Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Operation Manual

6
The play order track 

CUBASE SX/SL6 – 152 The play order track
Introduction
The play order track allows you to work with sections of your project in 
a non-linear fashion. By marking sections of the project as play order 
parts and then ordering these parts in a list, adding repeats as desired, 
you can specify exactly how the project should be played back.
This offers a different and more pattern-oriented way of working which 
complements the usual linear editing methods in the Project window. 
When you have created a play...

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Setting up the play order track
You create a play order track by using the Add Track function on the 
Project menu or Quick menu, as usual. There can only be one play or-
der track in each project.
On the play order track, you define specific sections of the project by 
creating play order parts. These can be of any length, may overlap and 
are not bound to the start or end of existing events and parts.
•Use the Pencil tool to draw play order parts.
Snap applies...

CUBASE SX/SL6 – 154 The play order track
Creating a play order
• You can set up a play order in the Play Order Editor or in the Inspector 
for the play order track.
The text below describes the Play Order Editor – the settings in the Inspector are sim-
ilar, but functions that are available with toolbar buttons in the editor are accessed from 
the Play Order menu in the Inspector.
To open the Play Order Editor, click the “e” button in the track list or 
Inspector for the play order track.
Adding parts to...

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•Double clicking on a part in the right list adds it to the left list, above 
the currently selected part. 
If no part is selected, it will be added at the end of the list.
•Drag and drop play order parts from the Project window to the play 
order list shown in the Inspector.
•Double clicking on a play order part in the Project window adds it to 
the play order list shown in the Inspector.
•If no part is selected in the play order list, double-clicking on a part...

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Managing play orders
You can create several play order lists. Typically, you would use this 
feature to create alternative versions for playback. The buttons on the 
right part of the editor toolbar are used for this:
The play orders you create will be listed on the pop-up menu to the 
left of the buttons. However, to select another play order from the 
pop-up menu, you need to activate play order mode – see below.
Button Description
Click this to rename the...

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Playing back the play order
To play back, you must first activate Play Order mode. This is done by 
clicking the Activate Play Order Mode button in the editor or in the 
track list.
•You can also have the play order controls shown in the Transport 
panel.
For details on how to show or hide Transport panel controls, see page 765.
Now you can click the Start button in the Play Order Editor or the 
Transport panel to start playback.
Navigating
To navigate between...

CUBASE SX/SL6 – 158 The play order track
Flattening the play order
When you have found a play order that suits your purposes, you can 
“flatten” it. Clicking the Flatten Play Order button (or selecting Flatten 
Play Order from the pop-up menu in the Inspector for the play order 
track) does the following:
• The events and parts in the project are reordered, repeated, resized, moved 
and/or deleted, so that they correspond exactly to the play order.
• Play Order mode is deactivated.
• The play order track...

7
Folder tracks 

CUBASE SX/SL7 – 160 Folder tracks
About folder tracks
Just as the name implies, a folder track is a folder that contains other 
tracks. Moving tracks into a folder is a way to structure and organize 
tracks in the Project window. For example, grouping several tracks in a 
folder track makes it possible for you to “hide” tracks (thus giving you 
more working space on the screen). You can solo and mute several 
tracks in a quicker and easier way, and perform editing on several tracks 
as one entity. Folder...