Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual
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Audio Effects External Effects (Cubase Pro only) 391 External Effects (Cubase Pro only) You can set up external FX busses to make your outboard equipment part of your studio. An external FX bus is a combination of outputs (sends) and inputs (returns) on your audio hardware, along with a few additional settings. All external FX busses you have created will appear on the effect pop-up menus and can be selected like the internal effect plug-ins. If you select an external effect as an insert effect for an audio track, the audio will be sent to the corresponding audio output, processed in your hardware effect (provided that you have connected it properly) and returned via the specified audio input. RELATED LINKS VST Connections on page 22 External Instruments and Effects (Cubase Pro only) on page 33 Effect Control Panel You can open the control panel for the loaded plug-in by double-clicking the center part of an insert or a send slot. If you edit the parameters for an effect, these settings are saved automatically with the project. The contents, design and layout of the control panel depend on the selected effect. 1) Activate Effect 2) Bypass Effect 3) Read/Write Automation 4) Switch between A/B Settings 5) Copy A to B 6) Activate Side-Chain 7) Preset selector 8) Functions menu NOTE The included effects and their parameters are described in detail in the separate PDF document “Plug-in Reference”.
Audio Effects Comparing Effect Settings 392 Comparing Effect Settings You can compare two different parameter settings for an effect. PROCEDURE 1. Adjust the effect parameters for setting A. 2. Click A/B Setting to activate setting B. As a starting point for setting B, the parameters for setting A are copied. 3. Adjust the parameters for setting B. 4. Click A/B Setting to activate setting A and compare both settings. RESULT You can compare the settings between A and B using the corresponding buttons. Settings A and B are saved with the project. Setting A active Setting B active Effect Presets In the MediaBay – or with certain limits in the Save Preset dialog – you can assign attributes to presets which allow you to organize and browse them according to various criteria. Cubase comes with categorized track and VST presets that you can use straight out of the box. You can also preview effect presets before loading them which considerably speeds up the process of finding the right effect preset. Effect presets can be divided into the following main categories: • VST presets for a plug-in. These are plug-in parameter settings for a specific effect. • Inserts presets that contain insert effect combinations. These can contain the whole insert effects rack with settings for each effect.
Audio Effects Effect Presets 393 Presets Browser The Presets browser contains the Results, the Filters and the Location Tree sections. 1)Location Tree section Shows the folder that is searched for preset files. To show the Location Tree section, click Set Up Window Layout and activate Location Tree. This is only available if Filters is also active. 2)Filters section Shows the available preset attributes for the selected effect. To show the Filters section, click Set Up Window Layout and activate Filters. 3)Results section Lists the available presets for the selected effect. Selecting Effect Presets Most VST effect plug-ins come with a number of useful presets for instant selection. PROCEDURE 1. Load an effect, either as a channel insert or into an FX channel. The control panel for the effect is displayed. 2. Perform one of the following actions to open the Presets browser: • Click in the preset field at the top of the control panel. • Click the button to the right of the preset field and select “Load Preset”.
Audio Effects Effect Presets 394 This opens the Presets browser. You can also open the Presets browser from the Inspector (Inserts tab) or the Channel Settings window. 3. In the Results section, select a preset from the list. 4. Activate playback to audition the selected preset. Step through the presets until you find the right sound. It may be helpful to set up cycle playback of a section to make comparisons between different preset settings easier. 5. When you have found the preset that you want, double-click on it (or click outside the Presets browser). The preset is applied. • To return to the preset that was selected when you opened the Presets browser, click the “Revert to Last Setting” button. NOTE The preset handling for VST 2 plug-ins is slightly different. RELATED LINKS Earlier VST Effect Presets on page 396
Audio Effects Effect Presets 395 Saving Effect Presets You can save your effect settings as presets for further use. PROCEDURE 1. Open the Preset Management pop-up menu. 2. Select Save Preset. The Save Preset dialog opens. 3. In the New Preset section, enter a name for the new preset. 4. Optional: Click the button at the bottom left to open the Attribute Inspector and save attributes for the preset. 5. Click OK to save the preset and exit the dialog. RESULT User-defined presets are saved in the following location: •Windows: \Users\\My Documents\VST3 Presets\\ •Mac: /Users//Library/Audio/Presets// NOTE You cannot change the default folders, but you can add further subfolders inside the individual effect preset folders (by clicking the New Folder button). RELATED LINKS Attribute Inspector on page 544 Default Effect Presets You can save a default effect preset with your parameter settings. This is loaded automatically when you open the effect. • To save a default preset, open the Preset Management pop-up menu, and select Save as Default Preset. • To recall a default preset, open the Presets browser and select Default. You can also open the plug-in context menu and select Default Preset > Reset to Default Preset.
