Steinberg Cubase Ai 5 Manual
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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 100 the high- est. Generally, the higher the bitrate or quality you select, the larger the final file will be. Advanced tab Dynamic Range Control These controls allow you to define the dynamic range of the encoded file. The dynamic range is the difference in dB between the average loudness and the peak audio level (the loudest sounds) of the audio. These settings af- fect how the audio is reproduced if the file is played on a Windows XP computer with a player from the Windows Media series, and the “Quiet Mode” feature of the player is activated to control the dynamic range. The dynamic range is automatically calculated during the encoding process, but you can specify it manually as well. To manually specify the dynamic range, first put a check- mark in the box to the left by clicking in it, and then enter the desired dB values in the Peak and Average fields. You can enter any value between 0 and -90 dB. Note, how-ever, that it is usually not recommended to change the Av- erage value, since this affects the overall volume level of the audio and therefore can have a negative effect on the audio quality. The Quiet Mode in a Windows Media player can be set to one of three settings. Below, these settings are listed to- gether with an explanation of how the Dynamic Range set- tings affect them: Off: If Quiet Mode is off, the dynamic range settings that were automatically calculated during the encoding will be used. Little Difference: If this is selected and you have not manually changed the dynamic range settings, the peak level will be limited to 6 dB above the average level during playback. If you have manually specified the dynamic range, the peak level will be limited to the mean value between the peak and average values you specified. Medium Difference: If this is selected and you have not manu- ally changed the dynamic range settings, the peak level will be limited to 12 dB above the average level. If you have changed the dynamic range, the peak level will be limited to the peak value you specified. Media tab In these fields you can enter a number of text strings with information about the file – title, author, copyright informa- tion and a description of its contents. This information will then be embedded in the file header and can be displayed by some Windows Media Audio playback applications. Mode Description Constant Bitrate This will encode to a file with a constant bit rate (set in the Bit Rate/Channels menu, see below). Constant bit rate is preferably used if you want to limit the size of the final file. The size of a file encoded with a constant bit rate is always the bit rate times the duration of the file. Variable Bitrate Encodes to a file with a variable bit rate, according to a quality scale (the desired quality is set in the Bit Rate/ Quality menu, see below). When you encode with vari- able bit rates, the bit rate fluctuates depending on the character and intricacy of the material being encoded. The more complex passages in the source material, the higher the bit rate – and the larger the final file. Lossless Encodes to a file with lossless compression.
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. All other devices are then slaved to this unit, which means they will adjust their play- back speed to the master’s. Cubase AI as slave When a synchronization signal is coming in to Cubase AI, from another device, this device is the master and Cubase AI is the slave. Cubase AI will adjust its playback to the other device. Cubase AI as master When you set up Cubase AI to transmit synchronization information to other devices, Cubase AI is the master and the other devices are the slaves; they will adjust their play- back to Cubase AI. Cubase AI – both master and slave Cubase AI is a very capable synchronization device. It can operate as both master and slave at the same time. For ex- ample, Cubase AI might be slaved to a tape recorder trans- mitting timecode, while at the same time transmitting MIDI Clock to a drum machine, acting as a master for that. Synchronization signals Basically there are three types of synchronization signals for audio: timecode, MIDI clock and word clock. Timecode (SMPTE, EBU, MTC, VITC, etc.) Timecode appears in a number of guises. No matter which “format” it has, it always supplies a “clock on the wall” type of synchronization, that is, a synchronization related to hours, minutes, seconds and two smaller units called “frames” and “subframes”. LTC (SMPTE, EBU) is the audio version of timecode. This means that it can be recorded on the audio track of an audio or video recorder. VITC is the video format timecode, stored in the actual video image. MTC is the MIDI version of timecode, transmitted via MIDI cables. ADAT sync (Alesis) is only used with the ASIO Positioning Protocol, see “About the ASIO Positioning Protocol (APP)” on page 238. For the ASIO Positioning Protocol, other high precision timecode formats may also be supported. Format recommendations for timecode – without ASIO Positioning Protocol When using synchronizer to synchronize your system to exter- nal timecode, the most common timecode format is MTC. Contrary to some reports you might have heard, MTC delivers good precision for external sync. This is due to the fact that the operating system can “time stamp” incoming MIDI mes- sages, which increases precision. Format recommendations for timecode – with ASIO Positioning Protocol LTC and VITC are the formats with the highest precision and are recommended when available. MTC is the next best option and probably the most common choice, since few audio hardware solutions have built-in LTC or VITC readers. However, LTC and VITC offer even higher precision when available. !For a description of the VST System Link feature (with which you can synchronize separate computers running Cubase AI or Nuendo for example), see “Working with VST System Link” on page 240.
