Steinberg Sequel 3 Operation Manual

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The Multi ZoneThe Editor Page
Flam
A flam is a short secondary drum hit that is played just before or after the actual main 
drum beat. If you want to add a flam to a step, proceed as follows:
1.Activate the “Flam Edit Mode” button to the right of the flam function.
2.In the step display, click a step.
A small dot representing a flam appears. 
3.Click the Flam value field and drag up or down to adjust the flam value.
This way you can specify whether if the flam is positioned before the beat or after it.
Lane Selectors
The 16 lane selectors on the left of the Beat Page match the 16 pads shown in the 
pad section on the right. 
•If you select another pad group in the pad section, the corresponding lanes are 
displayed on the left. 
•If you click a lane, the assigned instrument is triggered. 
The same happens if you select a pad or edit a step in the step display. 
Lane Offset
When you move the mouse pointer over a lane, the Lane Offset slider is displayed. It 
allows you to offset all drum steps of a lane. 
•Drag the slider to the left to let the drum steps start a little earlier or to the right to 
start them later. 
Step Display
The step display contains 16 steps for each lane.
•To enter a drum step, click in the step field. 
When you click in an empty field, it is filled, indicating that you will hear a drum beat 
on this step. 
•To enter a continuous range of drum steps, click and drag.
•To remove a drum step, click the corresponding field again. 
•To remove a range of drum steps, click and drag over them.
•To set a high velocity value, click in the upper part of the field when entering a step, 
to set a low velocity value, click in the lower part. 
The different velocity settings are indicated by different colors. 
ÖThe velocity of a flam is slightly lower than the velocity of the corresponding step. 
						

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The Multi ZoneThe Editor Page
Pad Section
To the right of the step display, you find the pad section that allows you to associate 
audio samples with pads. The pad section provides up to 128 pads, organized in 
eight groups of 16 pads. 
Each pad is mapped to a particular MIDI note (C-2 to G8). If you convert your beat 
track into an instrument track, you can trigger the pads via these MIDI notes.
•To assign a sample to a pad, drag it from the MediaBay onto a pad.
•To select a group, click the corresponding group button (labeled 1 to 8) above the 
pads. 
•To select a pad, click on it.
The waveform of the assigned sample is shown in the sample display to the right 
and the pad sound is played. 
•To replace the sample mapped to a pad, drag a new sample onto the pad.
Preset Browser
Above the sample display, the loaded VST preset is shown. 
•Click in the preset field to open the preset browser where you can choose a 
different drum kit.
Sample Display
The sample display shows the waveform of the sample assigned to the pad that is 
selected in the pad section. 
•Click in the sample display and drag upwards or downwards to zoom the waveform.
•Drag the Start and End flags in the waveform display to define the start and end 
points of the sample.
This is useful if you assign a longer (maybe even musical) sample to a pad and you 
want to play back only a defined portion of it.
Volume for Selected Pad
Use the Volume slider below the waveform display to change the volume of the pad 
that is selected for editing.
Pad Name
The name of the sample is shown in the pad name field below the waveform display. 
•To rename a sample, click in the name field, enter a new name, and press [Return]. 
MG – Assign Selected Pad to Mute Group
With this control, you can assign a pad to one of eight mute groups. Pads within a mute 
group never play back simultaneously. With each new note a new pad is triggered.
Panorama for Selected Pad
Use the pan control to change the panorama setting of the selected pad. 
						

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The Multi ZoneThe Editor Page
SOLO
If you activate this button, the selected pad is soloed during playback.
VMax
If you activate this button, all pads are played back with the maximum velocity value of 
127.
Reset
If you click this button, all pad assignments on the Beat Page are cleared.
Sound Editing Parameters
The section below the waveform display contains sound editing parameters, distributed 
to three tabs: Amp, Filter, and Voice.
On the Amp tab, the following parameters are available:
On the Filter tab, the following parameters are available:
On the Voice tab, the following parameters are displayed:
ParameterDescription
AttackControls the amplifier envelope’s attack time.
ReleaseControls the amplifier envelope’s release time. Reduce the release 
time to shorten the decay of sounds played in one-shot mode.
AmpModDetermines the influence that the velocity has on the pad volume 
setting. When set to 100
 %, the pad sounds louder, the higher the 
velocity. When set to 0
 %, velocity has no effect on the pad volume.
AttModDetermines the influence that the velocity has on the Attack setting. 
The higher the AttMod setting, the longer the additional attack time for 
a pad. When this parameter is set to 100
 % and you are playing a pad 
with high velocity, the attack time is increased by 50
 %. When set to 
0
 %, velocity has no effect on the attack. 
ParameterDescription
Off, LP, HP, BPSets the filter type: low-pass (LP), high-pass (HP), or band-pass (BP). 
When you set this control to Off, the settings on this tab have no effect.
CutOffSets the filter’s cutoff frequency.
QSets the filter’s resonance.
ModDetermines the influence that the velocity has on the cutoff frequency. 
When set to 0
 %, the setting has no effect. When set to any other value, 
the cutoff frequency changes depending on the velocity.
ParameterDescription
CoarseTunes the pad by up to ±12 semitones.
FineFine-tunes the pad by up to ±100 cents.
ReverseReverses the selected sample so that you hear it backwards.
Trigger ModeSet this to “One Shot” to play the sample of the selected pad from 
start to finish, or to “Key Hold” to play the sample for as long as you 
hold the mouse button. 
						

