Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Getting Started Manual

16
Tutorial 8: Arranging with the
play order function 

CUBASE SX/SL16 – 202 Tutorial 8: Arranging with the play order function
About this tutorial
This tutorial describes how you can arrange projects using the play or-
der function. Play order allows you to work with parts and events in a 
non-linear fashion. Instead of moving, copying and pasting events in 
the Project window event display to create a linear project, you can 
define how different sections are to be played back, like a “playlist”.
You start by creating a play order track. On this track you...

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Setting up
This tutorial is also based on an existing file, included on the Cubase 
SX/SL DVD. 
• Below, we assume that you have followed the previous tutorial and cop-
ied the “Tutorial Projects” folder to your hard drive.
If not, please see page 132. 
•Open the folder “Tutorial Projects” on your hard disk and double click 
on the file “Tutorial 8.cpr”.
Whether file extensions are shown or not depends on the settings for your...

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Creating play order parts
In this section, we shall draw some play order parts on the play order 
track. 
1.Select the Pencil tool on the toolbar.
Now, let’s define a two bar “zone” by drawing a play order part.
2.On the play order track, use the Pencil tool to draw a 2 bar part from 
the beginning of bar 3 to the end of bar 4.
A play order part is added, by default this is named “A”. Any consecutive parts you add 
will be named in...

CUBASE SX/SLTutorial 8: Arranging with the play order function 16 – 205
3.Using the same method, first draw a one bar part between the start 
and end of bar 1, then a second one bar part between the start and 
end of bar 7.
You should now have three play order parts: A, B and C. On the time line, B is placed 
first, A is second and C is last.
Up until now, we have added play order parts of exact bar lengths. 
We will now add three new parts that are shorter than a bar:
4.On the Project window toolbar,...

CUBASE SX/SL16 – 206 Tutorial 8: Arranging with the play order function
6.Release the mouse button to create the new part.
7.Create a new part in the same way, but make this 3 beats long.
Like in the previous step, it doesn’t matter where you draw the part, as we will move 
them later.
8.Finally, create another new part, one beat long.
You should now have 6 parts, from “A” to “F”. We are now going to move the three 
new parts “D” to “F”.
9.Select the Arrow tool.
Make sure that Snap is activated and that...

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Creating a play order list
The Play Order Editor is where you assign parts to a play order list. In 
this list you can decide how many times a part should repeat and in 
what order they should play. Proceed as follows:
1.In the Track list click the “E” button of the play order track.
The editor opens.
To the right all the parts we created are listed, in the order they appear 
on the time line. To the left is the play order list which...

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2.In the play order Parts section, double-click the “A” part in the Name 
column.
The part is added at the top of the play order list to the left. You can also drag parts 
from the Parts window into the play order list or double-click play order parts in the 
event display which adds them to the play order list. 
Activate the Activate Play Order and click the Start button. The region 
or zone defined by part “A” will repeat until you...

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8.Finally, add part F to the bottom of the list, and set it to repeat 4 times.
The list should now look like in the picture below.
9.Click in the arrow column for part A at the top of the list so that the ar-
row becomes blue.
10.Make sure that Play Order mode is activated by clicking the Activate 
Play Order mode button.
This button should be activated.
11.Position the Play Order Editor window so you can see the play order 
track in...

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•After the fourth repeat, the project cursor jumps to part B and plays 1 
bar with only drums and percussion. 
•Next to part C which plays 1 bar with a string note rising in volume. 
This is cut off as the cursor jumps back to bar 3 where part D plays 
one beat before jumping forward to part E which is 3 beats long 
(starting at the second beat of the fourth bar).
This repeats 2 more times.
•Finally, part F, which plays a short drum...