Steinberg Cubase 5 Operation Manual

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Fades, crossfades and envelopes
The Fade dialogs
The Fade dialogs appear when you edit an existing fade or 
use the “Fade In”/“Fade Out” functions on the Process 
submenu on the Audio menu. The picture below shows 
the Fade In dialog; the Fade Out dialog has identical set-
tings and features.
If you open the Fade dialog(s) with several events se-
lected, you can adjust the fade curves for all these events 
at the same time.
This is useful if you want to apply the same type of fade-in to more than 
one event, etc.
Curve Kind
These buttons determine whether the fade curve should 
consist of spline curve segments (left button), damped 
spline segments (middle button) or linear segments (right 
button).
Fade display
The Fade display shows the shape of the fade curve. The 
resulting waveform shape is shown in dark gray, with the 
current waveform shape in light gray.
You can click on the curve to add points, and click and 
drag existing points to change the shape. To remove a 
point from the curve, drag it outside the display.
Curve shape buttons
These buttons give you quick access to some common 
curve shapes.
Restore button
The Restore button (to the right above the fade display) is 
only available when editing fades made by dragging the 
fade handles. Click this to cancel any changes you have 
made since opening the dialog.
As Default button
The “As Default” button is only available when editing 
fades made by dragging the fade handles. Click this to 
store the current settings as the default fade. This shape 
will be used whenever you create new fades.
Fade Length Value
The Fade Length Value is only available when editing fades 
made by dragging the fade handles. It can be used to enter 
fade lengths numerically. The format of values displayed 
here are determined by the Primary Time Display in the 
Transport Panel.
When you activate the “Apply Length” option, the value en-
tered in the Fade Length value field will be used when click-
ing “Apply” or “OK”. This setting is deactivated by default.
When you set the current Fade as the Default fade, the 
length value is included as part of the default settings.
Presets
If you have set up a fade in or fade out curve that you may 
want to apply to other events or clips, you can store it as a 
preset by clicking the Store button.
To apply a stored preset, select it from the pop-up 
menu. 
To rename the selected preset, double-click on the 
name and type a new one. 
To remove a stored preset, select it from the pop-up 
menu and click Remove.
!Stored fade in presets will only appear in the Fade In 
dialog, and fade out presets will only appear in the 
Fade Out dialog. 
						

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Fades, crossfades and envelopes
Preview, Apply and Process
The buttons in the bottom row are different depending on 
whether you are editing a fade made with the fade handles 
or applying a fade using processing:
The Edit Fade dialogs have the following buttons:
The Process Fade dialogs have the following buttons:
Creating crossfades
Overlapping audio material on the same track can be 
crossfaded, for smooth transitions or special effects. You 
create a crossfade by selecting two consecutive audio 
events and selecting the Crossfade command on the Au-
dio menu (or by using the corresponding key command, 
by default [X]). The result depends on whether the two 
events overlap or not:
If the events overlap, a crossfade is created in the over-
lapping area.
The crossfade will be of the default shape – initially a linear, symmetric 
crossfade, but you can change this as described below.
If the events do not overlap but are directly consecutive 
(lined up end-to-start, with no gap) it is still possible to 
crossfade them – provided that their respective audio 
clips overlap! In this case, the two events are resized so 
that they overlap, and a crossfade of the default length 
and shape is applied.
The default crossfade length and shape are set in the Crossfade dialog 
(see “Default buttons” on page 94).
An example:
The events themselves do not overlap, but their clips do. Therefore, the 
events can be resized so that they overlap, which is required for a cross-
fade to be created.
When you select the Crossfade function, the two events are resized so that 
they overlap, and a default crossfade is created in the overlapping section.
If the events do not overlap, and cannot be resized 
enough to overlap, a crossfade cannot be created.
Cubase only: You can specify the length of the cross-
fade using the Range Selection tool: make a selection 
range covering the desired crossfade area and use the 
Crossfade command.
The crossfade is applied in the selected range (provided that the events 
or their clips overlap, as described above). You can also make a selec-
tion range after creating the crossfade and use the function “Adjust 
fades to Range” on the Audio menu.
Button Function
OK Applies the set fade curve to the event, and closes the dialog.
Cancel Closes the dialog.
Apply Applies the set fade curve to the event, without closing the 
dialog.
Button Function
Preview Plays back the fade area. Playback will repeat until you click 
the button again (the button is labeled “Stop” during play-
back).
Process Applies the set fade curve to the clip, and closes the dialog.
Cancel Closes the dialog without applying any fade.
The Edit Fade dialog The Process Fade dialog
Overlapping section
Audio clips
Audio events 
						

