Steinberg Cubase 6 Manual

							491
Export Audio Mixdown
Windows Media Audio Pro files 
(Windows
 only) 
This is a continuation of the Windows Media Audio format 
developed by Microsoft Inc. Due to the advanced audio co
-
decs and lossless compression used, WMA Pro files can 
be decreased in size with no loss of audio quality. Further
-
more, WMA Pro features the possibility of mixing down to 
5.1 surround sound. The files have the extension “.wma”.
When you select “Windows Media Audio File” as the file 
format, you can click the “Codec Settings…” button to 
open the “Windows Media Audio File Settings” window.
Note that the configuration options may vary, depending 
on the chosen output channels. 
General tab
In the Input Stream section, you set the sample rate (44.1, 
48 or 96
 kHz) and the bit resolution (16 bit or 24 bit) of the 
encoded file. Set these to match the sample rate and bit 
resolution of the source material. If no value matches that 
of your source material, use the closest available value 
that is higher than the actual value. For example, if you are 
using 20
 bit source material, set the bit resolution to 24 bit 
rather than 16
 bit.
ÖThe setting in the Channels field depends on the cho-
sen output and cannot be changed manually. 
The settings in the Encoding Scheme section are used for 
defining the desired output from the encoder, e.
 g. a stereo 
or a 5.1 surround file. Make settings appropriate for the in
-
tended use of the file. If the file will be downloaded or 
streamed on the Internet, you might not want too high bit 
rates, for example. See below for descriptions of the op
-
tions.
•Mode pop-up menu
The WMA Pro encoder can use either a constant bit rate 
or a variable bit rate for encoding to 5.1 surround, or it can 
use lossless encoding for encoding to stereo. The options 
on this menu are as follows:
•Bit Rate/Quality pop-up menu
This menu allows you to set the desired bit rate. The avail-
able bit rate settings vary depending on the selected 
mode and/or output channels (see above). If the Variable 
Bitrate mode is used, the menu allows you to select from 
various levels of quality, with 10 being the lowest and 100 
the highest. Generally, the higher the bitrate or quality you 
select, the larger the final file will be. The menu also shows 
the channel format (5.1 or stereo). 
Advanced tab
•Dynamic Range Control
These controls allow you to define the dynamic range of 
the encoded file. The dynamic range is the difference in 
dB between the average loudness and the peak audio 
level (the loudest sounds) of the audio. These settings af
-
fect how the audio is reproduced if the file is played on a 
Windows computer with a player from the Windows Me
-
dia series, and the “Quiet Mode” feature of the player is 
activated to control the dynamic range.
The dynamic range is automatically calculated during the 
encoding process, but you can specify it manually as well.
ModeDescription
Constant BitrateThis will encode to a 5.1 surround file with a constant 
bit rate (set in the Bit Rate/Channels menu, see be-low). Constant bit rate is preferably used if you want to 
limit the size of the final file. The size of a file encoded 
with a constant bit rate is always the bit rate times the 
duration of the file.
Variable BitrateEncodes to a 5.1 surround file with a variable bit rate, 
according to a quality scale (the desired quality is set in 
the Bit Rate/Quality menu, see below). When you en
-code with variable bit rates, the bit rate fluctuates de-pending on the character and intricacy of the material 
being encoded. The more complex passages in the 
source material, the higher the bit rate – and the larger 
the final file.
LosslessEncodes to a stereo file with lossless compression.  
						

							492
Export Audio Mixdown
To manually specify the dynamic range, first put a check-
mark in the box to the left by clicking in it, and then enter 
the desired dB values in the Peak and Average fields. You 
can enter any value between 0 and -90
 dB. Note, how-
ever, that it is usually not recommended to change the Av-
erage value, since this affects the overall volume level of 
the audio and therefore can have a negative effect on the 
audio quality.
The Quiet Mode in a Windows Media player can be set to 
one of three settings. Below, these settings are listed to
-
gether with an explanation of how the Dynamic Range set-
tings affect them:
• Off: If Quiet Mode is off, the dynamic range settings that were 
automatically calculated during the encoding will be used.
• Little Difference: If this is selected and you have not manually 
changed the dynamic range settings, the peak level will be 
limited to 6
 dB above the average level during playback. If you 
have manually specified the dynamic range, the peak level will 
be limited to the mean value between the peak and average 
values you specified.
