Steinberg Cubase LE Operation Manual

24
Synchronization 

CUBASE LE24 – 462 Synchronization
Background
What is synchronization?
Synchronization is said to exist when you make two pieces of equip-
ment agree on time or tempo. You can establish synchronization be-
tween Cubase LE and a number of other types of devices.
When you set up a synchronization system, Cubase LE can be used 
as the master and all other devices are slaved to it, which means they 
will adjust their playback speed to Cubase LE. But you can also syn-
chronize Cubase LE to external MIDI...

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MIDI Timecode
MIDI Timecode (MTC) is the MIDI version of timecode, transmitted in 
MIDI cables. 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 messages, which increases precision.
Synchronization Setup
This dialog box is used for...

CUBASE LE24 – 464 Synchronization
• MIDI Clock transport commands include “Start”, “Stop” and “Continue”. 
However, some MIDI equipment (e.g. some drum machines) do not rec-
ognize the “Continue” command. If this is the case with your equipment, 
activate the option “Always Use MIDI Clock Start” in the Preferences dia-
log (Transport page).
When this is activated, only the Start command is used.
Setting up
1.Connect the desired MIDI Outputs from Cubase LE to the device(s) 
that you plan to synchronize....

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Setting up Cubase LE for external sync to MIDI timecode
1.In the Synchronization dialog, set Timecode Source to MIDI Time-
code. Use the MIDI Timecode Settings - MIDI Input pop-up menu to 
select an input for the timecode.
2.Close the Synchronization Setup dialog and instead open the Project 
Setup dialog from the Project menu.
3.Use the Start value to set which frame on the external device (e.g. a 
video tape) should correspond to the beginning of the project.
You can...

CUBASE LE24 – 466 Synchronization
Options
Making Project Settings
About Frame Rates
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 al-
ways 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...

25
VST System Link 

CUBASE LE25 – 468 VST System Link
Introduction
VST System Link is a network system for digital audio that allows you 
to have several computers working together in one large system. Un-
like conventional networks it does not require Ethernet cards, hubs, or 
CAT-5 cables; instead it uses the kind of digital audio hardware and 
cables you probably already possess in your studio. 
VST System Link has been designed to be simple to set up and oper-
ate, yet give enormous flexibility and performance gains in...

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Preparations
Requirements
The following equipment is required for VST System Link operation:
•Two or more computers.
These can be of the same type or use different operating systems – it doesn’t matter. 
For example, you can link an Intel-based PC to an Apple Macintosh without problems.
•Each computer must have audio hardware with specific ASIO drivers, 
installed and working.
•The audio hardware must have digital inputs and outputs.
Of course, to be able to connect the...

CUBASE LE25 – 470 VST System Link
Making connections
Below, we will assume that you are connecting two computers. 
Should you have more than two computers, it’s still best to start with 
two and add the others one by one once the system is working – this 
makes troubleshooting easier if you run into problems. For two com-
puters, you will need two digital audio cables, one in each direction:
1.Connect a digital audio cable from the digital output of Computer 1 to 
the digital input of Computer 2....