Steinberg Cubase SE 3 Operation Manual

							CUBASE SE
Automation 12 – 241
Options and Settings
About the Automation Reduction Level preference
This item can be found on the Editing page in the Preferences dialog. 
Automation reduction reduces the number of automation events after 
you have used write automation or added automation events manually. 
When you write (or draw with the Pencil tool) automation events, 
these are added as a continuous stream of densely packed events. 
This is necessary because the program cannot “guess” what you will 
be doing next! However, when you are done, the reduction function 
will remove all superfluous event points and the automation curve now 
contains only the event points necessary to reproduce your actions.
For example, all event points that might exist between two other points, 
but do not deviate from the curve, will be automatically removed by re-
duction.
If you try to add an event that doesn’t deviate from the existing curve between two 
existing points...
...it will be removed when the mouse is released. If you moved the selected event by 
any amount so that the resulting curve isn’t a straight line, the event would of course 
be added.
•If you feel you need a lower (or higher) reduction level of events than 
the default setting of roughly 75% reduction, you can change it, but 
normally the default setting works well. 
•A minimum reduction level setting is not recommended as this will 
simply retain a lot of unnecessary events. 
						

							CUBASE SE
12 – 242 Automation 
						

							13
Remote controlling the mixer 
						

							CUBASE SE
13 – 244 Remote controlling the mixer
About this chapter
It is possible to control the Cubase SE Mixer via MIDI. Currently, the 
following MIDI control devices are supported:
• Steinberg Houston (see page 248)
• Tascam US-428 (see page 248)
There is also a Generic Remote Device, allowing you to use any MIDI 
controller to remote control Cubase SE (see page 250).
Setting Up
Connecting the remote device
Connect the MIDI Out on the remote unit to a MIDI In on your MIDI in-
terface. Depending on the remote unit model, you may also need to 
connect a MIDI Out on the interface to a MIDI In on the remote unit 
(this is necessary if the remote unit features “feedback devices” such 
as indicators, motorized faders, etc.).
If you will be recording MIDI tracks, you don’t want any MIDI data from 
the remote unit to accidentally be recorded as well. To avoid this, you 
should also make the following setting:
1.Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu.
2.Select “All MIDI Inputs” in the list to the left.
3.Check the list to the right and locate the MIDI input to which you have 
connected the MIDI remote unit.
4.Click in the “Active” column for that input to set it to “No”.
5.Click OK to close the Device Setup dialog.
Now you have removed the remote unit input from the “All MIDI Inputs” 
group. This means that you can record MIDI tracks with the “All MIDI 
Inputs” port selected without risking to record the data from the re-
mote unit at the same time. 
						

							CUBASE SE
Remote controlling the mixer 13 – 245
Selecting a remote device
1.Pull down the Devices menu and select Device Setup.
A dialog window opens with a list of devices shown in the left part of the window. 
2.If you can’t find the remote device you are looking for, click on the plus 
sign in the top left corner and select the device from the pop-up that 
appears.
It is added to the Devices list.
•Note that it is possible to select more than one remote device of the 
same type.
If you have more than one remote device of the same type, these will be numbered in 
the Devices list.
3.Now select your MIDI control device model from the Devices list.
Depending on the selected device, either a list of programmable function commands 
or a blank panel is shown in the right half of the dialog window.
4.Select the correct MIDI input from the pop-up menu.
If necessary, select the correct MIDI output from the pop-up menu.
5.Click OK to close the dialog.
You can now use the MIDI control device to move faders and knobs, activate Mute and 
Solo, etc. The exact parameter configuration depends on which external MIDI control 
device you are using. 
						

							CUBASE SE
13 – 246 Remote controlling the mixer
Operations
Writing automation using remote controls
Automating the mixer using a remote control device is basically done 
in the same way as when you operate on-screen controls in Write 
mode. However, when it comes to replacing existing automation data, 
there is one important difference:
•If you activate Write mode and move a control on the remote control 
device, all data for the corresponding parameter is replaced from the 
position where you moved the control, up until the position where 
playback is stopped!
In other words, as soon as you have moved a control in Write mode, it remains “active” 
until you stop playback. The reason for this is explained below.
As a consequence, an additional precaution must be taken:
•Make sure you move only the controller you want to replace!
In order to replace existing automation data for a control, the computer 
needs to know how long the user actually “grabbed” or used the con-
trol. When doing this “on screen”, the program simply detects when the 
mouse button is pressed and released. When you are using an external 
remote control device, however, there is no mouse button involved, and 
Cubase SE cannot tell whether you “grab and hold” a fader, or simply 
move it and release it. Instead, you have to indicate that you have “re-
leased” the control by stopping playback.
This is only relevant when you are using a remote control device and 
Write mode is activated in the mixer. 
						

