Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 Operation Manual
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![Page 769
CUBASE SX/SLCustomizing33 – 769
Customizing track controls
You can configure (separately for each track type) what track controls
should be shown in the Track list. You can also specify the location of
controls and group controls so that they are always shown adjacent to
each other. All this is done using the Track Controls Settings dialog.
Opening the Track Controls Settings dialog
There are two ways to open the dialog:
•By right-clicking (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) a track in the Track list,
and...](http://img.usermanuals.tech/thumb/86/103328/w64_Operation_Manual_d-768.png "Page 769
CUBASE SX/SLCustomizing33 – 769
Customizing track controls
You can configure (separately for each track type) what track controls
should be shown in the Track list. You can also specify the location of
controls and group controls so that they are always shown adjacent to
each other. All this is done using the Track Controls Settings dialog.
Opening the Track Controls Settings dialog
There are two ways to open the dialog:
•By right-clicking (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) a track in the Track list,
and...")
![Page 770
CUBASE SX/SL33 – 770 Customizing
Setting the track type
The settings made in the Track Controls Settings dialog apply to the
selected track type (Audio, MIDI, Group/FX Channel, Folder, Video). If
you right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicked (Mac) an audio track to open the
dialog for example, the settings for audio tracks are automatically dis-
played. The selected track type is shown in the menu display in the top
left corner of the dialog.
•To change the selected track type, click the arrow to the right...](http://img.usermanuals.tech/thumb/86/103328/w64_Operation_Manual_d-769.png "Page 770
CUBASE SX/SL33 – 770 Customizing
Setting the track type
The settings made in the Track Controls Settings dialog apply to the
selected track type (Audio, MIDI, Group/FX Channel, Folder, Video). If
you right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicked (Mac) an audio track to open the
dialog for example, the settings for audio tracks are automatically dis-
played. The selected track type is shown in the menu display in the top
left corner of the dialog.
•To change the selected track type, click the arrow to the right...")
CUBASE SX/SLCustomizing33 – 771 Adding available track controls To add available track controls to the Track list, proceed as follows: 1.Make sure you have selected the desired track type (see above). 2.Select the control(s) you wish to add in the Available Controls list and click the “Add” button. 3.Click OK to add the controls to the Track list. Moving track controls You can change the position or order of the track controls if you like: 1.Make sure you have selected the desired track type (see above). 2.Select the control(s) you wish to move in the Used Controls list. 3.Use the “Move Up” and “Move Down” buttons to reposition the se- lected controls up or down in the Track list. 4.Click OK. The controls are moved. Grouping track controls If you resize the Track list, the position of the controls will change dy- namically to accommodate as many controls as possible in the available space (given that Wrap Controls is activated – see below). By grouping several track controls you can ensure that they will always be positioned side by side in the Track list. To group controls, proceed as follows: 1.Make sure you have selected the desired track type (see above). 2.Select at least two controls you wish to group in the Used Controls list. • You can only group controls that are adjacent to each other in the Used Controls list. To group controls that are currently not adjacent in the list, use the Move Up/Down buttons first. 3.Click Group. A number is displayed in the Group column for the grouped controls. The first group created will have the number 1, the second 2 and so on. 4.Click OK. The controls are now grouped.
CUBASE SX/SL33 – 772 Customizing About Wrap Controls This is by default activated (checked). Wrap Controls is the function that allows the controls to be dynamically repositioned when resizing the Track list. That is, as many controls as can fit in any given space will be displayed depending on how you resize the Track list. If you deactivate Wrap Controls, the positions of the controls will be fixed, regardless of the size of the Track list. In this mode, you may have to resize the tracks vertically (by dragging the dividers between them) to display all the controls. About the Length column The Length column in the Used Controls list allows you to set the maximum number of characters allowed in certain text fields (Name, Output). To change the setting, click on the number in the Length col- umn and type in a new value. About Reset There are two Reset buttons in the dialog: •Clicking Reset will restore all default track controls settings for the se- lected track type. •Clicking Reset All will restore all default track controls settings for all track types. Saving presets You can save track control settings as presets for later recall: 1.Click on the Save icon beside the Presets name field. A dialog appears allowing you to type in a name for the preset. 2.Click OK to save the settings as a preset. Saved presets are available for selection from the Presets pop-up and from the pop-up at the top left corner of the Track list. 3.To remove a preset, select it in the Track Controls Settings dialog, and click the Delete icon beside the Presets name field. • Cubase SX/SL comes with a number of track control settings presets available.
