Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

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Working with symbolsDeleting symbols
Altering the shape and direction of slurs and ties
ÖThis section describes how to alter the “regular” slur and tie symbols. How to add and 
edit Bezier slur symbols is described in the section 
“The Bezier slur” on page 819.
There are two types of slurs and ties in the Symbols Inspector. The up/down variation 
of each actually represent the same symbol but with different initial direction. You can 
perform the following editing to slurs and ties:
•By dragging the middle handle up/down and left/right you can change the shape 
of the curve. 
•By selecting a slur or a tie and clicking the “Flip” symbol on the extended toolbar or 
by selecting “Flip Position” on the context menu, you can change the direction and 
positioning of the slur or tie.
Actually, there are three “modes” for a slur or tie. You step through these three 
modes by clicking the button.
•By dragging the end points of a slur or tie, you can change its shape without 
affecting its “relation” to the notes it belongs to.
In other words, the end point of the slur/tie keeps its relative distance to that note 
when the note is moved with the Layout tool or when the measure width is 
adjusted.
•By holding down [Ctrl]/[Command] and dragging the end points of a slur or tie, it 
can be detached from the notes it belonged to.
ÖTo restore the default shape of a symbol, right-click on it and select “Default position” 
from the context menu, see 
“Moving note symbols” on page 830.
•To change the default shape and spacing of slurs and ties, open the Score 
Settings dialog on the Project–Spacings subpage and edit the “Slur’s Start & End 
Distance from Note Head” and “Slur’s Middle Distance from Note Head” settings.
These settings are used for all new slurs and ties you create, as well as for all 
existing slurs for which you have not manually changed the shape.
Deleting symbols
This is done as with all other objects in Cubase, either with the Erase tool or by 
selecting it and pressing [Delete] or [Backspace].
Copy and paste
All symbols except those on the Layout and Project layers can be copied and pasted 
just as any other object in Cubase. The following applies:
•Symbols that were tied to notes (e.g. accents) become “free-floating” objects 
when pasted.
That is, they are not tied to any note any more. If this is not what you want, consider 
copying with the bar handles, as described in the section 
“Moving and duplicating 
with the bar handles” on page 828. 
						

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Working with symbolsAlignment
Alignment
Symbols can be aligned as in drawing programs. Proceed as follows:
1.Select all objects that you want to align.
2.Open the Scores menu and select an option from the Align Elements submenu.
The “Dynamics” option is a special function for aligning dynamic symbols, as 
described in the section 
“Aligning dynamics” on page 834.
Symbol details
This section further describes some of the symbol tabs.
The Quick Staff Setup tab
This tab combines the basic settings for Display Quantize (see“Display Quantize 
values” on page 773), staff mode (see “Setting up the voices” on page 781) as well 
as staff presets (see “About the polyphonic presets” on page 782) for quick access.
The “Clefs etc.” tab
Clefs
You can insert a clef symbol anywhere in the score. This has an effect on the notes, 
just as the first clef on the staff has. And just as with the first clef, the type is selected 
from the Edit Clef dialog that appears when you select the Clef symbol and click in the 
Score. See 
“Inserting and editing clefs, keys, or time signatures” on page 768 and 
“Setting clef, key, and time signature” on page 738 for details.
!Note symbols like staccato and accents can only be aligned horizontally. 
						

