Steinberg Cubase Ai 5 Manual

							111
Automation
However, when punching out, the reduction function will 
remove all break-points that are not needed. The automa-
tion curve will contain only the break-points necessary to 
reproduce your actions.
For example, all break-points that lie between two other 
points, but do not deviate from the curve, will be automat-
ically removed by reduction.
If you try to add a break-point that does not deviate from the existing 
curve between two existing points…
…it will be removed when the mouse is released. If you move the se-
lected break-point by any amount so that the resulting curve is not a 
straight line, a new event will be added.
If you are unhappy with the default setting (a reduction 
of roughly 50 %), you can change it, but normally the de-
fault setting works well.
Hints and further options
Automation key commands
In the Key Commands dialog (opened from the File menu 
in Cubase AI), in the Commands section on the left, you 
will find an Automation category which lists all automation 
commands to which you can assign key commands.
How to assign key commands is described in detail in the 
chapter “Key commands” on page 268.
About linking and automation
Cubase AI allows you to link, in the mixer window, vari-
ous parameters between different channels (see “Link/
Unlink channels” on page 82).
When automating the settings of a channel that is linked to another 
channel in the mixer, the parameters of the linked channel will NOT be 
automated.
About automation undo
Every automation write operation you perform creates its 
own event in the undo history, so you can undo or redo 
any of your automation moves at any time.
Automation track operations
About automation tracks
Audio tracks, group channel tracks and FX channel tracks 
all have automation tracks. These allow you to view and edit 
the automation of all mixer settings for the track, including 
settings for the track’s insert effects. There is one automa-
tion track for each parameter, and automation tracks can be 
shown or hidden in any combination.
Similarly, MIDI tracks have automation tracks for mixer set-
tings, track parameters and (if used) for send and insert ef-
fect settings.
VST Instruments have special automation tracks that ap-
pear in the Project window when you load a VST Instrument 
via the VST Instruments window. There is one automation 
track for the plug-in parameters, and one track for each 
mixer channel used by the instrument. These tracks have 
automation subtracks, giving you access to all parameters 
and mixer settings.
Instrument tracks, as a combination of a MIDI track and a 
VST Instrument, have automation tracks that provide auto-
mation parameters for the VST Instrument itself, for the 
VST Instrument channel and the respective MIDI automa-
tion parameters.
 
Opening automation tracks 
Every track has one automation track, showing one auto-
mation parameter.
For audio, Instrument, group channel, MIDI and FX chan-
nel tracks, there are two ways you can open an automa-
tion track for the channel:
By right-clicking the track in the Track list and selecting 
“Show Automation” from the context menu.
!The higher the number of automation events, the 
higher the CPU load. If performance is an issue in 
your workflow, you should consider raising the re-
duction level, to remove more events. 
						

							112
Automation
By clicking along the left edge of the track in the Track 
list. (Also, when you position the mouse pointer over the 
lower left corner of the track, a corresponding arrow icon 
(“Show/Hide Automation”) appears.)
An automation track opens in the Track list. When you open an automa-
tion track for the first time, the Volume parameter is selected by default.
Assigning a parameter to an automation track
Default parameters are already assigned to automation 
tracks when you open them, according to their order in the 
Add Parameter list (see below).
To select which parameter an open automation track 
should display, proceed as follows:
1.If none exists, open an automation track using one of 
the methods described above.
2.Click in the parameter display for the automation track.
A pop-up list is shown, containing some of the automation parameters 
plus the item “More…” at the bottom of the list. The contents of the list 
depend on the track type.
If the parameter you wish to automate is on the pop-up 
menu, you can select it directly.
The parameter will then replace the current parameter in the automation 
track. 
If you wish to add a parameter not available on the pop-
up menu or want to view all parameters that can be auto-
mated, go on to the next step.3.Select “More…”.
The Add Parameter dialog appears. This dialog shows a list with all pa-
rameters that can be automated for the selected channel (sorted into dif-
ferent categories), including the parameters for any assigned insert 
effects. To view the parameters in each category, click the “+” sign for 
the category folder.
The Add Parameter dialog for an audio track
4.Select a parameter from the list and click OK.
The parameter will then replace the current parameter in the automation 
track.
ÖNote that the “replacing” of the parameter displayed in 
the automation track is completely non-destructive. 
If the automation track contained any automation data for the parameter 
you just replaced, this data will still be there, although it will not be visible 
after you replaced the parameter. If you click in the parameter display you 
can switch back to the replaced parameter. On the pop-up menu, all au-
tomated parameters are indicated by an asterisk (*) after the parameter 
name.
The first two parameters are automated.
Click here to open an 
automation track. 
						

