Steinberg Cubase 6 Manual

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Working with projects
Moving events
To move events in the Project window, use the following 
methods:
•Click and drag to a new position.
All selected events are moved, maintaining their relative positions. You 
can only drag events to tracks of the same type. If Snap is activated, this 
determines to which positions you can move the events (see 
“The Snap 
function” on page 45). 
Note also that you can restrict movement to be either horizontal or verti-cal only, by holding down [Ctrl]/[Command] while dragging.
•Select the event and edit the Start position in the info line.
•Use the “Move to” options on the Edit menu.
The following options are available:
•Use the Nudge buttons on the toolbar.
These move the selected events to the left or right. The amount of move-
ment depends on the selected display format (see “The Project Setup di-alog” on page 54) and the value set on the Grid pop-up menu.
ÖThe Nudge buttons are not visible on the toolbar by 
default. You can decide which items are visible by right-
clicking on the toolbar and activating the corresponding 
option on the context menu (see 
“The setup context 
menus” on page 534).
•Use the Up/Down key commands, found in the Nudge 
category in the Key Commands dialog.
These commands allow you to nudge one or more events (except folder 
parts) up or down to the nearest track. 
Nudging up/down will not create new tracks: If there is no 
destination track that matches the track configuration of 
the nudged event, nothing happens. 
Exceptions
•If you select events in Lane Display mode, these are 
moved to the upper or lower lane. 
•If you select MIDI events in the In-Place Editor, the MIDI 
events are nudged up or down. 
Duplicating events
Events can be duplicated in the following ways:
•Hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag the event to a new 
position.
If Snap is activated, this determines to which positions you can copy the 
events (see 
“The Snap function” on page 45). 
!You will note that there is a slightly delayed response 
when you move an event by dragging. This helps you 
avoid accidentally moving events when you click on 
them in the Project window. You can adjust this delay 
with the Drag Delay setting in the Preferences dialog 
(Editing page).
OptionDescription
CursorMoves the selected event to the project cursor position. 
If there are several selected events on the same track, 
the first event will start at the cursor, and the following 
will be lined up end-to-start after the first one.
OriginMoves the selected events to their original positions, i. e. 
the positions at which they were originally recorded.
Front/BackThis function does not actually change the position of the 
events, but moves the selected events to the front or back, 
respectively. This is useful if you have overlapping events 
and want to see one that is partially obscured.
 For audio events, this is an extra important feature, be-cause only the visible sections of events will be played 
back. Moving an obscured audio event to front (or moving 
the obscuring event to back) will allow you to hear the 
whole event on playback.
 Note that it is also possible to use the “To Front” function 
on the event context menu for this.
!When the Range Selection tool is used, the Nudge 
buttons move the selection range (see “Moving and 
duplicating” on page 67).
!If you hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] as well, move-
ment direction is restricted to either horizontal or ver-
tical. That means if you drag an event vertically it 
cannot be moved horizontally at the same time. 
						

