Steinberg Sequel User Manual

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Tutorial 3: Mixing
Output Effects
Output Effects, like Track Effects, are inserts, but in this 
case, they are applied to the Master channel. The “Output 
Effects” tab features two changeable effects and two fixed 
effects.
The two fixed effects are a maximizer and stereo enhancer. 
Both are controllable via sliders and a bypass button.
Let’s use the “Maximizer” to raise the overall volume of the 
project and the “Stereo Enhancer” to create a more 
spread effect of the mix.
1.Move the “Maximizer” slider until the effect is at a suit-
able level.
2.You can bypass the effect by clicking on the button 
above the effect slider.
3.Crank up the “Stereo Enhancer” a little bit to add 
some spread to your project.
For details on each effect and its parameters, see the 
chapter “Effects reference” on page 91.
That’s it for effects. Let’s move on to automation.
Adding Automation
Automation allows us to make things like faders, pan, 
knobs, and effects be adjusted automatically. This is very 
handy, especially when you have a lot of tracks in your 
project. Any changes you make will be remembered and 
will occur again automatically without you having to worry 
about them.Let’s make the whole song fade out by changing the vol-
ume automation on the Master track.
1.Activate the “Edit/Write Automation” button in Pilot 
Zone.
The Master track will appear in the Arrange Zone.
2.Make sure that “Volume” is selected on the automation 
pop-up menu. 
Let’s create a fade-out in the last bar of the project.
3.Create two anchor points by clicking on the volume 
automation line. One at the beginning of the last bar and 
one at the end of the last bar.
To delete an anchor point that you may have created by mistake, select it 
and press [Delete] or [Backspace] on your computer keyboard.
4.Drag the anchor point at the end of the song down un-
til you can’t drag it any further.
!Load the project “Mixing 8” found in the “Sequel 
Tutorial 3” folder.
Edit/Write Automation
Make sure Volume is selected here 
						

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Tutorial 3: Mixing
Listen to the fade out automation you have created.
ÖYou can also create automation during playback or re-
cording, simply by wiggling a fader or knob.
Let’s select a parameter to automate. In this case, let’s use 
the “Panner” on the “Synth” track.
1.Make sure that the “Edit/Write Automation” button is 
activated.
2.Select “Panner - Left - Right” from the automation 
pop-up menu on the Synth track so that you can see the 
automation writing itself to the track.
3.Start playback using the space bar and move the pan-
ner back and forth.
4.Stop playback when you are done.
ÖSequel automatically smoothes out the automation for 
you.
If you don’t like the automation you created, press [Ctrl]/
[Command]+[Z] on your computer keyboard to undo it.
Experiment more with this exciting tool! It is so helpful in 
making your project sound great. Remember that pretty 
much any knob, slider or fader can be automated in Sequel.Exporting
Now that we have our project mixed, well want to export it 
so that we can send it to others, burn it to a CD, or listen 
to it on our iPod.
Exporting to iTunes
To export your project directly to iTunes, open the File 
menu and select “Export Project to iTunes”.
Your project will be exported from start to finish as an 
AAC file which is the iTunes default. This will launch 
iTunes and you will find your exported project is already 
part of your library for easy transfer to your iPod.
ÖNote that iTunes must be installed on your computer 
for this function to be available.
Exporting audio files
1.To export your project in a different format, open the 
File menu and select “Export Project as Audio file”. 
2.A dialog opens where you can choose a file name. 
Lets name ours “First Mixdown”.
ÖThe Export Location is where you wish to save the ex-
ported file on your computer. Click in the field to the right 
to select a destination. Make sure you choose a destina-
tion that is easy to remember. Choosing the Project folder 
is recommended so that your file won’t become erased or 
lost.
!Load the project “Mixing 9” found in the “Sequel 
Tutorial 3” folder. 
						

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Tutorial 3: Mixing
ÖNormally you’ll want to save your exported file as a 
“Wave File” under “File Format”. This is the most univer-
sally compatible file type for audio. If the application you 
need the file for demands a different format, you can 
choose one from the pop-up menu.
3.A bit depth of 16 bit is common for CD burning. Let’s 
use 16 bit.
24 bit will give a higher (better than CD) audio quality, but the file will 
also use up more hard disk space.
4.When you are finished choosing all of your settings, 
select “Export” to begin exporting the file.
The progress bar along the bottom will let you see your progress.
!Load the project “Mixing 10” found in the “Sequel 
Tutorial 3” folder to hear the results of our export. 
						