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 position information, it is only a “simple” signal for clocking the audio at its sample rate. Word clock comes in many formats, analog on coaxial ca- ble, digital as part of an S/PDIF, AES/EBU or ADAT audio signal, etc. Synchronizing the transport vs. synchronizing audio How timing is handled in a non-synchronized system Let’s first look at the situation where Cubase AI is not syn- chronized to any external source: Any digital playback system has an internal clock that ulti- mately affects the playback speed and stability, and PC au- dio hardware is no exception. This clock is extremely stable. When Cubase AI is playing back with no external synchro- nization, all playback is internally synchronized to the inter- nal digital audio clock. Synchronizing Cubase AI’s playback Let’s assume now that we use external timecode synchro- nization with Cubase AI. For example, we might synchro- nize playback to a tape recorder. Timecode coming from an analog tape recorder will al- ways vary slightly in speed. Different timecode generators and different tape recorders will also supply timecode with slight differences in speed. In addition, the shuttling of tape mechanisms due to overdubs and re-recordings can cause the physical tape to wear and stretch, which affects the speed of the timecode. If you use a synchronizer that generates word clock and set up Cubase AI to sync to incoming timecode, it will vary its overall playback speed to compensate for such fluctuations in the speed of the timecode – that’s the whole purpose of synchronization. What happens with the digital audio? The fact that Cubase AI’s playback is synchronized to the timecode does not affect the playback of the digital audio. It still relies on the perfectly stable, built-in clock in the au- dio hardware. As might be expected, problems will appear when the per- fectly stable digital audio gets related to the slightly vary- ing speed of a system synchronized to timecode. The playback timing of each event will not be in total ac- cordance with the tape or the MIDI playback, since the playback speed of the audio is determined by the digital audio hardware’s built-in clock. Resolving to word clock The solution to this problem is to use one external clock for all components in the system. One master clock is used to derive whatever type of clock signal each component in the system needs. For example, something called a house clock can be used to generate sample rate clocks for the digital audio hardware and timecode for Cubase AI. This ensures that all components in the system use the same reference source for their timing. Synchronizing digital audio to external clocks running at sample rate is often called “resolving” or “synchronizing to word clock”. !MIDI Clock is not suitable as a master sync source for an application like Cubase AI. Therefore Cubase AI will transmit MIDI Clock signals to other devices, but it will not receive MIDI Clock.
