Steinberg Cubase 5 Operation Manual

							35
ReWire 
						

							452
ReWire
Introduction
ReWire and ReWire2 are special protocols for streaming 
audio between two computer applications. Developed by 
Propellerhead Software and Steinberg, ReWire provides 
the following possibilities and features:
Realtime streaming of up to 64 separate audio channels 
(256 with ReWire2), at full bandwidth, from the “synthe-
sizer application” into the “mixer application”.
In this case, the “mixer application” is of course Cubase. An example of a 
“synthesizer application” is Propellerhead Software’s Reason.
Automatic, sample accurate synchronization between 
the audio in the two programs.
The possibility to have the two programs share one audio 
card and take advantage of multiple outputs on that card.
Linked transport controls that allow you to play, rewind, 
etc., either from Cubase or from the synthesizer applica-
tion (provided it has some kind of transport functionality).
Automatic audio mixing functions of separate channels 
as required.
In the case of Reason, for example, this allows you to have separate 
mixer channels for the different devices.
Additionally, ReWire2 offers the possibility to route MIDI 
tracks in Cubase to the other application, for full MIDI con-
trol.
For each ReWire2 compatible device, a number of extra MIDI outputs 
will be made available in Cubase. In the case of Reason, this allows you 
to route different MIDI tracks in Cubase to different devices in Reason, 
with Cubase serving as the main MIDI sequencer.
The overall load on your system is much reduced, com-
pared to when using the programs together in the conven-
tional way.
Launching and quitting
When using ReWire, the order in which you launch and 
quit the two programs is very important:
Launching for normal use with ReWire
1.First launch Cubase.
2.Enable one or several ReWire channels in the ReWire 
Device dialog for the other application.
This is described in detail in the section “Activating ReWire channels” on 
page 453.
3.Launch the other application.
It may take slightly longer for the application to start when you are using 
ReWire.
Quitting a ReWire session
When you are finished, you also need to quit the applica-
tions in a special order:
1.First quit the synthesizer application.
2.Then quit Cubase.
Launching both programs without using 
ReWire
We cannot think of any scenario, in which you would need 
to run Cubase and the synthesizer application simulta-
neously on the same computer, without using ReWire, but 
you can:
1.First launch the synthesizer application.
2.Then launch Cubase.
ÖPlease note that the two programs now compete for 
system resources such as audio cards, just as when run-
ning either with other, non-ReWire audio applications. 
						

							453
ReWire
Activating ReWire channels
ReWire supports streaming of up to 64 separate audio 
channels, while ReWire2 supports 256 channels. The ex-
act number of available ReWire channels depends on the 
synthesizer application. Using the ReWire Device panels 
in Cubase, you can specify which of the available chan-
nels you want to use:
1.Pull down the Devices menu and select the menu item 
with the name of the ReWire application. All recognized 
ReWire compatible applications will be available on the 
menu.
The ReWire panel appears. This consists of a number of rows, one for 
each available ReWire channel.
The ReWire panel for Reason
2.Click on the power buttons to the left to activate/de-
activate the desired channels.
The buttons light up to indicate activated channels. Please note that the 
more ReWire channels you activate, the more processing power is re-
quired.
For information about exactly what signal is carried on 
each channel, see the documentation of the synthesizer 
application.
3.If desired, double-click on the labels in the right col-
umn, and type in another name.
These labels will be used in the Cubase mixer to identify the ReWire 
channels.
Using the transport and tempo 
controls
Basic transport controls
When you run ReWire, the transports in the two programs 
are completely linked. It does not matter in which program 
you play, stop, fast forward or rewind. However, recording 
(if applicable) is still completely separate in the two appli-
cations.
Loop settings
If there is a loop or cycle facility in the synthesizer applica-
tion, that loop will be completely linked to the cycle in Cu-
base. This means that you can move the start and end 
point for the loop or turn the loop on or off in either pro-
gram, and this will be reflected in the other.
Tempo settings
As far as tempo goes, Cubase is always the master. This 
means that both programs will run in the tempo set in Cu-
base.
However, if you are not using the tempo track in Cubase, 
you can adjust the tempo in either program, and this will 
immediately be reflected in the other.
!This is only relevant if the synthesizer application has 
some sort of built-in sequencer or similar.
!If you are using the tempo track in Cubase (i.e. the 
Tempo button is activated on the Transport panel), 
you should not adjust the tempo in the synthesizer 
application, since a tempo request from ReWire will 
automatically deactivate the tempo track in Cubase! 
						