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Tutorial 4: Live Pads and
Chain Play mode 
						

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Tutorial 4: Live Pads and Chain Play mode
Introduction
In this chapter, we’ll show you how to use Sequel to make 
performing live fun and easy. We’ll take you through creat-
ing Arranger parts and using the Arranger page.
Arranger parts
ÖThe following sections make references to tutorial 
projects, located in the default Sequel project folder.
Let’s use Arranger parts to separate the intro, verse, cho-
rus, and extro into different sections.
1.Activate the Arranger track button in the Pilot Zone.
2.Place the cursor within the Arranger track and press 
and hold [Alt]/[Option] on your computer keyboard. The 
cursor will turn into a pencil.
3.Click and drag to create an Arranger part from bar 1 to 
bar 5. 
4.Create three more parts from bar 5 to 13, 13 to 17, and 
17 to 25. They will be labeled alphabetically from A to Z.
You can create up to 26 parts. One for each letter of the alphabet. If you 
want to use a different project, feel free to create as many Arranger parts 
as you like.
Live Mode
Now that we have Arranger parts set up, let’s use them to 
play back our project.
1.Select the Arranger page in the Multi Zone.
2.Make sure that the Pad Mode is set to “Live Pads” 
mode. This is represented by four small pads in the shape 
of a box.
3.Below the Pad Mode button you can select the Jump 
mode. Make sure it is set to “End”.
4.Click on “Pad A” and it will begin looping the intro.
You can also press the [A] key on your computer keyboard.
Notice that the pad is highlighted. This signifies that the pad is currently 
playing back or active.
5.Click on “Pad B”.
Notice that pad “B” starts flashing. This signifies that this pad is next in 
line to be played.
The order in which the pads will be played and the exact 
time at which a pad is played depend on the settings to 
the left of the pads.
!Load the project “Live Mode 1” found in the “Sequel 
Tutorial 4” folder.
!Load the project “Live Mode 2” found in the “Sequel 
Tutorial 4” folder.
Option Description
Now Jumps to the next section immediately.
4 bars, 
2 barsWhen one of these modes is selected, a grid of 4 or 2 bars (de-
pending on the setting) will be placed on the active Arranger part. 
Whenever the respective grid line is reached, playback will jump 
to the next Arranger part. An example:
Let’s say you have an Arranger part which is 8 bars long and 
Jump mode is set to 4 bars. When the cursor is anywhere within 
the first 4 bars of the Arranger part when you hit the next pad, 
playback will jump to the next part when the end of the fourth bar 
of the Arranger part is reached. When the cursor is anywhere 
within the last 4 bars of the Arranger part, playback will jump to 
the next part at the end of the part.
When a part is shorter than 4 (or 2) bars when this mode is se-
lected, playback will jump to the next section at the part end.
1 bar Jumps to the next section at the next bar line.
1 beat Jumps to the next section at the next beat.
End Plays the current section to the end, then jumps to the next section. 
						

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Tutorial 4: Live Pads and Chain Play mode
6.[Alt]-click along the bottom of pad A and name it “Intro”. 
7.Let’s also name pad B “Verse”, pad C “Chorus”, and 
pad D “Extro”.
8.Click on the “Stop” pad to stop playback.
9.Now you can use the Pads to play live. Just click on a 
pad to play it and click on the pad you want to play next to 
queue it up.
Experiment with the Jump modes and have fun creating 
different arrangements with your project.
Chain Play Mode
When using the “Live Pads” mode, you have to physically 
click each pad as you would like it to be played. This is 
great for a more spontaneous performance, but what if 
you want things planned out a little more? That’s where 
“Chain Play” mode really comes in handy.
1.Change the pad mode to “Chain Play” mode. This is 
represented by three small pads with an arrow underneath.2.Click on “Pad A”. Notice that an “A” appears in the 
“Current Chain”.
3.Add B, C, and D to the Current Chain.
You can also drag parts from the Arranger track into the current track.
4.Press the space bar on your computer keyboard to 
start playback. Each Arranger part will play in the se-
quence found in the “Current Chain”. 
Right now the “Current Chain” is playing back our project 
in its original arrangement, so let’s change things up a bit.
5.Click on the “Play” button to stop playback.
6.Click the “Reset” button to clear the “Current Chain”.
You can also move the insert cursor in the “Current Chain” and then 
press [Delete] or [Backspace] until the chain is empty.
7.Use the pads to enter in a pattern. We’ll use A, B, C, 
C, B, C, C, D.
Feel free to enter any pattern you like!
8.Click “Play” in the Pilot Zone to start playback.
9.Activate the Cycle button.
If the Cycle is activated, the Current Chain will loop when it gets to the 
end. If the Cycles is off, playback will stop when it reaches the end.
Click and drag to change the order of the parts in the 
current chain.
To delete a part, you can use [Backspace] or [Delete] 
on your computer keyboard. Note that the cursor must be 
placed at the position where you want the part deleted.
!Load the project “Live Mode 3” found in the “Sequel 
Tutorial 4” folder.
Current 
Chain 
						

