Steinberg Cubase Studio 4 Operation Manual Studio Manual

							51
The Project window
If you edit one of the grouped events in the Project window, 
all other events in the same group are affected too (if appli-
cable). 
Group editing operations include:
 Selecting events.
 Moving and duplicating events.
 Resizing events.
 Adjusting fade-in and fade-out (audio events only, see “Cre-
ating fades” on page 88).
 Splitting events (splitting one event will automatically split any 
other grouped events that are intersected by the split position).
 Locking events.
 Muting events (see below).
 Deleting events.
Locking events
If you want to make sure you don’t edit or move an event 
by accident, you can lock it. Locking can affect one (or any 
combination) of the following properties:
To specify which of these properties should be affected 
by the Lock function, use the “Lock Event Attributes” pop-
up menu in the Preferences (Editing page).To lock events, select them and select “Lock…” from 
the Edit menu.
The events will be locked according to the options specified in the Pref-
erences.
You can adjust the lock options for a locked event by 
selecting it and selecting “Lock…” from the Edit menu 
again.
This opens a dialog in which you can activate or deactivate the desired 
lock options.
To unlock an event (turn off all lock options), select it 
and select “Unlock” from the Edit menu.
It is also possible to lock a whole track, by clicking the 
padlock symbol in the Track list or in the Inspector.
This disables all editing of all events on the track.
Muting events
To mute individual events in the Project window, proceed 
as follows:
To mute or unmute a single event, click on it with the 
Mute tool.
To mute or unmute several events, select them – either 
by using the standard selection techniques, or by using 
one of the options on the Select submenu on the Edit 
menu – and click on one of the selected events with the 
Mute tool.
All selected events will be muted.
You can also click in an empty area with the Mute tool 
and drag a selection rectangle around several events you 
want to mute or unmute, and then click on one of them 
with the Mute tool.
You can mute events by selecting them and selecting 
“Mute” from the Edit menu.
Similarly, you can unmute the selected events by selecting “Unmute” 
from the Edit menu.
You can also change the mute status of selected events 
on the info line.
Lock Options Description
Position If this is locked, the event cannot be moved.
Size If this is locked, the event cannot be resized.
Other If this is locked, all other editing of the event is disabled. 
This includes adjusting the fades and event volume, pro-
cessing, etc.
The padlock symbol indicates that 
one or more of the lock options are 
activated for the event. 
						

							52
The Project window
Muted events can be edited as usual (with the exception 
of adjusting fades), but are not played back.
Muted events are “grayed out”.
You can also mute whole tracks by clicking the Mute 
(“M”) button in the Track list, the Inspector or the mixer.
Clicking the Solo (“S”) button for a track mutes all other tracks. Note that 
there are two modes for the track solo function: 
If the option “Enable Solo on Selected Track” is activated in the Prefer-
ences (Editing–Project & Mixer page) and you have soloed a track, se-
lecting another track in the track list will automatically solo that track 
instead – the solo state “moves” with the track selection.
If the option isn’t activated, the track you solo stays soloed, regardless of 
the selection.
Removing events
To remove an event from the Project window, use any of 
the following methods:
Click on the event with the Eraser tool.
Note that if you press [Alt]/[Option] while you click, all following events 
on the same track will be deleted, but not the event you clicked and all 
events before it.
Select the event(s) and press [Backspace], or select 
“Delete” from the Edit menu.
Creating new files from events
An audio event plays a section of an audio clip, which in 
turn refers to one or more audio files on the hard disk. 
However, in some situations you may want to create a new 
file that consists only of the section played by the event. 
This is done with the function “Bounce Selection” on the 
Audio menu:
1.Select one or several audio events.
2.Set up fade in, fade out and event volume (on the info 
line or using the volume handle) as desired.
These settings will be applied to the new file. For details on fades and 
event volume, see “Creating fades” on page 88.
3.Select “Bounce Selection” from the Audio menu.
You are asked whether you want to replace the selected event or not.
If you click “Replace”, a new file is created, containing 
only the audio in the original event. A clip for the new file is 
added to the Pool, and the original event is replaced by a 
new event playing the new clip.
If you click “No”, a new file is created and a clip for the 
new file is added to the Pool.
The original event is not replaced.
You can also apply the Bounce Selection function to an 
audio part. In that case, the audio from all events in the 
part will be combined into a single audio file. If you choose 
“Replace” when asked, the part will be replaced with a 
single audio event playing a clip of the new file.
Editing in Lane Display mode
When you are recording in Stacked cycle recording 
mode, each take ends up on a separate lane on the track, 
see “Recording audio in Stacked mode” on page 77 and 
“Cycle Record mode: Stacked/Stacked 2 (No Mute)” on 
page 82. However, you can also select this lane mode 
manually for individual tracks, and use it when editing in 
the Project window. This makes it easier to view and han-
dle overlapping events and parts.
Audio tracks
1.In the Track list or in the Inspector for the selected 
track, click the Lane Display Type button and select “Lanes 
Fixed” from the pop-up menu.
The audio track is divided vertically into two lanes. By default, all audio 
events end up in the first (top) lane. 
						