CUBASE SX/SLCustomizing33 – 773 About preference presets (Cubase SX only) It is possible to save complete or partial preferences settings as pre- sets. This lets you recall settings quickly and easily. Saving a preference preset When you have made your preferences settings, proceed as follows to save all settings as a preset: 1.If the dialog is not already open, select Preferences from the File menu (Win)/Cubase SX menu (Mac). 2.Make sure that the “Store marked preferences only” box is not checked. This is because this option is used for saving partial settings (see below), as opposed to complete settings. 3.Click the Store button in the lower left section of the Preferences dialog. A dialog appears, allowing you to type in a name for the preset. 4.Click OK to save. Your saved settings will now be available from the Preference Presets pop-up for your future projects. Loading a preference preset To load a saved preference preset, proceed as follows: 1.Select Preferences from the File menu (Win)/Cubase SX menu (Mac). 2.Select the saved preset from the Preference Presets pop-up. 3.Click OK to exit the Preferences dialog and apply the saved preset settings.
CUBASE SX/SL33 – 774 Customizing Saving partial preferences settings It is also possible to save partial preferences settings. This is useful when you have made settings that perhaps only relate to a specific project or settings that you wish to apply only in certain situations for example. When you apply a saved partial preference preset you only change the specific saved settings, and all other Preferences dialog settings will be left unchanged. When you have made your specific preferences settings, proceed as follows to save the partial settings as a preset: 1.Open the Preferences dialog. 2.Activate the “Store marked preferences only” checkbox. When this is on, a new “Store” column appears in the Preferences page list. 3.Click in the Store column for the Preferences items you wish to save. Note that if you check a Preferences page that contains subpages these will automat- ically also be checked. If this is not what you want, simply uncheck the subpages. 4.Click the Store button in the lower left section of the Preferences. A dialog appears, allowing you to type in a name for the preset. It is a good idea to choose a descriptive name for a partial preference preset, preferably relating to the saved settings (for example “Configuration” or “Editing-Controls” etc.). 5.Click OK to save. Your saved settings will now be available from the Preference Presets pop-up for your future projects.
CUBASE SX/SLCustomizing33 – 775 Appearance In the Preferences dialog you will find a page called Appearance. Here you can adjust the look of the program, with the following settings: • Basic Appearance Scheme. By selecting an option from this pop-up menu you can adjust the general look of the program. After selecting an Appearance Scheme and clicking Apply or OK, you need to restart the program for the changes to take effect. • Brightness/Intensity sliders. These sliders allow you to fine-tune the brightness and contrast in various areas in the program. Changes take effect when you click Apply or OK. Applying track and event colors You can use color scheming for easier overview of certain tracks and events in the Project window. Applying colors is divided into two areas; track and event colors. •A track color is reflected and can be edited in the Inspector, Track list, and in the corresponding channel in the Mixer. It is furthermore dis- played in all parts and events for the track in the Event display. Track colors can be switched on or off globally. •Event colors are reflected in parts and events in the Event display and are independent from the track colors. An applied event color “overrides” the track color, if both are used. Track colors •You activate track colors by clicking the color strip at the top of the Track list.
CUBASE SX/SL33 – 776 Customizing A small arrow appears to the right in the Track Name title bar. •Clicking the arrow brings up the color palette where you can select a color and apply it to the selected track. This palette or color set can be edited in the Event Color dialog. The chosen track color is now reflected in the Inspector title bar, the field by the output activity meter in the Track list, in the Mixer and any parts or events on the selected track. Colorizing parts and events There is a Color tool (the paint bucket icon) on the Project window toolbar that can be used to colorize parts and events. The Color tool. Click here to bring up the color palette.
