Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

							681
ReWireActivating ReWire channels
Quitting a ReWire session
When you are finished, you also need to quit the applications in a special order:
1.First quit the synthesizer application.
2.Then quit Cubase.
Launching both programs without using ReWire
We cannot think of any scenario, in which you would need to run Cubase and the 
synthesizer application simultaneously on the same computer, without using ReWire, 
but you can:
1.First launch the synthesizer application.
2.Then launch Cubase.
ÖPlease note that the two programs now compete for system resources such as audio 
cards, just as when running either with other, non-ReWire audio applications.
Activating ReWire channels
ReWire supports streaming of up to 64 separate audio channels, while ReWire2 
supports 256 channels. The exact number of available ReWire channels depends on 
the synthesizer application. Using the ReWire Device panels in Cubase, you can 
specify which of the available channels you want to use:
1.Open the Devices menu and select the menu item with the name of the ReWire 
application. All recognized ReWire compatible applications will be available on the 
menu.
The ReWire panel appears. This consists of a number of rows, one for each 
available ReWire channel.
2.Click on the power buttons to the left to activate/deactivate the desired channels.
The buttons light up to indicate activated channels. Please note that the more 
ReWire channels you activate, the more processing power is required.
•For information about exactly what signal is carried on each channel, see the 
documentation of the synthesizer application.
3.If desired, double-click on the labels in the right column, and type in another name.
These labels will be used in the Cubase MixConsole to identify the ReWire 
channels. 
						

							682
ReWireUsing the transport and tempo controls
Using the transport and tempo controls
Basic transport controls
When you run ReWire, the transports in the two programs are completely linked. It 
does not matter in which program you play, stop, fast forward or rewind. However, 
recording (if applicable) is still completely separate in the two applications.
Loop settings
If there is a loop or cycle facility in the synthesizer application, that loop will be 
completely linked to the cycle in Cubase. This means that you can move the start and 
end point for the loop or turn the loop on or off in either program, and this will be 
reflected in the other.
Tempo settings
As far as tempo goes, Cubase is always the master. This means that both programs 
will run in the tempo set in Cubase.
However, if you are not using the tempo track in Cubase, you can adjust the tempo in 
either program, and this will immediately be reflected in the other.
How the ReWire channels are handled in Cubase
When you activate ReWire channels in the ReWire Device panels, they will become 
available as channels in the MixConsole. The ReWire channels have the following 
properties:
•ReWire channels may be any combination of mono and stereo, depending on the 
synthesizer application.
•ReWire channels have the same functionality as regular audio channels.
This means you can set volume and pan, add EQ, insert effects and sends, and 
route the channel outputs to groups or busses. However, ReWire channels have 
no monitor buttons.
•All channel settings can be automated using the Read/Write buttons.
When you write automation, channel automation tracks will automatically appear in 
the Project window. This allows you to view and edit the automation graphically, 
just as with VST instrument channels, etc.
•You can mix down the audio from ReWire channels to a file on your hard disk with 
the Export Audio Mixdown function (see 
“Mixing down to audio files” on page 
639).
You can export the output bus to which you have routed the ReWire channels. 
Cubase only: You can also export individual ReWire channels directly – 
“rendering” each ReWire channel to a separate audio file.
!This is only relevant if the synthesizer application has some sort of built-in sequencer 
or similar.
!If you are using the tempo track in Cubase (i. e. the Tempo button is activated on the 
Transport panel), you should not adjust the tempo in the synthesizer application, since 
a tempo request from ReWire will automatically deactivate the tempo track in Cubase! 
						

