Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

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Entering and editing notesMoving notes
Moving across staves – the Lock button
If you are editing several tracks, you may want to move notes from one staff to another. 
Proceed as follows:
1.Make the desired Quantize settings and select the notes.
Make sure to only select notes on the same staff.
2.Make sure that the “L” (Lock) button on the extended toolbar is deactivated.
When this button is activated, you cannot move notes and other objects from one 
staff to another, which is handy if you need to transpose a note very high or low, for 
example.
3.Click on one of the notes and drag them to the new system.
The active staff rectangle indicates on which staff the dragged note(s) appears.
The Snap mode
The notes you move (or copy) snap to positions defined by the note length and 
Quantize values. Using the Snap Type pop-up menu on the Score Editor toolbar you 
can select the Snap mode used when moving or copying notes:
•When using the “Grid” mode, notes you move (or copy) always snap to exact grid 
positions.
•When using the “Grid Relative” mode, a note with a certain position relative to a 
grid line always maintains that relative position to the grid when moved (or copied).
Acoustic Feedback
To hear the pitch of the note while moving, activate the speaker icon (Acoustic 
Feedback) on the toolbar.
About the lock layers
When you are moving and editing notes in the score, you might accidentally move 
other objects nearby. To avoid this, assign different types of objects to different “lock 
layers” (up to three) and instruct Cubase to “lock” one or two of these layers, making 
them unmovable.
There are two ways to set up which type of object should belong to which lock layer:
•Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu and select the Scores–Note 
Layer page.
This page lets you adjust the layer setting for each object type.
The “L” (Lock) button is deactivated. 
						

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Entering and editing notesDuplicating notes
•Right-click one of the layer buttons (1-2-3) on the extended toolbar to bring up a 
pop-up menu, showing which object types are associated with that layer.
A checkmark for an object type means it belongs to that layer. If no checkmark is 
shown, you can select the object type on the menu to move it to that layer.
To lock a layer, click the corresponding layer button, so that it is disabled (not 
highlighted). You can only select or move objects whose Layer button is activated. For 
more detailed information, see 
“Using the lock layers” on page 825.
ÖThere are also “L” and “P” layer buttons, for the layout and project layer. Clicking 
these buttons allows you to lock the layout and project layers (see 
“Background: The 
different layers” on page 811).
Displaying layers
To see which score objects you assigned to which layer, you can activate and 
deactivate the Layer buttons on the extended toolbar.
•To display all the score objects that you assigned to the different note layers, 
activate layers 1, 2, or 3. 
•To display all the score objects that are associated with the layout layer, activate 
the Layout Layer (L) button.
•To display all the score objects that are associated with the project layer, activate 
the Project Layer (P) button.
•To get an overview of all layers, activate the Colorize Layer (A) button. This 
deactivates all other layer buttons and displays the score objects in different 
colors, where each color stands for a specific type of layer.
Duplicating notes
To duplicate notes in the score, proceed as follows:
1.Set the Quantize value and select the desired notes.
You can duplicate any block of notes, even on several systems at the same time. 
The Snap mode applies, see 
“The Snap mode” on page 761.
2.Press [Alt]/[Option] and drag the duplicate notes to their new position.
•If you want to restrict movements to one direction, press [Ctrl]/[Command].
This works just as for moving, as described above.
•If you want to restrict the pitch to inside the current key only, make sure that the 
“Keep moved Notes within Key” option is activated in the Preferences dialog 
(Scores–Editing page). 
						

