Steinberg Cubase Le 4 Manual

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Export Audio Mixdown 
						

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Export Audio Mixdown
Introduction
The Export Audio Mixdown function in Cubase LE allows 
you to mix down audio from the program to a file on your 
hard disk, in a number of formats. 
You always mix down an output bus. For example, if you 
have set up a stereo mix with tracks routed to a stereo 
output bus, mixing down that output bus would give you a 
mixdown file containing the whole mix.
Notes
The Export Audio Mixdown function mixes down the 
area between the left and right locator.
When you mix down, you get what you hear – mutes, 
mixer settings and insert effects are taken into account.
Note though that you will only include the sound of the bus you select for 
mixdown.
MIDI tracks are not included in the mixdown!
To make a complete mixdown containing both MIDI and audio, you first 
need to record all your MIDI music to audio tracks (by connecting the 
outputs of your MIDI instruments to your audio inputs and recording, as 
with any other sound source).
A single instrument track can be directly exported as 
Audio Mixdown.
Mixing down to an audio file
1.Set up the left and right locator to encompass the area 
that you want to mix down.
2.Set up your tracks so that they play back the way you 
want.
This includes muting unwanted tracks or parts, making manual mixer set-
tings and/or activating the R (Read) automation buttons for some or all 
mixer channels.
3.Pull down the File menu and select “Audio Mixdown…” 
from the Export submenu.
The Export Audio Mixdown dialog appears.
The available settings and options differ depending on the 
selected file format (see “The available file formats” on 
page 213).
4.Enter a name for the mixdown file in the File name field 
and specify a path where you want the mixdown to be 
saved. Alternatively, you can activate the option “Use 
Project Audio Folder”.
This saves the mixdown file in the Project Audio folder.
5.Select the bus you want to mix down with the Outputs 
pop-up menu.
This lists all output busses in the active project.
6.Activate the Split Channels option, if you want to ex-
port all channels as mono files.
7.Select a file format with the File Format pop-up menu.
8.Make additional settings for the file to be created.
This includes selecting sample rate, bit depth, etc. The available options 
depend on the selected file format – see “The available file formats” on 
page 213.
9.If you want to automatically import the resulting audio 
file back into Cubase LE, activate the checkboxes in the 
“Import into project” section.
If you activate the “Pool” checkbox, a clip referring to the file will appear 
in the Pool. Activating the “Audio Track” checkbox as well will create an 
audio event that plays the clip, and place it on a new audio track, starting 
at the left locator. 
						

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Export Audio Mixdown
ÖThe Import options are only available if you have se-
lected an uncompressed file format.
10.If you activate Update Display, the meters will be up-
dated during the export process.
This allows you to check for clipping, for example.
11.Click Export.
A dialog with a progress bar is displayed while the audio file 
is created. If you change your mind during the file creation, 
you can click the Abort button to abort the operation.
If the option “Close dialog after export” is activated, the 
dialog will be closed, otherwise it will be left open.
If you have activated any of the “Import to” options, the 
file will be imported back into the project.
When playing back the re-imported file in Cubase LE, remember to mute 
the original tracks so that you really hear the correct file.
About the Import options dialog
When you activate any of the options in the Import sec-
tion, the Import Options dialog will open. For a detailed 
description of the options in this dialog see “Import Me-
dium...” on page 137. 
The available file formats
The following pages describe the different export file for-
mats, and their options and settings.
 AIFF files (see “AIFF files” on page 213).
 AIFC files (see “AIFC files” on page 214).
 Wave files (see “Wave files” on page 214).
 Windows Media Audio files (Windows only, see “Windows 
Media Audio files (Windows only)” on page 214).
MP3 export is available upon upgrade of Cubase LE. 
Please contact your vendor for details.
AIFF files
AIFF stands for Audio Interchange File Format, a standard 
defined by Apple Computer Inc. AIFF files have the exten-
sion “.aif” and are used on most computer platforms.
For AIFF files the following options are available:
Option Description
File name
(File Location 
section)In this field you can enter a name for the mixdown file.
Path
(File Location 
section)Here you can specify a path where you want the mix-
down to be saved. 
Use Project 
Audio Folder
(File Location 
section)If you activate this option the mixdown file is saved in 
the Project Audio folder, as opposed to the specified 
path.
File Format pop-
up menu (File 
Format section)From this pop-up menu you can select the file format 
for the export.
Insert Broadcast 
Wave Chunk 
(File Format
section)This allows you to include information about the date 
and time of creation, a timecode position (allowing you 
to insert exported audio at the correct position in other 
projects, etc.) along with author, description and refer-
ence text strings in the exported file. 
Some applications may not be able to handle files with 
embedded info – if you get problems using the file in 
another application, turn off the option and re-export.
Edit button (File 
Format section)By clicking this button the “Broadcast Wave Chunk” 
dialog opens where you can enter additional informa-
tion that will be embedded in the exported files.
Outputs pop-up 
menu (Audio 
Engine Output 
section)This menu lists all output busses in the active project. 
Simply select the bus you want to mix down.
Mono Export 
(Audio Engine 
Output section)If you activate this option, the exported audio is mixed 
down to mono.
Split Channels 
(Audio Engine 
Output section)Activate this option, if you want to export all channels 
as mono files.
Update Display
(Audio Engine 
Output section)If you activate this option, the meters will be updated 
during the export process. This allows you to check for 
clipping, for example. 
Sample Rate 
(Audio Engine 
Output section)This setting determines the frequency range of the ex-
ported audio – the lower the sample rate, the lower the 
highest audible frequency in the audio. In most cases, 
you should select the sample rate set for the project, 
since a lower sample rate will degrade the audio qual-
ity (mainly reducing the high frequency content) and a 
higher sample rate will only increase the file size, with-
out adding to audio quality. Also consider the future 
usage of the file – if you e.g. plan to import the file into 
another application, you should select a sample rate 
supported by that application.
If you are making a mixdown for CD burning, you 
should select 44.100 kHz, since this is the sample rate 
used on audio CDs. Option Description 
						

