Steinberg Cubase 4 Operation Manual

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Surround sound  (Cubase only)
In Angle Mode, a white arc helps you determine the per-
ceived “range” of a source (white and blue for stereo 
tracks). The sound will be at its loudest in the middle of 
the arc and will have dropped in level towards the ends.
Exactly how levels are handled may require some explana-
tion:
When you move a source around, a number will indicate 
the loudness in each speaker.
This is a value in dB (decibel) and is relative to the nominal level of the 
source. In other words, 0.0 (dB) represents full level.
If you position the source far enough away from a 
speaker, its level will drop to zero (indicated by an infinity 
symbol).
The signal levels from the individual speakers are indi-
cated by colored lines from the speakers to the center of 
the display.
You can use modifier keys to restrict movement in vari-
ous ways:
In Standard and Position Mode:
In Angle Mode:
There is also a special set of key commands for working in 
the SurroundPan window.
The LFE dial (all modes)
If the selected surround setup includes an LFE (Low Fre-
quency Effects) channel, a separate LFE level dial will be 
available in the SurroundPan window. Use this to set the 
signal amount sent to the LFE channel. You can also set 
this using the small red strip to the right of the Surround 
Panner in the mixer channel strip, or by typing in a number 
in the LFE value field in the larger Surround Panner that 
can be shown in the extended channel strip.
The Surround Panner in the channel strip (bottom) and in the extended 
panel of the mixer channel strip (“Panner” selected on the View options 
pop-up menu).
Mono/Stereo pop-up (All Modes)
If you have a mono channel the Mono/Stereo pop-up is by 
default set to Mono Mix. The panner will then behave as 
described above.
If you have a stereo channel, you have the option of using 
one of the three Mirror modes. Two gray balls will then ap-
pear, one for each channel (L/R). This will allow you to 
move the two channels symmetrically, by dragging one of 
them. The three modes allow you to select which axis 
should be used for mirroring.
 The default mode for stereo channels is the Y-Mirror mode.
 If you run a stereo signal through the panner in Mono Mix 
mode, the two channels will be mixed together before entering 
the plug-in.
 If you run a mono signal through the plug-in in one of the ste-
reo modes, the signal will be split before entering the plug-in.
Key Movement restriction
[Shift] Horizontally only
[Ctrl]/[Command] Vertically only
[Alt]/[Option] Diagonally (up left, down right)
[Ctrl]/[Command]+ 
[Alt]/[Option]Diagonally (up right, down left)
Key Movement restriction
[Shift] From center to perimeter only
[Ctrl]/[Command] Along the perimeter only (at current distance from 
center)
!For a complete list of the available key commands, 
click on the “SurroundPanner” logo and then click 
again!
…or drag this control to set LFE level.Click here and type in a LFE level value… 
						

