Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Getting Started Manual

							CUBASE SX/SLInstallation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 21
DirectX driver
If your audio card is DirectX compatible, its DirectX drivers will most 
likely be installed when you install the card (as with the Windows Multi-
media driver). If you have downloaded special DirectX drivers for the au-
dio card, you should follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions.
Windows Multimedia driver
These drivers are normally included with all types of regular PC audio 
cards. Some are even included with Windows itself. Depending on 
whether the audio card is “Plug’n’Play compatible” or not, the installa-
tion of the card is done differently:
•If the card is “Plug’n’Play compatible”, Windows will detect the 
card once it is plugged in, and ask for the necessary driver disks.
•If not, you need to use the “Add New Hardware” feature in the Control 
Panel to install the card and its drivers.
Refer to the documentation that comes with the card.
Should you have an audio card but no driver, please check the manufac-
turer’s web site, or ask your music or computer dealer for help.
Testing the card
To make sure the audio card will work as expected, perform the fol-
lowing two tests:
•Use any software included with the audio card to make sure you can 
record and play back audio without problems.
•If the card is accessed via a standard Windows driver, use the Media 
Player application (included with Windows) to play back audio. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL2 – 22 Installation and Requirements for Windows
Installing a MIDI interface/synthesizer card
Installation instructions for a MIDI interface should be included with 
the product. However, here’s an outline of the necessary steps:
1.Install the interface (or MIDI synthesizer card) inside your computer or 
connect it to a “port” (connector) on the computer.
Which is right for you depends on which type of interface you have.
2.If the interface has a power supply and/or a power switch, turn it on.
3.Install the driver for the interface, as described in the documentation 
that comes with the interface.
It is likely that you will need a CD ROM or floppy disk supplied by the manufacturer of 
the MIDI interface. You should also make sure to check the manufacturer’s web site for 
the latest driver updates.
Installing Cubase SX/SL
Defragment the hard disk
If you plan to record audio on a hard disk where you have already 
stored other files, now is the time to defragment it. Defragmentation 
reorganizes the physical allocation of space on the hard disk in order 
to optimize its performance. It is done with a special defragmentation 
program. In Windows XP, for example, you might look for the “Disk 
Defragmenter” utility.
It is crucial to the audio recording performance that your hard disk is op-
timized (defragmented). You should make sure to defragment regularly. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLInstallation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 23
Installing the files from the DVD-ROM
The installation procedure puts all files in the right places, automatically.
1.Insert the Cubase SX/SL DVD-ROM.
2.A pop-up dialog appears automatically, containing three items for in-
stalling, browsing the DVD and exiting.
3.To start the installation process, select “Install”.
This starts the installation procedure for the Syncrosoft License Control Center.
4.Remove all copy protection keys (if plugged) and click the “Next” but-
ton to continue.
5.You will be asked to read and confirm the license agreement (shown 
on screen).
This is required for the installation to proceed.
6.Install the drivers for the copy protection key and click the “Next” but-
ton to continue.
7.Click the “Finish” button to finish the installation of the License Con-
trol Center.
Now you are ready to proceed with the installation of Cubase SX/SL:
1.In the “Cubase SX/SL 3” dialog that appears, fill in your name and the 
serial number of your Cubase SX/SL copy, and click OK.
You will find the serial number on the DVD sleeve. Check the name and number in the 
confirmation dialog and click “Yes” if they are correct. Clicking “No” brings back the 
previous dialog.
2.You will be asked to read and confirm the license agreement (shown 
on screen).
This is required for the installation to proceed.
3.At one point you will be asked whether Cubase SX/SL should be 
available to all users of the computer or just to you.
Choose the option that suits you best.
4.Finally, a dialog box informs you that the installation was successful 
and recommends that you restart your computer.
Remove the DVD-ROM and store it in a safe place. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL2 – 24 Installation and Requirements for Windows
Setting up the protection key
If you are a new Cubase SX/SL user:
1.After restarting the computer, plug in the hardware protection key into 
the USB port.
If you are unsure which port this is, consult the computer’s documentation.
