Steinberg Cubase Le 8 Manual

							Chord Pads
Creating Events from Chord Pads
541
Saving Chord Pads Presets
If you have set up the chord pads, you can save them as chord pads presets.
PROCEDURE
1. To the left of the chord pads zone, select Chord Pads Preset > Save Chord 
Pads Preset.
2. In the New Preset section, enter a name for the new preset.
NOTE
You can also define attributes for the preset.
3. Click OK to save the preset and exit the dialog.
Creating Events from Chord Pads
You can use the chords assigned to the chord pads to create chord events or MIDI 
parts in the Project window.
• To create a chord event, drag a chord pad and drop it on the chord track.
• To create a MIDI part with the length of one bar, drag a chord pad an drop it 
on a MIDI or instrument track.
RELATED LINKS
Recording Chord Events with a MIDI Keyboard on page 521 
						

							542
Editing tempo and signature
Background
Whenever you create a new project, Cubase will automatically set the tempo and 
time signature for this project. The tempo and signature settings can be displayed 
in the Tempo Track Editor.
Tempo modes
Before we go into detail about tempo and signature settings, you should understand 
the different tempo modes.
The tempo can either be fixed throughout the entire project (this is called “fixed 
tempo mode”) or follow the tempo track (this is called “tempo track mode”), which 
may contain tempo changes.
• To switch between fixed tempo mode and tempo track mode, use the Tempo 
button on the Transport panel:
When the Tempo button is lit (and the text “Track” is shown), the tempo follows the 
tempo track; when it is deactivated (and the text “Fixed” is shown), a fixed tempo is 
used. You can also switch the tempo mode with the Activate Tempo Track button 
on the Tempo Track Editor toolbar.
In tempo track mode, the tempo cannot be changed on the Transport panel, i. e. the 
tempo information here is for display purposes only.
Signature events are always active, regardless of whether fixed tempo mode or 
tempo track mode is selected.
RELATED LINKS
Setting the fixed tempo on page 547 
						

							Editing tempo and signature
Tempo and signature display
543
A note about tempo-based audio tracks
The start position of audio events on the timeline depends on the current tempo 
setting. However, it is important to realize that the actual audio (“within” the events) 
will play back as recorded, regardless of any tempo changes you make. Therefore, 
it is good practice to make the proper tempo and time signature settings before you 
start recording tempo-based audio.
• To make an already recorded audio track follow the tempo changes, you can 
use the Sample Editor.
RELATED LINKS
Sample Editor on page 281
Tempo and signature display
You can view the current tempo and signature settings of your project in a number 
of ways:
• On the Transport panel.
• In the Tempo Track Editor.
Open the Project menu and select Tempo Track, or [Ctrl]/[Command]-click 
the Tempo button on the Transport panel.
RELATED LINKS
Transport Panel on page 129
About the Tempo Track Editor
1) Time Signature area
2) Tempo curve display 
						

							Editing tempo and signature
Tempo and signature display
544
The Tempo Track Editor has a toolbar, info line, and ruler just like other editors in 
Cubase, plus an area for the display of time signature events and a tempo curve 
display.
The toolbar
The toolbar contains various tools and settings:
1) Activate Tempo Track
2) Show Info
3) Tools
4) Auto-Scroll
5) Suspend Auto-Scroll when Editing
6) Snap on/off
7) Snap value
8) Curve type for new tempo events
9) The selected tempo
• The tools for Object Selection, Erase, Zoom and Draw are used in the same 
way as in other editors. The Snap and Auto-Scroll functions also work exactly 
like in the Project window.
Note that in the Tempo Track Editor, the Snap function affects tempo events 
only. Time signature events always snap to the beginning of bars.
• The info line in the Tempo Track Editor allows you to change settings for 
selected time signature events, and the type and tempo of selected tempo 
curve points.
• The ruler in the Tempo Track Editor shows the timeline, and is similar to the 
ruler in the Project window.
• The area below the ruler shows time signature events.
• The main display shows the tempo curve (or, if fixed tempo mode is selected, 
the fixed tempo). To the left of the display you will find a tempo scale to help 
you quickly locate the desired tempo.
Note that the vertical “grid lines” in the tempo curve display correspond to the 
display format selected for the ruler.
RELATED LINKS
Ruler on page 29
Setting the fixed tempo on page 547 
						

