Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual
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741 The basicsSetting clef, key, and time signature On the Staff page of the Score Settings dialog 1.Click on a staff to make it the active staff. 2.On the Scores menu, select “Settings…” to open the Score Settings dialog. Select the Staff page at the top to open the Main tab, showing the current settings for the active staff. You can also double-click to the left of a staff to make it active and bring up the Score Settings dialog in one go (if this does not work, the “Double-click on staff flips between full score/part” option in the Preferences dialog (Scores–Editing page) may be activated – see “Displaying single voices or the complete score” on page 731). 3.In the Clef/Key section, use the scrollbar on the left to select one of the available clefs. How to insert clef changes is described in the section “Inserting and editing clefs, keys, or time signatures” on page 768. 4.Click Apply. ÖYou can select another staff in the score and make settings for it without having to close the Score Settings dialog first. In a split system If you have a split system (see “Split (piano) staves” on page 766 and “Strategies: How many voices do I need?” on page 783) you can set different clefs for the upper and lower staff. 1.Open the Score Settings dialog on the Staff page. 2.Select a clef for the upper staff. 3.Activate the “Lower Staff” checkbox. 4.Set a clef for the lower staff. Using Auto Clef On the Staff page of the Score Settings dialog you also find the Auto Clef option. If this is activated, the program automatically selects a treble clef or a bass clef for the staff, depending on the range of the notes in the part.
742 The basicsSetting clef, key, and time signature Editing the key Therefore, when you want to edit the key, decide if you want the key change to apply to the entire project, or if you want to use different keys on different staves: •If the key set at the beginning of the track is to be used on all staves, and if any subsequent key changes are also valid for all staves, then leave the “Key Changes for the entire Project” option activated. •If you want to use different keys on different staves, make sure that the “Key Changes for the entire Project” option is deactivated. On the key context menu When you right-click on a key symbol, a context menu with a list of all available keys opens. This menu also contains the following options: •Key Changes for the entire Project If this option is activated, all changes made to the key always affects the entire project, so that it is not possible to define different keys for different staves. •Hide If you select this, the key is hidden. •Properties If you select this, the Edit Key dialog opens. In the Edit Key dialog If the current key is anything but C major/A minor (no accidentals), you can set the key directly in the score: 1.Double-click on the accidentals at the beginning of a staff. The “Edit Key” dialog opens. 2.Use the scrollbar to select a key and click OK. ÖYou can also enter a Display Transpose value, see “Transposing instruments” on page 744. !In the Score Settings dialog on the Project–Notation Style subpage (Keys category), you can find the “Key Changes for the entire Project” option. When this is activated, all changes made to the key always affect every staff in the project, i. e. it is impossible to define different keys for different staves (other than the relative display transpose settings for instruments made on the Staff page). Furthermore, on the Staff page, any staff (e.g. a drum staff) can be set to not show key signatures. Double-click here… …to open the Edit Key dialog.
743 The basicsSetting clef, key, and time signature On the Staff page of the Score Settings dialog 1.Make the desired staff active, open the Score Settings dialog and select the Staff page. The Clef/Key section on the Staff page 2.Use the right scrollbar in the Clef/Key section to select the desired key. 3.Click Apply. ÖYou can select other staves in the score and make settings for these, without having to close the Score Settings dialog. Setting the key for a split system If you have a split system with two staves (see “Split (piano) staves” on page 766 and “Strategies: How many voices do I need?” on page 783) you can set different keys for the upper and lower staff. 1.Click in the system to make one of its staves the active staff. 2.Open the Score Settings dialog on the Staff page. 3.Set a key for the upper staff. This automatically sets the lower staff to the same key. 4.If you need to set a different key for the lower staff, activate the “Lower Staff” checkbox and set a key for this. Setting a local key You can also set a different key for the selected staff only. This is useful for instruments like oboe and English horn that change display transpose and therefore also the key. Proceed as follows: 1.Make the desired staff active, open the Score Settings dialog and select the Staff page. 2.Activate the “Local Keys” option on the Main subpage in the Clef/Key section. ÖThis option is only available if “Key Changes for entire Project” is activated in the Score Settings dialog, on the Project–Notation Style subpage (Keys category). 3.Use the scrollbar to the right to set the desired key. 4.Click Apply to set the selected key for the staff.