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Export Audio Mixdown
AIFC files
AIFC stands for Audio Interchange File Format Com-
pressed, a standard defined by Apple Computer Inc. 
These files support compression ratios as high as 6:1 and 
contain tags in the header. AIFC files have the extension 
“.aifc” and are used on most computer platforms. 
AIFC files support the same options as AIFF files.
Wave files
Wave files have the extension “.wav” and are the most 
common file format on the PC platform. 
Wave files support the same options as AIFF files.
Windows Media Audio files (Windows only)
This is a format developed by Microsoft Inc. Due to the ad-
vanced audio codecs and lossless compression used, 
WMA files can be decreased in size with no loss of audio 
quality. The files have the extension “.wma”.
Exporting a WMA mixdown
The following options are available:
Input Stream
Here you set the sample rate (44.1, 48 or 96 kHz) and the 
bit resolution (16 bit or 24 bit) of the encoded file. These 
should be set to match the sample rate and bit resolution 
of the source material. If no value matches that of your 
source material, use the closest highest available value. 
E.g. if you’re using 20 bit source material, set the bit reso-
lution to 24 bit rather than 16 bit.
Bit Depth (Au-
dio Engine Out-
put section)Allows you to select 8, 16, 24 bit or 32 bit (float) files.
If the file is an “intermediate mixdown” that you plan to 
re-import and continue working on in Cubase LE, we 
recommend that you select the 32 bit (float) option.
32 bit (float) is a very high resolution (the same resolu-
tion as used internally for audio processing in Cubase 
LE), and the audio files will be twice the size of 16 bit 
files.
If you are making a mixdown for CD burning, you should 
use the 16 bit option, as CD audio is always 16 bit.
8 bit resolution should only be used if required, since it 
will result in limited audio quality. 8 bit audio may be 
suitable in some multimedia applications, etc.
Pool (Import 
section)Activate this option if you want to import the resulting 
audio file automatically back into the Pool. A clip refer-
ring to the file will appear in the Pool. 
If this option is activated, the Import Options dialog ap-
pears on export. For a description of the available set-
tings, see “Import Medium...” on page 137.
Audio Track 
(Import section)If you activate this option, an audio event that plays the 
clip will be created and placed on a new audio track, 
starting at the left locator.
If this option is activated, the Import Options dialog ap-
pears on export. For a description of the available set-
tings, see “Import Medium...” on page 137.
Close dialog 
after exportIf this option is activated, the dialog will be closed after 
the export, otherwise it will be left open. Option Description 
						

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Export Audio Mixdown
Encoding Scheme
These settings are used for defining the desired output 
from the encoder. Make settings appropriate for the in-
tended use of the file. If the file will be downloaded or 
streamed on the Internet, you might not want too high bit 
rates for example.
Mode
The WMA encoder can use either an encoding with constant or variable 
bit rate or a lossless encoding. The options on this menu are as follows:
Bit Rate/Channels
This menu allows you to set the desired bit rate – from 128 kbps to 768 
kbps, depending on the selected Mode (see above). If the Mode “Vari-
able Bitrate with Quality” is used (see above), the menu allows you to se-
lect from six levels of desired quality, with 10 being the lowest and 100 
the highest. Generally, the higher the bitrate or quality you select, the 
larger the final file will be.
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 in the Windows Me-
dia 9 series, and the user activates the special “Quiet 
Mode” feature of the player to control the dynamic range.
The dynamic range is automatically calculated during the 
encoding process, but you can specify it manually as well.
If you want to manually specify the dynamic range, first put 
a checkmark 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 however that it is usually not recommended to 
change the Average value, since it affects the overall vol-
ume level of the audio and therefore can affect the audio 
quality adversely.
The Quiet Mode in a Windows Media 9 player can be set 
to one of three settings. Below, these settings are listed 
together with an explanation of how the Dynamic Range 
settings 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.
Output Media Description
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 
(CBR)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 constant bit 
rate is always the bit rate times the duration of the file.
Variable Bitrate 
with QualityEncodes to a file with a variable bit rate, according to a 
quality scale (the desired quality is set in the Bit Rate/
Channels menu, see below). When you encode with 
variable bit rates, the bit rate fluctuates depending on 
the character and intricacy of the material being en-
coded.s The more complex passages in the source 
material, the higher the bit rate – and the larger the final 
file – will be.
Lossless Encodes to a file with lossless compression. 
						

