Steinberg Cubase Studio 4 Operation Manual Studio Manual

							496
The basics
About this chapter
In this chapter you will learn:
 How to open the Score Editor.
 How to switch between Page Mode and Edit Mode.
 How to set up the page size and margins.
 How to hide and show the symbol Inspector, the toolbar and 
the extended toolbar.
 How to set up the ruler.
 How to set a zoom factor.
 How to make initial settings for key, clef and time signature.
Preparations
1.In the Project window, create a MIDI track for each in-
strument.
You can prepare a piano (split) staff from a single track, i. e. there’s no 
need to create one track for the bass clef and one for the treble clef.
2.Name each track after the instrument.
This name can later be used in the score if you like.
3.Record into the tracks or create empty parts on all 
tracks.
You can make very long parts that cover the entire project, or you can 
start out with shorter parts to begin with. If you choose the latter option, 
you can always go back later and add new parts or copy existing parts.
Opening the Score Editor
Editing one or several parts
To open one or several parts in the Score Editor, select 
the parts (on the same or on different tracks) and select 
“Open Score Editor” from the MIDI menu or “Open Selec-
tion” from the Scores menu. The default key command for 
this is [Ctrl]/[Command]-[R]. 
You can also select the Score Editor as your default ed-
itor, allowing you to open it by double-clicking parts.
This is done with the Default Edit Action pop-up menu in the Preferences 
dialog (Event Display–MIDI page).
Editing whole tracks
When preparing a score for printing, you probably want to 
open whole MIDI tracks in the Score Editor. To do this, se-
lect the track(s) in the track list and make sure no parts are 
selected – then open the Score Editor as described above.
Editing parts on different tracks
If you have selected parts on two or more tracks (or sev-
eral entire tracks – no parts) and open the Score Editor, 
you will get one staff for each track (although you can split 
a staff in two, e.g. when scoring for piano). Think of the 
Project window as an overview of your entire score and 
the tracks as representing one instrument each.
Editing predefined combinations of tracks
In the section “Layout operations” on page 600, you will 
find out how to open the Score Editor for a certain combi-
nation of tracks that you edited before.
Quickly switching between display of parts or 
tracks
When the option “Double-click on staff flips between full 
score/part” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Scores-
Editing page), double-clicking on the blue rectangle to the 
left of a staff will switch between display of either the 
whole score or the current voice.
The project cursor
The project cursor appears as a vertical line across the 
staff. When you open the Score Editor, the view is auto-
matically scrolled so that the project cursor is visible in the 
window. This means you don’t always see the beginning 
of the edited part when you first open the Score Editor.
Hold down [Alt]/[Option] and [Shift] and click anywhere 
in the score to move the project cursor there.
This is handy when the project cursor isn’t visible. This is not possible if 
Keyboard Input mode is activated, see “Entering notes using the compu-
ter keyboard” on page 520. 
						

							497
The basics
Page Mode
When you are preparing a score for printout, you should 
set the Score Editor to Page Mode. This is done by se-
lecting Page Mode from the Scores menu. When Page 
Mode is activated, a check mark will appear next to this 
menu option.
Page Mode is activated.
In Edit mode, the window switches to display one page at 
a time, as it will appear on printout.
Page Mode vs. Edit Mode
When Page Mode is not activated, the Score Editor is in 
Edit Mode. All you can do in Edit Mode, you can also do in 
Page Mode. But Page Mode offers lots of additional fea-
tures which are directly related to how the score is dis-
played and printed.
Using the scroll bars in Page Mode
In Page Mode, the scroll bars are used to scroll the image 
of the page inside the window.
Moving between pages in Page Mode
If your score takes up more than one page, you can skip 
between the pages in two ways:By using the page number indicator in the lower right 
corner.
The number can be adjusted using the standard value editing tech-
niques.
The Page Number indicator – adjust it to move to another page.
By assigning key commands to the functions “Move to 
Next Page” and “Move to Previous Page” in the Key Com-
mands dialog (Scores category).