• Medium Difference: If this is selected and you have not manu-
ally changed the dynamic range settings, the peak level will be 
limited to 12
 dB above the average level. If you have changed 
the dynamic range, the peak level will be limited to the peak 
value you specified.
•Surround Reduction Coefficients
Here you can specify which amount of volume reduction, if 
any, is applied to the different channels in a surround en
-
coding. These settings affect how the audio is reproduced 
on a system incapable of playing back the file in surround, in 
which case the surround channels of the file will be com
-
bined into two channels and played back in stereo instead.
The default values should produce satisfactory results, but 
you can change the values manually if you wish. You can 
enter any value between 0 and -144
 dB for the surround 
channels, the center channel, the left and right channels 
and the LFE channel, respectively.
Media tab
In these fields you can enter a number of text strings with 
information about the file – title, author, copyright informa
-
tion and a description of its contents. This information will 
then be embedded in the file header and can be displayed 
by some Windows Media Audio playback applications.
ÖFor more information about surround sound and en-
coding, see the chapter “Surround sound (Cubase only)” 
on page 217. 
						

							39
Synchronization 
						

							494
Synchronization
Background
What is synchronization?
Synchronization is the process of getting two or more de-
vices to play back together at the same exact speed and 
position. These devices can range from audio and video 
tape machines to digital audio workstations, MIDI sequenc
-
ers, synchronization controllers, and digital video devices.
Synchronization basics
There are three basic components of audio/visual synchro-
nization: position, speed, and phase. If these parameters 
are known for a particular device (the master), then a sec
-
ond device (the slave) can have its speed and position “re-
solved” to the first in order to have the two devices play in 
perfect sync with one another.
Position
The position of a device is represented by either samples 
(audio word clock), video frames (timecode), or musical 
bars and beats (MIDI clock).
Speed
The speed of a device is measured either by the frame rate 
of the timecode, the sample rate (audio word clock) or by 
the tempo of the MIDI clock (bars and beats).
Phase
Phase is the alignment of the position and speed compo-
nents to each other. In other words, each pulse of the 
speed component should be aligned with each measure
-
ment of the position for the most accuracy. Each frame of 
timecode should be perfectly lined up with the correct sam
-
ple of audio. Put simply, phase is the very precise position 
of a synchronized device relative to the master (sample ac
-
curacy).
Machine control 
When two or more devices are synchronized, the question 
remains: how do we control the entire system? We need 
to be able to locate to any position, play, record, and even 
jog and scrub the entire system using one set of controls.
Machine control is an integral part of any synchronization 
setup. In many cases, the device simply called “the mas
-
ter” will control the whole system. However, the term 
“master” can also refer to the device that is generating the 
position and speed references. Care must be taken to dif
-
ferentiate between the two.
Master and slave
Calling one device the “master” and another the “slave” 
can lead to a great deal of confusion. The timecode rela
-
tionship and the machine control relationship must be dif-
ferentiated in this regard.
In this document, the following terms are used:
• The “timecode master” is the device generating position infor-
mation or timecode.
• The “timecode slave” is any device receiving the timecode and 
synchronizing or “locking” to it.
• The “machine control master” is the device that issues trans-
port commands to the system. 
• The “machine control slave” is the device receiving those 
commands and responding to them.
For example, Cubase could be the machine control mas-
ter, sending transport commands to an external device 
which in turn sends timecode and audio clock information 
back to Cubase. In that case, Cubase would also be the 
timecode slave at the same time. So calling Cubase sim
-
ply the master is misleading.
ÖIn most scenarios, the machine control slave is also 
the timecode master. Once it receives a play command, 
that device starts generating timecode for all the timecode 
slaves to synchronize to.
Timecode (positional references)
The position of any device is most often described using 
timecode. Timecode represents time using hours, min
-
utes, seconds, and frames to provide a location for each 
device. Each frame represents a visual film or video frame.
Timecode can be communicated in several ways:
• LTC (Longitudinal Timecode) is an analog signal that can be 
recorded on tape. It should be used for positional information 
primarily. It can also be used for speed and phase information 
as a last resort if no other clock source is available. 
