Steinberg Cubase LE Getting Started Manual
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CUBASE LE Introduction 1 – 11 About the versions for the differents platforms Some features and settings are specific to one of the platforms, Windows or Mac OS X. This is clearly stated. In other words: • If nothing else is said, all descriptions and procedures in the documenta- tion are valid under Windows and Mac OS X. The screenshots are taken both from the Windows version and the Mac OS X version. Key command conventions Many of the default key commands in Cubase LE use modifier keys, some of which are different depending on the operating system. For ex- ample, the default key command for Undo is [Ctrl]-[Z] under Windows and [Command]-[Z] under Mac OS X. When key commands with modifier keys are described in this manual, they are shown with the Windows modifier key first, in the following form: [Win modifier key]/[Mac modifier key]-[key] For example, [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Z] means “press [Ctrl] under Win- dows or [Command] under Mac OS X, then press [Z]”. Similarly, [Alt]/[Option]-[X] means “press [Alt] under Windows or [Option] under Mac OS X, then press [Z]”.
CUBASE LE 1 – 12 Introduction How you can reach us On the Help menu in Cubase LE, you will find items for getting addi- tional information and help: • On the “Steinberg on the Web” submenu you can find links to various Steinberg websites. Selecting one will automatically launch your browser application and open the page. You can find support and compatibility information, answers to frequently asked ques- tions, links for downloading new drivers, etc. This requires that you have a web browser application installed on your computer, and a working Internet connection.
CUBASE LE 2 – 14 Installation and Requirements for Windows About this chapter This chapter describes the system requirements and installation pro- cedures for Cubase LE for Windows. Installing Cubase LE for Mac OS X is described on page 24. Requirements To use Cubase LE, you need the following: • A PC with either Windows XP or Windows 2000 installed. For more details about the computer requirements, see below. • Compatible audio hardware. By audio hardware we mean a card capable of recording and playing back digital au- dio using your hard disk as a storage medium. It must also have an appropriate ASIO driver, see page 16, or be Windows Multimedia compatible. For MIDI • At least one MIDI interface. • At least one MIDI instrument. • Any audio equipment necessary to listen to the sound from your MIDI devices.
CUBASE LE Installation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 15 Computer requirements Hardware – PC The absolute minimum requirements for running Cubase LE on a PC are as follows: • A 500 MHz Pentium III with 256 MB of RAM or an equivalent AMD processor. Recommended configuration for optimum performance: 1 GHz or faster PIII/Athlon with 512 MB RAM. RAM Audio work requires a lot of RAM! In fact, there is a direct relation be- tween the amount of available RAM and the number of audio channels that you can have running. As specified earlier, 256 MB is the minimum requirement, but as a general rule “the more the better” applies. Hard disk size • The size of the hard disk determines how many minutes of audio you will be able to record. Recording one minute of stereo CD quality audio, requires 10 MB of hard disk space. That is, eight stereo tracks in Cubase LE use up at least 80 MB of disk space per re- cording minute. Hard disk speed The speed of the hard drive also determines the number of audio tracks you can run. That is the quantity of information that the disk can read, usually expressed as “sustained transfer rate”. Again, “the more the better” applies. Wheel mouse Although a regular mouse will work perfectly fine with Cubase LE, we recommend that you use a wheel mouse, as this will speed up value editing and scrolling considerably. See page 144 and page 149.
CUBASE LE 2 – 16 Installation and Requirements for Windows Audio hardware Cubase LE will run with audio hardware that meets the following basic specifications: • Stereo. • 16 bit. • Support of at least the 44.1kHz sampling rate. • Is supplied with a special ASIO driver, or a DirectX or Windows Multimedia compatible driver as described below. About drivers A driver is a piece of software that allows a program to communicate with a certain piece of hardware. In this case, the driver allows Cubase LE to use the audio hardware. For audio hardware, there are three dif- ferent cases, each requiring different driver configurations: If the audio hardware has a specific ASIO driver Professional audio cards often come with an ASIO driver written es- pecially for the card. This allows for communication directly between Cubase LE and the audio card. As a result, audio cards with specific ASIO drivers can provide lower latency (input-output delay), which is crucial when monitoring audio via Cubase LE or using VST Instru- ments. The ASIO driver may also provide special support for multiple inputs and outputs, routing, synchronization, etc. Audio card-specific ASIO drivers are provided by the card manufac- turers. Make sure to check the manufacturer’s web site for the latest driver versions. ❐ If your audio hardware comes with a specific ASIO driver we strongly recommend that you use this.
