Steinberg Cubase SE 3 Operation Manual

							CUBASE SE
File handling 28 – 541
Save New Version
This function is only available as a key command, by default 
[Ctrl]+[Alt]+S (Windows) or [Command]+[Option]+S (Mac). When 
you use this function, a new version of the project is saved (or in other 
words, the project is saved under a new name). The new file will have 
the same name as the original project but with an incremental number 
attached. For example, if your project is called “My Project” you will 
get new versions called “My Project-01”, “My Project-02”, and so on.
Save New Version is useful if you are experimenting with edits and ar-
rangements and want to be able to go back to a previous version at 
any time. The most recent new versions you have created will be listed 
on the Recent Projects submenu on the File menu, for instant access.
Save as Template
This function allows you to save the current project as a template. Tem-
plates are always stored in the Templates folder, which on a Windows 
system is created under \Documents and Settings\\Appli-
cation data\Steinberg\Cubase SE 3\templates. On the Mac they are 
stored inside Users//Library/Preferences/Cubase SE 3. 
When you create a new project, the available templates will be listed, 
allowing you to base the new project on a template.
•Templates can contain clips and events, just like regular projects.
If this is not what you want, make sure to remove all clips from the Pool before you save 
the project as a template. 
						

							CUBASE SE
28 – 542 File handling
Save Project to New Folder
This function is very useful if you want to move or archive your project. 
If you select this item, you will first be asked where to store the saved 
project. Then a dialog will appear, with the following options:
When you’ve made your settings, click OK to save the project in the 
new folder. The original project isn’t removed or affected.
Revert
If you select Revert from the File menu, you will be asked whether you 
really want to revert to the last saved version of the project. If you click 
“Revert”, all changes you have made since saving will be discarded.
•If you have recorded or created new audio files since saving, you will 
be asked whether you want to delete or keep these.
Item Description
Project Name By default, this will be the current name of the project you’re sav-
ing, but you can change it if you like.
Minimize Audiofiles If this is activated, only the audio file portions that are actually used 
in the project will be included. This can significantly reduce the size 
of the project folder (if you are using small sections of large files), 
but it will also mean you cannot make use of the remaining audio file 
portions if you continue working with the project in its new folder.
Freeze Edits This will perform a Freeze Edits operation, making all processing 
and applied effects permanent to each clip in the Pool. See page 
274.
Remove Unused 
FilesWhen this is activated, only files in the Pool that are actually used 
in the project will be stored in the new folder. 
						

							CUBASE SE
File handling 28 – 543
The Cleanup function
The Cleanup function on the File menu helps you to save hard disk 
space by locating, and if you like, deleting unused audio files in the 
project folders on your disk.
1.Select “Cleanup…” from the File menu.
If there are any open projects, an alert will appear, allowing you to close these. Clicking 
“Close” closes all open projects and brings up the Cleanup dialog.
2.If you want to restrict the Cleanup function to a certain folder only, 
click the “Search Folder” button and select the folder.
You should only select a specific folder if you are certain it doesn’t contain audio files 
used in other projects (outside the folder)! See the note below.
If you want the Cleanup function to be applied to all folders on all hard disks, you don’t 
need to make any special settings, as this is the default mode. After selecting a folder 
you can reset the function to search all folders by opening the “Search Folder” dialog 
again and clicking “Cancel”.
3.Click the Start button.
Cubase SE will now scan the selected folder (or all hard disks) for Cubase SE project 
folders and check for audio and image files (in the Audio, Edits and Images subfolders) 
that are not used by any project. The found files are listed in the dialog.
4.When the scan is complete, you can select files by clicking in the list.
Use [Ctrl]/[Command]-click to select several files, and [Shift]-click to select a range of 
files. You can also click the Select All button to select all files in the list.
• There are situations when the Cleanup function will list files that are not 
unused! 
- If you have moved or renamed files or folders (without updating the project files to 
use the new paths), there is no way for Cubase SE to know that these files are used in 
a project. 
- If you perform the Cleanup function on a folder in which there are audio files belong-
ing to other projects (outside the folder), these files will be considered “unused”. 
- Also, make sure you don’t delete any files used in other applications, or files that you 
generally want to keep!
However, you can safely delete Image files since these can be recon-
structed by the program if necessary.
5.Delete any files you don’t want to keep, by selecting them and clicking 
Delete.
6.Close the dialog by clicking its close button. 
						

							CUBASE SE
28 – 544 File handling
Exporting and importing MIDI files
Cubase SE can import and export Standard MIDI Files, which makes 
it possible to transfer MIDI material to and from virtually any MIDI ap-
plication, on any platform. When you import and export MIDI files, you 
can also specify whether certain settings associated with the tracks 
should be included in the files (automation subtracks, volume and pan 
settings etc.).
Exporting MIDI Files
To export your MIDI tracks as a Standard MIDI File, pull down the File 
menu and select “MIDI File…” from the Export submenu. A regular file 
dialog appears, allowing you to specify a location and name for the file.
When you have specified a location and a name for the file, click “Save”. 
At this point, the Export Options dialog appears, allowing you to specify 
a number of options for the file – what should be included in the file, its 
type and its resolution (see below for descriptions of the options).
The Export Options dialog.  
						