744 The basicsTransposing instruments Transposing instruments Scores for some instruments, for example a lot of brass instruments, are written transposed. Therefore, the Score Editor provides a Display Transpose function. With this function notes are transposed in the score without affecting the way they are played back. This allows you to record and play back a multi-staff arrangement, and still score each instrument according to its own transposition. Setting Display Transpose 1.Make the desired staff active, open the Score Settings dialog and select the Staff page. 2.In the Display Transpose section, select your instrument from the transpose pop- up menu or adjust the value directly in the Semitones field. 3.Click Apply. Display Transpose in the Edit Key dialog If you want to change the Display Transpose setting in the middle of the score, you can do this by inserting a key change (see “Inserting and editing clefs, keys, or time signatures” on page 768). In the Edit Key dialog (which is opened by double-clicking a key symbol) you can find a Transpose field, in which you can enter a transposition value in semitones. This is useful if you are for example writing a saxophone part and want the player to switch from alto to tenor saxophone. ÖNote that you enter an absolute Display Transpose value that is used from this point on. In other words, this setting is not relative to any Display Transpose settings you made on the Staff page of the Score Settings dialog. Disabling Display Transpose You can also disable Display Transpose by deactivating the “Display Transpose” button on the Score Editor toolbar. This can be useful if you work with transposing instruments and want to show the concert key and not the scored key. Printing from the Score Editor When you have made all necessary changes to the score display and are satisfied with the result, you can go ahead and print your score, e. g. to hand out note sheets. Proceed as follows: 1.On the Scores menu, activate “Page Mode”. Printing is only possible from within Page Mode. 2.Select Page Setup from the File menu and make sure all your printer settings are correct. Close the dialog. 3.Select Print from the File menu. Transpose pop-up menu !Display Transpose does not affect MIDI playback! !If you change your setting for paper size, scale, and margins now, the score may change its look.
745 The basicsExporting pages as image files 4.A standard print dialog appears. Fill out the options as desired. 5.Click Print. Exporting pages as image files You can export a section of a page or a complete page in various file formats. This allows you to import your scores into desktop publishing and drawing applications. Selecting a section of a page for exporting If you only want to export a part of a certain page, proceed as follows: 1.Make sure that you are in Page Mode. 2.Select the Export tool (“Select Export Range”). The pointer turns into a cross-hair cursor. 3.Drag over the section of the score you want to include. The area is indicated by a black rectangle. - You can adjust the size of the rectangle by clicking and dragging its handles with the Object Selection tool. - You can move the rectangle to another position in the score by clicking and dragging. To export the selected range, you have two possibilities: •Double-click inside the rectangle while it is selected. This opens the Export Scores dialog, where you can make settings for the file to be created (see below). •Use the Export Scores function, see below. Exporting To export the score, proceed as follows: 1.Make sure that you are in Page Mode. 2.Select the page that you want to export. 3.Open the File menu, open the Export submenu and select “Export Scores…”. The Export Scores dialog appears. 4.Select a picture format. 5.Specify a resolution for the file. This determines the accuracy with which the image is created. 300 dpi, for example, is the resolution many laser printers use for printing. If the image file is only displayed on screen in other programs, select 72 or 96 (depending on screen resolution) and it has the same size as it had in Cubase. 6.Specify name and location for the file and click Save. The page of the score is exported and saved as a file. It can now be imported into any program supporting the selected file format.