2.The first time the copy protection device is plugged in, it will be regis-
tered as a new hardware device, and a dialog will appear asking you 
whether you would like to find drivers for the device manually or auto-
matically. 
3.Choose to find drivers automatically.
The dialog closes.
4.You are now ready to launch Cubase SX/SL!
If you are upgrading from a previous Cubase SX/SL version and have a 
working internet connection: 
Before launching the program you need to authorize the protection 
key for use with your new Cubase SX/SL version.
1.After restarting the computer, plug in your Cubase SX/SL key into the 
USB port.
2.Make sure that your computer has a working internet connection.
3.Locate the Authorization Code in the upgrade package and keep it at 
hand.
4.Launch the “License Control Center” application (found under “Syn-
crosoft” on the Start menu).
This application allows you to view your USB protection keys and authorize them for 
new applications by downloading licenses.
5.Use the License Control Center “Wizard” function to download a 
license for your new program version to your protection key.
This requires that you enter your Authorization Code – just follow the directions on 
screen. If you are uncertain about how to proceed, consult the help for LCC.
6.When the authorization is complete, you are ready to launch Cubase 
SX/SL!
This completes the installation of your Cubase SX/SL program!  
						

							CUBASE SX/SLInstallation and Requirements for Windows 2 – 25
For information about product updates, you should check the Steinberg 
website regularly. Open the “Steinberg on the Web” submenu on the Help 
menu and select “Product Updates”. The website that opens contains a 
list with the recent updates.
If you are upgrading from a previous Cubase SX/SL version and have 
no working internet connection: 
Before launching the program you need to authorize the protection 
key for use with your new Cubase SX/SL version.
1.Insert your program CD into a second computer with internet connec-
tion or go to an internet cafe.
2.Open the folder “Additional Content/Copy Protection Driver” on the 
program CD and double clic on the file “Copy Protection Driver In-
staller.exe”.
The application “License Control Center” will be installed.
3.Plug in you Cubase SX/SL key into the USB port and let Windows in-
stall the corresponding drivers.
4.Connect to the internet.
5.Launch the application “License Control Center”.
This application allows you to view your USB protection keys and authorize them for 
new applications by downloading licenses.
6.Use the License Control Center “Wizard” function to download a 
license for your new program version to your protection key.
This requires that you enter your Authorization Code – just follow the directions on 
screen. If you are uncertain about how to proceed, consult the help for LCC.
7.When the authorization is complete, you can disconnect your copy 
protection key and plug it into the USB port of your audio computer. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL2 – 26 Installation and Requirements for Windows
Register your software!
Registering your software will make sure you are entitled to technical 
support and kept aware of updates and other news regarding Cubase 
SX/SL. For full support services, you need to register both online and 
by sending in you registration card.
For online registration, you need a working internet connection. From 
the Help menu of Cubase SX/SL, select “Register Online…” and fol-
low the instructions. If your computer does not have a working Internet 
connection, you can also register from another computer.
The items on the start menu
If you open the Windows Start menu, you will find a Cubase SX/SL 
group on the “Programs” submenu. This contains the following items:
•Documentation.
On this submenu you can access the various Cubase SX/SL documentation files in 
the Acrobat pdf format. These documents are also available on the Help menu from 
within the program.
•ASIO Multimedia Setup.
This opens a dialog with settings for the ASIO (Audio Stream Input Output) system, 
which handles audio recording and playback in Cubase SX/SL, if you are using the 
ASIO MME driver. This dialog can also be opened from within Cubase SX/SL. See the 
chapter “Setting up your system” in this book.
•Cubase SX/SL.
This launches the actual program. 
•Cubase SX/SL 3 application data folder.
This opens the application data folder, where your Cubase SX/SL settings are stored.
On the “Programs” submenu you will also find an item called Syncrosoft 
(License Control Center). This item shows all Syncrosoft protection de-
vices and valid licenses currently installed and allows you to download 
new licenses to your protection key.
There may also be additional items (such as Readme files) available on 
the Start menu. Please read all such files before launching Cubase SX/
SL, since they may contain late information not included in the manuals. 