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Surround sound  (Cubase only)
Additional parameters (Standard mode)
Center Level.
This determines how center source signals should be reproduced by the 
front speakers. With a value of 100 %, the center speaker will provide the 
center source. With a value of 0 %, the center source will be provided by 
the ghost image created by the left and right speakers. Other values will 
produce a mix between these two methods.
Divergence Controls.
The three divergence controls determine the attenuation curves used 
when positioning sound sources, for X-axis front, X-axis back and Y-axis 
(front/rear), respectively. If all three Divergence values are 0 % (default), 
positioning a sound source on a speaker will set all other speakers to 
zero level (-×) (except for the center speaker which depends on the cen-
ter level). With higher values, the other speakers will receive a percent-
age of the sound source.
Additional parameters (Position and Angle mode)
Attenuate.
Attenuate can be used to amplify or weaken the source. Exactly what effect 
this has on the level in each speaker can be determined by the level read-
outs, the concentric circle (Position mode) and the arc (Angle mode).
Normalize.
Normalize is a function for controlling the overall loudness from all speak-
ers. When this is set to 1.0 (full normalization), the level from all speakers 
together is always exactly 0 dB. The individual levels will then be boosted 
or attenuated accordingly.
Automation
All parameters in the SurroundPan plug-in can be auto-
mated, just as with any other plug-in. See “Using Write/
Read automation” on page 209.
Exporting a Surround mix
When you have set up a surround mix you can choose to 
export it with the Export Audio Mixdown function. This 
function exports a single selected output bus – this means 
that all channels that you want to be part of the mix must 
be routed to the surround output bus.
You have the following export options when doing sur-
round work:
Export to “split” format, resulting in one mono audio file 
for each surround channel.
Export to interleaved format, resulting in a single multi-
channel audio file (e.g. a 5.1 file, containing all six sur-
round channels).
Under Windows you can also export a 5.1 surround mix 
to a file in Windows Media Audio Pro format.
This is an encoding format tailored for 5.1 surround – see “Windows 
Media Audio Pro files (Windows only)” on page 418.
You can also export a surround mix to a Dolby Digital 
AC3 file or a DTS file, if you have the Steinberg Dolby Dig-
ital Encoder or the Steinberg DTS Encoder (both optional, 
separate plug-ins) installed in your system.
Please go to www.steinberg.net for details.
For more about exporting to files, see the chapter “Export 
Audio Mixdown” on page 413.
Using effects in surround configurations
Cubase introduces a special surround format for VST 
plug-ins, that is plug-ins that can process more than two 
channels. Mix6to2 is an example of such a plug-in.
Applying a Surround-aware plug-in
This is not different from applying a regular plug-in. The 
only difference is that the plug-in panel may have controls 
for more than two channels.
Using a stereo plug-in in a surround configuration
Normally, when you apply a stereo insert effect to a sur-
round configuration, the first two speaker channels (often 
L and R) are routed through the plug-in and other chan-
nels are left unprocessed. 
However, you may want to use the plug-in on other speaker 
channels. This is described in the chapter “Audio effects” 
on page 162.
!Please note that this is not a dynamic feature, like 
compression or limiting. It is instead just a tool for 
scaling the nominal output levels from the surround 
channels. 
						

							16
Automation 
						

							204
Automation
Background
Cubase provides very comprehensive automation fea-
tures. Virtually every mixer and effect parameter can be 
automated.
There are two main methods you can use to automate pa-
rameter settings:
By manually drawing curves on automation subtracks in 
the Project window.
See “Editing automation events” on page 212.
By using the Write/Read buttons and adjusting para-
meters in the mixer.
See “Using Write/Read automation” on page 209.
The methods are not different in terms of how the automa-
tion data is applied – they only differ in the way the auto-
mation events are created; manually drawing them or 
recording them. Any applied automation data will be re-
flected in both the mixer (a fader will move for example) 
and in a corresponding automation track curve (although 
this may be hidden).
About automation subtracks
Audio tracks, group channel tracks and FX channel tracks 
all have automation subtracks. These allow you to view 
and edit the automation of all mixer settings for the track, 
including settings for the track’s insert effects. There is 
one automation subtrack for each parameter, and sub-
tracks can be shown or hidden in any combination.
Similarly, MIDI tracks have automation subtracks for mixer 
settings, track parameters and (if used) for send and insert 
effect settings.
VST Instruments have special automation tracks that ap-
pear in the Project window when you add a VST Instrument. 
There is one automation track for the plug-in parameters, 
and one track for each mixer channel used by the instru-
ment. These tracks all have automation subtracks, giving 
you access to all parameters and mixer settings.
Instrument tracks, as a combination of a MIDI track and a 
VST Instrument, have automation tracks that provide auto-
mation parameters for the VST Instrument itself, for the 
VST Instrument channel and the respective MIDI automa-
tion parameters.
Finally, for ReWire channels and input/output channels, 
automation tracks are automatically added as soon as you 
activate automation (with the Write button) in the corre-
sponding mixer channel strip or in the Channel Settings 
window. These automation tracks have subtracks for all 
parameters as well. 
						

							205
Automation
What can be automated?
Mixing in Cubase can be completely automated. The fol-
lowing parameter settings can be recorded automatically 
– or manually drawn in – on automation subtracks:
For each audio or group track and ReWire channel:


 Linked Panner state (controlled with the button “Link Send 
Routing Panners to Channel Panner” on the Control Strip 
section of the Channel settings window).
 Pan (Depending on the channel configuration, you can make 
settings for the Standard Panner or the Surround Panner.)
 8 x insert effect parameters and bypass (if inserts are used)
 8 x effect send settings (on/off, level, pan)
 Settings for 4 EQ modules (Master Bypass, on/off, Type, 
Gain, Freq., Quality)
For each FX channel track and input/output bus:


