Steinberg Cubase 5 Operation Manual

							471
Customizing
Using the Setup options
You can customize the appearance of the following ele-
ments:
 Transport panel
 Info line
 Channel Settings window
 Toolbars 
 Inspector
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’s context menu, on the Customize 
View submenu. Here, you can activate/deactivate ele-
ments 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 setup context menu
The Setup dialogs
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 dialog is divided into two sections. The left section 
displays the currently visible items and the right section 
displays the currently hidden items.
You can change the current show/hide status by select-
ing items in one section and then use the arrow buttons in 
the middle of the dialog to move them to the other section.
Changes are applied directly.
By selecting items in the “Visible Items” list and using the 
Move Up and Move Down buttons, you can reorder the 
items list.
Changes are applied directly. To undo all changes and revert to the stan-
dard layout, select “Default” on the setup context menu.
If you click the Save button (disk icon) in the Presets 
section, a dialog opens, allowing you to name the current 
configuration and 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.
This section shows Setup 
presets, if available. 
						

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Customizing
Customizing track controls
For each track type you can configure which track con-
trols should be shown in the Track list. You can also spec-
ify the order of controls and group controls so that they 
are always shown adjacent to each other. This is done us-
ing 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, which is shown in the 
menu display in the top left corner 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 sections. The left section 
displays controls currently visible on the Track list, and the 
right section 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 Controls” list and 
using the Move Up and Move Down buttons, you can 
change the order of the list.
Click OK to apply the changes.
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 are always be positioned side by side 
in the Track list. To group controls, proceed as follows:
1.Make sure you have selected the correct track type.
2.In the “Visible Controls” section, select at least two 
controls.
You can only group controls that are adjacent to each other in the list. To 
group controls that are currently not adjacent in the list, use the Move Up/
Down buttons first.
Click here to open 
the pop-up menu. 
						

							473
Customizing
3.Click Group.
A number is displayed in the Group column for the grouped controls. The 
first group created has 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 allows the con-
trols to be dynamically repositioned when resizing the Track 
list. That is, as many controls as possible will be displayed 
depending on the current size of the Track list.
If you deactivate Wrap Controls, the positions of the con-
trols are 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 Controls 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 
column and type in a new value.
Resetting Track list settings
You have two possibilities to reset the 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 button (the plus sign) to the right of 
the Presets pop-up menu.
A dialog opens, asking 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 menu 
and from the pop-up menu in 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 button (the minus sign).
ÖCubase comes with a number of Track Control Set-
tings presets available.
About preference presets 
(Cubase only)
In the Preferences dialog it is possible to save complete or 
partial preference settings 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.
A dialog opens, allowing you to type in a name for the pre-
set.
3.Click OK to save the preset.
Your saved settings are now available from the Preference Presets 
pop-up menu.
Loading a preference preset
To load a saved preference preset, simply select a preset 
from the Preference Presets pop-up menu. The preset is 
applied immediately. 
						

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Customizing
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.Activate “Store marked preferences only”.
A new “Store” column is added to the Preferences list.
2.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. If this is not what you want, simply deacti-
vated the subpages.
3.Click the Store button in the lower left section of the 
Preferences dialog.
A dialog opens, asking 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”).
4.Click OK to save.
Your saved settings are now available from the Preference Presets 
pop-up menu.
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 gen-
eral 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 effect.
Brightness/Intensity sliders
These sliders allow you to fine-tune the brightness and contrast in various 
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 controls on the General page affect the appearance 
of the windows that surround the controls and work-
spaces in Cubase. 
Saturation determines how rich the background colors 
are, from gray to blue. 
Brightness lightens or darkens the background.
Button Brightness can be used to separately lighten or 
darken the buttons. 
						

							475
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 on 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 back-
wards). 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 Co-
lors dialog” on page 477.
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. 
						

