Steinberg Cubase Essential 4 Operation Manual

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Synchronization
 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 
284).
Using timecode without word clock
Of course, it is possible to set up a synchronization system 
where you lock Cubase Essential to timecode...

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Synchronization
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 Essential is the master.
Use the “MIDI Timecode Destinations” and “MIDI Clock 
Destinations” sections to specify which devices should be 
slaved to Cubase Essential.
Synchronizing other Equipment to Cubase Essential
You may have other MIDI devices that you want to syn-
chronize to Cubase Essential. There...

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Synchronization
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 Essential, and the other 
device(s) will follow.
MIDI Timecode
In this mode, Cubase Essential is the slave and the time-
code is sent by the MIDI Timecode Source specified in the 
corresponding section. 
Setting up Cubase Essential for external sync to 
timecode
1.In the Project Synchronization dialog,...

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Synchronization
ASIO Audio Device
In this mode, Cubase Essential is the slave and the syn-
chronization signal can be received from another device 
connected 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...

285
Synchronization
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 desired 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-...

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Synchronization
Inhibit Restart
Some synchronizers will still transmit MIDI Time Code for 
a short period after an external tape machine has been 
stopped. These extra frames of timecode can sometimes 
cause Cubase Essential to restart suddenly. Inhibit Re-
start allows you to control the amount of time in millisec-
onds that Cubase Essential 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...

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Synchronization
1.Connect a digital audio cable from the digital output of 
computer 1 to the digital input of computer 2.
2.Connect the other cable from the digital output of 
computer 2 into the digital input of computer 1.
If a card has more than one set of inputs and outputs, 
choose whichever one that suits you – for simplicity usu-
ally the first set is best.
Synchronization 
Before you proceed, you need to make sure that the clock 
signals on your ASIO cards are synchronized correctly. 
This...

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Synchronization
ÖThe latency does not affect the synchronization – its 
always perfectly in time. But it can affect the time it takes 
to send and receive MIDI and audio signals, or make the 
system seem sluggish.
To adjust the latency of a system, you adjust the size of the 
buffers in the ASIO control panel – the lower the buffer 
size, the lower the latency. Its best to keep to fairly low la-
tencies (buffer sizes) if your system can handle it – about 
12 ms or less is usually a good idea.
Setting...

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Synchronization
Activating VST System Link
Before you proceed, you need to make sure that VST Sys-
tem Link is set as Timecode Source in the Synchronization 
dialog and that the desired Sync options are activated, 
see “Sync Options” on page 285.
After setting up the inputs and outputs, you now need to 
define which input/output should carry the actual VST 
System Link information.
The System Link networking signal is carried on only one 
bit of one channel. This means that if you have an ADAT 
based...

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Synchronization
The Transfer Bits setting allows you to specify whether 
you want to transfer 24 or 16 bits. This allows you to use 
older audio cards which do not support transfer of 24 bits.
VST System Link sends and understands all transport 
commands, so you can play, stop, fast forward, rewind 
etc. the entire network from one computer without a prob-
lem – try it! If you jump to a locator point on one machine, 
all other machines will also instantly jump to that locator 
point. You can even...