235 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 Protocol (see “About the ASIO Positioning Protocol (APP)” on page 238). Using timecode without word clock Of course, it is possible to set up a synchronization system where you lock Cubase AI to timecode without using word clock. However, please note that the timing of audio vs. MIDI cannot be guaranteed and that fluctuations in speed in the incoming timecode will not affect the playback of audio events. This means that synchronizing to timecode may work in the following situations: When the timecode was originally generated by the au- dio card itself. When the source providing the timecode is extremely stable (such as a digital video system, a digital tape re- corder or another computer). When you remain synchronized to that same stable source throughout the entire process, both while record- ing and playing back audio. Making basic settings and connections Setting the Frame Rate The frame rate is the number of frames per second in a film or on a video tape. However, the frame rate used varies with the type of media (film or video), which country the video tape has been produced in, and other circumstances.In the Project Setup dialog are two settings for frame rates: The Frame Rate pop-up is automatically adjusted to the frame rate of the incoming timecode. There is an exception to this when you are synchronizing Cubase AI to MIDI Timecode: If you have selected 29.97 fps or 30 dfps as Frame Rate in Cubase AI, this selection will be kept, since these frame rates are not in- cluded in the MTC format. The following frame rates are available: The Display Format pop-up contains a number of for- mats that function as the “master” setting for the display format used in the various rulers and position displays. Making connections The following connections are required for external sync via a synchronizer, including resolving of the audio card. For details on audio card and synchronizer settings and connections, see the manuals for these devices. Route the master clock signal (LTC, VITC, etc.) to an in- put on the synchronizer. Connect the word clock output on the synchronizer to a word clock input on the audio card. Connect the MIDI Timecode (MTC) output on the syn- chronizer to the corresponding input on the computer. Frame Rate Description 24 fps The traditional frame rate of 35 mm film. 25 fps The frame rate used for all video and audio in Europe (EBU). 29.97 fps Straight 29.97 frames per second. 29.97 dfps “Drop frame” code running at 29.97 frames per second, most often used in the United States of America for work with color video. 30 fps Straight 30 frames per second. This is often used in the United States for audio only work. 30 dfps Very rarely used.
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 other Equipment to Cubase AI You may have other MIDI devices that you want to syn- chronize to Cubase AI. There are two types of synchroni- zation signals that Cubase AI can transmit: MIDI Clock and MIDI Timecode. Transmitting MIDI Clock If you transmit MIDI Clock to a device supporting this type of synchronization signal, the other device will follow Cu- base AI’s tempo. The tempo setting in the other device is of no relevance. If the device also reacts to Song Position Pointers (which Cubase AI transmits) it will follow when you wind, rewind and locate using the Cubase AI Trans- port panel. ÖMIDI Clock transport commands include “Start”, “Stop” and “Continue”. However, some MIDI equipment (e.g. some drum machines) do not recognize the “Continue” command. If this is the case with your equipment, activate the option “Always Send Start Message” in the Project Synchronization Setup dialog (MIDI Clock Destinations). When this is activated, only the Start command is used. Activate “MIDI Clock Follows Project Position” if you want the other device to follow when you loop, jump and locate during playback. When this is activated, the sent MIDI Clock signals will follow the se- quencer time and tempo position at all times. Send MIDI Clock in Stop Mode When the option “Send MIDI Clock in Stop Mode” in the Project Synchronization Setup dialog (MIDI Clock Desti- nations section) is activated, Cubase AI will send MIDI Clock signals to the selected MIDI Clock destinations even when Cubase AI is in Stop mode. This is, for example, useful if you are working with a key- board that has a built-in arpeggiator, the tempo of which you are controlling via MIDI Clock messages. This way, the arpeggiator will keep the right tempo even when Cu- base AI is in Stop mode. You may also be able to use this feature with some external drum machines, as it allows you to play the drum patterns in the current sequencer tempo even when Cubase AI is stopped. When this option is deactivated, Cubase AI will send MIDI Clock signals to the selected MIDI Clock destina- tions only during playback. In this mode, you will not be able to use the above-mentioned arpeggia- tor of your keyboard in Stop mode. ÖKeep in mind that the MIDI Clock information always refers to the tempo at the current project position. Transmitting MIDI Timecode If you transmit MIDI Timecode to a device supporting this type of synchronization signal, the device will synchronize time-wise to Cubase AI, that is, the time displays on Cu- base AI’s Transport panel and on the other device will agree. When you wind and locate Cubase AI and then ac- tivate playback, the other device will follow from the same position (if it has this capability and is set up for it!). !Please note that some external devices may not react smoothly to these repositioning messages. Espe- cially when working with some older devices, it may take some time for them to synchronize accurately to the project time.