							113
Automation
Removing automation tracks 
To remove all automation for the selected parameter, click 
the parameter name and select “Remove Parameter” from 
the pop-up menu. This will delete any automation events 
on the automation track, and the track will be closed.
Hiding automation tracks
To hide a single automation track, position the pointer 
over the top left border of the automation track in the 
Track list and click the “Hide Automation Track” button 
(the minus sign).
To hide all automation tracks for all tracks in the Track 
list, right-click any track and select “Hide All Automation” 
from the context menu.
Muting automation tracks
You can mute individual automation tracks by clicking their 
Mute buttons in the Track list. Unlike the Read (R) button, 
which will activate or deactivate Read mode for all auto-
mation tracks of a track, the Mute button allows you to turn 
off automation for a single parameter.
The “Automation follows Events” setting
If you activate “Automation follows Events” on the Edit 
menu (or in the Preferences–Editing page), automation 
events will automatically follow when you move an event or 
part on the track. 
This makes it easy to set up automation related to a spe-
cific event or part, rather than to a specific position in the 
project. For example, you can automate the panning of a 
sound effect event (having the sound pan from left to right, 
etc.) – if you need to move the event, the automation will 
automatically follow! The rules are:
All automation events for the track between the start 
and end of the event or part will be moved.
If there are automation events in the new position (to which you move the 
part or event), these will be overwritten.
If you copy an event or part, the automation events will 
be duplicated as well.
Recording your actions – an example
If the settings in your current project are crucial, you may 
not want to “experiment” with automation until you know 
more about how it all fits together. If so, you can create a 
new project for the following example. It does not even 
have to contain any audio events, just a few audio tracks. 
Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Mixer window.
2.Click the global Write button (“All Automation to Write 
Status”) in the mixer common panel.
Cubase AI is now in global Write mode. 
3.Start playback and adjust some volume faders and/or 
other parameter settings in the mixer or perhaps in a 
Channel Settings window.
Stop playback when you are done, and return to the position where you 
started playback.
4.Deactivate Write mode and click the global Read but-
ton (“All Automation to Read Status”) in the mixer com-
mon panel.
Cubase AI is now in global Read mode.
5.Start playback, and watch the Mixer window.
All your actions performed during the previous playback will be repro-
duced exactly.
6.If you wish to redo anything that was recorded, acti-
vate Write mode again and start playback from the same 
position.
You can have Write and Read activated simultaneously, 
if you want to watch and listen to your recorded mixer ac-
tions while you’re recording fader movements for another 
mixer channel, etc. 
						