 Linked Panner state (controlled with the button “Link Send 
Routing Panners to Channel Panner” on the Control Strip 
section of the Channel settings window).
 Pan (Depending on the channel configuration, you can make 
settings for the Standard Panner or the Surround Panner.)
 8 x insert effect parameters and bypass (if inserts are used)
 Settings for 4 EQ modules (Master Bypass, on/off, Type, 
Gain, Freq., Quality)
For each VST Instrument:
 VST Instrument plug-in parameters and program selection
plus (for each mixer channel/separate output used by the 
instrument):


 Linked Panner state (controlled with the button “Link Send 
Routing Panners to Channel Panner” on the Control Strip 
section of the Channel settings window).
 Pan (Depending on the channel configuration, you can make 
settings for the Standard Panner or the Surround Panner.)
 8 x insert effect parameters and bypass (if inserts are used)
 8 x effect send settings (on/off, level, pan)
 Settings for 4 EQ modules (Master Bypass, on/off, Type, 
Gain, Freq., Quality)
For each MIDI track:



 MIDI Modifiers on/off switch


 Random 1-2 min/max/target
 Range 1-2 min/max/target
 4 x insert effect on/off switches
 4 x send effect on/off switches
 4 x MIDI insert effect parameters (if used)
 4 x MIDI send effect parameters (if used)
For each Instrument track:
As Instrument tracks are a combination of a MIDI track, an 
instrument and an Instrument Return channel in the Mixer, 
the automation subtracks for instrument tracks feature all 
parameters that are available for VST instruments plus the 
parameters for MIDI tracks (see the respective sections 
above) except MIDI Volume, Pan and Mute, because the 
parameters Volume Pan and Mute are controlled directly 
via the Instrument Return channel in the Mixer. 
						

							206
Automation
Automation track operations
Opening automation subtracks 
Every track/channel has a number of automation sub-
tracks, each showing one automation parameter.
For audio, Instrument, group channel, MIDI and FX chan-
nel tracks, there are two ways you can open an automa-
tion subtrack for the channel:
By right-clicking the track in the Track list and selecting 
“Show Automation” from the context menu.
By clicking on the left border of the track in the Track 
list. (When you position the mouse pointer over the lower 
left corner of the track, the respective arrow icon (“Show/
Hide Automation”) appears.)
An automation subtrack opens in the Track list, and a straight black hori-
zontal line is shown as well as a greyed out mirror image of the audio 
events’ waveform (or MIDI events for MIDI tracks) in the event display. By 
default, the volume parameter is assigned to the first subtrack.
Click here to open an automation subtrack.
For VST Instruments (not for Instrument tracks, see above), 
automation tracks appear automatically when you add them 
in the VST Instruments window.
For ReWire channels and input/output busses, automa-
tion tracks are automatically created when the Write auto-
mation button (see “Using Write/Read automation” on 
page 209) is activated in either:
 The corresponding channel strip in the mixer.
 The corresponding Channel Settings window.
 The mixer common panel (“All Automation to Write Status”).
 The area above the Track list (“All Automation to Write Status”).
Opening additional automation subtracks
If you position the mouse pointer over the lower left cor-
ner of an automation subtrack, a “+” sign (“Append Auto-
mation Track”) will appear. If you click this (or indeed, if 
you click anywhere on the left border of the track), another 
subtrack opens, by default showing the next parameter in 
the Add Parameter list (see below). 
						

							207
Automation
Assigning a parameter to an automation track
Default parameters are already assigned to automation 
subtracks when you open them, according to their order in 
the Add Parameter list (see below).
To select what parameter an open subtrack should dis-
play, proceed as follows:
1.If none exists, open an automation subtrack using one 
of the methods described above.
2.Click in the parameter display for the automation sub-
track.
A pop-up list is shown, containing some of the automation parameters 
plus the item “More...” at the bottom of the list. The contents of the list 
depend on the track type (audio, MIDI, VST instrument, etc.).
If the parameter you wish to automate is on the pop-up 
menu, you can select it directly.
The parameter will then replace the current parameter in the automation 
subtrack. 
If you wish to add a parameter not available on the pop-
up menu or want to view all parameters that can be auto-
mated, go on to the next step.3.Select “More...”.
The Add Parameter dialog appears. This dialog shows a list with all pa-
rameters that can be automated for the selected channel (sorted into dif-
ferent categories), including the parameters for any assigned insert 
effects. See “What can be automated?” on page 205 for a list of the 
available parameters according to channel type. To view the parameters 
in each category click the “+” sign for the category folder.
The Add Parameter dialog for an audio track.
4.Select a parameter from the list and click OK.
The parameter will then replace the current parameter in the automation 
subtrack.
ÖNote that the “replacing” of the parameter displayed in 
the subtrack is completely non-destructive. 
For example, if the subtrack contained any automation data for the pa-
rameter you just replaced, this data will still be there, although it will not 
be visible after you replaced the parameter. If you click in the parameter 
display you can switch back to the replaced parameter. All automated 
parameters are indicated by an asterisk (*) after the parameter name on 
the pop-up menu.
The Volume parameter is automated. 
						

