Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

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Fades, crossfades, and envelopesEvent envelopes
Event envelopes
An envelope is a volume curve for an audio event. It is similar to the realtime fades, but 
allows you to create volume changes within the event, not only at the start or end. 
To create an envelope for an audio event, proceed as follows:
1.Zoom in on the event so that you can view its waveform properly.
2.Select the Draw tool.
When you move the Draw tool over an audio event, a small volume curve symbol is 
shown next to the tool.
3.To...

152
The arranger track 
Introduction
The arranger track allows you to work with sections of your project in a non-linear 
fashion, to simplify arranging to the maximum extent. Instead of moving, copying and 
pasting events in the Project window to create a linear project, you can define how 
different sections are to be played back, like a playlist.
For this, you can define arranger events, order them in a list, and add repeats as 
desired. This offers a different and more pattern-oriented way of...

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The arranger trackSetting up the arranger track
•You can rename an arranger event by selecting it and changing its name in the 
Project window info line or by holding down [Alt]/[Option], double-clicking on the 
name in the arranger chain (see below) and entering a new name.
You may want to name your arranger events according to the structure of your 
project, e.
 g. Verse, Chorus, etc.
5.Create as many events as you need for your project.
When arranger events have been created, the music sequence is...

154
The arranger trackWorking with arranger events
Working with arranger events
You now have a number of arranger events that form the basic building blocks for your 
arrangement. The next step is to arrange these events using the functions of the 
Arranger Editor.
Creating an arranger chain
You can set up an arranger chain in the Arranger Editor or in the Inspector for the 
arranger track. The Arranger Editor is opened by clicking the “e” button in the 
Inspector or in the track list. 
On the right in...

155
The arranger trackWorking with arranger events
An event is dragged into the arranger chain.
•By dragging arranger events from the Project window into the arranger chain.
If you followed our example, you should now have arranger events arranged in a very 
basic pop song pattern. However, we have used audio files that are only a few bars 
long – to turn our pattern into a “song” (or at least into a basic sketch of the song 
structure), these files must be looped. This is where the Repeats function...

156
The arranger trackWorking with arranger events
Editing the arranger chain
In the arranger chain on the left, you can do the following:
•Select multiple events by [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking or [Shift]-clicking as usual.
•Drag events to move them in the list.
•Drag events holding [Alt]/[Option] to create copies of the selected items.
The insert location for both move and copy operations is indicated by a colored 
insertion line. A blue line indicates that the move or copy is possible; a red line...

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The arranger trackFlattening the arranger chain
Flattening the arranger chain
When you have found an arranger chain that suits your purposes, you can “flatten” it, 
i.
 e. convert the list into a linear project. Proceed as follows:
1.Click the Flatten button (or select Flatten Chain from the pop-up menu in the 
Inspector for the arranger track).
The events and parts in the project are reordered, repeated, resized, moved and/or 
deleted (if these are not within the boundaries of any used arranger...

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The arranger trackFlattening the arranger chain
The Destination section allows you to choose where the result of the flattening is 
saved. The available options are:
In the Options section you can make further settings. The available options are:
3.You can now flatten the arranger track by clicking the Flatten button.
If you realize that you want to do further arrangements, you can click the “Go Back” 
button and make your adjustments. Your Flattening settings will be kept.
4.Click the “Go Back”...

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The arranger trackLive mode
Live mode
If you have set up an arranger track and play it back, you have also the possibility to 
influence the playback order “live”. Note that the Arranger mode has to be activated to 
be able to use the Live mode. 
1.Set up an arranger chain in the Inspector or in the Arranger Editor for an arranger 
track, activate the Arranger mode and play back your project.
Now you can use your arranger events listed in the lower section of the Inspector 
to play back your project...

160
The arranger trackArranging your music to video
•You can stop Live mode by clicking the Stop button or go back to “normal” 
playback in Arranger mode by clicking on any arranger event in the upper list.
In the latter case, playback will be continued from the arranger event where you 
clicked. 
Arranging your music to video
The relative time of your arranger track can be taken as a reference instead of the 
project time. This is useful, if you want to use the arranger track to compose music for 
video...