Vorbis files have the extension “.ogg”.
Windows Media Audio files (Windows only)
Windows Media Audio is an audio format developed by 
Microsoft, Inc. Due to advanced audio compression algo-
rithms, Windows Media Audio files can be made very 
small, maintaining good audio quality. The files have the 
extension “.wma”.
ÖFor exporting Audio, see the chapter “Export Audio 
Mixdown” on page 419.
Exporting and importing OMF files 
(Cubase only)
Open Media Framework Interchange (OMFI) is a platform 
independent file format intended for the transfer of digital 
media between different applications. Cubase can import 
and export OMF files (file extension “.omf”), allowing you 
to use Cubase in conjunction with other audio and video 
applications.
Exporting OMF files
You can only export stereo files in OMF format.
1.Pull down the File menu, open the Export submenu and 
select “OMF…”.
The Export Options dialog opens.
The Export Options dialog for OMF files
2.Use the Track list to the left to select the tracks that 
should be included in the exported file.
To select all tracks, click the “Select All” button. Normally, the whole pro-
ject is included – to export the range between the locators only, activate 
“From Left to Right Locator”. 
						

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File handling
When referencing media files (see below), you can set 
the referenced output path by entering it in the “Media 
Destination Path” field or by clicking on “Browser…” and 
choosing it in the file dialog that appears.
All file references will be set to this path. You can create references to 
media destinations that do not exist on the system you are currently 
working with, making it easy to prepare files for use in projects on an-
other system or in a network environment.
3.If you want to create copies of all the media files, 
choose the “Copy Media” option.
By default, the copied audio files are placed in a sub-directory in the ex-
port destination folder. To specify a different location for the copied files, 
use the “Media Destination Path” field.
4.If you want to copy only the portions of audio files that 
are used in the project, select “Consolidate Events”. 
You can also define handle lengths in milliseconds to include audio out-
side each event boundary for later fine tuning. If you do not have any han-
dles when consolidating audio files, you will not be able to adjust fades 
or edit points when the project is imported in another application.
5.Select “1.0 File” or “2.0 File”, depending on which 
OMF version is supported by the application in which you 
plan to import the file.
Select whether you want to include all audio data in the 
OMF file (“Export All to One File”) or use references only 
(“Export Media File References”).
If you choose “Export All to One File”, the OMF file will be totally “self-
contained”, but possibly very large. If you choose “Export Media File Ref-
erences”, the file will be small, but the referenced audio files must be 
available for the receiving application.
6.If you selected the “2.0 File” option above, you can 
choose whether to include the volume settings and fades 
for the events (as set up with the event volume and fade 
handles) as well as the clip names – to include these in 
the OMF file, activate “Export Clip Based Volume”, “Use 
Fade Curves” and/or “Export Clip Names”.
7.Specify a sample size (resolution) for the exported files 
(or use the current project settings).
8.If you activate “Quantize Events to Frames”, the event 
positions in the exported file will be moved to exact frames.
9.Click OK, and specify a name and location in the file 
dialog that opens.
The exported OMF file will contain (or reference) all audio 
files that are played in the project (including fade and edit 
files). It will not include unused audio files referenced in 
the Pool, or any MIDI data. Video files are not included.
Importing OMF files
1.Pull down the File menu, open the Import submenu and 
select “OMF…”.
2.In the file dialog that opens, locate the OMF file and 
click Open.
If there is already an open project, a dialog opens in 
which you can select whether a new project should be 
created for the file.
If you select “No”, the OMF file will be imported into the current project.
3.If you choose to create a new project, a file dialog 
opens in which you can select the project folder.
Select an existing project folder or create a new one.
4.The Import Options dialog opens, allowing you to 
choose a track for the import.
Activating the “Import all media files” option allows you 
to import media that is not referenced by events.
Activating the “Import Clip Gain as Automation” option 
imports volume automation and envelopes of the Volume 
Automation Track of each track.
“Import at Timecode Position” will insert the elements 
contained in the OMF file at their original timecode posi-
tions.
This is useful when you want to position every imported element at its ex-
act timecode position, i. e. as it was saved in the OMF file. This way, the 
elements will end up at their correct time positions even when Cubase 
uses a different frame rate than the OMF file. This is usually required in a 
picture-related context.
“Import at Absolute Time” will insert the elements con-
tained in the OMF file starting at the timecode position 
saved in the file and keeping the relative distances be-
tween the elements.