							94
The Multi ZoneThe Track Picture Page
The Track Picture Page
You can add a track picture to the selected track. Pictures are useful in live 
performances as they allow you to recognize your tracks at a quick glance. You can 
choose pictures of the factory content or add new ones to the user library.
Adding and Deleting Pictures
To add factory pictures, proceed as follows:
1.In the track list, select the track on which you want to insert a track picture. 
2.In the Multi Zone, open the Track Picture Page and select the Factory panel.
The pictures from the factory content are displayed.
3.Select one of the pictures.
The picture is displayed for the selected track in the track list and in the 
corresponding channel strip on the Mixer Page.
To add your own pictures in *.BMP, *.JPEG, or *.PNG. format, proceed as follows:
1.On the Track Picture Page, select the “User Content” panel.
2.Click the Import button, browse to the location where the picture is stored, select 
it, and click Open.
The picture is shown in the preview panel on the Track Picture Page and it is 
assigned to the selected track. A copy of the picture is stored in the User Content 
Location specified on the Settings Page, see 
“User Content Location” on page 99. 
•To delete a picture from your library, select it, and click the Delete button. You can 
select several pictures by [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking them and delete them 
together.
This only works for your own pictures, factory content cannot be deleted.
Previewing and Editing Pictures
In the area on the left, you can view and edit the track pictures.
The following editing can be performed:
•You can set the track color by clicking the “Track Color” button above the preview 
panel, and clicking on a color. 
The track picture is automatically tinted in the track color.
Zoom slider
Rotate Picture 
button Clear Picture 
button
Reset Zoom 
						

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The Multi ZoneThe Mixer Page
•You can increase or decrease the track color tinting by clicking in the Intensity 
field, and dragging up or down.
•You can change the size of the track picture using the Zoom slider at the bottom of 
the preview panel.
•You can change the visible part of the picture by dragging the picture in the 
preview panel.
•You can unassign the picture by clicking the “Clear Picture” button.
•You can change the orientation of the picture by clicking the “Rotate Picture” 
button.
The Mixer Page
The Mixer Page features a track mixer that shows any track that you created in the 
project.
Channel Settings
Each track has its own channel fader that includes a Mute button, a Solo button, and a 
Record Ready button. These buttons have the same functionality as the corresponding 
buttons in the Arrange Zone, see 
“The Track Controls” on page 72.
Channel Level (Volume) and Pan
Each channel has a fader for controlling the track volume, and a panner. The controls 
have the same functionality as the corresponding controls in the Arrange Zone.
Setting the Track Color
When you set up a track by dragging a loop or instrument sound into the Arrange 
Zone, Sequel automatically assigns a track color.
On the Mixer Page, you can also set a track color individually for each track. Proceed 
as follows:
1.Select the channel that you want to set a color for. 
2.Click the channel name of the selected channel.
A color selector is displayed. 
						

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The Multi ZoneThe Performance Page
3.Select a color.
The channel on the Mixer Page and the corresponding track in the Arrange Zone are 
displayed in the selected color.
The Master Channel
The Master channel is the output of all tracks combined. This channel features a volume 
fader, a panner, and a button to disable the master automation (see 
“Removing and 
Disabling Automation” on page 46).
Clipping
If clipping occurs, the channel meter becomes red. In this case, lower the Master 
channel fader, or alternatively lower all track faders by the same amount to reduce the 
level going into the Master channel. To reset the clipping indicator, click the channel 
fader.
The Performance Page
The Performance Page allows you to create different arrangements of a project and to 
play back a project in a non-linear way. This is useful for live performances.
Performance Parts
To set up your project for non-linear playback, you need to create some performance 
parts on the performance track that mark different sections of your project (for example, 
intro, verse, chorus). Performance parts are shown on the performance track. You can 
open this track by clicking the “Show Performance Track” button above the track list.
Creating Performance Parts
Activate the Draw tool above the track list, click and drag to create performance parts. 
						

							97
The Multi ZoneThe Performance Page
Pads
The rounded squares in the bottom half of the Performance Page are called pads. 
Every performance part you create on the performance track can be assigned to a 
pad. If you click a pad, the corresponding part is played back.
Assigning Pads
Press [Alt]/[Option] and click at the top of a pad to open a pop-up menu where you 
can choose which performance part is assigned to the pad.
Naming Pads
Press [Alt]/[Option] and click at the bottom of a pad to name it.
Pad Layout Modes
Click the Layout button at the top of the Performance Page to switch the pad display 
from keyboard layout to MPC style layout.
Performances
Pads can be used to create performances, that is, sequences of parts that are related 
to performance parts on the performance track. Perfomances are displayed on the 
performance timeline.
Enabling Performance Mode 
Performance mode is automatically enabled when you click a pad, press “Play 
Performance” or “Record Performance”, or enable Step Input mode.
Creating Performances
To create a performance, proceed as follows:
1.Activate the “Record Performance” button and trigger a pad.
A part is created on the performance timeline. You can create as many parts as 
you need.
2.Press [Space] to stop recording.
3.Click the “Play Performance” button.
Your performance is played back.
Performance 
timeline
ÖIn Performance mode, all transport controls affect the performance timeline.  
						