							114
Automation
Recording plug-in automation
Every parameter for every assigned effect or VST Instru-
ment can be automated in much the same manner as de-
scribed above.
The following example assumes that you have assigned an 
insert effect to an FX channel track (see the chapter “Au-
dio effects” on page 85), and describes how to record au-
tomation for the effect:
1.Select the FX channel track in the Track list and open 
its Inserts section in the Inspector.
2.Open the control panel for the effect by clicking the Edit 
button (“e”) above the insert effect slot in the Inspector.
3.Click the Write button in the control panel to enable 
Write mode.
The Read button is enabled as well. All effects and VST Instruments have 
Write/Read buttons on their control panels. These work exactly like the 
corresponding buttons in the mixer or in the Track list.
4.Start playback and adjust some effect parameters in 
the control panel.
When you are finished, stop playback and return to the position where 
you started playback.
5.Disable Write.
The Read button remains enabled.
6.Start playback and watch the control panel.
All actions you performed during the previous playback will be repro-
duced exactly.
Dragging and dropping of insert plug-ins
You can drag an insert plug-in from one insert slot to an-
other, either on the same channel or on a different channel.
When dragging a plug-in to a different insert slot on the 
same channel, any existing automation data will move with 
the plug-in.
When dragging a plug-in to a different insert slot on a 
different channel, any existing automation data will not be 
transferred to the new channel.
Where did the automation data I recorded end 
up?
When using global Write automation, you can write auto-
mation data on the automation tracks of all channels. In 
the previous write operations, you probably added auto-
mation events for many different channels and parameters.
To view all the automation events you recorded during 
the operations, select “Show All Used Automation” from 
the Project menu or from the Track list context menu.
For each of the channels one subtrack with automation data is now 
shown in the Project window. The automation events recorded are 
shown as points in the automation curves. 
Working with automation curves
About automation curves 
There are two kinds of automation curves, “ramp” and 
“jump”:
Jump curves are created for any parameter that only has 
on/off values, like a Mute button, for example.
Ramp curves are created for any parameter that gener-
ates continuous multiple values, such as fader or encoder 
movements, etc. 
Examples of jump and ramp automation curves 
About the static value line
When you open an automation track for a parameter for the 
first time, it does not contain any automation events (unless 
you have previously adjusted that parameter with write au-
tomation activated), and this is reflected in the event display 
as a straight horizontal black line, the “static value” line. This 
line represents the current parameter setting.
If you have manually added any automation events or 
used write automation for the corresponding parameter, 
and then disable the reading of automation data, the auto-
mation curve will be grayed-out in the automation track 
event display and the static value will be used instead.
As soon as Read mode is enabled, the automation curve will become 
available. 
						

							115
Automation
Editing automation events
Drawing automation events
By using write automation in the mixer, you generate auto-
mation events by moving parameter encoders and faders 
in the mixer. You can also add them manually by drawing 
automation curves on an automation track. Proceed as 
follows:
1.Open an automation track for the track you want to 
make settings for.
The static value line is shown in the event display for the automation track 
and the Volume parameter is selected.
2.Select the Pencil tool.
You can also use the various modes of the Line tool for drawing curves, 
see below.
3.Click on the static value line. An automation event is 
added, read automation mode is automatically activated, 
and the static value line changes to a blue automation 
curve.
4.If you click and hold, you can draw a curve by adding a 
multitude of single automation events.
Note that the track color in the Track list changes to red to indicate that 
automation data is being written.
5.When you release the mouse button, the number of 
automation events is reduced to a few events, but the ba-
sic shape of the curve still remains the same.
This “thinning out” of events is governed by the Reduction Level setting 
in the Preferences dialog, see “About the Automation Reduction Level 
preference” on page 110.
6.If you now activate playback, the volume will change 
with the automation curve.
In the mixer, the corresponding fader moves accordingly.
7.Simply redo the operation if you are not happy with the 
result.
If you draw over existing events, a new curve is created.
If the automation track is in Read mode already, you can 
also add automation events by clicking with the Arrow 
tool.
If you are trying to add a break-point between two existing points and the 
new point does not deviate from the existing curve, it will be removed by 
reduction as soon as you release the mouse button (see “About the Au-
tomation Reduction Level preference” on page 110).
Using the various modes of the Line tool to draw 
automation curves
The Line tool can be very useful for drawing automation 
events. The various modes are accessed by selecting the 
Line tool on the toolbar, clicking on it a second time and 
selecting from the pop-up menu that appears.
Clicking and dragging with the Line tool in Line mode 
shows a line in the automation track and creates automa-
tion events aligned with this line.
This is a quick way to create linear fades, etc.
The Line tool in Parabola mode works in the same way, 
but aligns the automation events with a parabolic curve in-
stead, resulting in more “natural” curves and fades.
Note that the result depends on the direction from which you draw the 
parabolic curve.
The Sine, Triangle and Square Line tool modes create 
automation events aligned with continuous curves.
If snap is activated and set to Grid, the period of the curve (the length of 
one curve “cycle”) is determined by the grid setting. If you press [Shift] 
and drag, you can set the period length manually, in multiples of the grid 
value. 
						