							454
ReWire
How the ReWire channels are 
handled in Cubase
When you activate ReWire channels in the ReWire De-
vice panels, they will become available as channel strips in 
the mixer. The ReWire channel strips have the following 
properties:
ReWire channels appear to the right of the other audio 
and MIDI channel strips in the mixer.
ReWire channels may be any combination of mono and 
stereo, depending on the synthesizer application.
ReWire channels have the same functionality as regular 
audio channels.
This means you can set volume and pan, add EQ, insert effects and 
sends and route the channel outputs to groups or busses (done in the In-
spector – or in the mixer, Cubase only). However, ReWire channels have 
no monitor buttons.
All ReWire channel settings can be automated using 
the Read/Write buttons.
When you write automation, channel automation tracks will automatically 
appear in the Project window. This allows you to view and edit the auto-
mation graphically, just as with VST Instrument channels, etc.
You can mix down the audio from ReWire channels to a 
file on your hard disk with the Export Audio Mixdown func-
tion (see “Mixing down to audio files” on page 420).
You can export the output bus to which you have routed the ReWire 
channels. Cubase only: you can also export individual ReWire channels 
directly – “rendering” each ReWire channel to a separate audio file.
Routing MIDI via ReWire2
When using Cubase with a ReWire2-compatible appli-
cation, additional MIDI outputs will automatically appear 
on the MIDI Output pop-up menus for MIDI tracks. This 
allows you to play the synthesizer application via MIDI 
from Cubase, using it as one or several separate MIDI 
sound sources.
The MIDI outputs for a Reason song. Here, each output goes directly to 
a device in the Reason rack.
The number and configuration of MIDI outputs depends 
on the synthesizer application.
Considerations and limitations
Sample rates
Synthesizer applications may be limited to audio playback 
in certain sample rates. If Cubase is set to a sample rate 
other than those, the synthesizer application will play back 
at the wrong pitch. Consult the documentation of the syn-
thesizer application for details.
ASIO drivers
ReWire works well with ASIO drivers. By using the Cu-
base bus system you can route sounds from the synthe-
sizer application to various outputs on an ASIO compati-
ble audio card.
!This feature is only available with ReWire2-compati-
ble applications. 
						

							36
File handling 
						

							456
File handling
Working with Projects
New Project
The New Project command on the File menu allows you to 
create a new project, either as an empty project or based 
on a template:
1.Select New Project from the File menu.
The templates list is displayed. When you install Cubase, templates for 
various purposes are included, but you can also create your own (see 
“Save as Template” on page 457).
2.Select a template from the list or select “Empty”.
A file dialog opens, allowing you to specify a folder for the new project.
3.Select an existing project folder or create a new folder 
and click OK.
A new, untitled project is created.
Open
The Open command on the File menu is used for opening 
saved project files. Project files created with Cubase (file 
extension “.cpr”), Nuendo (file extension “.npr”) and Se-
quel (extension “.steinberg-project”) can be opened. Note 
that program-specific settings which cannot be applied in 
Cubase will be ignored.
1.Select “Open…” from the File menu.
A file dialog opens, allowing you to select a project.
2.Click Open.
The project opens in the Project window.
Several projects can be open at the same time.
This is extremely useful if you want to copy parts or entire sections from 
one project to another.
3.If a project is already opened, opening another project 
brings up a warning.
Click “No” to open the other project inactive.
This significantly reduces load times, especially for large projects. 
Click Activate to open and activate the new project.
The active project is indicated by the blue Activate Project button in the 
upper left corner of the Project window. To activate a different project, 
simply click its Activate Project button.
An active project
You can also open project files by selecting an entry 
from the “Recent Projects” submenu on the File menu.
This submenu lists the projects you have recently worked with, with the 
most recent one at the top of the list.
You can also set Cubase to automatically open a pro-
ject when you launch the program (see “Startup Options” 
on page 458).
You can drag projects from the MediaBay into the Cu-
base application window (not into an existing Project win-
dow) to open them.
About the “Pending Connections” dialogs
If you open a Cubase project created on a different system 
(other audio hardware), the program tries to find matching 
audio inputs and outputs for the i/o busses (this is one of 
the reasons why you should use descriptive, generic names 
for your input and output ports – see “Preparations” on 
page 15).
If the program cannot resolve all audio/MIDI inputs and 
outputs used in the project, a Pending Connections dialog 
will open. This allows you to manually re-route any ports 
specified in the project to ports available in your system.
Close
The Close command on the File menu closes the active 
window. If a Project window is active, selecting this closes 
the corresponding project.
If the project contains unsaved changes, you are asked 
whether you want to save it before closing.
If you select “Don’t Save” and have recorded or created new audio files 
since saving, you get the choice to delete or keep these. 
						

