Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Getting Started Manual

CUBASE SX/SLBasic Cubase SX/SL concepts 5 – 61
Audio tracks, parts and channels
For an audio event to be played back in Cubase SX/SL, it has to be 
placed on an 
audio track. This is similar to a track on a multi-track tape 
recorder, and allows you to view the event and move it along the time-
line. You can place any number of audio events on an audio track, but 
only one at a time can be played back. You can have a virtually unlim-
ited number of audio tracks, although the number of tracks you can...

CUBASE SX/SL5 – 62 Basic Cubase SX/SL concepts
MIDI terminology
When you are recording MIDI (or entering MIDI data manually in an 
editor), 
MIDI events are created. For example, each note you record is a 
separate MIDI event, and if you record the movement of a modulation 
wheel or other controller, a large number of densely spaced events 
are created.
MIDI events are always placed in 
MIDI parts. These are “containers”, al-
lowing you to move or copy a number of MIDI events (e.g. a recorded 
MIDI...

6
Basic Methods 

CUBASE SX/SL6 – 64 Basic Methods
About this chapter
This chapter contains descriptions of the general methods and proce-
dures used in Cubase SX/SL. As this information applies to all parts of 
the program and all ways of working, please take time to read this chap-
ter before continuing with the Operation Manual. 
Using menus
Main menus
The menus in the main Cubase SX/SL menu bar are available regard-
less of which window is active. You select items from the main menus 
following the standard procedure...

CUBASE SX/SLBasic Methods 6 – 65
The Quick menu
In Cubase SX/SL, clicking the right mouse button will bring up a con-
textual pop-up menu (under Mac OS X you need to press [Ctrl] and 
click, or preferably use a two-button mouse set up so that the right 
mouse button generates a [Ctrl]-click). 
Some areas have special context menus with functions or settings that 
only apply to the corresponding area (for example, right-clicking in a 
ruler brings up a pop-up menu with display format options).
However,...

CUBASE SX/SL6 – 66 Basic Methods
Using tools
Editing in Cubase SX/SL is largely done with the various tools. Typical 
examples are selecting and moving events with the Arrow (Object Se-
lection) tool, drawing with the Pencil tool, deleting with the Eraser tool, 
etc. There are different tools for different windows.
Tools can be selected in four ways:
•By clicking the corresponding tool icon on the toolbar.
When you click a tool icon, the pointer takes on the shape of the corresponding tool.
•By using the...

CUBASE SX/SLBasic Methods 6 – 67
•By using the dedicated toolbox.
If the option “Popup toolbox on right click” is activated in the Preferences dialog (Edit-
ing page), right-clicking (or [Ctrl]-clicking under Mac OS X) will bring up the toolbox 
instead. This shows the tools only and you select tools as if from a menu. 
Note that you can still bring up the Quick menu in this mode by pressing a modifier key 
(e.g. [Shift]) and right-clicking/[Ctrl]-clicking. Similarly, if the option isn’t activated in...

CUBASE SX/SL6 – 68 Basic Methods
Changing values
Throughout the program you will encounter various value fields that 
can be edited. These can be divided into three categories: position 
values, regular numeric values and names.
Editing position values
Depending on the selected display format (see the Operation Manual), 
position values in Cubase SX/SL are usually divided into several “seg-
ments” (the exception being the “Samples” display format, in which 
values are edited as regular numeric values)....

CUBASE SX/SLBasic Methods 6 – 69
You can also edit the whole value (all segments) by double clicking 
and typing in a new value. Note:
•To separate the value segments, you can use spaces, dots, colons or 
any other character that isn’t a number.
•If the “Bars+Beats” display format is selected, and you enter a value 
with less than four segments, the largest position value segments will 
be affected and the program will set the lesser segments to their low-
est values.
For example, if you enter “5.3”, the...

CUBASE SX/SL6 – 70 Basic Methods
•In the Inspector and elsewhere in the program you can find value sliders 
that may be blue or green – click and drag to adjust the value.
•For some values, you can hold down [Alt]/[Option], click on the value 
and keep the mouse button pressed to display a value slider.
This allows you to scroll the value by dragging up or down with the mouse button 
pressed. When you release the mouse button, the value slider is hidden again.
Adjusting the event volume setting on the...