						

							495
Synchronization
• VITC (Vertical Interval Timecode) is contained within a compos-
ite video signal. It is recorded onto video tape and is physically 
tied to each video frame.
• MTC (MIDI Timecode) is identical to LTC except that it is a 
digital signal transmitted via MIDI.
Timecode standards
Timecode has several standards. The subject of the various 
timecode formats can be very confusing due to the use and 
misuse of the shorthand names for specific timecode stan
-
dards and frame rates. The reasons for this confusion are 
described in detail below. The timecode format can be di
-
vided into two variables: frame count and frame rate.
Frame count (frames per second)
The frame count of timecode defines the standard with 
which it is labeled. There are four timecode standards:
•24 fps Film (F)
This frame count is the traditional count for film. It is also used for HD video 
formats and commonly referred to as “24
 p”. However, with HD video, the 
actual frame rate or speed of the video sync reference is slower, 23.976 
frames per second, so timecode does not reflect the actual realtime on the 
clock for 24p HD video.
•25 fps PAL (P)
This is the broadcast video standard frame count for European (and other 
PAL countries) television broadcast.
•30 fps non-drop SMPTE (N)
This is the frame count of NTSC broadcast video. However, the actual 
frame rate or speed of the video format runs at 29.97
 fps. This timecode 
clock does not run in realtime. It is slightly slower by 0.1 %.
•30 fps drop-frame SMPTE (D)
The 30 fps drop-frame count is an adaptation that allows a timecode dis-play running at 29.97 fps to actually show the clock-on-the-wall-time of 
the timeline by “dropping” or skipping specific frame numbers in order to 
“catch the clock up” to realtime.
Confused? Just remember to keep the timecode standard 
(or frame count) and frame rate (or speed) separate.
Frame rate (speed)
Regardless of the frame counting system, the actual 
speed at which frames of video go by in realtime is the 
true frame rate.
In Cubase the following frame rates are available:
•23.9 fps (Cubase only)
This frame rate is used for film that is being transferred to NTSC video 
and must be slowed down for a 2-3 pull-down telecine transfer. It is also 
used for the type of HD video referred to as “24
 p”.
•24 fps
This is the true speed of standard film cameras.
•24.9 fps (Cubase only)
This frame rate is commonly used to facilitate transfers between PAL and 
NTSC video and film sources. It is mostly used to correct for some error.
•25 fps
This is the frame rate of PAL video.
•29.97 fps
This is the frame rate of NTSC video. The count can be either non-drop 
or drop-frame.
•30 fps
This frame rate is not a video standard anymore but has been commonly 
used in music recording. Many years ago it was the black and white 
NTSC broadcast standard. It is equal to NTSC video being pulled up to 
film speed after a 2-3 telecine transfer.
•59.98 fps (Cubase only)
This rate is also referred to as “60 p”. Many professional HD cameras re-cord at 59.98 fps. While 60 fps could theoretically exist as a frame rate, 
no current HD video camera records at a full 60
 fps as a standard rate. 
Frame count vs. frame rate
Part of the confusion in timecode stems from the use of 
“frames per second” in both the timecode standard and 
the actual frame rate. When used to describe a timecode 
standard, frames per second defines how many frames of 
timecode are counted before one second on the counter 
increments. When describing frame rates, frames per sec
-
ond define how many frames are played back during the 
span of one second of realtime. In other words: Regard
-
less of how many frames of video there are per second of 
timecode (frame count), those frames can be moving at 
different rates depending on the speed (frame rate) of the 
video format. For example, NTSC timecode (SMPTE) has 
a frame count of 30
 fps. However, NTSC video runs at a 
rate of 29.97
 fps. So the NTSC timecode standard known 
as SMPTE is a 30
 fps standard that runs at 29.97 realtime. 
						

							496
Synchronization
Clock sources (speed references)
Once the position is established, the next essential factor 
for synchronization is the playback speed. Once two de
-
vices start playing from the same position, they must run at 
exactly the same speed in order to remain in sync. There
-
fore, a single speed reference must be used and all devices 
in the system must follow that reference. With digital audio, 
the speed is determined by the audio clock rate. With 
video, the speed is determined by the video sync signal.