This is required when the relative positioning of the elements inside the 
OMF file needs to be maintained after importing it into the Cubase time-
line (even if Cubase is set to a different frame rate than the OMF file). 
This is usually required in music contexts, where the timing between ob-
jects has highest priority.
If the OMF file contains video event information, you are 
asked whether you want to create Markers at the start po-
sition of the video events.
This allows you to manually import the video files, using the Markers as 
position references.
A new, untitled project is created (or tracks are added to 
the existing project), containing the audio events of the im-
ported OMF file. 
						

							464
File handling
Exporting and importing standard 
MIDI files
Cubase can import and export Standard MIDI Files, which 
makes it possible to transfer MIDI material to and from vir-
tually any MIDI application on any platform. When you im-
port and export MIDI files, you can also specify whether 
certain settings associated with the tracks should be in-
cluded in the files (automation tracks, volume and pan set-
tings, etc.). 
Exporting MIDI files
To export your MIDI tracks as a standard MIDI file, pull 
down the File menu and select “MIDI File…” from the Ex-
port submenu. A regular file dialog opens, allowing you to 
specify a location and name for the file.
When you have specified a location and a name for the file, 
click “Save”. The Export Options dialog opens, allowing you 
to specify a number of options for the file – what should be 
included in the file, its type and its resolution (see below for 
a description of the options).
The Export Options dialog
You will also find these settings in the Preferences (MIDI–
MIDI File page). If you set these up in the Preferences, you 
only need to click OK in the Export Options dialog to 
proceed.The dialog contains the following options:
Option Description
Export Inspec-
tor PatchIf this is activated, the MIDI patch settings in the Inspec-
tor – Bank Select and Program Select (used for selecting 
sounds in the connected MIDI instrument) are included 
as MIDI Bank Select and Program Change events in the 
MIDI file.
Export Inspec-
tor Volume/
PanIf this is activated, Volume and Pan settings made in the 
Inspector are included as MIDI Volume and Pan events in 
the MIDI file.
Export 
AutomationIf this is activated, the automation data (as heard during 
playback) are converted to MIDI controller events and in-
cluded in the MIDI file, see the chapter “Automation” on 
page 188. This also includes automation recorded with 
the MIDI Control plug-in (see the separate PDF docu-
ment “Plug-in Reference”).
Note that if a continuous controller (e.g. CC7) has been 
recorded but the Read button is deactivated for the auto-
mation track (i.e. the automation is effectively switched 
off for this parameter), only the part data for this controller 
will be exported.
If this option is deactivated and the Automation Read 
button is activated, no Continuous Controllers are ex-
ported. If the Read button is deactivated, the Controller 
data of the MIDI part are exported (these will now be han-
dled like “regular” part data).
In most cases, you would probably activate this option.
Export Inserts If this is activated and you are using any MIDI plug-ins as 
insert effects, the modifications to the original MIDI notes 
that occur as a result of the effect(s) will be included in 
the MIDI file. A MIDI delay, for example, will produce a 
number of repeats to a MIDI note by actually adding addi-
tional, “echoing” notes at rhythmic intervals – these notes 
will be included in the MIDI file if the option is activated.
Export Sends If this is activated and you are using any MIDI plug-ins as 
send effects, the modifications to the original MIDI notes 
that occur as a result of the effect(s) will be included in 
the MIDI file.
Export Marker If this is activated, any markers you have added (see 
“Markers” on page 54) will be included in the MIDI file as 
standard MIDI file marker events.
Export as 
Type 0If this is activated, the MIDI file will be of type 0 (all data 
on a single track, but on different MIDI channels). If you 
do not activate this option, the MIDI file will be of Type 1 
(data on separate tracks). Which type to choose de-
pends on what you want to do with the MIDI file (in which 
application or sequencer it should be used, etc.).
Export 
ResolutionYou can specify a MIDI resolution between 24 and 960 
for the MIDI file. The resolution is the number of pulses, or 
ticks, per quarter note (PPQ) and determines the preci-
sion with which you will be able to view and edit the MIDI 
data. The higher the resolution, the higher the precision. 
The resolution should be chosen depending on the appli-
cation or sequencer with which the MIDI file will be used 
though, since certain applications and sequencers may 
not be able to handle certain resolutions. 
