Steinberg Cubase LE Operation Manual

							CUBASE LEKey Commands 29 – 521
The Key Commands dialog
Adding or modifying a key command
In the Key Commands dialog you will find all main menu items and a 
large number of other functions, all arranged on different “pages” de-
pending on which menu/window they belong to. You can also open a 
list of the currently assigned key commands by clicking the “Show 
List” button. To add a key command, proceed as follows:
1.Pull down the File menu and select “Key Commands…”.
The Key Commands dialog appears.
2.Use the list in the Categories column to select the preferred page.
You may have to use the vertical scroll bar to display the desired page. 
						

							CUBASE LE29 – 522 Key Commands
3.In the Commands list, select the item to which you wish to assign a 
key command.
Already assigned key commands are shown in the Keys section of the dialog.
4.Double-click in the “Type new Key Command” field and enter a new 
key command.
You can choose between any single key or a combination of one or several modifier 
keys (Command, Option (Mac), Ctrl, Alt (Win), Shift) plus any key. 
5.Click the Assign button.
The new key command appears in the Keys List.
Please note that this will not replace any key command previously de-
fined for the function. That is, you can have several different key com-
mands for the same function. To remove an assigned key command, 
see “Removing a key command” below.
❐If the key command you enter is already assigned to another function, you 
will get a prompt asking if you want to replace the currently assigned com-
mand or cancel the operation.
6.Click OK to exit the dialog.
If a selected item or function has a key command 
assigned already, it is displayed here. 
						

							CUBASE LEKey Commands 29 – 523
Removing a key command
To remove a key command, proceed as follows:
1.Pull down the File menu and select “Key Commands…”.
2.Use the list in the Categories column to select the desired page.
3.In the Commands list, select the item you wish to remove.
The key command for the item is shown in the Keys list.
4.Select the key command in the Keys list and click the “Remove” button.
You will get a prompt asking if you want to remove the key command or cancel the op-
eration.
5.Click OK to close the dialog.
Saving complete key command settings (export)
As mentioned previously, any changes made to the key commands are 
automatically stored as a Cubase LE preference. It is also possible to 
store key commands settings separately. In this way, you can store any 
number of different complete key command settings for instant recall. 
Proceed as follows:
1.Set up the key commands to your liking.
When editing key commands, remember to click “Assign” to keep the changes.
2.Click “Export”.
A standard “Save As” dialog appears.
3.Navigate to the desired folder, and enter a name for the key com-
mands file.
4.Click “Save”.
A separate key commands file is created at the chosen location (under Windows, the file 
gets the extension “*.key”). This file is actually a regular text file, and can be edited with 
any text editor. 
						

							CUBASE LE29 – 524 Key Commands
Recalling saved key command settings (import)
To recall saved key command settings, proceed as follows:
❐Note that this operation will replace your existing key commands! If you 
want to be able to revert to these settings again, make sure to save them 
first!
1.Open the Key Commands dialog from the File menu.
2.Click “Import”.
3.Select the key commands file you wish to open.
4.Click “Open”.
The opened key commands file replaces the current key command settings.
About the “Show List” function
Clicking this button opens a list of all currently assigned key com-
mands divided into three columns; Keys, Categories and Commands 
– just like in the main Key Commands dialog. Note that this list only 
represents an overview and cannot be edited directly.
• If you press a key combination while viewing this list, the list automati-
cally scrolls to the corresponding command (if available) and selects it in 
the list.
This allows you to quickly check whether a certain key combination is “taken”.
Searching for key commands
If you want to know which key command is assigned to a certain func-
tion in the program, you can use the Search function in the Key Com-
mands dialog:
1.Click the Search button.
A search dialog appears.
2.Click in the text field at the top of the dialog and type in the function 
for which you want to know the key command.
This is a standard word search function, so you should type the command as it is 
spelled in the program. Partial words are OK; to search for e.g. all quantize related 
commands you could type “Quantize”, “Quant”, etc. 
						

							CUBASE LEKey Commands 29 – 525
3.Press [Return].
The found commands are listed below. The left column shows the assigned key com-
mands, if any.
4.When you’re done, click OK to close the dialog.
About the “Reset” and “Reset All” functions
These two buttons in the Key Commands dialog will both restore the 
factory default settings. The following rules apply:
•“Reset” restores the factory default key command setting for the func-
tion selected in the Commands list.
•“Reset All” will restore the factory default key commands for all com-
mands. 
❐Note that the “Reset All” operation will remove any changes that may 
have been made to the factory default key commands! If you want to be 
able to revert to these settings again, make sure to save them first!
The default key commands
As mentioned before there are numerous default key commands. 
These are listed in the Getting Started book for quick access, but you 
can also view a list of them in the program:
1.If you want to keep any unsaved changes that may have been made to 
the factory default settings, save them first by using the Export func-
tion (see page 523).
2.Click “Reset All”.
A prompt appears asking if you want to reset all key commands.
3.Click “Reset All”.
4.Now click “Show List”.
The factory default key commands are shown in the list. 
						

