Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

							81
Working with projectsRange editing
•Double-clicking on an event with the Range Selection tool creates a selection 
range encompassing the event.
If you hold down [Shift] you can double-click several events in a row, and the 
selection range will expand to encompass them all. Double-clicking a second time 
on an event opens it for editing in the Sample Editor.
Making selection ranges for several non-contiguous tracks
You can create selection ranges that cover several tracks. It is also possible to 
exclude tracks from a selection range:
1.Create a selection range from the first to the last desired track.
2.Press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click in the selection range on the tracks that you 
want to exclude from the selection.
3.In the same manner, you can add a track to the selection range by 
[Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking in the selection range area on the track.
Editing selection ranges
Adjusting the size of the selection range
You can adjust the size of a selection range in the following ways:
•By dragging its edges.
The pointer takes the shape of a double arrow when you move it over an edge of 
the selection range.
•By holding down [Shift] and clicking.
The closest selection range edge will be moved to the position at which you 
clicked.
•By adjusting the selection range start or end position on the info line.
From Cursor to EndMakes a selection on all tracks, from the project cursor to the end of 
the project.
All on Selected 
TracksOnly used for event selection (see “Selecting events” on page 70).
Select EventThis is available in the Sample Editor (see “Using the Select menu” 
on page 335).
Left Selection Side 
to CursorMoves the left side of the current selection range to the project 
cursor position.
Right Selection Side 
to CursorMoves the right side of the current selection range to the project 
cursor position.
Option Description 
						

							82
Working with projectsRange editing
•By using the Trim buttons on the toolbar.
The left Trim buttons will move the start of the selection range and the right 
buttons will move the end. The edges will be moved by the amount specified on 
the Grid pop-up menu.
•By using the Nudge buttons on the toolbar.
These will move the whole selection range to the left or the right. The amount of 
movement depends on the selected display format (see 
“The Project Setup 
dialog” on page 62) and the value specified on the Grid pop-up menu.
ÖThe Trim buttons and the Nudge buttons are located in the Nudge palette, which is 
not visible on the toolbar by default.
See “The setup context menus” on page 700 for instructions on how to show and 
hide items on the toolbar.
Moving and duplicating
•To move a selection range, click and drag it to a new position.
This will move the contents of the selection range to the new position. If the range 
intersected events or parts, these will be split before moving, so that only the 
sections within the selection range are affected.
•To duplicate a selection range, hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag.
You can also use the Duplicate, Repeat and Fill Loop functions, just as when 
duplicating events (see 
“Duplicating events” on page 73).
Using Cut, Copy, and Paste
When working with selection ranges, you can either use Cut, Copy and Paste on the 
Edit menu, or use the functions “Cut Time” and “Paste Time” on the Range submenu 
on the Edit menu. These work differently to their related functions on the Edit menu:
!Note that the contents of the selection are not moved – using the Nudge buttons is 
the same as adjusting the start and end of the selection range at the same time, by the 
same amount.
FunctionDescription
CutCuts out the data in the selection range and moves it to the clipboard. 
The selection range is replaced by empty track space in the Project 
window, meaning that events to the right of the range keep their 
positions.
CopyCopies the data in the selection range to the clipboard.
PastePastes the clipboard data at the start position and track of the current 
selection. Existing events are not moved to make room for the pasted 
data.
Paste at OriginPastes the clipboard data back at its original position. Existing events 
are not moved to make room for the pasted data.
Cut TimeCuts out the selection range and moves it to the clipboard. Events to 
the right of the removed range are moved to the left to fill out the gap.
Paste TimePastes the clipboard data at the start position and track of the current 
selection. Existing events are moved to make room for the pasted 
data.
Paste Time at 
OriginPastes the clipboard data back at its original position. Existing events 
are moved to make room for the pasted data. 
						

