Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

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The Project Logical Editor (Cubase only)Setting up filter conditions
Combining Media Type and Container Type
The combination of the filter targets Media Type and Container Type represents a 
versatile tool for logical operations:
Here, the Project Logical Editor will find all MIDI and instrument parts in the project.
Here, the Project Logical Editor will find all automation tracks (not events) in the project 
whose name contains vol.
Here, the Project Logical Editor will find all MIDI and instrument parts (not tracks) in the proj-
ect that are muted.
Here, the Project Logical Editor will find all MIDI and instrument parts (not tracks) or all audio 
events (not parts or tracks) in the project that are muted.
Searching for Names
1.Select Name on the Filter Target pop-up menu.
2.Enter the desired name, or a part of a name in the Parameter 1 column.
3.Open the pop-up menu in the Condition column and select the desired condition.
For names, the following options are available:
For example, if you have set up the Project Logical Editor like this…
…it will find all tracks in the project whose name contains “voc”.
ÖTo take maximum advantage of this feature, we recommend using a standard 
nomenclature in your projects (Drums, Perc, Voc, etc.). 
ConditionDescription
EqualThis is the exact same text string as set up in the Parameter 1 column.
ContainsThis contains the text specified in the Parameter 1 column. 
						

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The Project Logical Editor (Cubase only)Setting up filter conditions
Searching for elements at certain positions
1.Select “Position” in the Filter Target pop-up menu.
This allows you to find elements starting at certain positions, either relative to the 
start of the project or within each bar.
2.Open the pop-up menu in the Condition column and select the desired condition. 
For positions, the following options are available: 
•If you select any condition other than the Range, Bar Range, Cursor, Loop or 
Cycle options, you set up a specific position (in PPQ, seconds, samples, or 
frames) in the Parameter 1 column. Use the Bar Range/Time Base column to 
specify the time base. Note that the position for Bar Range is measured in ticks 
related to the start of the bar. 
Here, the Project Logical Editor will find all elements at the PPQ position 5.1.1. in the project.
•If you select Inside Range or Outside Range in the Condition column, you set the 
start position of the range in the Parameter 1 column and the end position in the 
Parameter 2 column. You can also change the time base using the Bar 
Range/Time Base column.
The Project Logical Editor will then find all elements inside or outside this position 
range.
ConditionAn element will be found if it…
Equal…has the exact same value as set up in the Parameter 1 column.
Unequal…has any value other than the one set up in the Parameter 1 
column.
Bigger…has a value higher than the one set up in the Parameter 1 
column.
Bigger or Equal…has a value that is the same as or higher than the one set up in 
the Parameter 1 column.
Less…has a value lower than the one set up in the Parameter 1 column.
Less or Equal…has a value that is the same as or lower than the one set up in 
the Parameter 1 column.
Inside Range…has a value that is between the values set up in the Parameter 1 
and Parameter 2 columns. Note that Parameter 1 should be the 
lower value and Parameter 2 the higher.
Outside Range…has a value that is not between the values set up in the 
Parameter 1 and Parameter 2 columns.
Inside Bar Range…is within the “zone” set up in the Bar Range/Time Base column, 
in each bar within the current selection.
Outside Bar Range…is outside the “zone” set up in the Bar Range/Time Base column, 
in each bar within the current selection.
Before Cursor…is before the song Project position.
Beyond Cursor…is after the song Project position.
Inside Track Loop…is inside the set track loop (see “The independent track loop 
function” on page 374).
Inside Cycle…is inside the set cycle.
Exactly Matching 
Cycle…exactly matches the set cycle. 
						