Audio clock
Audio clock signals run at the speed of the sample rate 
used by a digital audio device and are transmitted in sev
-
eral ways:
Word clock
Word clock is a dedicated signal running at the current 
sample rate that is fed over BNC coaxial cables between 
devices. It is the most reliable form of audio clock and is 
relatively easy to connect and use.
AES/SPDIF Digital Audio
An audio clock source is embedded within AES and SPDIF 
digital audio signals. This clock source can be used as a 
speed reference. Preferably, the signal itself does not con
-
tain any actual audio (digital black), but any digital audio 
source can be used if necessary.
ADAT Lightpipe
ADAT Lightpipe, the 8-channel digital audio protocol de-
veloped by Alesis, also contains audio clock and can be 
used as a speed reference. It is transmitted via optical ca
-
bles between devices.
ÖDo not confuse the audio clock embedded in the 
Lightpipe protocol with ADAT Sync, which has timecode 
and machine control running over a proprietary DIN plug 
connection.
MIDI clock
MIDI clock is a signal that uses position and timing data 
based on musical bars and beats to determine location 
and speed (tempo). It can perform the same function as a 
positional reference and a speed reference for other MIDI 
devices. Cubase supports sending MIDI clock to external 
devices but cannot slave to incoming MIDI clock.
The Project Synchronization Setup 
dialog
Cubase’s Project Synchronization Setup dialog provides a 
central place to configure a complex synchronized system. 
In addition to settings for timecode sources and machine 
control settings, project setup parameters are available 
along with basic transport controls for testing the system. 
To open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog, pro-
ceed as follows:
•On the Transport menu, select the “Project Synchroni-
zation Setup…” option.
•On the Transport panel, [Ctrl]/[Command]-click the 
Sync button.
The dialog is organized into sections separating related 
groups of settings. The arrows shown between the vari
-
ous sections of the dialog indicate how settings in one 
section influence settings in another section. In the follow
-
ing, the available sections are described in detail.
The Cubase section
At the center of the Project Synchronization Setup dialog 
is the Cubase section. It is provided to help you visualize 
the role that Cubase takes in your setup. It shows which 
external signals enter or leave the application.
!MIDI clock cannot be used to synchronize digital au-
dio. It is only used for MIDI devices to play in musical 
sync with one another. Cubase does not support be
-
ing a MIDI clock slave. 
						

							497
Synchronization
Timecode Source
The Timecode Source setting determines whether Cubase 
is acting as timecode master or slave.
When set to “Internal Timecode”, Cubase is the timecode 
master, generating all position references for any other 
device in the system. The other options are for external 
timecode sources. Selecting any of these, makes Cubase 
a timecode slave when the Sync button is activated.
Internal Timecode
Cubase generates timecode based on the project timeline 
and project setup settings. The timecode will follow the 
format specified in the Project Setup section.
MIDI Timecode
Cubase acts as a timecode slave to any incoming MIDI 
timecode (MTC) on the port(s) selected in the MIDI Time
-
code section, to the right of the Timecode Source section.
Selecting “All MIDI Inputs” allows Cubase to sync to MTC 
from any MIDI connection. You can also select a single 
MIDI port for receiving MTC.
ASIO Audio Device
This option is only available with audio cards that support 
ASIO Positioning Protocol. These audio cards have an in
-
tegrated LTC reader or ADAT sync port and can perform a 
phase alignment of timecode and audio clock.
VST System Link
VST System Link can provide all aspects of sample-accu-
rate synchronization between other System Link worksta-
tions. For information on configuring VST System Link, 
see 
“Working with VST System Link” on page 501.
Timecode Preferences
When MIDI Timecode is selected, additional options be-
come available in the Cubase section, providing several 
options for working with external timecode.
Lock Frames
This setting determines how many full frames of timecode 
it takes for Cubase to try and establish sync or “lock”. If 
you have an external tape transport with a very short start-
up time, try lowering this number to make lock-up even 
faster. This option can only be set to multiples of two.
Drop Out Frames
This setting determines the amount of missed timecode 
frames it takes for Cubase to stop. Using LTC recorded 
on an analog tape machine can result in some amount of 
drop outs. Increasing this number allows Cubase to “free-
wheel” over missed frames without stopping. Lowering 
this number causes Cubase to stop sooner once the tape 
machine has stopped.