							457
File handling
Save and Save As
The commands Save and Save As allow you to save the 
active project as a project file (file extension “.cpr”). The 
Save command stores the project under its current name 
and location, while Save As allows you to rename and/or 
relocate the file. If a project has not been saved yet or if it 
has not been changed since it was last saved, only Save 
As is available.
A word about file extensions
Under Windows, file types are indicated by three letter file 
name extensions (such as *.cpr for Cubase project files). 
Under Mac OS X, it is not necessary to use file name ex-
tensions, since the file types are stored internally in the 
files. However, if you want your Cubase projects to be 
compatible with both platforms, you should make sure the 
option “Use File Extension in File Dialog” is activated in 
the Preferences (General page). When this is activated, 
the proper file name extension is automatically added 
when you save a file.
Save New Version
This function is only available as a key command, by de-
fault [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Alt]/[Option]-[S]. When you use 
this function, an identical, new project file is being created 
and activated. 
The new file will get the same name as the original project, 
but with an incremental number attached. For example, if 
your project is called “My Project”, you will get new versions 
called “My Project-01”, “My Project-02”, and so on.
Save New Version is useful if you are experimenting with 
edits and arrangements and want to be able to go back to 
a previous version at any time. The newest versions are al-
ways listed on the Recent Projects submenu on the File 
menu for instant access.
Save as Template
This function allows you to save the current project as a 
template. When you create a new project, the available 
templates are listed, allowing you to base the new project 
on a template.
Proceed as follows:
1.Set up a project.
2.Select “Save As Template…” from the File menu and 
save the project template under the desired name.
Templates can contain clips and events just like regular 
projects.
If this is not what you want, make sure to remove all clips from the Pool 
before you save the project as a template.
Templates are always stored in the Templates folder. 
On a Windows system, it is located at \Documents and 
Settings\\Application data\Steinberg\Cu-
base 5	emplates. On a Mac system, it is located inside /
Users//Library/Preferences/Cubase 5/.
Setting up a default template
If you always want the same default project to open when 
you launch Cubase, you can save a default template. Pro-
ceed as follows:
1.Set up a project.
2.Select “Save As Template…” from the File menu and 
save the project template with the name “default”. 
3.Open the Preferences dialog and select the General 
page.
4.Open the “On Startup” pop-up and select “Open ‘De-
fault’ Template”.
The next time you launch Cubase, the default template will 
automatically be opened. For details on the other Startup 
options, see “Startup Options” on page 458.
!Generally, we recommend that you save project files 
in their project folders, to keep the projects as 
manageable as possible. 
						