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Working with symbolsSymbol details
When you double-click on an existing clef, the Edit Clef dialog appears again, 
allowing you to change the type. When you right-click on a clef, you can change the 
type from the context menu. 
Keys
Inserting a key change is similar to inserting a new clef (see above). For further 
information, see 
“Editing the key” on page 742.
ÖIn the dialog that appears when you insert a key change, you can also insert Display 
Transpose changes.
Time signatures
You can insert a time signature symbol at the beginning of any bar. Inserting a new 
time signature inserts a change on the signature track, see 
“Inserting and editing clefs, 
keys, or time signatures” on page 768.
When you select the Time Signature symbol and click in the score, the Edit Time 
Signature dialog opens, allowing you to specify the time signature. When you double-
click on an existing time signature symbol, the same dialog appears, allowing you to 
change the type. This dialog is described in detail in the section 
“Editing the time 
signature” on page 738. When you right-click on a time signature, you can change the 
type on the context menu.
•You can select a font and size for time signatures in the “Font Settings” subpage 
of the Score Settings dialog (Project page).
The default font for this is the included “Steinberg Notation” font.
The Dynamics tab
There are dynamic symbols ranging from ffff to pppp, plus “special” dynamic symbols 
such as sforzando, fortepiano, etc. 
•By selecting a dynamic symbol and clicking the “+” and “-” buttons on the 
extended toolbar, you can quickly edit dynamics in the score.
Use this feature to step between pppp, pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, fff, and ffff. 
•You can also right-click on a symbol and select “One up” or “One down” on the 
context menu.
As above, these commands can be used to step between pppp, pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, 
fff, and ffff. 
•To change the size of a dynamic symbol, right-click on it and in the context menu, 
select an option from the Size submenu.
•In the Line/Trill tab you can find a line symbol which allows you to create the 
following type of change in dynamics:
Crescendo and diminuendo (decrescendo)
In the Dynamics tab, there are three kinds of crescendo symbols: regular crescendo, 
regular diminuendo and a “double” crescendo (diminuendo–crescendo).
•To insert a crescendo (), select the corresponding symbol 
from the tab and drag from left to right.
•If you draw a crescendo symbol from right to left, the result is a diminuendo 
symbol, and vice versa. 
						

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Working with symbolsSymbol details
•To insert a crescendo-diminuendo () symbol, select the double crescendo 
symbol from the tab and drag from left to right.
•To insert a diminuendo-crescendo (>
						

							835
Working with symbolsSymbol details
•In the Score Settings dialog (Project page–Notation Style subpage) you can 
specify globally how tuplets are displayed.
You can also select a font and size for the tuplet numbers in the Font Settings 
subpage. 
•You can also right-click on the tuplet group symbol and select the “Extend (+)” or 
“Reduce (-)” command to extend it to the next chord or to reduce it.
Vertical symbols
The vertical symbols in the Line/Trill tab are “note-dependent”. This means that they 
must be inserted in front of a note. For more information see 
“Note layer symbols” on 
page 811 and the text about grace notes (which behave similarly) in the section 
“Grace notes” on page 807.
The Other tab
Lyrics and text symbols are described in the chapter “Working with text” on page 845. 
Chord symbols are described in the section “Inserting chord symbols” on page 841.
Pedal down and up symbols
When you insert a Pedal down or up symbol, you also insert an actual MIDI event 
(damper pedal, control change 64) at that position. Similarly, inserting or recording a 
damper pedal event in another editor displays a pedal down/up symbol in the score.
•If the “Hide Pedal Markers” option is activated in the Score Settings dialog, 
Project–Notation Style subpage (Miscellaneous category), all pedal markers are 
hidden.
Use this if you have recorded a lot of damper pedal messages, but do not want 
these to show in the score (for example if you are writing for an instrument other 
than piano).
A pedal down/up symbol combination can be displayed as “Two Symbols”, ““Ped.” + 
Bracket” or as “Bracket only”. Just right-click on the pedal symbol and choose an 
option from the context menu. You can also set this in the Score Settings dialog, on 
the Project–Notation Style subpage (Miscellaneous category).
Repeats
Repeat signs (one and two bars) have a special feature: if you hold down [Shift]-
[Ctrl]/[Command] when entering them, notes in the bars they relate to are 
automatically hidden (for more info on hiding symbols, see 
“Hiding/showing objects” 
on page 868). 
						