							53
The Project window
2.Now you can move events or parts between lanes, ei-
ther by dragging or by using the “Move to Next Lane/Pre-
vious Lane” commands on the Edit menu or Quick menu.
Note that if there are overlapping audio events, the audio on the lowest 
lane has playback priority – moving events between lanes affects what 
will be heard!
If the vertical zoom factor is sufficiently high, the sections that will be 
heard on playback are indicated in green.
Note that there will always be an extra, empty lane at the 
bottom of the track – moving an event there always will 
add another lane.
Depending on the number of lanes used, you may want to adjust the ver-
tical zoom for the track – simply drag the track edges in the track list.
3.After rearranging the overlapping events so that you 
hear what you want, you can select all events and select 
“Delete Overlaps” from the Advanced submenu on the 
Audio menu.
This puts all events in the top lane and resizes events so that overlapping 
sections are removed.
4.To turn off Lanes mode, select “Lanes Off” from the 
Lane Display Type pop-up menu.
If you do this without using the “Delete Overlaps” function, all overlapping 
sections will be kept. However, the sections that were green will now be 
the sections visible (“on top”) and thus the sections that will be heard.
MIDI tracks
1.In the Track list or in the Inspector for the selected 
track, click the Lane Display Type button and select “Lanes 
Auto” or “Lanes Fixed”.
2.Click the Lane Display Type button and select “Lanes 
Auto” or “Lanes Fixed”.In Lanes Auto mode, extra lanes will automatically be 
added where necessary – if two MIDI parts overlap, they 
will automatically be put on separate lanes.
In Lanes Fixed mode, you have to move MIDI parts be-
tween lanes manually (by dragging them or by using the 
“Move to Next Lane/Previous Lane” commands on the 
Edit menu or Quick menu).
In this mode, there will always be an extra, empty lane at the bottom of 
the track – if you move a part there, another lane will be added and so on.
3.You can edit the overlapping parts as usual – by cut-
ting, deleting or muting sections in the Project window or 
by opening them in a MIDI editor.
In an editor, parts on different lanes will be treated just like parts on dif-
ferent tracks – you can use the part list pop-up menu to select an active 
part for editing, etc. 
Note that there is no playback priority between lanes on a MIDI track – all 
unmuted parts will be heard during playback.
4.To merge all overlapping parts into one, make sure the 
MIDI track is selected, position the left and right locator 
around the parts and select “Merge MIDI in Loop” from 
the MIDI menu.
In the dialog that appears, activate the Erase Destination option and click 
OK. This merges all unmuted MIDI between the locators to a single part.
5.To turn off Lanes mode, select “Lanes Off” from the 
Lane Display Type pop-up menu.
Range editing
Editing in the Project window isn’t necessarily restricted 
to handling whole events and parts. You can also work 
with selection ranges, which are independent from the 
event/part and track boundaries.
Creating a selection range
To make a selection range, drag with the Range Selection 
tool. 
						

