Steinberg Cubase 4 Operation Manual

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File handling
Importing tracks from a track archive
The Import Track Archive function lets you import tracks 
exported from another Cubase (or Nuendo) project.
ÖNote that the sample rates of the active project and 
the track archive have to match. If necessary, you have to 
convert the sample rate, see below. 
1.Pull down the File menu and open the Import submenu.
2.On the submenu, select “Track Archive…”.
3.In the file dialog that opens, select the XML file and 
click Open.
The Import Options dialog opens.
In the Project Settings area, you can see a comparison between the 
settings of the track archive and the active project.
4.In the Import Options dialog, click on the Import col-
umn to the left to select the desired track(s) or click “Se-
lect all Tracks”.
A check mark is shown for all selected tracks.
5.Choose which media files to use: 
Select “Use Media Files From Archive” if you want to 
import the track without copying the media files into your 
project folder.
Select “Copy Media To Project Folder” if you want to 
import the media files into your project folder. 
For the option “Perform Sample Rate Conversion”, see below.
6.Click OK.
The tracks are imported, complete with all contents and settings.
Sample rate conversion on track archive import
A track archive may contain media files with a sample rate 
that is different from the sample rate of your currently ac-
tive project. You can see the sample rate difference in the 
Project Settings area.
To convert the sample rate of a track archive to the sam-
ple rate used in the active project on import, select the op-
tion “Copy Media To Project Folder” and then “Perform 
Sample Rate Conversion”.
ÖUnconverted files with another sample rate than the 
one used in the project will play back at the wrong speed 
and pitch.
Other Import/Export functions
For exporting scores, see “Exporting” on page 627.
For exporting and importing Tempo tracks, see “Export-
ing and importing Tempo tracks” on page 399.
Cubase mixmaps from older Cubase versions can be 
imported into Cubase. They will be converted into device 
panels. For information on device panels, see the separate 
PDF document “MIDI Devices”.
Cleanup
The Cleanup function on the File menu helps you to save 
hard disk space by locating and – if you like – deleting un-
used audio files in the project folders on your disk.
1.Select “Cleanup…” from the File menu.
If there are any open projects, an alert shows. Clicking “Close” closes all 
open projects and brings up the Cleanup dialog.
2.To restrict the Cleanup function to a certain folder only, 
click the “Search Folder” button and select the folder.
The default setting is that the Cleanup function is applied to all folders on 
all hard disks. You should only select a specific folder if you are certain it 
doesn’t contain audio files used in other projects (outside the folder), see 
below. You can reset the function to search all folders by opening the 
“Search Folder” dialog again and clicking “Cancel”.
3.Click the Start button.
Cubase will now scan the selected folder (or all hard disks) for Cubase 
project folders and check for audio and image files (in the Audio, Edits 
and Images subfolders) that are not used by any project. The found files 
are listed in the dialog. 
						

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File handling
4.When the scan is complete, you can select files by 
clicking in the list.
Use [Ctrl]/[Command]-click to select several files, and [Shift]-click to se-
lect a range of files. You can also click the Select All button to select all 
files in the list.
In the following situations, the Cleanup function will list 
files that are not unused:
 If you have moved or renamed files or folders (without updat-
ing the project files to use the new paths), there is no way for 
Cubase to know that these files are used in a project. 
 If you perform the Cleanup function on a folder in which there 
are audio files belonging to other projects (outside the folder), 
these files will be considered “unused”.
Also, make sure you don’t delete any files used in other 
applications, or files that you generally want to keep!
However, you can always safely delete image files since 
these can be reconstructed by the program, if necessary.
5.Delete any files you don’t want to keep by selecting 
them and clicking Delete.
6.Close the dialog by clicking the Close button. 
						