							683
ReWireRouting MIDI via ReWire2
Routing MIDI via ReWire2
When using Cubase with a ReWire2-compatible application, additional MIDI outputs 
will automatically appear on the MIDI Output pop-up menus for MIDI tracks. This 
allows you to play the synthesizer application via MIDI from Cubase, using it as one or 
several separate MIDI sound sources.
The MIDI outputs for a Reason song. Here, each output goes directly to a device in the Rea-
son rack.
•The number and configuration of MIDI outputs depends on the synthesizer 
application.
Considerations and limitations
Sample rates
Synthesizer applications may be limited to audio playback in certain sample rates. If 
Cubase is set to a sample rate other than those, the synthesizer application will play 
back at the wrong pitch. Consult the documentation of the synthesizer application for 
details.
ASIO drivers
ReWire works well with ASIO drivers. By using the Cubase bus system you can route 
sounds from the synthesizer application to various outputs on an ASIO compatible 
audio card.
!This feature is only available with ReWire2-compatible applications. 
						

							684
File handling
Importing audio
In Cubase audio can be imported in a variety of different formats. For example, you 
can import tracks from audio CDs, or import audio files saved in different formats 
(compressed and uncompressed).
For information on how to import audio files into the Pool and import options, see 
“About the Import Medium dialog” on page 386.
Audio file import options
When you are importing audio files, there are a number of options concerning how the 
files should be treated by Cubase:
•You can choose to copy the file into the Audio folder of the project and have the 
project make reference to the copied file rather than the original file.
This helps you keep your project “self-contained”.
•You can choose to split stereo and multi-channel files into a number of mono files.
•You can set all files in the project to the same sample rate and sample size 
(resolution).
Using the “On Import Audio Files” pop-up menu in the Preferences dialog (Editing–
Audio page), you can define what Cubase does when importing an audio file. The 
available options are described in the following.
Open Options Dialog
An Options dialog appears when you import, allowing you to select whether you want 
to copy the files to the Audio folder and/or convert them to the project settings. 
Please note the following:
•When importing a single file of a format other than the project settings, you can 
specify which properties (sample rate and/or resolution) are changed.
•When importing multiple files at the same time, you can select to convert the 
imported files automatically if necessary, i.e. if the sample rate is different than the 
project’s or the resolution is lower than the project setting.
ÖWhen you import 5-channel interleaved files that do not have the speaker 
arrangement metadata (“BEXT”), Cubase always considers them as 5.0 format. 
						

							685
File handlingImporting audio
Use Settings
No Options dialog will appear when you import. Instead, you can select standard 
actions from the list below the pop-up menu that are performed automatically each 
time you import audio files:
Importing audio CD tracks
You can import audio from audio CDs into Cubase projects in two ways:
•To import the CD tracks directly into project tracks, choose the “Audio CD…” 
option from the Import submenu of the File menu.
The imported audio CD track(s) are inserted on the selected audio track(s) at the 
project cursor position.
•To import the CD tracks into the Pool, select “Import Audio CD…” from the Media 
menu.
This might be the preferred method if you want to import several CD tracks in one 
go.
OptionDescription
Copy Files to Working 
DirectoryIf files are not already in the project’s audio folder, they are 
copied there before being imported.
Convert and Copy to 
Project If NeededIf files are not already in the project’s audio folder, they are 
copied there before being imported. Furthermore, if the files 
have a different sample rate or a lower resolution than the 
project settings, they are automatically converted.
Split channels/Split multi-
channel filesActivate 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. 
						

							686
File handlingImporting audio
Selecting one of the Import Audio CD menu items brings up the following dialog:
To import one or more tracks, proceed as follows:
1.If you have more than one CD drive, select the correct one from the Drives pop-up 
menu at the top left.
On opening the CD, the program tries to retrieve the track names from CDDB (a 
CD database). If no connection to CDDB can be established or the CD track 
names are not found, you can manually change the generic track name in the 
Default Name field.
2.Windows only: Activate the “Secure Mode” option if you want to use a Secure 
Read mode.
Use this if you encounter problems when trying to import an audio CD. Error 
checking and correction will be done during the process. Note that this mode will 
take more time.
3.In the Windows version, select the data transfer speed from the Speed pop-up 
menu.
While you normally want to use the fastest possible speed, you may have to select 
a slower speed for flawless audio extraction.
4.Activate the Copy checkbox for every audio file you want to import.
You can also select a copy section for every file, see below.
5.Click on the Copy button to create a local copy of the audio file(s) or section(s).
The copied files are listed at the bottom of the dialog. By default, imported audio 
CD tracks will be stored as Wave files (Windows) or AIFF files (Mac) in the Audio 
folder of the current project. To change the folder, click Destination Folder and 
select a different folder from the dialog. During copying, the Copy button is labeled 
“Stop”; click it to stop the process. 
						