						

							465
File handling
ÖThe MIDI file will include the tempo information of the 
project (i. e. it will include the tempo and time signature 
events of the Tempo Track Editor or, if the Tempo Track is 
deactivated on the Transport panel, the current tempo and 
time signature).
ÖInspector settings other than those specified in the Ex-
port options are not included in the MIDI file!
To include these, you need to convert the settings to “real” MIDI events 
and properties by using the Merge MIDI in Loop function for each track, 
see “Merge MIDI in Loop” on page 331.
Importing MIDI files
To import a MIDI file from disk, proceed as follows:
1.Select “MIDI File…” from the Import submenu on the 
File menu.
2.If there is already an open project, a dialog opens in 
which you can select whether a new project should be 
created for the file.
If you select “No”, the MIDI file will be imported into the current project.
3.Locate and select the MIDI file in the file dialog that 
opens and click Open.
If you choose to create a new project, select the project 
folder.
Select an existing project folder or create a new one.
The MIDI file is imported. The result depends on the con-
tents of the MIDI file and the Import Options settings in the 
Preferences dialog (MIDI–MIDI File page). The Import Op-
tions are as follows:It is also possible to import a MIDI file from disk by drag-
ging and dropping it from the Windows Explorer or the 
Mac OS Finder into the Project window. The Import Op-
tions apply as well.Exporting and importing MIDI loops
Cubase allows you to import MIDI loops (file extension 
“.midiloop”) and to save instrument parts as MIDI loops. 
MIDI loops are handy, as they contain not only MIDI notes 
and controllers, but also the associated VST instrument 
and instrument track preset settings.
How to import and export MIDI loops is described in detail 
in the chapter “VST Instruments and Instrument tracks” on 
page 169.
Export Locator 
RangeIf this is activated, only the range between the locators 
will be exported. 
Export 
includes DelayIf this is activated, the delay of the MIDI track will be in-
cluded in the MIDI file. For more information about the 
Delay option, see “Basic track settings” on page 306.
Option Description
Extract First 
PatchIf this is activated, the first Program Change and Bank 
Select events for each track are converted to Inspector 
settings for the track.
Extract First
Volume/PanIf this is activated, the first MIDI Volume and Pan events 
for each track are converted to Inspector settings for the 
track.
Import Con-
troller as Auto-
mation TracksIf this is activated, MIDI controller events in the MIDI file 
will be converted to automation data for the MIDI tracks. 
If this is deactivated, controller data for the MIDI Parts will 
be imported. Option DescriptionImport to Left 
LocatorIf this is activated, the imported MIDI file will be placed so 
that it starts at the position of the left locator – otherwise 
it will start at the beginning of the project. Note that if you 
choose to have a new project created automatically, the 
MIDI file will always start at the beginning of the project.
Import Marker If this is activated, Standard MIDI File Markers in the file 
will be imported and converted to Cubase markers.
Import 
dropped File 
as single PartIf this is activated and you drag and drop a MIDI file into 
the project, the whole file will be placed on a single track.
Ignore Master-
track Events 
on MergeIf this is activated and you import a MIDI file into the cur-
rent project, tempo track data in the MIDI file are ignored. 
The imported MIDI file will play according to the current 
tempo track in the project.
If this option is deactivated, the Tempo Track Editor will 
be adjusted according to the tempo information in the 
MIDI file.
Auto Dissolve 
Format 0If this is activated and you import a MIDI file of type 0 into 
the project, the file will automatically be “dissolved”: For 
each embedded MIDI channel in the file, a separate track 
will be inserted in the Project window.
If this is deactivated, only one MIDI track will be created. 
This track will be set to MIDI Channel “Any”, allowing all 
MIDI events to play back on their original channels. You 
can also use the “Dissolve Part” function on the MIDI 
menu to distribute the events onto different tracks with 
different MIDI Channels at a later stage.
Import to In-
strument 
tracksIf this is activated and you drag a MIDI file into the 
project, an Instrument track will be created instead of a 
MIDI track. Furthermore, the program will load the corre-
sponding track preset for the instrument track (based on 
the program change events included in the MIDI file). Option Description 
						

							466
File handling
Exporting and importing tracks 
(Cubase only)
You can export Cubase tracks (Audio, FX, Group, Instru-
ment, MIDI and Video) as track archives for import into 
other Cubase (or Nuendo) projects. All the information as-
sociated with the tracks will be exported (mixer channel 
settings, automation tracks, parts and events, etc.). If you 
select the option “Copy” (see below), a separate “media” 
folder will be created, containing copies of all referenced 
audio files.