							CUBASE LE29 – 526 Key Commands
Setting up tool modifier keys
A tool modifier key is what you press to get an alternate function when 
using a tool. For example, clicking and dragging and event with the Ar-
row tool normally moves it – holding down a modifier key (by default 
[Alt]/[Option]) will copy it instead.
The default tool modifier keys are listed in the Getting Started book, 
but you can customize them if needed. This is done in the Preferences 
dialog:
1.Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu (on the Mac, this is 
located on the Cubase LE menu) and select the Editing – Tool Modi-
fiers page.
2.Locate the action for which you want to edit the modifier key, by se-
lecting an option in the Categories list.
For example, the “copy” function mentioned above resides in the category “Drag & Drop”.
3.Select the action in the Action list.
4.Hold down the desired modifier key(s) and click the Assign button.
The current modifier key(s) for the action is replaced. If the modifier key(s) you pressed 
are already assigned for this tool, you will be asked whether you want to replace them.
5.When you’re done, click OK to close the dialog. 
						

							30
Troubleshooting/FAQ 
						

							CUBASE LE30 – 528 Troubleshooting/FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
This chapter contains answers to some commonly asked questions:
__________________________________________________________
Q: When I import a Cubase 5 Song into Cubase LE why doesn’t it 
sound like it did before?
A: This is dependent on a number of things. For example, Cubase LE 
doesn’t import dynamic events, so if that function was used a lot in the 
Song there will be a discrepancy. Also, automation is handled differ-
ently in Cubase LE. For a complete listing of what is and what is not 
imported, please refer to page 508 in the File Handling chapter.
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Q: When I import a Cubase 5 Song, how do I move around my audio 
events in the Project window?
A: In Cubase 5, audio events were always placed in a part. In Cubase 
LE, you can have both audio events and parts containing audio events 
in the Project window. So if what you want to do is to freely move 
around the events currently contained in the part – to other tracks for 
example – the solution is to select the part in the Project window and 
then select “Dissolve Part” from the Audio menu.
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Q: I added my Remote device in the Device Setup but nothing hap-
pens.
A: Make sure you selected the right MIDI Input/Output Port for your 
remote control device. Open the Device Setup dialog, select your de-
vice in the Devices list and click the Setup tab.
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Q: Where is the Toolbox?
A: Cubase LE has no Toolbox. You select tools via the Quick menu 
(displayed by right-clicking (Win) or [ctrl]-clicking (Mac) in a window) 
or from the toolbar at the top of the current window.
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							CUBASE LETroubleshooting/FAQ 30 – 529
Q: I have problems with audio playback – it stutters intermittently.
A: Check the VST Performance meter (selectable from the Devices 
menu). If the CPU load is showing high levels, try mixing down some 
audio tracks and/or VST Instrument channels. 
If this doesn’t cure the problem, try increasing the Buffer size on the 
Device Setup dialog – VST Multitrack page (Mac OS X) or in the 
ASIO Control Panel (Windows).
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Q: Is there any way to edit my audio parts in an external audio editor?
A: Currently there is no direct support for external audio editors. You 
can always bounce the part you want to edit and open it manually.
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Q: I opened an audio file in my external audio editor, but there is no 
sound when I play it back. What could be the problem?
A: Make sure Release ASIO Driver in Background is activated 
(ticked) in the Device Setup - VST Multitrack dialog on the Devices 
menu. This allows other audio programs to temporarily “take over” 
audio playback when Cubase LE is running.
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Q: When using a VST Instrument, why is there a delay between play-
ing a note on my MIDI device and the audio output?
A: This is what is referred to as audio system “latency”. Latency is the 
delay between when audio is “sent” from the program and when you 
actually hear it. The latency value depends on the audio card used and 
its drivers. Newer audio cards with specific ASIO drivers or Mac OS X 
drivers generally produce very low latency values. 
Latency does not occur on MIDI playback to the VST Instrument, only 
during recording. Hence, if the latency of your audio system makes it 
difficult to play a VST Instrument, a workaround solution is to record 
using some other MIDI sound source, and switching the track output 
to the VST Instrument during playback. 
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							CUBASE LE30 – 530 Troubleshooting/FAQ
Q: I can’t seem to activate MIDI Thru to play a connected MIDI device 
– what’s the problem?
A: Make sure the track is record enabled (the Record Enable icon for 
the track should be red) or is in Monitor mode (the speaker icon is lit). 
If the problem persists, make sure MIDI Thru is enabled in the Prefer-
ences - MIDI page on the File menu (on the Mac, the Preferences dia-
log is located on the Cubase LE menu).
If none of this solves the problem, check that you have connected 
your system properly – read the chapter “Setting up your system” in 
the Getting Started book.
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