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Entering and editing notesCut, copy, and paste
3.Release the mouse button to insert the notes.
•[Alt]/[Option] is the default modifier key for copying/duplicating. If you like, you can 
change this in the Preferences dialog (Editing–Tool Modifiers page).
The entry for this is found in the Drag & Drop category (“Copy”).
ÖYou can also move or copy whole bars by dragging the bar handles, see “Moving and 
duplicating with the bar handles” on page 828.
Cut, copy, and paste
•To cut notes, select them and choose Cut from the Edit menu (or use a key 
command, by default [Ctrl]/[Command]-[X]).
The notes are now removed from the score and put on the clipboard.
•To copy notes, select them and choose Copy from the Edit menu (or use a key 
command, by default [Ctrl]/[Command]-[C]).
A copy of the notes is made, and put on the clipboard. The original notes remain 
where they were.
Notes that you have put on the clipboard by cutting or copying can be inserted into 
the score again as follows:
1.Activate the desired staff.
2.Move the project cursor to the position where you want the first note to appear.
This is done by holding down [Alt]/[Option] and [Shift] and clicking at the desired 
position in the score.
3.Select Paste from the Edit menu (or use a key command, by default 
[Ctrl]/[Command]-[V]).
The notes are pasted in, beginning at the project cursor. If the cut or copied notes 
come from different staves, they are also inserted on different staves. Otherwise, 
the notes are inserted on the active staff. They keep the pitch and relative positions 
they had when you cut or copied them. 
Editing pitches of individual notes
By dragging
The simplest way to edit the pitch of a note is to  dra g i t u p or  d ow n.  Re m e mb er t o h ol d 
down [Ctrl]/[Command] to avoid moving the note sideways as well.
•If the “Keep moved Notes within Key” option is activated in the Preferences dialog 
(Scores–Editing page), notes are transposed within the current key only.
•To avoid accidentally moving the note into another staff, activate the Lock button 
(see 
“Moving across staves – the Lock button” on page 761).
•When you drag the mouse up and down before releasing the button, accidentals 
are shown beside the note to indicate the current pitch.
This helps you verify the vertical position for the note.
Using the Transpose Palette
The Transpose Palette on the toolbar contains buttons for transposing the selected 
notes up or down in steps of one semitone or one octave.
•To show the Transpose Palette, right-click the toolbar and activate “Transpose 
Palette” on the context menu.
!The clipboard can only hold one set of notes. If you cut or copy and then cut or copy 
again, the notes copied to the clipboard first are lost. 
						

							764
Entering and editing notesEditing pitches of individual notes
Using key commands
Instead of transposing the note with the mouse, you can assign key commands for 
this.
•The commands for which you can assign key commands are found in the Nudge 
category in the Key Commands dialog.
Transpose commands are, for example, “Up” (transpose one semitone up) and 
“Down” (transpose one semitone down).
Using the info line
You can use the info line to change the pitches (and other properties) of one or 
several notes numerically, see 
“The info line” on page 48.
•If you have several notes selected and change the pitch on the info line, the 
changes are relative.
That is, all selected notes are transposed by an equal amount.
•If you have several notes selected, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and change the 
pitch on the info line, the changes are absolute.
That is, all selected notes are set to the same pitch.
Via MIDI
Proceed as follows:
1.On the toolbar, activate the MIDI Input button and the Record Pitch button to the 
right.
If you also want to change the note-on and/or note-off velocity of the notes via 
MIDI, this can be done by also activating the corresponding velocity buttons, as 
described in the chapter 
“The MIDI editors” on page 481.
To edit notes via MIDI (pitches only), set up the buttons like this.
2.Select the first note that you want to edit.
3.Press a key on your MIDI keyboard.
The note takes on the pitch of the key you pressed. The program then selects the 
next note.
4.To change the pitch of the next selected note, simply press the desired key.
In this manner you can change the pitches of as many notes as you wish, by simply 
pressing the relevant keys. You can also use key commands (by default the left 
and right arrow key) to pass from one note to the other. For example, if you make a 
mistake, you can step back to the previous note by pressing the left arrow key. 
						

							765
Entering and editing notesChanging the length of notes
Changing the length of notes
When it comes to note lengths, the Score Editor is special in that it does not 
necessarily display the notes with their actual length. Depending on the situation, you 
may want to change the “physical length” of the notes or the “display length”.
Changing the “physical” length
This changes the actual length of the notes. The change is audible when you play 
back the music.
By using the extended toolbar
Using the extended toolbar is another quick way to set a number of notes to the same 
length:
1.Select the notes that you want to change.
2.Hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on one of the note icons on the extended 
toolbar.
All the selected notes now get the note value on which you clicked.
By using the info line
You can also edit length values numerically on the info line. The same rules apply as 
when changing the pitch of notes (see 
“Using the info line” on page 764).
Lengthening a note by gluing two notes together
You can create unusual note length values by gluing notes of the same pitch together.
1.Insert the notes that you want to glue together (if they do not already exist).
2.Select the Glue tool on the toolbar or context menu.
3.Click on the first note.
This note is now tied to the first following note with the same pitch.
4.If you want to glue more notes, click again.
By gluing together a quarter note, an eighth note and a sixteenth note…
…you get a double dotted quarter note.
Changing the display length
If you want to change the displayed length of notes without affecting how they play 
back, the first thing to try is to adjust Display Quantize, either for the whole staff or for 
a separate section, using the Display Quantize tool (see 
“Inserting Display Quantize 
changes” on page 750). 
!Remember that the appearance of notes and rests in the score is determined by the 
Display Quantize settings on the Staff page of the Score Settings dialog. Depending 
on the Notes and Rests values, notes may be displayed as if they were longer than 
they really are (see 
“Display Quantize” on page 726).
!Make sure that you have Display Quantize values for notes and rests that allow you to 
display notes of the created note value. 
						

