Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

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The Project Browser (Cubase only)Editing tracks
Note that if you have not performed any automation or opened an automation track, 
the Browser will only contain the audio data.
The following parameters are available for the different items:
The list columns for audio events
ParameterDescription
NameAllows you to change the name of the event. Double-clicking the 
waveform image to the left of it opens the event in the Sample Editor.
FileThe name of the audio file referenced by the event’s audio clip.
StartThe start position of the event. If the event belongs to an audio part, 
you cannot move it outside the part.
EndThe end position of the event. 
SnapThe absolute position of the event’s snap point. Note that adjusting 
this value will not change the position of the snap point within the 
event – instead it is another way of moving the event!
LengthThe length of the event. 
OffsetThis determines “where in the audio clip” the event starts. Adjusting 
this value is the same as sliding the contents of the event in the 
Project window, see 
“Sliding the contents of an event or part” on 
page 77. 
You can only specify positive Offset values, because the event 
cannot start before the start of the clip. Likewise, it cannot end after 
the end of the clip. If the event already plays the whole clip, the Offset 
cannot be adjusted at all.
VolumeThe volume of the event, as set with the Volume handle or on the info 
line in the Project window.
Fade In
Fade Out
The length of the fade-in and fade-out areas respectively. If you use 
these settings to add a fade (where there previously was none), a 
linear fade will be created. If you adjust the length of an existing fade, 
the previous fade shape will be maintained.
MuteClick in this column to mute or unmute the event.
ImageDisplays a waveform image of the event inside a gray box 
corresponding to the clip. The image is scaled according to the width 
of the column. 
						

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The Project Browser (Cubase only)Editing tracks
The list columns for audio parts
Creating audio parts
When the “Audio” item of an audio track is selected in the Project Structure list, you 
can create empty audio parts on the track by clicking the Add button on the toolbar. 
This will insert a part between the left and right locator.
Editing MIDI tracks
Just like audio tracks, MIDI tracks can have two “subitems”: Track Data and 
Automation.
- The Track Data item corresponds to the actual MIDI track in the Project window 
and can contain MIDI parts (which in turn can contain MIDI events).
- The Automation item corresponds to the automation track in the Project window, 
and contains the track’s automation events (see 
“Editing automation tracks” on 
page 635).
ÖIf you have not performed any automation or opened an automation track, the Browser 
will only contain the MIDI data.
When editing the Track Data, the following parameters are available:
The list columns for MIDI events
ParameterDescription
NameThe name of the part. Double-clicking on the part symbol to the left of 
it opens the part in the Audio Part Editor.
StartThe start position of the part. Editing this value is the same as moving 
the part in the Project window.
EndThe end position of the part. Editing this value is the same as resizing 
the part in the Project window.
LengthThe length of the part. Editing this value is the same as resizing the 
part in the Project window.
OffsetThis adjusts the start position of the events within the part. Adjusting 
this value is the same as sliding the contents of the part in the Project 
window, see 
“Sliding the contents of an event or part” on page 77. 
Setting a positive Offset value is the same as sliding the contents to 
the left, while a negative Offset corresponds to sliding the contents to 
the right.
MuteClick in this column to mute or unmute the part.
ParameterDescription
TypeThe type of MIDI event. This cannot be changed.
StartThe position of the event. Editing this value is the same as moving the 
event.
EndThis is only used for note events, allowing you to view and edit the 
end position of a note (thereby resizing it).
LengthThis is only used for note events. It shows the length of the note – 
changing this resizes the note and automatically changes the End 
value as well. 
						