Also, if Autoscroll is activated on the toolbar, the score 
display will follow the project cursor position. This way you 
can scroll the score by using fast forward or rewind.
Editing individual parts in Page Mode
When you view a single part in Page Mode, the bars be-
fore and after the part will normally be shown as empty 
measures in the Score editor. This is to preserve the lay-
out of the track, i.e. the spacing between staves and bar 
lines, number of bars per staff etc.
If you want to view and print a single part, without any sur-
rounding empty bars, activate the option “Unlock Layout 
when editing single parts” in the Preferences dialog 
(Scores-Editing page). Note, however, that if you adjust 
the layout when editing the part in this mode, this will 
erase the layout for the whole track!
Playing back and recording
You can play back and record MIDI in the Score Editor us-
ing the standard transport commands, just like in the other 
MIDI editors. See the chapter “The MIDI editors” on page 
339.
!This section of the manual assumes you are in Page 
Mode. It will be mentioned explicitly if something in 
this text specifically relates to Edit Mode. 
						

							498
The basics
Changing the Zoom factor
There are two ways to change the zoom in Page Mode: by 
setting a zoom factor on the zoom pop-up menu or by us-
ing the Zoom tool (magnifying glass).
Using the zoom pop-up menu
Above the vertical scrollbar to the right you will find a pop-
up allowing you to set the zoom factor. 
The zoom pop-up.
By zooming in you will be able to make detailed adjust-
ments to symbols, etc. By zooming out you will get a bet-
ter overview.
If you select “Fit Page”, the zoom factor will be adjusted 
according to the window size so the whole page is visible.
If you select “Fit Width”, the zoom factor will be ad-
justed according to the window width so the full width of 
the page is visible.
This pop-up menu can also be opened by right-clicking in 
the ruler.
Using the Zoom tool
The Zoom tool in the Score Editor works much like in the 
Project window:
Click once with the Zoom tool to zoom in one step.
Hold down [Alt]/[Option] and click once with the Zoom 
tool to zoom out one step.
Drag a rectangle with the Zoom tool to set a custom 
zoom factor.
The section encompassed by the rectangle is zoomed to fill the window.
The active staff
One thing to note when you are working with multiple 
staves is the “active” staff. Only one staff at a time can be 
active, and is indicated by a blue rectangle to the left of 
the clef symbol.
ÖTo make a staff active, click anywhere in it.
By default, you can also use the up and down arrow keys on the com-
puter keyboard to step between staves.
Making page setup settings
Before preparing the score for printout, you have to make 
some page settings for your project. This does not have to 
be the first thing you do, but it’s a good working habit, be-
cause it will also affect the on-screen display of the score.
1.On the File menu, select Page Setup.
The Page Setup dialog appears. This is the regular operation system 
Page Setup dialog, described in detail in your system’s documentation. 
The only things that Cubase adds to this are the margin settings.
2.Select the preferred printer, paper size, orientation, etc.
3.If you need to, change the margins by setting the left, 
right, top and bottom settings.
To make the settings permanent, save the project.
If you want new projects to always start with certain page setup settings, 
you can create project templates with these, see “Setting up a default 
template” on page 456.
This staff is active. 
						

							499
The basics
Designing your work space
Some of the areas in the Score editor can be hidden. Ex-
actly which areas to show/hide depends e. g. on what kind 
of project you are working on, and how big a monitor you 
have.
These areas can be hidden or displayed.
You can configure the toolbar, the info line and the In-
spector in their own setup dialogs. Here you can specify 
exactly which buttons, which properties for a particular 
object, or which symbol tabs you wish to see.
The handling is the same for the different Setup dialogs. For a detailed 
description of the Inspector Setup dialog, see “The symbol Inspector Se-
tup dialog” on page 563.
The info line
The info line displays information about the selected note. 
It can be hidden/displayed by clicking the “Show Info” 
button on the toolbar, or by using a key command, by de-
fault [Ctrl]/[Command]-[I].
