Steinberg Cubase 5 Operation Manual

							591
Working with layouts
About this chapter
In this chapter you will learn:
 What layouts are and what they contain.
 How to create layouts.
 How to use layouts for opening combinations of tracks.
 How to apply, load, save and delete layouts.
 How to import and export layouts.
 An example of how layouts can be used.
Background: Layouts
Layouts can be viewed as “presets” containing settings for 
the layout layer: staff spacing, bar lines, layout symbols etc.
When to use layouts
You will need to format the score differently when you 
print the entire score and when you extract parts for single 
instruments (or groups of instruments). Layouts allow you 
to keep different sets of “looks” for the same track or set 
of tracks. You might for example have one layout for each 
single instrument and one for the entire score.
By selecting another layout on the Score Settings–Lay-
out page, you can switch to another combination of tracks 
without having to leave the Score Editor.
What makes up a layout?
A layout contains the following items and properties:
 The inserted Layout symbols (see “The available symbols” on 
page 558).
 All settings on the Layout page of the Score Settings dialog.
 The vertical spacing of the staves.
 Bar line spacing.
 Broken bar lines.
ÖNote that Project symbols (see “The available symbols” 
on page 558), bar line types and bar number offsets are 
part of the Project layer, and will appear in all layouts.
How layouts are stored
Layouts are created automatically when you edit a single 
track or a combination of tracks. They are an integral part 
of the specific track combination, which means you do not 
have to store them separately.
Creating a layout
Layouts are created automatically when you open a new 
combination of tracks for editing.
Each track may have been edited before, individually or to-
gether with other tracks, it doesn’t matter. What matters is 
that you open precisely these tracks. For example, to cre-
ate a layout for a string quartet, select parts on the corre-
sponding tracks and press [Ctrl]/[Command]-[R].
Opening a layout
The “Open Layout” command on the Scores menu opens 
a dialog listing all available layouts for the Project. 
Select the desired layout in the list and click OK to open 
the tracks contained in the layout in the Score Editor.
This is a quick way for opening several tracks in the Score Editor directly 
from the Project window.
Layout operations
The Score Settings dialog contains a Layout page, where 
you can make settings for the different layouts. To the left 
of the dialog, all existing layouts in the project are listed 
(this is the same list as in the Open Layout dialog, see 
above). The layout currently used is highlighted in the list.
The Score Settings–Layout page
!The order of the tracks does not matter – you can re-
order them in the Project window without removing 
the layout. However, the spacing of the staves in the 
layout is related to the order of the tracks. 
						

							592
Working with layouts
Here you can perform a number of operations:
Opening the tracks in a layout
To select another combination of tracks for editing, select 
the corresponding layout in the list.
You can keep the dialog open while you are editing, and 
use this function for selecting which tracks to edit.
Importing layout symbols
By selecting another layout and selecting “Get Form” from 
the Functions pop-up menu below the list, you import all 
Layout symbols (inserted from the Layout section in the 
Symbols Inspector) from the selected layout into the cur-
rent layout.
Managing layouts
To rename a layout, select it in the list and enter the de-
sired name in the Name field to the right in the dialog.
Initially, a layout gets the name of one of the edited tracks – it may be a 
good idea to give each layout a more informative name.
To remove a layout you no longer need, select it in the 
list and select “Remove” in the Functions pop-up menu.
To remove all layouts for which there no longer are track 
combinations, select “Clean Up” from the Functions pop-
up menu.
Importing and exporting layouts
By selecting a layout and selecting “Export…” or “Im-
port…” from the Functions pop-up menu below the list, 
you can export or import a Layout. Note that all Staff set-
tings will be taken into account, when exporting or import-
ing a layout.
Working with Display Transpose
You can specify for each staff in a layout whether it should 
use Display Transpose. Just click in the D column in the 
Score Settings–Layout page to activate or deactivate the 
option. Note that this setting affects this layout only.
Using layouts – an example
The following text outlines the basic steps for extracting a 
musical part from a full score.
1.Prepare the entire score, including all formatting.
This might include inserting Project layer Block Text for the Score title, 
setting the bar line type, etc.
2.Open the Score Settings–Layout page and enter the 
desired name in the Name field (for example “Full Score”).
3.Close the Score Editor.
4.Open a single track, for example a woodwind part.
The Project layer settings will automatically appear in the new single 
track layout.
5.Prepare a layout for the woodwind part.
You might for example move bar lines, add endings, activate multiple 
rests, etc.
You can also import all layout symbols from the “Full 
Score” layout, by opening the Score Settings–Layout 
page, selecting the “Full Score” layout in the list to the left 
and selecting “Get Form” from the Functions pop-up 
menu (see “Importing layout symbols” on page 592).
6.Enter the desired name for the new layout in the Name 
field on the Score Settings–Layout page and click “Apply”.
Marker Track to Form
If you have created markers in the Project window which 
denote the start of each new “section” in your music 
(verse, bridge, chorus, etc.), you can automatically transfer 
these markers into the current layout:
1.Pull down the Scores menu and open the Advanced 
Layout submenu.
2.Select “Marker Track to Form”.
Now, rehearsal marks and double bar lines are inserted in the score, at 
the position of each marker.
3.If you want the names of the markers shown as well, 
open the Advanced Layout submenu again and select 
“Display Markers”.
!Be careful not to change any of the properties which 
are not part of the layout or you will modify the “Full 
Score”, too. 
						