							116
Automation
Selecting automation events
To select a single automation break-point, click on it 
with the Arrow tool.
The break-point turns red, and you can drag it in any horizontal or vertical 
direction between two points.
To select multiple break-points, you can either [Shift]-
click or drag a selection rectangle with the Arrow tool.
All break-points inside the selection rectangle will be selected.
Drawing a selection rectangle around break-points to select them.
To select all automation events on an automation track, 
right-click the automation track in the Track list and choose 
“Select All Events” from the context menu.
Removing automation events
There are several ways to remove break-points:
By selecting points and pressing [Backspace] or [De-
lete] or selecting Delete from the Edit menu, or by clicking 
on a break-point with the Erase tool.
This will remove the break-points. The curve is redrawn to connect the 
break-points immediately to the left and right of the removed points.
By selecting a range (with the Range Selection tool), 
and pressing [Backspace] or [Delete] or selecting Delete 
from the Edit menu.
By clicking in the parameter display on an automation 
track and selecting “Remove Parameter” from the pop-up.
This will remove all automation events from the automation track, and the 
automation track will be closed.
Editing automation events
Automation events can be edited much like other events. 
You can use cut, copy and paste, and nudge events, etc.
MIDI Part Data vs Track Automation
In Cubase AI, you can enter (or record) MIDI Controller 
data in two ways: as automation data on an automation 
track or as part data in the MIDI part. The following ap-
plies:
When the Automation Read button for a track is en-
abled, controller data will be written as automation data on 
an automation track in the Project window.
When the Read button is disabled, the controller data 
will be written in the MIDI part and can be viewed and ed-
ited for example in the Key Editor.
Nevertheless, you can end up with both kinds of controller 
data for a MIDI part if you recorded controller part data in 
one pass and automation data during another. In this case, 
these “conflicting” data types will be combined during 
playback as follows:
Part automation only begins when the first controller 
event within the part is reached. At the end of the part, the 
last controller value will be kept until an automation break-
point is reached on the automation track. 
						

							11
Audio processing and functions 
						

							118
Audio processing and functions
Background
Audio processing in Cubase AI can be called “non-de-
structive”, in the sense that you can always undo changes 
or revert to the original versions. This is possible because 
processing affects audio clips rather than the actual audio 
files, and because audio clips can refer to more than one 
audio file. This is how it works:
1.If you process an event or a selection range, a new audio 
file is created in the Edits folder, within your project folder. 
This new file contains the processed audio, while the original file is unaf-
fected. 
2.The processed section of the audio clip (the section 
corresponding to the event or selection range) then refers 
to the new, processed audio file.
The other sections of the clip will still refer to the original file.
Since all edits are available as separate files, it is possi-
ble to undo any processing, at any point and in any order!
Furthermore, the original, unprocessed audio file can still 
be used by other clips in the project, by other projects or by 
other applications.
Audio processing
Basically, you apply processing by making a selection and 
selecting a function from the Process submenu on the Au-
dio menu. Processing is applied according to the follow-
ing rules:
When events are selected in the Project window or the 
Audio Part Editor, the processing will be applied to these 
events only.
Processing will only affect the clip sections that are referenced by the 
events.
When an audio clip is selected in the Pool, the process-
ing will be applied to the whole clip.
When you have made a selection range, the processing 
will be applied to this range only.
Other sections of the clip are not affected.
If you attempt to process an event that is a shared copy 
(i.e. the event refers to a clip that is used by other events in 
the project), you are asked whether you want to create a 
new version of the clip or not.
Select “New Version” if you want the processing to affect the selected 
event only. Select “Continue” if you want the processing to affect all 
shared copies. 
ÖIf you activate “Do not show this message again”, any 
further processing you do will conform to the selected 
method (“Continue” or “New Version”). 
You can change this setting at any time by using the “On Processing 
Shared Clips” pop-up in the Preferences (Editing–Audio page). Also, 
“Create New Version” will now be displayed as an option in the dialog for 
the processing function.
Common settings and features
If there are any settings for the selected Audio processing 
function, these will appear when you select the function 
from the Process submenu. While most settings are spe-
cific for the function, some features and settings work in 
the same way for several functions.
The “More…” button
If the dialog has a lot of settings, some options may be 
hidden when the dialog appears. To reveal these, click the 
“More…” button.
To hide the settings, click the button again (now labeled 
“Less…”).
The Preview, Process and Cancel buttons
These buttons have the following functionality:
Button Description
Preview Allows you to listen to the result of the processing with the 
current settings. Playback will continue repeatedly until 
you click the button again (the button is labeled “Stop” 
during Preview playback). You can make adjustments dur-
ing Preview playback, but the changes are not applied until 
the start of the next “lap”. Some changes may automati-
cally restart the Preview playback from the beginning.
Process Performs the processing and closes the dialog.
Cancel Closes the dialog without processing. 
						