The extended toolbar
The extended toolbar can be displayed/hidden by clicking 
the “Show Tool Strip” button on the main toolbar.
The display filter bar
This area contains checkboxes determining which indica-
tors, handles and other non-printed elements should be 
shown in the score. You can show/hide the filter bar by 
clicking the “Show Filter View” button on the toolbar.
The ruler
In the Score Editor there are no meter/time position rulers 
as in the other editors. Instead, there are horizontal and 
vertical “graphic rulers” in Page Mode. These help you in 
positioning symbols and graphical objects in the score.
To specify which units should be used on the rulers, 
open the Zoom pop-up menu and select one of the options.
You can choose between points, inches or centimeters.
To hide the rulers, select “Off” from the pop-up menu.
Inspector
Extended toolbarInfo line
Display filter bar
Ruler  
						

							500
The basics
The symbols Inspector
The symbol buttons, which are used to add symbols to the 
score, can be found in the Score Editor Inspector to the 
left of the score display.
To display the Inspector, click the Show Symbols but-
ton on the toolbar. 
You can open Symbol Inspector tabs as palettes by 
right-clicking on one of the buttons and selecting “Open 
as Palette” from the context menu.
You can move symbol palettes around on the screen by clicking and 
dragging their title bars. 
Right-clicking in a symbol palette brings up a pop-up 
menu.
 Select “Toggle” to switch between a vertical or a horizontal 
palette.
 Select one of the symbol palettes on the pop-up menu to 
bring up that palette and replace the current.
 Hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and select a palette from the 
pop-up menu to open the selected palette in a new window 
(without closing the existing one).
 Click the close button to close a symbol palette.
How to work with symbols is explained in detail in the 
chapter “Working with symbols” on page 561.
The Position Info window
To help you further when positioning objects in the score, 
Page Mode has a special Position Info window, in which 
you can view and adjust object positions numerically, in 
the unit selected for the ruler. To display the Position Info 
window, click in the ruler.
Showing and hiding “invisible” elements
Some of the elements in the score will not be printed, but 
rather serve as indicators for layout changes, handles, etc. 
These elements can be hidden or shown in any combina-
tion by using the display filter bar.
If the filter bar isn’t shown, click the Show Filter View 
button on the toolbar.
The checkboxes on the filter bar determine whether an 
element should be visible (checkbox ticked) or not. The 
following options are available:
Option Description
Bar Handles Displays the bar handles, used for copying bars (see 
“Moving and duplicating with the bar handles” on page 
576).
Hidden Notes Displays any notes you might have hidden (see “Hiding/
showing objects” on page 609).
Hide Displays markers in the score for each hidden element 
(notes excepted, see “Hiding/showing objects” on page 
609).
Quantize Displays markers in the score where you have made dis-
play quantize “exceptions” (see “Inserting display quantize 
changes” on page 514).
Layout tool Displays markers in the score where you have made ad-
justments with the Layout tool (see “Graphic moving of 
notes” on page 557).
Grouping Displays markers in the score where you have made 
beam groupings (see “Grouping” on page 552).
Cutflag Displays markers in the score where you have inserted 
cutflag events (see “The Cut Notes tool” on page 556). 
						

							501
The basics
About the Score Editor context 
menus
Many functions and settings of the Score Editor can be 
accessed via context menus, opened by right-clicking on 
certain elements of the score. Right-clicking on a note will 
for example open the note context menu, listing note-re-
lated functions.
If you right-click on an empty area of the score, the 
Quick menu opens. This lists all available tools (allowing 
you to quickly switch between tools) and it contains many 
functions of the main menus.
About dialogs in the Score Editor
There are two types of dialogs available in the Score 
Editor:
Non-modal dialogs can remain open while you continue 
working in the score.
In a non-modal dialog, you click the Apply button to apply the settings in 
the dialog to the selected objects in the score. This means you can se-
lect different elements in the score and change their settings, without 
having to close the dialog in between.
