Steinberg Cubase Essential 4 Operation Manual

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Track Presets
Track presets are saved in the “Track Presets” folder in 
default subfolders named according to their track type 
(audio, MIDI, instrument and multi). For further information, 
see “Where are the settings stored?” on page 319.
All presets are available under the (virtual) SoundFrame 
node, see “The SoundFrame node” on page 190.
Creating tracks from track presets 
or VST presets
Creating tracks via drag and drop
1.Open the Sound Browser.
You can also drag and drop from the Windows Explorer or the Mac OS 
Finder, but in this case, no preview for MIDI and instrument track presets 
is possible.
2.Select a track or VST preset from the list of all presets. 
At this point you can preview selected MIDI and instrument track presets 
as well as VST presets, see “Previewing MIDI, instrument and VST pre-
sets independently of tracks” on page 203.
3.Drag and drop the track preset onto the track list in the 
Project window.
One or more (in case of multi track presets) tracks will be created. If you 
drag and drop a VST instrument preset, this will result in an instrument 
track.
Creating tracks in the Browse Sounds dialog
1.Right-click the track list to open the context menu and, 
on the Add Track submenu, select “Browse Sounds…”.
The Browse Sounds dialog opens.
2.Select a track or VST preset from the list of all presets. 
At this point you can preview selected MIDI and instrument track presets 
as well as VST presets, see “Previewing MIDI, instrument and VST presets 
independently of tracks” on page 203. If you want to list a certain track pre-
set type only, open the respective folder in the Browser section.
3.Click OK to create one or more (in case of multi track 
presets) tracks.
Creating one or more audio, MIDI or instrument 
tracks with the Add Track function
1.To create one or more new tracks from a track preset, 
proceed as if adding a new track by selecting the corre-
sponding option on the context menu (or by using the key 
command). 
A dialog opens, in this example the “Add Audio track” dialog:
If you want to create more than one track of this type, 
enter the number in the Count field.
2.Click “Browse Presets” to open the Browse Presets 
section of the “Add Track” dialog.
The view is filtered to show only the corresponding track presets, e. g. if 
you choose “Add Audio Track”, only audio track presets will be displayed. 
3.Select a track or VST preset.
At this point, you can preview selected MIDI and instrument track presets 
as well as VST presets, see “Previewing MIDI, instrument and VST pre-
sets independently of tracks” on page 203. 
4.Click OK to create the track(s).
The new track(s) will be named after the original track (not the track 
preset).
ÖAs adding multiple tracks is not available as menu op-
tion, multi track presets can only be used for track creation 
via drag and drop or the “Browse Sounds” dialog.
!You cannot change the default folders, but you can 
add further subfolders, e.g. “drums” and “choir”. 
						

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Track Presets
Applying track presets
Track presets can be applied to tracks of their own type 
only, i. e. audio track presets to audio tracks, etc. 
When you apply a track preset, all saved settings are ap-
plied, see “Types of track presets” on page 196.
For instrument tracks, VST presets are also available. 
Since VST presets have no modifiers, MIDI inserts, inserts 
or EQs, applying them leads to removal of your current 
settings for these, see “Inserts and EQ settings from track 
presets” on page 204.
Applying audio, MIDI and instrument track 
presets
Applying track or VST presets via drag and drop
1.Open the Sound Browser from the Media menu.
You can also drag and drop from the Windows Explorer or the Mac OS 
Finder, but in this case, no preview for track presets is possible.
2.Select a track or VST preset.
At this point, you can preview selected presets, see “Previewing track or 
VST presets before applying” on page 203.
3.Drag and drop it onto a track of the same type.
Applying track or VST presets in the Inspector or the 
context menu of the track
Proceed as follows:
1.Select a track in the Project window.
2.Click the SoundFrame button in the Inspector or right-
click the track to open the context menu and select “Apply 
Track Preset”.
Click here to open the Presets browser.
In both cases, the Presets browser opens. Here, the files 
are presented in list form.
3.Select a track or VST preset from the list.
