Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Operation Manual
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![Page 622
CUBASE SX/SL25 – 622 Working with the Tempo track
•You can also use the left and right arrow keys on the computer key-
board, to go from one curve point to the next.
If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, the current selection will be kept, allowing
you to select several points.
Editing tempo curve points
Curve points can be edited in the following ways:
•By clicking and dragging horizontally and/or vertically.
If several points are selected, all of them are moved. If Snap is activated on the...](http://img.usermanuals.tech/thumb/86/103328/w64_Operation_Manual_d-621.png "Page 622
CUBASE SX/SL25 – 622 Working with the Tempo track
•You can also use the left and right arrow keys on the computer key-
board, to go from one curve point to the next.
If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, the current selection will be kept, allowing
you to select several points.
Editing tempo curve points
Curve points can be edited in the following ways:
•By clicking and dragging horizontally and/or vertically.
If several points are selected, all of them are moved. If Snap is activated on the...")
![Page 623
CUBASE SX/SLWorking with the Tempo track 25 – 623
Adjusting the curve type
You can change the curve type of a tempo curve segment at any time,
using the following method:
1.Select all curve points within the segment you want to edit.
2.Pull down the Curve pop-up menu on the toolbar and select “Jump” or
“Ramp”.
The curve sections between the selected points are adjusted.
Removing tempo curve points
To remove a curve point, either click on it with the Eraser tool or select
it and press [Backspace]. The...](http://img.usermanuals.tech/thumb/86/103328/w64_Operation_Manual_d-622.png "Page 623
CUBASE SX/SLWorking with the Tempo track 25 – 623
Adjusting the curve type
You can change the curve type of a tempo curve segment at any time,
using the following method:
1.Select all curve points within the segment you want to edit.
2.Pull down the Curve pop-up menu on the toolbar and select “Jump” or
“Ramp”.
The curve sections between the selected points are adjusted.
Removing tempo curve points
To remove a curve point, either click on it with the Eraser tool or select
it and press [Backspace]. The...")
![Page 625
CUBASE SX/SLWorking with the Tempo track 25 – 625
Adding and editing time signature events
•To add a time signature event, click in the time signature area with the
Pencil tool.
This adds a default 4/4 time signature event at the closest bar position. You can also
do this by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and clicking with the Arrow tool.
•To edit the value of a time signature event, select it and adjust the
value in the signature display on the toolbar.
Note that there are two thumbwheel controls for the...](http://img.usermanuals.tech/thumb/86/103328/w64_Operation_Manual_d-624.png "Page 625
CUBASE SX/SLWorking with the Tempo track 25 – 625
Adding and editing time signature events
•To add a time signature event, click in the time signature area with the
Pencil tool.
This adds a default 4/4 time signature event at the closest bar position. You can also
do this by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and clicking with the Arrow tool.
•To edit the value of a time signature event, select it and adjust the
value in the signature display on the toolbar.
Note that there are two thumbwheel controls for the...")
CUBASE SX/SLWorking with the Tempo track 25 – 621 4.Drag the curve point to the desired tempo value (indicated in the tempo display), and release the mouse button. The tempo curve point is inserted. The result depends on whether you selected “Ramp” or “Jump” in step 1 above: •You can also just click and draw a tempo curve with the Pencil tool, having curve points automatically inserted as you draw. You would probably want to select the “Ramp” Insert Curve mode when doing this. •Instead of using the Pencil tool, you can press [Alt]/[Option] and use the Arrow tool. This will only insert a single point (i.e. you cannot draw a curve with the Arrow tool). You can also have tempo values automatically inserted by the Beat Cal- culator, see page 628. Selecting tempo curve points Selecting curve points is done using any of the following methods: •Use the Arrow tool. The standard selection techniques apply. •Use the Select submenu on the Edit menu. The options are: Option Description All Selects all curve points on the Tempo track. None Deselects all curve points. In Loop Selects all curve points between the left and right locator. From Start to Cursor Selects all points to the left of the project cursor. From Cursor to End Selects all points to the right of the project cursor. Insert curve set to “Ramp”:Insert curve set to “Jump”:
CUBASE SX/SL25 – 622 Working with the Tempo track •You can also use the left and right arrow keys on the computer key- board, to go from one curve point to the next. If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, the current selection will be kept, allowing you to select several points. Editing tempo curve points Curve points can be edited in the following ways: •By clicking and dragging horizontally and/or vertically. If several points are selected, all of them are moved. If Snap is activated on the toolbar, this determines to which time positions you can move curve points, see page 627. •By adjusting the tempo value in the tempo display on the toolbar. For this to work, a single tempo curve point must be selected. Dragging tempo curve points with a time based display format (any other format than “Bars+Beats”) may give confusing results. This is because moving a point will change the relationship between tempo and time. Specifically, let’s say you move a tempo point to the right and drop it on a certain time position. When you release the mouse button, the mapping between tempo and time will be adjusted (since you have changed the tempo curve). As a result, the moved point will appear at another posi- tion. For this reason, we recommend that you use the Bars+Beats dis- play format when editing tempo curves.