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Automation
You can click the “Append Automation Track” button (the 
“+” sign) for the automation subtrack several times to 
open additional subtracks and repeat the above proce-
dure to assign a parameter to each subtrack.
Removing automation subtracks 
To remove automation subtracks from the Track list, pro-
ceed as follows:
To remove a single subtrack, click the parameter name 
and select “Remove Parameter” from the pop-up menu.
Note that this will also delete any automation events on the subtrack, and 
the subtrack will be closed.
To remove all currently unused subtracks from a track in 
the Track list, select “Remove Unused Parameters” from 
any of its subtrack parameter name pop-ups.
All subtracks that do not contain automation events will be closed for the 
selected track.
Hiding automation subtracks
To hide a single automation subtrack, position the pointer 
over the top left border of the subtrack in the Track list and 
click the “Hide Automation Track” button (the minus sign).
To hide all automation subtracks for a track, right-click 
the track for which you wish to hide the automation sub-
tracks, and select “Hide Automation” from the context 
menu.
To hide all automation subtracks for all tracks in the 
Track list, right-click any track and select “Hide All Auto-
mation” from the context menu.
This option is also available in the Track Folding submenu of the Project 
menu.
Showing only used automation subtracks
If a lot of automation subtracks are used, it may be imprac-
tical to have them all open in the Track list. If you want to 
view only the subtracks that are used (i.e. those that actu-
ally contain automation events) and hide all empty auto-
mation subtracks, do one of the following:
Right-click any track in the Track list and select the op-
tion “Show All Used Automation” from the pop-up menu.
This will close all automation subtracks not containing any automation 
events, while leaving used subtracks open for all tracks. This option is 
also available in the Track Folding submenu of the Project menu.
Right-click a specific track and select the option “Show 
Used Automation” from the context menu.
This will close all automation subtracks for the selected track not contain-
ing any automation events, while leaving used subtracks open.
Muting automation subtracks
You can mute individual automation subtracks by clicking 
their Mute buttons in the Track list. Clicking the Read (R) 
button (see “Using Write/Read automation” on page 209) 
for an automation subtrack will activate or deactivate Read 
mode for all automated parameters of the track. Using the 
Mute button allows you to turn off automation for a single 
parameter. 
						

							209
Automation
The “Automation follows Events” setting
If you activate “Automation follows Events” on the Edit 
menu (or in the Preferences–Editing page), automation 
events will automatically follow when you move an event or 
part on the track. 
This makes it easy to set up automation related to a spe-
cific event or part, rather than to a specific position in the 
project. For example, you can automate the panning of a 
sound effect event (having the sound pan from left to right, 
etc.) – if you need to move the event, the automation will 
automatically follow! The rules are:
All automation events for the track between the start 
and end of the event or part will be moved.
If there are automation events in the new position (to which you move the 
part or event), these will be overwritten.
If you copy an event or part (using Copy/Paste, or [Alt]/
[Option]-dragging, or using the Duplicate or Repeat func-
tions), the automation events will be duplicated as well.
Using Write/Read automation
All track types except folder, marker, video and ruler tracks 
feature Write (W) and Read (R) buttons in the mixer, in the 
Track list and in the Channel Settings window. Further-
more, the control panels for all plug-in effects and VST In-
struments also feature Write and Read buttons.
The Write and Read buttons for a channel in the mixer and for an auto-
mation subtrack in the Track list.
If you activate Write for a channel, all mixer parameters 
you adjust during playback for that specific channel will be 
recorded as automation events.
If you activate Read for a channel, all your recorded 
mixer actions for that channel will be performed during 
playback, just like you performed them in Write mode.
The W and R buttons for a track in the Track list are mir-
rors of the W and R buttons in the corresponding channel 
strip in the mixer.There are also global Read and Write buttons in the com-
mon panel of the mixer and at the top of the Track list:
The global Write and Read buttons in the mixer, and in the Track list.
When “All Automation to Read Status” is activated, all 
your recorded mixer actions for all channels will be per-
formed during playback.
When “All Automation to Write Status” is activated, all 
mixer actions you perform during playback (for all chan-
nels) will be recorded as automation events.
The “MIDI Controller Input to Automation Tracks” 
preference
If you have set up a remote device to control parameters 
and settings in the program, you can record automation 
with that remote device – just activate Write as usual. 
However, if you are recording a MIDI track and want to 
record automation at the same time, the controller data 
sent by the remote device will be recorded “twice” – as 
automation and as MIDI controller data on the MIDI track.
To avoid this, activate the “MIDI Controller Input to Auto-
mation Tracks” setting in the Preferences (MIDI page). 
When this is activated, the controllers will be recorded as 
automation only, not as MIDI controller data on the re-
corded MIDI track. 
						