							CUBASE SE
File handling 28 – 545
You will also find these settings in the Preferences dialog (MIDI-MIDI 
File page). If you set these up once and for all in the Preferences, you 
only need to click OK in the Export Options dialog to proceed.
The dialog contains the following options:
Option Description
Export Inspector 
PatchIf this is checked, the MIDI patch settings in the Inspector – Bank 
Select and Program Select (used for selecting sounds in the con-
nected MIDI instrument) are included as MIDI Bank Select and 
Program Change events in the MIDI file.
Export Inspector 
Volume/PanIf this is checked, Volume and Pan settings made in the Inspector 
are included as MIDI Volume and Pan events in the MIDI file.
Export Automation If this is checked, recorded automation (see page 222) is con-
verted to MIDI controller events and included in the MIDI file. This 
also includes automation recorded with the MIDIControl plug-in. 
This is described in the “MIDI Effects” chapter in the separate 
MIDI Devices and Features pdf.
Export Inserts If this is checked and you are using any MIDI plug-ins as insert ef-
fects, the modifications to the original MIDI notes that occur as a 
result of the effect(s) will be included in the MIDI file. A MIDI delay, 
for example, will produce a number of repeats to a MIDI note 
by 
actually adding additional, “echoing” notes at rhythmic intervals – 
these notes will be included in the MIDI file if the option is activated.
Export Sends If this is checked and you are using any MIDI plug-ins as send ef-
fects, the modifications to the original MIDI notes that occur as a 
result of the effect(s) will be included in the MIDI file.
Export as Type 0 If this is checked, the MIDI file will be of Type 0 (all data on a single 
track, but on different MIDI channels). If you don’t check this op-
tion, the MIDI file will be of Type 1 (data on separate tracks). 
Which type to choose depends on what you want to do with the 
MIDI file (in which application or sequencer it should be used, etc.).
Export Resolution You can specify a MIDI resolution between 24 – 960 for the MIDI 
file. The resolution is the number of pulses, or ticks, per quarter 
note (PPQ) and determines the precision with which you will be 
able to view and edit the MIDI data. The higher the resolution, the 
higher the precision. The resolution should be chosen depending 
on the application or sequencer with which the MIDI file should be 
used though, since certain applications and sequencers may not 
be able to handle certain resolutions.
Export Locator 
RangeIf this is checked, only the portion of the MIDI file wihin the locators 
will be exported. 
						

							CUBASE SE
28 – 546 File handling
• The MIDI File will include the Tempo track.
• Inspector settings (other than patch, volume, pan and effects – see 
above) are not included in the MIDI file!
To include these, you need to convert the settings to “real” MIDI events and properties 
by using the Merge MIDI in Loop function for each track, see 
page 368.
Importing MIDI Files
To import a MIDI file from disk, proceed as follows:
1.Select “MIDI File…” from the Import submenu on the File menu.
2.In the dialog that appears, select whether a new project should be 
created for the file or not.
If you select “No”, the MIDI file will be imported into the current project.
3.Locate and select the MIDI file in the file dialog that appears, and click 
Open.
4.If you chose to have a new project created, you are asked to specify a 
project folder for the new project.
Select an existing project folder or create a new one by selecting a location for it and 
typing its name in the dialog.
The MIDI file is imported. The result depends on the contents of the 
MIDI file and the Import Options settings in the Preferences dialog – 
MIDI-MIDI File page. The Import Options are as follows:
Option Description
Extract First Patch If this is checked, the first Program Change and Bank Select 
events for each track are converted to Inspector settings for the 
track.
Extract First Volume/
PanIf this is checked, the first MIDI Volume and Pan events for each 
track are converted to Inspector settings for the track.
Import Controller as 
Automation trackIf this is checked, MIDI controller events in the MIDI file will be 
converted to automation data for the MIDI tracks.
Import to Left Locator If this is checked, the imported MIDI file will be placed so that it 
starts at the position of the left locator – otherwise it will start at 
the beginning of the project. Note that if you choose to have a 
new project created automatically, the MIDI file will always start 
at the beginning of the project. 
						

