Steinberg Multi Track Quantizing Manual

							Zero-X BeatQuantizer – Multi Track Quantizing   4.2.10 Quantize 
Start by reading about Quantize in the Help file. Simply bring up the Multi Track Quantizing dialog and press Help 
or F1. It contains lots of details about the settings in the dialog. 
 
The Quantize dialog tool controls the actual quantizing of the slices. I.e. where to move each slice in each track. 
 
Make sure you select the Quantize tool from the Multi track menu and not the beat menu. 
 
As we want to quantize all bars, make sure the title bar says All Bars. If it doesnt, exit the dialog, double click in 
the master track to selected all bars and enter the dialog again. 
 
A very important setting for getting good results is the Pre-Cut. It controls how many ms before the slice marker the 
slice will be cut. The slice marker still controls the quantizing from and to position. The pre-cut only preserves the 
attack of the slice by doing the actual cut a little bit before. Even if you think that you have sliced the track 
perfectly, first remember that the same slice marker also exits in all other tracks and perhaps one drum was played 
just a little bit before. Then the slice marker will cut off the attack of that slice. The pre-cut area is also used for 
finalizing (more of that later on). 
 
Use the default settings, 16th, no swing, 100% power, 5 ms (or try 10 ms) Pre-Cut. Do NOT check Finalize. 
 
Press Apply! 
 
Now all tracks are being quantized, one by one, to the closest 16th position. When it’s done, you can listen to each 
track individually or all of them together (check “Play Mixed”). 
 
If you are not happy with the new positions of some of the slices, you can manually quantize them.  
First make sure “Sync Slices & Markers” is checked. Then enter Quantize Mode by clicking the Q button in the 
main toolbar. Finally drag any slice to its desired position. As you can see, not only the slice marker but the whole 
slice will move. All tracks will follow. Repeat for all slices you want to move to new positions. 
 
After quantizing there will be gaps between some slices and other slices will overlap. As you may have noticed, this 
doesn’t sound very good so fortunately there are powerful tools available to solve this.  
  
						

							Zero-X BeatQuantizer – Multi Track Quantizing   4.2.11 Finalize 
The Finalizer fills/masks the gaps and smooths the overlaps caused by automatic and/or manual quantizing. It 
provides several state of the art time stretching and xfade tools for this. 
 
In the Multi track menu, select Finalize. Begin with pressing the Help button and read about its settings. 
Here is just some brief information about a few of its settings. 
 
For filling out the gaps there are four alternatives: 
 
1. MonoStretcher 
Uses time stretching to stretch the slice to fill the gap. 
An excellent time stretcher for monophonic samples (bass guitar, saxophone, vocals, mono synth etc).  
2. PolyStretcher 
Uses time stretching to stretch the slice to fill the gap. 
An excellent time stretcher for polyphonic samples and percussions (music, drums, chords played by any 
instrument). 
3. Generate Tail 
Generates a tail based on the information in the slice to fill the gap. Only works with percussion samples 
(drums and noise). Often succeeds when other fails to fill a very large gap. 
The main benefit is that the slice is not processed by any time stretcher. 
4. Xfade 
Very similar to the Xfade in Beat Detective. Uses Xfade to fill the gap. 
When the gaps are not too large the result is often very good. Especially on drums and percussion. 
The main benefit is that the slice is not processed by any time stretcher and left as raw audio. 
 
For solving the overlapping slices there are three alternatives: 
 
1. MonoStretcher 
Uses time stretching to compress the slice to solve the overlap. 
2. PolyStretcher 
Uses time stretching to compress the slice to solve the overlap. 
3. Unprocessed 
Xfades the overlap in the pre-cut area. 
 
All fill gaps and overlap options uses xFade to get ultra smooth transitions between the slices. 
 
 
In our example we will go for the default settings, i.e. PolyStretcher for both fill gaps and overlaps and set the 
Xfade Pre-Cut to 65%.  
 
As a very good alternative, especially for drums, you can try the Fill Gaps “XFade”. Set the Fill Gaps Xfade to 5-10 
ms. Use No Processing for overlaps and set Xfade Pre-Cut to 65%. 
 
Press Apply.  
 
Thats it! 
Now all gaps have been filled out and all overlaps have been solved.  
Listen to the result of each track individually or mixed (play mixed). 
 
There are of course tons of details that we have left out that may improve the end result, but we hope that this 
document will get you started and inspired to experiment on your own.  
 
 
  
						

							Zero-X BeatQuantizer – Multi Track Quantizing   4.3 Batch MTQ 
Well I know we were supposed to be done with the quantizing by now, but if your RAM wasn’t able to load and 
work with all your tracks in the multi track recording, then this is what you have been waiting for. 
 
In short, Batch MTQ can perform multi track quantize and finalize on tracks based on the results on other tracks. 
 
We presume you have read the manual and fully understood it up to this point. If not, please go back and review the 
chapters you feel unsure about. 
 
The idea is to save two states of the quantizing. First the state after slicing and setting up all slice markers and 
creating a common grid for all track, but before quantizing. Then the after both automatic and manual quantizing.  
The state is stored in groove files (*.zgr). OK, let us show you how. 
 
You must be able to load the tracks that you want to use for creating the common grid. If you don’t have ram 
enough to do that, then you need to upgrade you ram or work with shorted bits of your tracks. We presume you are 
able to load these tracks on way or another. 
 
Batch MTQ is very similar to the MTQ process we have described earlier in the manual, but requires a few extra 
steps. 
 
1. Load only the few tracks you plan to use for creating the master/common grid (e.g. the kick and the snare 
track). 
2. By using techniques we have described earlier in the manual, Create the common grid and apply it to all 
tracks. Export the groove (grid) to file. For instance by pressing the “ZGR” icon in the toolbar or by using 
the menu: “File – Export – Groove – Slice markers”. 
Name the file “Pre Quantize.zgr”. 
3. Multi track quantize your tracks. 
If needed, do some manual quantizing too, but note that the “Sync Slices & Markers” must be checked so 
that the edit will be done to all tracks. 
4. Click the ruler on one of the tracks (not the master track) and Export the groove (grid) to file. 
Name the file “Post Quantize.zgr” 
5. Multi track Finalize, Save and Close all tracks. 
6. Select Batch MTQ from the Master Track menu. 
Press F1 and read about its settings. 
7. Select the newly created “Pre Quantize.zgr” as well as “Post Quantize.zgr” files. 
8. Multi select the tracks in your multi track recording that are NOT yet quantized. 
9. Check Finalize. 
10. Press MTQ and each track one by one will automatically be loaded, quantized, finalized and re-saved 
exactly in the same way as your other tracks were. 
If you don’t your original tracks to be overwritten, make a backup copy of them first. 
 
That’s it! 
 
 
Hints 
 
· It’s important that you do NOT after step 5, close the application or alter any settings in the quantize and 
finalize dialog. Because if you do, then the Batch MTQ wont quantize the rest of the tracks identically. 
· Currently you can only quantize the whole tracks, not parts of it (unless you manually create small parts of 
the tracks) with Batch MTQ.  
						

							Zero-X BeatQuantizer – Multi Track Quantizing   5. FINAL NOTE. We plan to constantly improve this document with more information and especially lots of images that better shows 
the principles of multi track quantizing. Please email us with any suggestion for how to improve this document.  
 
Thanks for listening and happy multi track quantizing! 
 
The BeatQuantizer team. 
www.beatquantizer.com