Steinberg Sequel 2 Operation Manual

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The Pilot Zone
You can also use the key command [Ctrl]/[Com-
mand]+[Shift]+[M] to access the Manage Projects dialog.
Export Project as Audio File…
Selecting this option opens a dialog which allows you to 
export your project, e.g. for burning to CD. To burn a CD 
you will need the appropriate software on your computer. 
You can specify the file name, the path to save the file to, 
the file format and the bit depth. See also “Exporting audio 
files” on page 33.
Export Project to iTunes
Selecting this option allows you to export your project to 
an iTunes compatible format for easy uploading to your 
iPod, see “Exporting to iTunes” on page 33.
Recent Projects
This allows you to quickly access the projects you recently 
worked on.
The Edit button/menu
The Edit menu (opened by clicking the Edit button in the 
top left corner of the Sequel window under Windows) 
contains the following editing functions:
Undo
Selecting this option will undo the last action that you per-
formed. You can undo any action that you have performed 
since opening the project.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[Z].
Redo
Selecting this option will redo any action that you deleted 
using undo. When there is nothing left to redo, the option 
will be grayed out.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+
[Shift]+[Z].
Cut
Cut can be used to move an event or a group of events to 
another area in the Arrange Zone.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[X].
Copy
Copy can be used to copy an event or group of events to 
another area in the Arrange Zone.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[C].
Paste
Paste is used to insert cut or copied material at the new 
location.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[V].
Delete
Delete is used to remove an event or a group of events 
from your project.
The key command for this is [Delete] or [Backspace].
Duplicate
Duplicate is used to create copies of an event. The copy 
will be pasted in the project directly after the selected 
event.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[D]. 
						

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The Pilot Zone
Split at Cursor
Split at cursor allows you to split the selected event at the 
cursor location.
If no event is selected, all events (on all tracks) that are 
intersected by the project cursor will be split.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[T].
Select All
Selecting this option will select all events in the Arrange 
Zone. This is useful for performing large scale editing.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[A].
Select None
Select None will clear any selection you have made in the 
Arrange Zone.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+ 
[Shift]+[A].
Add Track…
Selecting this option will bring up a dialog which allows 
you to add tracks to your project. You can create audio 
tracks or instrument tracks.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[+].
Remove selected tracks
Selecting this option will remove any tracks that you have 
selected in the Arrange Zone.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[Delete] 
or [Ctrl]/[Command]+[Backspace].
To select multiple tracks, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] 
and click on them.
The Reset Instruments function
In some cases, problems e.g. hanging notes or a constant 
vibrato may occur after loading an instrument preset and 
hitting a key on your keyboard. If this is the case, use the 
Reset Instruments function on the Edit menu. This sends 
out note-off messages and resets controllers on all instru-
ment channels.
The project name
Below the File, Project and Edit buttons, the project name 
is shown.
The Automation buttons
Show Automation
Activating this button will reveal your project’s track auto-
mation. Deactivate it to hide all automation.
The key command for showing/hiding the automation 
data is [A].
Edit/Write Automation
Activating this button will allow you to edit and write track 
automation. Deactivating it will lock the automation and 
you won’t be able to perform any editing.
!Note that any automation you have created will al-
ways be reproduced during playback, even if both 
automation buttons are tuned off. If you do not want 
the automation to be reproduced, you have to delete 
all automation data you recorded/wrote into your 
track(s).
Project name
Edit/Write Automation
 Show Automation 
						