CUBASE LE Installation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 17 If the audio card communicates via DirectX DirectX is a Microsoft “package” for handling various types of Multi- media under Windows. Cubase LE supports DirectX, or to be more precise, DirectSound, which is a part of DirectX used for playing back and recording audio. This requires two types of drivers: • A DirectX driver for the audio card, allowing it to communicate with DirectX. If the audio card supports DirectX, this driver should be supplied by the audio card manufacturer. If it isn’t installed with the audio card, please check the manufacturer’s web site for more information. • The ASIO DirectX Full Duplex driver, allowing Cubase LE to communicate with DirectX. This driver is included with Cubase LE, and does not require any spe- cial installation. If the audio card communicates via Windows Multimedia system If the card is Windows compatible, it can be used in Cubase LE. The card then communicates with Windows Multimedia system, which in turn communicates with Cubase LE. This requires two types of drivers: • A Windows Multimedia driver for the audio card, allowing it to communicate with the Windows Multimedia system. This driver should be supplied by the audio card manufacturer, and is normally installed when you install the audio card. • The ASIO Multimedia driver, allowing Cubase LE to communicate with the Windows Multimedia system. This driver is included with Cubase LE, and does not require any special installation.
CUBASE LE 2 – 18 Installation and Requirements for Windows Hardware installation Installing the audio hardware and its driver 1. Install the audio card and related equipment in the computer, as de- scribed in the card’s documentation. 2. Install the driver for the card. There are three types of drivers that could apply: card-specific ASIO drivers, DirectX drivers and Windows Multimedia drivers. Specific ASIO driver If your audio card has a specific ASIO driver it may be included with the audio card, but you should always make sure to check the audio card manufacturer’s web site for the most recent drivers. For details on how to install the driver, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions. DirectX driver If your audio card is DirectX compatible, its DirectX drivers will most likely be installed when you install the card (as with the Windows Multi- media driver). If you have downloaded special DirectX drivers for the au- dio card, you should follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions. Windows Multimedia driver These drivers are normally included with all types of regular PC audio cards. Some are even included with Windows itself. Depending on whether the audio card is “Plug’n’Play compatible” or not, the installa- tion of the card is done differently: • If the card is “Plug’n’Play compatible”, Windows will detect the card once it is plugged in, and ask for the necessary driver disks. • If not, you need to use the “Add New Hardware” feature in the Control Panel to install the card and its drivers. Refer to the documentation that comes with the card. ❐ Should you have an audio card but no driver, please check the manufac- turers web site, or ask your music or computer dealer for help.
CUBASE LE Installation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 19 Testing the Card To make sure the audio card will work as expected, perform the fol- lowing two tests: • Use any software included with the audio card to make sure you can record and play back audio without problems. • If the card is accessed via a standard Windows driver, use the Media Player application (included with Windows) to play back audio. Installing a MIDI interface/synthesizer card Installation instructions for a MIDI interface should be included with the product. However, here’s an outline of the necessary steps: 1. Install the interface (or MIDI synthesizer card) inside your computer or connect it to a “port” (connector) on the computer. Which is right for you depends on which type of interface you have. 2. If the interface has a power supply and/or a power switch, turn it on. 3. Install the driver for the interface, as described in the documentation that comes with the interface. It is likely that you will need a CD ROM or floppy disk supplied by the manufacturer of the MIDI interface.
CUBASE LE2 – 20 Installation and Requirements for Windows Installing Cubase LE Defragment the hard disk If you plan to record audio on a hard disk where you have already stored other files, now is the time to defragment it. Defragmentation reorganizes the physical allocation of space on the hard disk in order to optimize its performance. It is done with a special defragmentation program. In Windows XP, for example, you might look for the “Disk Defragmenter” utility. ❐It is crucial to the audio recording performance that your hard disk is op- timized (defragmented). You should make sure to defragment regularly. Installing the files on the CD-ROM The installation procedure puts all files in the right places, automatically. 1.Insert the Cubase LE CD-ROM. 2.A pop-up dialog appears automatically, containing three items for in- stalling, browsing the CD and exiting. If this dialog doesn’t appear, open the CD-ROM on the desktop, and double click the “Autorun.EXE”. 3.To start the installation process, select “Install”. A number of dialogs now appear: •In one dialog you will need to fill in your name and the serial number of your Cubase LE copy, and click OK. You will find the serial number on the CD sleeve. Check the name and number in the confirmation dialog and click “Yes” if they are correct. Clicking “No” brings back the previous dialog. 4.Now the actual Cubase LE installation procedure starts. A number of dialogs will appear, allowing you to select in which folder on your hard disk you want to install the program, etc. To advance to the next “page” in the installa- tion procedure, click the “Next” button. The “Previous” button takes you back to the previous page.