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Working with projects
•Audio and MIDI parts can also be duplicated by clicking 
on the part, pressing [Alt]/[Option]-[Shift], and dragging.
This creates a shared copy of the part. If you edit the contents of a 
shared copy, all other shared copies of the same part are automatically 
edited in the same way.
Note:
•When you duplicate audio events, the copies are al-
ways shared. This means that shared copies of audio 
events always refer to the same audio clip (see 
“Audio 
processing” on page 245).
•You can convert a shared copy to a real copy by select-
ing “Convert to Real Copy” from the Functions submenu on 
the Edit menu. This creates a new version of the clip (that 
can be edited independently) and adds this to the Pool. 
Note that no new files are created by this operation – for 
that you need to use the “Bounce Selection” function from 
the Audio menu (see 
“Exporting regions as audio files” on 
page 307). 
•Selecting “Duplicate” from the Functions submenu on 
the Edit menu creates a copy of the selected event and 
places it directly after the original.
If several events are selected, all of these are copied “as one unit”, main-
taining the relative distance between the events.
•Selecting “Repeat…” from the Functions submenu on 
the Edit menu opens a dialog, allowing you to create a 
number of copies (regular or shared) of the selected 
events.
This works just like the Duplicate function, but you can specify the num-
ber of copies.
•You can also perform the Repeat function by dragging: 
Select the events to repeat, press [Alt]/[Option], click the 
handle in the lower right corner of the last selected event 
and drag to the right.
The longer to the right you drag, the more copies are created (as shown 
by the tooltip).
•Selecting “Fill Loop” from the Functions submenu on 
the Edit menu creates a number of copies starting at the 
left locator and ending at the right locator.
The last copy is automatically shortened to end at the right locator posi-tion.
Using Cut, Copy and, Paste
You can cut or copy selected events, and paste them in 
again, using the functions on the Edit menu.
•When you paste an audio event, it is inserted on the se-
lected track, positioned so that its snap point is aligned 
with the cursor position.
If the selected track is of the wrong type, the event will be inserted on its 
original track. See 
“The Snap function” on page 45 for information about the snap point.
•If you use the “Paste at Origin” function on the Function 
submenu of the Edit menu, the event is pasted at its origi
-
nal position (the position from which you cut or copied it).
Renaming events
By default, audio events show the name of their clip, but 
you can enter a separate descriptive name for separate 
events if you like. This is done by selecting the event and 
typing in a new name in the “Description” field on the info 
line. 
•You can also give all events on a track the same name 
as the track by changing the track name, holding down a 
modifier key and pressing [Return].
See “Audio handling” on page 58.
Splitting events
You can split events in the Project window in the following 
ways:
•Click with the Scissors tool on the event you want to 
split.
If Snap is activated, this determines the exact split position (see “The Snap function” on page 45). You can also split events by pressing [Alt]/
[Option] and clicking with the Arrow tool. 
						

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Working with projects
•Select “Split at Cursor” from the Edit menu, Functions 
submenu.
This splits the selected events at the position of the project cursor. If no 
events are selected, all events (on all tracks) that are intersected by the 
project cursor will be split.
•Select “Split Loop” from the Edit menu, Functions sub-
menu.
This splits events on all tracks at the left and right locator positions.
ÖIf you split a MIDI part so that the split position inter-
sects one or several MIDI notes, the result depends on the 
“Split MIDI Events” option in the Preferences dialog (Edit
-
ing–MIDI page). If the option is activated, the intersected 
notes will be split (creating new notes at the beginning of 
the second part). If it is deactivated, the notes will remain 
in the first part, but “stick out” after the end of the part.
Gluing events together
You can glue events together using the Glue Tube tool. 
There are three possibilities: 
•Clicking on an event with the Glue Tube tool glues it to-
gether with the next event on the track. The events do not 
have to touch one another.
The result is a part containing the two events, with one exception: If you 
first split an event and then glue the two sections together again (without 
moving or editing them first), they become a single event again.
•You can select several events on the same track and 
click on one of them with the Glue Tube tool.
A single part is created.
•When you hold down [Alt]/[Option] while clicking on an 
event with the Glue Tube tool, this event will be glued to
-
gether with all following events on this track.
You can change the default key command for this in the Preferences di-
alog (Editing–Tool Modifiers page).
Resizing events
Resizing events means to move their start or end positions 
individually. In Cubase, there are three modes for resizing:
To select one of the resizing modes, select the Arrow tool 
and then click again on the Arrow tool icon on the toolbar. 
This opens a pop-up menu from which you can select one 
of the options.
The icon on the toolbar will change, indicating the selected resizing 
mode.
The actual resizing is done by clicking and dragging the 
lower left or right corner of the event. If Snap is activated, 
the Snap value determines the resulting length (see 
“The 
Snap function” on page 45).
Normal sizing
Sizing moves contents
•If several events are selected, all will be resized in the 
same way.
Resizing modeDescription
Normal SizingThe contents of the event stay fixed, and the start or 
end point of the event is moved to “reveal” more or less 
of the contents.
Sizing Moves 
ContentsThe contents follow the moved start or end of the event 
(see the figure below).
Sizing Applies 
Time StretchThe contents will be time stretched to fit the new event 
length (see the separate section “Resizing events using time stretch” on page 64).
Resizing mode Description 
						

