Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

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Using drag and drop
When using drag and drop to insert clips into the Project window, please note the 
following:
•Snap is taken into account if activated.
•While you drag the clip in the Project window, its position is indicated by a marker 
line and a numerical position box.
Note that these indicate the position of the snap point in the clip. For example, if 
you drop the clip at the position 10.00, this will be where the snap point ends up. 
See 
“Adjusting the snap point” on page 334 for information on how to set the snap 
point.
•If you position the clip in an empty area in the event display (i. e. below existing 
tracks), a new track is created for the inserted event.
Deleting clips
Removing clips from the Pool
To remove a clip from the Pool without deleting it from the hard disk, proceed as 
follows:
1.Select the clip(s) and select “Delete” from the Edit menu (or press [Backspace] or 
[Delete]).
A prompt asks whether you want to move the clip to the Trash or remove it from 
the Pool.
•If you try to delete a clip that is used by one or more events, the program will ask 
you whether to remove these events from the project.
If you cancel, neither the clip nor the associated events are deleted.
2.In the window that opens, select “Remove from Pool”.
The clip is no longer associated with the project, but still exists on the hard disk 
and can be used in other projects, etc. This operation can be undone.
Deleting from the hard disk
To delete a file permanently from the hard disk, it must first be moved to the Trash 
folder:
1.Follow the instructions for deleting clips above, but click the Trash button instead 
of the Remove from Pool button.
Alternatively, you can drag and drop clips into the Trash folder.
2.On the Media menu, select “Empty Trash”.
A warning message is displayed.
3.Click “Erase” to delete the file on the hard disk permanently.
This operation cannot be undone!
ÖTo retrieve a clip or region from the Trash folder, drag it back into an Audio or Video 
folder. 
Snap point
!Before you permanently delete audio files from the hard disk, make sure that they are 
not used by another project! 
						

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Removing unused clips
This function finds all clips in the Pool that are not used in the project. You can then 
decide whether to move them to the Trash folder (from where they can be 
permanently deleted) or to remove them from the Pool:
1.Select “Remove Unused Media” on the Media or context menu.
A message appears asking you whether you want to move the file to the Trash or 
to remove it from the Pool.
2.Make your selection.
Removing regions
To remove a region from the Pool, select it and select “Delete” from the Edit menu (or 
press [Backspace] or [Delete]). 
ÖFor regions there is no alert if the region is used in the project!
Locating events and clips
Locating events via clips in the Pool
If you want to find out which events in the project refer to a particular clip in the Pool, 
proceed as follows:
1.Select one or more clips in the Pool.
2.Select “Select in Project” on the Media menu.
All events that refer to the selected clip(s) are now selected in the Project window.
Locating clips via events in the Project window
If you want to find out which clip belongs to a particular event in the Project window, 
proceed as follows:
1.Select one or more events in the Project window.
2.Open the Audio menu and select “Find Selected in Pool”.
The corresponding clip(s) are located and highlighted in the Pool.
Searching for audio files
The search functions can help you locate audio files in the Pool, on your hard disk or 
on other media. This works much like the regular file search, but with a couple of extra 
features:
1.Click the Search button on the toolbar.
A search pane appears at the bottom of the window, displaying the search 
functions.
By default, the search parameters available in the search pane are “Name” and 
“Location”. For using other filter criteria, see 
“Extended Search functionality” on page 
383.
2.Specify the name of the file(s) to search for in the Name field.
You can use partial names or wildcards (*). Note that only audio files of the 
supported formats will be found. 
						

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3.Use the Location pop-up menu to specify where to search.
The pop-up menu will list all your local drives and removable media. 
•If you want to limit the search to certain folders, choose “Select Search Path” and 
select the desired folder in the dialog that opens.
The search will include the selected folder and all subfolders. Note also that 
folders you have recently selected using the “Select Search Path” function will 
appear on the pop-up menu, allowing you to quickly select them again.
4.Click the Search button.
The search is started and the Search button is labeled Stop – click this to cancel 
the search if needed.
When the search is finished, the files found are listed to the right.
•To audition a file, select it in the list and use the playback controls to the left (Play, 
Stop, Pause, and Loop).
If Auto Play is activated, selected files are automatically played back.
•To import a file into the Pool, double-click on it in the list or select it and click the 
Import button.
5.To close the search pane, click the Search button on the toolbar again.
Extended Search functionality
Apart from the search criterion Name, additional search filters are available. The 
Extended Search options allows for a very detailed search, helping you to master even 
the largest sound database.
To use them, proceed as follows:
1.Click the Search button on the toolbar.
The Search pane is displayed in the lower part of the Pool window.
2.Move the mouse pointer over the “Name” text to the right of the name field and 
click on the arrow that appears.
3.The extended search pop-up menu opens.
It contains six options determining which search criterion is displayed above the 
Location field (Name, Size, Bitsize, Channels, Sample Rate, or Date), as well as 
the Add Filter and Presets submenus. 
The search criteria have the following parameters:
- Name: partial names or wildcards (*)
- Size: Less than, More than, Equal, Between (two values), in seconds, minutes, 
hours and bytes
- Bitsize (resolution): 8, 16, 24, 32
- Channels: Mono, Stereo and from 3 to 16
Move the mouse pointer over the “Name” text to the 
right of the name field and click…
…to show the extended search 
pop-up menu. 
						

