Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Operation Manual

							CUBASE SX/SLAutomation 14 – 331
•X-Over mode works like Autolatch mode, but with one difference: As 
soon as you “cross” any existing (previous) automation curve, the writ-
ing is automatically turned off.
•Overwrite mode affects volume automation only. It works like Autolatch 
mode, with one significant difference: the program starts writing the 
automation as soon as you start playback, and stops writing when you 
turn off Write.
This means that automation will be written continuously from the moment you start 
playback until you turn off Write – even if you don’t touch any controls. This is useful if 
you want to have a “clean slate” and redo previous volume automation.
•Trim mode is useful for volume automation only. It offsets the volume 
automation curve without overwriting any previous volume automation, 
letting you adjust the volume for already existing automation.
In Trim mode, the channel’s volume fader in the mixer is initially positioned in the exact 
middle position, regardless of any existing volume automation. By raising the fader rel-
ative to the middle position, you offset the volume curve upwards. By lowering the 
fader, you offset the volume curve downwards. In Trim mode, the program starts writ-
ing the automation as soon as you click the control and stops writing when you release 
the mouse button.
•Trim mode has a special feature: if you enable Write automation when 
playback is stopped and select Trim mode, you can use the fader to 
trim (offset) the volume curve between the left and right locator.
This makes it easy to e.g. raise the relative volume in a specific area: set the locators 
accordingly, enable Write, select Trim mode and raise the level fader. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL14 – 332 Automation
Recording your actions – an example
If the settings in your current project are crucial, you may not want to 
“experiment” with automation until you know more about how it all fits 
together. If so, you can create a new project for the following example. It 
doesn’t even have to contain any audio events, just a few audio tracks. 
Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Mixer window.
2.Click the “Write All” button in the mixer common panel.
Cubase SX/SL is now in global Write mode. 
3.Start playback, and adjust some volume faders and/or other parameter 
settings in the mixer or perhaps in a Channel Settings window.
Stop playback when you are done, and return to the position where you started play-
back.
4.Deactivate Write mode, and click the Read All button in the mixer 
common panel.
Cubase SX/SL is now in global Read mode.
5.Start playback, and watch the Mixer window.
All your actions performed during the previous playback will be reproduced exactly.
6.If you wish to redo anything that was recorded, activate Write mode 
again, and start playback from the same position.
•You can have Write and Read activated simultaneously, if you want to 
watch and listen to your recorded mixer actions while you’re recording 
fader movements for another mixer channel, etc. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLAutomation 14 – 333
Recording plug-in automation
Every parameter for every assigned effect or VST Instrument can be 
automated in much the same manner as described above.
The following example assumes that you have assigned an insert effect 
to an FX channel track (see page 267), and describes how to record 
automation for the effect:
1.Activate Write All in the mixer common panel or in the Track list to put 
Cubase SX/SL in global Write mode.
2.Select the FX channel track in the Track list and open its Inserts sec-
tion in the Inspector.
If the Inspector is hidden, click the “Show Inspector” button in the Project window 
toolbar.
3.Open the control panel for the effect by clicking the Edit button (“e”) 
above the insert effect slot in the Inspector.
4.Click the Write button in the control panel to activate Write mode.
All effects and VST Instruments have Write/Read buttons on their control panels. 
These work exactly like the corresponding buttons in the mixer or in the Track list. In 
the previous example, we used global Write mode, in which mixer and parameter 
changes are recorded on all tracks, but in this example we’ll use Write mode for one 
track only.
5.Start playback and adjust some effect parameters in the control panel.
When you are finished, stop playback and return to the position where you started 
playback.
6.Deactivate Write and instead click the Read button on the control 
panel.
7.Start playback, and watch the control panel.
All actions you performed during the previous playback will be reproduced exactly. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL14 – 334 Automation
Assigning an automated parameter to an automation subtrack
To select which parameter is currently shown in the automation track 
for the FX channel, proceed as follows:
1.Click in the parameter display for the FX channel automation subtrack.
The parameter display pop-up list is shown containing the automation parameters for 
the plug-in. The parameter(s) you previously automated are indicated by an asterisk after 
the parameter name in the list.
Automated parameters for the DoubleDelay effect.
2.Select the parameter you wish to view from the parameter display 
pop-up.
The automation curve for the parameter you selected is displayed on the automation 
subtrack.
•To view VST Instrument parameters you use the same method, but for 
the first automation track for the instrument.
As described earlier, each VST Instrument have two or more automation tracks – one 
for the plug-in settings and one for each VST Instrument mixer channel.
Where did the automation data I recorded end up?
When using Write All automation, you can write automation data on 
all channels’ automation tracks. In the previous write operations, you 
probably added automation events for many different channels and 
parameters.
•To view all the automation events you recorded during the operations, 
select “Show Used Automation” from the Project menu.
Now the automation data for every channel parameter that you adjusted in the mixer 
during Write mode is shown on corresponding subtracks in the Project window. The 
automation events recorded are shown as points in the automation curves.  
						

							CUBASE SX/SLAutomation 14 – 335
Working with automation curves
About automation curves 
There are two kinds of automation curves, “ramp” and “jump”:
•Jump curves are created for any parameter that only has on/off values, 
like a Mute button, for example.