							Editing tempo and signature
Editing tempo and signature
545
Editing tempo and signature
Editing the tempo curve
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
This section assumes that you are working in tempo track mode, i. e. the Tempo 
button must be activated on the Transport panel.
Adding tempo curve points
PROCEDURE
1. Use the “Type of New Tempo Points” pop-up menu on the toolbar of the 
Tempo Track Editor to select whether you want the tempo to change 
gradually from the previous curve point to the new one (“Ramp”) or change 
instantly to the new value (“Jump”).
You can also set this to Automatic. In this case, the types of existing tempo curve 
points will be used when inserting new points at the same position.
2. Select the Draw tool.
3. Click and drag in the tempo curve display to draw a tempo curve.
When you click, the tempo display on the toolbar shows the tempo value. If Snap is 
activated on the toolbar, this determines at which time positions you can insert tempo 
curve points.
Type of New Tempo Points set to “Ramp”
Type of New Tempo Points set to “Jump”
You can also click on the tempo curve with the Object Selection tool.
This adds a single point with each click.
NOTE
Tempo values can also be automatically inserted by the Beat Calculator.
RELATED LINKS
The Beat Calculator on page 548
Snap Function on page 39 
						

							Editing tempo and signature
Editing tempo and signature
546
Selecting tempo curve points
Curve points can be selected as follows:
• Using the Object Selection tool. 
The standard selection techniques apply.
• Using the Select submenu of the Edit menu. 
The options are:
All
Selects all curve points on the tempo track.
None
Deselects all curve points.
Invert
Inverts the selection – all selected curve points are deselected and all curve 
points that were not selected are selected instead.
In Loop
Selects all curve points between the left and right locator.
From Start to Cursor
Selects all points to the left of the project cursor.
From Cursor to End
Selects all points to the right of the project cursor.
• You can also use the left and right arrow keys on the computer keyboard to 
go from one curve point to the next.
If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, you can select several points at 
the same time.
Editing tempo curve points
Curve points can be edited in the following ways:
• By clicking and dragging horizontally and/or vertically with the Object 
Selection tool. 
If several points are selected, all of them are moved. If Snap is activated on 
the toolbar, this determines to which time positions you can move curve 
points.
• By adjusting the tempo value in the tempo display on the Tempo Track Editor 
toolbar. 
						

							Editing tempo and signature
Editing tempo and signature
547
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
We recommend using the Bars+Beats display format when editing tempo curves. 
Otherwise, you may get confusing results. This is because moving a point will 
change the relationship between tempo and time. If you move a tempo point to the 
right and drop it at a certain time position, the mapping between tempo and time 
will be adjusted. Since you have changed the tempo curve, the moved point will 
appear at another position.
RELATED LINKS
Snap Function on page 39
Adjusting the curve type
You can change the curve type of a tempo curve segment at any time, using the 
following method:
PROCEDURE
1. With the Object Selection tool, select all curve points within the segment you 
want to edit.
2. In the info line, click below the word “Type” to switch the curve type between 
“Jump” and “Ramp”.
The curve sections between the selected points are adjusted.
Removing tempo curve points
To remove a curve point, either click on it with the Erase tool or select it and press 
[Backspace]. The first tempo curve point cannot be removed.
Setting the fixed tempo
When the tempo track is deactivated, the tempo track curve is grayed out (but still 
visible). Since the tempo is fixed throughout the whole project, there are no tempo 
curve points. Instead, the fixed tempo is displayed as a horizontal black line in the 
tempo curve display. 
						

