Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual
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Working with symbols The Symbols Inspector 1211 • 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 on page 1315 The Words tab on page 1264 User Symbols on page 1242 Symbol details on page 1234 Setting up the Favourites tab In the Symbols Inspector, you can find a tab called Favourites. Cubase allows you to fill this tab with a selection of symbols from other tabs. This way, you have instant access to the symbols you use often: PROCEDURE 1. Open the Favourites tab. If it is the first time you are using this tab, it is empty. 2. Open the tab from which you want to copy a symbol. NOTE Not all symbols can be placed on the Favourites tab. 3. Right-click on the symbol that you want to add to the Favourites tab and select “Add to Favourites” on the context menu. You can also add a symbol to the Favourites tab by [Alt]/[Option]-clicking on it. 4. Repeat this procedure for other symbols that you want to add to the Favourites tab. To remove a symbol from the Favourites tab, select “Remove from Favourites” from the context menu or hold down [Alt]/[Option] and click on it.
Working with symbols Important! – Symbols, staves, and voices 1212 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 configuration of tracks (the track you actually inserted the symbol on might not be opened for editing). The same is true for note symbols and their relation to voices. Make sure that the correct voice is active when inserting symbols or they might wind up at the wrong position, fermatas may be turned upside down, etc. Layout symbols work slightly differently. Instead of belonging to a certain staff or voice, they belong to a layout. Since different track combinations use different layouts, this means that if you insert a layout symbol in the score when you are editing two tracks (for example a trumpet and a saxophone part), it is not there when you view each track by itself in the Score Editor. If you want the same symbols to appear in other layouts as well, you can copy the form of one layout to another. If you want a symbol to appear in all layouts, use the Project layer. Adding symbols to the score Making space and handling margins • If you find there is not enough space between staves to add symbols (like for example text), you can separate the staves. • If you find the score looks crammed after adding symbols, you can use the options in the Auto Layout dialog. IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT Symbols you add outside the margins are not printed! RELATED LINKS Dragging staves on page 1293 Auto Layout on page 1297 About the Draw tool Unlike the other MIDI editors, the Score Editor toolbar does not contain a Draw tool. Instead, the Draw tool is “automatically” selected when you insert symbols. The following applies:
Working with symbols Adding symbols to the score 1213 • 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 Selection tool is automatically selected after you have inserted a symbol. If you want to insert a lot of symbols with the Draw tool, you may want to deactivate this option. Adding note symbols Adding a symbol to one note PROCEDURE 1. In the Symbols Inspector, open the Note Symbols tab. 2. Click (or double-click) on the desired symbol on the tab. As mentioned above, the “Double-Click Symbol to get Draw Tool” preference determines whether you need to double-click. In either case, the Draw tool is selected. 3. Either click on the note or above or below it. If you click on the note, the symbol is put in at a predefined distance from the note. If you instead click “above or below” the note, you decide for a vertical position yourself. In either case, the symbol is aligned horizontally with the note. It can later be moved up/down. Clicking on a note inserts the note symbol (in this case a tenuto) at a predefined distance from the note head. There are three options in the Accents category of the Score Settings dialog (Project page–Notation Style subpage) that affect the vertical positioning of note symbols: • Accents above Stems When this is activated, accent note symbols are displayed at the stem side of notes instead of the note head. • Accents above Staves When this is activated, accent note symbols are displayed above the staff, regardless of the stem direction of the notes. This setting overrides the “Accents above Stems” option. • Center Note-Linked Symbols on Stems When this is activated, accents are centered on stems and not on note heads.
Working with symbols Adding symbols to the score 1214 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 later. Adding a symbol without tying it to a note Note-dependent symbols can be entered freely, too. This allows you to add a fermata to a rest symbol for example. PROCEDURE 1. Make sure that the correct staff is active. 2. Click the symbol so that the Draw tool is selected, as described above. 3. Hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and click where you want to add the symbol. Adding other symbols PROCEDURE 1. In the Symbols Inspector, open the desired symbol tab. 2. Click on the symbol that you want to add. 3. Click once or click and drag somewhere in the score. The symbol appears. For many symbols with a length, you can drag to set the length of the symbol directly. The symbol appears with its handles selected (if it uses handles) so that you can change its size directly if you wish. Press the mouse button – drag – and release! You can change the size of most of the note symbols and dynamics in a score by right-click on the corresponding object and selecting the desired option from the Size submenu on the context menu.