							633
The Project Browser (Cubase only)Editing tracks
The list columns for MIDI parts
ÖFor SysEx (system exclusive) events, you can only edit the position (Start) in the list. 
However, clicking the Comment column opens the SysEx Editor, in which you can 
perform detailed editing of system exclusive events. For a description of this, see 
“Working with SysEx messages” on page 527.
Data 1The property of this value depends on the type of MIDI event:
For notes, this is the note number (pitch). This is displayed and edited 
as a note name and an octave number, with the values ranging 
between C-2 and G8.
For controller events, this is the type of controller, displayed in words. 
Note that you can edit this by entering a number – the corresponding 
controller type is automatically displayed.
For pitchbend events, this is the fine adjustment of the bend amount.
For poly pressure events, this is the note number (pitch).
For VST 3 events, this is the event parameter (e. g. Volume).
For other event types, this is the value of the event.
Data 2The property of this value depends on the type of MIDI event:
For notes, this is the note-on velocity.
For controller events, this is the value of the event.
For pitchbend events, this is the coarse bend amount.
For poly pressure events, this is the amount of pressure.
For VST 3 events, this is the value of the event parameter, with a 
range of 0.0 to 1.0.
For other event types, this is not used.
ChannelThe event’s MIDI channel, see “Notes” on page 127.
CommentThis column is used for some event types only, providing an 
additional comment about the event.
ParameterDescription
NameThe name of the part.
StartThe start position of the part. Editing this value is the same as moving 
the part.
EndThe end position of the part. Changing this is the same as resizing the 
part (and will automatically affect the Length value as well).
LengthThe length of the part. Changing this resizes the part and 
automatically changes the End value.
OffsetThis adjusts the start position of the events within the part. Adjusting 
this value is the same as sliding the contents of the part in the Project 
window, see 
“Sliding the contents of an event or part” on page 77. 
Setting a positive Offset value is the same as sliding the contents to 
the left, while a negative Offset corresponds to sliding the contents to 
the right.
MuteClick in this column to mute or unmute the part.
Parameter Description 
						

							634
The Project Browser (Cubase only)Editing tracks
Editing Note Expression data in the Project Browser 
In the Project Browser, you can view and edit the MIDI controller events or VST 3 
events of a MIDI note with Note Expression data. For further information about Note 
Expression, see 
“Note Expression” on page 565. 
To view and edit the Note Expression data content of a MIDI note, proceed as follows:
1.In the Project Structure list, select the Note Expression subitem of the MIDI note 
that you want to view or edit.
In the event display, all MIDI controllers or VST 3 events within the Note 
Expression data are listed.
2.In the event display, view and edit the parameter values. 
This allows you to move an event by entering a different Start value, for example. 
You can also delete single events to “thin out” the Note Expression data content 
by selecting them and pressing [Delete].
Filtering MIDI events
When you are editing MIDI in the Project Browser, the large number of different MIDI 
events displayed can make it hard to find the events you want to edit. The Filter pop-
up menu allows you to select a single event type for display.
When this option is selected, only Controller events will be shown in the event display. To 
show all event types, select the top item (“---”) from the menu.
Creating MIDI parts
When a MIDI track is selected in the Project Structure list, you can create empty MIDI 
parts on the track by clicking the Add button. This will insert a part between the left 
and right locator.
Creating MIDI events
You can use the Project Browser to create new MIDI events:
1.Select a MIDI part in the Project Structure list.
2.Move the project cursor to the desired position for the new event.
3.Use the Add pop-up menu above the event display to select which type of MIDI 
event to add. 
						

							635
The Project Browser (Cubase only)Editing tracks
4.Click the Add button.
An event of the selected type is added to the part, at the project cursor position. If 
the cursor is outside the selected part, the event is added at the beginning of the 
part.
ÖIt is not possible to add MIDI controller events or VST 3 events to Note Expression 
data.
Editing automation tracks
All kinds of Cubase automation (the automation tracks for MIDI, instrument, audio, 
group, and FX channel tracks, or the individual automation tracks for VST instruments, 
ReWire channels, or input (Cubase only) and output busses) are handled in the same 
way in the Project Browser. Each Automation item in the Project Structure list will 
have a number of subentries, one for each automated parameter. Selecting one of 
these parameters in the Project Structure list shows its automation events in the list:
You can use the two columns in the list to edit the position of the events and their 
values.
Editing the video track
When the video track is selected in the Project Structure list, the event display lists 
the video events on the track, with the following parameters:
ColumnDescription
NameThe name of the video clip that the event refers to.
Start The start position of the event. Editing this value is the same as 
moving the event.
EndThe end position of the event. Editing this value is the same as resizing 
the event, and will automatically change the Length value as well.
LengthThe length of the event. Editing this value is the same as resizing the 
event, and will automatically change the End value as well.
OffsetThis determines “where in the video clip” the event starts.
Note that the event cannot start before the start of the clip, or end 
after the end of the clip. Thus, if the event already plays the whole 
video clip, the Offset cannot be adjusted at all. 
						