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Customizing
2.To bring up the color palette, click the Track Color 
Selector.
Click the arrow in the track name title bar or…
…click the color strip in the Track list.
In the Mixer, click the Channel Color Selector below the channel name.
3.Select a color from the color bar.
The track color is now applied to the Inspector title palette and the Track 
list as well as the channel strips in the Mixer and any parts and events on 
the selected track.
Applying track colors automatically
In the Preferences (Editing–Project & Mixer page), you 
can find the option “Auto Track Color Mode”.
This offers you several options for automatically assigning 
colors to tracks that are added to the project.
Coloring parts and events
There are two ways to color parts and events in the Pro-
ject window:
Using the color selector
1.Select the desired parts or events.
2.Choose a color from the Color Selector in the toolbar.
Using the Color tool
1.On the toolbar, select the Color tool.
2.Click the small strip below it to bring up the color pal-
ette.
3.Select a color. 
4.Click on a part/event to assign the color. 
The color is applied to all selected parts/events and over-
rides the track color (if used).
If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on a part/event 
with the Color tool, the color palette is displayed and you 
can choose the desired color for an event.
If you press [Alt]/[Option], the Color tool cursor becomes 
a pipette, which can be used to select a color by clicking on 
a part/event.
Option Effect
Use Default 
Event ColorThe default color (gray) is assigned. 
Use Previous 
Track ColorUses the color of the track above the new one (i. e. the 
track that is selected when you add a new track).
Use Previous 
Track Color 
+1Uses the color next to the color of the track above the 
new one (+1 refers to the color number in the palette).
Use Last 
Applied ColorThe last manually assigned color is used. 
Use Random 
Track ColorTrack colors are assigned randomly. 
						

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Customizing
Customizing the event background
On the Event Display page in the Preferences dialog, you 
can find the option “Colorize Event Background”.
This option affects the display of events in the Project 
window.
When this is activated, the events and parts in the event 
display will have the selected background color.
When this is deactivated, the event “content”, e. g. MIDI 
events and audio waveforms, are displayed in the selected 
color and the event background is gray. 
The Event Colors dialog
You can open the Event Colors dialog in two ways: 
Double-click the small strip below the Color tool. 
Open the Color pop-up menu on the toolbar and select 
“Select Colors…”.
In the Event Colors dialog, you can fully customize the 
color palette, apart from the default color (gray).To add new colors to the color palette, proceed as follows:
1.Click the Insert New Color button in the Event Colors 
section to add a new color.
A new color icon and color name are added to the Event Colors section.
2.Click the color field next to the name field to activate 
the new color for editing.
3.In the Standard Colors section, select the standard 
color. You can modify the selected color as follows:
 Drag the cursor to another point in the color circle.
 Move the handle in the color meter.
 Enter the values for red, green and blue and hue, saturation 
and luminosity manually.
4.Click the Apply button in the Standard Colors section. 
The color setting is applied to the selected color field in the Event Colors 
section. 
You can edit every existing event color in the same way.
To delete an event color item, select it and click the “Re-
move Selected Color” button in the Event Colors section.
To increase or decrease the intensity and the brightness 
of all colors, use the corresponding buttons in the Event 
Colors section.
To save the current set as default, click the button “This 
Set As Default Set” in the Event Colors section. You can 
then click the button “Use Default Set” to the right to ap-
ply the default set.
To return to the standard setting of the palette in Cu-
base, click Reset.
Remove Selected Color Increase/decrease intensity 
for all colors
This Set As 
Default Set
Increase/decrease brightness 
for all colors Insert New 
Color
Use Default Set 
						

