Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

Audio processing and functions
About time stretch and pitch shift algorithms
431
NOTE
In rare cases, editing warped audio events may cause discontinuities at the edit 
points. You can then try to move the edit point to a different position or bounce the 
audio event prior to editing.
Reverse playback and scrubbing
Most of the algorithms used for time stretching and pitch shifting only support 
forward playback. Reverse playback or scrubbing of warped audio events can lead 
to recurring artifacts in the...

432
Sample Editor
Window overview
The Sample Editor allows you to view and manipulate audio by cutting and pasting, 
removing, or drawing audio data, and by processing audio. This editing is 
“non-destructive”: The actual file will remain untouched so that you can undo 
modifications or revert to the original settings at any time.
The Sample Editor also contains most of the realtime time stretching functions in 
Cubase. These can be used to match the tempo of audio to the project tempo.
Another special...

Sample Editor
Window overview
433
NOTE
The term “loop” is used throughout this chapter and in this context usually means 
an audio file with a musical time base. That means that the length of the loop 
represents a certain number of bars and beats at a certain tempo. Playing the loop 
back at the right tempo in a cycle set to the correct length will produce a continuous 
loop without gaps.
RELATED LINKS
Audio processing and functions on page 401
Warping audio on page 452
Working with hitpoints and slices...

Sample Editor
Window overview
434
Show Audio Event
When the “Show Audio Event” button is activated on the toolbar, the section 
corresponding to the edited event is highlighted in the waveform display and 
the Overview. The sections of the audio clip not belonging to the event are 
shown with a gray background.
• You can adjust the start and end of the event in the clip by dragging the 
event handles in the waveform display.
IMPORTANT
This button is only available if you have opened the Sample Editor by...

Sample Editor
Window overview
435
VariAudio Segment Colors (Cubase Pro only)
You can select a color scheme for VariAudio segments on the “VariAudio 
Segment Colors” pop-up menu on the toolbar. When working with several 
audio events, this makes it easier to see which segments belong to which 
event.
The following options are available:
RELATED LINKS
Musical Mode on page 451
Selecting an algorithm for realtime playback on page 451
Handling Several Audio Events (Cubase Pro only) on page 448
Chord Functions...

Sample Editor
Window overview
436
Initially, length and position values are displayed in the format specified in the 
Project Setup dialog.
• To show or hide the info line, click the “Set up Window Layout” button on the 
toolbar and activate or deactivate the Info Line option.
RELATED LINKS
Using the Setup options on page 1032
The Sample Editor Inspector
On the left in the Sample Editor, you will find the Sample Editor Inspector. It 
contains tools and functions for working in the Sample Editor.
The...

Sample Editor
Window overview
437
The VariAudio tab (Cubase Pro only)
Disable Pitch Changes
On this tab you can edit single notes of your audio file and change their pitch 
and/or timing, in a way that is similar to the editing of MIDI notes. Furthermore, 
you can extract MIDI from your audio.
• If you click the “Disable Pitch Changes” button, any pitch modifications 
you have made are disabled, allowing you to compare the modified 
sound with the original sound of your audio.
However, the display does...

Sample Editor
Window overview
438
The Process tab
This tab regroups the most important audio editing commands from the Audio 
and Edit menus.
RELATED LINKS
Inspector on page 50
Warping audio on page 452
Applying swing on page 456
Free Warp on page 457
Understanding the waveform display in VariAudio on page 469
Extracting MIDI on page 486
Working with hitpoints and slices on page 459
Making selections on page 444
Audio processing and functions on page 401
The overview line
The overview line displays the...

Sample Editor
Window overview
439
The ruler
The Sample Editor ruler is located between the overview line and the waveform 
display.
When the Definition tab is open, an additional ruler displays the musical structure 
of the audio file.
RELATED LINKS
Ruler on page 48
The waveform display and the level scale
The waveform display shows the waveform image of the edited audio clip according 
to the wave image style set in the Preferences dialog (Event Display–Audio page).
To the left of the waveform display a...

Sample Editor
General Functions
440
• Select the “Show Half Level Axis” option on the context menu of the waveform 
display, if you want the half level axes to be shown.
Half-level axis
RELATED LINKS
Event Display on page 1063
General Functions
Zooming
Zooming in the Sample Editor is done according to the standard zoom procedures, 
with the following special notes to keep in mind:
• The vertical zoom slider changes the vertical scale relative to the height of the 
editor window, in a way similar to the...