							766
Entering and editing notesSplitting a note in two
But you can also make display length adjustments to individual notes in the Set Note 
Info dialog:
1.Double-click on the note.
The Set Note Info dialog opens.
2.Locate the “Length” setting.
By default, this is set to “Auto”, which means that the note is displayed according 
to its actual length (and the Display Quantize settings).
3.Double-click in the value field and enter a new length value (displayed in bars, 
beats, sixteenth notes, and ticks).
To set the display length to “Auto” again, scroll the value down to zero.
4.Click Apply and close the dialog.
The note is now displayed according to its display length setting. However, the 
Display Quantize settings still apply!
Splitting a note in two
If you have two notes strung together by a tie, and click on the “tied” note head with 
the Split tool, the note is divided into two, with the length of the “main” and the tied 
note, respectively.
Before and after splitting a tied note
Working with the Display Quantize tool
There are instances when you want different staff settings for different sections of the 
track. The settings on the Staff page of the Score Settings dialog are valid for the 
entire track, but by using the Display Quantize tool you are able to insert changes and 
exceptions wherever you like. This is described in detail in the section 
“Inserting 
Display Quantize changes” on page 750.
Split (piano) staves
Setting up the split staff
Proceed as follows:
1.Make a staff active.
2.Open the Score Settings dialog on the Staff page and select the Polyphonic tab.
3.From the Staff Mode pop-up menu, select Split.
4.Set the Split Point value to a suitable note.
All notes below this note value are put on the lower clef, all above are put on the 
upper clef.
Split mode selected. 
						

							767
Entering and editing notesStrategies: Multiple staves
•If the default piano clef settings for the upper and lower staff are not what you 
want, you can adjust these settings now (or you can make key and clef 
adjustments directly in the score, see 
“Setting clef, key, and time signature” on 
page 738).
5.Make whatever additional staff settings you need.
These apply to both the upper and lower staves of the split system.
6.Click Apply.
Changing the split point
Proceed as follows:
1.Make sure that the system you are working on is active.
2.Open the Score Settings and select the Staff page.
3.Select the Polyphonic tab.
4.Change the Split Point value.
5.Click Apply.
Now, some notes that were previously on the lower staff are on the upper, or vice 
versa.
Strategies: Multiple staves
As described above, when you have parts on several tracks selected in the Project 
window, these are put on one staff each, when you open the Score Editor. This allows 
you to work on several staves in parallel.
Working with several staves is not much different from working with one. Below follow 
some guidelines that apply specifically to working with multiple staves.
Score settings dialog, Staff page
The settings on the Staff page of the Score Settings dialog are local to each staff. You 
can have the Score Settings dialog open and select each staff in turn to make settings 
– just remember to click Apply before selecting another staff, otherwise your changes 
are lost.
If several staves share settings, you can save some time by using staff presets. Set up 
the staff settings for the first staff, and save them as a preset. This preset can then be 
applied to any of the other staves, one at a time, see 
“Working with staff presets” on 
page 772 for details.
Selecting notes
You can select notes from one or several staves at the same time, using any of the 
selection methods, see 
“Selecting notes” on page 759.
Before and after setting a split at C3 
						