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Working with symbolsSymbol details
Box (rectangle) symbol
This is a “generic” box symbol, which may be useful for different purposes. If you 
double-click on a box, a dialog opens in which you can specify whether the box is 
transparent or not, and whether the border is visible. This dialog can also be opened 
by selecting “Properties” from the context menu.
The box symbol is available on the “Other” and “Layout” tabs.
The keyboard symbol
This is described in the section “Adding a keyboard symbol” on page 820.
Additional symbols
If you click the “Other Symbol” button and then into the score, the “Select Symbol” 
dialog opens. Here you can choose note heads, accidentals and rests that work only 
as drawing elements, i.e. they do not insert any note data into the track. They do not 
affect MIDI playback! You can set the desired symbol font size directly in the Font Size 
field.
The Form Symbols tab
Rehearsal marks
The following types of rehearsal marks are available: numbers and letters.
When you place the first of these in the score, it is labeled 1 or A (depending on 
which you choose on the tab), the second is then automatically labeled 2 or B, the 
next 3 or C, etc. If you delete one, the labeling of the others is shifted automatically so 
that they always make up a complete series of numbers or letters.
•You can select a font and size for rehearsal marks on the Project Text tab of the 
Project–Font Settings subpage in the Score Settings dialog.
Use the Frame option to add a box or an oval around the rehearsal mark.
•Rehearsal marks can be added automatically at the start position of each Marker in 
the project with the “Marker track to Form” function. 
						

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Working with symbolsSymbol details
Da Capo and Dal Segno symbols
The “D.C.”, “D.S.”, and “Fine” symbols provide a quick way to insert some common 
play directions into the score. The symbols are text symbols – you can adjust which 
font is used on the Project page (Font Settings subpage) of the Score Settings 
dialog, see 
“Settings for other fixed text elements” on page 857.
•To have these symbols actually affect playback, insert them on the Project layer 
and use the Arranger mode.
See “Scores and the Arranger mode” on page 891.
Endings
There are two types of endings, closed (“1”) and open (“2”). Both can be stretched to 
any length or height by dragging the handles. You can also double-click or right-click 
the existing number and enter any text you like. 
You can insert endings in all layers. Which one to choose depends on the score; 
while it is handy to insert endings once and for all as Project symbols, this does not 
allow you to make individual adjustments for the different parts.
•You can right-click an ending symbol and select the “Extend (+)” or  
“Reduce (-)” command to extend the symbol to the next chord or to reduce it.
Tempo Indicator symbol
This symbol allows you to insert the current tempo according to the tempo track. In 
other words, to make this symbol display a certain tempo, insert the value on the 
tempo track.
Normally this symbol shows the number of beats (quarter notes) per minute, but if you 
double-click or right-click it, you can select any note value. The number then changes 
accordingly.
Tempo change according to note values symbol
This symbol allows you to specify a tempo change as a change from one note value to 
another. The example above would mean “lower the tempo by a third”.
To change the note value for either symbol, double-click or right-click it and select the 
desired note value from the context menu. 
						

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Working with symbolsSymbol details
User Symbols
The User Symbols tab lets you create your own graphic symbols and use these in the 
score. 
Creating a user symbol
Initially, the User Symbols tab is empty. To create symbols you use the User Symbols 
editor:
1.Double-click on the empty symbol field on the tab.
The User Symbols editor opens. You can also right-click on an empty symbol field 
and select “Edit…” to open the same dialog.
2.Open the Functions pop-up menu and select the desired zoom factor from the 
View submenu.
Often you want to work at a reasonably high zoom factor when drawing and 
editing symbols.
3.Use the tools and functions to draw a symbol.
The available tools are listed in the table below.
When you are finished, you can close the editor and insert the symbol into the score, 
or you can create more symbols:
4.Select “New Symbol” from the Functions pop-up menu.
An empty symbol field appears in the section to the left of the drawing area – this 
section corresponds to the actual User Symbols tab, showing all symbols that you 
have created.
5.Click the new empty symbol field on the left to make sure that it is selected.
The drawing area is cleared.
6.Continue creating new symbols this way.
•You can edit existing symbols at any time by selecting them to the left and using 
the tools and functions.
Any changes you make are automatically stored in the User Symbols tab for the 
project. You can also export symbols for use in other projects, see below.
•To insert a user symbol into the score, click on it on the tab and then click at the 
desired position in the score. 
						