							38
Customizing 
						

							464
Customizing
Background
The user can customize the appearance and functionality 
of Cubase in various ways.
User configurable items described in this chapter are:
Workspaces
By storing different window combinations as workspaces, you can 
quickly switch between different working modes – see “Workspaces” on 
page 464.
Setup dialogs
Several parts of the user interface (toolbars, Transport panel, Inspector, 
info lines and channel settings windows) provide a Setup dialog, where 
you can configure which items of the respective window area or panel 
are to be shown or hidden and where they should be located – see “The 
Setup dialogs” on page 466.
Track list
The controls shown in the Track list can be set for each track type – see 
“Customizing track controls” on page 467.
Preferences presets (Cubase only)
You can save and recall preference settings as preference presets – see 
“About preference presets (Cubase only)” on page 468.
Appearance
The general look of the program can be adjusted – see “Appearance” on 
page 469.
Track and event colors
You can adjust which colors should be used – see “Applying track and 
event colors” on page 470.
This chapter also contains a section describing where 
your preferences and settings are stored (see “Where are 
the settings stored?” on page 473), to help you transfer 
your customized settings to another computer.
Workspaces
A configuration of Cubase windows is called a “work-
space”. A workspace stores the size, position and content 
of all windows, allowing you to quickly switch between dif-
ferent working modes via the menu or by using key com-
mands. E.g., you may want as large a Project window as 
possible when you are editing, whereas you may want the 
Mixer and effect windows open during mixdown. Work-
spaces are listed and managed on the Workspaces sub-
menu on the Windows menu.
Editing the active workspace
There is always one workspace active, even if you haven’t 
saved any. To make changes to the active workspace, you 
simply set up the windows as desired – including open-
ing, closing, moving and sizing windows, and adjusting 
zoom and track height. The changes are automatically 
stored for the active workspace.
To keep a workspace from being accidentally changed, 
select “Lock Active Workspace” from the Workspaces 
submenu.
A locked workspace will keep its original window settings. You may 
change the current window layout on the screen, but the next time you 
select the workspace again, the originally stored layout will be recalled.
Creating a new workspace
1.Pull down the Window menu and open the Work-
spaces submenu.
2.Select “New Workspace”. 
						

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Customizing
3.In the dialog that opens, enter a name for the work-
space.
4.Click OK.
The workspace is stored and will appear on the submenu. It will now be 
the active workspace.
5.Set up the windows you want to include in the new 
workspace.
This may include opening, moving and sizing windows, and adjusting 
zoom and track height.
Activating a workspace
1.Pull down the Window menu and open the Work-
spaces submenu.
2.Select the workspace from the list on the submenu.
The windows are closed, opened, moved and/or resized according to the 
stored workspace.
You can also activate any of nine workspaces using key 
commands.
This is set up under the Workspaces category in the Key Commands 
dialog.
Organizing workspaces and presets
If you select “Organize…” from the Workspaces sub-
menu, the Organize Workspaces dialog opens:The list to the left shows the workspaces in the active 
project, while the list to the right shows the workspace pre-
sets. While workspaces are stored with each project, work-
space presets can be stored globally, allowing you to set 
up a number of workspaces for use in any project. Work-
space presets store the position and size of the main win-
dows only – project-specific windows are not included.
In the Workspaces list to the left, you can rename work-
spaces (by double-clicking and typing) and lock or unlock 
them.
The arrow buttons between the two lists allow you to 
copy the selected workspace to a workspace preset, or 
vice versa.
The buttons below each list let you add, remove or acti-
vate workspaces or presets.
You can also activate a workspace or a preset by double-clicking in its 
number column.
Normally, when you use key commands to activate 
workspaces, they relate to the order in the workspace list, 
e. g. the key command for “Workspace 1” selects the first 
workspace on the list and so on. However, if you activate 
the Use IDs checkbox, you can enter a number (1-9) in the 
ID column for each workspace. 
This number will be used as reference when you are using key com-
mands, so that the key command for “Workspace 1” recalls the work-
space with ID 1.
Workspace presets are saved with the project. By de-
fault the global presets are shown in the list to the right – 
to see the presets of other projects, activate the Show 
Project Presets checkbox.
Activate the Auto Instantiate Presets checkbox to con-
vert all global workspace presets automatically into work-
spaces when you create a new project or open a project.
To close the dialog, click the OK button or use [Esc].
Note that you can continue working in other windows with the Organize 
Workspaces dialog open. 
						

							466
Customizing
The Setup dialogs
You can customize the appearance of the following ele-
ments:
 transport panel
 info line
 channel settings window
 toolbars 
 Inspector
Customizing via the setup context menus
If you right-click the Transport panel, the toolbars, the info 
lines, or the Inspector, the respective setup context menu 
opens. For channel settings windows, these options are 
found in the dialog menu, on the Customize View sub-
menu. On this menu, you can activate/deactivate elements 
as desired.
The following general options are available on the setup 
context menus:
“Show All” makes all items visible.
“Default” resets the interface to the default setting.
“Setup…” opens the Setup dialog (see below).
If presets are available, they can be selected on the lower 
half of the menu.
The info line and Inspector setup context menus. In the Inspector setup 
context menu, the available options depend on the track type.
Customizing via the Setup dialog
If you select “Setup…” from the setup context menus, the 
Setup dialog opens. This allows you to specify which ele-
ments should be visible/hidden and to set the order of the 
elements. You can also save and recall setup presets in 
this dialog.
The Setup dialog, e. g. for the Transport panel.
The dialog is divided into two columns. The left column 
displays the currently visible items and the right column 
displays the currently hidden items.
You can change the current show/hide status by select-
ing items in one column and then using the arrow buttons in 
the middle of the dialog to move them to the other column.
Changes are applied directly.
By selecting items in the “Visible Items” column and us-
ing the Move Up and Move Down buttons, you can reorder 
the selected item(s).
Changes are applied directly. To undo all changes and revert back to the 
standard layout, select “Default” on the setup context menu.
A customized Transport panel.
If you click the Save button (disk icon) in the Presets 
section, a dialog opens, allowing you to name the current 
configuration and to save it as a preset.
To remove a preset, select it on the presets pop-up 
menu and click the trash icon.
Saved configurations are available for selection from the 
Presets pop-up in the Setup dialog or directly from the 
setup context menu. 
						

