Steinberg Cubase LE Getting Started Manual

CUBASE LESetting up your system 4 – 41
You might want to use even more instruments for playback. If you do, 
simply connect MIDI Thru on the sound module to MIDI In on the next 
instrument, and so on. In this hook-up, you will always play the first 
keyboard when recording. But, you can still use all your devices for 
providing sounds on playback.
❐If you plan to use more than three sound sources we recommend that 
you either use an interface with more than one output, or a separate 
MIDI Thru box...

CUBASE LE4 – 42 Setting up your system
• If you use a separate MIDI keyboard, that does not produce any sounds itself, 
MIDI Thru in Cubase LE should also be activated, but you don’t need to look 
for any Local On/Off setting in your instruments.
• The only case where MIDI Thru should be deactivated is if you use Cubase LE 
with only one keyboard instrument and that instrument cannot be set to Local 
Off mode.
• Note that MIDI Thru will only be active for MIDI tracks that are record enabled. 
See the...

CUBASE LESetting up your system 4 – 43
Setting up MIDI ports in Cubase LE
The Device Setup dialog lets you set up your MIDI system in the fol-
lowing ways:
• Note: After changing a setting in the Device Setup dialog, you should 
click Apply and then click OK to close the dialog.
Showing or hiding MIDI Ports
Under Windows, the MIDI ports are listed in the Device Setup dialog 
on the DirectMusic page and/or the Windows MIDI page (depending 
on your system). By clicking in the “Show” column for a MIDI input...

CUBASE LE4 – 44 Setting up your system
Connecting a synchronizer
❐Always make all connections with all equipment turned off!
When using Cubase LE with external tape transports you will most 
likely need to add a synchronizer to your system. All connections and 
setup procedures for synchronization are described in the Synchroni-
zation chapter in the Operation Manual.
Setting up video
Cubase LE for Windows can play back video films using one of three 
different playback engines: DirectShow, QuickTime and...

CUBASE LESetting up your system 4 – 45
Optimizing audio performance
This section of the chapter gives you some hints and tips on how to get 
the most out of your Cubase LE system, performance-wise. Some of 
this text refers to hardware properties and can be used as a guide 
when upgrading your system. This text is very brief. Look for details and 
current information on the Cubase LE web site (see page 12)!
Two aspects of performance
There are two distinct aspects of performance in respect to Cubase LE:...

CUBASE LE4 – 46 Setting up your system
System factors that affect performance
CPU and processor cache
It goes without saying that the faster the computer processor, the bet-
ter. But there are a number of factors that affect the apparent speed of 
a computer: the bus speed and type (PCI is strongly recommended), 
the processor cache size and of course, the processor type and brand.
Cubase LE relies heavily on floating point calculations. When shop-
ping for a processor, please make sure you get one that...

CUBASE LESetting up your system 4 – 47
Making settings that affect performance
Choosing a driver for your audio hardware
As described on page 35, it is recommended to install and use a stan-
dard ASIO driver if available for your specific hardware. Check the 
manufacturers web site for the latest drivers etc.
Making disk buffer settings
These settings can be found in the VST Multitrack panel in the Device 
Setup dialog (opened from the Devices menu). The two parameters 
“Number of Disk Buffers” and “Disk...

CUBASE LE4 – 48 Setting up your system
Making audio buffer settings
Audio buffers affect how audio is sent to and from the audio hard-
ware. The size of the audio buffers affect both the latency and the au-
dio performance. Generally, the smaller the buffer size, the lower the 
latency. On the other hand, working with small buffers can be de-
manding for the computer. If the audio buffers are too small, you may 
get clicks, pops or other audio playback problems.
• Under Mac OS X, you can adjust the size...

CUBASE LESetting up your system 4 – 49
Optimizing processor scheduling (Windows only)
To get the lowest possible latencies when using ASIO under Windows 
2000 or XP (on a single CPU system), the system performance has to 
be optimized for background tasks: 
Windows 2000
1.Open the Control Panel from the Start menu and select System.
2.Select the Advanced tab and click the Performance Options button.
3.In the dialog that appears, select “Optimize performance for: Back-
ground services”.
4.Click OK to...

CUBASE LE4 – 50 Setting up your system