							687
File handlingImporting audio
6.Click OK to import the copied audio files into the project, or click Cancel to stop 
the import and discard the copied files.
•If you import more than one audio file into project tracks, a dialog opens in which 
you have to choose whether to insert the tracks on one track or on different ones. 
The new track(s) are displayed in the Project window. New audio clips are created 
and added to the Pool.
The columns in the “Import from Audio CD” dialog have the following functionality:
By default, complete tracks are selected.
•If you want to copy and import a section of an audio CD track only, select the track 
in the list and specify the start and end of the selection to be copied by dragging 
the handles in the copy selection ruler.
ÖNote that you can import sections of several audio CD tracks by selecting them in turn 
and adjusting the selection. The start and end settings for each track are displayed in 
the list.
•You can audition the selected audio CD track by clicking the Play button.
The track will be played back from selection start to selection end (or until you click 
the Stop button). 
•The Play from left Marker (down arrow) and Play to Right Marker (up arrow) 
buttons allow you to audition the start and end of the selection only.
The down arrow button will play a short snippet beginning at the start of the 
selection, while the up arrow button will play a snippet starting just before the end 
of the selection.
•To open the CD drive, click on the Eject button at the top of the dialog. 
ColumnDescription
CopyActivate the checkbox in this column for the track you want to 
copy/import. To activate more than one checkbox, click and drag over 
the checkboxes (or press [Ctrl]/[Command] or [Shift] and click).
#This is the track number.
CD TrackWhen you import an audio CD track, the file is named according to 
this column. The names are pulled automatically from CDDB, if 
possible. You can rename a track by clicking in the CD Track column 
and typing a new name. You can also apply a generic name to all 
audio CD tracks, if no name was available in CDDB.
LengthThe length of the audio CD track in minutes and seconds.
SizeThe file size of the audio CD track in MB.
Copy StartYou can copy a section of a track if you like. This indicates the start of 
the section to be copied in the track. By default, this is set to the start 
of the track (0.000) but you can adjust this on the copy selection 
ruler, see below.
Copy EndIndicates the end of the section to be copied in the track. By default, 
this is set to the end of the track but you can adjust this on the copy 
selection ruler, see below.
Play
StopPlay to Right Marker
Start of selection handle End of selection handle
Play from Left Marker 
						

							688
File handlingImporting audio
Importing Audio from video files
While you can automatically extract the audio when importing a video file (see 
“Extracting audio from a video file” on page 678), it is also possible to import the 
audio from a video file without importing the video itself:
1.Open the File menu, open the Import submenu and select “Audio from Video 
File…”.
2.In the file dialog that opens, locate and select the video file and click Open.
The audio in the selected video file is extracted and converted to a Wave file in the 
project’s Audio folder.
•A new audio clip is created and added to the Pool. In the Project window, an event 
referencing the audio file is inserted on the selected track at the project cursor 
position. If no track was selected, a new track is created.
This works just like importing regular audio files.
ÖFor information about importing video files, see “Importing video files” on page 672.
Importing ReCycle files
ReCycle by Propellerhead Software is a program designed especially for working with 
sampled loops. By “slicing” a loop and making separate samples of each beat, 
ReCycle makes it possible to match the tempo of a loop and edit the loop as if it was 
built of individual sounds. Cubase can import two file types created by ReCycle:
- REX files (export file format of the first versions of ReCycle, extension “.rex”).
- REX 2 files (file format of ReCycle 2.0 and later, extension “.rx2”).
Proceed as follows:
1.Select an audio track and move the project cursor to where you want the imported 
file to start.
You probably want to import REX files to tempo based audio tracks, since this will 
allow you to change the tempo later on (having the imported REX file automatically 
adjust).
2.Select “Audio File…” from the Import submenu of the File menu.
3.On the file type pop-up menu in the file dialog, select REX File or REX 2 File.
4.Locate and select the file you want to import, and click Open.
The file is imported and automatically adjusted to the current Cubase tempo. 
Unlike a regular audio file, the imported REX file will consist of several events, one for 
each “slice” in the loop. The events will automatically be placed in an audio part on the 
selected track and positioned so that the original internal timing of the loop is preserved.
5.If you now open the part in the Audio Part Editor, you can edit each slice separately 
by muting, moving and resizing events, adding effects and processing, etc.
You can also adjust the tempo and have the REX file automatically follow (provided 
that its track is tempo based).
ÖYou can achieve similar results by using Cubase’s own loop slicing features, see 
“Working with hitpoints and slices” on page 347.
!For this to work, the REX Shared Library needs to be installed on your system. 
						