							467
Customizing
Customizing track controls
You can configure (separately for each track type) which 
track controls should be shown in the Track list. You can 
also specify the order of controls and group controls so 
that they are always shown adjacent to each other. This is 
done using the Track Controls Settings dialog.
Opening the Track Controls Settings dialog
There are two ways to open the dialog:
Right-click a track in the Track list and select “Track 
Controls Settings” from the context menu.
Click the arrow in the top left corner of the Track list and 
select “Track Controls Settings”.
Setting the track type
The settings made in the Track Controls Settings dialog 
apply to the selected track type (Marker, MIDI, Group/FX 
Channel, Folder, Video, Instrument, Audio). The selected 
track type is shown in the menu display in the top left cor-
ner of the dialog.
To change the track type, click the arrow to the right in 
the menu display and select a track type from the pop-up 
menu that opens.
All settings made in the dialog will apply to all tracks (current and subse-
quent) of the selected type.
The track type pop-up in the Track Controls Settings dialog.
ÖAlways make sure that you have selected the desired 
track type when editing the track controls!
Removing, adding and moving track controls
The dialog is divided into two columns. The left column 
displays controls currently visible on the Track list, and the 
right column displays the controls currently hidden.
You can hide controls from the Track list by selecting 
them in the list to the left and clicking the Remove button. 
To show hidden elements, select them in the list to the 
right and click the Add button.
Click OK to apply the changes.
ÖAll controls can be removed except the Mute and Solo 
buttons.
By selecting controls in the “Visible” column and using 
the Move Up and Move Down buttons, you can change 
the order of the selected control(s) on the Track list.
Click OK to apply the changes. 
						

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Customizing
Grouping track controls
If you resize the Track list, the position of the controls will 
change dynamically to accommodate as many controls as 
possible in the available space (given that Wrap Controls is 
activated – see below). By grouping several track controls 
you ensure that they will always be positioned side by side 
in the Track list. To group controls, proceed as follows:
1.Make sure you have selected the desired track type.
2.Select at least two controls you wish to group in the 
Visible list.
You can only group controls that are adjacent to each other in the Visible 
list. To group controls that are currently not adjacent in the list, use the 
Move Up/Down buttons first.
3.Click Group.
A number is displayed in the Group column for the grouped controls. The 
first group created will have the number 1, the second 2 and so on.
4.Click OK.
The controls are now grouped.
You can ungroup commands by using the Ungroup but-
ton. Please note that this will remove the selected element 
and the elements below it in the list from this group. To re-
move an entire group, select the first (topmost) element 
belonging to this group and click the Ungroup button.
About Wrap Controls
This is activated by default. Wrap Controls is allows the 
controls to be dynamically repositioned when resizing the 
Track list. That is, as many controls as can fit in any given 
space will be displayed depending on how you resize the 
Track list.
If you deactivate Wrap Controls, the positions of the con-
trols will be fixed, regardless of the size of the Track list. In 
this mode, you may have to resize the tracks vertically (by 
dragging the dividers between them) to display all the 
controls.
About the Length column
The Length column in the Visible list allows you to set the 
maximum length for certain text fields, e. g. Name. To 
change the setting, click on the number in the Length col-
umn and type in a new value.
Resetting Track list settings
You have two possibilities to reset settings:
Click Reset to restore all default track controls settings 
for the selected track type.
Click Reset All to restore all default track controls set-
tings for all track types.
Saving presets
You can save track controls settings as presets for later 
recall:
1.Click on the Save icon beside the Presets name field.
A dialog opens, allowing you to type in a name for the preset.
2.Click OK to save the settings as a preset.
Saved presets are available for selection from the Presets pop-up and 
from the pop-up at the top left corner of the Track list.
To remove a preset, select it in the Track Controls Set-
tings dialog and click the Delete icon beside the Presets 
name field.
ÖCubase comes with a number of track control settings 
presets available.
About preference presets
(Cubase only)
It is possible to save complete or partial preferences set-
tings as presets. This lets you recall settings quickly and 
easily.
Saving a preference preset
When you have made your preferences settings, proceed 
as follows to save all settings as a preset:
1.Make sure that the “Store marked preferences only” 
option is not activated.
This is because this option is used for saving partial settings (see below), 
as opposed to complete settings.
2.Click the Store button in the lower left section of the 
Preferences dialog. 
						