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The Project Logical Editor (Cubase only)Setting up filter conditions
•If you select one of the Bar Range options in the Condition column, the Bar 
Range/Time Base column will show a graphic bar display. You specify the range 
within the bar by clicking and dragging in the bar display (the specified Bar Range 
is indicated in blue).
The Project Logical Editor will then find all elements starting inside or outside this 
Bar Range, in all bars (within the current selection).
Here, the Project Logical Editor will find elements starting around the second beat in each 
bar.
Searching for elements of certain lengths
1.Select Length in the Filter Target pop-up menu.
This allows you to find elements of a certain length only. The Length parameter is 
interpreted via the time base setting in the Bar Range/Time Base column, i.
 e. in 
PPQ, seconds, samples, or frames.
2.Open the pop-up menu in the Condition column and select the desired condition. 
For lengths, the following options are available:
If you select any condition other than the Range options, you set up a specific position 
in the Parameter 1 column.
Here, the Project Logical Editor will find all audio parts and events in the project with a length 
smaller than 200 samples.
Searching for properties
1.Select “Property” on the Filter Target pop-up menu.
2.Open the pop-up menu in the Condition column and select the desired condition. 
When the Property option is selected, the Condition column has two options: 
“Property is set”, and “Property is not set”. 
3.Open the pop-up menu in the Parameter 1 column and select the desired option.
This sets which property will be searched.
ConditionAn element will be found, if it…
Equal…has the exact same value as set up in the Parameter 1 column.
Unequal…has any value other than the one set up in the Parameter 1 column.
Bigger…has a value higher than the one set up in the Parameter 1 column.
Bigger or Equal…has a value that is the same as or higher than the one set up in the 
Parameter 1 column.
Less…has a value lower than the one set up in the Parameter 1 column.
Less or Equal…has a value that is the same as or lower than the one set up in the 
Parameter 1 column.
Inside Range…has a value that is between the values set up in the Parameter 1 
and Parameter 2 columns. Note that Parameter 1 should be the lower 
value and Parameter 2 the higher.
Outside Range…has a value that is not between the values set up in the Parameter 
1 and Parameter 2 columns. 
						

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The Project Logical Editor (Cubase only)Setting up filter conditions
ÖNote that “event” in this context refers to all the Project window elements that can be 
modified, e.
 g. MIDI parts, audio events and parts, or transpose, arranger, and 
automation events.
Three examples:
Here, the Project Logical Editor will find all muted MIDI and instrument parts.
Here, the Project Logical Editor will find all elements that are selected but not muted.
Here, the Project Logical Editor will find all selected audio parts that are empty.
Combining multiple condition lines
As described above, you can add condition lines by clicking the “+” button below the 
list. The result of combining condition lines depends on the boolean And/Or operators 
and the brackets.
The bool column
By clicking in the “bool” column to the right in the list, you can select a boolean 
operator: “And” or “Or”. A boolean operator combines two condition lines and 
determines the result in the following way:
•If two condition lines are combined with a boolean And, both conditions must be 
fulfilled for an element to be found.
The Project Logical Editor will only find MIDI tracks.
•If two condition lines are combined with a boolean Or, at least one of the 
conditions must be fulfilled for an element to be found.
The Project Logical Editor will find all parts or events that match exactly the cycle.
Using brackets
The bracket (parenthesis) columns let you enclose two or more condition lines, 
dividing the conditional expression into smaller units. This is only relevant when you 
have three or more condition lines and want to use the boolean Or operator.
You add brackets by clicking in the bracket columns and selecting an option. Up to 
triple brackets can be selected.
!When you add a new condition line, the boolean setting defaults to And. Therefore, if 
all you want to do is set up two or more conditions that all must be met for an element 
to be found, you do not have to think about the boolean column – just add the 
required lines and make the usual filter settings. 
						

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The Project Logical Editor (Cubase only)Specifying actions
•Without brackets, the conditional expressions are evaluated according to their 
order in the list.
Here, the Project Logical Editor will find all audio parts and events whose name contains perc 
as well as other parts and events (e. g. MIDI parts) whose name contains drums.
Maybe you want to find all audio parts and events that either contain the name perc or 
the name drums, but no other parts or events that contain the name drums? Then you 
need to add some brackets:
Here, all audio parts or events will be found whose name contains perc or drums.
ÖExpressions within brackets are evaluated first.
If there are several layers of brackets, these are evaluated “from the inside out”, 
starting with the innermost brackets.
Specifying actions
The lower list in the Project Logical Editor window is the action list. This is where you 
specify any changes that are made to the found elements, relevant for the function 
type Transform.
You can perform two different kinds of actions: track-based actions (such as Track 
Operation, Name) and event-based actions (such as Position, Length, Name). There 
are also actions that only take effect on automation data (Trim).
The handling of the action list is similar to the filter condition list, but without the 
brackets and boolean operators. You simply add lines by clicking the “+” button, and 
fill out the columns as required. To remove a superfluous action line, select it and click 
the “-” button.
Action Target
This is where you select the property that is changed. The Operations determine what 
to do with the Action Target. Below, all available operations are listed:
Position
Adjusting this value will move the elements. This parameter is interpreted via the time 
base setting in the Bar Range/Time Base column, with the exception of the Random 
setting, which uses the time base of the affected events:
OperationDescription
AddAdds the value specified in the Parameter 1 column to the Position.
SubtractSubtracts the value specified in the Parameter 1 column from the 
Position.
Multiply byMultiplies the Position value with the value specified in the Parameter 1 
column.
Divide byDivides the Position value by the value specified in the Parameter 1 
column. 
						