746 The basicsWorking order Working order When you prepare a score, we suggest you do things in the following order, since this minimizes the time needed if you make a mistake somewhere and need to redo a step. •Preferably work on copies of recorded tracks. If the parts are fairly complex you might have to change them permanently, after which they do not play back as they originally did. •If memory is an issue, break the score up into segments. You might for example use the Split Loop function (from the Functions submenu on the Edit menu) to split the parts across all tracks. •Arrange the tracks in the Project window in the order you want them displayed in the score. You cannot rearrange the order of systems in the Score Editor. However, you can go back and change the order in the Project window at any time. •When opening the Score Editor, begin with the adjustments described above. You should always begin by setting page margins, etc. •If you have recorded music into tracks already, try adjusting the graphic display of the score as much as possible without permanently editing the notes. Use the Score Settings, Display Quantize, Grouping, etc. •If the tracks are empty, make basic staff settings, enter the notes and then make detailed adjustments, add Display Quantize, etc. •If needed, use polyphonic voicing to resolve overlapping notes, create piano systems, handle crossing voices, etc. •When all this is done, decide if you need to perform “destructive” editing. You might for example have to permanently alter the length or position of some of the recorded notes. •Hide unwanted objects and add note-dependent and note-related symbols. This includes accents, dynamic symbols, crescendo, slurs, lyrics, “graphic rests”, etc. •Work through the score and adjust the number of bars across the page. •Adjust the vertical spacing between staves and grand staves. The last two steps can be performed automatically by the program using the Auto Layout features. •Add layout symbols like endings, page text, etc. •Print or export the score. •Go back and create alternative layouts, e. g. to extract voices. Force update If for some reason the screen is not redrawn properly (as a result of the computer’s recalculation of the appearance of the page), you can select “Force Update” from the Functions submenu on the Scores menu or click the Force Update button on the extended toolbar. This forces a redraw of the whole page.
747 Transcribing MIDI recordings About this chapter In this chapter you will learn: - How to prepare your parts for score printouts. - How to use the Display Quantize tool to handle “exceptions” in the score. - How to resolve parts that contain mixed notes and triplets. About transcription This chapter assumes you have a MIDI recording that you want to transform into a printable score. However, if the parts are fairly complicated, you probably need to perform some manual editing of the notes. This is described in the chapter “Entering and editing notes” on page 753. Getting the parts ready 1.Record the music. You must definitely play in time with the click. 2.Play back to check that the music was recorded as intended. If not, you might need to re-record or perform some editing. 3.Decide how much permanent alteration to the recording you can accept to make the score look good. If the answer is “none”, you should prepare your score from a copy of the track. See the section below. 4.Select all parts (on all tracks) that you want to work on. 5.Open the Score Editor. 6.Activate Page Mode. Preparing parts for score printout Below follow a few tips to note when preparing a score for printout: •If a part is complex, you may have to do some “manual” editing of notes, like moving them or changing their lengths (see the chapter “Entering and editing notes” on page 753). This means that the recording does not play back exactly as it originally did. If this is a problem, we suggest you work on a copy of the recording. Use the Duplicate Track function on the Project menu to create a version of the track for scoring. Rename the track and mute the original track while you are preparing the score. You can of course also work on a copy of the entire project file. !Before starting, make sure that you understand the basic principles behind the score notes/MIDI notes relationship and also what Display Quantize is, as described in the chapter “How the Score Editor works” on page 725.
748 Transcribing MIDI recordingsStaff settings •For reasons described in the previous chapter, quantizing the track might be a good idea. This reduces the amount of detailed adjustments needed in the Score Editor. •If you need to quantize, always play back your tracks afterwards to make sure timing was not disrupted due to inappropriate quantize settings. You might have to quantize some sections with one value and others with another. •If the project contains many repetitions, it might be quicker to record just one instance of each to start with. If you then finish the score work on each section, you can assemble the entire project by working with parts in the Project window. This might save you some time since the detailed adjustments to each section have to be performed only once. •A similar approach can also be used when you create sections where several instruments play the same rhythm (a horn section, for example): Record the first instrument and make adjustments so that it looks like it should in the Score Editor. Then copy the part to the other tracks, and change the pitches of the notes using MIDI input. Finally, go through the copied parts and make fine adjustments, change display transpose settings, etc. This can be a very fast way to create polyphonic parts with complicated rhythms. •There also may be situations when the quickest way to record a part for several instruments is simply to record it in one go, by playing the chords on your MIDI instrument. If you later want to split the recording into separate tracks or polyphonic voices, you can use the Explode function, see “The Explode function” on page 751. Staff settings The first thing to do after opening the Score Editor is to make initial staff settings. This is done in the Score Settings dialog, on the Staff page. There are three ways to open the Score Settings dialog: •Make the staff active, open the Scores menu and select “Settings…”. •Double-click on the blue rectangle to the left of the staff. If this does not work, the “Double-click on staff flips between full score/part” option may be activated in the Preferences dialog (Scores–Editing page), see “Displaying single voices or the complete score” on page 731. •Make the staff active and click the “i” button on the extended toolbar. For this to work, make sure no notes or symbols are selected – otherwise, clicking the “i” button may open a dialog with settings for the selected object instead. Click the Staff button to open the Staff page of the Score Settings dialog. The Staff page shows the current settings for the staff on four tabs. For detailed information on the Staff Settings page, see the chapter “Staff settings” on page 771.