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- tion” mode (or some other mode with a similar name) and activate playback on them if necessary. 5.Activate playback in Cubase AI, and the other de- vice(s) will follow. MIDI Timecode In this mode, Cubase AI is the slave and the timecode is sent by the MIDI Timecode Source specified in the corre- sponding section. Setting up Cubase AI for external sync to timecode 1.In the Project Synchronization Setup dialog, set Time- code Source to MIDI Timecode. 2.Use the pop-up menu in the MIDI Timecode Source section to select an input for the timecode. 3.Close the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and open the Project Setup dialog from the Project menu. 4.Use the Start value to set which frame on the external device (e.g. a video tape) should correspond to the begin- ning of the project. 5.In the dialog that appears, you are asked if you want to keep the project content at its timecode positions. Select “No”. This will make all events and parts keep their positions relative to the pro- ject start. 6.Close the Project Setup dialog. 7.On the Transport panel, activate the Sync button (or select Use External Sync from the Transport menu). !Some MIDI interfaces will automatically send MIDI Clock to all MIDI outputs, regardless of the MIDI Clock Port selection in Cubase AI. If this is the case, you should only select one MIDI Clock port (consult the documentation of the MIDI Interface if in doubt). Settings for sync to internal timecode Sync to timecode activated Outputs for MIDI Clock Outputs for MIDI Timecode Input port for MIDI Timecode Options for incoming timecode Set this to the timecode position where you want the project to start.
238 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 indicator. It switches between “Offline” (not waiting for sync), “Idle” (ready for sync but no signal is coming in), and “Lock xx” (where xx indicates the frame rate of the incoming signal). ASIO Audio Device In this mode, Cubase AI is the slave and the synchroniza- tion signal can be received from another device con- nected to a digital interface of the audio hardware. About the ASIO Positioning Protocol (APP) The ASIO Positioning Protocol is a technology that ex- pands on the type of sync described above and makes sample-accurate positioning possible. When transferring audio digitally between devices, it is im- portant that synchronization using word clock and time- code is completely correlated. If not, the audio will not be recorded at the exact intended (sample-accurate) position, which can cause various types of problems, such as inac- curately positioned audio material, clicks and pops, etc.A typical situation is when transferring material from a dig- ital multi-track tape recorder to Cubase AI (for editing) and then back again. If you do not have sample-accurate synchronization set up, you cannot be sure that the mate- rial will appear in its exact original position, when trans- ferred back to the tape recorder. In order to take advantage of the ASIO Positioning Proto- col, your audio hardware must be suitably equipped and the functionality must be included in the ASIO driver for the hardware. An example of a system for doing sample-accurate trans- fers would be transferring audio tracks from an Alesis ADAT to Cubase AI. Here the ADAT will be the sync mas- ter (though it does not necessarily have to be). It provides both the digital audio (with an inherent word clock) and position information (timecode) via its ADAT sync proto- col. The master clock is generated by the ADAT itself. Hardware and software requirements for APP Your computer audio hardware (in the example above, this would be an ADAT card in your computer) must support all the functionality required for the ASIO Positioning Protocol. That is, it must be able to read the digital audio and the corre- sponding position information from the external device. There must be an ASIO 2.0 driver for the audio hardware. For resolving to external timecode, the audio hardware must have an integrated timecode reader/generator. For information about which audio hardware models currently support APP, see the Steinberg web site (www.steinberg.net). !When the master device with the timecode is stopped, you can use the Cubase AI transport controls as you normally do. !This option is only available if your hardware is com- patible with the ASIO Positioning Protocol. !The ASIO Positioning Protocol requires audio hard- ware with specific ASIO drivers. The Sync indicator !The ASIO Positioning Protocol exploits the specific advantage of having an audio card that has an inte- grated timecode reader. With such a card and the ASIO Positioning Protocol, you can achieve constant sample-accurate synchronization between the audio source and Cubase AI.
