Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

							181
The MixConsoleConfiguring the MixConsole
Displaying Racks
Specific MixConsole functions, such as routing, insert or send handling, are organized 
in racks. To show the Channel Racks section in the MixConsole, activate the “Show 
Channel Racks” button.
When the Channel Racks section is visible, you can click Racks to open the rack 
selector. Here, you determine which racks are visible. For more information about the 
available racks, see 
“Working with the Channel Racks” on page 190.
If the Zoom Palette is shown on the toolbar, you can increase or reduce the rack 
height with the corresponding buttons or with the key commands. For further 
information on setting up the toolbar, see 
“Using the Setup options” on page 700.
If you click the “Rack Settings” (*) button to the right of the Racks button, a pop-up 
menu opens. 
The available settings control how the racks are shown:
•Exclusive
Activate this to show the selected rack exclusively and collapse the other racks.
•Fixed No. of Slots
Activate this to show all available slots for the Inserts, Sends, Cues, and Quick 
Controls racks. 
•Show All Channel Strip Controls
Activate this to show all available controls on the Channel Strip rack.
Reduce Rack Height Increase Rack Height 
						

							182
The MixConsoleConfiguring the MixConsole
Saving Channel & Rack Configurations
To quickly switch between different channel setups, you can save configurations of 
the channels and racks in the MixConsole. The configurations contain visibility and 
zone settings as well as the show/hide status of channel types and racks.
To save a configuration, proceed as follows:
1.On the toolbar, activate one of the “Channel & Rack Configuration” buttons.
2.Set up the configuration that you want to save.
3.Click the “Channel & Rack Configuration Functions” (*) button, and select “Save 
Current Configuration”.
The configuration is saved and you can return to it at any time by activating the 
corresponding “Channel & Rack Configuration” button.
•To delete a configuration, activate its number, and in the Channel & Rack 
Configuration Functions, select “Delete Current Configuration”.
ÖCubase only: Channel & Rack Configurations are useful to set up multiple MixConsole 
windows with different combinations of channels, channel types, etc. 
Searching for Channel Names
The Search function allows you to find a specific channel in a large project. To search 
for a channel name, proceed as follows:
1.Click the magnifying glass on the toolbar to open a selector that lists all channels. 
2.Enter the name of the channel in the search field.
As you type, the channel list updates automatically.
3.Select the channel in the list and press [Return].
The selector closes and the channel is selected. 
ÖIf the channel was outside the view or hidden using the Visibility options, it is now 
shown in the MixConsole. If the corresponding channel type is hidden, the channel 
only gets selected in the Project window.
Using Visibility Agents
Visibility Agents allow you to show or hide all channels, selected channels, or 
channels with certain properties. Click the Agents button to open a pop-up menu with 
the available functions.
ÖChannel types that are hidden using the Channel Type selector cannot be shown 
using Channel Visibility Agents. 
						

							183
The MixConsoleKeyboard Navigation in the MixConsole
Keyboard Navigation in the MixConsole
The Channel Selector section, the Channel Rack section, and the fader section can 
be controlled with the computer keyboard. 
Activating a Specific Section for Keyboard Control
•To activate a section for keyboard control, click with the mouse in an empty area of 
the section.
Activated sections are shown with a white frame.
The Channel 
Selector 
section is 
activated
•To activate the next section, press [Tab].
•To activate the previous section, press [Shift]-[Tab].
Navigating in a Section
Once you have activated a section, you can use the computer keyboard as described 
below. In the Channel Racks section and in the fader section, controls that are 
selected for keyboard control are indicated by a red frame.
This rack is selected 
for keyboard control 
						

							184
The MixConsoleKeyboard Navigation in the MixConsole
Proceed as follows:
•To navigate through the controls, use the arrow keys.
•To activate or deactivate a switch, press [Return]. 
In the Channel Rack section, the following rules apply:
•To expand or collapse an active rack, to open or close a value field in a slot, or to 
open the plug-in panel for a loaded plug-in, press [Return]. 
The controls in the channel rack section are situated in three zones:
•To access the controls in the left zone, press [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Return].
•To access the controls in the middle zone, press [Return].
•To access the controls in the right zone, press [Alt]/[Option]-[Return].
•To close a pop-up menu or a plug-in panel, press [Esc].
Some examples:
In the left corner of a rack, you can often find a Bypass button: 
In the left corner of a slot, you can often find an On/Off button: 
In the right corner of an expanded rack, you can often find a preset pop-up menu: 
To activate bypass… …press [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Return]
To activate the slot… …press [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Return]
To open the preset pop-up menu… …press [Alt]/[Option]-[Return] 
						

							185
The MixConsoleWorking with the Fader Section
In the right corner of an insert slot, you can find a selector: 
•To enable or disable the loaded plug-in, press [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Alt]/[Option]-
[Return].
Working with the Fader Section
The fader section is the heart of the MixConsole. It shows input and output channels 
together with audio, instrument, MIDI, group, FX, and ReWire channels that appear in 
the same order as in the track list. 
ÖIf a channel is deactivated in the Channel Selector or if its channel type is deactivated, 
it is not shown in the fader section, see 
“Configuring the MixConsole” on page 179.
To open the selector…
…press [Alt]/[Option]-[Return] 
						