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Fades, crossfades and envelopes
Once you have created a crossfade, you can edit it by 
selecting one or both crossfaded events, and selecting 
“Crossfade” from the Audio menu again (or by double-
clicking in the crossfade zone). 
This opens the Crossfade dialog, see below.
Removing crossfades
To remove a crossfade, proceed as follows:
Select the events and select “Remove Fades” from the 
Audio menu.
You can also use the Range Selection tool: drag the Range Selection 
tool so that the selection encloses all the fades and crossfades you wish 
to remove, and select “Remove Fades” from the Audio menu.
You can also remove a crossfade by clicking and drag-
ging it outside the track.
The Crossfade dialog
The Crossfade dialog contains separate, but identical, 
sections for the fade-in and fade-out curve settings in the 
crossfade on the left, and common settings on the right.
Fade Displays
Shows the shape of the fade-out and fade-in curve, re-
spectively. You can click on the curve to add points, and 
click and drag existing points to change the shape. To re-
move a point from the curve, drag it outside the display.
Curve kind buttons
These buttons determine whether the corresponding fade 
curve should consist of spline curve segments (left but-
ton), damped spline segments (middle button) or linear 
segments (right button).
Curve shape buttons
These buttons give you quick access to some common 
curve shapes.
Equal Power and Gain
If you activate the “Equal Gain” checkbox, the fade 
curves are adjusted so that the summed fade-in and fade-
out amplitudes will be the same all along the crossfade 
region. This is often suitable for short crossfades.
If you activate the “Equal Power” checkbox, the fade 
curves are adjusted, so that the energy (power) of the 
crossfade will be constant all along the crossfade region.
Play buttons
The “Play Fade Out” and “Play Fade In” buttons allow 
you to audition the fade-out or fade-in part only, without 
the crossfade.
The “Play Crossfade” button plays back the whole 
crossfade.
You can also use the Transport panel controls to play back 
the crossfaded audio events. However, that method will 
play back all unmuted audio events on other tracks as well.
Pre-roll and Post-roll
When auditioning with the Play buttons, you can choose 
to activate pre-roll and/or post-roll. Pre-roll lets you start 
playback before the fade area, and post-roll lets you stop 
playback after the fade area. This can be useful for audi-
tioning the fade in a context.
To specify how long the pre-roll and post-roll should be, 
click in the time fields and enter the desired time (in sec-
onds and milliseconds).
To activate pre-roll and post-roll, click the respective 
button. To deactivate it, click the button again.
!Equal Power curves have only one editable curve 
point. You cannot use the Curve kind buttons or the 
presets when this mode is selected. 
						

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Fades, crossfades and envelopes
Length settings
You can adjust the length of the crossfade area numeri-
cally in the “Length” field. If possible, the length change 
will be applied equally to “both sides” of the crossfade 
(i.e. Cubase tries to “center” the crossfade).
Presets
If you have set up a crossfade shape that you may want to 
apply to other events, you can store it as a preset by click-
ing the Store button.
To apply a stored preset, select it from the pop-up menu. 
To rename the selected preset, double-click on the 
name and type in a new one. 
To remove a stored preset, select it from the pop-up 
menu and click Remove.
Default buttons
Clicking the “As Default” button stores all of the current 
settings as the default crossfade. These settings will then 
be used whenever you create new crossfades.
The Crossfade Length setting is included in the Default 
settings. However, it is only applied if the events to be 
crossfaded do not overlap, otherwise the crossfade will be 
in the overlap area (see “Creating crossfades” on page 92).
Clicking the “Recall Default” button copies the curves 
and settings of the Default crossfade to the Crossfade 
dialog.
Auto Fades and Crossfades
Cubase features an Auto Fade function that can be set 
both globally, i.e. for the entire project, and separately for 
each audio track. The idea behind the Auto Fade function 
is to create smoother transitions between events by ap-
plying short (1–500 ms) fade-ins and fade-outs.
Making global Auto Fade settings
1.To make Auto Fades settings globally for the project, 
select “Auto Fades Settings…” from the Project menu.
This opens the Auto Fades dialog for the project.
2.Use the checkboxes in the upper right corner to acti-
vate or deactivate Auto Fade In, Auto Fade Out and Auto 
Crossfades, respectively.
3.Use the Length value field to specify the length of the 
Auto Fade or Crossfade (1–500 ms).
4.To adjust the shapes of Auto Fade In and Auto Fade 
Out, select the “Fades” tab and make settings as in the 
regular Fade dialogs.
5.To adjust the shape of the Auto Crossfade, select the 
“Crossfades” tab and make settings as in the regular 
Crossfade dialog.
!To be able to resize a crossfade this way, it must be 
possible to resize the corresponding event. For ex-
ample, if the left crossfaded event already plays its 
audio clip to the end, its endpoint cannot be moved 
any further to the right.
!As mentioned earlier, fades are calculated in realtime 
during playback. This means that the larger the num-
ber of audio tracks with Auto Fades activated in a 
project, the higher the demands on the processor.
!Note that auto fades are not indicated by the fade 
lines! 
						