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Customizing
A dialog opens, allowing you to type in a name for the pre-
set.
3.Click OK to save the preset.
Your saved settings will now be available from the Preference Presets 
pop-up for your future projects.
Loading a preference preset
To load a saved preference preset, proceed as follows:
1.Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu (Win)/
Cubase menu (Mac).
2.Select the saved preset from the Preference Presets 
pop-up.
3.Click OK to apply the saved preset settings and exit 
the Preferences dialog.
Saving partial preferences settings
It is also possible to save partial preferences settings. This 
is useful when you have made settings that only relate to a 
certain project or situation, for example. When you apply a 
saved partial preference preset, you only change the saved 
settings. All other preferences will be left unchanged.
When you have made your specific preferences settings, 
proceed as follows to save the partial settings as a preset:
1.Open the Preferences dialog.
2.Activate “Store marked preferences only”.
A new “Store” column is added in the Preferences page list.
3.Click in the Store column of the Preferences items you 
wish to save.
Note that if you activate a Preferences page that contains subpages, 
these will also be activated automatically. If this is not what you want, 
simply deactivated the subpages.
4.Click the Store button in the lower left section of the 
Preferences dialog.
A dialog opens, allowing you to type in a name for the preset. It is a good 
idea to choose a descriptive name for a partial preference preset, prefer-
ably relating to the saved settings (for example “Editing-Controls”).
5.Click OK to save.
Your saved settings will now be available from the Preference Presets 
pop-up for your future projects.
Appearance
In the Preferences dialog, you will find a page called Ap-
pearance. This page differs for Cubase and Cubase Studio.
Cubase Studio
For Cubase Studio, you will find the following settings:
Basic Appearance Scheme.
By selecting an option from this pop-up menu you can adjust the general 
look of the program. After selecting an Appearance Scheme and clicking 
Apply or OK, you need to restart the program for the changes to take ef-
fect.
Brightness/Intensity sliders.
These sliders allow you to fine-tune the brightness and contrast in vari-
ous areas in the program. Changes take effect when you click Apply or 
OK.
Cubase
For Cubase, it contains three subpages with the following 
settings:
General 
The three controls on the General page affect the appear-
ance of the windows that surround the controls and work-
spaces in Cubase. 
Saturation determines how rich the background colors 
are, from gray to blue. 
Contrast determines how bright or dark the background 
is in relation to controls and displays. 
Brightness lightens or darkens the background. 
						

							470
Customizing
Meters 
The coloring of meters in Cubase can be controlled in so-
phisticated ways. Multiple colors can help to visually indi-
cate what levels are being reached, e. g. in a channel of 
the VST Mixer. To do this, the meter on the Appearances–
Meters page has color handles that allow you to define 
what color the meter will have at a given signal level.
The Appearances–Meters page in the Preferences dialog.
The default setting has four color handles. Each color 
handle has a unique color that gradually shifts as the 
meter moves toward the next color handle.
You can click on any color handle and move its position in the meter 
scale. If you hold down [Shift] while moving the handle with the mouse, it 
will move ten times slower for more precise positioning. You may also 
nudge the color handle’s position with the Arrow Up/Down keys. Holding 
Shift while nudging will move the color handle ten times faster.
You can add color handles by [Alt]/[Option]-clicking 
anywhere along the side of the meter scale. To remove a 
color handle, [Ctrl]/[Command]-click the handle.
By adding more color handles to the meter scale, you can define colors 
for more specific signal levels. Try adding two color handles very close to 
one another. You can make the meter color change more rapidly at a 
specific signal level this way.
To change the color of a handle, select the handle by ei-
ther clicking on it or by jumping to it with the Tab key (hold 
down [Shift] and press the Tab key to jump backwards). 
Then use the hue and brightness controls on the right side 
to alter the handle’s color.
The currently selected color handle is indicated by a black triangle on its 
left side.
Work Area 
The work areas in Cubase are those places where the ac-
tual data are displayed such as the project window event 
display. In these areas, there are items such as vertical 
and horizontal grid lines that can be altered in intensity by 
the controls found on this page.
Applying track and event colors
You can use color scheming for easier overview of tracks 
and events in the Project window. Applying colors is di-
vided into two areas; track and event colors.
A track color is shown and can be edited in the Inspec-
tor, the Track list, and the corresponding channel in the 
Mixer. It is furthermore displayed in all parts and events for 
the track in the event display.
Track colors can be switched on and off globally.
Event colors are shown for parts and events in the event 
display and are independent from the track colors.
ÖAn applied event color “overrides” the track color, if 
both are used.
The color palette can be customized, see “The Event Col-
ors dialog” on page 472.
Track colors
Applying track colors manually
To activate track colors, proceed as follows:
1.Click the Show/Hide Track Colors button at the top of 
the Track list.
This brings up the track color selector in the Inspector, the 
Track list and in the Mixer.