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 recording performance that your hard disk is op-
timized (defragmented). You should make sure to defragment regularly.
Installing the files from the DVD-ROM
The installation procedure puts all files in the right places, automatically.
1.Insert the Cubase SE DVD-ROM.
2.In the window that appears, double-click the Setup.exe.
This starts the installation procedure for the Syncrosoft License Control Center.
3.Remove all copy protection keys (if plugged) and click the “Next” 
button to continue.
4.You will be asked to read and confirm the license agreement (shown 
on screen).
This is required for the installation to proceed.
5.Install the drivers for the copy protection key and click the “Next” but-
ton to continue.
6.Click the “Finish” button to finish the installation of the License Con-
trol Center.
Now the installation of Cubase SE will begin automatically:
7.You will be asked to read and confirm the license agreement (shown 
on screen).
This is required for the installation to proceed. 
						

							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 protection key into 
the USB port.
If you are unsure which port this is, consult the computer’s documentation.
2.The first time the copy protection device is plugged in, it will be regis-
tered as a new hardware device, and a dialog will appear asking you 
whether you would like to find drivers for the device manually or auto-
matically. 
3.Choose to find drivers automatically.
The dialog closes.
4.You are now ready to launch Cubase SE!
If you are upgrading from a previous version of Cubase SE/LE
• For the activation of the copy protection key, you need a working internet 
connection, as this is performed online. In case you have no connection 
to the internet on the computer on which you wish to use Cubase SE, 
you can always use a different computer for activation.
Simply install the License Control Center separately on the internet computer, without 
installing the complete product. To do this, the product installation DVD contains a 
dedicated installer called “SyncrosoftLicenseControlSetup”. You can also find up-to-
date versions of this installer for Mac and PC at www.syncrosoft.com/downloads/in-
dex.html.
Whether you bought a new Steinberg key or whether you are using an ex-
isting Steinberg key: this key does not yet contain the necessary license. 
You must download this license before you can launch the program. 
						

							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 USB protection keys and activate them for 
new applications by downloading licenses.
5.Use the License Control Center “Wizard” function to download a 
license for your new program version to your protection key.
This requires that you enter your activation code – just follow the instructions on screen. 
If you are uncertain about how to proceed, consult the help for LCC.
6.When the activation is complete, you are ready to launch Cubase SE!
For information about product updates, you should check the Steinberg 
website regularly. Open the “Steinberg on the Web” submenu on the Help 
menu and select “Product Updates”. The website that opens contains a 
list with the recent updates.
Register your software!
Registering your software will make sure you are entitled to technical 
support and kept aware of updates and other news regarding Cubase 
SE. For full support services, you need to register by sending in your 
registration card. 
						

							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 Output) system, 
which handles audio recording and playback in Cubase SE, if you are using the ASIO 
MME driver. This dialog can also be opened from within Cubase SE. See the chapter 
“Setting up your system” in this book.
•Cubase SE.
This launches the actual program. 
•Cubase SE 3 application data folder.
This opens the application data folder, where your Cubase SE settings are stored.
On the “Programs” submenu you will also find an item called Syncrosoft 
(License Control Center). This item shows all Syncrosoft protection de-
vices and valid licenses currently installed and allows you to download 
new licenses to your protection key.
There may also be additional items (such as Readme files) available on 
the Start menu. Please read all such files before launching Cubase SE, 
since they may contain late information not included in the manuals. 
						

							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 hardware of the Macintosh may be adequate for basic audio 
playback, we strongly recommend audio hardware that is specifically designed for audio 
recording and music applications. Also, to take full advantage of Cubase’s multi-chan-
nel i/o bus architecture, audio hardware with multiple inputs and outputs is required.
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 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 x 864 screen resolution or higher.
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, 384 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 SE 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. 
						

							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 (see page 63).
Audio hardware
Cubase SE 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 proper Mac OS X (Core Audio) drivers.
A basic rule of thumb is: if the hardware works under Mac OS X, you 
can use it in Cubase SE.
• Cubase SE also supports audio hardware with Mac OS X compliant 
ASIO drivers.
ASIO drivers may provide special support for routing, monitoring, synchronization, etc. 
Note that the ASIO drivers must be written specifically for Mac OS X – Mac OS 9.X 
ASIO drivers cannot be used.
Using the built-in audio hardware of the Macintosh
Although Cubase SE is designed with multi-channel input and output 
in mind, it’s of course possible to use the program with “basic” stereo 
inputs and outputs. As of this writing, all current Macintosh models 
have built-in 16 bit stereo audio hardware. Depending on your prefer-
ences and requirements, this may be sufficient for use with Cubase SE. 
The built-in audio hardware is always available for selection in Cubase 
SE – you don’t need to install any additional drivers.
Some Macintosh models have audio outputs but no inputs. This means 
that you can only play back audio – recording is not possible without ad-
ditional audio hardware. 
						

							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 the protection key and finally launch the program.
This is because the necessary drivers for the key are installed when you install the 
program.
If you’re upgrading from a previous version of Cubase SE/LE
•If you already own a copy protection key, you need to activate that key 
for use with your new Cubase SE version. This is done by means of 
the activation code included in the upgrade package, after installing 
the program, see page 31.
•If your previous version of Cubase SE/LE was not hardware-protected 
by a Steinberg Key, you now need to purchase this key separately. The 
key then needs to be activated. This is done by means of the activation 
code included in the upgrade package, after installing the program, 
see page 31.
The Steinberg Key  
						

							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 Steinberg Key that is displayed during the installation process.
The Steinberg Key must not be plugged in before or during the installa-
tion of Cubase SE if this is the first time you use such a key. Otherwise 
the operating system of your computer will register it as new USB hard-
ware and try to find drivers that won’t be present before the installation 
of Cubase SE.
Installing the audio hardware and its driver
1.Make sure you have the latest Mac OS X drivers for the audio hardware!
Please check the manufacturer’s web site for the latest versions.
2.Install the driver(s) for the audio hardware.
This is usually done by running an installer application.
3.Install or connect the audio interface, as described in the card’s 
documentation.
Installing a MIDI interface
1.Make sure you have the latest Mac OS X drivers for the MIDI interface!
Please check the manufacturer’s web site for the latest versions.
2.Install the driver(s) for the interface.
This is usually done by running an installer application.
3.Connect the MIDI interface to the computer, as described in the inter-
face documentation.