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- Sample Rate: various values, choose “Other” for free setting
- Date: various search ranges
4.Select one of the search criteria in the pop-up menu to change the search option 
above the Location pop-up menu.
5.If you want to display more search options, select the desired element from the 
“Add filter” submenu.
This allows you, for example, to add the Size or the Sample Rate parameters to the 
already displayed Name and Location parameters.
•You can save presets of your search filter settings. To do this, click Save Preset on 
the Presets submenu and enter a name for the preset.
Existing presets can be found at the bottom of the list. To remove a preset, click on the preset 
to activate it, then select Remove Preset.
The Find Media window
Alternatively to the search pane in the Pool, you can open a stand-alone Find Media 
window by selecting the “Search Media…” option from the Media or context menu 
(also available from the Project window). This offers the same functionality as the 
search pane. 
•To insert a clip or region directly into the project from the Find Media window, 
select it in the list and choose one of the “Insert into Project” options from the 
Media menu. 
The options are described in the section “Inserting clips into a project” on page 
380.
About missing files
When you open a project, the Resolve Missing Files dialog (see below) may open, 
warning you that one or more files are “missing”. If you click Close, the project will 
open anyway, without the missing files. In the Pool, you can check which files are 
considered missing. This is indicated by a question mark in the Status column.
A file is considered missing under one of the following conditions:
•The file has been moved or renamed outside the program since the last time you 
worked with the project, and you ignored the Resolve Missing Files dialog when 
you opened the project for the current session.
•You have moved or renamed the file outside the program during the current 
session.
•You have moved or renamed the folder in which the missing files are located. 
						

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Locate missing files
1.Select “Find Missing Files…” from the Media or context menu.
The Resolve Missing Files dialog opens. 
2.Decide if you want the program to try to find the file for you (Search), if you want to 
do it yourself (Locate) or if you want to specify in which directory the program will 
search for the file (Folder).
•If you select Locate, a file dialog opens, allowing you to locate the file manually.
Select the file and click “Open”.
•If you select Folder, a dialog opens to let you specify the directory in which the 
missing file can be found.
This might be the preferred method if you have renamed or moved the folder 
containing the missing file, but the file still has the same name. Once you select the 
correct folder, the program finds the file and you can close the dialog.
•If you select Search, a dialog opens to let you specify which folder or disk will be 
scanned by the program. 
Click the Search Folder button, select a directory or a disk and click the Start 
button. If found, select the file from the list and click “Accept”. 
Afterwards Cubase tries to map all other missing files automatically.
Reconstructing missing edit files
If a missing file cannot be found (e. g. if you have accidentally deleted it from the hard 
disk), it will normally be indicated with a question mark in the Status column in the 
Pool. However, if the missing file is an edit file (a file created when you process audio, 
stored in the Edits folder within the project folder), it may be possible for the program 
to reconstruct it by recreating the editing to the original audio file.
Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Pool and locate the clip(s) for which files are missing.
2.Check the Status column – if it says “Reconstructible”, the file can be 
reconstructed by Cubase.
3.Select the reconstructible clips and select “Reconstruct” from the Media menu.
The editing is performed and the edit files are recreated.
Removing missing files from the Pool
If the Pool contains audio files that cannot be found or reconstructed, you may want to 
remove these. For this, select “Remove Missing Files” from the Media or context 
menu. This will remove all missing files from the Pool as well as the corresponding 
events from the Project window. 
						

