Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Operation Manual

CUBASE SX/SLSynchronization 28 – 691
MIDI Machine Control
Machine Control commands can be sent using MIDI Machine Control 
(MMC):
1.Set up and test basic timecode synchronization, as described earlier 
in this chapter.
2.Connect a MIDI Out on your MIDI interface to MIDI In on the tape re-
corder (or similar device).
If you have not already done so (when setting up for MIDI Timecode), also connect a 
MIDI cable from the MIDI Output on the tape recorder to a MIDI In on the computer.
3.Make sure you have...

CUBASE SX/SL28 – 692 Synchronization
9.Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu (on the Mac, this is 
located on the Cubase SX/SL menu), select the MIDI Filter section 
and make sure Sysex is activated in the Thru section.
This is necessary since MMC uses two-way communication (the tape recorder “replies” 
to the MMC messages it receives from Cubase SX/SL). By filtering out Sysex Thru, you 
ensure that these MMC System Exclusive replies are not echoed back to the tape re-
corder.
10.Close the...

CUBASE SX/SLSynchronization 28 – 693
•If you activate the Sync button on Cubase SX’s Transport panel, the 
MMC Master transport buttons (or the buttons on the main Transport 
panel) will control the external tape recorder and Cubase SX in sync.
14.On the Transport panel, activate the Sync button.
15.Try to Stop, Fast Forward and Rewind from Cubase SX and activate 
Play from different positions in the project. 
The tape transport should follow.
•To turn off the synchronization between the tape recorder...

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Options
Making Project Settings
About Frame Rates
The frame rate is the number of frames per second in a film or on a 
video tape. Just as there is always sixty seconds to a minute, there is al-
ways a certain number of frames to each second. However, the frame 
rate used varies with the type of media (film or video), which country 
the video tape has been produced in, and other circumstances.
In the Project Setup dialog are two settings for frame rates:
•The Frame...

CUBASE SX/SLSynchronization 28 – 695
Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Preferences dialog (accessed from the File menu under Win-
dows or the Cubase SX/SL menu on the Mac) and select the Transport 
page.
2.Enter the desired frame rate under “User Definable Framerate”.
Either type the desired value directly or use the arrow buttons to increase/decrease 
the value. You can enter any value between 2-200.
3.When you’re done, click OK to close the dialog and save the settings.
The Frame Rate you specified will...

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Inhibit Restart
Some synchronizers will still transmit MIDI Time Code for a short pe-
riod after an external tape machine has been stopped. These extra 
frames of timecode can sometimes cause Cubase SX/SL to restart 
suddenly. Inhibit Restart allows you to control the amount of time in 
milliseconds that Cubase SX/SL will wait to restart (ignoring incoming 
MTC) once it has stopped. 

29
VST System Link 

CUBASE SX/SL29 – 698 VST System Link
Introduction
VST System Link is a network system for digital audio that allows you 
to have several computers working together in one large system. Un-
like conventional networks it does not require Ethernet cards, hubs, or 
CAT-5 cables; instead it uses the kind of digital audio hardware and 
cables you probably already possess in your studio.
VST System Link has been designed to be simple to set up and oper-
ate, yet give enormous flexibility and performance gains...

CUBASE SX/SLVST System Link 29 – 699
Preparations
Requirements
The following equipment is required for VST System Link operation:
•Two or more computers.
These can be of the same type or use different operating systems – it doesn’t matter. 
For example, you can link an Intel-based PC to an Apple Macintosh without problems.
•Each computer must have audio hardware with specific ASIO drivers, 
installed and working.
•The audio hardware must have digital inputs and outputs.
Of course, to be able to connect...

CUBASE SX/SL29 – 700 VST System Link
Making connections
Below, we will assume that you are connecting two computers. 
Should you have more than two computers, it’s still best to start with 
two and add the others one by one once the system is working – this 
makes troubleshooting easier if you run into problems. For two com-
puters, you will need two digital audio cables, one in each direction:
1.Connect a digital audio cable from the digital output of Computer 1 to 
the digital input of Computer 2....