•Ramp curves are created for any parameter that generates continuous 
multiple values, such as fader or dial movements etc. 
Examples of jump (top subtrack) and ramp automation curves shown in the event 
display.
About the static value line
When you first open an automation subtrack for a parameter, it doesn’t 
contain any automation events (unless you have previously adjusted 
that parameter with write automation activated), and this is reflected in 
the event display as a straight horizontal black line, the “static value” 
line. This line represents the current parameter setting.
•If you have manually added any automation events or used write auto-
mation for the corresponding parameter, and then deactivate Read 
mode, the automation curve will be greyed-out in the automation sub-
track event display and the static value will be used instead.
As soon as Read mode is activated the automation curve will become available. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL14 – 336 Automation
Editing automation events
Drawing automation events
By using write automation in the mixer, you generate automation events 
by moving parameter dials and fader settings in the mixer. You can also 
add them manually, by drawing automation curves on an automation 
subtrack. Proceed as follows:
1.Open a volume automation subtrack for an audio track by clicking the 
“+” sign.
The static value line is shown in the event display.
2.Select the Pencil tool.
You can also use the various modes of the Line tool for drawing curves, see below.
3.If you click on the static value line, an automation event is added, read 
automation mode is automatically activated, and the static value line 
changes to a blue automation curve.
4.If you click and hold, you can draw a curve, by adding a multitude of 
single automation events. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLAutomation 14 – 337
5.When you release the mouse button, the number of automation 
events is reduced to a few events, but the basic shape of the curve 
still remains the same.
This “thinning” of events is governed by the Automation Reduction Level setting in the 
Preferences dialog, see page 342.
6.If you now activate playback, the volume will change with the automa-
tion curve.
In the mixer the corresponding fader moves accordingly.
7.Simply redo the operation if you are not happy with the result.
If you draw over existing events, a new curve is created.
•If the automation subtrack is in Read mode already, you can also add 
automation events by clicking with the Arrow tool.
If you are trying to add a point between two existing points and the new point doesn’t 
deviate from the existing curve, it will be removed by reduction (see page 342) as soon 
as you release the mouse button.
Using the various modes of the Line tool to draw automation curves
The Line tool can be very useful for drawing automation events. The 
various modes are accessed by clicking on the Line tool on the tool-
bar and selecting from the pop-up that appears.
• Clicking and dragging with the Line tool in Line mode shows a line in the au-
tomation subtrack, and creates automation events aligned with this line.
This is a quick way to create linear fades, etc. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL14 – 338 Automation
• The Line tool in Parabola mode works the same way, but aligns the automation 
events with a parabolic curve instead, giving more “natural” curves and fades.
Note that the result depends on the direction from which you draw the parabolic curve.
• The Sine, Triangle and Square Line tool modes create automation events 
aligned with continuous curves.
If snap is activated and set to Grid, the period of the curve (the length of one curve 
“cycle”) is determined by the grid setting. If you press [Shift] and drag, you can set the 
period length manually, in multiples of the grid value.
Selecting automation event points
•To select a single automation event point, click on it with the Arrow tool.
The point turns red, and you can drag it in any horizontal or vertical direction between 
two points.
•To select multiple curve points, you can either [Shift]-click or drag a 
selection rectangle with the Arrow tool.
All events inside the selection rectangle will become selected.
Drawing a selection rectangle around some points to select them.
When selected, several points can be moved in all directions as “one”, 
i.e. the curve shape formed by the selected event points remains intact.
•To select all automation events on a subtrack, right-click (Win) or 
[Ctrl]-click (Mac) the automation subtrack in the Track list and choose 
“Select All Events” from the context menu. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLAutomation 14 – 339
Removing automation events
There are several ways to remove event points:
•By selecting points and pressing [Backspace] or [Delete] or selecting 
Delete from the Edit menu.
•By clicking on a point with the Eraser tool.
•By selecting a range (with the Range Selection tool), and pressing 
[Backspace] or [Delete] or selecting Delete from the Edit menu.
•By clicking in the parameter display on a subtrack and selecting “Re-
move Parameter” from the pop-up.
This will remove all automation events from the subtrack, and the subtrack will be closed.
Editing automation events
Automation events can be edited much like other events. You can use 
cut, copy and paste, you can group and nudge events etc. There are 
however four items on the Edit menu that are not applicable to auto-
mation events. These are:
• Split at Cursor
• Split Loop
• Move to Front
• Move to Back 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL14 – 340 Automation
Editing automation events in the Project Browser
You can also edit automation events in the Project Browser. Proceed 
as follows:
1.Open the Project Browser by selecting it from the Project menu.
The Browser window opens. The window is divided into two sections, the Structure 
list to the left, and the event display to the right.
2.Click on the “+” sign for a track in the structure list.
Automated tracks have two subitems: Track Data and Automation. The Automation 
item corresponds to the automation subtrack in the Project window, and contains the 
track’s automation events.
3.Click on the plus sign for the Automation item.
All automated parameters for the track are shown in the structure list. 
4.Clicking on a parameter in the structure list brings up the automation 
events in the event display.
The following parameters are available for all automation subtracks:
Parameter Description
Position The position of the automation event.
Value The value (0.000 to 1.000) of the automation event.