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Working with projects
•It is also possible to resize events by using the Trim but-
tons (located in the Nudge palette) on the toolbar.
This will move the start or end position of the selected event(s) by the 
amount set on the Grid Type pop-up menu. The sizing type currently se
-
lected applies to this method too, with the exception of “Sizing Applies 
Time Stretch” which is not possible with this method. You can also use 
key commands for this (by default, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and use the 
left and right arrow key).
ÖNote that the Nudge palette is not visible on the tool-
bar by default. See “The setup context menus” on page 
534 for instructions on how to show and hide items on the 
toolbar.
ÖWhen resizing events, any automation data will not be 
taken into account.
Resizing events using time stretch
If you want to resize a part and make its contents “fit” the 
new size, you should use this sizing mode. Proceed as fol
-
lows:
1.Click the Arrow icon on the toolbar and click again to 
select the “Sizing Applies Time Stretch” option from the 
pop-up menu.
2.Point close to the end point of the part you want to 
stretch.
3.Click and drag left or right.
When you move the mouse, a tooltip shows the current mouse position 
and length of the part. Note that the snap value applies, as with any part 
operation.
4.Release the mouse button.
The part is “stretched” or “compressed” to fit the new length.
•For MIDI parts, this means that the note events are 
stretched (moved and resized).
Note Expression (Cubase only) and controller data will be stretched, too.
•For audio parts, this means that the events are moved, 
and that the referenced audio files are time stretched to fit 
the new length.
A dialog shows the progress of the time stretch operation.
ÖIn the Preferences dialog (Editing–Audio page), you 
can adjust which algorithm is used for the time stretch al
-
gorithm. For more information about time stretch, see 
“Time Stretch” on page 252.
Sliding the contents of an event or part
You can move the contents of an event or part without 
changing its position in the Project window. By default, 
this is done by pressing [Alt]/[Option]-[Shift], clicking in 
the event or part and dragging to the left or right.
Grouping events
Sometimes it is useful to treat several events as one unit. 
This can be done by grouping them: Select the events (on 
the same or different Tracks) and select “Group” from the 
Edit menu.
Grouped events are indicated by a group icon on the right.
If you edit one of the grouped events in the Project window, 
all other events in the same group are affected too (if appli
-
cable). 
!When sliding the contents of an audio event, you 
cannot slide past the start or end of the actual audio 
clip. If the event plays the whole clip, you cannot 
slide the audio at all. 
						

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Working with projects
Group editing operations include:
• Selecting events.
• Moving and duplicating events.
• Resizing events.
• Adjusting fade-in and fade-out (audio events only, see “Creat-
ing fades” on page 118).
• Splitting events (splitting one event will automatically split any 
other grouped events that are intersected by the split position).
• Locking events.
• Muting events.
• Deleting events.
Locking events
If you want to make sure that you do not edit or move an 
event by accident, you can lock it. Locking can affect one 
(or any combination) of the following properties:
•To specify which of these properties are affected by the 
Lock function, use the “Lock Event Attributes” pop-up 
menu in the Preferences dialog (Editing page).
•To lock events, select them and select “Lock…” from 
the Edit menu.
The events will be locked according to the options specified in the Pref-
erences dialog.
•You can adjust the lock options for a locked event by 
selecting it and selecting “Lock…” from the Edit menu 
again.
This opens a dialog in which you can activate or deactivate the desired 
lock options.
•To unlock an event (turn off all lock options), select it 
and select “Unlock” from the Edit menu.
•It is also possible to lock a whole track, by clicking the 
padlock symbol in the track list or in the Inspector.
This disables all editing of all events on the track.
Muting events
To mute individual events in the Project window, proceed 
as follows:
•To mute or unmute a single event, click on it with the 
Mute tool.
•To mute or unmute several events, select them – either 
by using the standard selection techniques, or by using 
one of the options on the Select submenu on the Edit 
menu – and click on one of the selected events with the 
Mute tool.
All selected events will be muted.
•You can also click in an empty area with the Mute tool 
and drag a selection rectangle around several events you 
want to mute or unmute, and then click on one of them 
with the Mute tool.
•You can mute events by selecting them and selecting 
“Mute” from the Edit menu.
Similarly, you can unmute the selected events by selecting “Unmute” 
from the Edit menu.
•You can also change the mute status of selected events 
on the info line.
Muted events can be edited as usual (with the exception 
of adjusting fades), but are not played back.
Muted events are “grayed out”.
Lock OptionsDescription
PositionIf this is locked, the event cannot be moved.
SizeIf this is locked, the event cannot be resized.
OtherIf this is locked, all other editing of the event is disabled. 
This includes adjusting the fades and event volume, pro-cessing, etc.
The padlock symbol indicates that one or 
more of the lock options are activated for 
the event. 
						