Audio Effects Effect Presets 396 Copying and Pasting Effect Presets You can copy a plug-in preset and paste it in another instance of the same plug-in. PROCEDURE 1. Open the plug-in context menu and select Copy (plug-in name) Setting. 2. Select another instance of the same plug-in, open the context menu and select Paste (plug-in name) Setting. Earlier VST Effect Presets Some VST 2.x plug-ins have presets in the old FX program/bank format (.fxp/.fxb). To use all features, you must convert these presets to VST 3 presets. If you save new presets for the included VST 2 plug-ins, these will automatically be saved in the .vstpreset format. IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT All VST 2 presets can be converted to VST 3 presets. Converting Earlier VST Presets PREREQUISITE You have created your own .fxp/.fxb presets with a previous version of Cubase (or any other VST 2 application). PROCEDURE 1. Load any VST 2 effect you may have installed, and open the Preset Management pop-up menu. 2. Select Import FXB/FXP. 3. In the file dialog, locate the file and click Open. If you load a bank (.fxb), it will replace the current set of all effect programs. If you load a single program, it will replace the currently selected effect program only.
Audio Effects Effect Presets 397 AFTER COMPLETING THIS TASK You can convert the current program list to VST presets by opening the Preset Management pop-up menu and selecting Convert Program List to VST Presets. After converting, the presets will be available in the Presets browser, and you can use the Attribute Inspector in the MediaBay to add attributes and audition the presets. The converted presets will be stored in the VST 3 Preset folder. Saving Insert Presets You can save the complete insert effect rack for a channel together with all parameter settings as an inserts preset. Inserts presets can be applied to audio, instrument, FX channel, or group tracks. PROCEDURE 1. In the track list, select the track and in the Inspector, open the Inserts section. 2. Load a combination of insert effects and adjust the parameters (or select effect presets) for each effect. 3. At the top of the Inserts tab, click the Preset Management button to open the pop-up menu for the inserts and select “Save FX Chain Preset”. This can also be done from the Channel Settings window using the Preset Management button at the top of the Inserts section. 4. In the dialog that opens, type in a name for the preset. 5. Select the track (audio/group/instrument/FX channel) to which you want to apply the new preset. 6. On the Inserts tab, click the Preset Management button and select “Load FX Chain Preset”.
Audio Effects Plug-In Information Window 398 7. In the dialog that opens, select the preset that you created. The effects are loaded into the Insert slots of the new track. NOTE When loading insert combination presets, any plug-ins that were previously loaded for the track will be removed, regardless of whether these slots are used in the preset. Extracting Insert Effect Settings from Track Presets You can extract the effects used in a track preset and load them into your inserts rack. PROCEDURE 1. On the Preset Management pop-up menu, select From Track Preset. 2. In the dialog, select an item in the list. The effects used in the track preset are loaded. RELATED LINKS Track Presets on page 160 Plug-In Information Window The Plug-in Information window lists all the available MIDI plug-ins, audio-codec plug-ins, program plug-ins, project import-export plug-ins, and the virtual file system plug-ins. • To open the Plug-in Information window, select Devices > Plug-in Information. Update Makes Cubase re-scan the designated plug-in folders for updated plug-in information.
Audio Effects Plug-In Information Window 399 The following columns are available: Instances Indicates how many instances of the plug-in are currently used in Cubase. Name The name of the plug-in. Vendor The manufacturer of the plug-in. File The name of the plug-in with extension. Path The path and name of the folder in which the plug-in file is located. Category Indicates the category of each plug-in. Version The version of the plug-in. SDK Shows with which version of the VST protocol a plug-in is compatible. Managing Plug-Ins in the Plug-In Information Window • To make it available for selection, activate the checkbox in the left column. Only the enabled plug-ins will appear on the effect selectors. • To see where a plug-in is used, click in the Instances column. A pop-up opens and shows where each plug-in is used. NOTE A plug-in may be in use even if it is not enabled in the left column. You might for example have opened a project containing effects that are currently disabled on the menu. The left column only determines whether or not the plug-in is visible on the effect selectors.
Audio Effects Plug-In Information Window 400 Exporting Plug-In Information Files You can save plug-in information as an XML file, for example for archiving purposes or troubleshooting. • The plug-in information file contains information on the installed/available plug-ins, their version, vendor, etc. • The XML file can then be opened in any editor application supporting the XML format. NOTE The export function is not available for program plug-ins. PROCEDURE 1. In the Plug-in Information window, right-click on a tab and select Export. A file dialog opens. 2. In the dialog, specify a name and location for the plug-in information export file. 3. Click OK to export the file.