							12
Working with MusicXML 
						

							594
Working with MusicXML
Introduction
MusicXML is a music notation format developed by Recor-
dare LLC in 2000 based primarily on two academic music 
formats. It allows the representation of scores in the cur-
rent symbolic representation of western music notation, 
used since the 17th century. With Cubase you can now 
import and export MusicXML files created with version 
1.1. This makes it possible to share and exchange sheet 
music with people who are using score writing programs 
such as Finale and Sibelius.
ÖAs MusicXML is supported to various degrees by dif-
ferent programs, you will always have to do manual adjust-
ments.
What is MusicXML used for?
The MusicXML file format can be used for the following 
purposes:
 Representation and printing of sheet music
 Exchange of sheet music between various score writing 
programs 
 Electronic distribution of musical scores 
 Storage and archiving of scores in an electronic format 
Notational representation vs. musical performance
MusicXML is a music notation file format, that means it 
deals especially with the layout of music notation and the 
correct graphical representation, i.e. how a piece of music 
should look. 
However, MusicXML music data also contains elements 
that define how a piece of music should sound. These are 
used e.g. when creating a MIDI file from MusicXML. This 
means that MusicXML has things in common with MIDI. 
MIDI is a music interchange format for performance appli-
cations like Cubase or other sequencers. The MIDI file for-
mat is designed for playback, i.e. the main focus of the MIDI 
file format lies in the performance, not in the notation. 
Is MusicXML better than MIDI?
Advantages of MusicXML
MIDI tracks hold MIDI notes and other MIDI data. A MIDI 
note in Cubase is only defined by its position, length, pitch 
and velocity. This is not enough to decide how the note 
should be displayed in a score. For a correct representa-
tion, Cubase also needs the following information:
 Stem direction, beaming.
 Expression marks (staccato, accent, ties and slurs). 
 Information about the instrument in the score.
 Key and basic rhythm of the piece.
 Grouping of notes, etc.
MusicXML can store a great part of this information. How-
ever, you will have to adjust the scores with the tools avail-
able in the Score Editor.
Advantages of MIDI
Although MusicXML has obvious advantages in the repre-
sentation of musical scores, there are also restrictions in 
sound. This is due to the fact that MusicXML as a music 
notation format has a graphical background and is de-
signed for exchanging representation, not sound. 
When playing back MusicXML files in Cubase, the follow-
ing parameters, among others, will not be considered:
 On and Off velocities

 Controller data

 Standard MIDI file meta events

 All Cubase-specific data like automation, MIDI effects, Input 
Transformer, etc. 
						