						

							3
Installation and Requirements
for Mac OS X 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL3 – 28 Installation and Requirements for Mac OS X
About this chapter
This chapter describes the system requirements and installation pro-
cedures for Cubase SX/SL for Mac OS X. Installing Cubase SX/SL 
for Windows is described on page 16.
Requirements
To use Cubase SX/SL, you need the following:
•A Macintosh computer running Mac OS X 10.3.3 or later.
A USB Port is also required.
For more details about the computer requirements, see below.
•Mac OS X compatible audio hardware.
While the built-in audio hardware of the Macintosh may be adequate for basic audio 
playback, we strongly recommend audio hardware that is specifically designed for audio 
recording and music applications. Also, to take full advantage of Cubase’s multi-chan-
nel i/o bus architecture and surround features (SX only), audio hardware with multiple 
inputs and outputs is required.
For MIDI
•At least one MIDI interface.
•At least one MIDI instrument.
•Any audio equipment necessary to listen to the sound from your MIDI 
devices. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLInstallation and Requirements for Mac OS X 3 – 29
Computer requirements
Hardware – Mac
The absolute minimum requirements for running Cubase SX/SL on a 
Macintosh are as follows:
• A G4 with 867 MHz and OS X 10.3.3 or later.
• 384 MB RAM.
• Monitor and graphics card supporting 1024 x 768 resolution.
• A free USB drive for the copy protection key.
• A DVD ROM drive.
For optimum performance we recommend the following:
• A G5 dual processor with 1.8 GHz or faster.
• 512 MB RAM.
• A dual monitor setup with 1152 x 864 screen resolution or higher.
RAM
Audio work requires a lot of RAM! In fact, there is a direct relation be-
tween the amount of available RAM and the number of audio channels 
that you can have running. As specified earlier, 384 MB is the minimum 
requirement, but as a general rule “the more the better” applies.
Hard disk size
•The size of the hard disk determines how many minutes of audio you 
will be able to record. 
Recording one minute of stereo CD quality audio, requires 10 MB of hard disk space. 
That is, eight stereo tracks in Cubase SX/SL use up at least 80 MB of disk space per 
recording minute.
Hard disk speed
The speed of the hard drive also determines the number of audio 
tracks you can run. That is the quantity of information that the disk can 
read, usually expressed as “sustained transfer rate”. Again, “the more 
the better” applies. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL3 – 30 Installation and Requirements for Mac OS X
Mouse
Although a regular mouse will work fine with Cubase SX/SL, we rec-
ommend that you use a wheel mouse with two mouse buttons.
• Having a wheel mouse will speed up value editing and scrolling considerably.
• If your mouse has two mouse buttons you should program the right mouse 
button to generate a [Ctrl]-click (this is typically the default behavior of the 
right mouse button). 
This will allow you to bring up context menus by right clicking (see page 65).
Audio hardware
Cubase SX/SL will run with audio hardware that meets the following 
basic specifications:
• Stereo.
• 16 bit.
• Support of at least the 44.1kHz sampling rate.
• Is supplied with proper Mac OS X (Core Audio) drivers.
A basic rule of thumb is: if the hardware works under Mac OS X, you 
can use it in Cubase SX/SL.
• Cubase SX/SL also supports audio hardware with Mac OS X compliant 
ASIO drivers.
ASIO drivers may provide special support for routing, monitoring, synchronization, etc. 
Note that the ASIO drivers must be written specifically for Mac OS X – Mac OS 9.X 
ASIO drivers cannot be used.
Using the built-in audio hardware of the Macintosh
Although Cubase SX/SL is designed with multi-channel input and out-
put in mind, it’s of course possible to use the program with “basic” ste-
reo inputs and outputs. As of this writing, all current Macintosh models 
have built-in 16 bit stereo audio hardware. Depending on your prefer-
ences and requirements, this may be sufficient for use with Cubase 
SX/SL. The built-in audio hardware is always available for selection in 
Cubase SX/SL – you don’t need to install any additional drivers.
Some Macintosh models have audio outputs but no inputs. This means 
that you can only play back audio – recording is not possible without ad-
ditional audio hardware.