Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

Working with symbols
The Symbols Inspector
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• Clefs etc.
• Note Symbols
•Dynamics
• Line/Trill. Note that the arpeggios, hand indication and strum symbols are all 
“note-dependent”!
•Other
• Form Symbols. These symbols can be selected for the note layer, the layout 
layer, and the project layer.
•Words
•User Symbols
When you place the mouse pointer on a symbol, a tooltip shows you information 
about the function.
RELATED LINKS
Expression maps (Cubase Pro only) on page 778
Working with mapped dynamics...

Working with symbols
Important! – Symbols, staves, and voices
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Important! – Symbols, staves, and voices
Most symbols belong to a staff when inserted. Only note symbols, slurs and ties are 
an exception. They belong to notes and therefore to voices.
It is extremely important that the correct staff is active when you insert a symbol (if 
you are editing multiple staves).
If you for example insert a symbol while the wrong staff is active, the symbol might 
later “disappear” because you edit another...

Working with symbols
Adding symbols to the score
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• Normally, the Draw tool is automatically selected when you click on a symbol 
in the Inspector. However, if the “Double-Click Symbol to get Draw Tool” 
option is activated in the Preferences dialog (Scores–Editing page), you need 
to double-click the symbol to get the Draw tool.
• On the same page of the Preferences dialog, you can find an option called 
“Display Object Selection tool after Inserting Symbol”. When this is activated, 
the Object...

Working with symbols
Adding symbols to the score
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Adding a symbol to several notes using the Draw tool
You might for example want to add a staccato symbol to all notes within a few 
measures.
PROCEDURE
1. In the Symbols Inspector, open the Note Symbols tab.
2. Select the notes to which you want to apply the symbol.
3. In the Symbols Inspector, click on the desired symbol.
4. Click on one of the notes.
The symbol is added to each selected note, at a predefined distance. The symbols 
can be moved...

Working with symbols
Adding symbols to the score
1215
RELATED LINKS
Changing length, size, and shape on page 1231
About note-dependent symbols
Note-dependent symbols like arpeggios and strum directions must be put in front 
of a note or they belong to the following note instead (if there is no following note, 
the symbols are not inserted at all).
Adding text
There are special methods for working with text.
RELATED LINKS
Working with text on page 1251
Adding slurs and ties
Slurs can be drawn in manually...

Working with symbols
Adding symbols to the score
1216
RELATED LINKS
Graphic moving of notes on page 1198
Drawing the slur/tie
PROCEDURE
1. Set the Quantize value depending on the positions of the two notes that the 
slur/tie should span.
For example, if one of them is at a quarter note position and the other at an eighth note 
position, set Quantize to 1/8 note or a smaller note value.
2. Click on the correct slur/tie in the Symbols Inspector, so that the Draw tool is 
selected.
3. Position the mouse...

Working with symbols
Adding symbols to the score
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The Bezier slur
The Bezier slur is a special slur symbol, found on the Dynamics symbol tab. Unlike 
the regular slur, this symbol is made up of a bezier curve, allowing you to create 
more advanced curve shapes.
To add a Bezier slur, click on the symbol in the Inspector so that the Draw tool is 
selected, and click or drag in the score. Clicking creates a Bezier slur of the default 
length and shape, while dragging creates a straight line.
The default...

Working with symbols
Adding symbols to the score
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Creating trills
If you have recorded or entered a trill, Cubase can help you display this properly:
PROCEDURE
1. Select the notes that make up the trill.
2. Right-click on one of the notes and select “Build Trill…” from the context 
menu.
3. Select an option from the dialog that appears.
The radio buttons determine how the trill should look. Activate the “Help Note” option 
if you want an extra note to indicate between which notes the trill should be...

Working with symbols
Adding symbols to the score
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• To insert the keyboard symbol, select it from the Inspector, click with the Draw 
tool at the desired position and drag a box to specify the approximate size of 
the keyboard.
• After you have inserted the keyboard symbol, you can drag its edges to resize 
it vertically or horizontally.
• If you right-click on an inserted keyboard symbol and select “Properties” from 
the context menu, a dialog opens allowing you to specify further properties for...

Working with symbols
Adding symbols to the score
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To insert a guitar symbol not present in the guitar library, proceed as follows:
PROCEDURE
1. Open the other tab.
2. Click on the guitar chord symbol, so that the Draw tool is selected.
3. Click in the score, at the position where you want the symbol to appear.
The Guitar Symbol dialog appears.
• To put a black dot on any fret and string, click on it.
To remove it, click again.
• To add a symbol just above the string, outside the fretboard, click...