Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Operation Manual

CUBASE SX/SLPlayback and the Transport panel 3 – 31
•The main Transport functions (Cycle/Stop/Play/Record) can also be 
shown on the toolbar.
In addition, various play options are available on the Transport menu.
Hiding and showing
The Transport panel is shown by default when you launch a new 
project. To hide or show it, select the “Transport Panel” item from the 
Transport menu (or use a key command – by default [F2]).
About Preroll and Postroll
These items are described in the chapter “Recording” –...

CUBASE SX/SL3 – 32 Playback and the Transport panel
Customizing the Transport panel
You can customize the appearance of the Transport panel by right-
clicking (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) anywhere on the panel and 
making selections on the pop-up menu that appears.
• On the upper half of the pop-up menu you can hide or show elements on the 
panel by activating or deactivating the corresponding menu items.
• Selecting the Show All item displays all sections of the Transport panel.
• Selecting Default...

CUBASE SX/SLPlayback and the Transport panel 3 – 33
The numeric keypad
In the default Key Command settings, the numeric keypad on the 
computer keyboard is assigned various Transport panel operations 
The keypads are slightly different on PC and Macintosh computers:
PC:
Mac:
Num
Lockx—
789
456+
123
0
,EnterStop
Return to Zero Play Fast Forward Rewind Cycle On/OffRecord
Go to right locator
Go to left locatorGo to Marker 
number 3-9
num
lock=/*
789–
456+
123
0
,
enter
StopReturn to Zero Play Fast Forward...

CUBASE SX/SL3 – 34 Playback and the Transport panel
Operations
Setting the project cursor position
There are several ways to move the project cursor position:
• By using Fast Forward and Rewind.
• By using the Jog/Shuttle/Nudge control on the Transport panel (Cubase SX 
only – see page 37).
• By dragging the project cursor in the lower part of the ruler. 
• By clicking in the ruler.
Double clicking in the ruler moves the cursor and starts/stops playback. 
• If the option “Locate when Clicked in Empty...

CUBASE SX/SLPlayback and the Transport panel 3 – 35
About the Transport panel display formats
Primary time display (left) and secondary time display (right).
The time unit shown in the ruler can be independent from the time unit 
shown in the main time display on the Transport panel. This means 
that you can display timecode in the transport position display and 
bars and beats in the ruler, for example. In addition, there is a second-
ary time display to the right of the primary time display which is...

CUBASE SX/SL3 – 36 Playback and the Transport panel
The left and right locators
The left and right locators are a pair of position markers used for 
specifying punch-in and punch-out positions during recording, and as 
boundaries for cycle playback and recording. 
• When cycle mode is activated on the Transport panel, the area between 
the left and right locator will be repeated (cycled) on playback. 
However, if the right locator is positioned before the left, this will work as a “jump” or 
“skip mode”...

CUBASE SX/SLPlayback and the Transport panel 3 – 37
The Shuttle Speed control (Cubase SX only)
The shuttle speed control (the outer wheel on the Transport panel) al-
lows you to play the project at any playback speed, forwards or back-
wards. This provides a quick way to locate or “cue” to any position in 
the project.
•Turn the shuttle speed wheel to the right to start playback.
The further to the right you move the wheel, the faster the playback speed. 
•If you turn the wheel to the left instead, the...

CUBASE SX/SL3 – 38 Playback and the Transport panel
The nudge position buttons (Cubase SX only)
The + and – buttons in the middle of the Shuttle/Jog Wheel allows 
you to nudge the project cursor position to the right or left, respec-
tively. Each time you click a nudge button, the project cursor is moved 
by one frame.
Options and Settings
The “Return to Start Position on Stop” preference
This setting is found on the Transport page in the Preferences dialog 
(found on the File menu under Windows, on the...

CUBASE SX/SLPlayback and the Transport panel 3 – 39
Playback functions
Apart from the standard transport controls on the Transport panel, you 
can also find a number of functions that can be used to control play-
back on the Transport menu. The items have the following functionality:
The functions listed above (except “Play until Next Marker”) are only avail-
able if you have selected one or more events or made a selection range.
Option Description
Postroll from Selection 
Start/EndStarts playback from...

CUBASE SX/SL3 – 40 Playback and the Transport panel
About Chase
Chase is basically a function that makes sure your MIDI instruments 
sound as they should when you locate to a new position and start 
playback. This is accomplished by having the program transmitting a 
number of MIDI messages to your instruments each time you move to 
a new position in the project, making sure all MIDI devices are set up 
correctly with regard to program change, controller messages (such 
as MIDI Volume) etc.
For example,...