Steinberg Cubase SE 3 Getting Started Manual

CUBASE SEInstallation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 21
Installing Cubase SE
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...

CUBASE SE2 – 22 Installation and Requirements for Windows
8.At one point you will be asked whether Cubase SE should be avail-
able to all users of the computer or just to you.
Choose the option that suits you best.
9.Finally, a dialog box informs you that the installation was successful 
and recommends that you restart your computer.
Remove the DVD-ROM and store it in a safe place.
Setting up the protection key
If you are a new Cubase SE user
1.After restarting the computer, plug in the hardware...

CUBASE SEInstallation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 23
To activate the protection key for use with your new Cubase SE 
version, proceed as follows:
1.After restarting the computer, plug in your protection key into the USB 
port.
2.Make sure that your computer has a working internet connection.
3.Locate the activation code in the upgrade package and keep it at hand.
4.Launch the “License Control Center” application (found under “Syncro-
soft” on the Start menu).
This application allows you to view your...

CUBASE SE2 – 24 Installation and Requirements for Windows
The items on the start menu
If you open the Windows Start menu, you will find a Cubase SE group 
on the “Programs” submenu. This contains the following items:
•Documentation.
On this submenu you can access the various Cubase SE documentation files in the 
Acrobat pdf format. These documents are also available on the Help menu from within 
the program.
•ASIO Multimedia Setup.
This opens a dialog with settings for the ASIO (Audio Stream Input...

3
Installation and Requirements
for Mac OS X 

CUBASE SE3 – 26 Installation and Requirements for Mac OS X
About this chapter
This chapter describes the system requirements and installation pro-
cedures for Cubase SE for Mac OS X. Installing Cubase SE for Win-
dows is described on page 14.
Requirements
To use Cubase SE, you need the following:
•A Macintosh computer running Mac OS X 10.3 or 10.4.
A USB Port is also required.
For more details about the computer requirements, see below.
•Mac OS X compatible audio hardware.
While the built-in audio...

CUBASE SEInstallation and Requirements for Mac OS X 3 – 27
Computer requirements
Hardware – Mac
The absolute minimum requirements for running Cubase SE on a 
Macintosh are as follows:
• A G4 with 867 MHz and OS X 10.3 or 10.4.
• 384 MB RAM.
• Monitor and graphics card supporting 1024 x 768 resolution.
• A free USB port for the copy protection key.
• A DVD ROM drive.
For optimum performance we recommend the following:
• A G5 dual processor with 1.8 GHz or faster.
• 512 MB RAM.
• A monitor setup with 1152...

CUBASE SE3 – 28 Installation and Requirements for Mac OS X
Mouse
Although a regular mouse will work fine with Cubase SE, we recom-
mend that you use a wheel mouse with two mouse buttons.
• Having a wheel mouse will speed up value editing and scrolling considerably.
• If your mouse has two mouse buttons you should program the right mouse 
button to generate a [Ctrl]-click (this is typically the default behavior of the 
right mouse button). 
This will allow you to bring up context menus by right clicking...

CUBASE SEInstallation and Requirements for Mac OS X 3 – 29
Hardware installation
About the copy protection key
Please read the following section before installing the program software.
New users
Included with the Cubase SE package, you will find a hardware key 
(sometimes referred to as a “dongle”) that is part of the Cubase SE 
copy protection scheme. Cubase SE will not run if this key isn’t installed 
properly.
•You should first install the program (and any necessary hardware, see 
below), then insert...

CUBASE SE3 – 30 Installation and Requirements for Mac OS X
The Steinberg Key is, in fact, a little computer on which your Steinberg 
software licenses are stored. All hardware-protected Steinberg prod-
ucts use the same type of key, and you can store more than one license 
on one key. Also, licenses can (within certain limits) be transferred be-
tween keys – which is helpful, e.g. if you want to sell a piece of software. 
•During the installation routine, be sure to read the information regard-
ing the...