The dialog is closed by clicking the standard close button in the window 
title bar. The Score Settings dialog is an example for a non-modal dialog.
Regular dialogs have an OK button instead of an Apply 
button.
Clicking OK applies the settings you’ve made and closes the dialog. You 
cannot continue working in the score (or select other objects) until you 
close the dialog.
ÖIf the option “Apply closes Property Windows” is acti-
vated in the Preferences dialog (Scores-Editing page), 
clicking the Apply button in a non-modal dialog closes the 
dialog.
In other words, this makes a non-modal dialog work a bit more like a reg-
ular dialog.
Setting key, clef and time signature
When preparing to enter notes into a score, you will prob-
ably want to start out by setting the desired key, clef and 
time signature for the staff. The text below assumes you 
are working on one track only. If you have multiple staves, 
you either make this setting independently for each staff or 
for all staves at once. See “Staff settings” on page 509.
Normally, all these symbols appear at the beginning of 
each staff. However, you can control this by using the Real 
Book option (see “Real Book” on page 608) and by hiding 
objects (see “Hiding/showing objects” on page 609).
When entering or editing keys, there is one important 
thing to note:
Using the symbol Inspector to set the initial 
key, clef and time signature
1.Click the Show Symbols button in the Score Editor 
tool bar to open the symbol Inspector.
2.Select the Keys tab and click on the symbol for the key 
that you wish to use.
The Pencil tool is now selected.
3.Click anywhere in the first bar of the staff to set the key 
for the track.
4.Open the Clefs tab of the Inspector and click on the 
symbol for the clef that you wish to use in your score.
5.Click anywhere in the first bar of the staff to set the 
clef for this track.
Split Rests Displays markers in the score wherever you have split 
multiple rests (see “Splitting multi-rests” on page 611).
Stems/Beams Displays markers in the score where you have made any 
stem or beam adjustments (see “Setting stem direction” 
on page 547 and “Manual adjustment of beams” on page 
555). Option Description
!On the Score Settings–Project page, on the Nota-
tion Style subpage (Keys category) you will find the 
option “Key Changes for the entire Project” (acti-
vated by default). When this option is activated, all 
changes made to the key will always affect every 
staff in the project, i.e. it is not possible to define dif-
ferent keys for different staves. 
						

							502
The basics
6.Open the Time Sign tab of the Inspector and click on 
the symbol for the time signature value that you wish to use.
If you cannot find the desired time signature, you can use the Edit Time 
Signature dialog (see below).
The settings you have made so far are valid for the entire 
track. If you wish to further edit these settings, or if you 
need different settings for different bars of your track, pro-
ceed as described in the next section.
Editing the time signature
1.Double-click on the time signature symbol at the be-
ginning of the staff.
A dialog opens.
The Edit Time Signature dialog with a 4/4 signature.
2.If the project is in 4/4 or 2/2, you can select common 
time/cut time directly by clicking one of the two symbols 
on the right.
This will set the time signature to 4/4 or 2/2, respectively and will also in-
sert a common/cut time symbol on the staff.
3.If the project is in any other time, set the numerator 
and denominator above and below the line, respectively.
The numerator can consist of several numbers for composite time signa-
tures. However, if the project is in a simple time signature you only need 
to fill in the first number above the line. The more advanced options are 
described below.
The “Pickup Bar” option is described in the section “By 
using the Pickup Bar feature” on page 612.
4.Click OK or press [Return].
If you need to enter half a bar somewhere (for example) 
you have to make a time signature change (e.g. from 4/4 
to 2/4 and back again). See “Inserting and editing clefs, 
keys or time signatures” on page 529 to find out how to 
enter time signature changes.
Composite time signatures and the For Grouping Only 
option
For composite signatures, the numerator can be made up 
of up to four groups. For example, “4+4+3+/” on the upper 
line and 8 on the lower means the time signature is 11/8.
The reason for dividing the numerator into several num-
bers is to get beaming and tied notes displayed correctly 
automatically. This does not affect the metronome or any-
thing else, only beams and ties. For more information on 
beaming, see “Handling beaming” on page 552.