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The Pilot Zone 
						

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The Pilot Zone
Introduction
The Sequel window is divided into three main sections: the 
“Pilot Zone” (explained below), the “Arrange Zone” (see the 
chapter “The Arrange Zone” on page 48), and the “Multi 
Zone” (see the chapter “The Multi Zone” on page 55).
The Pilot Zone in Sequel puts you in the pilot seat so that 
you can control all of Sequel’s main functions.
In this chapter, we are going to take you through the layout 
and functions of the Pilot Zone.
This chapter is great to use as a reference if you aren’t 
sure what a button is or does in the Pilot Zone. 
The Sequel menu (Mac only)
The Sequel menu is only found in the Mac version of Se-
quel and contains a few options related to the Mac OS.
About Sequel
This option allows you to view the exact version of Sequel 
you have installed and also take a look at some of the peo-
ple involved in putting it together.
Preferences
Not used. You will find the main preference of Sequel in 
the Program Settings page, see “The Program Settings 
page” on page 71.The rest of the functions in this menu are related to the 
Mac OS and are the same as the functions you would find 
in any program you run on a Mac.
The File and Edit menus
On the Mac, the File and Edit menus appear along the top 
left of the screen.
On the PC, these menus are opened via the two buttons 
in the top left corner of the screen.
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.
Pilot Zone Arrange Zone
Multi Zone
File menuEdit menu
Minimize Maximize Close 
						

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The Pilot Zone
Selecting the maximize button will stretch out the pro-
gram window to fill your screen.
Selecting the maximize again will shrink the window down and allow you 
to manually resize the window by clicking and holding the bottom right 
corner of the program window and dragging until you find a window size 
that is 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 again will shrink the window down and allow you 
to manually resize the window by clicking and holding the bottom right 
corner of the program window and dragging until you find a window size 
that is comfortable.
The File button/menu
The File menu (opened by clicking the File button in the 
top left corner of the Sequel window under Windows) 
contains the following options:
New Project
Selecting this option creates a new blank project.
You can also use the key command [Ctrl]/[Com-
mand]+[N].
Open Project…
Selecting this option allows you to open an existing 
project.
You can also use the key command [Ctrl]/[Com-
mand]+[O].
Save Project
Selecting this option allows you to save your project.
You can also use the key command [Ctrl]/[Com-
mand]+[S].
Save As…
Selecting this option allows you to save your project under 
a different name.
You can also use the key command [Ctrl]/[Com-
mand]+[Shift]+[S].
Manage Projects…
Selecting this option opens a dialog which allows you 
manage all of your Sequel projects.
Minimize Maximize Close 
						

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The Pilot Zone
Along the bottom of the dialog is a pop-up menu where 
you can select the location of your projects. Any projects 
located within that location will appear in the list on the left 
side of the dialog. You can then click on a project to select 
it and perform the following functions.
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 up a dialog which allows you 
to export your project to be used for burning to CD or var-
ious other uses. To burn a CD you will need the appropri-
ate 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” on page 32.
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” on page 32.
Recent Projects
This allows you to quickly access recently worked on 
projects.
Help
Selecting this option will open the manual which you are 
viewing now.
You can also use [F1] on the keyboard to access it any 
time you need assistance.
About Sequel (Windows only)
This option allows you to view the exact version of Sequel 
you have installed and also take a look at some of the peo-
ple involved in putting it together.
User Registration…
Selecting this option opens your computer’s web browser 
and takes you to Steinberg’s on-line registration service. 
We encourage you to register your software! By doing so, 
you are entitled to technical support and being kept aware 
of updates and other news regarding Sequel.
Quit
Selecting this option will exit the program. A dialog will 
open asking you to save your project if you haven’t done 
so already.
 Click “Save” to save your project before you quit.
 Click “Don’t Save” to quit without saving.
 Click “Cancel” if you aren’t sure.
The key command to quit is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[Q].
The Edit button/menu
The Edit menu (opened by clicking the Edit (tool) button in 
the top left corner of the Sequel window under Windows) 
contains the following editing functions:
Option Description
Rename… This allows you to change the name of a project.
Delete… Click this button to permanently remove a project from 
the specified location.
Pack… This packs (or compresses) all of the components of your 
project into one file for transfer or backup.
Unpack… This will open packed files and restore file and directory 
structure for editing.
Open Opens the selected project.