Steinberg Cubase SE 3 Operation Manual

							CUBASE SE
ReWire 27 – 531
Launching and quitting
When using ReWire, the order in which you launch and quit the two 
programs is very important:
Launching for normal use with ReWire
1.First launch Cubase SE.
2.Enable one or several ReWire channels in the ReWire Device dialog 
for the other application.
This is described in detail on page 532.
3.Launch the other application.
It may take slightly longer for the application to start when you are using ReWire.
Quitting a ReWire session
When you are finished, you also need to quit the applications in a 
special order:
1.First quit the synthesizer application.
2.Then quit Cubase SE.
Launching both programs without using ReWire
We don’t know exactly why you would want to run Cubase SE and the 
synthesizer application at the same time on the same computer, with-
out using ReWire, but you can:
1.First launch the synthesizer application.
2.Then launch Cubase SE.
Please also note that the two programs now compete for system re-
sources such as audio cards, just as when running either with other, 
non-ReWire audio applications. 
						

							CUBASE SE
27 – 532 ReWire
Activating ReWire channels
ReWire supports streaming of up to 64 separate audio channels, 
while ReWire2 supports 256 channels. The exact number of available 
ReWire channels depends on the synthesizer application. Using the 
ReWire Device panels in Cubase SE, you can specify which of the 
available channels you want to use:
1.Pull down the Devices menu and select the menu item with the name 
of the ReWire application. All recognized ReWire compatible applica-
tions will be available on the menu.
The ReWire panel appears. This consists of a number of rows, one for each available 
ReWire channel.
The ReWire panel for Reason.
2.Click on the power buttons to the left to activate/deactivate the de-
sired channels.
The buttons light up to indicate activated channels. Please note that the more ReWire 
channels you activate, the more processing power is required.
•For information about exactly what signal is carried on each channel, 
see the documentation of the synthesizer application.
3.If desired, double click on the labels in the right column, and type in 
another name.
These labels will be used in the Cubase SE mixer to identify the ReWire channels. 
						

							CUBASE SE
ReWire 27 – 533
Using the transport and tempo controls
This is only relevant if the synthesizer application has some sort of built-
in sequencer or similar.
Basic transport controls
When you run ReWire, the transports in the two programs are com-
pletely linked. It doesn’t matter in which program you Play, Stop, Fast 
Forward or Rewind. However, recording (if applicable) is still com-
pletely separate in the two applications.
Loop settings
If there is a loop or cycle facility in the synthesizer application, that 
loop will be completely linked to the Cycle in Cubase SE. This means 
that you can move the start and end point for the loop or turn the loop 
on or off in either program, and this will be reflected in the other.
Tempo settings
As far as tempo goes, Cubase SE is always the Master. This means 
that both programs will run in the tempo set in Cubase SE.
However, if you are not using the Tempo track in Cubase SE, you can 
adjust the tempo in either program, and this will immediately be re-
flected in the other.
If you are using the Tempo track in Cubase SE (if the Tempo button is 
activated on the Transport panel), you should not adjust the tempo in 
the synthesizer application, since a tempo request from ReWire will au-
tomatically deactivate the Tempo switch in Cubase SE! 
						

							CUBASE SE
27 – 534 ReWire
How the ReWire channels are handled in 
Cubase SE
When you activate ReWire channels in the ReWire Device panels, 
they will become available as channel strips in the mixer. The ReWire 
channel strips have the following properties:
•ReWire channels appear to the right of the other audio and MIDI 
channel strips in the mixer.
ReWire channel strips are denoted by a yellow label in the mixer.
•ReWire channels may be any combination of mono and stereo, de-
pending on the synthesizer application.
•ReWire channels have the same functionality as regular audio channels.
This means you can set volume and pan, add EQ, insert effects and sends and route 
the channel outputs to groups or busses. However, ReWire channels have no monitor 
buttons.
•All ReWire channel settings can be automated using the Read/Write 
buttons.
When you write automation, channel automation tracks will automatically appear in the 
Project Window. This allows you to view and edit the automation graphically, just as 
with VST Instrument channels, etc.
•You can mix down the audio from ReWire channels to a file on your 
hard disk with the Export Audio Mixdown function (see page 487).
You can export the output bus to which you have routed the ReWire channels. 
						