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Fades, crossfades and envelopes
6.If you want to use the settings you have made in future 
projects, click the “As Default” button.
The next time you create a new project, it will use these settings by default.
7.Click OK to close the dialog.
Making Auto Fade settings for a separate track
By default, all audio tracks will use the settings you have 
made in the project’s Auto Fades dialog. However, since 
Auto Fades use computing power, a better approach may 
be to turn Auto Fades off globally and activate them for in-
dividual tracks, as needed:
1.Right-click the track in the Track list and select “Auto 
Fades Settings…” from the context menu (or select the 
track and click the “Auto Fades Settings” button in the In-
spector).
The Auto Fades dialog for the track opens. This is identical to the project’s 
Auto Fades dialog, with the addition of a “Use Project Settings” option.
2.Deactivate the “Use Project Settings” option.
Now, any settings you make will be applied to the track only.
3.Set up the Auto Fades as desired and close the dialog.
Reverting to project settings
If you want a track to use the global Auto Fade settings, 
open the Auto Fades dialog for the track and activate the 
“Use Project Settings” checkbox.
Event Envelopes
An envelope is a volume curve for an audio event. It is sim-
ilar to the realtime fades, but allows you to create volume 
changes within the event, not only at the start or end. To 
create an envelope for an audio event, proceed as follows:
1.Zoom in on the event so that you can view its waveform 
properly.
2.Select the Pencil tool.
When you move the Pencil tool over an audio event, a small volume curve 
symbol is shown next to the tool.
3.To add an envelope point, click in the event with the 
Pencil tool.
A blue envelope curve and a curve point appear.
4.Drag the curve point to adjust the envelope shape.
The waveform image reflects the volume curve.
You can add as many curve points as you like.
To remove a curve point from the envelope, click on it 
and drag it outside the event.
The envelope curve is a part of the audio event – it will 
follow when you move or copy the event.
After copying an event with an envelope, you can make independent ad-
justments to the envelopes in the original event and the copy.
ÖIt is also possible to apply an envelope to the audio 
clip using the Envelope function on the Process submenu 
on the Audio menu.
See “Envelope” on page 206.
ÖTo remove an event envelope curve from a selected 
event, open the Audio menu and select the Remove 
Volume Curve option. 
						

							7
The Arranger track 
						

							97
The Arranger track
Introduction
The Arranger track allows you to work with sections of 
your project in a non-linear fashion, to simplify arranging to 
the maximum extent. Instead of moving, copying and past-
ing events in the Project window to create a linear project, 
you can define how different sections are to be played 
back, like a playlist.
For this, you can define arranger events, order them in a list, 
and add repeats as desired. This offers a different and more 
pattern-oriented way of working, which complements the 
usual linear editing methods in the Project window. 
You can create several Arranger chains, making it possi-
ble to store different versions of a song within the project 
without sacrificing the original version. When you have 
created an Arranger chain that you like, you have the op-
tion of “flattening” the list, which creates a normal linear 
project based on the Arranger chain.
You can also use the Arranger track for live performances 
on the stage, in clubs or at parties.
Setting up the Arranger track
Let’s say you have prepared a number of audio files that 
form the base of a typical pop song, with introduction, 
verse, chorus and bridge. Now you want to arrange these 
files.
The first step is to create an Arranger track. On the Arran-
ger track, you define specific sections of the project by cre-
ating arranger events. These can be of any length, may 
overlap and are not bound to the start or end of existing 
events and parts. Proceed as follows:
1.Open the project for which you want to create arranger 
events.
2.Open the Project menu and select “Arranger” from the 
Add Track submenu (or right-click in the Track list and se-
lect Add Arranger track).
An Arranger track is added. There can be only one Arranger track in a 
project, but you can set up more than one Arranger chain for this track, 
see “Managing Arranger chains” on page 99.
3.On the Project window toolbar, make sure that Snap 
is activated, and that the Grid resolution is set to a mode 
that allows your arranger events to snap to appropriate 
positions in the project.
Snap to events is activated, i. e. when drawing in the Project window, 
new events will snap to existing events.
4.On the Arranger track, use the Pencil tool to draw an 
event of the desired length.
An Arranger event is added, called “A” by default. Any following events 
will be named in alphabetical order. 
You can rename an Arranger event by selecting it and 
changing its name in the Project window info line or by 
holding down [Alt]/[Option], double-clicking on the name 
in the Arranger chain (see below) and entering a new 
name.
You may want to name your arranger events according to the structure of 
your project, e. g. Verse, Chorus etc.
5.Create as many events as you need for your project.
In this example, arranger events have been created that correspond to a 
classic pop song structure. Note how there is no realtime line in the 
project: the music sequence is determined by the arranger events.
Events can be moved, resized and deleted using the stan-
dard techniques. Please note:
If you want to change the length of an event, select the 
Arrow tool and click and drag the lower corners of the 
event in the desired direction.
If you copy an Arranger event (by [Alt]/[Option]-drag-
ging or by using copy/paste), a new event will be created 
with the same name as the original.
However, this new event will be totally independent from the original event.
Double-clicking on an arranger event adds it to the cur-
rent Arranger chain. 
						