If “For Grouping Only” is not activated, the numerator will 
show all the numbers entered. If it is activated, it will show 
the sum of the numbers entered, as for “simple” time 
signatures.
“For Grouping Only” off and on.
Note that Cubase tries to preserve the denominator when 
you insert a composite signature with “For Grouping Only” 
activated. This means that if you have a 4/4 time signature, 
and change it to a composite value (3+3+2 eighths for ex-
ample), the time signature will still be displayed as 4/4 in-
stead of 8/8.
Setting the time signature from the Transport panel
You can also set the time signature directly on the Trans-
port panel. Please note the following:
 The time signature section of the Transport panel always dis-
plays the first time signature event on the tempo track. When 
you change this value you are in fact editing the first time sig-
nature event on the tempo track.
 You cannot create composite time signatures from the Trans-
port panel.
Setting the time signature by using the tempo track
You can also add, edit and delete time signatures using 
the tempo track (see the chapter “Working with the 
Tempo track” on page 397). Please note:
!All tracks share the time signature! In other words, 
when you set the time signature, you do this for all 
tracks in the project.
The time signature on the Transport panel. 
						

							503
The basics
 The score always shows the time signature events on the 
tempo track, regardless of whether or not the Tempo button is 
activated. Likewise, any time signatures you create in the 
Score Editor will be shown in the tempo track.
 You cannot create composite time signatures from the tempo 
track.
Editing the clef
In the clef context menu
When you right-click on a clef symbol, a context menu 
with a list of all available clefs is opened. This menu also 
contains the following options:
Display Clef Changes as Small Symbols
If you activate this option and insert a clef change in the score, the clef 
will be displayed with a smaller symbol.
Warnings for new Clefs at Line Breaks
If you activate this option and insert a new clef at a line break, the Clef 
change symbol will be inserted in the last bar before the staff break. 
When this is deactivated, the symbol will be inserted in the first bar of the 
next staff line.
Hide
If you select this function, the clef will be hidden.
Properties
If you select this function, the Edit Clef dialog is opened.
In the Edit clef dialog
1.Double-click on the current clef.
A dialog appears.
Double-clicking on a clef brings up the Edit Clef dialog.
2.Use the scroll bar to select a clef.
3.Repeat the steps above for all staves in the system.
On the Score Settings–Staff page
1.Click on a staff to make it the active staff.
2.On the Scores menu, select “Settings…” to open the 
Score Settings dialog. Click the Staff button at the top to 
open the Staff page–Main tab, showing the current set-
tings for the active staff.
You can also double-click to the left of a staff to make it active and bring 
up the Score Settings dialog in one go (if this doesn’t work, the option 
“Double-click on staff flips between full score/part” in the Preferences 
dialog (Scores-Editing page) may be activated – see “Quickly switching 
between display of parts or tracks” on page 496).
3.In the Clef/Key section, use the scroll bar on the left to 
select one of the available clefs.
You will find out how to insert clef changes in the section “Inserting and 
editing clefs, keys or time signatures” on page 529.
4.Click Apply.
You can select another staff in the score and make set-
tings for it without having to close the Score Settings dia-
log first.
!This does not work if Auto Clef is activated on the 
Score Settings–Staff page, see below. 
						

							504
The basics
In a split system
If you have a split system (see “Split (piano) staves” on 
page 528 and “Strategies: How many voices do I need?” 
on page 540) you can of course set different clefs for the 
upper and lower staff.
1.Open the Score Settings–Staff page.
2.Select a clef for the upper staff.
3.Activate the “Lower Staff” check box.
4.Set a clef for the lower staff.
Using Auto Clef
Auto Clef activated on the Score Settings–Staff page.
On the Score Settings–Staff page you will also find the 
option Auto Clef. If this is activated, the program will auto-
matically select a treble clef or a bass clef for the staff, de-
pending on the range of the notes in the part.
