Steinberg Cubase Essential 4 Operation Manual

91
The mixer
The audio-related channel strips 
All audio-related channel types (audio, instrument track, 
input/output channels, group, effect return, VST Instru-
ment and ReWire) basically have the same channel strip 
layout, with the following differences:
 Only audio and instrument track channels have a Monitor and 
Record Enable button.
 Output channels do not have sends.
 Instrument track and VST Instrument channels have an addi-
tional button for opening the instrument’s control panel.
 Output...

92
The mixer
The common panel
The common panel appears to the left in the mixer windows 
and contains settings for changing the look and behavior of 
the mixer, as well as global settings for all channels.
The output channels
The output busses you set up in the VST Connections 
window are represented by output channels in the mixer. 
They are shown in a separate “pane” (to the right of the 
regular channel strips), with its own divider and horizontal 
scrollbar. The output channel strip is very similar...

93
The mixer
You can use the faders to set up a volume balance be-
tween the audio and MIDI channels and perform a manual 
mix by moving the faders and other controls while playing 
back. By using the Write function (see “Using Write/Read 
automation” on page 135), you can automate the levels 
and most mixer actions.
About the level meters for audio channels
When playing back audio in Cubase Essential, the level 
meters in the mixer show the level of each audio channel.
Directly below the level meter is...

94
The mixer
Several channels can be soloed at the same time.
However, if you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click the Solo button for a 
channel, any other soloed channels will automatically be un-soloed (i.e. 
this Solo mode is exclusive).
[Alt]/[Option]-clicking a Solo button activates “Solo De-
feat” for that channel.
In this mode the channel will not be muted if you solo another channel. To 
turn off Solo Defeat, [Alt]/[Option]-click the Solo button again. 
You can un-mute or un-solo all channels by...

95
The mixer
 To change the order of the panels, select “Setup…” on the 
Customize View pop-up menu and use the “Move up” and 
“Move Down” buttons.
For further information, see the chapter “Customizing” on 
page 313.
Every channel has its own channel settings (although you 
can view each in the same window if you like – see below).
The Channel Settings window is used for the following 
operations:
 Apply equalization, see “Making EQ settings” on page 96.
 Apply send effects, see “Audio effects” on page...

96
The mixer
Making EQ settings
Each audio channel in Cubase Essential has a built-in 
parametric equalizer with up to four bands. There are sev-
eral ways to view and adjust the EQs:
By selecting the “Equalizers” or “Equalizer Curve” tab in 
the Inspector.
The “Equalizers” section is similar to the “Equalizers” section in the 
Channel Settings window, while the “Equalizer Curve” section shows a 
display in which you can “draw” an EQ curve. Setting EQ in the Inspec-
tor is only possible for track-based...

97
The mixer
4.To activate another EQ module, click somewhere else 
in the display and proceed as above.
5.To turn off an EQ module, double-click its curve point 
or drag it outside the display.
6.To mirror the eq curve on the x axis, click the button to 
the right of the curve display.
The Inverse Equalizers button.
EQ bypass
Whenever one or several EQ modules are activated for a 
channel, the EQ button will light up in green in the mixer 
channel strip, Inspector (Equalizer and Channel sections),...

98
The mixer
Copying settings between audio channels
It is possible to copy all channel settings for an audio chan-
nel and paste them to one or several other channels. This 
applies to all audio-based channel types. For example, you 
can copy EQ settings from an audio track and apply these 
to a group or VST Instrument channel, if you want them to 
have the same sound. 
Proceed as follows:
1.In the mixer, select the channel you want to copy set-
tings from.
You can also select channels with the Channel...

99
The mixer
Solo functionality is automatically linked for channels 
routed to a group and the group channel itself.
This means that if you solo a group channel, all channels routed to the 
group are automatically soloed as well. Similarly, soloing a channel 
routed to a group will automatically solo the group channel.
Mute functionality depends on the setting “Group Chan-
nels: Mute Sources as well” in the Preferences (VST page). 
By default, when you mute a group channel no audio will pass through...

100
The mixer
Every MIDI channel has its own channel settings.
The MIDI Channel Settings window
Utilities
Link/Unlink channels
This function is used to “link” selected channels in the 
mixer so that any change applied to one channel will be 
mirrored by all channels in that group. You can link as 
many channels as you like, and you can also create as 
many groups of linked channels as you like. To link chan-
nels in the mixer, proceed as follows:
1.Press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on all the channels...