If the list is very long and you cannot find the needed preset easily, you 
can click Categories in order to expand the view. It now shows a custom-
izable filter section that is similar to the one in the MediaBay, see “Per-
forming a search” on page 192.
At this point you can preview selected presets, see “Pre-
viewing track or VST presets before applying” on page 203.
4.Click outside the browser to apply the selected preset 
or click the Reset button below the list to return to the un-
changed track.
ÖOnce the track preset is applied, you cannot undo the 
changes!
In the Inspector, you can see which preset was applied 
last.
Applying a multi track preset
To be able to apply a multi track preset, certain require-
ments have to be met. Proceed as follows:
1.Select several tracks in your project. 
The selected tracks have to be of the same type, number and sequence 
as the tracks in the track preset.
2.Right-click the track to open the context menu and se-
lect “Apply Track Preset”.
The Presets browser opens. Only multi track presets corresponding to 
the selection of tracks in the project will be shown. 
3.Select a multi track preset from the list.
4.Click outside the browser to apply the selected preset 
or click the Reset button below the list to return to the un-
changed track.
ÖOnce the track preset is applied, you cannot undo the 
changes! 
						

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Track Presets
Reloading track or VST presets
To revert to the default settings of the applied preset, click 
the “Reload Track Preset” button.
Applying another track or VST preset
To apply another track or VST preset, open the Presets 
browser as described above and select another preset.
Removing a track or VST preset from a track
It is not possible to remove an applied preset from a track 
and return to the previous state. If you are unsatisfied with 
the track settings, you can either edit the settings manually 
or apply another preset.
Extracting sound from an instrument track or 
VST preset
For instrument tracks, you can extract the “sound” of an 
instrument track preset or VST preset, that means the VST 
Instrument and its settings.
Proceed as follows:
1.Select the instrument track to which you want to apply 
a sound.
2.Click the SoundFrame button below the Output Rout-
ing field in the Inspector. 
The Presets browser opens, showing a list of all available 
presets. 3.Select an instrument track preset or VST preset and 
click OK. 
The VST instrument and its settings (but no inserts, EQs and modifiers) 
of the existing track are overwritten with the data of the track preset. The 
previous VST instrument for this instrument track is removed and the new 
VST instrument with its settings is set up for the instrument track. Note 
that the VST instrument of an instrument track does not show up in the 
VST Instrument window but only in the Plug-In Information window, see 
the section “The Plug-in Information window” on page 117.
Previewing track and VST presets
You can preview all types of track and VST presets except 
for multi track presets.
Previewing track or VST presets before 
applying
When you apply a track preset to an existing track, the 
corresponding dialog opens. Here you can preview the 
track presets before applying them permanently. This 
works for audio, MIDI and instrument track presets as well 
as for VST presets.
You can use this preview for listening to the changes in 
the output in real time. Proceed as follows:
1.Set your target track to cycle and play back the loop.
2.Select a track preset in the list.
3.Hit the Play button on the Transport panel to listen to 
the track with all settings from the track preset applied to it.
4.Click outside the browser to apply the selected preset 
or click the Reset button below the list to return to the un-
changed track.
Previewing MIDI, instrument and VST presets 
independently of tracks
You can also preview MIDI and instrument track presets 
as well as VST presets in the Sound Browser or in dialogs 
with the Browse Presets section open. 
For example, when you open the “Browse Sounds” dialog 
and select a MIDI or instrument track preset or a VST pre-
set, preview buttons appear on the lower right. (In the 
Sound Browser, the preview buttons appear in the Scope 
section.) 
						

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Track Presets Track-independent preview, for example a VST preset in the “Browse 
Sounds” dialog.
Two preview options are available:
Previewing with standard MIDI input
1.Click the MIDI Input button.
2.Play some MIDI notes via your MIDI input device, for 
example a keyboard.
The Activity meter on the far right mirrors the MIDI in activity.
ÖFor this to work, “In All Inputs” has to be activated for 
your MIDI input device (this is the default setting), as only 
MIDI data incoming via “All MIDI Inputs” is used for preview.
Previewing using a MIDI file
1.Click the Choose MIDI File button.
A file dialog opens.