							119
Audio processing and functions
Pre/Post-Crossfade
Some processing functions allow you to gradually mix the 
effect in or out. This is done with the Pre/Post-Crossfade 
parameters. If you activate Pre-Crossfade and specify a 
value of e.g. 1000 ms, the processing will be applied grad-
ually from the start of selection, reaching full effect 1000 ms 
after the start. Similarly, if you activate Post-Crossfade, the 
processing will gradually be removed, starting at the speci-
fied interval before the end of the selection.
Envelope
The Envelope function allows you to apply a volume enve-
lope to the selected audio. The dialog contains the follow-
ing settings:
Curve Kind buttons
These determine whether the envelope curve should con-
sist of spline curve segments (left button), damped spline 
segments (middle button) or linear segments (right button).
Envelope display
Shows the shape of the envelope curve. The resulting 
waveform shape is shown in dark gray, with the current 
waveform shape in light gray. You can click on the curve 
to add points, and click and drag existing points to change 
the shape. To remove a point from the curve, drag it out-
side the display.
Presets
If you have set up an envelope curve that you may want to 
apply to other events or clips, you can store it as a preset 
by clicking the Store button. To apply a stored preset, select it from the pop-up 
menu. 
To rename the selected preset, double-click on the 
name and enter a new one in the dialog that appears. 
To remove a stored preset, select it from the pop-up 
menu and click Remove.
Fade In and Fade Out
For a description of these functions, see the chapter “Fa-
des, crossfades and envelopes” on page 62.
Gain
Allows you to change the gain (level) of the selected audio. 
The dialog contains the following settings:
Gain
This is where you set the desired gain, between -50 and 
+20 dB. The setting is also indicated below the Gain dis-
play as a percentage.
Clipping detection text
If you use the Preview function before applying the pro-
cessing, the text below the slider indicates whether the 
current settings result in clipping (audio levels above 
0 dB). If that is the case, lower the Gain value and use the 
Preview function again.
If you want to increase the level of the audio as much as 
possible without causing clipping, you should use the Nor-
malize function instead (see “Normalize” on page 121).
Pre- and Post-Crossfade
See “Pre/Post-Crossfade” on page 119.
!The sum of the Pre- and Post-Crossfade times can-
not be larger than the length of the selection. 
						

							120
Audio processing and functions
Merge Clipboard
This function mixes the audio from the clipboard into the 
audio selected for processing, starting at the beginning of 
the selection.
The dialog contains the following settings:
Sources mix
Allows you to specify a mix ratio between the original (the 
audio selected for processing) and the copy (the audio on 
the clipboard).
Pre- and Post-Crossfade
See “Pre/Post-Crossfade” on page 119.
Noise Gate
Scans the audio for sections weaker than a specified 
threshold level and replaces them with silence. The dialog 
contains the following settings:
Threshold
The level below which you want audio to be silenced. 
Levels below this value will close the gate.
Attack Time
The time it takes for the gate to open fully after the audio 
level has exceeded the threshold level.
Min. Opening Time
This is the shortest time the gate will remain open. If you 
find that the gate opens and closes too often when pro-
cessing material that varies rapidly in level, you should try 
raising this value.
Release Time
The time it takes for the gate to close fully after the audio 
level has dropped below the threshold level.
Linked Channels
This is available for stereo audio only. When it is activated, 
the Noise Gate is opened for both channels as soon as 
one or both channels exceed the Threshold level. When 
Linked Channels is deactivated, the Noise Gate works in-
dependently for the left and right channel.
Dry/Wet mix
Allows you to specify a mix ratio between “dry” and pro-
cessed sound.
Pre- and Post-Crossfade
See “Pre/Post-Crossfade” on page 119.
!For this function to be available, you need to have cut 
or copied a range of audio in the Sample Editor first.