							689
File handlingImporting audio
Importing compressed audio files
Cubase can import several common audio compression formats. The procedure is the 
same as when importing any non-compressed audio file, with one important thing to 
note:
•For most compressed file formats, Cubase creates a copy of the file and converts 
t h i s  t o  W a v e  f o r m a t  ( W i n d o w s )  o r  A I F F  f o r m a t  ( M a c
 OS X) before importing it. The 
original compressed file will not be used in the project. 
The imported file is placed in the designated project Audio folder.
The following file types are supported:
FLAC files
FLAC is an open source format and stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec. Audio files 
in this format are typically 50 to 60
 % smaller than regular Wave files. FLAC files are not 
converted to Wave files on import.
MPEG audio files
MPEG, which stands for Moving Picture Experts Group, is the name of a family of 
standards used for encoding audio-visual information (e.
 g. movies, video, music) in a 
digital compressed format. 
Cubase can read two types of audio MPEG files: MPEG Layer 2 (*.mp2) and MPEG 
Layer 3 (*.mp3). Currently, mp3 is the most common of these formats, while the mp2 
format is mostly used in broadcast applications. 
Ogg Vorbis files
Ogg Vorbis is an open and patent-free format that offers very small audio files 
maintaining comparatively high audio quality. Ogg Vorbis files have the extension “.ogg”.
Windows Media Audio files (Windows only)
Windows Media Audio is an audio format developed by Microsoft, Inc. Due to 
advanced audio compression algorithms, Windows Media Audio files can be made 
very small, maintaining good audio quality. The files have the extension “.wma”.
ÖFor exporting Audio, see the chapter “Export Audio Mixdown” on page 638.
!The resulting Wave/AIFF file is several times larger than the original compressed file. 
						

							690
File handlingExporting and importing OMF files (Cubase only)
Exporting and importing OMF files (Cubase only)
Open Media Framework Interchange (OMFI) is a platform independent file format 
intended for the transfer of digital media between different applications. Cubase can 
import and export OMF files (file extension “.omf”), allowing you to use Cubase in 
conjunction with other audio and video applications.
Exporting OMF files
When exporting tracks and files as OMF, you should consider setting up your project 
to use mono tracks and mono files, to allow compatibility with audio applications that 
provide limited support for interleaved audio files. 
1.Open the File menu, open the Export submenu and select “OMF…”.
The Export Options dialog opens.
2.Use the track list to the left to select the tracks that you want to include in the 
exported file.
To select all tracks, click the “Select All” button. Normally, the whole project is 
included – to export the range between the locators only, activate “From Left to 
Right Locator”.
•When referencing media files (see below), you can set the referenced output path 
by entering it in the “Media Destination Path” field or by clicking on “Browser…” 
and choosing it in the file dialog that opens.
All file references will be set to this path. You can create references to media 
destinations that do not exist on the system you are currently working with, making 
it easy to prepare files for use in projects on another system or in a network 
environment.