Inhibit Restart ms
Some synchronizers still transmit MTC for a short period 
after an external tape machine has been stopped. These 
extra frames of timecode sometimes cause Cubase to re
-
start suddenly. The “Inhibit Restart ms” setting allows you 
to control the amount of time in milliseconds that Cubase 
will wait to restart (ignoring incoming MTC) once it has 
stopped. 
						

							498
Synchronization
Auto-Detect Frame-Rate Changes
Cubase can notify the user when the frame rate of time-
code changes at any point. This is helpful in diagnosing 
problems with timecode and external devices. This notifi
-
cation will interrupt playback or recording. Deactivating 
this option will avoid any interruption in playback or re
-
cording.
Machine Control Output Destination
When the Sync button on the Transport panel is activated, 
all transport commands (including movements of the cur
-
sor in the Project window) are translated into machine con-
trol commands and routed according to the settings made 
in the “Machine Control Output Destination” section.
MC Master Active
When this option is activated, transport commands are 
routed or sent to any device while sync is enabled. Addi
-
tional routing options become available, see below. Deac-
tivating this option does not affect the operation of the 
individual MMC Device panels. They can still function re
-
gardless of the machine control destination.
MMC Input and Output
The MMC Input and MMC Output settings determine 
which MIDI port in your system will send and receive 
MMC commands. Set both the input and output to MIDI 
ports that are connected to the desired MIDI device.
MMC Device ID
The MMC device ID should be set to the same number as 
the receiving device. You can also set the device ID to “All” 
if more than one machine is receiving MMC commands or if 
the device ID is not known.
ÖSome devices can only listen to their specific IDs. 
Therefore, using the All option will not work with such 
devices.
Number of Audio Tracks (Cubase only)
The number of audio tracks should be set to match the 
amount of available audio tracks in the destination device. 
This setting determines how many record-enable buttons 
are shown in the MMC Master panel (see below).
MMC Master panel
The MMC Master panel can be opened from the Devices 
menu. In order to use the MMC Master panel, proceed as 
follows:
•Open the Preferences dialog, select the MIDI Filter sec-
tion and make sure SysEx is activated in the Thru section.
This is necessary since MMC uses two-way communication (the tape re-
corder “replies” to the MMC messages it receives from Cubase). By fil-tering out SysEx Thru, you ensure that these MMC System Exclusive 
replies are not echoed back to the tape recorder.
•On the MMC Master panel, activate the Online button 
to use the transport buttons on the panel to control the 
transport of the device.
It is not necessary to have this activated in order to synchronize with the 
MMC device. It only affects operation of the MMC Master panel.
•You can use the buttons to the left on the MMC Master 
panel to arm tape tracks for recording.
•The “A1, A2, TC, VD” items refer to additional tracks 
usually found on video tape recorders.
Refer to the manual of your VTR device to see if these tracks are sup-
ported.
!If there is a discrepancy between the project frame 
rate in Cubase and incoming timecode, Cubase 
might still be able to lock to the incoming timecode. If 
the user is unaware of these differences, problems 
can arise later in postproduction. 
						

							499
Synchronization
Machine Control Input (Cubase only)
Cubase can respond to machine control commands from 
external MIDI devices. Cubase can follow incoming trans
-
port commands (locate, play, record) and respond to re-
cord-enabling commands for audio tracks. This allows 
Cubase to easily integrate into larger studio systems with 
centralized machine control and synchronization such as 
theatrical mixing stages.
MMC Slave Active
When this option is activated, several settings become 
available in the Machine Control Input section: 
MIDI Timecode Destinations
Cubase can send MTC to any MIDI port. Use this section 
to specify the MIDI ports to which MTC is routed. Devices 
that can lock to MTC will chase Cubase’s timecode 
position.
ÖSome MIDI interfaces send MTC over all ports by de-
fault. If this is the case, only select one port of the interface 
for MTC.
MIDI Timecode Follows Project Time
Activate this option to ensure that the MTC output follows 
Cubase’s time position at all times including looping, lo
-
cating, or jumping while playing. If not, MTC will continue 
on without changing locations at a loop or jump point until 
playback stops.