2.Select a MIDI file (.mid) to be played back with the 
track or VST preset applied and click OK.
3.Click the MIDI Input button.
The Play button will become available.
4.Click “Play”.
The program applies the track or VST preset to the MIDI file.
In the Browse Sounds dialog, clicking OK will create a 
new track (see “Creating tracks in the Browse Sounds di-
alog” on page 201).
ÖThe MIDI file selection is not saved when closing the 
dialogs or the Sound Browser. Therefore, you have to se-
lect a new file the next time you want to preview a preset 
using a MIDI file.
Inserts and EQ settings from track 
presets
Instead of handling complete track presets, it is also pos-
sible to apply settings for Inserts or Equalizers from track 
presets.
This can be done via the Inspector or via the Channel set-
tings window.
In the Inspector, select e. g. an Instrument track and 
click the SoundFrame button on the Inserts or Equalizers 
tab to open the presets pop-up menu. There, select the 
option “From Track Preset…”.
In the Channel Settings window for a MIDI track, instru-
ment track or audio channel track (opened by clicking the 
“e” button in the Inspector), click on the SoundFrame but-
ton in the Inserts section and select “From Track Pre-
set…” in the pop-up menu.
The Presets browser opens, showing all available track 
presets that contain Inserts or EQ settings. Select the 
track preset whose Inserts or EQs you want to apply and 
click outside the browser.
For information on the general handling of Inserts pre-
sets, see the chapter “Audio effects” on page 103.
For information on the general handling of EQ presets, 
see “Using EQ presets” on page 97. 
						

							21
MIDI realtime parameters and effects 
						

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MIDI realtime parameters and effects
Introduction
For each MIDI track, you can set up a number of track pa-
rameters, or modifiers, and MIDI effects. These affect how 
the MIDI data is played back, “transforming” MIDI events 
in real time before they are sent to the MIDI outputs.
On the following pages, the available parameters and ef-
fects are described. Keep in mind:
 The actual MIDI events will not be affected – the changes 
happen “on the fly”.
 Since the modifier settings don’t change the actual MIDI data 
on the track, they will not be reflected in the MIDI editors. To 
convert the track settings into “real” MIDI events, use the 
Freeze MIDI Modifiers function (see “Permanent settings with 
Freeze MIDI Modifiers” on page 219).
The Inspector – General handling
The MIDI modifiers and effects are set up in the Inspector. 
Here’s a brief rundown on how to handle the Inspector:
To show or hide the Inspector, click the Inspector icon 
on the Project window toolbar.
For a MIDI track, up to five sections are available. Which 
of these sections are displayed in the Inspector is deter-
mined in the setup context menu or the Setup dialog of 
the Inspector.
For information about setting up the Inspector, see “The Setup dialogs” 
on page 314.
You can fold or unfold the sections individually by click-
ing on the section name.
Clicking the name for a hidden section brings it to view and hides the 
other sections. [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking the tab allows you to hide or 
show a section without affecting other sections. [Alt]/[Option]-clicking a 
tab shows or hides all sections in the Inspector.
The Inspector for a MIDI track
ÖFolding or hiding (via the Setup dialog) a section does 
not affect the functionality but merely hides the section 
from view. 
This means your settings will still be active even if you fold or hide the In-
spector settings.
Basic track settings
The topmost Inspector section contains the basic settings 
for the selected MIDI track. 
						

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MIDI realtime parameters and effects
These are settings that either affect the basic functionality 
for the track (mute, solo, enable record, etc.) or send out 
additional MIDI data to the connected devices (program 
change, volume, etc.). The section contains all settings in 
the Track list (see “The Track list” on page 17), with a few 
additional parameters:  ÖNote that the functionality of the Bank and Patch se-
lector settings (used for selecting sounds in the con-
nected MIDI instrument) depends on the instrument to 
which the MIDI output is routed, and how you have set it 
up in the MIDI Device Manager.
The MIDI Device Manager allows you to specify which MIDI instruments 
and other devices are connected to the various MIDI outputs, thus mak-
ing it possible to select patches by name.