							186
The MixConsoleWorking with the Fader Section
You can change the width and height for all channels from viewable (narrow) to 
editable (wide), by using the default key commands [G] and [H]. 
ÖIf the Zoom Palette is shown on the toolbar, you can also use the corresponding zoom 
tools to increase or reduce the channel width. For further information on setting up the 
toolbar, see 
“Using the Setup options” on page 700.
In the fader section you can make the following channel settings:
- Set the panorama, see “Setting Pan” on page 186.
- Mute and solo, see “Using Solo and Mute” on page 187.
- Enable Listen mode, see “Listen Mode (Cubase only)” on page 188.
- Set the volume, see “Setting the Volume in the MixConsole” on page 189.
- Enable automation, see “Automation” on page 279.
Setting Pan 
For each audio-related channel with at least a stereo output configuration, you can 
find a pan control at the top of the fader section. Cubase only: This control is different 
for stereo and surround configurations. 
The pan control allows you to position a channel in the stereo spectrum.
•To make fine adjustments, hold down [Shift] when you move the pan control.
•To select the default center pan position, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and click 
the pan control.
•To edit the value numerically, double-click the pan control. 
The Stereo Balance Panner
The Stereo Balance Panner allows you to control the balance between the left and 
right channels. It is activated by default.
The Stereo Combined Panner
With the Stereo Combined Panner, the left and right pan controls are linked and keep 
their relative distance if you move them. It is available for channels with a stereo input 
and output configuration. To activate this panner, open the context menu for a pan 
control and select “Stereo Combined Panner”. 
•To set the pan independently for the left and right channels, hold down 
[Alt]/[Option] and drag left or right.
•To reverse the left and right channels, pan the left channel to the right and the right 
to the left.
The area between the pan controls changes the color to indicate that the channels 
are reversed.
•To sum two channels, set them to the same pan position (mono). 
Note that this increases the volume of the signal. 
ÖYou can specify the default pan mode for new audio tracks in the Preferences dialog 
(VST page). 
Reduce Channel Width
Increase Channel Width 
						

							187
The MixConsoleWorking with the Fader Section
Stereo Pan Law
In the Project Setup dialog, in the “Stereo Pan Law” pop-up menu you can select one 
of several pan modes. These modes are required for power compensation. Without 
power compensation, the power of the sum of the left and right side is higher (louder) 
if a channel is panned center than if it is panned left or right. 
To remedy this, the “Stereo Pan Law” setting allows you to attenuate signals panned 
center by -6, -4.5, or -3
 dB. Selecting the 0 dB option turns off constant-power 
panning. Experiment with the modes to see which fits best. You can also select “Equal 
Power” on this pop-up menu, which means that the power of the signal remains the 
same regardless of the pan setting.
Panning Multi-Channel Audio (Cubase only)
Channels with a multi-channel output configuration feature a miniature 
SurroundPanner control. For further information on multi-channel audio and the 
SurroundPanner V5, see 
“Surround sound (Cubase only)” on page 266.
Panning Bypass
You can bypass the panning for all audio-related channels by clicking the On/Off 
button to the left.
You can also press [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Alt]/[Option]-[Shift] and click the pan control.
When panning is bypassed for a channel, the following happens:
- Mono channels are panned center.
- Stereo channels are panned hard left and right.
- Cubase only: Surround channels are panned center.
ÖTo deactivate panning bypass, simply press [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Shift]-[Alt]/[Option]-
[Shift] and click again.
Panning MIDI Channels
For MIDI channels, the pan control sends out MIDI pan messages. The result depends 
on how your MIDI instrument is set to respond to pan – check your documentation for 
details.
Using Solo and Mute
You can use the Mute and Solo buttons to silence one or several channels. 
The following applies:
•To silence a channel, click its Mute button.
Click again to deactivate the mute state for the channel. Muting group channels 
can have two different results depending on how the Preferences are set (see 
“About Group Channels” on page 192).
Mute is activated for this 
channel  The global Mute indicator is lit 
if one or more channels are muted 
						