749 Transcribing MIDI recordingsSituations which require additional techniques Situations which require additional techniques The notes may not always appear in the score as you expect them to, initially. This is because there are a number of situations which require special techniques and settings. Below you can find a list of some of these and where to find more information about handling them: •Notes at the same position are considered to be part of a chord. To get independent voicing (e.g. notes with different stem directions), such as for vocal material, you need to use the polyphonic voicing feature, see the chapter “Polyphonic voicing” on page 779. Without and with polyphonic voicing •If two notes beginning at the same position have different lengths, the longer one is displayed as a number of tied notes. To avoid this, you can either use the No Overlap feature (see “No Overlap” on page 776) or polyphonic voicing (see “Polyphonic voicing” on page 779). •One note is often displayed as two notes with a tie. Please note that this is merely the way the program displays this note; only a single note is “stored”. This single note in the Key Editor is displayed as two tied notes in the Score Editor. •Normally the program adds ties where necessary (if a note stretches over a beat), but not always. For a “modern” notation of syncopated notes (less ties) use the Syncopation feature, see “Syncopation” on page 775. The same note, without and with syncopation •If you find that you want a long note to be displayed as two or more tied notes, you can achieve this with the Cut Notes tool, see “The Cut Notes tool” on page 804. •If two notes on the same position are too close to each other or if you want their order in the part reversed, you can do this without affecting playback, see “Graphic moving of notes” on page 805. •If a note has the wrong accidental, this can be changed, see “Accidentals and enharmonic shift” on page 793. •Stem direction and length are automatic, but you can change them manually if you wish, see “Background: Note stems” on page 790. •If you need a split staff (e. g. when you are scoring for piano), there are special techniques for this – see “Split (piano) staves” on page 766 and “Polyphonic voicing” on page 779.
750 Transcribing MIDI recordingsInserting Display Quantize changes Inserting Display Quantize changes Some situations may require different staff settings on different sections of the track. The staff settings are valid for the entire track, but you can insert changes wherever you like: 1.Select the Display Quantize tool on the toolbar or the context menu. The Display Quantize dialog opens. 2.Activate the flags you need and set the quantize values as desired. For details, see “Display Quantize and Interpretation Options” on page 773. Additional hints below. 3.If you want to restore the settings to the ones used in the Score Settings dialog (Staff page), click the “Restore To Staff” button. 4.Move the mouse over the staff where you want to insert a new Display Quantize value. Use the Mouse Time Position display in the status line to find the exact location (see “The status line” on page 735). The vertical position is of no relevance as long as you click somewhere in the staff. 5.Click the mouse button to insert a Display Quantize event. The new quantize settings are now inserted into the staff at the position where you clicked. The settings are valid until a new change is inserted. •If you are using polyphonic voices (see “Polyphonic voicing” on page 779), you can insert a Display Quantize event for all voices by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and clicking with the tool. If the “Display Quantize Tool affects all Voices” option is activated in the Score Settings dialog on the Project page (Notation Style subpage, in the Miscellaneous category), Display Quantize events is always inserted for all voices. Viewing and editing Display Quantize changes If you activate the “Quantize” checkbox on the filter bar (see “Showing and hiding elements” on page 735), a marker is shown under the staff for each Display Quantize setting you have entered with the tool. This allows you to edit your settings in the following ways: •To edit a Display Quantize change event, double-click on its marker. This opens the Display Quantize dialog again – adjust the settings and click Apply. •If the Display Quantize dialog is already open, you can select any Display Quantize change event, adjust its settings in the dialog and click Apply. •To remove a Display Quantize change, either click its marker to select it and press [Backspace] or [Delete], or click on it with the Erase tool. Select the Display Quantize tool… …to open the Display Quantize dialog.