CUBASE SX/SLCustomizing33 – 777 Just below the Color tool there is a small strip. Click this to bring up the standard color palette. If you double-click this strip the Event Color dialog opens, where you can define new colors for the standard palette, add more colors etc. •To colorize one or several selected events, select the Color tool, choose a color from the palette, and click on an event. The color is applied to all selected events and overrides the track color (if used). •If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on an event with the Color tool, the color palette is displayed and you can choose the desired color for an event. •If you press [Alt]/[Option], the Color tool cursor becomes a pipette, which can be used to select a color by clicking on a part/event. •An alternative way to colorize parts and events is by selecting them, and then picking a color from the Color selector on the toolbar. Where are the settings stored? As you have seen, there are a large number of ways in which you can customize Cubase SX/SL. While some of the settings you make are stored in each project, others are stored in separate preference files. If you need to transfer your projects to another computer (e.g. in an- other studio), you can bring all your settings along by copying the de- sired preference files and installing them on the other computer. • It’s a good idea to make a backup copy of your preference files once you have set things up the way you want! This way, if another Cubase SX/SL user wants to use his or her personal settings when working on your computer, you can restore your own preferences afterwards. •Under Windows, the preference files are stored in the folder “\Docu- ments and Settings\\Application Data\Steinberg\Cu- base SX/SL 3\”. On the Start menu you will find a shortcut to this folder, for easy access. •Under Mac OS X, the preferences files are stored in the folder “Li- brary/Preferences/Cubase SX/SL 3/” under your “home” directory. The full path would be: “/Users//Library/Preferences/Cubase SX/SL 3/”.
CUBASE SX/SL33 – 778 Customizing The table below shows the location and name of each preference file. Setting Stored in Current edit modifier keys Edit Modifiers.xml Current key commands Key Commands.xml Current preferences Defaults.xml Color setup saved in project Crossfade presets Presets\RAMPresets.xml Drum maps saved in Project/Export as *.drm file EQ presets Presets\RAMPresets.xml Installed MIDI devices Midi Devices.bin Key commands presets Presets\KeyCommands\.xml Logical Editor presets Presets\Logical Edit\.xml MIDI FX presets Presets\\.xml Mixer view preset saved in project Preferences configurations Configuration.xml Preferences presets Presets\Configurations\.xml Quantize presets Presets\RAMPresets.xml User templates templates\.cpr Toolbar presets Presets\RAMPresets.xml Track controls presets Presets\RAMPresets.xml Transport panel presets Presets\RAMPresets.xml Usage profile log Usage Profile.xml VST connections presets Presets\RAMPresets.xml Workspaces saved in project Workspaces presets (global) Window Layouts.xml Zoom presets Presets\RAMPresets.xml
CUBASE SX/SL34 – 780 Key commands Background Introduction Most of the main menus in Cubase SX/SL have key command short- cuts for certain items on the menus. In addition, there are numerous other Cubase SX/SL functions that can be performed via key com- mands. These are all default settings. If you want, you can customize existing key commands to your liking, and also add commands for menu items and functions currently not assigned any. You can also assign tool modifier keys, i.e. keys that change the behavior of various tools when pressed. This is done in the Preferences dialog – see page 789. How are key commands settings saved? Every time you edit or add any key command assignment, this is stored as a global Cubase SX/SL preference – not as part of a project. Hence, if you edit or add a key command assignment, any subsequent projects that you create or open will use these modified settings. However, the default settings can at any time be restored by selecting “Reset All” in the Key Commands dialog. In addition, you can save key commands settings as a “key commands file”, which is stored separately and can be imported into any project. This way you can quickly and easily recall customized settings, when moving projects between different computers, for example. The set- tings are saved in a file on disk with the windows extension ”.xml”. See later in this chapter for details on how to save key commands settings.