Steinberg Cubase SE 3 Getting Started Manual

							6
Basic Methods 
						

							CUBASE SE6 – 62 Basic Methods
About this chapter
This chapter contains descriptions of the general methods and proce-
dures used in Cubase SE. As this information applies to all parts of the 
program and all ways of working, please take time to read this chapter 
before continuing with the Operation Manual. 
Using menus
Main menus
The menus in the main Cubase SE menu bar are available regardless 
of which window is active. You select items from the main menus fol-
lowing the standard procedure for the operating system. Menu items 
that are not relevant in the current window may be greyed out.
Pop-up menus
Pop-up menus can be found throughout the program and are often 
used for selecting options or values. A pop-up menu is indicated by a 
small arrow in a field showing the currently selected option/value.
•To bring up the pop-up menu, click the arrow.
Selecting is done as with regular menus.
Selecting from the Snap pop-up menu.   
						

							CUBASE SEBasic Methods 6 – 63
The Quick menu
In Cubase SE, clicking the right mouse button will bring up a contextual 
pop-up menu (under Mac OS X you need to press [Ctrl] and click, or 
preferably use a two-button mouse set up so that the right mouse but-
ton generates a [Ctrl]-click). 
Some areas have special context menus with functions or settings that 
only apply to the corresponding area (for example, right-clicking in a 
ruler brings up a pop-up menu with display format options).
However, right-clicking in the main area of a window brings up the 
Quick menu. As a rule, the Quick menu contains:
• The tools (provided that the window has tools), see page 64.
• The most relevant menu items from the main Cubase SE menus.
• Settings that are specific for the window.
For example, in the Sample Editor the Quick menu contains settings determining which 
elements should be shown in the waveform display.
The Quick menu in the Sample Editor.
• If the option “Popup toolbox on right click” is activated in the Preferences 
dialog (Editing page), right-clicking (or [Ctrl]-clicking under Mac OS X) 
will instead bring up a dedicated toolbox, containing the tools only.
In that case you can bring up the Quick menu by pressing a modifier key (e.g. [Shift]) 
and right-clicking/[Ctrl]-clicking.  
						

							CUBASE SE6 – 64 Basic Methods
Using tools
Editing in Cubase SE is largely done with the various tools. Typical ex-
amples are selecting and moving events with the Arrow (Object Selec-
tion) tool, drawing with the Pencil tool, deleting with the Eraser tool, 
etc. There are different tools for different windows.
Tools can be selected in four ways:
•By clicking the corresponding tool icon on the toolbar.
When you click a tool icon, the pointer takes on the shape of the corresponding tool.
•By using the Quick menu.
As described on page 63, right-clicking (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) in the main area 
of a window brings up the Quick menu. The tools will be listed (along with their corre-
sponding icons) at the top of the menu – to select a tool, simply select it from the menu.    
						

							CUBASE SEBasic Methods 6 – 65
•By using the dedicated toolbox.
If the option “Popup toolbox on right click” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Edit-
ing page), right-clicking (or [Ctrl]-clicking under Mac OS X) will bring up the toolbox 
instead. This shows the tools only and you select tools as if from a menu. 
Note that you can still bring up the Quick menu in this mode by pressing a modifier key 
(e.g. [Shift]) and right-clicking/[Ctrl]-clicking. Similarly, if the option isn’t activated in 
the Preferences dialog, you can bring up the toolbox in that way.
•By using key commands.
By default, the keys [1] - [9] on the alphanumeric part of the keyboard are used, so that 
pressing [1] selects the leftmost tool and so on. You can also use key commands to 
step between the tools on the toolbar. By default, pressing [F9] selects the previous 
tool and pressing [F10] selects the next tool.
The uses and purposes of the tools in the different windows are de-
scribed in the corresponding chapters of the Operation Manual.
About tool tips
If you position the pointer over a tool icon (or any other icon or button 
in Cubase SE), a label will appear after a moment, informing you of the 
function of the icon or button.
•This feature can be turned off by deactivating the option “Show Tips” 
on the General page in the Preferences dialog (found on the File menu 
under Windows and on the Cubase SE menu under Mac OS X).  
						

							CUBASE SE6 – 66 Basic Methods
Changing values
Throughout the program you will encounter various value fields that 
can be edited. These can be divided into three categories: position 
values, regular numeric values and names.
Editing position values
Depending on the selected display format (see the Operation Manual), 
position values in Cubase SE are usually divided into several “seg-
ments” (the exception being the “Samples” display format, in which 
values are edited as regular numeric values). Two examples:
If the “Seconds” display format is selected, positions are shown as 
“hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds”.
If the “Bars+Beats” display format is selected, positions are shown as 
“bars.beats.sixteenth notes.ticks” (with 120 ticks per sixteenth note, by default).
Each value segment can be edited separately, in one of the following 
ways:
•Point at the upper or lower edge of the segment and click.
Clicking at the upper edge will raise the value of the segment one step, clicking at the 
lower edge will lower the value.
•Click directly on the value segment, type in a new value and press 
[Return].
•If you are using a wheel mouse, point at the value segment and use 
the wheel to raise or lower its value.
Generally, we recommend that you use a wheel mouse, as this speeds up editing in 
many areas in Cubase SE.   
						