							458
File handling
Back up Project
This function is very useful if you want to move or backup 
your project. 
1.Select “Back up Project…” from the File menu. 
A file dialog opens in which you can choose an existing empty folder or 
create a new folder to save the project.
2.Click OK.
The “Back up Project Options” dialog opens.
This dialog contains the following options
3.Make the desired settings.
4.Click OK. 
A copy of the project is saved in the new folder. The original project is 
not affected.
Auto Save
If you activate the Auto Save option in the Preferences 
(General page), Cubase will automatically save backup 
copies of all open projects with unsaved changes.
These backup copies are named “-
xx.bak”, where xx is an incremental number. Unsaved 
projects are backed up in a similar way as “UntitledX-
xx.bak”, with X being the incremental number for unsaved 
projects. All backup files are saved in the project folder. 
Use the “Auto Save Interval” setting to specify the time 
intervals in which a backup copy will be created.
Use the “Maximum Backup Files” option to specify how 
many backup files will be created with the Auto Save 
function.
When the maximum number of backup files is reached, the existing files 
will be overwritten (starting with the oldest file). 
ÖWith this option only the project files themselves will 
be backed up. If you want to include the files from the Pool 
and save your project in a different location, you need to 
use the “Back up Project” function.
Startup Options
The “On Startup” pop-up menu in the Preferences (Gen-
eral page) allows you to specify what should happen each 
time you launch Cubase. 
The following options are available:
Option Description
Project Name Enter a project name if you want to change it from the de-
fault (the current name of the project).
Keep Current 
Project ActiveWhen this option is activated, the current project will still 
be the active project after clicking OK. If you wish to 
switch to the new backup project instead, you need to 
deactivate this option.
Minimize Audio 
FilesIf this is activated, only the audio file portions that are ac-
tually used in the project will be included. This can signi-
ficantly reduce the size of the project folder (if you are 
using small sections of large files), but it also means you 
cannot use other portions of the audio files if you con-
tinue working with the project in its new folder.
Freeze Edits This will perform a Freeze Edits operation, making all pro-
cessing and applied effects permanent to each clip in the 
Pool, see “Freeze Edits” on page 215.
Remove 
Unused FilesWhen this is activated, only files in the Pool that are actu-
ally used in the project will be stored in the new folder.
Do Not Back 
up VideoWhen this is activated, any video clips on the video track 
or in the pool of the current project will not be included in 
the backup project.
Option Description
Do Nothing Cubase launches without opening a project.
Open Last 
ProjectThe last saved project is opened on launch. 
						

							459
File handling
Cubase Open Document Options dialog
This dialog will open in two cases:
If you launch Cubase with the option “Show Open Op-
tions Dialog” selected on the “On Startup” pop-up menu 
in the Preferences (General page).
If you hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] while launching Cu-
base.
The Open Document Options Dialog
The dialog lists your recently used projects.
To open a project, select it and click the “Open Selec-
tion” button. 
To open another project not listed here, click the “Open 
Other…” button. 
A file dialog opens that allows you to look for the desired file on your disk. 
To create a new project, click the “New Project” button.
Revert
If you select “Revert” from the File menu, you will be asked 
whether you really want to revert to the last saved version 
of the project. If you click “Revert”, all changes you have 
made since saving will be discarded.
If you have recorded or created new audio files since sav-
ing, you will be asked whether you want to delete or keep 
these.
Importing audio
In Cubase audio can be imported in a variety of different 
formats. For example, you can import tracks from audio 
CDs, or import audio files saved in different formats (com-
pressed and uncompressed).
For information on audio file import preferences, please see 
“Audio file import options” on page 41. For information on 
how to import audio files into the Pool and import options, 
see “About the Import Medium dialog” on page 268.
Importing audio CD tracks
You can import audio from audio CDs into Cubase 
projects in two ways:
To import the CD tracks directly into project tracks, 
choose the “Audio CD…” option from the Import sub-
menu on the File menu.
The imported audio CD track(s) are inserted on the selected audio 
track(s) at the project cursor position.
To import the CD tracks into the Pool, select “Import 
Audio CD…” from the Media menu.
This might be the preferred method if you want to import several CD 
tracks in one go.
Selecting one of the Import Audio CD menu items brings 
up the following dialog:
Open ‘Default’ 
TemplateThe default template is opened, see “Setting up a default 
template” on page 457.
Show Open 
DialogThe Open dialog opens on launch, allowing you to manu-
ally locate and open the desired project.
Show Tem-
plate DialogThe Template dialog opens on launch, allowing you to 
create a new project from one of the templates.
Show Open 
Options DialogThe Open Document Options dialog opens on launch, 
see below. It allows you to make a different choice each 
time you launch Cubase. Option Description 
						