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The Pilot Zone
The Edit Remote Control 
Assignment button
It is possible to remote-control certain Sequel functions 
by assigning external controllers, i.e. small mixers or key-
board controllers with USB or MIDI connection and the 
ability to send MIDI messages. 
If you activate this button the main user interface becomes 
dimmed, so that you can clearly see which elements can be 
assigned to remote controls (indicated by black frames). 
Click on the button again to switch into “normal” mode.
For further information, see “Remote-controlling Sequel” 
on page 85.
Minimizing, maximizing and closing
This works slightly differently for Windows and Macintosh:
Windows
In the top right hand corner the program window, there are 
buttons for minimizing, maximizing and closing Sequel.
Selecting the Minimize button will hide the window in 
the system tray.
Selecting the Maximize button will stretch out the pro-
gram window to fill your screen.
Selecting the Maximize button again will shrink the window and allow you 
to manually resize it by clicking and holding the bottom right corner of the 
program window and dragging until you find a window size that feels 
comfortable.
Macintosh
In the top left hand corner the program window, there are 
buttons for minimizing, maximizing and closing Sequel.
Selecting the Minimize button will hide the window in 
the dock.
Selecting the Maximize button will stretch out the pro-
gram window to fill your screen.
Selecting the Maximize button again will shrink the window and allow you 
to manually resize it by clicking and holding the bottom right corner of the 
program window and dragging until you find a window size that feels 
comfortable.
The ruler
The ruler is located just above the Arrange Zone. It dis-
plays the project’s timeline as numbers corresponding to 
the bars and beats of your song.
Next to being a useful display the ruler also is a great tool 
for editing.
You can use the ruler to move the cursor around by 
clicking in the lower portion of the ruler bar at the position 
you would like to move the cursor to.
Edit Remote Control Assignment
Minimize Maximize Close
Minimize Maximize Close
Ruler 
						

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The Pilot Zone
You can zoom in and out to see your project in more de-
tail by clicking and holding in the lower portion of the ruler 
bar and dragging up or down.
Dragging up zooms out and dragging down zooms in.
You can also create a loop region for Cycle mode by 
clicking and dragging the mouse in the upper portion of 
the ruler.
You’ll notice that the pointer turns into a pencil, if you position the mouse 
in this ruler area.
Grid Snap Status
The Grid Snap Status is displayed on the right-hand side 
of the ruler.
When the Grid Snap Status icon is green, grid snap is ac-
tivated. This is will cause all editing you do to snap to the 
grid. The grid resolution is determined by how far in or out 
you are zoomed. See “Zooming in the Arrange Zone” on 
page 56 for more information.
Click on the Grid Snap Status icon to deactivate grid 
snap. The icon will turn red meaning that the grid status is 
in free mode. In free mode, events and event edits will no 
longer snap to the grid. 
ÖYou can also press [J] on your computer keyboard to 
toggle between snap and free mode.
The Tuner
Sequel features a built-in tuner used for tuning instruments 
like a guitar or bass before recording.
When the Tuner is activated for the selected track, that 
track will become soloed. All track effects are bypassed 
and sends are disabled and the Pilot Zone display is re-
placed by the Tuner display.
When deactivated, solo is cancelled and all instruments, 
EQ, and effects are returned to normal.
ÖSee “Tuning your instrument” on page 15 to find out 
how the Tuner works.
The Transport controls
The Transport Controls in Sequel
The transport controls are similar to those you would find 
on a VCR or DVD player.
The Play button
The Play button allows you to listen back to your project.
The Play button 
						

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The Pilot Zone
To start playback
Click on the Play button.
Press the space bar on your computer keyboard – this 
toggles between start and stop.
Press the [Enter] key on the numeric keypad.
Double-click in the lower half of the ruler.
To stop playback
Click on the Play button during playback.
Press the space bar on your computer keyboard – this 
toggles between start and stop.
Press the [0] key on the numeric keypad.
The Record button
The Record button allows you to record audio events or 
instrument parts.
To start recording
Click on the Record button at any time during playback.
Press the [*] key on the numeric keypad during playback 
or while stopped.
To stop recording
Click on the Record button during recording.
Press the [*] key on the numeric keypad.
The Locate buttons
The Locate buttons are used to switch between marker 
positions or to go to the beginning or end of your project. 
To locate the previous marker or go to the beginning of 
the project
Click on the “Locate Previous Marker” button.
Press [Shift]+[B] on your computer keyboard.
To locate the next marker or go to the end of the project
Click on the “Locate Next Marker” button.
Press [Shift]+[N] on your computer keyboard.
About Cycle mode
The Cycle button activates/deactivates Cycle mode. Cy-
cle mode allows you to loop a section of your song so that 
you can hear it again and again.
To create a cycle region, move your mouse to the top 
edge of the ruler (the pointer turns into a pencil), click and 
drag.
To activate/deactivate Cycle mode
Click on the Cycle button.
Press the [/] key on the numeric keypad.
Press the [-] key on you computer keyboard.
The Record button
The Locate buttons
The Cycle button 
						

