Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

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The Sample EditorWa r p i n g  a u d i o
Warping audio
Warping is a term used to describe the realtime time stretching of a selected section 
of audio. Warping is generally used to correct the tempo or timing of audio.
Adjusting loops to the project tempo using Musical Mode
Audio loops are normally short audio files containing a defined number of bars with 
straight beats. These loops can be adjusted to the project tempo by using the Musical 
Mode function. Proceed as follows: 
1.Import an audio loop...

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The Sample EditorWa r p i n g  a u d i o
Adjusting complex audio material to the project tempo using Musical Mode
If you want to use an audio file with unknown tempo or if the beat of your audio file is 
not straight, you have to change the “definition” of this audio file first. This is done with 
the Auto Adjust function on the Definition tab of the Sample Editor Inspector.
The Auto Adjust function extracts a “local” definition grid that you can then match with 
the project tempo using Musical...

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The Sample EditorWa r p i n g  a u d i o
ÖYou can also apply Auto Adjust directly on an audio event or a clip. If no range 
selection is defined, the grid is calculated for the audio event. If no range selection 
and no audio event are defined, the grid is calculated for the entire clip. In both cases 
you need to make sure that the event or clip starts and ends on a bar line.
Correcting the local definition grid
In some situations, you might not be able to get satisfying results with the “Auto...

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The Sample EditorWa r p i n g  a u d i o
8.Click and drag the green vertical line to the left or right to the position of the first 
downbeat of the following bar and release the mouse button.
Repeat the last two steps for all bar lines that need to be corrected.
9.Now have a look at the single beats in between the bars. If you find an incorrect 
beat position, move the mouse pointer over the corresponding grid line so that the 
tooltip “Set Beat Position” and a blue vertical line are shown.
10.Click...

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The Sample EditorWa r p i n g  a u d i o
3.On the AudioWarp tab, select a suitable grid resolution from the Resolution pop-
up menu.
This defines the positions that the swing is applied to. For example, if you select 
1/2, the swing is applied in steps of half notes.
4.Move the Swing fader to the right to offset every second position in the grid.
This creates a swing or shuffle feel. 
Depending on how far you move the fader to the right and what grid resolution you 
chose, this function offers...

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The Sample EditorWa r p i n g  a u d i o
To correct the timing using the Free Warp tool, proceed as follows:
1.Open the audio file that you want to process in the Sample Editor.
2.Activate the “Snap to Zero Crossing” button on the Sample Editor toolbar.
When this button is activated, warp markers will snap to zero crossings.
3.If you want to use the Free Warp tool for selective timing corrections, you can 
define the local definition grid and activate Musical Mode.
The next step is to find out where...

347
The Sample EditorWorking with hitpoints and slices
Working with hitpoints and slices
Cubase can detect hitpoints, musically relevant positions, by analyzing onsets and 
melodic changes. At these positions a type of marker is added. Hitpoints allow you to 
create slices, where each slice ideally represents each individual sound or “beat”. 
Drum or other rhythmic recordings or loops work best with this feature. 
Purpose and preparation
Hitpoints are useful to slice up audio to make it fit the project...

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The Sample EditorWorking with hitpoints and slices
Using hitpoints has the advantage that the quality of the sound is not affected and no 
artifacts are being introduced. The audio is cut up into slices that are then moved on 
the timeline, making this method especially suited for drums, which contain silence 
between the individual sounds. Furthermore, hitpoint detection is useful for multi-track 
drum recordings, because the phase alignment is kept stable. Using hitpoints and 
slices for continuous...

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The Sample EditorWorking with hitpoints and slices
Editing hitpoints
You can change the state of a hitpoint, insert new hitpoints manually, and move 
existing hitpoints.
Hitpoints can have three different states: enabled, locked, and disabled. “Enabled” is 
the normal state a hitpoint has immediately after the detection. Hitpoints can be 
“disabled” so that they are still visible as gray triangles on the timeline, but will not be 
taken into account for further operations. “Locking” hitpoints is an...

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The Sample EditorWorking with hitpoints and slices
•To insert a new hitpoint, press [Alt]/[Option] and click at the position where you 
want to enter the new hitpoint (i.
 e. at the start of the sound).
Manually added hitpoints are locked by default.
Moving hitpoints
If a hitpoint was either placed too far away from the start of the sound or too far into 
the sound, you can move it.
•To move a hitpoint, press [Alt]/[Option] and point the mouse at the vertical line of 
the hitpoint. The mouse pointer...