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The Project Logical Editor (Cubase only)Specifying actions
Length
Lets you resize the elements. This parameter is interpreted via the time base setting in 
the Bar Range/Time Base column, with the exception of the Random setting, which 
uses the time base of the affected events:
Track Operation
This lets you change the track status.
Round byThis “rounds” the Position value using the value specified in the 
Parameter 1 column. In other words, the Position value is changed to the 
closest value that can be divided by the Parameter 1 value.
For example, if the Position value is 17 and Parameter 1 is 5, the result of 
rounding will be 15 (the closest value that can be divided by 5). Another 
word for this type of operation would be “quantizing”, and it is actually 
possible to use it for this, by specifying a quantize value with Parameter 1 
(in ticks, with 480 ticks per quarter note).
Set relative 
Random 
Values 
betweenThis will add a random value to the current Position value. The added 
random value will be within the range specified with Parameter 1 and 2. 
Note that these can be set to negative values.
For example, if you set Parameter 1 to -20 and Parameter 2 to +20, the 
original Position value will get a random variation, never exceeding ±20.
Set to fixed 
valueThis sets the Position to the value specified in the Parameter 1 column.
OperationDescription
AddAdds the value specified in the Parameter 1 column to the Length.
SubtractSubtracts the value specified in the Parameter 1 column from the 
Length.
Multiply byMultiplies the Length value with the value specified in the Parameter 1 
column.
Divide byDivides the Length value by the value specified in the Parameter 1 
column.
Round byThis “rounds” the Length value using the value specified in the 
Parameter 1 column. In other words, the Length value is changed to the 
closest value that can be divided by the Parameter 1 value.
Set to fixed 
valueThis sets the Length to the value specified in the Parameter 1 column.
Set Random 
Values betweenThis will add a random value to the current length. The added random 
value will be within the range specified with Parameter 1 and 2. 
OperationDescription
FolderOpens, closes or toggles folders.
RecordEnables, disables or toggles the record enable status.
MonitorEnables, disables or toggles the monitor status.
SoloEnables, disables or toggles the solo status.
MuteEnables, disables or toggles the mute status.
ReadEnables, disables or toggles the read enable status.
WriteEnables, disables or toggles the write enable status.
EQ BypassEnables, disables or toggles the EQ bypass status.
Inserts BypassEnables, disables or toggles the inserts bypass status.
Operation Description 
						

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The Project Logical Editor (Cubase only)Selecting a function
Name
This lets you rename the found elements. 
Trim
This Action Target is used for automation only and lets you trim the found elements.
Set Color
This lets you set the color for an element. For this Action Target the only Operation 
available is “Set to fixed value”. To use this, insert the name of a track color in the 
Parameter 1 column, e.
 g. “Color 7” to use dark green as track color.
Selecting a function
The left pop-up menu at the bottom of the Project Logical Editor is where you select 
the function – the basic type of editing to be performed.
The available options are:
Delete
Deletes all elements found by the Project Logical Editor.
ÖWhen you delete automation tracks and undo this operation by selecting Undo from 
the Edit menu, the automation tracks will be restored, but the tracks will be closed.
Transform
Changes one or several aspects of the found elements. You set up exactly what is 
changed in the action list.
Sends BypassEnables, disables or toggles the sends bypass status.
Lanes ActiveEnables, disables or toggles the lanes active status.
OperationDescription
ReplaceReplaces names with the text specified in the Parameter 1 column.
AppendNames will be appended with the string specified in the Parameter 1 
column.
PrependThe name will be prepended with the string specified in the Parameter 1 
column.
Generate 
NameThe name will be replaced by the text specified in the Parameter 1 
column, followed by the number set with Parameter 2. The number will be 
increased by 1 for every found element. 
Replace 
Search StringYou can specify a search string under Parameter 1 that is replaced by the 
text specified in the Parameter 2 column.
OperationDescription
Multiply byMultiplies the Trim value with the value specified in the Parameter 1 
column.
Divide byDivides the Trim value by the value specified in the Parameter 1 column.
Operation Description 
						