							CUBASE SE
ReWire 27 – 535
Routing MIDI via ReWire2
This feature is only available with ReWire2-compatible applications.
When using Cubase SE with a ReWire2-compatible application, ad-
ditional MIDI outputs will automatically appear on the MIDI Output 
pop-up menus for MIDI tracks. This allows you to play the synthesizer 
application via MIDI from Cubase SE, using it as one or several sepa-
rate MIDI sound sources.
The MIDI outputs for a Reason song. Here, each output goes directly to a device in 
the Reason rack.
•The number and configuration of MIDI Outputs depends on the syn-
thesizer application. 
						

							CUBASE SE
27 – 536 ReWire
Considerations and limitations
Sample rates
Synthesizer applications may be limited to audio playback in certain 
sample rates. If Cubase SE is set to a sample rate other than those, 
the synthesizer application will play back at the wrong pitch. Consult 
the documentation of the synthesizer application for details.
ASIO drivers
ReWire works well with ASIO drivers. By using the Cubase SE bussing 
system you can route sounds from the synthesizer application to various 
outputs on an ASIO compatible audio card. 
						

							28
File handling 
						

							CUBASE SE
28 – 538 File handling
File Operations
New Project
The New Project command on the File menu allows you to create a 
new project, either empty or based on a template:
1.Select New Project from the File menu.
A list of templates is displayed. When you install Cubase SE, templates for various 
purposes are included, but you can also create your own (see page 541).
2.Select a template from the list, or select “Empty”.
A file dialog appears, allowing you to specify a folder for the new project.
3.Select an existing project folder or create a new one by typing its 
name in the dialog.
A new, untitled project is created.
Open
The Open command on the File menu is used for opening saved 
project files.
•Several projects can be open at the same time.
The active project is indicated by the blue Activate button in the upper left corner of 
the Project window. To make another project active, click its Activate button.
An active project.
•You can also open project files by selecting a shortcut from the “Recent 
Projects” submenu on the File menu.
This submenu lists the projects you have recently worked with, with the most recent 
one at the top of the list.
•Projects can automatically be opened when you launch Cubase SE 
(see page 555).  
						

							CUBASE SE
File handling 28 – 539
About the “Pending Connections” dialogs
If you open a Cubase SE project created on another setup (other audio 
hardware), the program tries to find matching audio inputs and outputs 
for the i/o busses (this is one of the reasons why you should use de-
scriptive, generic names for your input and output ports – see page 16).
If the program cannot resolve all audio inputs and outputs used in the 
project, a Pending Connections dialog will appear. This will allow you 
to manually re-route any ports specified in the project to ports available 
in your system.
Similarly, a Pending Connections dialog will appear if you open a 
project with MIDI ports that don’t match the current MIDI setup. Again, 
use the dialog to re-route ports.
Close
The Close command on the File menu closes the active window. If a 
Project window is active, selecting Close will close the corresponding 
project.
•If the project contains unsaved changes, you will be asked whether 
you want to save the project before closing it.
If you select “Don’t Save”, and have recorded or created new audio files since saving, 
you get the choice to delete or keep these.
Save and Save As
The commands Save and Save As allow you to save the active project 
as a project file (file extension “.cpr”). The Save command stores the 
project under its current name and location, while Save As allows you 
to rename and/or relocate the file. If you haven’t yet saved the project, 
or if it hasn’t been changed since it was last saved, only Save As will 
be available.
Generally, we recommend that you save project files in their project 
folders, to keep the projects as manageable as possible. 
						

							CUBASE SE
28 – 540 File handling
A word about file extensions
Under Windows, file types are indicated by three letter file name ex-
tensions (such as *.cpr for Cubase SE project files). Under Mac OS X, 
it is not necessary to use file name extensions, since the file types are 
stored internally in the files. However, if you want your Cubase SE 
projects to be compatible with both platforms, you should make sure 
the option “Use File Extension in File Dialog” is activated in the Prefer-
ences dialog – this is the default setting. When this is activated, the 
proper file name extension is automatically added when you save a file.
Saving a Default project
If you always want the same default project to open when you launch 
Cubase SE, you can save a default project:
1.Set up a project the way you want it.
2.Select “Save As” from the File menu and save the project with the 
name “default.cpr”. The location depends on the operating system:
Mac OS X: the folder “Library/Preferences/Cubase SE 3/” in your “home” directory. 
The full path would be: Users//library/preferences/Cubase SE 3. 
Windows: Among the User Settings for Cubase SE. The full path is:
\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\Steinberg\Cubase SE 3\
This is the one case when the file name extension is crucial under Mac 
OS X as well!
3.Open the Preferences dialog and select the General page.
4.Open the “On Startup” pop-up and select “Open Default Project”.
The next time you launch Cubase SE, the default project is automatically opened. For 
details on the other Startup options, see page 555.