							595
Working with MusicXML
Importing and exporting MusicXML 
files
Cubase can import and export MusicXML files, which 
makes it possible to transfer musical scores to and from 
applications that support this file format. However, there 
are some restrictions concerning the parameters sup-
ported by Cubase:
Importing MusicXML files
1.Pull down the File menu and open the Import submenu.
2.On the submenu, select “MusicXML…”.
3.In the file dialog that opens, locate and select the 
MusicXML file and click “Open”.
4.Another file dialog opens in which you can select the 
project folder for the new project.
Select an existing project folder or create a new one by clicking “Create” 
and entering a name in the dialog.
5.A new project is created with the name of the 
MusicXML file.
Export Import
Notes
Pitch Yes Yes
Length Yes Yes
Staves Yes Up to two per part
Voices Yes Up to four per staff
Accidentals Yes Yes
Ties Yes No
Dots Yes No
Stem Yes Yes
Beams Yes No
Grace Notes Yes Yes
Rests Yes Yes
Layout
Page Size Yes No
Page margins Yes  Yes
Page scaling Yes Yes
Page breaks Yes No
System breaks Yes Yes
Distance between 
staves and systemsYes Yes
Left/right Inset Yes No
Distance between 
measuresYes No
Hidden staves Yes Yes
x and y positions of 
symbolsYes Yes
Symbols
Keys Yes Yes
Clefs Yes Yes
Time Signature Yes Yes
Dynamics Yes Yes
Ornaments Yes / incomplete Yes / incomplete
Articulations Yes / incomplete Yes / incomplete
Technicals Yes / incomplete Yes / incomplete
Lyrics Yes Yes
Chord Symbols Yes Yes
Damper Pedal Yes Yes
Dynamics Yes Yes
Rehearsals Yes Yes
Text Yes Yes
Layout Text Yes N.A.
Global Text Yes “Credits”
Dashes Yes Yes
Endings Yes Yes
Octave Shift Yes Yes
Bar line types Yes Yes
Slurs Yes Yes
Hammer-on/pull-off No No
Formatting
Display Transpose Yes Yes
Drum notation Yes Yes
Short / long staff 
namesYes Yes
Program changes Yes N.A.
Music font Yes (if Jazz font) Yes
Tablature (including 
String tunings)Yes Yes Export Import 
						

							596
Working with MusicXML
Exporting MusicXML files
1.Set up the score the way you want it in the Score Edi-
tor of Cubase.
2.Open the File menu and open the Export submenu.
3.On the submenu, select “MusicXML…”.
Note that this option is only available when the Score Editor is open.
4.A file dialog opens in which you can choose an exist-
ing empty folder or create a new folder for saving the Mu-
sicXML file (as *.xml file). 
						

							13
Designing your score: additional
techniques 
						

							598
Designing your score: additional techniques
About this chapter
In this chapter you will learn:
 How to change the staff size.
 How to create multi-rests.
 How to add and edit bar lines.
 How to create upbeats.
 How to set measure spacing and the number of bars across 
the page.
 How to control staff and grand staff spacing.
 How to use the Auto Layout dialog.
 How to use the Reset Layout function.
 How to break bar lines.
Layout settings
The Score Settings–Layout page contains a number of 
settings that affect the display of the current layout.
The Track list
The Track list lists the tracks included in the layout and al-
lows you to make the following settings:
Equal Spacing
Activate this option when you want a note to take up 
space according to its note value. When Equal Spacing is 
activated, two sixteenth notes will take up as much space 
as one eighth note, for example.
Size
Changes the size of all staves. See “Staff size” on page 
599.
Multi-Rests
Whenever more than one-bar rests occur, the program can 
replace these with a multi-rest symbol. This parameter al-
lows you to set how many empty bars should be “allowed” 
before Cubase will collect them into a multi-rest. “Off” 
means “never”. See “Multiple rests” on page 600 for more 
information on multi-rests.
Real Book
When this option is activated, clef symbols are not set out 
at the beginning of each staff, only on the first staff on 
each page.
Staff Separators
When this option is activated, separator symbols are in-
serted at the beginning of each grand staff.
A staff separator between two systems
!Before you start designing the score page layout, 
you should open the Page Setup dialog on the File 
menu, and make settings for paper size, print scale 
and margins!
Option Description
Brackets These two columns allow you to add braces or brackets, en-
compassing any number of staves in the layout. See “Adding 
brackets and braces” on page 605.
T This is relevant if the Modern Time Sign. option is activated to 
the right. In that case, you use this column to specify for which 
tracks the time signature should be shown – see below.
N This option lets you specify for each staff in a layout whether 
the staff name should be shown.
L If this is activated, any layout symbols will be shown; otherwise 
they will be hidden. This allows you to e.g. have rehearsal 
marks shown for the top staff only in a multi-staff layout.
D This option lets you specify for each staff in a layout whether it 
should use Display Transpose. Option Description 
						