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The Project Logical Editor (Cubase only)Applying Macros
Select 
This will simply select all found elements, highlighting them for further work in the 
Project window.
Applying Macros
In the Macro pop-up menu you can select a macro that will be executed automatically 
after completing the actions defined using the Filter and Action lists. This is useful if 
you would like to extend the already powerful Project Logical Editor features even 
further.
To use this, you set up the macro that you need in the Key Commands dialog (see 
“Setting up key commands” on page 712) and then select it in the Project Logical 
Editor from the Macro pop-up menu.
For example, you can use the filter conditions to select all tracks that contain 
automation data for a certain automation parameter (such as “volume”) and use the 
macro “Select all on Track + Delete” to remove the automation events from these 
tracks (without deleting the tracks themselves).
Applying the defined actions
Once you have set up filter conditions, selected a function and set the required 
actions (or loaded a preset), you apply the actions defined with the Project Logical 
Editor by clicking the Apply button.
Project Logical Editor operations can be undone just like any other editing.
Working with presets
The Presets section in the upper left section of the window allows you to load, save 
and manage Project Logical Editor presets. A preset contains all settings in the 
window, which means you can simply load a preset, edit the settings (if necessary) 
and click Apply.
•To load a preset, select it from the Presets pop-up menu. If available, an 
explanatory text appears to the right of the menu. When setting up your own 
presets, you can click in this area to enter a description.
•You can also open the Edit menu and select Presets directly from the “Process 
Project Logical Editor” submenu. This allows you to apply a preset directly, without 
having to open the Project Logical Editor.
Storing your own settings as a preset
If you have made Project Logical Editor settings that you want to use again, you can 
save them as a preset:
1.Click the Store Preset button to the right of the Presets pop-up menu.
A dialog for specifying a name for the new preset is displayed.
2.Enter a name for the preset and click OK.
The preset is stored.
ÖTo remove a preset, load it and click the Remove Preset button. 
						

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The Project Logical Editor (Cubase only)Working with presets
Organizing and sharing presets
The Project Logical Editor presets are stored within the application folder in the 
Presets\Logical Edit Project subfolder. While these files cannot be edited manually, 
you can reorganize them (e.
 g. putting them in subfolders) like any files.
This also makes it easy to share presets with other Cubase users, by transferring the 
individual preset files.
ÖThe list of presets is read each time the Project Logical Editor is opened.
Setting up key commands for your presets
If you have stored Project Logical Editor presets, you can set up key commands for 
them:
1.Open the File menu and select “Key Commands…”.
The Key Commands dialog opens.
2.Use the list in the Commands column to navigate to the category “Process Project 
Logical Editor” and click the “+” sign to display the items in the folder.
3.In the list, select the item to which you wish to assign a key command, click in the 
“Type in Key” field and enter a new key command.
4.Click the Assign button above the field.
The new key command appears in the Keys List.
5.Click OK to exit the dialog.
For more information on Key Commands, see the chapter “Key commands” on page 
711. 
						

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Editing tempo and signature
Background
Whenever you create a new project, Cubase will automatically set the tempo and time 
signature for this project. The tempo and signature settings can be displayed in two 
ways: either on dedicated tracks in the Project window or in the Tempo Track Editor.
Tempo modes
Before we go into detail about tempo and signature settings, you should understand 
the different tempo modes.
For each track in Cubase that can make use of this function, you can specify whether 
it is time-based or tempo-based (see 
“Defining the track time base” on page 90). For 
tempo-based tracks, the tempo can either be fixed throughout the entire project (this 
is called “fixed tempo mode”) or follow the tempo track (this is called “tempo track 
mode”), which may contain tempo changes.
•To switch between fixed tempo mode and tempo track mode, use the Tempo 
button on the Transport panel:
When the Tempo button is lit (and the text “Track” is shown), the tempo follows the 
tempo track; when it is deactivated (and the text “Fixed” is shown), a fixed tempo is 
used (see 
“Setting the fixed tempo” on page 615). You can also switch the tempo 
mode with the Activate Tempo Track button on the Tempo Track Editor toolbar.
In tempo track mode, the tempo cannot be changed on the Transport panel, i. e. the 
tempo information here is for display purposes only.
Signature events are always active, regardless of whether fixed tempo mode or tempo 
track mode is selected.
A note about tempo-based audio tracks
For tempo-based tracks, the start position of audio events on the timeline depends on 
the current tempo setting. However, it is important to realize that the actual audio 
(“within” the events) will play back as recorded, regardless of any tempo changes you 
make. Therefore, it is good practice to make the proper tempo and time signature 
settings before you start recording tempo-based audio.
•To make an already recorded audio track follow the tempo changes, you can use 
the Tempo Detection Panel (see 
“Tempo Detection (Cubase only)” on page 625) 
or the Sample Editor, see the chapter “The Sample Editor” on page 325.
•To adapt the tempo track to time-based material, you can use the Time Warp tool, 
see 
“The Time Warp tool (Cubase only)” on page 619.
This allows you to adjust the tempo track so that tempo-based material (e. g. 
positions in music) coincides with time-based material (positions in narration, 
video, etc.).