							CUBASE SE
Remote controlling the mixer 13 – 247
Assigning remote key commands
You can assign any Cubase SE function (that can be assigned a key 
command) to generic buttons, wheels or other controls. As of this 
writing, these devices are:
• Tascam US-428
• Steinberg Houston
Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Device Setup dialog and select one of the remote devices 
that support this feature.
On the right side of the window there are three columns. This is where you assign 
commands.
2.Use the “Button” column to locate a Remote device control or button 
to which you wish to assign a Cubase SE function.
3.Click in the “Category” column for the control, and select one of the 
Cubase SE function categories from the pop-up menu that appears.
4.Click in the “Command” column, and select the desired Cubase SE 
function from the pop-up menu that appears.
The available items on the pop-up menu depend on the selected category.
5.Click “Apply” when you are done.
The selected function is now assigned to the button or control on the 
remote device.
A note about remote controlling MIDI tracks
While most remote control devices will be able to control both MIDI 
and audio channels in Cubase SE, the parameter setup may be differ-
ent. For example, audio-specific controls (such as EQ) will be disre-
garded when controlling MIDI channels. 
						

							CUBASE SE
13 – 248 Remote controlling the mixer
Remote control device specifics
Steinberg Houston
Houston is a MIDI/USB remote control device designed especially for 
use with VST audio applications such as Cubase SE. With clearly laid 
out controls (including touch sensitive motorized faders, rotary knobs, 
transport controls and a jog/shuttle wheel) Houston allows you to 
control virtually every mixer parameter in Cubase SE, without having 
to use the computer keyboard or mouse.
•For details about parameters and hands-on mixing techniques, please 
see the Houston documentation.
Tascam US-428
The US-428 can remote control up to 64 mixer channels. 
•When the Tascam US-428 device is added in the Device Setup dialog, 
you can open the Remote Status window by selecting “Tascam US-
428” from the Devices menu.
This indicates which bank (group of eight channels in Cubase SE) is currently being 
controlled by the remote device. To select another bank, use the pop-up menu in the 
window or use the Bank Left/Right buttons on the remote device.
•The US-428 transport keys will have the equivalent functionality in 
Cubase SE.
•To set markers, hold down “Set” while pressing a locator key.
•If you hold down the function key [Null] and then move a fader, the 
Select and Rec indicators above the fader will indicate whether the 
fader position is below or above the current fader level in Cubase SE.
If the upper indicator is lit, the fader position on the panel is above the fader level in 
Cubase SE and vice versa. When both indicators are dark, fader positions are matched 
for that channel.
The US-428 supports “MIDI Feedback”, allowing for mute/solo, channel 
selection, EQ band, Aux 1 to 4 and transport status to be indicated on 
the panel. For this (and the fader position indication described above) to 
work, you need to select the “US-428 Control” port as input and output. 
						

							CUBASE SE
Remote controlling the mixer 13 – 249
Cubase SE mixer
The following US-428 controls will remote control the following mixer 
parameter for each channel strip:
•Fader: volume
•Mute/Solo: mute and solo (selected via the Solo switch)
•Select: selects channel for editing
•Pan-Dial: pan
•EQ-Gain
Controls the EQ gain for each band selected with the Low, LoMid, HiMid and High 
buttons. These correspond to the four EQ bands in Cubase SE, starting from the left-
most band.
•EQ-Freq
Controls the EQ frequency for each band selected with the Low, LoMid, HiMid and 
High buttons. These correspond to the four EQ bands in Cubase SE, starting from the 
leftmost band.
•EQ-“Q”
Controls the EQ “Q” for each band selected with the Low, LoMid, HiMid and High but-
tons. These correspond to the four EQ bands in Cubase SE, starting from the leftmost 
band.
•Aux 1 to Aux 4 and shuttle wheel: 
The effect send levels for sends 1 to 4. 
•The shuttle wheel will act as position shuttle if no Aux send button is 
selected.
Press the activated button to deselect it.
•Holding down the “Asgn” button and pressing the Low, LoMid, HiMid 
and High EQ buttons switches the corresponding EQ band “On” but-
ton status.
•Holding down the “Asgn” button and pressing the Aux1 to Aux4 but-
tons switches the corresponding Effect Send 1-4 “On” button status. 
						

							CUBASE SE
13 – 250 Remote controlling the mixer
The Generic Remote device
If you have a generic MIDI controller, you can use this for remote con-
trol of Cubase SE by setting up the Generic Remote device:
1.Open the Device Setup dialog on the Devices menu.
If the Generic Remote device isn’t on the Devices list, you need to add it:
2.Click the “+” sign in the top left corner and select the “Generic Re-
mote” device from the pop-up menu.
•When the Generic Remote device is added in the Device Setup dia-
log, you can open the Remote Status window by selecting “Generic 
Remote” from the Devices menu.
The Remote Status window