ÖMany of the basic track settings are duplicated in 
“mixer channel strip form” in the MIDI Fader section of the 
Inspector (see below).
Other Inspector sections
Apart from the basic track settings (see above), the MIDI 
Modifiers (see “MIDI Modifiers” on page 208) and the ef-
fect sections (see “MIDI effects” on page 210), the Inspec-
tor for a MIDI track also contains the following sections:
The MIDI Fader section
This contains a single channel strip, allowing you to set 
volume, pan, mute/solo and other parameters for the track, 
and a panel view of the active sends/inserts. This is a “mir-
ror” of the track’s channel strip in the Cubase Essential 
mixer – see “The MIDI channel strips” on page 91.
VST Instrument section
If the MIDI track is routed to a VST Instrument, a new sub-
panel will appear at the bottom of the Inspector, labeled 
with the name of the VST instrument. Clicking this section 
shows a duplicate of the Inspector settings for the VST In-
strument channel. This makes it easy to adjust the channel 
settings for the VST Instrument while you are editing the 
MIDI track.
If the VST Instrument has multiple outputs (and thus 
several mixer channels), there will be a setting called 
“Output” at the top of the VST Instrument section.
Parameter Description
Track name
fieldClick once to show/hide the topmost Inspector section. 
Double-click to rename the track.
Edit button This opens the Channel Settings window for the track (a 
window showing a channel strip with volume fader and 
other controls, along with effect settings – see “Using 
Channel Settings” on page 94).
Mute/Solo 
buttonsMutes or solos the MIDI track.
Read/Write 
buttonsUsed for automating the track settings – see “Using 
Write/Read automation” on page 135.
Record enable 
buttonActivate this to make the track ready for recording.
Monitor button When this is activated (and the option “MIDI Thru Active” 
is activated in the Preferences–MIDI page), incoming 
MIDI will be routed to the selected MIDI output.
Lock button Activate this to disable all editing of all events on the 
track.
Volume Use this to adjust the level for the track. Changing this 
setting will move the track’s fader in the mixer window, 
and vice versa. See “Setting volume in the mixer” on page 
92 for more about setting levels.
Pan Use this to adjust the panning of the track. 
Delay This adjusts the playback timing of the MIDI track. Posi-
tive values delay the playback while negative values 
cause the track to play earlier. The values are set in milli-
seconds.
In/Out/Chn 
pop-upsThis is where you select MIDI input, MIDI output and MIDI 
channel for the track.
Edit Instrument 
buttonIf the MIDI track is routed to a VST instrument, clicking 
this button opens the control panel for the VST instru-
ment.
Bank and Patch 
Selector pop-upAllows you to select a sound, see below. (If no bank is 
available, only the Patch selector is shown.)
Map pop-up Allows you to select a drum map for the track – see “Ma-
naging drum maps” on page 247.
Apply Track 
Preset buttonAllows you to apply a track preset, see “Applying track 
presets” on page 202. 
						

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MIDI realtime parameters and effects
New sub-panels will also be added in the following cases:
 When a MIDI track is routed to an effect plug-in that also re-
ceives audio data, i.e. that is used as an insert effect for an au-
dio track (e.g. MIDI Gate), a sub-panel for this audio track 
appears in the MIDI track inspector.
 If a MIDI track is routed to a plug-in assigned to a FX Channel 
track, a corresponding FX sub-panel is added to the Inspector.
ÖFor an easy way to combine MIDI and VST instruments, 
check out instrument tracks (see “VST Instruments and In-
strument tracks” on page 119).
MIDI Modifiers 
The settings on this tab will affect the MIDI events on the 
track in real time during playback. They will also be in ef-
fect if you play “live” with the track selected and record 
enabled (provided that “MIDI Thru Active” is activated on 
the Preferences–MIDI page). This makes it possible to e. g. 
transpose or adjust the velocity of your live playing.
ÖIf you want to compare the result of your modifier set-
tings with the “unprocessed” MIDI, you can use the By-
pass button in the MIDI Modifiers section.
When this is activated, the MIDI Modifiers settings will be temporarily 
disabled. A bypassed section is indicated by a yellow Bypass button.