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 or inserted automatically for a group of notes. Ties are usually added by the program but can also be drawn in as “graphic” symbols. NOTE There are two types of slurs – “regular” slurs and Bezier slurs (with which you have full control over thickness, curve shape, etc.). Slurs, ties, and the Display Quantize value Since a slur or tie “musically” always spans from one note (or chord) to another, the beginning and end of a slur/tie in Cubase is always related to two notes in the score. When you draw in a tie or slur, the program uses the Quantize value to find the closest two notes to “attach” the symbol to. In other words, if you want to add the slur/tie to a note at a sixteenth note position, make sure Quantize is set to 1/16th notes or smaller (this is only true for manual drawing in of slurs and ties). Please note that this does not necessarily mean that the symbol has to start or end exactly above/below two notes. Instead, what it means is that when you use the Layout tool to move the note graphically to adjust the look of the bar, the slur/tie moves with it. The same is true if you adjust the width of the measure – the slur/tie is adjusted accordingly. NOTE If you want the end points of the slurs to snap to exact note positions, activate the “Snap Slurs when dragging” option on the context menu or in the Preferences dialog (Scores–Editing page).
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 close to the first note and drag to a position close to the second note. The end points of the slur/tie snap to their default positions – holding down [Ctrl]/[Command] allows you to move the end points freely. There are two special functions for inserting a slur or tie that automatically spans from one note to another. Adding a slur/tie between two notes PROCEDURE 1. Select two notes. 2. Click the correct slur/tie symbol in the Inspector, so that the Draw tool is selected. 3. Hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and [Shift] and click on one of the two notes. The slur/tie is added between the two selected notes. Inserting a slur over a selection of notes PROCEDURE 1. Select a span of notes. 2. Open the Scores menu and select “Insert Slur”. A slur is created, starting at the first selected note and ending at the last.
Working with symbols Adding symbols to the score 1217 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 Bezier slur has four curve points – one at each end and two along the curve. • To move the slur, click on it (but not on a curve point) and drag. • To resize the slur, click and drag the end points. • To change the shape of the slur, click on one of the middle curve points and drag in any direction. Right-clicking on a curve point brings up a context menu with the following options: Add Points/Reduce Points Adds another pair of curve points to the Bezier slur. This allows you to create very complex slur shapes. After adding points, there is an additional menu item “Reduce Points” – selecting it removes the additional curve points. Add Thickness Makes the Bezier slur thicker. Reduce Thickness Makes the Bezier slur thinner. Hide This hides the slur symbol. RELATED LINKS Hiding/showing objects on page 1283
Working with symbols Adding symbols to the score 1218 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 played. 4. Click OK. RESULT • All notes except the first one (and possibly the second) are hidden. • The first note automatically gets a display length matching the length of the whole trill. • If you choose to include a help note, the second note is converted to a “Graphic” note, with brackets but without stem. Otherwise, the second note is hidden, too. • The trill symbols you selected in the dialog are inserted. Inserting symbols across staves If you hold down [Alt]/[Option] while adding a symbol to one staff in a grand staff, this symbol is put in at corresponding positions on all staves. This allows you for example to insert rehearsal marks, repeats, etc. for all instruments at the same time. Adding a keyboard symbol The Other tab contains a piano keyboard symbol, useful in educational scores, for example. The symbol has the following properties:
Working with symbols Adding symbols to the score 1219 • 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 the symbol. You can also double-click on an inserted keyboard symbol to open this dialog. Size Governs the width of the keys. Start Note This is the leftmost note in the keyboard symbol. Show Note Names When this is activated, each C key is displayed with note name and octave (C1, C2, etc.). White/Black Keys transparent Activate these if you want the white and/or black keys to be transparent. Adding guitar chord symbols A fretboard symbol of a guitar chord can be inserted anywhere in the score. Guitar symbols are found on the “Guitar Symbols” tab and the Other tab in the Symbols Inspector. • The Guitar Symbols tab contains all Guitar symbols of the current guitar library. If the symbol that you want to insert is among these, select it and insert it as you would any other symbol, see above.
Working with symbols Adding symbols to the score 1220 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 there. Consecutive clicks allow you to select between a ring (open string), a cross (do not play this string) and no symbol. • To add a capodaster number, click to the left of the symbol. Consecutive clicks allow you to step through the possibilities. • You can also add a capodaster symbol (a line over the strings), by setting the “Capo String” parameter to a value higher than 0. By adjusting the Capo End and Start values, you can create capodaster symbols that span fewer strings. • Use the “Size” value field to adjust the size of the chord symbol. • If you want the symbol to be horizontal, activate the “Horizontal” checkbox. • To display more or fewer frets than the default six, change the “Frets” value. 4. Click Apply. The guitar symbol appears in the score. • Clicking the Insert Notes button inserts the actual notes in the chord into the score. You can also right-click on a guitar symbol and select “Insert Notes” from the context menu. You can edit the symbol at any time by double-clicking it, changing the settings in the dialog and clicking Apply. Note that you can also access the symbols that you defined in the guitar library by right-clicking a guitar symbol – see below. NOTE If you select “Make Chord Symbol” from the context menu, the corresponding chord symbol is displayed above the guitar symbol. This function is very useful when writing lead sheets, for example.