239 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 model. 3.Adjust the settings as recommended by the card man- ufacturer, then close the dialog. The dialog may also contain various diagnostic tools that allow you to verify for example whether word clock is arriving correctly. 4.From the Clock Source pop-up, select the input to which you routed the word clock signal. This pop-up menu may not be used if you selected an input in the Con- trol Panel dialog instead. You can now set up the synchronization: 1.Open the Project Synchronization Setup dialog and set the Timecode Source to “ASIO Audio Device”. 2.Make the necessary settings in the dialog. For information on the different sections, click the Help button in the dialog. 3.Close the Project Synchronization Setup dialog.4.Open the Project Setup dialog from the Project menu and use the Start value to set which frame on the external device (e.g. a video tape) should correspond to the begin- ning of the project. 5.A message appears, asking you whether you want to keep the project content at its timecode positions. Select “No”. This will make all events and parts keep their positions relative to the pro- ject start. 6.Close the Project Setup dialog. 7.On the Transport panel, activate the Sync button (or select “Use External Sync” from the Transport menu). 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 incom- ing timecode by observing the sync indicator. It switches between “Offline” (not waiting for sync), “Idle” (ready for sync but no signal is coming in), and “Lock xx” (where xx indicates the frame rate of the incoming signal). VST System Link The ASIO Audio Device is selected as Timecode Source. Outputs for MIDI Clock Options for incoming timecode !When the master device is stopped, you can use the Cubase AI transport controls as you normally do, when it is not synchronized. !For a description of the VST System Link feature (with which you can synchronize separate computers running Cubase AI or Nuendo for example) see “Working with VST System Link” on page 240. Set this to the timecode position where you want the project to start.
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 occur. If a drop-out is very long, Cubase AI may (temporarily) stop. In the Drop Out Frames field you can set how long a drop- out (in frames) should be tolerated until Cubase AI de- cides that the tape is not good enough to synchronize to. If you have a very stable timecode source, you may lower this number to make Cubase AI stop more swiftly after the tape recorder has been stopped. Inhibit Restart Some synchronizers will still transmit MIDI Timecode for a short period after an external tape machine has been stopped. These extra frames of timecode can sometimes cause Cubase AI to restart suddenly. Inhibit Restart allows you to control the amount of time in milliseconds that Cu- base AI will wait to restart (ignoring incoming MTC) once it has stopped. Working with VST System Link VST System Link is a network system for digital audio that allows you to have several computers working together in one large system. Unlike conventional networks it does not require Ethernet cards, hubs, or CAT-5 cables; instead it uses the kind of digital audio hardware and cables you probably already possess in your studio. VST System Link has been designed to be simple to set up and operate, yet give enormous flexibility and perfor- mance gains in use. It is capable of linking computers in a “ring” network (the System Link signal is passed from one machine to the next, and eventually returns to the first ma-chine). VST System Link can send its networking signal over any type of digital audio cable, including S/PDIF, ADAT, TDIF, or AES, as long as each computer in the system is equipped with a suitable ASIO compatible audio interface. Linking up two or more computers gives you vast possibil- ities: Dedicate one computer to running VST instruments while re- cording audio tracks on another. If you need lots of audio tracks, you may simply add tracks on another computer. You could have one computer serve as a “virtual effect rack”, running CPU-intensive send effect plug-ins only. Since you can use VST System Link to connect different VST System Link applications on different platforms, you can take advantage of effect plug-ins and VST instru- ments that are specific to certain programs or platforms. Preparations Requirements The following equipment is required for VST System Link operation: Two or more computers. These can be of the same type or use different operating systems – it does not matter. For example, you can link an Intel-based PC to an Apple Macin- tosh without problems. Each computer must have audio hardware with specific ASIO drivers, installed and working. The audio hardware must have digital inputs and outputs. Of course, to be able to connect the computers, the digital connections must be compatible (i.e. the same digital formats and connection types must be available). At least one digital audio cable for each computer in the network. A VST System Link host application installed on each computer. Any VST System Link applications can connect to each other. Additionally, we recommend that you use a KVM switchbox.