MIDI Clock Destinations
Some MIDI devices like drum machines can match their 
tempo and location to incoming MIDI clock. Select any 
MIDI ports that you wish to output MIDI clock.
MIDI Clock Follows Project Position
Activate this option to ensure that the MIDI clock device 
follows Cubase when looping, locating, or jumping while 
playing.
ÖSome older MIDI devices might not respond well to 
these positioning messages and could take some time 
synchronizing to the new location.
OptionDescription
MMC InputSet this to the MIDI input that is connected to the 
master machine control device.
MMC OutputSet this to the MIDI output that is connected to the 
master machine control device.
MMC Device IDThis determines the MIDI ID number that is used to 
identify the machine in Cubase.
!The MMC protocol involves polling devices (request-
ing information) for their status which requires two 
way communication. While some functions may work 
with only one way communication, it is best to con
-
nect both MIDI ports (input and output) of MMC 
devices. Refer to 
“MMC Master panel” on page 498 
to ensure that the MIDI filter is set up correctly. 
						

							500
Synchronization
Always Send Start Message
MIDI clock transport commands include Start, Stop, and 
Continue. However, some MIDI devices do not recognize 
the Continue command. By activating the “Always Send 
Start Message” option, you can avoid this problem with 
specific MIDI devices.
Send MIDI Clock in Stop Mode
Activate this option if you are working with a device that 
needs MIDI clock to run continuously in order to operate 
arpeggiators and loop generators.
Synchronized operation
Once you have connected all the devices that will be syn-
chronized, it is important to understand how Cubase op-
erates in Sync mode. Sync mode is enabled by activating 
the Sync button on the Transport panel.
Sync mode
When you activate the Sync button, the following hap-
pens:
•Cubase only: Transport commands are routed to the 
machine control destination output as specified in the 
Project Synchronization Setup dialog.
Locate, Play, Stop, and Record commands will now be sent to an exter-nal device.
•Cubase awaits incoming timecode from the chosen 
timecode source defined in the Project Synchronization 
Setup dialog in order to play.
Cubase will detect incoming timecode, locate to its current position, and 
start playback in sync with the incoming timecode.
Cubase only: In a typical scenario, an external tape machine 
(e.g. a VTR) has its timecode output connected to Cubase. 
Cubase is sending machine control commands to the deck. 
When Sync is activated and you click Play on the Transport 
panel, a play command is sent to the VTR. The VTR in turn 
starts playback, sending timecode back to Cubase. Cu
-
base then synchronizes to that incoming timecode.
Example scenarios (Cubase only)
To better understand how synchronization options can be 
utilized, an example scenario is provided.
Personal music studio
In a personal music studio, the user might have the need of 
synchronizing with an external recording device such as a 
portable hard disk recorder used for live remote recordings.
In this example, MIDI will be used for timecode and ma-
chine control while the audio clock will be handled by 
Lightpipe digital audio connections.
•When the Sync button is activated, Cubase sends 
MMC commands to the hard disk recorder.
Cubase can remotely start playback of the recorder.
•The hard disk recorder is using audio clock from Cu-
base’s audio interface as the speed reference.
It is also possible for Cubase to use the audio clock from the recorder. 
The audio clock is carried over the Lightpipe digital audio connection 
that also carries audio signals.
•The hard disk recorder sends back MTC to Cubase.
When the recorder begins playing, MTC is sent back to Cubase which 
will sync to that timecode.
Sync settings for a personal music studio
To synchronize the devices in this example scenario, pro-
ceed as follows:
1.Make the connections as shown in the diagram above.
In this simple example, any device that uses MTC can be substituted.
2.Open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and 
select “MIDI Timecode” as the timecode source.
When recording from the hard disk recorder into Cubase, Cubase will be 
the machine control master and the timecode slave, locking to incoming 
MTC.
3.In the “Machine Control Output Destination” section, 
select the “MIDI Machine Control” option.
Cubase will now send MMC commands to the hard disk recorder to locate 
and start playback.
4.In the “Machine Control Output Settings” section, as-
sign the MIDI input and output ports that are connected to 
the hard disk recorder.
Since MMC uses two-way communication, both MIDI ports should be 
connected. Be sure the MIDI filter does not echo SysEx data.