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Automation
About the five automation modes (Cubase only)
When recording automation, you can choose one of five 
automation modes (available on the Project window tool-
bar):
When Touch Fader mode is selected, the program 
starts writing the automation as soon as you click the con-
trol and stops writing when you release the mouse button.
If you are overwriting existing automation, the Automation Return Time 
setting (next to the automation mode pop-up menu) determines how fast 
the automated parameter returns to its original automated value when 
you release the mouse button.
When Autolatch mode is selected, the program starts 
writing the automation as soon as you click the control 
and stops writing when you stop playback or turn off the 
Write function.
The last automation value will be continuously written until you stop or 
turn off Write. This is useful if you want to overwrite a long section of pre-
vious automation, and also when you are recording automation from a re-
mote device (because there is no way for the program to know when you 
“release” the control). However, make sure you only touch the desired 
control(s) when recording automation in Autolatch mode – and remem-
ber to stop playback when you’re done!
X-Over mode works like Autolatch mode, but with one 
difference: As soon as you “cross” any existing (previous) 
automation curve, the writing is automatically turned off.Overwrite mode affects volume automation only. It 
works like Autolatch mode, with one significant difference: 
the program starts writing the automation as soon as you 
start playback, and stops writing when you turn off Write.
This means that automation will be written continuously from the moment 
you start playback until you turn off Write – even if you don’t touch any 
controls. This is useful if you want to have a “clean slate” and redo previ-
ous volume automation.
Trim mode is useful for volume automation only. It off-
sets the volume automation curve without overwriting any 
previous volume automation, letting you adjust the volume 
for already existing automation.
In Trim mode, the channel’s volume fader in the mixer is initially posi-
tioned in the exact middle position, regardless of any existing volume au-
tomation. By raising the fader relative to the middle position, you offset 
the volume curve upwards. By lowering the fader, you offset the volume 
curve downwards. In Trim mode, the program starts writing the automa-
tion as soon as you click the control and stops writing when you release 
the mouse button.
Trim mode has a special feature: if you enable Write au-
tomation when playback is stopped and select Trim mode, 
you can use the fader to trim (offset) the volume curve be-
tween the left and right locator.
For example, this makes it easy to raise the relative volume in a specific 
area: set the locators accordingly, enable Write, select Trim mode and 
raise the level fader.
Recording your actions – an example
If the settings in your current project are crucial, you may 
not want to “experiment” with automation until you know 
more about how it all fits together. If so, you can create a 
new project for the following example. It doesn’t even have 
to contain any audio events, just a few audio tracks. Pro-
ceed as follows:
1.Open the Mixer window.
2.Click the global Write button (“All Automation to Write 
Status”) in the mixer common panel.
Cubase is now in global Write mode. 
3.Start playback and adjust some volume faders and/or 
other parameter settings in the mixer or perhaps in a 
Channel Settings window.
Stop playback when you are done, and return to the position where you 
started playback.
!In Cubase Studio, the automation mode is always 
“Touch Fader”.
!For most plug-in parameters (audio effects and VST 
Instruments), there is no way for the program to 
“know” whether a control is “pressed” or not (this in-
formation is not passed back by the plug-in inter-
face). For this reason, automation of most plug-in 
parameters will work as in Autolatch mode (see be-
low), even if Touch Fader is selected.