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The Multi ZoneThe Performance Page
To create a performance with the Step Input function, proceed as follows:
•Activate the “Step Input” button and trigger a pad.
A part is created on the performance timeline. To the right of the part an insert 
cursor is displayed. 
Saving Performances
You can save up to three performances by clicking on the corresponding buttons (1, 2, 
3). 
Editing on the Performance Timeline
You can edit your parts on the performance timeline. This may have an influence on 
the adjacent parts: these can be shortened, lengthened, or moved correspondingly. If 
you move or resize your part so that it gets longer than the corresponding 
performance part on the performance track, the part is triggered again.
Use the common editing functions to resize, split, move, or delete a part, see 
“Common Editing Functions” on page 28.
•To replace a part in the performance timeline, point the mouse at the part label, 
and click to open a pop-up menu where you can select another part.
Defining the Jump Grid
The “Define Jump Grid” pop-up menu lets you set a grid resolution for the active part. 
Whenever the corresponding grid line is reached, playback jumps to the next part. 
This works even if your part is longer than the set grid. If your part is shorter, playback 
jumps to the next part as soon as the end of the part is reached. If you activate the End 
option, the current part is played back completely before jumping to the next one.
Flatten 
The Flatten function is useful, if you want to edit your arranged project by adding 
instruments and effects, for example.
If you click the Flatten button, the active performance is converted into a linear project. 
All events in your project are reordered, repeated, resized, moved, and/or deleted to 
correspond exactly to your performance.
 
ÖTo insert a part at an earlier position on the performance timeline, click a part border to 
move the insert cursor to this position.
!Flattening may remove events and parts from the project. Only use the Flatten function 
when you know you do not want to rearrange your performance any more. If in doubt, 
save a copy of the project. 
						

							99
The Multi ZoneThe Settings Page
The Settings Page
On the Settings Page, you can define main settings in Sequel. These settings are 
divided into four categories: Sequel Projects, Audio Settings, User Interface, and 
Options.
Sequel Projects
Project Location
Click in this field to select the directory where your projects are stored on the hard 
drive. A dialog opens, allowing you to browse the hard drives and find a suitable 
location or create a new folder.
User Content Location
Click in this field to specify where your content is stored. A dialog opens, allowing you 
to browse the hard drives and find a suitable location or create a new folder. See 
“Adding User Content” on page 78 to find out how to add user content.
Start-up Action
This pop-up menu allows you to decide whether Sequel creates a new project or 
loads your last project on start-up.
Audio Settings
Audio Connection
Click in this field to open a pop-up menu where you can select a driver for audio 
playback. 
•Click the “Setup…” button to open the control panel for your audio interface. 
•Click Reset to reset the driver settings.
Output Selector
Click in this field to open a pop-up menu where you can select the output on the audio 
interface that you want to use as the output for the project.
Record Format
Click in this field to select the bit rate for your recordings. There are two options:
•16 Bit is the format used for CDs.
•24 Bit provides better quality than 16 Bit, but also requires more storage space on 
your hard disk. 
						

							100
The Multi ZoneComputer Usage
User Interface
Panel Color and Work Area Color
Use these sliders to apply different colors and shadings to the frames of the main 
Sequel program window and the work area.
Show Tips
Activate this option to show tooltips when you move the mouse pointer over a button 
or object.
Options
MIDI Recording – Record Mode
Use this pop-up menu to define a record mode for cycle recordings on instrument 
tracks.
MIDI Recording – Auto Quantize
If this option is activated, anything recorded on an instrument track is automatically 
quantized to 1/16 positions.
MIDI Recording – Record Placement Method (Windows only)
When a MIDI interface sends notes to the application, this data includes timing 
information (so-called timestamps) to correctly position the MIDI events on the Sequel 
timeline. There may be situations in which these timestamps are not in sync with the 
internal timing information of Sequel, so recorded MIDI events are not positioned 
correctly (usually, they occur too late). 
If timing problems with the recorded MIDI events occur with your operating system, try 
changing the Record Placement Method from A (uses timing information of Sequel) to 
B (uses MIDI timestamp). 
Metronome – Record/Playback
You can activate or deactivate the Record and/or Playback options to determine when 
the metronome click is played. 
Remote Controller Source
If you have connected more than one external controller, use this pop-up menu to 
select the corresponding input.
Computer Usage
If you point with the mouse on the upper or lower border of the program window, a 
Computer Usage indicator is shown on the lower border of the Multi Zone, to the right 
of the program name. 
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. When four or more bars light up, 
the workload is quite high. In case of an overload, the whole indicator lights up in 
orange. If this happens, try to reduce the processor load, for example, by freezing 
tracks, see 
“Freeze” on page 72.