Steinberg Cubase SE 3 Operation Manual

							CUBASE SE
Recording 4 – 41
Setting up the track
Creating a track and selecting the channel configuration
Audio tracks can be configured as mono or stereo tracks. This allows 
you to record or import a stereo file and treat it as one entity, with no 
need to split it up into mono files etc. The signal path for an audio 
track maintains its channel configuration all the way from the input 
bus, via EQ, level and other mixer settings to the output bus.
You specify the channel configuration for a track when you create it:
1.Select Add Audio Track from the Track list context menu or the 
Project menu (or double click in an empty area of the Track list when 
an audio track is selected – when a MIDI track is selected, double 
clicking in the Track list creates a new MIDI track).
A dialog appears with a channel configuration pop-up menu.
2.Select the desired format from the pop-up menu.
You can choose between mono and stereo.
3.Click OK.
A track appears, set to the specified channel configuration. In the mixer, a corresponding 
channel strip appears. Note that you cannot change the channel configuration for a track.
Selecting an input bus for a track
Here we assume that you have added and set up the required input 
busses (see page 14). Before you record you need to specify from 
which input bus the track should record. You do this in the Inspector:
•Select an input bus on the “in” pop-up menu in the top section.
As described on page 71, the Inspector shows the settings for the selected track. You 
show or hide the Inspector using the Inspector icon on the Project window toolbar.
Click here to select an 
input bus for the track. Click here to show/hide the Inspector.   
						

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4 – 42 Recording
Setting input levels
When recording digital sound, it’s important to set the input levels 
correctly – loud enough to ensure low noise and high audio quality, 
but not so loud that clipping (digital distortion) occurs.
Clipping typically occurs in the audio hardware, when a too loud ana-
log signal is converted to digital in the hardware’s A/D converters. 
Proceed as follows:
In Cubase SE, you check the input level at the channel strip for the 
track on which you are recording:
1.Locate the channel strip for the track you’re about to record on.
2.Activate monitoring for the channel by clicking the speaker button next 
to the fader.
When monitoring is activated, the meter shows the level of the incoming audio signal.
3.Play the audio source that you want to record and check the level 
meter for the channel.
4.Adjust the output level of your audio source so that the meters go rea-
sonably high without reaching 0.0 dB.
Check the numerical peak level indicator below the meter in the bus channel strip. To 
reset the peak level indicator, click on it.
• You must adjust the output level of the audio source – you cannot use 
the faders in Cubase SE to adjust the input level!
• An alternative way of checking the input levels would be to use the control 
panel for your audio hardware (if it’s equipped with input level meters). It 
may also be possible to adjust the input level in the control panel.
See the documentation of the audio hardware for details. 
						

							CUBASE SE
Recording 4 – 43
Monitoring
In this context, “monitoring” means listening to the input signal during 
recording. There are three fundamentally different ways to do this: via 
Cubase SE, externally (by listening to the signal before it reaches Cu-
base SE) or by using ASIO Direct Monitoring (which is a combination 
of both of the other methods – see below).
Monitoring via Cubase SE
If you monitor via Cubase SE, the input signal is mixed in with the audio 
playback. The advantage of this is that you can adjust the monitoring 
level and panning in the mixer, and add effects and EQ to the monitor 
signal just as during playback.
The disadvantage of monitoring via Cubase SE is that the monitored 
signal will be delayed according to the latency value (which depends on 
your audio hardware and drivers). Therefore, monitoring via Cubase SE 
requires an audio hardware configuration with a low latency value (see 
the Getting Started book). You can check the latency of your hardware 
in the Device Setup dialog (VST Audiobay page).
• If you are using plug-in effects with large inherent delays, the automatic 
delay compensation function in Cubase SE will increase the latency.
If this is a problem you can use the Constrain Delay Compensation function while 
recording - see page 217.
When monitoring via Cubase SE, you can select one of four modes in 
the Preferences dialog (VST page): 
						

