Steinberg Cubase LE Operation Manual

CUBASE LEThe Tempo Track Editor 21 – 431
The tempo curve display
The main display shows the tempo curve (or, if Rehearsal mode is se-
lected, the Rehearsal tempo – see page 436). To the left of the dis-
play is a tempo scale to help you quickly locate the desired tempo.
•Note that the vertical “grid lines” correspond to the display format se-
lected for the ruler. 

CUBASE LE21 – 432 The Tempo Track Editor
Operations
Zooming
Changing the magnification is done using any of the following methods:
•By using the zoom sliders in the lower right corner of the window.
•By using the Magnifying Glass tool.
This works according to the standard procedures.
•By using the Zoom submenu on the Edit menu.
The options on the menu work as in other windows.
Editing the tempo curve
❐This section assumes that you are working in Tempo track mode, i.e. the 
Master button is activated....

CUBASE LEThe Tempo Track Editor 21 – 433
4.Drag the curve point to the desired tempo value (indicated in the 
Tempo Display), and release the mouse button.
The tempo curve point is inserted. The result depends on whether you selected “Ramp” 
or “Jump” in step 1 above:
•You can also just click and draw a tempo curve with the Pencil tool, 
having curve points automatically inserted as you draw.
You would probably want to select the “Ramp” Insert Curve mode when doing this.
•Instead of using the Pencil...

CUBASE LE21 – 434 The Tempo Track Editor
•You can also use the left and right arrow keys on the computer key-
board, to go from one curve point to the next.
If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, the current selection will be kept, allowing 
you to select several points.
Editing tempo curve points
Curve points can be edited in the following ways:
•By clicking and dragging horizontally and/or vertically.
If several points are selected, all of them are moved. If Snap is activated on the toolbar,...

CUBASE LEThe Tempo Track Editor 21 – 435
Adjusting the curve type
You can change the curve type of a tempo curve segment at any time, 
using the following method:
1.Select all curve points within the segment you want to edit.
2.Pull down the Curve pop-up menu on the toolbar and select “Jump” or 
“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 Eraser tool or select 
it and press [Backspace]. The first...

CUBASE LE21 – 436 The Tempo Track Editor
Setting the Rehearsal tempo
When the Master button is deactivated, the Tempo track curve is 
greyed out (but still visible). Since the Rehearsal tempo is constant 
throughout the whole project, there are no tempo curve points. In-
stead, the Rehearsal tempo is displayed as a horizontal black line in 
the tempo curve display.
There are two ways to set the tempo in Rehearsal mode:
•Drag the tempo line up or down with the Arrow tool.
•Adjust the value numerically in...

CUBASE LEThe Tempo Track Editor 21 – 437
Adding and editing time signature events
•To add a time signature event, click in the time signature area with the 
Pencil tool. 
This adds a default 4/4 time signature event at the closest bar position. You can also 
do this by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and clicking with the Arrow tool.
•To edit the value of a time signature event, select it and adjust the 
value in the Signature display on the toolbar.
Note that there are two thumbwheel controls for the Signature...

CUBASE LE21 – 438 The Tempo Track Editor
The Beat Calculator
The Beat Calculator is a tool for calculating the tempo of freely re-
corded audio or MIDI material. It also allows you to set the tempo by 
tapping.
Calculating the tempo of a recording
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.Enter the number of beats that the selection encompasses in the 
Beats...

CUBASE LEThe Tempo Track Editor 21 – 439
Using Tap Tempo
The Tap Tempo function allows you to specify a tempo by tapping:
1.Open the Beat Calculator.
2.If you want to tap the tempo to some recorded material, activate play-
back.
3.Click the Tap Tempo button.
The Tap Tempo window appears.
4.Tap the tempo on the computer keyboard’s space bar or with the 
mouse button.
The tempo display will update the calculated tempo between each tap.
5.When you stop tapping, the program calculates the average timing of...

CUBASE LE21 – 440 The Tempo Track Editor