ÖProject-specific settings (such as tempo) are not part 
of the exported track archives.
ÖFor creating track presets from tracks, see “Working 
with Track Presets” on page 288.
Exporting tracks as track archives
1.Select the tracks you wish to export.
2.Pull down the File menu, open the Export submenu and 
choose “Selected Tracks…”.
3.You are prompted to choose between two options:
Click Copy to include copies of the media files in the ex-
port.
A file dialog opens in which you can choose an existing empty folder or 
create a new folder for saving the track archive (as *.xml file) and its me-
dia subfolder, which will contain any associated audio or video files.
Click Reference to include merely a reference to the 
files in the export.
A file dialog opens in which you can choose an existing folder for saving 
the track archive (as single *.xml file).
4.Click OK to save the track archive.
Importing tracks from a track archive
The Import Track Archive function lets you import tracks 
exported from another Cubase (or Nuendo) project.
ÖNote that the sample rates of the active project and 
the track archive have to match. If necessary, you have to 
convert the sample rate, see below. 
1.Pull down the File menu, open the Import submenu and 
select “Track Archive…”.2.In the file dialog that opens, select the XML file and 
click Open.
The Import Options dialog opens.
In the Project Settings area, you can see a comparison between the 
settings of the track archive and the active project.
3.Click in the Import column on the left to select the de-
sired track(s) or click “Select all Tracks”.
A checkmark is shown for all selected tracks.
4.Choose which media files to use: 
Select “Use Media Files From Archive” if you want to 
import the track without copying the media files into your 
project folder.
Select “Copy Media To Project Folder” if you want to 
import the media files into your project folder. 
For the option “Perform Sample Rate Conversion”, see below.
5.Click OK.
The tracks are imported, complete with all contents and settings.
Sample rate conversion on track archive import
A track archive may contain media files with a sample rate 
that is different from the sample rate of your currently ac-
tive project. You can see the sample rate difference in the 
Project Settings area.
To convert the sample rate of a track archive to the sam-
ple rate used in the active project on import, select the op-
tion “Copy Media To Project Folder” and then “Perform 
Sample Rate Conversion”.
ÖUnconverted files with another sample rate than the 
one used in the project will play back at the wrong speed 
and pitch. 
						

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File handling
Other Import/Export functions
For exporting scores, see “Exporting” on page 504.
For exporting and importing tempo tracks, see “Expor-
ting and importing tempo tracks” on page 405.
Cleanup
The Cleanup function on the File menu helps you to save 
hard disk space by locating and – if you like – deleting un-
used audio files in the project folders on your disk.
1.Select “Cleanup…” from the File menu.
If there are any open projects, an alert shows. Clicking “Close” closes all 
open projects and brings up the dialog “Cleanup Cubase Project Folders”.
2.To restrict the Cleanup function to a certain folder, click 
the “Search Folder” button and select the folder.
The default setting is that the Cleanup function is applied to all folders on 
all hard disks. You should only select a specific folder if you are certain it 
does not contain audio files used in other projects (outside the folder), 
see below. You can reset the function to search all folders by opening 
the “Search Folder” dialog again and clicking “Cancel”.
3.Click the Start button.
Cubase will now scan the selected folder (or all hard disks) for Cubase 
project folders and check for audio and image files (in the Audio, Edits 
and Images subfolders) that are not used by any project. The found files 
are listed in the dialog.
4.When the scan is complete, you can select files by 
clicking in the list.
Use [Ctrl]/[Command]-click to select several files, and [Shift]-click to se-
lect a range of files. You can also click the Select All button to select all 
files in the list.
In the following situations, the Cleanup function will list 
files that are not unused:
 If you have moved or renamed files or folders (without updat-
ing the project files to use the new paths), there is no way for 
Cubase to know that these files are used in a project. 
 If you perform the Cleanup function on a folder in which there 
are audio files belonging to other projects (outside the folder), 
these files will be considered “unused”.
Also, make sure you do not delete any files used in other 
applications, or files that you generally want to keep!
However, you can always safely delete image files since 
these can be reconstructed by the program, if necessary.5.Delete any files you do not want to keep by selecting 
them and clicking Delete.
6.Close the dialog by clicking the Close button. 
						

							37
Customizing 
						

							469
Customizing
Background
The user can customize the appearance and functionality 
of Cubase in various ways.
