Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Operation Manual

							CUBASE SX/SLMIDI processing and quantizing 23 – 521
Quantize Lengths
This function is only available from within the MIDI editors.
This function (on the Advanced Quantize submenu on the MIDI menu) 
will quantize the length of the notes, without changing their start posi-
tions. At its most basic level, this function will set the length of the notes 
to the Length Quantize value on the MIDI editors’ toolbar. However, if 
you have selected the “Quantize Link” option on the Length Quantize 
pop-up menu, the function will resize the note according to the quantize 
grid, taking the Swing, Tuplet and Magnetic Area settings into account. 
An example:
1. Length Quantize set to “Quantize Link”.
2. Some notes, all a 1/16th note of length.
3. Here, the quantize value has been set to straight 1/16th notes with Swing at 
100%. Since Snap is activated (see page 612), the quantize grid is reflected in the 
note display’s grid.
4. Selecting Quantize Lengths will adjust the note lengths according to the grid. If 
you compare the result to the first figure above, you will find that notes that started 
within the odd sixteenth note “zones” got the longer grid length, and notes in the 
even zones got the shorter length. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL23 – 522 MIDI processing and quantizing
Quantize Ends
The Quantize Ends function on the Advanced Quantize submenu will 
only affect the end positions of notes. Apart from that, it works just like 
regular quantizing, taking the Quantize pop-up menu setting into ac-
count.
Undo and Freeze Quantize
As mentioned above, the original position of each quantized note is 
stored. Therefore, you can make the selected MIDI notes revert to 
their original, unquantized state at any time, by selecting Undo Quan-
tize from the Advanced Quantize submenu. This is independent from 
the regular Undo History.
However, there may be situations when you want to make the quantized 
positions “permanent”. For example, you may want to quantize notes a 
second time, having the results based on the current quantized posi-
tions rather than the original positions. To make this possible, select the 
notes in question and select “Freeze Quantize” from the Advanced 
Quantize submenu. This makes the quantized positions permanent.
After you have performed a Freeze Quantize for a note, you cannot undo 
its quantization. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLMIDI processing and quantizing 23 – 523
Transpose 
The Transpose item on the MIDI menu opens a dialog with settings for 
transposing the selected notes:
Semitones
This is where you set the amount of transposition.
Scale Correction
Scale Correction transposes the selected notes by forcing them to the 
closest note of the selected scale type. This can be used for creating 
interesting key and tonal changes, either by itself or in conjunction with 
the other settings in the Transpose dialog.
•To activate Scale Correction, click the checkbox.
•Select a root note for the scale from the note drop-down menu.
Make sure to select the correct root note if you want to keep the result in the same key 
as the original notes, or select an entirely different key if you want to experiment.
•Select the desired scale type from the Scale drop-down menu. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL23 – 524 MIDI processing and quantizing
Keep Notes in Range
When this checkbox is activated, transposed notes will remain within 
the Upper and Lower Barrier values.
•If a note ends up outside the barriers after transposition, it will be shifted 
to another octave, keeping the correct transposed pitch if possible.
If this isn’t possible (if you have set a very narrow range between the Upper and Lower 
Barrier), the note will be transposed “as far as possible”, i.e. to the Upper or Lower 
Barrier note. If you set the Upper and Lower Barriers to the same value, all notes will be 
transposed to this pitch!
OK and Cancel
Clicking OK performs the transposition. Clicking Cancel closes the 
dialog without transposing.
Other MIDI menu functions
The following items can be found on the MIDI menu–Functions sub-
menu:
Legato
Extends each selected note so that it reaches the next note. You can 
specify the desired gap or overlap with the “Legato Overlap” setting in 
the Preferences dialog (Editing page).
When using Legato with this setting, each note will be extended to end 5 ticks 
before the next note. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLMIDI processing and quantizing 23 – 525
Fixed Lengths
This function is only available from within the MIDI editors.
This function resizes all selected notes to the length set with the 
Length Quantize pop-up menu on the MIDI editor toolbar.
Delete Doubles
This function removes double notes, i.e. notes of the same pitch on the 
exact same position. Double notes can occur when recording in Cycle 
mode, after Quantizing, etc.
This function always affects whole MIDI parts.
Delete Controllers
This function removes all MIDI controllers from the selected MIDI parts.
This function always affects whole MIDI parts.
Delete Continuous Controllers
This function removes all “continuous” MIDI controller events from the 
selected MIDI parts. That is, “on/off” events such as sustain pedal 
events are not removed.
This function always affects whole MIDI parts. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL23 – 526 MIDI processing and quantizing
Delete Notes
Allows you to delete very short or weak notes. This is useful for auto-
matically removing unwanted “ghost notes” after recording. Selecting 
“Delete Notes...” opens a dialog in which you set up the criteria for the 
function:
The parameters have the following functionality:
Minimum Length
When the Minimum Length checkbox is activated, the note length is 
taken into account, allowing you to remove short notes. You can either 
specify the minimum length (for notes to be kept) in the value display 
or by dragging the blue line in the graphical length display below.
•The graphical length display can correspond to 1/4 bar, one bar, two 
bars or four bars.
You change this setting by clicking in the field to the right of the display.
In this case, the whole length display corresponds to one bar, and the Minimum 
Length is set to 1/32nd notes (60 ticks).