							599
Designing your score: additional techniques
Modern Time Signature
When this is activated, time signatures are shown above 
the staves rather than in them. You can set the size of the 
modern time signature in the Time Sign section on the 
Score Settings–Project page (Notation Style subpage). 
When modern time signature is selected, you use the “T” 
column in the Track list in the Layout page to specify for 
which tracks time signatures should be displayed.
If you prefer to display the score in a more modern way, 
check out the other options on the Notation Style subpage.
For descriptions of the options use the Help button in the dialog.
Staff size
For one staff
You can set the staff size as a percentage value of the 
normal size.
1.Open the Score Settings–Staff page for the staff you 
want to edit.
2.Select the Options tab.
3.Adjust the Size parameter in the System Sizes section.
The values range from 25 % up to 250 % of the normal size.
4.Click Apply.
For all tracks in a layout
1.Open the Score Settings–Layout page.
2.Change the Size parameter.
The values range from 25 % up to 250 % of the normal size.
3.Click Apply.
All staves will now get the desired size. Staves that have 
individual size settings (see above) will still be proportion-
ally smaller/larger. 
This setting is part of the layout and can be used when 
printing a full score slightly smaller than the parts for each 
instrument, for example.
Hiding/showing objects
Any object on a page can be hidden, including notes, 
rests, symbols, clefs, bar lines, even entire staves.
This can be useful in the following situations:
Printing scales
If you want to create scale examples, enter the notes and 
hide time signatures, bar lines and other unwanted objects.
A scale created with hidden bar lines, time signatures, etc.
Graphic notation
By hiding bar lines, you can produce graphic notation.
Hiding notes meant for playback only
If you have recorded your music, you may have added glis-
sandos, falls, etc. that sound fine but result in a lot of un-
necessary notes. You probably want to hide those notes 
and insert the suitable symbols instead.
Hiding
To hide items, proceed as follows:
1.Select all the items you want to hide.
2.Select “Hide/Show” from the Score menu or click on 
the “H” (Hide) button on the extended toolbar.
Notes can also be hidden by selecting them, clicking 
the “i” button on the extended toolbar and ticking the Hide 
Note checkbox in the Set Note Info dialog (see “Other 
note details” on page 544).
!If the Hide option in the display filter bar is activated, 
hidden objects are shown in grey so that they are still 
visible and you can select them. 
						

							600
Designing your score: additional techniques
Hiding in the current layout only
If you want the hiding to be “local” to the current layout, 
hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] when selecting “Hide/Show” 
as described above.
ÖYou can also move hidden objects to the layout by 
right-clicking the “Hide” marker and selecting “Move to 
Layout”.
Viewing hidden objects
The display filter bar (shown by clicking the “Show Filter 
View” button on the toolbar) contains two options related 
to hidden objects:
If you activate the “Hidden Notes” option, all hidden 
notes in the score are shown.
Deactivating “Hidden Notes” will hide the notes again.
If you activate the “Hide” option, all hidden objects 
(except notes) will be indicated by a “Hide” text marker.
Showing one object
1.Make sure “Hide” is activated on the display filter bar.
2.Click on the “Hide” text marker below the object you 
want to display again.
The text is selected.
3.Press [Backspace] or [Delete].
The object appears. Undo is available if you change your mind.
Showing all objects
If you select “Hide/Show” from the Scores menu again, all 
hidden objects are displayed.
You can also use the Reset Layout function to perma-
nently display hidden notes and objects, as described in 
the section “Reset Layout” on page 607.
Showing a hidden note
While all hidden notes can be made visible by ticking the 
Hidden Notes checkbox on the display filter bar, you may 
want to make some of them “permanently” visible again:
1.Activate the Hidden Notes checkbox on the display fil-
ter bar.
2.Select the notes that you want to “un-hide”.
In the Preferences dialog (Scores–Use Colors for Additional Meanings) 
you can set the color for hidden notes.
3.Double-click one of the notes.
4.Deactivate the Hide Note option in the Set Note Info 
dialog and click Apply.
Coloring notes
You can use the color pop-up menu on the toolbar to col-
orize selected notes, e.g. for educational purposes. This is 
described in detail in the section “Coloring notes” on 
page 545.
Multiple rests
Multiple consecutive rests can be automatically displayed 
as multi-rests. Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Score Settings–Layout page.
2.Set the Multi-Rests option to the number of empty 
bars that should be “allowed” before Cubase will display 
them as a multi-rest.
For example, a value of 2 means that three or more consecutive empty 
bars will be displayed as a multi-rest. If you set this to “Off”, multi-rests 
will not be used.
3.Click Apply and close the dialog.
The multi-rests now appear in the score.
A multi-rest over three bars
!This is not possible when hiding notes, only other 
symbols.