							24
Synchronization 
						

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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 LE 
and a number of other types of devices, including tape re-
corders and video decks, but also MIDI devices that “play 
back”, such as other sequencers, drum machines, “work-
station 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 LE as a slave
When a synchronization signal is coming in to Cubase LE, 
from another device (such as a tape recorder, video re-
corder, etc.), this device is the master and Cubase LE is 
the slave. Cubase LE will adjust its playback to the other 
device.
Cubase LE as a master
When you set up Cubase LE to transmit synchronization 
information to other devices, Cubase LE is the master and 
the other devices are the slaves; they will adjust their play-
back to Cubase LE.
Cubase LE – both master and slave
Cubase LE is a very capable synchronization device. It can 
operate as both a master and a slave at the same time. For 
example, Cubase LE might be slaved to a tape recorder 
transmitting 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, i.e. it is stored in the actual 
video image.
 MTC is the MIDI version of timecode, transmitted via MIDI ca-
bles.
 ADAT sync (Alesis) is only used with the ASIO Positioning 
Protocol, see “About the ASIO Positioning Protocol (APP)” on 
page 222.
For the ASIO Positioning Protocol other high precision 
timecode formats may also be supported.
Format recommendations for timecode – without ASIO 
Positioning Protocol
 When synchronizing your system to external timecode, via a 
synchronizer, 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 LE or Nuendo for example), see 
“VST System Link” on page 223. 
						

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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 for example Cubase 
LE and a drum machine.
Word Clock
Word clock is basically a replacement for the sample rate 
clock in for example an audio card. Word clock hence 
runs at the same rate as the sample rate in the audio, 
44.1kHz, 48kHz 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 LE is not 
synchronized to any external source:
Any digital playback system has an internal clock that ulti-
mately affects the playback speed and stability, and PC 
audio hardware is no exception. This clock is extremely 
stable.
When Cubase LE is playing back with no external syn-
chronization, all playback is internally synchronized to the 
internal digital audio clock.
Synchronizing Cubase LE’s playback
Let’s assume now that we use external timecode synchro-
nization with Cubase LE. 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 wordclock and set 
up Cubase LE 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 LE’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 compo-
nent 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 
LE. 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 LE. Therefore Cubase 
LE will transmit MIDI Clock signals to other devices, 
but it will not receive MIDI Clock. 
						

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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 
222).
Using timecode without word clock
Of course, it is possible to set up a synchronization system 
where you lock Cubase LE 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 au-
dio 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. Just as there is always sixty seconds to a 
minute, there is always a certain number of frames to each 
second. 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 LE to 
MIDI Timecode: If you have selected 29.97 fps or 30 dfps as Frame Rate 
in Cubase LE, this selection will be kept, since these frame rates can not 
be distinguished in the MTC format.
The Project Setup dialog contains six frame rates to 
choose from:
The Display Format pop-up contains a number of for-
mats that when selected work as the “master” setting for 
the display format used in the various windows’ 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 35mm 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. 
						

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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 LE is the master.
Use the “MIDI Timecode Destinations” and “MIDI Clock 
Destinations” sections to specify which devices should be 
slaved to Cubase LE.
Synchronizing other Equipment to Cubase LE
You may have other MIDI devices that you want to syn-
chronize to Cubase LE. There are two types of synchroni-
zation signals that Cubase LE 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 LE’s tempo. The tempo setting in the other device is of 
no relevance. If the device also reacts to Song Position 
Pointers (which Cubase LE transmits), it will follow when 
you wind, rewind and locate using the Cubase LE 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 Synchroni-
zation Setup dialog (MIDI Clock Destinations section).
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.
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 LE, that is, the time display on Cubase 
LE’s Transport panel and on the other device will agree. 
When you wind and locate Cubase LE and then activate 
playback, the other device will follow from the same posi-
tion (if it has this capability and is set up for it!).
Setting Up
1.Connect the desired MIDI Outputs from Cubase LE to 
the device(s) that you plan to synchronize.
2.Open the Synchronization Setup dialog from the 
Transport menu.
!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.
Settings for sync to internal timecode.