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4 – 44 Recording
• Manual.
This option allows you to turn input monitoring on or off by clicking the Monitor button 
in the Inspector, the Track list or in the mixer.
• While Record Enabled.
With this option you will hear the audio source connected to the channel input when-
ever the track is record enabled.
• While Record Running.
This option switches to input monitoring only during recording.
• Tapemachine Style.
This option emulates standard tapemachine behavior: input monitoring in Stop mode 
and during recording, but not during playback.
External monitoring
External monitoring (listening to the input signal before it goes into 
Cubase SE) requires some sort of external mixer for mixing the audio 
playback with the input signal. This can be a stand-alone physical 
mixer or a mixer application for your audio hardware, if this has a mode 
in which the input audio is sent back out again (usually called “Thru”, 
“Direct Thru” or similar).
When using external monitoring, you cannot control the level of the 
monitor signal from within Cubase SE, or add VST effects or EQ to 
the monitor signal. The latency value of the audio hardware configura-
tion does not affect the monitor signal in this mode.
• If you want to use external monitoring, you need to make sure that mon-
itoring via Cubase SE isn’t activated as well.
Select the “Manual” monitoring mode in the Preferences dialog (VST page) and simply 
don’t activate the Monitor buttons. 
						

							CUBASE SE
Recording 4 – 45
ASIO Direct Monitoring
If your audio hardware is ASIO 2.0 compatible, it may support ASIO 
Direct Monitoring. In this mode, the actual monitoring is done in the 
audio hardware, by sending the input signal back out again. However, 
monitoring is controlled from Cubase SE. This means that the audio 
hardware’s direct monitoring feature can be turned on or off automat-
ically by Cubase SE, just as when using internal monitoring.
•To activate ASIO Direct Monitoring, open the Device Setup dialog on 
the Devices menu and check the Direct Monitoring checkbox on the 
VST Audiobay page.
If the checkbox is greyed out, your audio hardware (or its driver) doesn’t support ASIO 
Direct Monitoring. Consult the audio hardware manufacturer for details.
•When ASIO Direct Monitoring is activated, you can select a monitor-
ing mode in the Preferences dialog (VST page), as when monitoring 
via Cubase SE (see page 43).
•Depending on the audio hardware, it may also be possible to adjust 
monitoring level and panning from the mixer.
Consult the documentation of the audio hardware if in doubt.
•VST effects and EQ cannot be applied to the monitor signal in this 
mode, since the monitor signal doesn’t pass through Cubase SE.
•Depending on the audio hardware, there may be special restrictions 
as to which audio outputs can be used for direct monitoring.
For details on the routing of the audio hardware, see its documentation.
•The latency value of the audio hardware configuration does not affect 
the monitor signal when using ASIO Direct Monitoring. 
						

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4 – 46 Recording
Recording
Recording is done using any of the general recording methods (see 
page 35). After you finish recording, an audio file has been created in 
the Audio folder within the project folder. In the Pool, an audio clip is 
created for the audio file, and an audio event that plays the whole clip 
appears on the recording track. Finally, a waveform image is calculated 
for the audio event. If the recording was very long, this may take a while.
• If the option “Create Audio Images During Record” is activated in the Pref-
erences dialog (Record page), the waveform image will be calculated and 
displayed during the actual recording process.
This real-time calculation uses some processing power – if your processor is slow or 
you are working on a CPU-intensive project you should consider turning this option off.
Undoing recording
If you decide that you don’t like what you just recorded, you can delete 
it by selecting Undo from the Edit menu. The following will happen:
• The event(s) you just created will be removed from the Project window.
• The audio clip(s) in the Pool will be moved to the Trash folder.
• The recorded audio file(s) will not be removed from the hard disk.
However, since their corresponding clips are moved to the Trash folder, you can delete 
the files by opening the Pool and selecting “Empty Trash” from the Pool menu.
Recording overlapping events
The basic rule for audio tracks is that each track can play back a single 
audio event at a time. This means that if two or more events are overlap-
ping, only one of them will be heard at any given time.
What happens when you record overlapping events (record in an area 
where there’s already events on the track) depends on the Linear 
Record Mode setting on the Transport panel:  
						