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The Pilot Zone
The Metronome
To add a click sound to playback and/or recording (as 
specified on the Program Settings Page, see “The Pro-
gram Settings Page” on page 77), activate the Metro-
nome button. The metronome will follow the project tempo 
and time signature. 
Deactivating this button will turn off the metronome click.
ÖYou can also adjust the Metronome volume. For more 
information on the Metronome and its setting, see “Turn-
ing on the Metronome click” on page 14.
Computer Usage
On the right side of the Pilot Zone, there is a Computer 
Usage indicator. 
If your computer is trying to do too many things at once, it 
may overload. The indicator shows the current processor 
load of your computer. If two or three bars light up, the 
workload is quite high. In case of an overload, the circle to 
the far right will also light up. If this happens, you should 
try to reduce the processor load, e.g. by freezing tracks, 
see “Freezing Audio tracks” on page 52 and “Freezing in-
strument tracks” on page 52.
The Pilot Zone display
The Pilot Zone display contains important information 
about your project. Displayed from left to right are the 
Song Position, the Tempo, the Time Signature and the 
Project Root Key.
The Pilot Zone display.
Sound Input Activity
This indicator shows upon any input activity of connected 
audio sources.
Musical Keyboard Input Activity
This indicator shows upon any input activity of connected 
USB/MIDI keyboards, including controller activities. 
The Song Position (POS)
The Song Position shows the current position of the cur-
sor in your project. 
The Song Position can be displayed in the time formats 
“Bars and Beats” or “Seconds”. To set the time format, 
click in the top right corner of the Song Position field.
To change the Song Position, you have the following pos-
sibilities:
Double-click the Song Position field and type in the de-
sired position.
Click in the song position field, keep the mouse button 
pressed and drag up or down.
Click in the lower half of the ruler at the desired position.
Sound Input Activity indicator
Musical Keyboard Input Activity indicator 
						

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The Pilot Zone
The Tempo (TEMPO)
The tempo display shows the current project tempo at the 
cursor position.
To change the tempo, you have the following possibilities:
Double-click the tempo field and type in the desired 
tempo.
Click in the tempo field, keep the mouse button pressed 
and drag up or down.
Select a loop within your project that has the desired 
tempo and drag it onto the Tempo field.
This will change the tempo to the tempo set in the loop file.
Using Tap Tempo
The Tap Tempo function allows you to specify a tempo by 
tapping:
1.Click the Learn button in the upper left corner of the 
Tempo display to activate the Learn mode.
The button turns red to indicate that you can now tap the tempo.
2.If you want to tap the tempo of some recorded material 
with unknown tempo, activate playback.
3.Tap the tempo on the space bar of the computer key-
board or on a connected MIDI keyboard.
4.When you stop tapping, the program calculates the 
average tempo of the taps and displays it.
The tapped tempo is now shown in the Tempo display.
Using the Rehearsal tempo
If you are recording an instrument with Sequel and you 
find that at some moments, it is impossible for you to keep 
up with the project tempo, try activating Rehearsal mode. 
This reduces the project tempo, making it easier for you to 
record even tricky parts with Sequel.To activate Rehearsal tempo, click in the top right cor-
ner of the tempo field.
Rehearsal tempo is activated.
To use the normal project tempo again, click again in 
the top right corner of the Tempo field.
The Time Signature (T.SIGN)
Your project time signature is displayed here.
To change the time signature, you have the following pos-
sibilities:
Double-click the Time Signature field and type in the 
desired time signature.
Click in the time signature field, keep the mouse button 
pressed and drag up or down.
The Project Root Key (KEY)
The root key of your project is displayed here. You can 
change this in the following ways:
To change the project root key, click on the value and 
select a key from the pop-up menu.
Select a loop in your project that has the desired key 
and drag it onto the key field. 
This will only work if the key information was saved with the original file.
ÖWhen you create a new project, the first audio event 
that you drag into your project will define the key, provided 
that the audio event’s data contains key information. 
						