							188
The MixConsoleWorking with the Fader Section
•To mute all other channels, click the Solo button for a channel.
Click again to turn off Solo.
•To deactivate the mute or solo states for all channels simultaneously, click the 
“Deactivate All Mute States” or “Deactivate All Solo States” buttons on the toolbar. 
•To activate Solo exclusive mode, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and click the Solo 
button for the channel.
The Solo buttons of all other channels are deactivated.
•To activate “Solo Defeat” for a channel, [Alt]/[Option]-click its Solo button.
You can also click and hold the Solo button to activate “Solo Defeat”. In this mode 
the channel is not muted when you solo another channel. [Alt]/[Option]-click again 
to turn off Solo Defeat. 
Solo Defeat is 
activated
Listen Mode (Cubase only)
Cubase features a Listen mode that allows you to quickly check the signal that is 
coming from selected channels without interrupting and interfering with the actual mix.
This is useful during a recording session, for example, as it allows the sound engineer 
in the control room to attenuate the signal that is coming from one of the musicians 
while the recording continues undisturbed.
In the MixConsole, you can enable the Listen mode for any track by activating the 
corresponding Listen button.
•To route a channel to the Control Room without interrupting the normal signal flow, 
click the Listen button for the channel. 
Click again to turn off Listen mode. 
•To turn off Listen mode for all channels simultaneously, click the “Deactivate all 
Listen States” icon.
You can also enable or disable the Listen function in the Control Room. For more 
information, see 
“The Control Room (Cubase only)” on page 211.
Listen is activated for this 
channel  The global Listen indicator is lit if one 
or more channels are in Listen mode 
						

							189
The MixConsoleWorking with the Fader Section
Setting the Volume in the MixConsole
Each channel in the fader section of the MixConsole has a volume fader. Depending 
on the channel type, it controls the following settings:
The fader levels are displayed below the faders, in dB for audio-related channels and 
as MIDI volume (0 to 127) for MIDI channels.
•To change the volume, move the fader up or down.
•To make fine volume adjustments, press [Shift] while moving the faders.
•If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on a fader, it is reset to its default value.
About the Level Meters
When playing back audio or MIDI in Cubase, the channel meters show the level and 
the “Meter Peak Level” indicator shows the highest registered level. 
•To reset the peak level, click the “Meter Peak Level” value.
Input and output channels have clipping indicators. When they light up, lower the gain 
or the levels until the indicator is no longer lit.
Changing the Meter Characteristics 
You can change the meter characteristics for audio channel using the context menu of 
the channel meter.
Meter Peak Options:
•If “Hold Peaks” is activated, the highest registered levels are held and shown as 
static horizontal lines in the meter. 
•If “Hold Forever” is activated, the peak levels are shown until you reset the meters. 
If “Hold Forever” is deactivated, you can use the “Meters’ Peak Hold Time” 
parameter in the Preferences dialog (Metering page) to specify for how long the 
peak levels are held. The peak hold time can be between 500 and 30000
 ms.
Channel typeDescription
AudioThe volume of the channel before it is routed to an output bus, 
directly or via a group channel. 
OutputThe master output level of all audio channels routed to an output 
bus.
MIDIThe volume changes in the MixConsole. This is done by sending out 
MIDI volume messages to the connected instruments that are set to 
respond to MIDI messages, such as MIDI volume. The level meters 
for MIDI channels indicate the velocity values of the notes that are 
played back on MIDI tracks. 
						

							190
The MixConsoleWorking with the Channel Racks
Meter Position:
•If Input is activated, the meters show input levels for all audio channels and 
input/output channels. The input meters are post input gain.
•If “Post-Fader” is activated, the meters show post-fader levels.
•If “Post-Panner” is activated, the meters show post-fader levels and also reflect 
pan settings.
Working with the Channel Racks
Depending on the channel type, the following racks are available: 
Setting up the Routing
The Routing rack for MIDI channels allows you to configure input and output routing for 
the MIDI channel. For further information, see 
“Setting MIDI channel, input, and output” 
on page 124.
The Routing rack for audio-related channels allows you to set up input and output 
routing. These are described in the following sections.
When you record on an audio track you must select from which input bus the audio is 
received. When you play back an audio, group, or FX channel, you must route it to an 
output bus.
RackDescription
RoutingAllows you to set up the input and output routing. For MIDI, you can 
also select the MIDI channel. For further information, see 
“Setting 
up the Routing” on page 190. 
Pre (Filters/Gain)Contains input filter and gain controls along with Phase and Gain 
controls for audio-related channels or an Input Transformer control 
for MIDI channels. For further information, see 
“Making Filter, Gain, 
and Phase Settings” on page 193. 
InsertsAllows you to select insert effects for your channel.
Equalizers  
(audio-related 
channels only)
Allows you to set the channel EQ, see “Making EQ Settings” on 
page 196.
Channel Strip 
(audio-related 
channels only)
Allows you to integrate Channel Strip modules like Gate, 
Compressor, EQ, Transformer, Saturator, and Limiter that allow 
you to enhance your sound. For further information, see 
“Using 
Channel Strip Modules” on page 198. 
SendsAllows you to select send effects for your channel. For further 
information, see 
“Adding Send Effects” on page 199.
Cue Sends 
(audio-related 
channels only) 
(Cubase only)
Allows you to activate and control the level and pan for up to four 
cue sends. For this to work, you need to add cue channels. For 
further information, see 
“The Control Room (Cubase only)” on page 
211.
Quick ControlsAllows you to add quick controls for instant access, see “Track 
Quick Controls” on page 430.
Device Panels 
(Cubase only)Allows you to view the available device panels. For further 
information, see 
“About Device panels (Cubase only)” on page 467.