Transpose
This allows you to transpose all notes on the track in semi-
tones. The available range is -127 to +127 semitones, but 
remember that the total range of MIDI note numbers is 0 
to 127. Furthermore, not all instruments can play back 
notes over the whole range. Therefore, extreme transposi-
tions can give rather strange and unwanted results.
You can also transpose individual MIDI parts using the 
Transpose field in the info line.
The transposition in the info line (for the individual part) is added to the 
transpose value you have set up for the whole track in the Inspector.
Velocity Shift
This setting lets you change the dynamics of all notes on 
the track. The value in this field is added to the velocity of 
each note message that is sent out (use negative values to 
lower the velocities). The range is -127 to +127 with 0 
representing no change in velocity.
Note that the effect of changing the velocity depends on 
the sound and instrument.
ÖYou can also adjust the velocity of events in individual 
MIDI parts using the Velocity field in the info line.
The velocity shift in the info line (for the individual part) is added to the 
velocity shift you have set up for the whole track in the Inspector.
Velocity Compression
This function multiplies the velocity values with the factor 
you specify. This factor is set using a numerator (left value) 
and a denominator (right value), resulting in a fractional 
number (1/2, 3/4, 3/2 etc.). For example, if you set the 
factor to 3/4, the velocities will be three quarters of their 
original values. This will also affect the difference in veloc-
ity between the notes, thus compressing or expanding the 
velocity scale. Typically, you would combine this setting 
with the Velocity Shift parameter. An example:
Let’s say you have three notes with the velocity values 60, 
90 and 120, and wish to “even out” the velocity differ-
ences somewhat. If you set the Velocity Compression 
value to 1/2, the notes will play back with the velocities 
30, 45 and 60. By adding 60 in the Velocity Shift field, the 
notes will play back with the velocities 90, 105 and 120, 
meaning you have compressed the velocity range.  
						

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MIDI realtime parameters and effects
In a similar way, you can use Velocity Compression values 
greater than 1/1 together with negative values in the Ve-
locity Shift field, to expand the velocity range.
Length Compression
This value adjusts the lengths of all notes on the track. As 
with Velocity Compression, the value is set with a numer-
ator and denominator. For example, the value 2/1 means 
that all note lengths will be doubled, while 1/4 means all 
note lengths will be a quarter of the actual lengths.
Random
The Random settings let you introduce random variations 
to various properties of MIDI notes. Anything from very 
subtle variations to dramatic changes can be applied. 
There are two separate “random generators”, set up in the 
following way:
1.Pull down the Random pop-up menu and select which 
note property should be randomized.
The options are position, pitch, velocity and length. 
ÖKeep in mind that depending on the content of the 
track, certain parameter changes might not be immedi-
ately noticeable or have any effect at all (as would be the 
case if applying random length to a percussion track play-
ing “one-shot” samples for example). 
To best audition the random changes, choose a track with clearly defined 
rhythm and note content (as opposed to a string pad).
2.Set the desired range of random deviation by entering 
values in the two number fields.
The two values govern the limits of the randomization, so that the values 
will vary between the left value and the right value (you cannot set the left 
value higher than the right value). The maximum random range for each 
property is listed in the table below: 
ÖYou can make independent settings for the two ran-
dom generators.To deactivate the Random function, pull down the Ran-
dom pop-up menu(s) and select “OFF”.
Range
The Range function lets you specify a note (pitch) or ve-
locity range and either force all notes to fit within this 
range, or exclude all notes outside this range from play-
back. As with the Random function, there are two sepa-
rate Range settings. Set them up as follows:
1.Pull down the Range pop-up menu and select one of 
the following four modes:
2.Use the two fields to the right to set the minimum and 
maximum values.
These values will be shown as numbers (0-127) for the velocity modes 
and as note numbers (C-2 to G8) for the pitch modes.
ÖNote that you can make independent settings for the 
two Range functions.
To deactivate the Range function, pull down the Range 
pop-up menu(s) and select “OFF”.
!Remember that the maximum velocity is always 127 
no matter how much you try to expand.