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Recording 4 – 47
•In “Normal” or “Merge” mode, recording where something has already 
been recorded creates a new audio event that overlaps the previous 
one(s).
When you record audio there is no difference between “Normal” and “Merge” mode – 
the difference only applies to MIDI recording (see page 54).
•In “Replace” mode, existing events (or portions of events) that are 
overlapped by the new recording will be removed.
This means that if you record a section in the middle of a longer existing recording, that 
original event will be cut into two events with a gap for the new event.
Which event will be heard?
If two or more events are overlapping, you will only hear the events (or 
portions of events) that are actually visible. Overlapped (hidden) events 
or sections are not played back.
•The functions “Move to Front” and “Move to Back” on the Edit menu 
(see page 98) are useful for managing overlapping events, as is the 
“To Front” function (see below). 
						

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4 – 48 Recording
Recording audio in cycle mode
If you are recording audio in cycle mode, the result depends on the 
following factor:
•The Cycle Record Mode setting on the Transport panel.
Cycle Record Modes on the Transport panel
There are three different modes on the Transport panel, but the differ-
ences between two of the modes only apply to MIDI recording. For 
audio cycle recording, the following applies:
•If “Keep Last” is selected, the last complete “take” (the last completely 
recorded lap) is kept as an audio event.
Recording audio in cycle mode
The following will happen when you record audio in cycle mode:
• One continuous audio file is created during the entire recording process. 
• For each recorded lap of the cycle, one audio event is created.
The events will have the name of the audio file plus the text “Take *”, where “*” indicates 
the number of the take.
• The last take (the last recorded lap) will be on top (and will thus be the one 
you hear when you activate playback).  
						

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Recording 4 – 49
To select another take for playback, proceed a follows:
1.Right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) the event and select “To Front” 
from the pop-up menu that appears.
A submenu appears, listing all the other (obscured) events.
2.Select the desired take.
The corresponding event is brought to front.
This method allows you to quickly combine the best parts of each 
take, in the following way:
1.Use the Scissors tool to split the events in several sections, one for 
each part of the take.
For example, if you recorded four lines of vocals (in each take), you can split the events 
so that each line gets a separate event.
The events after splitting. Note that since the original take events overlap each 
other, clicking with the Scissors tool will split all takes at the same position.
2.For each section of the take, use the “To Front” function to bring the 
best take to the front.
This way, you can quickly combine the best sections of each take, using the first vocal 
line from one take, the second line from another take and so on.
You can also compile a “perfect” take in the Audio Part Editor, as 
described on page 301. 
						

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4 – 50 Recording
MIDI Recording Specifics
Activating MIDI Thru
As described in the Getting Started book, the normal way to work 
with MIDI is to have MIDI Thru activated in Cubase SE, and Local Off 
selected in your MIDI Instrument(s). In this mode, everything you play 
during recording will be “echoed” back out again on the MIDI output 
and channel selected for the recording track.
1.Make sure the option “MIDI Thru Active” is activated in the Preferences 
dialog (MIDI page).
2.Record enable the track(s) on which you want to record.
Now, incoming MIDI is “echoed” back out again, for all record enabled MIDI tracks. 
• If you just want to use the Thru function for a MIDI track without record-
ing, activate the monitor button for the track instead.
This is useful e.g. if you want to try out different sounds or play a VST instrument in real 
time without recording your playing.
Setting MIDI channel, input and output
Setting the MIDI channel in the instrument
Most MIDI synthesizers can play several sounds at the same time, each 
on a different MIDI channel. This is the key to playing back several 
sounds (bass, piano etc.) from the same instrument. Some devices 
(such as General MIDI compatible sound modules) always receive on 
all 16 MIDI channels. If you have such an instrument, there’s no specific 
setting you need to make in the instrument. On other instruments you 
will have to use the front panel controls to set up a number of “Parts”, 
“Timbres” or similar so that they receive on one MIDI channel each. See 
the manual that came with your instrument for more information.
Record Enable button. Monitor button.