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Working with projects
•You can also mute whole tracks by clicking the Mute 
(“M”) button in the track list, the Inspector or the Mixer.
Clicking the Solo (“S”) button for a track mutes all other tracks. Note that 
there are two modes for the track solo function: 
 
If the “Enable Solo on Selected Track” option is activated in the Prefer-ences dialog (Editing–Project & Mixer page) and you have soloed a 
track, selecting another track in the track list will automatically solo that 
track instead – the solo state “moves” with the track selection.
 If the option is not activated, the track you solo stays soloed, regardless 
of the selection.
Removing events
To remove an event from the Project window, use any of 
the following methods:
•Click on the event with the Erase tool.
Note that if you press [Alt]/[Option] while you click, all following events 
on the same track will be deleted, but not the event you clicked and all 
events before it.
•Select the event(s) and press [Backspace], or select 
“Delete” from the Edit menu.
Creating new files from events
An audio event plays a section of an audio clip, which in 
turn refers to one or more audio files on the hard disk. 
However, in some situations you may want to create a new 
file that consists only of the section played by the event. 
This is done with the function “Bounce Selection” on the 
Audio menu:
1.Select one or several audio events.
2.Set up fade in, fade out and event volume (on the info 
line or using the volume handle) as desired.
These settings will be applied to the new file. For details on fades and 
event volume, see 
“Creating fades” on page 118. 
3.Select “Bounce Selection” from the Audio menu.
You are asked whether you want to replace the selected event or not.
•If you click “Replace”, a new file is created, containing 
only the audio in the original event. A clip for the new file is 
added to the Pool, and the original event is replaced by a 
new event playing the new clip.
•If you click “No”, a new file is created and a clip for the 
new file is added to the Pool.
The original event is not replaced.
You can also apply the Bounce Selection function to an 
audio part. In that case, the audio from all events in the 
part will be combined into a single audio file. If you choose 
“Replace” when asked, the part will be replaced with a 
single audio event playing a clip of the new file.
Range editing
Editing in the Project window is not necessarily restricted 
to handling whole events and parts. You can also work 
with selection ranges, which are independent from the 
event/part and track boundaries.
The range selection tool can also be used for comping (see 
“Comping operations” on page 77). Furthermore you can 
define Edit groups with the range selection tool. These al-
low you to quickly group events and parts across multiple 
tracks without having to select all the events or parts (see 
“About Group Editing (Cubase only)” on page 80). 
Creating a selection range
To make a selection range, drag with the Range Selection 
tool.
When the Range Selection tool is selected, the Select 
submenu on the Edit menu has the following items for 
making selection ranges:
OptionDescription
AllMakes a selection that covers all tracks, from the start of 
the project to the end (as defined by the Length setting 
in the Project Setup dialog).
NoneRemoves the current selection range.
InvertOnly used for event selection (see “Selecting events” on page 59).
In LoopMakes a selection between the left and right locator, on 
all tracks.
From Start to 
CursorMakes a selection on all tracks, from the start of the proj-ect to the project cursor.
From Cursor to 
EndMakes a selection on all tracks, from the project cursor 
to the end of the project.
All on Selected 
TracksOnly used for event selection (see “Selecting events” on page 59).
Select EventThis is available in the Sample Editor (see “Using the Select menu” on page 269). 
						