							CUBASE SEBasic Methods 6 – 67
You can also edit the whole value (all segments) by double clicking 
and typing in a new value. Note:
•To separate the value segments, you can use spaces, dots, colons or 
any other character that isn’t a number.
•If the “Bars+Beats” display format is selected, and you enter a value 
with less than four segments, the largest position value segments will 
be affected and the program will set the lesser segments to their low-
est values.
For example, if you enter “5.3”, the position will be set to “5.3.1.0”.
•If one of the frame based display formats is selected and you enter a 
value with less than four segments, the smallest position value seg-
ments will be affected and the program will set the larger segments to 
their lowest values.
For example, if you enter “2:5”, the position will be set to “0:0:2:5”.
•If the “Seconds” display format is selected, value editing works as 
with the frame based formats, with one addition: The smallest value 
segment (milliseconds) is considered to be the decimal part of the 
seconds segment.
This means that if you enter “2:50”, the position will be set to “0:0:2:500”, rather than 
“0:0:2:050”.
Editing regular numeric values
Numeric values other than positions are edited by clicking the value 
and editing numerically from the computer keyboard.
In the Preferences dialog (Editing–Controls page) you can specify 
what should happen when you click on a value field. The “Value Box/
Time Control Mode” item contains the following options:
Option Description
Text Input on Left-Click In this mode, clicking a value box will open it for editing by 
typing.
Increment/Decrement on 
Left/Right-ClickIn this mode you can click with the left or right mouse but-
ton to decrease or increase the value, respectively. To edit 
values by typing in this mode, please double-click.
Increment/Decrement on 
Left-Click and DragIn this mode, you can click and drag up or down to adjust 
the value (much like dragging a vertical fader). To edit val-
ues by typing in this mode, please double-click. 
						

							CUBASE SE6 – 68 Basic Methods
•In the Inspector and elsewhere in the program you can find value sliders 
that may be blue or green – click and drag to adjust the value.
•For some values, you can hold down [Alt]/[Option], click on the value 
and keep the mouse button pressed to display a value slider.
This allows you to scroll the value by dragging up or down with the mouse button 
pressed. When you release the mouse button, the value slider is hidden again.
Adjusting the event volume setting on the info line.
•Most values can also be edited using a wheel mouse: point at the 
value and use the wheel to raise or lower it.
Editing names
To edit a name, click on it, type a new name and press [Return] (or click 
outside the name field).   
						

							CUBASE SEBasic Methods 6 – 69
Using knobs and sliders
In the VST audio windows, most parameters are shown as knobs, slid-
ers and buttons, emulating hardware interfaces. For knobs and sliders, 
you can select the desired way of making adjustments in the Prefer-
ences dialog (Editing–Controls page):
Knobs
The Knob Mode pop-up menu contains the following options:
Sliders
The Slider Mode pop-up menu contains the following options:
Option Description
Circular To move a knob, you click on it and drag in a circular motion, much like 
turning a “real” knob. When you click anywhere along the knob’s edge, 
the setting is immediately changed.
Relative 
CircularWorks like the “Circular” option, but clicking does not automatically change 
the setting. This means you can make adjustments to the current setting by 
clicking anywhere on a knob and dragging, without having to click on the 
exact current position.
Linear To move a knob, you click on it and drag up or down with the mouse but-
ton pressed – as if the knob were a vertical slider.
Option Description
Jump In this mode, clicking anywhere on a slider will make the slider handle 
instantly move to that position.
Touch In this mode, you have to click on the actual slider handle to adjust the 
parameter. This reduces the risk of accidentally moving sliders.
Ramp In this mode, clicking anywhere on a slider (but not on the handle) and 
keeping the mouse button pressed, will cause the handle to move smoothly 
to the new position.  
						

							CUBASE SE6 – 70 Basic Methods
Selecting objects
Selecting Cubase SE objects such as audio and MIDI events is gen-
erally done with the Arrow tool, according to standard selection pro-
cedures.
•Clicking on an object selects it (and deselects any previously selected 
objects).
•Holding down [Shift] and clicking on an object selects it without dese-
lecting any other objects.
•You can also create a selection rectangle by clicking in an empty area 
and dragging with the mouse button pressed.
All objects partially or totally enclosed by the rectangle will be selected.
•If an object is already selected, you can use the left and right arrow 
key on the computer keyboard to select the previous or next object, 
respectively.
Holding down [Shift] and using the arrow keys allows you to select the previous/next 
object without deselecting the current object.
There are several additional ways to make selections in the different 
Cubase SE windows. These are described in the corresponding 
Operation Manual chapters.
Relative In this mode, clicking anywhere on a slider does not automatically change 
the setting, but you can make adjustments to the current setting by click-
ing anywhere on a slider and dragging, without having to click on the exact 
current position. Option Description