							636
The Project Browser (Cubase only)Editing tracks
Editing the marker track
Marker events have the following parameters:
You can insert markers on the marker track by selecting “Marker” or “Cycle Marker” 
from the Add pop-up menu and clicking the Add button. Regular markers will be 
added at the current project cursor position while cycle markers will be added 
between the current left and right locator positions.
ÖThe Project Browser only displays the default attributes.
For further information on markers, refer to the chapter “Using markers” on page 169.
Editing the tempo track
When the tempo track is selected in the Project Structure list, the event display 
shows the events on the tempo track, with the following parameters:
You can add new tempo events by clicking the Add button. This creates a jump-type 
event with the value 120 bpm at the project cursor position. Make sure that there is no 
other tempo event at the current cursor position.
ColumnDescription
NameThe name of the marker. This can be edited for all markers except the 
left and right locator.
Start The position of “regular” markers or the start position of cycle 
markers.
End The end positions of cycle markers. Editing this value is the same as 
resizing the cycle marker, and will automatically change the Length 
value as well.
Length The length of cycle markers. Editing this value is the same as resizing 
the marker, and will automatically change the End value as well.
IDThe number of the marker. For regular (non-cycle) markers, this 
corresponds to the key commands used for navigating to the 
markers. For example, if a marker has ID
 3, pressing [Shift]-[3] on the 
computer keyboard will move the song position to that marker. By 
editing these values, you can assign the most important markers to 
key commands.
Note that you cannot edit the “L” and “R” marker IDs (left and right 
locator) or assign IDs 1 and 2 to markers (since these are reserved 
for the locators).
ParameterDescription
PositionThe position of the tempo event. You cannot move the first event on 
the tempo track.
TempoThe tempo value of the event.
TypeThis indicates whether the tempo jumps to the value of the event 
(“Jump” type) or whether it changes gradually from the previous 
tempo event, creating a ramp (“Ramp” type), see 
“Editing the tempo 
curve” on page 613. 
						

							637
The Project Browser (Cubase only)Editing tracks
Editing time signatures
When “Signature track” is selected in the Project Structure list, the event display 
shows the time signature events in the project:
You can add new time signature events by clicking the Add button. This creates a 4/4 
event, at the beginning of the bar closest to the project cursor position. Make sure that 
there is no other time signature event at the current cursor position.
Deleting events
The procedure for deleting events is the same for all different track types:
1.Click on an event (or a part) in the Event display to select it.
2.Select Delete from the Edit menu or press [Delete] or [Backspace].
ParameterDescription
PositionThe position of the event. Note that you cannot move the first time 
signature event.
SignatureThe value (time signature) of the event. 
!Note that you cannot delete the first tempo event or the first time signature event. 
						

							638
Export Audio Mixdown
Introduction
The Export Audio Mixdown function in Cubase allows you to mix down audio from the 
program to files on your hard disk in a number of formats. In the Channel Selection 
section, you can choose which channels (or busses) to export. 
Cubase only: By activating the “Channel Batch Export” option you can choose to mix 
down several channels in one go. For each channel, an individual file will be created.
The following channel types are available:
•Output channels
For example, if you have set up a stereo mix with tracks routed to a stereo output 
bus, mixing down that output bus will give you a mixdown file containing the whole 
mix. Similarly, you can mix down a complete surround bus, either to a single multi-
channel file or to one file per surround channel (by activating the Split Channels 
option) (Cubase only).
•Audio track channels (Cubase only)
This will mix down the channels for the tracks, complete with insert effects, EQ, 
etc. This can be useful for turning a number of events into a single file, or to convert 
tracks with insert effects into audio files (that are less CPU-intensive). Simply 
export the track and re-import the file into the project.
•Any kind of audio-related MixConsole channel (Cubase only)
This includes VST instrument channels, instrument tracks, effect return channels 
(FX channel tracks), group channels, and ReWire channels. There are many uses 
for this – for example, you can mix down an effect return track or turn individual 
ReWire channels into audio files.
Please note the following:
•The Export Audio Mixdown function mixes down the area between the left and 
right locators.
•When you mix down, you get what you hear – mutes, MixConsole settings, record 
enable, and insert effects are taken into account.
Note though that you will only include the sound of the channels you select for 
mixdown. 
•MIDI tracks are not included in the mixdown!
To make a complete mixdown containing both MIDI and audio, you first need to 
record all your MIDI music onto audio tracks (by connecting the outputs of your 
MIDI instruments to your audio inputs and recording, as with any other sound 
source). 
						

