Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

Working with symbols
Changing length, size, and shape
1231
Moving note symbols
Note symbols, slurs and ties all have “default positions”. This determines the vertical 
distance between the note head(s) and the symbol.
• You can manually adjust the vertical positions of individual symbols, but if you 
move or transpose their notes, the symbols are automatically reset to their 
default positions.
This also ensures that note symbols and slurs are positioned sensibly when 
you change the Display Transpose...

Working with symbols
Changing length, size, and shape
1232
The size of the symbol changes accordingly.
Altering the shape and direction of slurs and ties
This section describes how to alter the “regular” slur and tie symbols.
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...

Working with symbols
Deleting symbols
1233
• 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.
RELATED LINKS
The Bezier slur on page 1217
Moving note symbols on page 1231...

Working with symbols
Symbol details
1234
IMPORTANT
Note symbols like staccato and accents can only be aligned horizontally.
The “Dynamics” option is a special function for aligning dynamic symbols.
RELATED LINKS
Aligning dynamics on page 1237
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, staff mode, as well as 
staff presets for quick access.
RELATED LINKS
Display Quantize values on page 1156...

Working with symbols
Symbol details
1235
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.
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...

Working with symbols
Symbol details
1236
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...

Working with symbols
Symbol details
1237
Aligning dynamics
There is a special command for aligning dynamic symbols (including crescendos) 
horizontally. Unlike the regular align function, aligning dynamics takes the “baseline” 
of the dynamic letters into account, aligning them as text rather than as graphic 
symbols.
PROCEDURE
1. Select the dynamic symbols that you want to align, e. g. pp and a crescendo.
2. Right-click on a selected symbol and select the “Align” function on the 
context menu.
This...

Working with symbols
Symbol details
1238
• 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...

Working with symbols
Symbol details
1239
A pedal down/up symbol combination can be displayed as “Two Symbols”, ““Ped.” 
+  B r a c k e t”  o r  as  “ B r a c k e t o n l y ” .  J u s t r i g h t -c l i c k  o n  t h e  p e d a l  s y m b o l  a n d  c h o o s e  a n  
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...

Working with symbols
Symbol details
1240
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...