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Working with projects
•Double-clicking on an event with the Range Selection 
tool creates a selection range encompassing the event.
If you hold down [Shift] you can double-click several events in a row, and 
the selection range will expand to encompass them all. Double-clicking a 
second time on an event opens it for editing in the Sample Editor.
Making selection ranges for several non-contiguous 
tracks
You can create selection ranges that cover several tracks. 
It is also possible to exclude tracks from a selection range:
1.Create a selection range from the first to the last de-
sired track.
2.Press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click in the selection 
range on the tracks that you want to exclude from the se
-
lection.
3.In the same manner, you can add a track to the selec-
tion range by [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking in the selection 
range area on the track.
Editing selection ranges
Adjusting the size of the selection range
You can adjust the size of a selection range in the follow-
ing ways:
•By dragging its edges.
The pointer takes the shape of a double arrow when you move it over an 
edge of the selection range.
•By holding down [Shift] and clicking.
The closest selection range edge will be moved to the position at which 
you clicked.
•By adjusting the selection range start or end position on 
the info line.
•By using the Trim buttons on the toolbar.
The left Trim buttons will move the start of the selection range and the 
right buttons will move the end. The edges will be moved by the amount 
specified on the Grid pop-up menu.
•By using the Nudge buttons on the toolbar.
These will move the whole selection range to the left or the right. The 
amount of movement depends on the selected display format (see 
“The 
Project Setup dialog” on page 54) and the value specified on the Grid pop-up menu.
ÖThe Trim buttons and the Nudge buttons are located 
in the Nudge palette, which is not visible on the toolbar by 
default. 
See “The setup context menus” on page 534 for instruc-
tions on how to show and hide items on the toolbar.
Moving and duplicating
•To move a selection range, click and drag it to a new 
position.
This will move the contents of the selection range to the new position. If 
the range intersected events or parts, these will be split before moving, 
so that only the sections within the selection range are affected.
•To duplicate a selection range, hold down [Alt]/[Option] 
and drag.
You can also use the Duplicate, Repeat and Fill Loop functions, just as 
when duplicating events (see “Duplicating events” on page 61).
Left Selection 
Side to CursorMoves the left side of the current selection range to the 
project cursor position.
Right Selection 
Side to CursorMoves the right side of the current selection range to the 
project cursor position.
Option Description
!Note that the contents of the selection are not 
moved – using the Nudge buttons is the same as ad
-
justing the start and end of the selection range at the 
same time, by the same amount. 
						

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Working with projects
Using Cut, Copy, and Paste
When working with selection ranges, you can either use 
Cut, Copy and Paste on the Edit menu, or use the functions 
“Cut Time” and “Paste Time” on the Range submenu on the 
Edit menu. These work differently to their related functions 
on the Edit menu:
Deleting selection ranges
Again, you can either use “regular” Delete or “Delete Time”:
•If you use the Delete function on the Edit menu (or press 
[Backspace]), the data within the selection range is re
-
placed by empty track space.
Events to the right of the range keep their position.
•If you use “Delete Time” on the Edit menu’s Range sub-
menu, the selection range is removed and events to the 
right are moved to the left to close up the gap.
Other functions
On the Range submenu on the Edit menu, you will find 
three more range editing functions:
Region operations
Regions are sections within a clip, with various uses. While 
regions are perhaps best created and edited in the Sample 
Editor (see 
“Working with regions” on page 270), the fol-
lowing region functions are available in the Advanced sub-
menu of the Audio menu:
The Edit History dialog
In the Edit History dialog you can undo and redo many edit 
actions. Actions that can be undone include all functions 
in the Project window as well as in the editors. It is also 
possible to undo audio processes or applied plug-in ef
-
fects. However, these are better removed and modified 
using the Offline Process History (see 
“The Offline Pro-
cess History dialog” on page 254). 
ÖIn the Preferences dialog (General page) you can limit 
the Undo function by setting the number in the “Maximum 
Undo” field to the desired value. This is useful if you run 
out of hard disk space, for example. 
FunctionDescription
CutCuts out the data in the selection range and moves it to 
the clipboard. The selection range is replaced by empty 
track space in the Project window, meaning that events 
to the right of the range keep their positions.
CopyCopies the data in the selection range to the clipboard.
PastePastes the clipboard data at the start position and track 
of the current selection. Existing events are not moved to 
make room for the pasted data.
Paste at  OriginPastes the clipboard data back at its original position. Ex-isting events are not moved to make room for the pasted 
data.
Cut TimeCuts out the selection range and moves it to the clip-board. Events to the right of the removed range are 
moved to the left to fill out the gap.
Paste TimePastes the clipboard data at the start position and track 
of the current selection. Existing events are moved to 
make room for the pasted data.
Paste Time at 
OriginPastes the clipboard data back at its original position. Ex-isting events are moved to make room for the pasted 
data.
FunctionDescription
Global CopyThis copies everything in the selection range.
SplitSplits any events or parts that are intersected by the se-lection range, at the positions of the selection range 
edges.
CropAll events or parts that are partially within the selection 
range are cropped, that is, sections outside the selection 
range are removed. Events that are fully inside or outside 
the selection range are not affected.
Insert  SilenceInserts empty track space from the start of the selection 
range. The length of the silence equals the length of the 
selection range. Events to the right of the selection range 
start are moved to the right to “make room”. Events that 
are intersected by the selection range start are split, and 
the right section is moved to the right.
FunctionDescription
Event or 
Range as 
RegionThis function is available when one or several audio events 
or selection ranges are selected. It creates a region in the 
corresponding clip, with the start and end position of the 
region determined by the start and end position of the 
event or selection range within the clip.
Events from 
RegionsThis function is available if you have selected an audio 
event whose clip contains regions within the boundaries 
of the event. The function will remove the original event 
and replace it with event(s) positioned and sized accord
-ing to the Region(s).
Function Description 
						