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Auditioning clips in the Pool
There are three ways to audition clips in the Pool:
•By using key commands.
If you activate the “Playback Toggle triggers Local Preview” option in the 
Preferences dialog (Transport page), you can use [Space] to audition. This is the 
same as clicking the Audition icon on the toolbar.
•By selecting a clip and activating the Audition button.
The whole clip will play back, unless you stop playback by clicking the Audition 
button again.
•By clicking somewhere in the waveform image for a clip.
The clip will play from the position in the waveform you click until the end of the 
clip, unless you stop playback by clicking the Audition button, or by clicking 
anywhere else in the Pool window.
The audio is routed directly to the Control Room, if activated (Cubase only). When the 
Control Room is deactivated, the audio is routed to the Main Mix (the default output) 
bus, bypassing the audio channel’s settings, effects, and EQs. In Cubase Artist, the 
Main Mix bus is always used for auditioning.
ÖYou can adjust the auditioning level with the miniature level fader on the toolbar. This 
does not affect the regular playback level.
If you have activated the Audition Loop button before you audition, the following will 
happen:
•When you click the Audition button to audition a clip, the clip is repeated 
indefinitely until you stop playback by clicking the Audition or Audition Loop button 
again.
•When you click in the waveform image to audition, the section from the point you 
clicked to the end of the clip is repeated indefinitely until you stop playback.
Opening clips in the Sample Editor
The Sample Editor allows you to perform detailed editing on the clip (see “The 
Sample Editor” on page 325). You can open clips in the Sample Editor directly from 
the Pool in the following ways: 
•If you double-click a clip waveform icon or a clip name in the Media column, the 
clip opens in the Sample Editor.
•If you double-click a region in the Pool, its clip opens in the Sample Editor with the 
region selected. 
One practical use for this is to set a snap point for a clip (see “Adjusting the snap 
point” on page 334). When you later insert the clip from the Pool into the project, you 
can have it be properly aligned according to the set snap point.
About the Import Medium dialog
The Import Medium dialog lets you import files directly into the Pool. It is opened from 
the Media or context menu or using the Import button in the Pool window.
This is a standard file dialog, where you can navigate to other folders, audition files, 
etc. The following audio file formats can be imported:
- Wave (Normal or Broadcast, see “Broadcast Wave files” on page 646)
- AIFF and AIFC (Compressed AIFF)
- REX or REX 2 (see “Importing ReCycle files” on page 688)
- FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)
- SD2 (Sound Designer II) (Mac only) 
						

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- MPEG Layer 2 and Layer 3 (MP2 and MP3 files – see “Importing compressed 
audio files” on page 689)
- Ogg Vorbis (OGG files – see “Importing compressed audio files” on page 689)
- Windows Media Audio (Windows – see “Importing compressed audio files” on 
page 689)
- Wave 64 (W64 files)
They may have the following characteristics:
-Stereo or mono
- Any sample rate (although files with another sample rate than the one used in the 
project will play back at the wrong speed and pitch – see below).
- 8, 16, 24 bit or 32 bit float resolution.
Various video formats can be imported. For information about the supported video 
formats, see 
“Video file compatibility” on page 670.
ÖIt is also possible to use the commands on the Import submenu of the File menu to 
import audio or video files into the Pool.
When you select a file in the Import Medium dialog and click Open, the Import 
Options dialog opens.
It contains the following options:
•Copy File to Working Directory
Activate this if you want a copy of the file to be made in the Audio folder of the 
project, and have the clip refer to this copy. If the option is off, the clip will refer to 
the original file in the original location (and will thus be marked as “external” in the 
Pool – see 
“About the Status column symbols” on page 379).
•Convert to Project section
Here you can choose to convert the sample rate (if the sample rate is different than 
the one set for the project) or the sample size, i.
 e. resolution (if the sample size is 
lower than the record format used in the project).
 
The options are only available if necessary. Note that if you are importing several 
audio files at once, the Import Options dialog will instead contain a “Convert and 
Copy to Project if needed” checkbox. When this is activated, the imported files will 
be converted only if the sample rate is different or the sample size is lower than the 
project’s. 
						

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•Split channels/Split multi-channel files
Activate this option to split stereo or multi-channel audio files into a corresponding 
number of mono files – one for each channel. Note that if you use this option, the 
imported files are always copied to the Audio folder of the project’s working 
directory.
If you import files using the Import option on the File menu, the split files are 
inserted into the project and into the Pool as separate mono tracks.
If you import the files using the Import Medium option on the Media menu, the split 
files are only inserted into the Pool.
In all cases, the “Split File Name Format” pop-up menu lets you specify how the 
split files are named. This allows for compatibility with other products when 
exchanging audio files and avoids confusion if the source file contains no stereo or 
surround material, but poly-mono audio.
•Please, don’t ask again
If this is activated, files will always be imported according to the settings you have 
made, without this dialog appearing. This can be reset in the Preferences dialog 
(Editing–Audio page). 
ÖYou can always convert files later by using the Convert Files (see “Convert Files” on 
page 391) or Conform Files (see “Conform Files” on page 392) options.
About the Import Audio CD dialog
You can import tracks (or sections of tracks) from an audio CD directly into the Pool 
by using the “Import Audio CD…” function on the Media menu. This opens a dialog in 
which you can specify which tracks are copied from the CD, converted to audio files 
and added to the Pool.
For details about the Import from Audio CD dialog, see “Importing audio CD tracks” 
on page 685.
Exporting regions as audio files
If you have created regions within an audio clip (see “Working with regions” on page 
338), these can be exported as separate audio files. To create a new audio file from a 
region, proceed as follows:
1.In the Pool, select the region you wish to export.
2.On the Audio menu, select “Bounce Selection”.
A browser dialog opens.
3.Select the folder in which you want the new file to be created.
A new audio file is created in the specified folder. The file will have the name of the 
region and will automatically be added to the Pool.
ÖIf you have two clips that refer to the same audio file (different “versions” of clips, e. g. 
created with the “Convert to Real Copy” function), you can use the Bounce Selection 
function to create a new, separate file for the copied clip. Select the clip, select 
Bounce Selection, and enter a location and name for the new file.
Changing the Pool Record folder
All audio clips that you record in the project will end up in the Pool Record folder. The 
Pool Record folder is indicated by the text “Record” in the Status column and by a red 
dot on the folder itself.  
						