CUBASE SX/SLWorking with the Tempo track 25 – 623 Adjusting the curve type You can change the curve type of a tempo curve segment at any time, using the following method: 1.Select all curve points within the segment you want to edit. 2.Pull down the Curve pop-up menu on the toolbar and select “Jump” or “Ramp”. The curve sections between the selected points are adjusted. Removing tempo curve points To remove a curve point, either click on it with the Eraser tool or select it and press [Backspace]. The first tempo curve point cannot be re- moved. Recording tempo changes The tempo record slider on the toolbar allows you to record tempo changes “on the fly”: simply start playback and use the slider to raise or lower the tempo at the desired positions. Useful for creating natural sounding ritardandos, etc.
CUBASE SX/SL25 – 624 Working with the Tempo track Setting the Fixed tempo When the Tempo track button is deactivated, the Tempo track curve is greyed out (but still visible). Since the Fixed tempo is constant through- out the whole project, there are no tempo curve points. Instead, the Fixed tempo is displayed as a horizontal black line in the tempo curve display. There are two ways to set the tempo in Fixed mode: •Drag the tempo line up or down with the Arrow tool. •Adjust the value numerically in the tempo display on the toolbar.
CUBASE SX/SLWorking with the Tempo track 25 – 625 Adding and editing time signature events •To add a time signature event, click in the time signature area with the Pencil tool. This adds a default 4/4 time signature event at the closest bar position. You can also do this by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and clicking with the Arrow tool. •To edit the value of a time signature event, select it and adjust the value in the signature display on the toolbar. Note that there are two thumbwheel controls for the signature display; the left adjusts the numerator and the right adjusts the denominator. •You can move a time signature event by clicking and dragging it with the Arrow tool. Again, note that time signature events can only be positioned at the start of bars. •To remove a time signature, either click on it with the Eraser tool or se- lect it and press [Backspace]. The first time signature event cannot be removed. Exporting and importing Tempo tracks You can export the current tempo track for use in other projects by se- lecting “Tempo Track” from the “Export” submenu on the File menu. This allows you to save the tempo track information (including time signature events) as a special xml file (file extension “.smt”). To import a saved tempo track, select “Tempo Track” from the “Import” submenu on the File menu. Note that this replaces all tempo track data in the current project (although the operation can be undone if needed).
CUBASE SX/SL25 – 626 Working with the Tempo track Process Tempo (Cubase SX only) Process Tempo allows you to define a specific length or end time for a set range, and the Tempo track will automatically set a tempo that will fit the range in the specified time. It works as follows: 1.Open the Tempo Track window and specify a region or range that you wish to tempo process by setting the left and right locators. 2.Click on the button furthest to the right on the Tempo Track toolbar. The Process Tempo dialog appears. 3.In the Process Range fields, the range specified is shown, in Bars and Beats (PPQ) and in a time format, selectable from the Time Display Format pop-up. The range defined in step 1 will already be set, but you can edit the range by adjusting the values in the Process Range fields if you wish. Now you can either specify a new Range Length or a new Range End time. What to choose depends on whether the range should have a specific length or whether it should end at a specific time position. 4.Enter the desired End or Length in the corresponding fields of the New Range section. You can select a time format for the new range in the Time Display Format pop-up. 5.Click Process. Now the tempo track is automatically adjusted and the range will have the specified duration.