							83
Working with projectsRegion operations
Deleting selection ranges
Again, you can either use “regular” Delete or “Delete Time”:
•If you use the Delete function on the Edit menu (or press [Backspace]), the data 
within the selection range is replaced by empty track space.
Events to the right of the range keep their position.
•If you use “Delete Time” on the Edit menu’s Range submenu, the selection range is 
removed and events to the right are moved to the left to close up the gap.
Other functions
On the Range submenu on the Edit menu, you will find three more range editing 
functions:
Region operations
Regions are sections within a clip, with various uses. While regions are perhaps best 
created and edited in the Sample Editor (see 
“Working with regions” on page 338), 
the following region functions are available in the Advanced submenu of the Audio 
menu:
FunctionDescription
Global CopyThis copies everything in the selection range.
SplitSplits any events or parts that are intersected by the selection range, 
at the positions of the selection range edges.
CropAll events or parts that are partially within the selection range are 
cropped, that is, sections outside the selection range are removed. 
Events that are fully inside or outside the selection range are not 
affected.
Insert SilenceInserts empty track space from the start of the selection range. The 
length of the silence equals the length of the selection range. Events 
to the right of the selection range start are moved to the right to 
“make room”. Events that are intersected by the selection range start 
are split, and the right section is moved to the right.
FunctionDescription
Event or Range as 
RegionThis function is available when one or several audio events or 
selection ranges are selected. It creates a region in the 
corresponding clip, with the start and end position of the region 
determined by the start and end position of the event or selection 
range within the clip.
Events from 
RegionsThis function is available if you have selected an audio event whose 
clip contains regions within the boundaries of the event. The function 
will remove the original event and replace it with event(s) positioned 
and sized according to the Region(s). 
						

							84
Working with projectsThe Edit History dialog
The Edit History dialog
In the Edit History dialog you can undo and redo many edit actions. Actions that can 
be undone include all functions in the Project window as well as in the editors. It is 
also possible to undo audio processes or applied plug-in effects. However, these are 
better removed and modified using the Offline Process History (see 
“The Offline 
Process History dialog” on page 315).
ÖIn the Preferences dialog (General page) you can limit the Undo function by setting 
the number in the “Maximum Undo Steps” field to the desired value. This is useful if 
you run out of hard disk space, for example.
To undo and redo your actions, proceed as follows:
1.On the Edit menu, select “History…”.
The Edit History dialog opens.
The dialog contains a list of all your edits, with the most recent action at the bottom of 
the list. The Action column displays the name of the action while the Time column tells 
you when this action was performed. In the Details column further details are shown. 
Here you can enter new text by double-clicking in the column.
2.Move the horizontal, colored line upwards to the desired position to undo your 
actions.
You can only undo your actions in reverse order, i. e. the last performed action is 
the first action to be undone.
3.Move the line down the List again to redo an action that was undone previously. 
						

							85
Working with projectsThe Preferences dialog
The Preferences dialog
When you open the File menu (the Cubase menu on a Mac) and select 
“Preferences…”, the Preferences dialog opens. This dialog provides a large number 
of options and settings that control the global behavior of Cubase.
The dialog has a number of pages, each containing options and settings belonging to 
a particular topic.
•In the list on the left, click on one of the entries to open the corresponding page.
•You can find detailed descriptions of all Preferences options in the dialog help, 
opened by clicking the Help button at the bottom left of the dialog.
About preference presets
In the Preferences dialog it is possible to save complete or partial preference settings 
as presets. This lets you recall settings quickly and easily.
Saving a preference preset
When you have made your preferences settings, proceed as follows to save all 
settings as a preset:
1.Make sure that the “Store marked preferences only” option is not activated.
This is because this option is used for saving partial settings (see below), as 
opposed to complete settings.
2.Click the Store button in the lower left section of the Preferences dialog.
A dialog opens, allowing you to type in a name for the preset.
3.Click OK to save the preset.
Your saved settings are now available from the Preference Presets pop-up menu. 
						