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The Pilot Zone
The Virtual Keyboard
The Virtual Keyboard allows you to play and record MIDI 
notes by using your computer keyboard or mouse. This is 
useful if you have no external MIDI instrument at hand and 
you do not want to draw in notes with the pencil tool.
1.Create or choose an instrument track and activate the 
“Record Ready” button for it.
Which type of sound is played depends on the selected preset.
2.Activate the Virtual Keyboard by clicking on the “Acti-
vate Virtual Keyboard” button or by using the key command 
[Ctrl]/[Command] + [K].
3.You can now choose between two different keyboard 
display modes: computer keyboard and piano roll. To 
switch between these two modes, click the “Change Vir-
tual Keyboard Display Type” button or use the [Tab] key.
The Virtual Keyboard in computer keyboard display mode
The Virtual Keyboard in piano roll display mode
4.Strike one key at a time or several keys simultaneously 
if you want to enter polyphonic parts.
Note that the maximum number of notes that can be played at one time var-
ies between the different operating systems and hardware configurations.
In piano roll display mode you have two full octaves at 
your disposal. That way you can enter two voices simulta-
neously: for example bass and lead voice or bass drums 
and HiHats.
Hit the second and third row (“z”, “s”, “x”, etc.) for the lower octave and the 
forth and fifth row (“q”, “2”, “w” etc.) for the higher octave.
5.Use the fader “Note velocity level” to the right of the 
virtual keyboard to adjust the volume. 
You can also adjust the volume using the up and down arrow keys.
6.Use the “Octave Offset” icons to the left and the right of 
the virtual keyboard to offset the octave range of the key-
board. 
You can also use the left and right arrow keys to switch the keyboard range 
to a lower or higher octave, respectively.
ÖYou can also use the Virtual Keyboard for previewing 
instrument presets on the MediaBay Page.
!When the Virtual Keyboard is active, the usual key 
commands are blocked. The only exceptions are: [*] 
(“multiply” on the numeric keypad) for recording, 
[Space] for start/stop and [Home]/[Command]+
[Home] to jump to the project start. 
						

							8
The Arrange Zone 
						

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The Arrange Zone
Introduction
The Arrange Zone is where all of the main elements of 
your project will reside. This is also where all of your re-
cording, editing, and arranging will take place.
To the left of the program window you will find the track list. 
The Arrange Zone in the center displays the instrument 
parts and audio events of the project along the timeline.
The Track list buttons
Add New Track
Clicking this button will open the Add Track dialog, see 
“Add Track…” on page 42.
Show Transpose Track
The Transpose track allows you to set global key changes. 
Activating the “Show Transpose Track” button reveals the 
Transpose Track just below the ruler.
[Alt]/[Option]-click to add a global transpose change. 
You can add as many as you like.
To change a transpose value, click in the Transpose 
Value field and drag up or down.
To hide the transpose track, deactivate the “Show 
Transpose Track” button. 
ÖEven when hidden, the transpose track will still affect 
your project.
If you do not want the transpose settings to affect your project, you have 
to delete all transpose parts on the transpose track.
Show Arranger Track
Activating the “Show Arranger Track” button will reveal 
the Arranger track just below the ruler.
To add an Arranger part, hold down [Alt]/[Option] and 
click.
ÖEven when hidden, the Arranger track will still affect 
your project.
If you do not want the Arranger track to affect your project, you have to 
manually delete all parts from the Arranger track.
For more information, see the chapter “Tutorial 4: Live 
Pads and Chain Play mode” on page 35.
Track list
Audio events and instrument parts
Show Transpose 
TrackShow Arranger Track
Add New TrackShow/Hide 
Track Pictures
Click here to show the Transpose track.
The Transpose track with transpose values.