CUBASE SX/SLWorking with the Tempo track 25 – 627 Options and settings Snap You activate or deactivate Snap by clicking the Snap icon on the tool- bar. The behavior of the function depends on the display format se- lected for the ruler: •If “Bars+Beats” is selected, tempo curve points will snap to the set resolution on the Snap pop-up. If this is set to 1/1 curve points will snap to the start of bars. •If any other display format is selected, tempo curve points will snap to the vertical grid lines in the tempo curve display. The spacing of the grid lines depends on the horizontal magnification. •Time signature events can only be positioned at the start of bars, re- gardless of whether Snap is activated or not. Autoscroll When this option is activated, the tempo curve display will scroll dur- ing playback, keeping the project cursor visible.
CUBASE SX/SL25 – 628 Working with the Tempo track The Beat Calculator The Beat Calculator is a tool for calculating the tempo of freely recorded audio or MIDI material. It also allows you to set the tempo by tapping. Calculating the tempo of a recording 1.In the Project window, make a selection that covers an exact number of beats of the recording. 2.Select “Beat Calculator…” from the Project menu. The Beat Calculator window appears. 3.Enter the number of beats that the selection encompasses in the Beats field. The corresponding tempo is calculated and displayed in the BPM field. •If you need to adjust the selection, you can just go back to the Project window, leaving the Beat Calculator open. To re-calculate the tempo after adjusting the selection, click Refresh. 4.If you like, you can insert the calculated tempo into the Tempo track, by clicking one of the buttons in the lower left corner of the Beat Cal- culator window. Clicking “At Tempo Track Start” will adjust the first tempo curve point, while “At Selec- tion Start” will add a new tempo curve point at the selection’s start position, using the “Jump” curve type (see page 620). If Fixed tempo mode is selected when you insert the calculated tempo, the Fixed tempo will be adjusted, regardless of which button you click.
CUBASE SX/SLWorking with the Tempo track 25 – 629 Using Tap Tempo The Tap Tempo function allows you to specify a tempo by tapping: 1.Open the Beat Calculator. 2.If you want to tap the tempo to some recorded material, activate play- back. 3.Click the Tap Tempo button. The Tap Tempo window appears. 4.Tap the tempo on the computer keyboard’s space bar or with the mouse button. The tempo display will update the calculated tempo between each tap. 5.When you stop tapping, the program calculates the average timing of the taps and displays it. 6.Click OK to close the Tap Tempo window. The tapped tempo is now shown in the Beat Calculator’s BPM display. If you like, you can insert it into the Tempo track as described on the previous page.
CUBASE SX/SL25 – 630 Working with the Tempo track Merge Tempo From Tapping This function allows you to create a complete tempo track based on your tapping. Typically, you would use this if you have an audio file with no tempo mapping, and want to be able to add sequenced mate- rial afterwards, etc. 1.Create an empty time-based MIDI track and, while playing back your audio material, tap the new tempo on your MIDI keyboard and record the created notes onto the new MIDI track. Note that you must create note events – pedal events cannot be used for this function. 2.Play back the audio and check that the timing of the MIDI notes corre- sponds to that of the audio. If necessary edit the MIDI notes in an editor. 3.Select the part (or the individual notes, in an editor) that you want to use for the calculation. 4.Select “Merge Tempo From Tapping” from the Functions submenu on the MIDI menu. A dialog opens. 5.In the dialog, specify what type of note (1/2, 1/4 etc.) you tapped dur- ing the recording. If you activate the “Begin at Bar Start” option, the first note will automatically start at the beginning of a bar when calculating the new tempo curve. 6.Click OK. The project’s tempo is adjusted to the tapped notes. 7.Open the Project menu and select “Tempo Track” to check that the new tempo information is reflected in the tempo curve. • Another way of creating a tempo map for freely recorded audio would be to use the Time Warp tool – see page 631.