							86
Working with projectsThe Preferences dialog
Loading a preference preset
To load a saved preference preset, simply select a preset from the Preference Presets 
pop-up menu. The preset is applied immediately.
Saving partial preferences settings
It is also possible to save partial preferences settings. This is useful when you have 
made settings that only relate to a certain project or situation, for example. When you 
apply a saved partial preference preset, you only change the saved settings. All other 
preferences will be left unchanged.
When you have made your specific preferences settings, proceed as follows to save 
the partial settings as a preset:
1.Activate “Store marked preferences only”.
A new “Store” column is added to the Preferences list.
2.Click in the Store column of the Preferences items you wish to save.
Note that if you activate a Preferences page that contains subpages, these will 
also be activated. If this is not what you want, simply deactivate the subpages.
3.Click the Store button in the lower left section of the Preferences dialog.
A dialog opens, asking you to type in a name for the preset. It is a good idea to 
choose a descriptive name for a partial preference preset, preferably relating to the 
saved settings (for example “Editing–Controls”).
4.Click OK to save.
Your saved settings are now available from the Preference Presets pop-up menu. 
						

							87
Working with tracks and lanes
Setting up tracks
Adding tracks
To add a track to the project, proceed as follows: 
1.Open the “Add Track” submenu from the Project menu or from the track list 
context menu.
2.Select a track type.
If you select the Audio, MIDI, Group Channel, or Instrument option from the Add 
Track submenu, a dialog opens, allowing you to insert several tracks in one go. 
Just enter the desired number of tracks in the Count field. 
•For Audio, MIDI, and Group Channel tracks, you can also specify a track name.
•For audio and group channel tracks, the channel configuration – mono, stereo or 
surround configuration (Cubase only) – can be set on the Configuration pop-up 
menu. 
ÖThe “Add Track Using Track Preset” option allows you to select a Track Preset. This is 
described in the chapter 
“Working with track presets” on page 422.
Once you have created tracks, you can manipulate and rearrange them in various 
ways. This is explained in the following sections.
Removing tracks
To remove tracks, you have the following options:
•Select the track you want to remove, open the Project menu, and select “Remove 
Selected Tracks”.
•In the track list, right-click on the track you want to remove, and select “Remove 
Selected Tracks” from the context menu.
•You can also remove all tracks not containing any events by selecting “Remove 
Empty Tracks” from the Project menu.  
						

							88
Working with tracks and lanesSetting up tracks
Naming tracks
To rename a track, proceed as follows:
1.Double-click in the name field and type in a new name for the track.
2.Press [Return] to close the name field.
•If you want all events on the track to get the same name, hold down any modifier 
while pressing [Return].
•If “Parts get Track names” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Editing page) and 
you move an event from one track to another, the moved event will automatically be 
named according to its new track. Otherwise the event will retain the name of the 
track it was previously on.
Coloring tracks
All tracks are automatically assigned a color.
•To control which colors are used for new tracks, use the “Auto Track Color Mode” 
pop-up menu in the Preferences dialog (Editing–Project & MixConsole page). 
The available options are described in the section “Applying track colors 
automatically” on page 706.
•To change the color for existing tracks, use the Select Colors pop-up menu on the 
toolbar.
This is described in detail in the section “About the Select Colors pop-up menu” 
on page 707.
•To change the color for a track you can also press [Ctrl]/[Command], point the 
mouse at the strip where the track color is shown and click.
The color strip is shown, allowing you to select the desired color.
•To override the track color for individual events and parts, use the Select Colors 
pop-up menu.
For more information, see “Coloring tracks, parts, or events manually” on page 
707.
Resizing tracks
•To change the width of the track list area, drag the border between the track list 
and the event display.
•To change the height of an individual track, click on its lower border in the track list 
and drag up or down.
•To change the height of all tracks simultaneously, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] 
and resize one of the tracks in this way.
If “Snap Track Heights” is activated on the Track Scale pop-up menu (see below), 
the track height will change in fixed increments when you resize it.
!This behavior is different when “Enlarge Selected Track” is activated on the Edit menu 
(see 
“About the Enlarge Selected Track option” on page 89). 
						