							54
The Project window
When the Range Selection tool is selected, the Select 
submenu on the Edit menu has the following items for 
making selection ranges:
Double-clicking on an event with the Range Selection 
tool creates a selection range encompassing the event.
If you hold down [Shift] you can double-click several events in a row, and 
the selection range will expand to encompass them all. Double-clicking a 
second time on an event opens it for editing in the Sample Editor.
Adjusting the size of the selection range
You can adjust the size of a selection range in the follow-
ing ways:
By dragging its edges.
The pointer takes the shape of a double arrow when you move it over an 
edge of the selection range.
By holding down [Shift] and clicking.
The closest selection range edge will be moved to the position at which 
you clicked.
By adjusting the selection range start or end position on 
the info line.By using the Trim buttons on the toolbar.
The left Trim buttons will move the start of the selection range and the 
right buttons will move the end. The edges will be moved by the amount 
specified on the Grid pop-up.
Clicking this Trim button…
…will move the start of the selection range to the right by 1beat.
By using the Nudge buttons on the toolbar.
These will move the whole selection range to the left or the right. The 
amount of movement depends on the selected display format (see “The 
Project Setup dialog” on page 35) and the value specified on the Grid 
pop-up menu.
ÖThe Trim buttons and the Nudge buttons are located 
in the Nudge palette, which is not visible in the toolbar by 
default. 
See “The Setup dialogs” on page 466 for instructions on how to show 
and hide items in the toolbar.
Option Description
All Makes a selection that covers all tracks, from the start of 
the project to the end (as defined by the Length setting in 
the Project Setup dialog).
None Removes the current selection range.
Invert Only used for event selection (see “Selecting events” on 
page 45).
In Loop Makes a selection between the left and right locator, on 
all tracks.
From Start
to CursorMakes a selection on all tracks, from the start of the 
project to the project cursor.
From Cursor 
to EndMakes a selection on all tracks, from the project cursor to 
the end of the project.
All on Selected 
TracksOnly used for event selection (see “Selecting events” on 
page 45).
Select Event This is available in the Sample Editor (see “Using the Se-
lect menu” on page 242).
Left Selection 
Side to CursorMoves the left side of the current selection range to the 
project cursor position.
Right Selection 
Side to CursorMoves the right side of the current selection range to the 
project cursor position.
!Note that the contents of the selection are not 
moved – using the Nudge buttons is the same as ad-
justing the start and end of the selection range at the 
same time, by the same amount. 
						

							55
The Project window
Making selection ranges for several non-contiguous 
tracks
You can create selection ranges that cover several tracks 
by pressing [Alt]/[Option]+[Shift]. However, it is also pos-
sible to exclude tracks from a selection range:
1.Create a selection range from the first to the last de-
sired track.
2.Press [Alt]/[Option] and click in the selection range on 
the tracks you want to exclude from the selection.
3.In the same manner, you can add a track to the selec-
tion range by [Alt]/[Option]-clicking in the selection range 
area on the track.
Moving and duplicating
To move a selection range, click and drag it to a new 
position.
This will move the contents of the selection range to the new position. If 
the range intersected events or parts, these will be split before moving, 
so that only the sections within the selection range are affected.
To duplicate a selection range, hold down [Alt]/[Option] 
and drag.
You can also use the Duplicate, Repeat and Fill Loop functions, just as 
when duplicating events.
Using Cut, Copy and Paste
When working with selection ranges, you can either use 
Cut, Copy and Paste on the Edit menu, or use the func-
tions “Cut Time” and “Paste Time” on the Range submenu 
on the Edit menu. These work differently to their related 
functions on the Edit menu:
Deleting selection ranges
Again, you can either use “regular” Delete or “Delete Time”:
If you use the Delete function on the Edit menu (or press 
[Backspace]), the data within the selection range is re-
placed by empty track space.
Events to the right of the range keep their position.
If you use “Delete Time” on the Edit menu’s Range sub-
menu, the selection range is removed and events to the 
right are moved to the left to close up the gap.
Function Description
Cut Cuts out the data in the selection range and moves it to 
the clipboard. The selection range is replaced by empty 
track space in the Project window, meaning that events 
to the right of the range keep their positions.
Copy Copies the data in the selection range to the clipboard.
Paste Pastes the clipboard data at the start position and track 
of the current selection. Existing events are not moved to 
make room for the pasted data.
Paste at Origin Pastes the clipboard data back at its original position. Ex-
isting events are not moved to make room for the pasted 
data.
Cut Time Cuts out the selection range and moves it to the clip-
board. Events to the right of the removed range are 
moved to the left to fill out the gap.
Paste Time Pastes the clipboard data at the start position and track 
of the current selection. Existing events are moved to 
make room for the pasted data.
Paste Time at 
OriginPastes the clipboard data back at its original position. Ex-
isting events are moved to make room for the pasted data. 
						