Minimum Velocity
When the Minimum Velocity checkbox is activated, the velocity of notes 
is taken into account, allowing you to remove weak notes. You specify 
the minimum velocity (for notes to be kept) in the value display. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLMIDI processing and quantizing 23 – 527
Remove when under
This setting is only available when both Minimum Length and Minimum 
Velocity is activated. By clicking the value display, you select whether 
both length and velocity criteria must be met for notes to be deleted, or 
whether one of the criteria will suffice.
OK and Cancel
Clicking OK performs the automatic delete according to the rules set 
up. Clicking Cancel closes the dialog without deleting notes.
Restrict Polyphony
Selecting this item opens a dialog in which you can specify how many 
“voices” should be used (for the selected notes or parts). Restricting 
the polyphony this way is useful when you have an instrument with lim-
ited polyphony and want to make sure all notes will be played. The effect 
is achieved by shortening notes as required, so that they end before the 
next note starts.
Pedals to Note Length
This function scans for Sustain pedal on/off events, lengthens the af-
fected notes to match the Sustain pedal off position, and then removes 
the Sustain Controller on/off events.
Delete Overlaps (mono)
This function allows you to make sure that no two notes of the same 
pitch overlap (i.e. that one starts before the other ends). Overlapping 
notes of the same pitch can confuse some MIDI instruments (a new 
Note On is transmitted before the Note Off is transmitted). This com-
mand can then be used to automatically rectify the problem.
Delete Overlaps (poly)
This function shortens notes when required, so that no note begins be-
fore another ends. This happens regardless of which pitch the notes 
have. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL23 – 528 MIDI processing and quantizing
Velocity
This function opens a dialog that allows you to manipulate the velocity 
of notes in various ways.
To apply the function, select one of the three processing types from 
the Type pop-up, adjust the settings and click OK (to close the dialog 
without applying, click Cancel).
The following types of velocity processing are available:
Add/Subtract
This simply adds a fixed number to the existing velocity values. You 
set the value (positive or negative) with the Amount parameter.
Compress/Expand
Compresses or expands the “dynamic range” of MIDI notes by scaling 
the velocity values according to the Ratio setting (0 – 300%). The prin-
ciple behind this is that multiplying different velocity values with a factor 
higher than 1 (over 100%) will also make the differences between ve-
locity values greater, while using a factor lower than 1 (under 100%) 
will make the differences smaller. In short:
•To compress (“even out” velocity differences), use ratio values below 
100%.
After compression, you would probably want to add a velocity amount (with the Add/
Subtract function) to maintain the average velocity level. 
•To expand (create greater difference in velocity), use ratio values 
above 100%.
Before you expand, you may want to adjust the velocity with the Add/Subtract function, 
so that the average velocity is somewhere in the middle of the range. If the average ve-
locity is high (near 127) or low (near 0), expansion will not work properly, simply be-
cause velocity values can only be between 0 and 127! 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLMIDI processing and quantizing 23 – 529
Limit
This function allows you to make sure that no velocity values fall outside 
a given range (the Lower and Upper values). Any velocity values out-
side this range are raised/lowered to exactly the Lower/Upper values.
Fixed Velocity
This function sets the velocity of all selected notes to the Insert Veloc-
ity value on the toolbar in the MIDI editors.
Thin Out Data
Thins out MIDI data. Use this to ease the load on MIDI devices if you 
have recorded very dense controller curves etc.
Reverse
This function inverts the order of the selected events (or of all events 
in the selected parts), causing the MIDI music to play backwards. 
Note though, that the effect is different from reversing an audio re-
cording. With MIDI, the individual notes will still play as usual in the 
MIDI instrument – it’s only the order of playback that is changed. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL23 – 530 MIDI processing and quantizing
Dissolve Part
The Dissolve Part function on the MIDI menu has two separate uses:
•When you work with MIDI parts (on MIDI channel “Any”) containing 
events on different MIDI channels.
Dissolve Part separates the events according to MIDI channel.
•When you want to separate MIDI events according to pitch.
A typical example would be drum and percussion tracks, where each pitch usually cor-
responds to a separate drum sound.
Dissolving parts into separate channels
Setting a track to MIDI channel “Any” will cause each MIDI event to 
play back on its original MIDI channel, rather than a channel set for the 
whole track. There are two main situations when “Any” channel tracks 
are useful:
•When you record several MIDI channels at the same time.
You may for example have a MIDI keyboard with several keyboard zones, where each 
zone sends MIDI on a separate channel. Recording on an “Any” channel track allows 
you to play back the recording with different sounds for each zone (since the different 
MIDI notes play back on separate MIDI channels).
•When you have imported a MIDI file of Type 0.
MIDI files of Type 0 contain only one track, with notes on up to 16 different MIDI chan-
nels. If you were to set this track to a specific MIDI channel, all notes in the MIDI file 
would be played back with the same sound; setting the track to “Any” will cause the 
imported file to play back as intended.
The Dissolve Part function scans MIDI parts for events on different MIDI 
channels and distributes the events into new parts on new tracks, one 
for each MIDI channel found. This allows you to work with each musical 
part individually. Proceed as follows:
1.Select the part(s) containing MIDI data on different channels.
2.Select “Dissolve Part” from the MIDI menu.
3.In the dialog that appears, select the “Separate Channels” option.