User configurable items described in this chapter are:
Workspaces
By storing different window combinations as workspaces, you can 
quickly switch between different working modes – see “Workspaces” on 
page 469.
Setup dialogs
Several parts of the user interface (toolbars, Transport panel, Inspector, 
info lines and Channel Settings windows) provide a Setup dialog, where 
you can configure which items of the respective window area or panel 
are to be shown or hidden and where they should be located – see 
“Using the Setup options” on page 471.
Track list
The controls shown in the Track list can be set for each track type – see 
“Customizing track controls” on page 472.
Preference presets (Cubase only)
You can save and recall preference settings as preference presets – see 
“About preference presets (Cubase only)” on page 473.
Appearance
The general look of the program can be adjusted – see “Appearance” on 
page 474.
Track and event colors
You can adjust which colors should be used – see “Applying track and 
event colors” on page 475.
This chapter also contains a section describing where 
your preferences and settings are stored (see “Where are 
the settings stored?” on page 478), to help you transfer 
your customized settings to another computer.
Workspaces
A configuration of Cubase windows is called a “work-
space”. A workspace stores the size, position and content 
of all windows, allowing you to quickly switch between dif-
ferent working modes via the menu or by using key com-
mands. For example, you may want as large a Project 
window as possible when you are editing, whereas you 
may want the Mixer and effect windows open during mix-
down. Workspaces are listed and managed on the Work-
spaces submenu on the Windows menu.
Editing the active workspace
There is always one workspace active, even if you have 
not saved any. To make changes to the active workspace, 
you simply set up the windows as desired – including 
opening, closing, moving and sizing windows, and adjust-
ing zoom and track height. The changes are automatically 
stored for the active workspace.
To keep a workspace from being accidentally changed, 
select “Lock Active Workspace” from the Workspaces 
submenu.
A locked workspace will keep its original window settings. You may 
change the current window layout on the screen, but the next time you 
select the workspace again, the originally stored layout is recalled. 
						

							470
Customizing
Creating a new workspace
1.Pull down the Window menu and open the Work-
spaces submenu.
2.Select “New Workspace”.
3.In the dialog that opens, enter a name for the work-
space.
4.Click OK.
The workspace is stored and will appear on the submenu. It is now the 
active workspace.
5.Set up the windows you want to include in the new 
workspace.
This may include opening, moving and sizing windows, and adjusting 
zoom and track height.
Activating a workspace
1.Pull down the Window menu and open the Work-
spaces submenu.
2.Select a workspace from the list on the submenu.
The windows are closed, opened, moved and/or resized according to the 
stored workspace.
You can also activate up to nine workspaces using key 
commands.
This is set up under the Workspaces category in the Key Commands 
dialog.
Organizing workspaces and presets
If you select “Organize…” from the Workspaces sub-
menu, the Organize Workspaces dialog opens:The list to the left shows the workspaces in the active pro-
ject, while the list to the right shows the workspace presets. 
While workspaces are stored with each project, workspace 
presets can be stored globally, allowing you to set up a 
number of workspaces for use in any project. Workspace 
presets store the position and size of the main windows 
only – project-specific windows are not included.
In the Workspaces list to the left, you can rename work-
spaces (by double-clicking and typing) and lock or unlock 
them.
The arrow buttons between the two lists allow you to 
copy the selected workspace to a workspace preset, or 
vice versa.
The buttons below each list let you add, remove or acti-
vate workspaces or presets.
You can also activate a workspace or a preset by double-clicking in its 
number column.
Normally, when you use key commands to activate 
workspaces, they relate to the order in the workspace list, 
e. g. the key command for “Workspace 1” selects the first 
workspace on the list and so on. However, if you activate 
the Use IDs checkbox, you can enter a number (1–9) in 
the ID column for each workspace. 
This number will be used as reference when you are using key com-
mands, so that the key command for “Workspace 1” recalls the work-
space with ID 1.
Workspace presets are not only saved globally, but also 
included in the project. If you open a project on a different 
system, by default the global presets stored on this sys-
tem are shown in the list to the right. To see the presets 
included in your project, activate the Show Project Pre-
sets checkbox.
Activate the Auto Instantiate Presets checkbox to con-
vert all global workspace presets automatically into work-
spaces when you create a new project or open a project.
To close the dialog, click the OK button.
Note that you can continue working in other windows with the Organize 
Workspaces dialog open.