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Customizing
Where are the settings stored?
As you have seen, there are a large number of ways in 
which you can customize Cubase. While some of the set-
tings you make are stored with each project, others are 
stored in separate preference files.
If you need to transfer your projects to another computer 
(e. g. in another studio), you can bring all your settings 
along by copying the desired preference files and install-
ing them on the other computer.
ÖIt is a good idea to make a backup copy of your prefer-
ence files once you have set things up the way you want!
This way, if another Cubase user wants to use his or her personal set-
tings when working on your computer, you can restore your own prefer-
ences afterwards.
Under Windows, preference files are stored in the 
folder “\Documents and Settings\\Applica-
tion Data\Steinberg\Cubase 5\”.
If you run the 64 bit version of Cubase, this folder is called “Cubase 
64 bit”. On the Start menu, you will find a shortcut to this folder for easy 
access.
Under Mac OS X, preference files are stored in the 
folder “/Library/Preferences/Cubase 5/” under your home 
directory.
The full path would be: “/Users//Library/Preferences/
Cubase 5/”.
ÖThe RAMpresets.xml file, which contains various pre-
sets settings (see below), is saved when exiting the pro-
gram. 
ÖProgram functions (e. g. crossfade) or configurations 
(e. g. panels) not used in the project will not be stored.
Below, the preferences that are not saved in the default 
preferences folder (see above) are listed:
Setting Stored in
Mixer (or chan-
nel) settingssaved in the last active folder as *.vmx file (VST Mixer 
settings)
Color setup saved with the project
Mixer view 
presetsaved with the project
Workspaces saved with the project
Crossfade 
presetsApplication folder\Presets\RAMPresets.xml
Device setup 
filesApplication folder\Device Maps (as *.xml file)
Drum maps Application folder\DrumMaps (as *.drm file)
EQ presets Application folder\Presets\VstEqPresets.pxml
Track presets 
(user-defined, 
for all programs)Win: \Documents and Settings\\Applica-
tion Data\Steinberg\Track Presets
Mac: /Users//Library/Application Sup-
port/Steinberg/Track Presets/
(in the subfolders \Audio, \Instrument, \Midi, \Multi) as 
*.trackpreset file
VST3 presets 
(user-defined, 
for all programs)Win: \Common files\VST3 Presets\\

Mac: /Users//Library/Audio/Presets/
/
as *.vstpreset file
VST3 presets 
(public, for all 
programs)Win: \Documents and Settings\VST3 Presets\\
Mac: /Library/Audio/Presets//
as *.vstpreset file Setting Stored in 
						

							38
Key commands 
						

							480
Key commands
Introduction
Most of the main menus in Cubase have key command 
shortcuts for certain items on the menus. In addition, there 
are numerous other Cubase functions that can be per-
formed via key commands. These are all default settings. If 
you want, you can customize existing key commands to 
your liking, and also add commands for menu items and 
functions that have no key command assigned.
How are key commands settings saved?
Every time you edit or add any key command assignment, 
this is stored as a global Cubase preference – not as part 
of a project. Hence, if you edit or add a key command as-
signment, any subsequent projects that you create or 
open will use these modified settings. However, the de-
fault settings can be restored at any time by clicking the 
Reset All button in the Key Commands dialog.
In addition, you can save key commands settings as a “key 
commands file”, which is stored separately and can be im-
ported into any project. This way you can quickly and easily 
recall customized settings, when moving projects between 
different computers, for example. The settings are saved in 
an .xml file on the hard disk.
How to save key commands settings is described in the 
section “About key commands presets” on page 482.
Setting up key commands
The following is a description of how you set up key com-
mands and save them as presets for easy access. Key 
commands settings are accessed and edited in the Key 
Commands dialog.
Adding or modifying a key command
In the Key Commands dialog you will find all main menu 
items and a large number of other functions, arranged in a 
hierarchical way similar to the Windows Explorer and Mac 
OS Finder. The function categories are represented by a 
number of folders, each containing various menu items and functions. When you open a category folder by clicking the 
plus sign beside it, the items and functions it contains are 
displayed with the currently assigned key commands.
To add a key command, proceed as follows:
1.Pull down the File menu and select “Key Commands…”.
The Key Commands dialog appears.
2.In the Commands list on the left, choose a category.
3.Click the plus sign to open the category folder and 
display the items it contains.
Note that you can also click the “global” plus and minus signs in the top 
left corner to open and close all category folders at once.
4.In the list, select the item to which you want to assign 
a key command.
Already assigned key commands are shown in the Keys column as well 
as in the Keys section in the top right corner.
!You can also assign tool modifier keys, i.e. keys that 
change the behavior of various tools when pressed. 
This is done in the Preferences dialog – see “Setting 
up tool modifier keys” on page 483.
Key commands are displayed here.