							768
Entering and editing notesInserting and editing clefs, keys, or time signatures
Adding notes
This is done just as on a single system, see “Adding and editing notes” on page 756. 
Please note the following:
•When you enter a note, use the Mouse Note Position display (in the status line) to 
determine the pitch. Whether it ends up on the upper or lower staff has nothing to 
do with where you aim with the mouse. The Split Point setting always decides if a 
note goes on the upper or lower staff. If you change the split point, this affects 
existing notes, see below.
•Sometimes a fixed split point is not good enough. You might want to put two notes 
with the same pitch on different staves in different parts of the score. To achieve 
this you need to use polyphonic voicing, see 
“Polyphonic voicing” on page 779.
•You can add notes to any staff by clicking on it with the Insert Note tool. The active 
staff rectangle moves to the staff where you input the note.
•If you need to enter a note with a very high or low pitch, which makes it wind up on 
the wrong staff when you click, first enter a note with the wrong pitch, and then 
edit its pitch as described in the section 
“Editing pitches of individual notes” on 
page 763.
Inserting and editing clefs, keys, or time signatures
It is possible to insert a change of clef, key, or time signature anywhere in the score.
Inserting a symbol on one staff
Proceed as follows:
1.In the Symbols Inspector, open the “Clefs etc.” tab.
This contains clef, key, and time signature symbols.
2.Select the symbol that you want to insert.
When you move the mouse over the score display, the pointer takes on the form of 
a pencil (see also 
“About the Draw tool” on page 816).
3.Move the mouse over the staff where you want to insert a new symbol.
Use the Mouse Time Position display in the status line to find the exact location. 
The Mouse Note Position, i.
 e. the vertical position is of no relevance as long as you 
click somewhere in the staff. Time signature changes can only be inserted at the 
beginning of a bar.
4.Click the mouse button to insert the symbol.
!Inserting a symbol at position 1.1.1.0 is the same as changing the staff settings which 
are stored in the track. Inserting anywhere else adds the change to the part. 
						

							769
Entering and editing notesInserting and editing clefs, keys, or time signatures
Inserting a symbol on all staves
If you hold down [Alt]/[Option] when you insert a symbol with the Draw tool, it is 
inserted at this position on all staves currently being edited in the Score Editor.
•Time signature changes are always inserted on all tracks in the score.
Or rather, they are inserted on the signature track, which affects all tracks.
•For key changes, Display Transpose is taken into account.
This allows you to set all staves to a new key and the staves set to Display 
Transpose still show the correct key after the key change.
ÖIf some of the staves are bracketed (straight brackets only, as set up in the Score 
Settings dialog on the Layout page, see 
“Adding brackets and braces” on page 878), 
inserting a symbol for one of these staves inserts it for all other staves within the 
bracket. Staves outside the bracket are not affected.
Editing clefs, keys, and time signatures
If you double-click on a symbol, a dialog appears allowing you to change the settings 
for it.
If you hold down [Alt]/[Option] when double-clicking, all symbols at the same position 
are changed accordingly. With key signatures, the Display Transpose value is taken 
into account as described above.
•In the Score Settings dialog on the Project page (Notation Style subpage), you 
can find several options for how clef, key, and time signature changes are 
displayed.
You can also adjust the automatic spacing between these symbols in the 
Spacings subpage. See the dialog help for details.
Moving clefs
Clefs inserted into the score have an effect on how notes are displayed. If you for 
example insert a bass clef in the middle of a treble staff, the staff switches to show 
bass pitches. Therefore it is very important where you insert the clef.
If you want to move the clef graphically, without disturbing the relation between the 
clef and the notes, proceed as follows:
1.Select the Layout tool on the toolbar or context menu.
Note that this tool is available in Page Mode only.
2.Click on the clef and drag it to the desired position.
Now the clef is moved, but the score is still interpreted as if it remained in its 
original position.
ÖWhen you insert a clef change in the score, you can decide whether this has the same 
size as the first (default) clef symbol or whether it is displayed with a smaller symbol. 
Simply right-click the symbol and activate or deactivate “Display Clef Changes as 
Small Symbols”.
ÖWhen “Warnings for new Clefs at Line Breaks” is activated on the Clef context menu 
and you inserted a clef change at a line break in the score, the Clef change symbol is 
inserted in the last bar before the staff break. When this is deactivated, the symbol is 
inserted in the first bar of the next staff line. 
						

							770
Entering and editing notesDeleting notes
Deleting notes
Using the Erase tool
Proceed as follows:
1.Select the Erase tool on the toolbar or context menu.
2.One at a time, click on the note(s) you want to erase, or enclose them in a 
selection rectangle, and click on any of the notes.
Using the Delete menu option or the keyboard
Proceed as follows:
1.Select the notes that you want to delete.
2.Select Delete from the Edit menu, or press [Delete] or [Backspace] on the 
computer keyboard.