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By default, this is the main Audio folder. However, you can create a new Audio 
subfolder at any time and designate this as your Pool Record folder:
1.Select the Audio folder or any audio clip.
You cannot designate the Video folder (or any of its subfolders) as the Pool 
Record folder.
2.Select “Create Folder” on the Media or context menu.
A new empty subfolder named “New Folder” appears in the Pool.
3.Select the new folder and rename it as desired.
4.Select “Set Pool Record Folder” on the Media or context menu, or click in the 
Status column of the new folder.
The new folder now becomes the Pool Record folder, and any audio recorded in 
the project will be saved in this folder.
Organizing clips and folders
If you accumulate a large number of clips in the Pool, it may sometimes be difficult to 
quickly find specific items. In such cases, organizing clips in new subfolders with 
suitable names that reflect the content can be a solution. For example, you could put 
all sound effects in one folder, all lead vocals in another, etc. Proceed as follows:
1.Select the type of folder, audio or video, for which you want to create a subfolder.
You cannot put audio clips in a video folder and vice versa.
2.Select “Create Folder” on the Media or context menu.
A new empty subfolder named “New Folder” appears in the Pool.
3.Rename the folder as desired.
4.Drag and drop the clips you wish to move to the new folder.
5.Repeat steps 1 to 4 as necessary. 
						

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Applying processing to clips in the Pool
You can apply audio processing to clips from within the Pool in the same way as to 
events in the Project window. Simply select the clip(s) and choose a processing 
method from the Audio menu. To find out more about audio processing, see the 
chapter 
“Audio processing and functions” on page 302.
Undoing processing
If you have applied processing to a clip, in the Project window, the Sample Editor, or 
in the Pool, this is indicated by the red and gray waveform symbol in the Status 
column. This processing can always be undone using the Offline Process History, see 
“The Offline Process History dialog” on page 315. 
Freeze Edits
You can use the Freeze Edits function to create a new file with processing applied or 
to replace the original with a processed version, see 
“Freeze Edits” on page 316.
Minimize File
The “Minimize File” option on the Media or context menu allows you shrink the audio 
files according to the size of the audio clips referenced in a project. The files 
produced using this option only contain the audio file portions actually used in the 
project. This can significantly reduce the size of the project, if large portions of the 
audio files are unused. Therefore, the option is useful for archiving purposes after you 
have completed a project.
ÖThis operation will permanently alter the selected audio files in the Pool. This cannot 
be undone! If this is not what you want, you can use the “Back up Project” option on 
the File menu instead, see 
“Back up Project” on page 60. This function also has the 
option of minimizing files, but copies all files into a new folder, leaving the original 
project untouched.
Proceed as follows:
1.Select the file(s) you wish to minimize.
2.Select “Minimize File” on the Media menu.
An alert appears, informing you that the entire Edit History will be cleared. Click 
Minimize to proceed or Cancel to stop the process. 
3.After the minimizing is finished, another alert appears, because the file references 
in the stored project have become invalid. 
Click Save Now to save the updated project or click Later to proceed with the 
unsaved project. 
Only the audio portions actually used in the project remain in the corresponding audio 
file(s) in the Pool Record folder.
Prepare Archive
The “Prepare Archive” option on the Media menu is useful if you want to archive a 
project. For detailed information about the Prepare Archive feature, see 
“Prepare 
Archive” on page 60.
Importing and exporting Pool files (Cubase only)
You can import or export a Pool as a separate file (file extension “.npl”), by using the 
“Import Pool” and “Export Pool” options on the Media or context menu. 
When you import a Pool file, the file references in it are “added” to the current Pool.