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Working with projects
To undo and redo your actions, proceed as follows:
1.On the Edit menu, select “History…”.
The Edit History dialog opens.
The dialog contains a list of all your edits, with the most 
recent action at the bottom of the list. The Action column 
displays the name of the action while the Time column 
tells you when this action was performed. In the Details 
column further details are shown. Here you can enter new 
text by double-clicking in the column. 
2.Move the horizontal, colored line upwards to the de-
sired position to undo your actions. 
You can only undo your actions in reverse order, i. e. the last performed 
action is the first action to be undone.
3.Move the line down the List again to redo an action 
that was undone previously.
The Preferences dialog
When you open the File menu (the Cubase menu on a 
Mac) and select “Preferences…”, the Preferences dialog 
opens. This dialog provides a large number of options and 
settings that control the global behavior of Cubase. 
The dialog has a number of pages, each containing op-
tions and settings belonging to a particular topic.
•In the list on the left, click on one of the entries to open 
the corresponding page.
•You can find detailed descriptions of all Preferences 
options in the dialog help, opened by clicking the Help 
button at the bottom left of the dialog.
About preference presets
In the Preferences dialog it is possible to save complete or 
partial preference settings as presets. This lets you recall 
settings quickly and easily. 
						

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Working with projects
Saving a preference preset
When you have made your preferences settings, proceed 
as follows to save all settings as a preset:
1.Make sure that the “Store marked preferences only” 
option is not activated.
This is because this option is used for saving partial settings (see below), 
as opposed to complete settings.
2.Click the Store button in the lower left section of the 
Preferences dialog.
A dialog opens, allowing you to type in a name for the pre-
set.
3.Click OK to save the preset.
Your saved settings are now available from the Preference Presets 
pop-up menu.
Loading a preference preset
To load a saved preference preset, simply select a preset 
from the Preference Presets pop-up menu. The preset is 
applied immediately.
Saving partial preferences settings
It is also possible to save partial preferences settings. This 
is useful when you have made settings that only relate to a 
certain project or situation, for example. When you apply a 
saved partial preference preset, you only change the saved 
settings. All other preferences will be left unchanged.
When you have made your specific preferences settings, 
proceed as follows to save the partial settings as a preset:
1.Activate “Store marked preferences only”.
A new “Store” column is added to the Preferences list.
2.Click in the Store column of the Preferences items you 
wish to save.
Note that if you activate a Preferences page that contains subpages, these 
will also be activated. If this is not what you want, simply deactivated the 
subpages.
3.Click the Store button in the lower left section of the 
Preferences dialog.
A dialog opens, asking you to type in a name for the preset. It is a good 
idea to choose a descriptive name for a partial preference preset, prefer
-ably relating to the saved settings (for example “Editing–Controls”).
4.Click OK to save.
Your saved settings are now available from the Preference Presets 
pop-up menu.