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Working with symbolsSymbol details
The User Symbols editor – tools and functions
The toolbar contains the following tools and settings, from left to right:
The Note Linked pop-up menu lets you create symbols linked to note positions. This 
affects the whole symbol, not a selected graphic object:
The Functions pop-up menu contains the following items (some of these can also be 
accessed on the context menu for the User Symbols tab):
ToolDescription
Object SelectionUse this to select objects – press [Shift] to select more than one. 
Click and drag to move objects – press [Ctrl]/[Command] to drag 
vertically or horizontally only or press [Alt]/[Option] to copy. 
 
To delete an object, select it and press [Backspace] or [Delete].
LineDraws a straight line.
RectangleCreates a rectangle. You can fill this with the Fill button if needed.
PolygonCreates a polygon – click where each corner of the polygon should 
be and close the figure by clicking outside the drawing area.
CircleCreates a circle. You can fill this with the Fill button if needed. 
EllipseCreates an ellipse. You can fill this with the Fill button if needed.
ArcCreates an arc.
TextAllows you to insert text objects. Clicking with this tool in the drawing 
area opens a dialog where you enter the text, specify font, style, etc. 
You can double-click on a text object you have inserted to change its 
text or settings.
SymbolClicking with this tool brings up a dialog where you can select any of 
the existing score symbols and incorporate this (at the desired font 
size) into your own symbol.
Set Color of FrameWhen this is selected, the Color pop-up menu is used to select the 
color for the object frame.
Set Color of FillWhen this is selected, the Color pop-up menu is used to select the 
fill color for objects (if Fill is selected)
FillClick this if you want the object to be filled – you can then select a Fill 
Color for it from the Color pop-up menu.
Don’t FillClick this if you do not want the object to be filled.
ColorSelects Frame or Fill Color for objects. The “Select Colors…” menu 
item brings up a standard color dialog.
Line WidthAllows you to change the line width used for the selected object.
Menu itemDescription
Not LinkedThe symbol is not linked to notes.
Linked/LeftThe symbol is linked to a note, appearing to the left of the note.
Linked/CenterThe symbol is linked and centered to a note.
Linked/BehindThe symbol is linked to a note, appearing to the right of the note.
Menu itemDescription
New SymbolAdds a new empty symbol to the tab (and to the symbol list to 
the left in the editor).
Delete SymbolDeletes the current symbol from the tab.
Export User Symbols…Allows you to save the current tab with all available symbols as a 
separate file on disk. 
						

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Working with symbolsSymbol details
Import User Symbols…Loads settings for a complete tab from disk. Note that this 
replaces the current settings.
Export/Import Symbol…Lets you save or load individual symbols to/from disk. Importing a 
symbol replaces the current symbol on the tab.
DeleteDeletes the selected object(s).
Select AllSelects all objects in the current symbol.
Transform – Scale 
SymbolLets you scale (resize) the selected object by specifying a 
percentage.
Transform – Mirror 
horizontal/verticalMirrors the selected object along the horizontal or vertical axis.
Transform –  
Flip ±90
Rotates the selected object by + or – 90 degrees.
Draw – GroupGroups the selected objects so that they are treated as one.
Draw – UngroupUngroups the selected group.
Draw – Bring To 
Front/Send To BackThese items let you arrange the objects by moving them to the 
front or the back.
Align – 
Left/Right/Top/Bottom/
Center Vertically/Center 
HorizontallyAligns the selected objects to each other.
DisplaySets the zoom factor for the drawing area.
Menu item Description