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The Arranger track
Working with arranger events
You now have a number of arranger events that form the 
basic building blocks for your arrangement. The next step 
is to arrange these events using the functions of the Ar-
ranger Editor.
Creating an Arranger chain
You can set up an Arranger chain in the Arranger Editor or 
in the Inspector for the Arranger track. The Arranger Editor 
is opened by clicking the “e” button in the Inspector or in 
the Track list. 
To the right in the Arranger Editor, the available arranger 
events are listed, in the order they appear on the time line. 
To the left you find the actual Arranger chain, which shows 
in which order the events will be played back, from top to 
bottom, and how many times they should be repeated.
Initially the Arranger chain will be empty – you set up the 
Arranger chain by adding events from the right list to the 
Arranger chain. There are several ways to add events to 
the Arranger chain.Double-clicking on the name of an event in the window 
section on the right (or in the project window).
When an event is selected in the Arranger chain on the left, this will add 
the event above the selected event. When no events are selected in the 
Arranger chain, the event will be added at the end of the list.
By selecting one or more events in the right list, right-
clicking and selecting “Append Selected In Arranger 
Chain”.
This will add the selected events at the end of the list.
By dragging and dropping arranger events from the 
right list to the left list.
A blue insertion line shows you where the dragged event will end up.
Here, the Verse event is dragged into the Arranger chain and placed af-
ter the first chorus.
By dragging arranger events from the Project window 
into the Arranger chain.
If you followed our example, you should now have arranger 
events arranged in a very basic pop song pattern. How-
ever, we have used audio files that are only a few bars 
long – to turn our pattern into a “song” (or at least into a 
basic sketch of the song structure), these files must be 
looped. This is where the Repeats function comes in.
If you want an event to repeat several times, proceed as 
follows:
Click in the Repeats field for an event, type in the de-
sired number of repeats and press [Enter].
When playing back the Arranger chain, the Counter column indicates 
which repeat of this event is currently playing.
Click the “e” 
button…
…to open the Arranger Editor. 
						