Property Range
Position -500 to +500 ticks
Pitch -120 to +120 semitones
Velocity -120 to +120 
Length -500 to +500 ticks
Mode Description
Vel. Limit This function affects all velocity values outside the speci-
fied range. Velocity values below the Min setting (the 
lower limit of the range) are set to the Min value, and ve-
locity values above the Max setting are set to the Max 
value. Notes with velocity values within the set range are 
not affected. Use this if you want to force all velocity val-
ues to fit within a certain range.
Vel. Filter Velocity Filter works by excluding all notes with velocity 
values outside the specified range. Notes with velocity 
values below the Min setting or above the Max setting will 
not be played back. Use this to “isolate” notes with cer-
tain velocity values.
Note Limit This function allows you to specify a pitch range, and 
forces all notes to fit within this range. Notes outside the 
specified range are transposed up or down in octave 
steps until they fit within the range.
Note: If the range is too “narrow”, so that some notes 
cannot be fit within the range by octave-transposing, 
these notes will get a pitch in the middle of the range. For 
example, if you have a note with a pitch of F3, and the 
range is C4-E4, that note will be transposed to D4.
Note Filter Note Filter works by excluding all notes with pitches out-
side the specified range. Notes lower than the Min set-
ting or higher than the Max setting will not be played 
back. Use this to “isolate” notes with certain pitches. 
						

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MIDI realtime parameters and effects
MIDI effects
Cubase Essential comes with a number of MIDI effect 
plug-ins, capable of transforming the MIDI output from a 
track in various ways.
Just like the MIDI modifiers, MIDI effects are applied in real 
time to the MIDI data played back from the track (or to 
MIDI you play live “thru” the track).
What are MIDI effects?
Although a MIDI effect can be similar to an audio effect, 
it’s important to remember that you’re not processing the 
sound resulting from MIDI playback, but the MIDI data (the 
“instructions” for how the music should be played back). 
A MIDI effect will change properties of the MIDI events 
(e.g. change the pitch of notes) and/or generate new MIDI 
events (for example, a MIDI delay may add new MIDI 
notes, “echoing” the original notes).
ÖThe included MIDI effect plug-ins are described in the 
separate manual “Plug-in Reference”.
Insert and send effects
As with audio effects, there are two ways to route the MIDI 
events on a track to an effect:
ÖIf you add an insert effect, the MIDI events will be sent 
to the effect, which will process the data and pass it on to 
the track’s MIDI output (or to another insert effect).
In other words, the MIDI events will be routed “through” the insert effect.
ÖIf you use a send effect, the MIDI events will be sent 
both to the track’s MIDI output and to the effect.
That is, you will get both the unprocessed MIDI events and the output of 
the MIDI effect. Note that the effect can send its processed MIDI data to 
any MIDI output – not necessarily to the one used by the track.
There are separate sections in the Inspector for MIDI in-
serts and MIDI sends.
MIDI Inserts section
This allows you to add up to four MIDI insert effects. The 
section contains the following items:
ÖEffects that display their controls in the Inspector can 
be opened in a separate control panel window by press-
ing [Alt]/[Option] and clicking the Edit button.
Item Description
Preset Manage-
ment buttonClick this to open the track presets pop-up menu and se-
lect an insert preset or apply an insert from a track preset, 
see “Inserts and EQ settings from track presets” on page 
204.
Bypass button Click this to temporarily disable all insert effects for the 
track (useful for comparing with the unprocessed MIDI, 
etc.).
Inserts section 
tabThis is in blue if an insert effect is activated.
Effect selection 
pop-up menu 
(x 4)Selecting an effect from this pop-up menu automatically 
activates it and brings up its control panel (which can be 
a separate window or a number of settings below the in-
sert slot in the Inspector).
To remove an insert effect completely, select “No Effect”.
On button (x 4) Allows you to turn the selected effect on or off.
Edit button (x4) Click this to bring up the control panel for the selected 
effect. Depending on the effect, this may appear in a sep-
arate window or below the insert slot in the Inspector. 
Clicking the button again hides the control panel.