							CUBASE SE
File handling 28 – 547
As mentioned on page 545, the result also depends on what type of 
MIDI file it is – Type 0 or Type 1:
• If the MIDI file is of Type 0 (all data on a single track), only one MIDI track will 
be created.
This track will be set to MIDI Channel “Any”, allowing all MIDI events to play back on 
their original channels. You can use the Dissolve Part function on the MIDI menu to dis-
tribute the events onto different tracks with different MIDI Channels (see page 390).
• If the MIDI file is of Type 1 (data on several tracks) a number of new MIDI 
tracks and parts will be created.
In both cases, the Tempo track is adjusted according to the Tempo 
track in the MIDI file.
It is also possible to import a MIDI file from disk by dragging and dropping 
it from the Windows Explorer or the Mac OS Finder into the Cubase SE 
Project window. The Import Options apply if you use this method as well.
Importing Cubase VST files
It is possible to import files created in older versions of Cubase. There 
are three options for this on the File – Import submenu:
Import Cubase Song
This will open a Song file (Windows file extension “.all”) created in Cu-
base 5.0 or later and convert it to a Cubase SE project. When import-
ing a Song, you will be asked to specify a folder for the new project, as 
usual.
• Cubase Songs can contain more than one Arrangement (containing in-
dependent part and event data). If this is the case, you will be asked 
which one of these Arrangements to import.
To import all Arrangements in a Cubase Song, simply repeat this for all Arrangements, 
and save each as a separate project.
Ignore Mastertrack 
Events on MergeIf this is activated and you import a MIDI file into the current 
project, tempo track data in the MIDI file is ignored. The im-
ported MIDI file will play according to the current Tempo track 
in the project. Option Description 
						

							CUBASE SE
28 – 548 File handling
The conversion has the following limitations:
Data Conversion result
MIDI output setting 
for MIDI tracksIf the output information stored in the original Song doesn’t 
match the current outputs, a “Pending Connections” dia-
log will appear, allowing you to remap each MIDI output in 
the Song to a new output.
MIDI track play parameters 
(Inspector settings)Only the volume and transpose settings are included; the 
other parameters (velocity, compression, length and pan) 
are ignored.
MIDI part play parameters 
(Inspector settings)All settings are included, except transpose.
Group tracks Removed.
Style tracks Removed.
Chord tracks Removed.
Drum tracks Converted to MIDI tracks with drum maps. MIDI output 
settings for individual drum sounds will be ignored.
Solo/Mute status of tracks Ignored.
MIDI “effect” devices, such 
as the arpeggiator and IPSRemoved.
Window layouts Ignored.
Key command settings Ignored.
Grooves Ignored.
MIDI Mixermaps Removed.
Dynamic events in audio 
parts (including M-points)Ignored.
Automation The VST channel automation is included, but limited to 
volume, pan and EQ data. Plug-in automation settings are 
ignored.
Left/right locator positions 
and cycle statusIgnored.
Sync settings and status Ignored.
Master track hitpoints Removed.
VST Group channels Removed. 
						

							CUBASE SE
File handling 28 – 549
• It’s also possible to import Songs created in version 3.7x of Cubase for 
Windows.
However, this will only include the basic audio and MIDI data, ignoring most of the set-
tings.
Import Cubase Arrangement
As mentioned above, a Song in previous versions of Cubase could 
contain one or several Arrangements. These contained all the part and 
event data along with file references, but without mixer settings and 
similar, which were global to all Arrangements in the Song. Arrange-
ments could be saved as separate files, with the extension “.arr”.
When you import a Cubase Arrangement into Cubase SE, it will be 
converted to a project, just as when importing a Song. The same limi-
tations apply.
Import Cubase Part
Just as in Cubase SE, previous Cubase versions used parts as con-
tainers for MIDI or audio events. These could be saved as separate 
files with the extension “.prt”. When you import a part file, the follow-
ing happens:
• A new track is created, with the name of the part.
That is, the name of the part when it was saved in Cubase, not (necessarily) the file name.
• The part appears as a Cubase SE part, at the left locator position.
• If the imported part was an audio part, the necessary clips and file references 
are added to the Pool.
Note that none of these file formats contain any actual audio data. Just 
as with Cubase SE projects, the files only contain references to audio 
files. This means that you need access to the referenced audio files as 
well, to properly import Songs, Arrangements or Parts with audio.
Multiple audio tracks routed 
to the same audio channelWill be replaced by separate audio tracks (with separate 
channels in the mixer). This is because in Cubase SE 
there is always one channel per track.
Solo/Mute status of VST 
channelsIgnored. Data Conversion result 
						

							CUBASE SE
28 – 550 File handling
Importing audio CD tracks
You can import audio from audio CDs, for use in Cubase SE projects. 
This is done by selecting “Import Audio CD” from the Pool menu (or 
by selecting the “Audio CD…” option from the Import submenu on the 
File menu).
•If the project window is active, the imported audio CD track(s) will be 
inserted on the selected audio track, at the project cursor position.
It is also possible to import audio CD tracks into the Pool, which may be the preferred 
method if you want to import several CD tracks in one go.
Selecting one of the Import Audio CD menu items brings up the follow-
ing dialog:
•If you have more than one CD drive, you use the Drives pop-up menu 
to select the one holding the audio CD.