Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Operation Manual

4
Recording 

CUBASE SX/SL4 – 42 Recording
Background
This chapter describes the various recording methods that you can 
use in Cubase SX/SL. As it is possible to record both audio and MIDI 
tracks in Cubase SX/SL, both these recording methods are covered 
in this chapter.
Before you start 
This chapter assumes that you are reasonably familiar with certain ba-
sic recording concepts, and that the following initial preparations have 
been made:
•You have properly set up, connected and calibrated your audio hard-
ware....

CUBASE SX/SLRecording4 – 43
Basic recording methods
This section describes the general methods used for recording. How-
ever, there are additional preparations and procedures that are specific 
to audio and MIDI recording respectively. Make sure to read these sec-
tions before you start recording (see page 48 and page 69).
Record enabling a track
Cubase SX/SL can record on a single track or on several tracks (au-
dio and/or MIDI) simultaneously. To make a track ready for recording, 
click the Record...

CUBASE SX/SL4 – 44 Recording
Manually activating recording
You activate recording by clicking the Record button on the Transport 
panel or toolbar, or by using the corresponding key command (by de-
fault [*] on the numeric keypad).
Recording can be activated from Stop mode (from the current cursor 
position or from the left locator) or during playback:
• If you activate recording from Stop mode, and the option “Start Record at Left 
Locator” is activated on the Transport menu, recording will start from...

CUBASE SX/SLRecording4 – 45
Automatically activating recording
Cubase SX/SL can automatically switch from playback to recording 
at a given position. This is known as “automatic punch in”. A typical 
use for this would be if you need to replace a section of a recording, 
and want to listen to what is already recorded, up to the recording 
start position.
1.Set the left locator to the position where you want recording to start.
2.Activate the Punch In button on the Transport panel.
Punch In activated....

CUBASE SX/SL4 – 46 Recording
Cycle recording
Cubase SX/SL can record and play back in a cycle – a loop. You 
specify where the cycle starts and ends by setting the left and right lo-
cators. When the cycle is active, the selected section is seamlessly 
repeated until you hit Stop or deactivate cycle mode.
•To activate cycle mode, click the cycle button on the Transport panel.
If you now start playback, the section between the left and right locator is repeated in-
definitely until you stop.
Cycle...

CUBASE SX/SLRecording4 – 47
Audio pre-record
This feature allows you to capture up to 10 minutes of any incoming 
audio you play in Stop mode or during playback, “after the fact”. This is 
possible because Cubase SX/SL can capture audio input in buffer 
memory, even when not recording. 
Proceed as follows:
1.Pull down the File menu and open the Preferences dialog.
2.In the list to the left, select “Record” to open the Record page.
3.Specify a time (up to 600 seconds) in the Audio Pre-Record Seconds...

CUBASE SX/SL4 – 48 Recording
Audio recording specifics
Selecting a recording file format
The format of recorded files is set in the Project Setup dialog on the 
Project menu. There are three settings: sample rate, record format (bit 
depth) and record file type. While the sample rate is set once and for 
all when you start working on a new project, the bit depth and file type 
can be changed at any time.
Record file type
The Record File Type setting determines which type of files will be cre-
ated when...

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Record format (bit depth)
The available options are 16 bit, 24 bit and 32 bit float. Use the fol-
lowing guidelines:
• Normally, select the record format according to the bit depth delivered by 
your audio hardware.
For example, if your audio hardware has 20 bit A/D converters (inputs), you may want 
to record at 24 bit resolution, to capture the full bit depth. On the other hand, if your 
hardware has 16 bit inputs, it’s pointless to record with a higher bit depth – this will...

CUBASE SX/SL4 – 50 Recording
Selecting an input bus for a track
Here we assume that you have added and set up the required input 
busses (see page 14). Before you record you need to specify from 
which input bus the track should record. You can do this in the In-
spector or in the mixer:
•In the Inspector you select an input bus on the “in” pop-up menu in 
the top section.
As described on page 92, the Inspector shows the settings for the selected track. You 
show or hide the Inspector using the Inspector...