							639
Export Audio MixdownMixing down to audio files
Mixing down to audio files
1.Set up the left and right locators to encompass the section you want to mix down.
2.Set up your tracks so that they play back the way you want.
This includes muting unwanted tracks or parts, making manual MixConsole 
settings and/or activating the R (Read) automation buttons for some or all 
MixConsole channels.
3.Open the File menu and select “Audio Mixdown…” from the Export submenu.
The Export Audio Mixdown dialog opens.
4.In the Channel Selection section to the left, select the channels you want to mix 
down. The list contains all output and audio-related channels available in the 
project, see 
“About the Channel Selection section” on page 640.
Cubase only: Activate the Channel Batch Export option if you want to mixdown 
several channels at once.
5.In the File Location section at the top, you can set up the naming scheme for the 
exported files and select a path for the mixdown files.
For details about the naming options, see “About the File Location section” on 
page 641.
6.Select an entry from the File Format pop-up menu and make additional settings for 
the file to be created.
This includes codec settings, meta data, sample rate, bit depth, etc. The available 
options depend on the selected file format, see 
“The available file formats” on 
page 645. 
						

							640
Export Audio MixdownThe Export Audio Mixdown dialog
7.In the Audio Engine Output section, specify whether you want to export all 
subchannels of a multi-channel bus as separate mono files (Split Channels), 
downmix all subchannels to one mono file (Mono Downmix), or export only the left 
and right channels of a multi-channel bus to a stereo file (L/R Channels).
For details about the settings relating to the audio engine, see “About the Audio 
Engine Output section” on page 643.
8.Activate Realtime Export if you want the export to happen in realtime, see “About 
the Audio Engine Output section” on page 643.
9.If you want to automatically import the resulting audio files back into Cubase, 
activate any of the checkboxes in the “Import into Project” section.
For details about the available options, see “About the Import into Project section” 
on page 644.
10.If you activate Update Display, the meters will be updated during the export 
process.
This allows you to check for clipping, for example.
11.Click Export.
A dialog with a progress bar is displayed while the audio files are being created. To 
cancel the operation, you can click the Abort button.
•Cubase only: During the realtime export of a single channel, the Audition Volume 
fader is displayed in the progress dialog, see 
“About the Audio Engine Output 
section” on page 643. It allows you to adjust the Control Room volume. 
Note that this fader is only available if the Control Room is activated.
•If the “Close Window after Export” option is activated, the dialog will be closed 
automatically.
•If you have activated any of the options in the “Import into Project” section, the 
mixdown files will be imported back into the same or a new project.
When playing back the reimported file in the same Cubase project, mute the 
original tracks so that you only hear the mixdown.
The Export Audio Mixdown dialog
Below you will find detailed descriptions of the different sections of the dialog and the 
corresponding functions.
About the Channel Selection section
The Channel Selection section shows all output and audio-related channels available 
in the project. These channels are organized in a hierarchical structure that allows you 
to easily identify and select the channels you want to export. The different channel 
types are listed below each other, with channels of the same type being grouped in a 
node (e.
 g. instrument tracks). 
•You can activate/deactivate channels by clicking on the checkboxes in front of the 
channel names.
•Cubase only: If Channel Batch Export is activated, you can also 
activate/deactivate all channels of the same type by clicking on the checkbox in 
front of the channel type entry.
!If you set the export range in such a way that the effects applied to a preceding event 
(e.
 g. reverb) reach into the next, these will be heard in the mixdown (even though the 
event itself is not included). If you do not want this, you need to mute the first event 
before exporting.