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The Arranger track
Click in the Mode field for an event and select the de-
sired repeat mode.
When you now play back the Arranger chain, you will hear 
the complete arrangement. Proceed as follows:
1.Make sure that Arranger mode is activated.
When Arranger mode is activated, the project will be played back using 
the Arranger settings.
2.Position the Arranger Editor window so that you can 
see the Arranger track in the Project window, and click in 
the arrow column for the event at the top of the list so that 
the arrow becomes blue.
You should see the project cursor jump to the beginning of the first event 
specified in the Arranger chain.
3.Activate playback, either from the Arranger Editor or 
on the Transport panel.
The events are played back in the specified order.
Editing the Arranger chain
In the Arranger chain on the left, you can do the following:
Select multiple events by [Ctrl]/[Command]-clicking or 
[Shift]-clicking as usual.
Drag events to move them in the list.
Drag events while holding [Alt]/[Option] to create cop-
ies of the selected items.
The insert location for both move and copy operations is indicated by a 
blue or red line in the list. A blue line indicates that the move or copy is 
possible; a red line indicates that if the current position were to be used, 
a move or copy is not allowed.
Use the Repeats column to specify how many times 
each event should be repeated.
Click the arrow to the left of an event in the Arranger 
chain to move the playback position to the start of that 
event.
To remove an event from the list, right-click on it and se-
lect “Remove Touched” from the context menu. To remove 
several events, select them, right-click and select “Re-
move Selected”.
Navigating
To navigate between arranger events, you use the Arran-
ger transport buttons:
These controls are available in the Arranger Editor, on the 
Project window toolbar, and on the Transport panel.
In the Arranger Editor, the event that is currently played 
back is indicated by an arrow in the leftmost column, and 
the indicators in the Counter column.
Managing Arranger chains
You can create several Arranger chains. This way, you can 
create alternative versions for playback. In the Arranger 
Editor, the toolbar buttons on the right are used for this:
Option Button Description
Normal In this mode, the Arranger chain will be played 
back just as you set it up.
Repeat 
foreverIn this mode, the current Arranger event will be re-
peated in a loop until you either click on another 
event in the Arranger Editor or press play once 
again.
Pause after 
RepeatsIn this mode, the playback of the Arranger chain 
will be stopped after having played back all re-
peats of the current Arranger event.
Button Description
Click this to rename the current Arranger chain.
Creates a new, empty Arranger chain.
Creates a duplicate of the current Arranger chain, containing 
the same events.
Removes the currently selected Arranger chain. Only avail-
able if you have created more than one Arranger chain.
First repeat of current chain step Previous chain step
Next chain step Last repeat of current chain step 
						

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The Arranger track
In the Inspector, these functions are accessed from the 
Arranger pop-up menu (opened by clicking on the Arran-
ger name field).
The Arranger chains you create will be listed on the Name 
pop-up menu, found in the Arranger Editor to the left of 
the buttons, at the top of the Arranger track Inspector, and 
in the Track list. Please note that to be able to select an-
other Arranger chain from the pop-up menu, the Arranger 
mode must be activated.
Flattening the Arranger chain
When you have found an Arranger chain that suits your pur-
poses, you can “flatten” it, i. e. convert the list into a linear 
project. Proceed as follows:
1.Click the Flatten button (or select Flatten Chain from 
the pop-up menu in the Inspector for the Arranger track).
The events and parts in the project are reordered, repeated, resized, 
moved and/or deleted (if these are not within the boundaries of any used 
Arranger event), so that they correspond exactly to the Arranger chain.
The Flatten button
2.Activate Playback.
The project will now play back exactly as in Arranger mode, but you can 
view it and work with it as usual.
Flattening options
Sometimes it might be useful to keep the original Arranger 
events even after flattening the Arranger track. By using 
flattening options you can define which chain should be 
flattened, where it should be stored and how it should be 
named together with other options.
1.Click the Flattening options button.2.In the window that appears, select the desired options.
In the Source section you can specify which Arranger 
chain should be flattened. The available options are:
The Destination section allows you to choose where the 
result of the flattening should be saved. The available op-
tions are:
In the Options section you can make further settings. The 
available options are:
!Flattening the Arranger chain may remove events 
and parts from the project. Only use the Flatten func-
tion when you know you do not want to edit the Ar-
ranger track/chain any more. If in doubt, save a copy 
of the project before flattening the Arranger chain.
Option Description
Current  Chain If you activate this option, only the current chain will be 
flattened.
Checked 
Chains…If you activate this option, you can select the arranger 
chains you want to flatten in the list to the left.
All Chains If you activate this option, all arranger chains of the 
current project will be flattened.
Option Description
Current 
ProjectThis is only available if you have selected “Current Chain” as 
Source. If you activate this option, the result of the flattening 
of the current chain will be saved in the current project.
New 
ProjectIf you activate this option, you can flatten one or several 
chains in a new project. In this case it might be useful to use 
naming options. If you activate “Append Chain Name”, the 
Chain Names will be appended in brackets to the project 
name. If you activate “Use Chain Name”, the new projects 
will have the name of the current Arranger chains. If you ac-
tivate “Add Number”, the new projects will be named like the 
old ones and a number will be appended in brackets.
Option Description
Keep Arranger 
TrackIf you activate this option, the Arranger Track will be kept 
when flattening the Arranger chain. Activate “Rename 
Arranger Events” to append a number to the events, ac-
cording to their use. If e.g. you use Arranger event “A” 
two times, the first occurrence will be renamed “A 1” and 
the second “A 2”.
Make Real 
Event CopiesNormally, you will get shared copies when flattening the 
Arranger track. If you activate this option, real copies will 
be created instead.