							Editing tempo and signature
The Beat Calculator
548
To set the tempo in fixed mode:
• Adjust the value numerically in the tempo display on the Tempo Track Editor 
toolbar.
• On the Transport panel, click on the tempo value to select it, enter a new value 
and press [Enter].
Adding and editing time signature events
• To add a time signature event, click with the Draw tool in the time signature 
area. 
This adds a default 4/4 time signature event at the closest bar position.
• To edit the value of a time signature event, select it and adjust the value on the 
info line, or double-click the event and enter a new value.
Note that there are two controls for the signature display; the left one adjusts 
the numerator and the right one adjusts the denominator.
• To move a time signature event, click and drag it with the Object Selection 
tool.
Note that you can [Shift]-click to select multiple events. Also note that time 
signature events can only be positioned at the start of bars. This is also true if 
Snap is deactivated.
• To remove a time signature, either click on it with the Erase tool or select it 
and press [Backspace] or [Delete].
The first time signature event cannot be removed.
The Beat Calculator
The Beat Calculator is a tool for calculating the tempo of freely recorded audio or 
MIDI material. It also allows you to set the tempo by tapping. 
						

							Editing tempo and signature
The Beat Calculator
549
Calculating the tempo of a recording
PROCEDURE
1. In the Project window, make a selection that covers an exact number of beats 
of the recording.
2. Select “Beat Calculator…” from the Project menu.
The Beat Calculator window appears.
3. In the Beats field, enter the number of beats that the selection encompasses.
The corresponding tempo is calculated and displayed in the BPM field.
If you need to adjust the selection, you can go back to the Project window, leaving 
the Beat Calculator open.
To re-calculate the tempo after adjusting the selection, click Refresh.
4. You can also insert the calculated tempo into the tempo track by clicking one 
of the buttons in the lower left corner of the Beat Calculator window.
Clicking “At Tempo Track Start” will adjust the first tempo curve point, while “At 
Selection Start” will add a new tempo curve point at the selection’s start position, 
using the “Jump” curve type.
IMPORTANT
If fixed tempo mode is selected when you insert the calculated tempo, the fixed tempo 
will be adjusted, regardless of which button you click.
RELATED LINKS
Adding tempo curve points on page 545
Using Tap Tempo
The Tap Tempo function allows you to specify a tempo by tapping:
PROCEDURE
1. Open the Beat Calculator.
2. If you want to tap the tempo to some recorded material, activate playback.
3. Click the Tap Tempo button.
The Tap Tempo window appears.
4. Tap the tempo on the Spacebar of the computer keyboard or with the mouse 
button.
The tempo display will update the calculated tempo between each tap. 
						

							Editing tempo and signature
Adjusting the audio to the project tempo
550
5. Click OK to close the Tap Tempo dialog.
The tapped tempo is now shown in the Beat Calculator’s BPM display. You can insert 
it into the tempo track as described above.
Adjusting the audio to the project tempo
If you want freely recorded audio to follow a fixed tempo or a different project tempo, 
you can use the Set Definition From Tempo dialog to save the tempo information 
from the tempo track in the corresponding audio clips.
PROCEDURE
1. Select the audio events that you want to have follow the project tempo.
For example, this could be the individual tracks in a multi-track drum session.
2. On the Audio menu, open the Advanced submenu and select the “Set 
Definition From Tempo…” option.
The Set Definition From Tempo dialog opens.
3. Select whether you want to save the tempo information in the project file only 
or in the selected audio clips.
Writing the definition into the audio files allows you to use these in other projects, 
complete with tempo information.
4. Select if you want to set all tracks to musical time base.
If you do not activate this option, only the tracks containing the selected events are 
set to musical time base.
5. Click OK.
The tempo information is now copied into the selected audio clips and the tracks are 
set to musical time base. Furthermore, Musical Mode is activated for the audio events.
IMPORTANT
If you have placed audio events referring to the same audio clip at different positions on 
the timeline and you apply the “Set Definition From Tempo” function simultaneously to 
these events, new audio files are written for all the events except the first.
RESULT 
The audio tracks will now follow any tempo changes in the project. Therefore, you 
can disable the tempo track and set a fixed tempo for your project or edit the tempo 
track for a new tempo map.