							56
The Project window
Other functions
On the Range submenu on the Edit menu, you will find 
three more range editing functions:
Region operations
Regions are sections within a clip, with various uses. 
While regions are perhaps best created and edited in the 
Sample Editor (see “Working with regions” on page 244), 
the following region functions are available in the Ad-
vanced submenu of the Audio menu:
Options
Snap
The Snap function helps you to find exact positions when 
editing in the Project window. It does this by restricting 
horizontal movement and positioning to certain positions. 
Operations affected by Snap include moving, copying, 
drawing, sizing, splitting, range selection, etc.
You turn Snap on or off by clicking the Snap icon in the 
toolbar.
Snap activated.
ÖWhen you are moving audio events with Snap acti-
vated, it isn’t necessarily the beginning of the event that is 
used as Snap position reference. Instead, each audio 
event has a snap point, which you can set to a relevant po-
sition in the audio (such as a downbeat, etc.).
The snap point is preferably set in the Sample Editor since it allows for a 
higher degree of precision (see “Adjusting the snap point” on page 241). 
You can however also set the snap point directly in the Project window, 
in the following way: 
1.Select an event.
2.Place the project cursor at the desired position within 
the selected audio event.
3.Pull down the Audio menu and select “Snap Point To 
Cursor”.
The snap point is set at the cursor position.
The snap point for an event is displayed as a blue line in the Project 
window. Function Description
Split Splits any events or parts that are intersected by the selec-
tion range, at the positions of the selection range edges.
Crop All events or parts that are partially within the selection 
range are cropped, that is, sections outside the selection 
range are removed. Events that are fully inside or outside 
the selection range are not affected.
Insert Silence Inserts empty track space from the start of the selection 
range. The length of the silence equals the length of the 
selection range. Events to the right of the selection range 
start are moved to the right to “make room”. Events that 
are intersected by the selection range start are split, and 
the right section is moved to the right.
Function Description
Event or Range 
as RegionThis function is available when one or several audio 
events or selection ranges are selected. It creates a re-
gion in the corresponding clip, with the start and end po-
sition of the region determined by the start and end 
position of the event or selection range within the clip.
Events from 
RegionsThis function is available if you have selected an audio 
event whose clip contains regions within the boundaries 
of the event. The function will remove the original event 
and replace it with event(s) positioned and sized accord-
ing to the Region(s). 
						

							57
The Project window
Exactly how Snap works depends on which mode is se-
lected on the Snap mode pop-up menu.
The following sections describe the different Snap modes:
Grid
In this mode, the Snap positions are set with the Grid 
pop-up menu to the right. The options depend on the dis-
play format selected for the ruler. For example, if the ruler 
is set to show bars and beats, the grid can be set to bars, 
beats or the quantize value set with the next pop-up menu 
to the right. If a time or frame-based ruler format is se-
lected, the grid pop-up menu will contain time or frame-
based grid options, etc.
When Seconds is selected as ruler format, the grid pop-up menu con-
tains time-based grid options.
Grid Relative
When you move events and parts in this mode they will not 
be “magnetic” to the grid. Rather, the grid determines the 
step size for moving the events. This means that a moved 
event will keep its original position relative to the grid.
For example, if an event starts at the position 3.04.01 (one 
beat before bar 4), Snap is set to Grid Relative and the 
Grid pop-up is set to “Bar”, you can move the event in 
steps of one bar – to the positions 4.04.01, 5.04.01 and 
so on. The event will keep its relative position to the grid, 
i.e. stay one beat before the bar lines.
This only applies when dragging existing events or parts 
– when you create new events or parts this mode works 
like the Grid mode.
Events
In this mode, the start and end positions of other events 
and parts become “magnetic”. This means that if you drag 
an event to a position near the start or end of another 
event, it is automatically aligned with the start or end of the 
other event. For audio events, the position of the snap 
point is also magnetic (see “Adjusting the snap point” on 
page 241).
Note that this includes marker events on the marker track.
This allows you to snap events to marker positions, and vice versa.
Shuffle
Shuffle mode is useful when you want to change the order 
of adjacent events. If you have two adjacent events and 
drag the first one to the right, past the second event, the 
two events will change places.
The same principle works when changing the order of 
more than two events:
Magnetic Cursor
When this mode is selected, the project cursor becomes 
“magnetic”. Dragging an event near the cursor causes the 
event to be aligned with the cursor position.
12345
5 2 4 3 1
Dragging event 2 past event 4…
…changes the order of events 2, 3 and 4. 
						