							460
File handling
To import one or more tracks, proceed as follows:
1.If you have more than one CD drive, select the correct 
one from the Drives pop-up menu at the top left.
On opening the CD, the program tries to retrieve the track names from 
CDDB (a CD database). If no connection to CDDB can be established 
or the CD track names are not found, you can manually change the ge-
neric track name in the Default Name field.
2.Windows only: Activate the “Secure Mode” option if 
you want to use a Secure Read mode.
Use this if you encounter problems when trying to import an audio CD. 
Error checking and correction will be done during the process. Note that 
this mode will take more time.
3.In the Windows version, select the data transfer speed 
from the Speed pop-up menu.
While you normally want to use the fastest possible speed, you may have 
to select a slower speed for flawless audio extraction.
4.Activate the Copy checkbox for every audio file you 
want to import.
You can also select a copy section for every file, see below.
5.Click on the Copy button to create a local copy of the 
audio file(s) or section(s).
The copied files are listed at the bottom of the dialog. By default, imported 
a u d i o C D  t rac k s  w i ll  b e  s t ore d  a s  W av e  f il e s  (W i n d o w s )  or A I F F  f il e s  ( Ma c )  
in the Audio folder of the current project. To change the folder, click Desti-
nation Folder and select a different folder from the dialog. During copying, 
the Copy button is labeled “Stop”; click it to stop the process.
6.Click OK to import the copied audio files into the pro-
ject, or click Cancel to stop the import and discard the 
copied files.
If you import more than one audio file into project tracks, 
a dialog opens in which you have to choose whether to in-
sert the tracks on one track or on different ones. 
The new track(s) are displayed in the Project window. New audio clips 
are created and added to the Pool.
The columns in the “Import from Audio CD” dialog have 
the following functionality:By default, complete tracks are selected.
If you want to copy and import a section of an audio CD 
track only, select the track in the list and specify the start 
and end of the selection to be copied by dragging the 
handles in the copy selection ruler.
ÖNote that you can import sections of several audio CD 
tracks by selecting them in turn and adjusting the selec-
tion. The start and end settings for each track are dis-
played in the list.
You can audition the selected audio CD track by click-
ing the Play button.
The track will be played back from selection start to selection end (or un-
til you click the Stop button). 
The Play from left Marker (down arrow) and Play to 
Right Marker (up arrow) buttons allow you to audition the 
start and end of the selection only.
The down arrow button will play a short snippet beginning at the start of 
the selection, while the up arrow button will play a snippet starting just 
before the end of the selection.
To open the CD drive, click on the Eject button at the 
top of the dialog. 
Column Description
Copy Activate the checkbox in this column for the track you 
want to copy/import. To activate more than one check-
box, click and drag over the checkboxes (or press [Ctrl]/
[Command] or [Shift] and click).
# This is the track number.
CD Track as 
shownWhen you import an audio CD track, the file is named ac-
cording to this column. The names are pulled automati-
cally from CDDB, if possible. You can rename a track by 
clicking in the CD Track column and typing a new name. 
You can also apply a generic name to all audio CD 
tracks, if no name was available in CDDB.
Length The length of the audio CD track in minutes and seconds.
Size The file size of the audio CD track in MB.
Copy Start You can copy a section of a track if you like. This indi-
cates the start of the section to be copied in the track. By 
default, this is set to the start of the track (0.000) but you 
can adjust this on the copy selection ruler (see below).
Copy End Indicates the end of the section to be copied in the track. 
By default, this is set to the end of the track but you can 
adjust this on the copy selection ruler (see below). Column Description
Play
StopPlay from Left Marker
Play to Right Marker
Start of selection handle
End of selection handle