Steinberg Cubase Ai 5 Manual

231
Export Audio Mixdown
Mode
The WMA encoder can use either a constant bit rate or a 
variable bit rate, or it can use lossless encoding for encod-
ing to stereo. The options on this menu are as follows:
Bit Rate/Quality
This menu allows you to set the desired bit rate. The avail-
able bit rate settings vary depending on the selected mode 
and/or output channels (see above). If the Variable Bitrate 
mode is used, the menu allows you to select from various 
levels of quality, with 10 being the lowest and...

22
Synchronization 

233
Synchronization
Background
What is synchronization?
Synchronization is said to exist when you make two pieces 
of equipment agree on time or tempo and position info. You 
can establish synchronization between Cubase AI and a 
number of other types of devices, including tape recorders 
and video decks, but also MIDI devices that “play back”, 
such as other sequencers, drum machines, “workstation 
sequencers”, etc.
When you set up a synchronization system, you must de-
cide which unit is the master....

234
Synchronization
MIDI Clock
MIDI Clock is a tempo-based type of synchronization sig-
nals, i.e. it is related to the number of “beats per minute”. 
MIDI Clock signals are suitable for synchronizing two de-
vices that agree on tempo, such as Cubase AI and a drum 
machine.
Word Clock
Word clock is basically a replacement for the sample rate 
clock (e. g. in an audio card). Word clock hence runs at 
the same rate as the sample rate in the audio, 44.1 kHz, 
48 kHz, etc.
Word clock does not contain any...

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Synchronization
If you aim to perform synchronization to external signals, 
we strongly recommend that you obtain proper synchroni-
zation equipment. This encompasses:
 An audio card that can be slaved to external word clock.
 A synchronizer that can read timecode (and possibly house 
clock) and generate the required sync signals from that, such 
as the Steinberg TimeLock Pro.
or…
 An audio system with complete built-in synchronization possi-
bilities, preferably supporting the ASIO Positioning...

236
Synchronization
Set up the synchronizer and make sure the frame rate 
settings are in accordance with the master clock.
A typical synchronization setup
Synchronization settings
In the following sections you will find a description of how 
to set up your system for the different timecode sources.
Internal Timecode
In this mode, Cubase AI is the master.
Use the “MIDI Timecode Destinations” and “MIDI Clock 
Destinations” sections to specify which devices should be 
slaved to Cubase AI.
Synchronizing...

237
Synchronization
Setting Up
1.Connect the desired MIDI Outputs from Cubase AI to 
the device(s) that you plan to synchronize.
2.Open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog from 
the Transport menu.
3.Activate the sync outputs by using the corresponding 
checkboxes.
You can output any combination of MIDI Timecode and MIDI Clock to 
any combination of outputs (however, you probably do not want to send 
MTC and MIDI Clock to the same output).
4.Set the other device(s) to their “external synchroniza-...

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Synchronization
8.Start the tape (or video, or other master device) that 
contains the timecode. Cubase AI starts playing when it 
receives timecode with a position “higher” than or equal to 
the project Start frame.
You can wind the device that sends the timecode to any 
position and start from there.
You should also take a look at the Sync Options, see 
“Sync Options” on page 240.
The Sync indicator
On the Transport panel you can check the status of in-
coming timecode by observing the sync...

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Synchronization
Setting up the audio card for external synchronization
1.Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu 
and, on the VST Audio System page, select the name of 
your audio interface.
2.Click the Control Panel button to open the card’s pro-
prietary setup dialog.
If this card is accessed via a special ASIO driver (as opposed to Di-
rectX or the Generic Low Latency ASIO Driver), this dialog is provided 
by the card, not by Cubase AI. Hence the settings vary with the card 
brand and...

240
Synchronization
Sync Options
The following Sync options are available in the Project 
Synchronization Setup dialog:
Lock Frames
Using this field you can set how many frames of “correct” 
timecode Cubase AI should receive before attempting to 
“lock” (synchronize) to incoming timecode. If you have an 
external tape transport with a very short start-up time, you 
could try lowering this number to make lock-up even faster 
than it already is.
Drop Out Frames
On an analog tape with timecode, dropouts may...