							89
Working with tracks and lanesSetting up tracks
•To set the number of tracks to view in the current Project window, use the Track 
Scale pop-up menu (opened by clicking the arrow button above the vertical zoom 
control).
The track height will be adjusted to show only the number of tracks specified on 
the pop-up menu. By selecting “Zoom N Tracks” from the pop-up you can 
manually set the number of tracks to fit in the current Project window.
By default, lanes have a track height of 4 rows (see “Working with lanes” on page 94). 
If you have difficulties to discern the recorded takes, you can size the lanes individually 
as usual.
Data display on the tracks
Changing the width and the height of tracks naturally has an effect on how the track 
controls and the parts or events on the track are displayed. The following happens 
when you resize a track’s height or width:
•The track controls will be placed where they best “fit in” by default. The controls 
shown for tracks in the track list will adapt to the track size.
If you prefer to have the controls in fixed positions, deactivate the “Wrap Controls” 
option in the Track Controls settings dialog (see 
“Customizing track controls” on 
page 702).
•The contents of events and parts will not be shown if the height of a track is very 
small.
You can change this behavior by activating “Show Event Data on Small Track 
Heights” in the Preferences dialog (Event Display).
About the Enlarge Selected Track option
When this option is activated on the Edit menu (or in the Preferences dialog, Editing–
Project & MixConsole page), the selected track is enlarged automatically. This is 
useful if you are stepping through the tracks in the track list, to check or edit the 
settings. The tracks will revert to the size they had before when they are deselected. 
You can adjust the size directly in the track list if the default enlargement factor does 
not suit you.
While this is the program behavior you will want in most cases, it may be a 
disadvantage when changing the track height you started out with for one or more 
tracks (i.
 e. their “original” height, before “Enlarge Selected Track” was activated). As 
soon as you try to resize a track, it is selected and automatically enlarged. Instead of 
turning off “Enlarge Selected Track”, resizing the desired track(s) and the activating 
“Enlarge Selected Track” again, you can resize a track in the track list without 
selecting it. 
						

							90
Working with tracks and lanesSetting up tracks
Proceed as follows:
1.Move the mouse pointer over the lower border of the (unselected) track you want 
to resize.
The mouse pointer turns into a divider symbol.
2.Hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag the lower border of the track until it reaches the 
desired height.
Now, when you select this track, (and “Enlarge Selected Track” is activated), it will 
be enlarged. It will revert to the changed size, when you select a different track.
Defining the track time base
In the Inspector or track list you can set the time base individually for each track, by 
clicking on the “Toggle Time base” button. Tracks can be either musical (tempo) or 
linear (time) based or follow the Transport Main display:
•Musical 
On a track using musical time base, the positions of events are represented as 
meter values (bars, beats, 1/16th notes and ticks, with 120 ticks per 1/16th note). 
If you change the playback tempo, the events will play back at an earlier or later 
time. Musical time base is indicated by a note symbol.
•Time Linear
On a track using linear time base, the events will be positioned on specific time 
positions – changing the playback tempo will not affect the time position of events. 
Linear time base is indicated by a clock symbol.
•Follow Transport Main Display
This uses the primary time format setting on the Transport panel. When this is set 
to “Bars+Beats”, tracks with musical time base will be added. When this is set to 
any of the other options (Seconds, Timecode, Samples, etc.), all new tracks will 
use linear time base.
Which time base suits better depends on the type of project and recording situation.
ÖIn the Preferences dialog (Editing page), you can find the “Default Track Time Type” 
option (Cubase only). This allows you to specify the default track time type for new 
tracks (audio, group/FX, MIDI, and marker tracks). 
For more information about tempo changes, see the chapter “Editing tempo and 
signature” on page 610.
!Internally, events on musical time based tracks use the same high precision for 
positioning (64 bit floating point values) as linear time based events. However, 
switching between linear and musical time base results in a very small loss of 
precision (introduced by the mathematical operations used for scaling values in the 
two different formats). Therefore you should avoid switching repeatedly between the 
two modes.