							58
The Project window
Grid + Cursor
This is a combination of the “Grid” and “Magnetic Cursor” 
modes.
Events + Cursor
This is a combination of the “Events” and “Magnetic Cur-
sor” modes.
Events + Grid + Cursor
This is a combination of the “Events”, “Grid” and “Mag-
netic Cursor” modes.
Snap to Zero Crossing
When this option is activated in the Preferences (Editing–
Audio page), splitting and sizing of audio events is done at 
zero crossings (positions in the audio where the amplitude 
is zero). This helps you avoid pops and clicks which might 
otherwise be caused by sudden amplitude changes.
Autoscroll
Autoscroll activated.
When this option is activated, the waveform display will 
scroll during playback, keeping the project cursor visible 
in the window.
If the option “Stationary Cursors” is activated in the 
Preferences (Transport page), the project cursor will be 
positioned in the middle of the screen (if possible).
!This setting affects all windows in all open projects – 
with the exception of the Sample Editor (which has 
its own “Use Snap” button for this). 
						

							4
Playback and the Transport panel 
						

							60
Playback and the Transport panel
Background
This chapter describes the various methods available for 
controlling Playback and Transport functions in Cubase.
The Transport panel
Below you can find a brief description of each item on the 
Transport panel.
The pictures below show the Transport panel with all con-
trols visible and in their default position (note that the Jog/
Shuttle control is available in Cubase only). The Transport 
panel is divided into sections, from left to right.
ÖNote that the Output Activity and Clipping indicator as 
well as the Output Level Control refer to the Control 
Room channel (Cubase only) if the Control Room is acti-
vated. If the Control Room is disabled, these controls refer 
to the Main Mix Output bus as defined on the Outputs tab 
in the VST Connections window. For information on the 
Control Room, see the chapter “Control Room (Cubase 
only)” on page 146. In Cubase Studio, the Main Mix bus is 
always used for monitoring.
The main Transport functions (Cycle/Stop/Play/Record) 
can also be shown on the toolbar.
In addition, various play options are available on the Trans-
port menu.
Activates Auto Quantize
Record mode pop-up menu
Cycle Record mode 
pop-up menu CPU load and Disk Cache meters
Right locator: punch out 
point and end of Cycle Activates 
punch outActivates 
punch in
Left locator: record start point, punch 
in point and beginning of Cycle
Postroll setting 
and on/off switch
Shuttle 
speed
Jog Wheel 
(project scrubbing)
Nudge +/- 1 Frame
Preroll setting and on/off switch
Primary Time Display 
and format pop-up
Position 
slider
Record Play
Fast forward RewindStop Go to next 
marker or 
project end
Nudge position 
right/left
Go to previous 
marker or 
project start
Secondary Time Display 
and format pop-up Exchange time formats
Cycle on/off
Active Arranger 
chain
Activate Arranger 
Mode
First/Last repeat of current Arranger item
Previous/Next Arranger items
Arranger Selector
Current Arranger 
item
Tempo track 
on/off 
Synchronization 
on/offThe tempo and time 
signature display
Metronome click on/offShow Markers (opens 
Marker window)
Jump to Marker Precount on/off
MIDI In Activity 
(left meter)/
MIDI Out activity
Output Level Control (for the Control Room channel, if the Control 
Room is enabled, or for the Main Mix output bus, see below).
Audio output ac-
tivity and Clipping 
indicator (top)
Audio input activity and Clipping indicator (Default Input channel)