Editing the key
When editing keys, there is one important thing to note:
Therefore, when you want to edit the key, decide if you 
want the key change to apply to the entire project, or if you 
want to use different keys on different staves:
If the key set at the beginning of the track is to be used 
on all staves, and if any subsequent key changes are also 
valid for all staves, then leave the option “Key Changes for 
the entire Project” activated.If you want to use more than one key on different staves, 
make sure that the option “Key Changes for the entire 
Project” is deactivated.
In the key context menu
When you right-click on a key symbol, a context menu 
with a list of all available keys is opened. This menu also 
contains the following options:
Key changes for the entire Project
If this option is activated (default setting), all changes made to the key 
will always affect the entire project, i. e. it is not possible to define differ-
ent keys for different staves.
Hide
If you select this, the key will be hidden.
Properties
If you select this, the dialog “Edit Key” is opened.
In the “Edit Key” dialog
If the current key is anything but C major/A minor (no acci-
dentals), you can set the key directly in the score:
1.Double-click on the accidentals at the beginning of a 
staff.
The “Edit Key” dialog opens.
2.Use the scroll bar to select a key and click OK.
You can also enter a display transpose value, see 
“Transposing instruments” on page 505.
!On the Score Settings–Project page, on the Nota-
tion Style subpage (Keys category) you will find the 
option “Key Changes for the entire Project” (acti-
vated by default). When this option is activated, all 
changes made to the key will always affect every 
staff in the project, i. e. it is not possible to define dif-
ferent keys for different staves (other than the relative 
display transpositions for transposing instruments as 
set up in their respective Staff Settings).
Also from the Staff settings dialog, any staff (e.g. a 
drum staff) can be set to not show key signatures.
Double-click here…
…to open the Edit Key dialog. 
						

							505
The basics
On the Score Settings–Staff page
1.Make sure the desired staff is the active staff and open 
the Score Settings–Staff page.
The Clef/Key section on the Score Settings–Staff page.
2.Use the right scroll bar in the Clef/Key section to se-
lect the desired key.
3.Click Apply.
You can select other staves in the score and make set-
tings for these, without having to close the Score Settings 
dialog.
Setting the key for a split system
If you have a split system with two staves (see “Split (pi-
ano) staves” on page 528 and “Strategies: How many 
voices do I need?” on page 540) you can set different 
clefs for the upper and lower staff.
1.Click in the system to make one of its staves the active 
staff.
2.Open the Score Settings–Staff page.
3.Set a key for the upper staff.
This will automatically set the lower staff to the same key.
4.If you need to set a different key for the lower staff, ac-
tivate the “Lower Staff” check box and set a key for this.
The Lower Staff check box
Setting a local key
You can also set a different key for the selected staff only. 
This is useful for instruments like oboe and english horn 
that change display transpose and therefore also the key. 
1.Make sure the desired staff is the active staff and open 
the Score Settings–Staff page.
2.Activate the option “Local Keys” on the Main subpage 
in the Clef/Key section.
ÖNote that this option is only available, if “Key changes 
for entire Project” is activated in the Score Settings–Project 
page on the Notation style subpage (Keys category).
3.Use the scroll bar to the right to set the desired key.
4.Click Apply to set the selected key for the staff.
Transposing instruments
Scores for some instruments, for example a lot of brass in-
struments, are written transposed. Therefore, the Score 
Editor provides a “display transpose” function. With this 
function notes are transposed in the score without affect-
ing the way they are played back. This allows you to 
record and play back a multi-staff arrangement, and still 
score each instrument according to its own transposition.
Setting display transpose
1.Make the desired staff active and open the Score Set-
tings–Staff page.
2.Select your instrument from the transpose pop-up or 
adjust the value directly in the Semitones field.
The Display Transpose section on the Score Settings–Staff page.
3.Click Apply.
For some instruments, you may wish to set the different 
keys in the notation. In this case, activate the “Local Keys” 
option, see above.
!Display transpose does not affect MIDI playback!