Steinberg Cubase 6 Manual

51
Working with projects
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, make sure that the “Use 
File Extension in File Dialog” option is activated in the 
Preferences dialog (General page). When this...

52
Working with projects
Auto Save
If you activate the Auto Save option in the Preferences dia-
log (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...

53
Working with projects
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.
Cleanup
The Cleanup function on the File menu helps you to save 
hard disk space by...

54
Working with projects
Startup Options
The “On Startup” pop-up menu in the Preferences dialog 
(General page) allows you to specify what happens when 
you launch Cubase. 
The following options are available:
The Project Setup dialog
General settings for the project are made in the Project 
Setup dialog. This is opened by selecting “Project 
Setup…” from the Project menu.
ÖIf the “Run Setup on Create New Project” option is ac-
tivated in the Preferences dialog (General page), the Pro-
ject Setup dialog...

55
Working with projects
StartThe start time of the project. Allows you to have the project 
start at another time than zero. Also used for setting the 
sync start position when synchronizing Cubase to external 
devices (see the chapter 
“Synchronization” on page 493). The format of this value is always in timecode. When you 
change this setting you will be asked whether you want to 
keep the project content at its timecode positions. “Yes” 
means that all events will stay at their original timecode po...

56
Working with projects
Zoom and view options
Zooming in the Project window is done according to the 
standard zoom techniques, with the following special notes:
•When you are using the Zoom tool (magnifying glass), 
the result depends on the “Zoom Tool Standard Mode: 
Horizontal Zooming Only” option in the Preferences dialog 
(Editing–Tools page).
If this is activated and you drag a selection rectangle with the Zoom tool, 
the window will only be zoomed horizontally (track height will not change). 
If...

57
Working with projects
The upper part of the menu lists the zoom presets:
•To store the current zoom setting as a preset, select 
Add from the pop-up menu.
A dialog opens, allowing you to type in a name for the preset.
•To select and apply a preset, select it from the pop-up 
menu.
•The “Zoom Full” preset is always available. Selecting 
this option zooms out so that the whole project is visible. 
“The whole project” means the timeline from the project 
start to the length set in the Project Setup...

58
Working with projects
Audio handling
When you work with audio files, it is crucial to understand 
how audio is handled in Cubase:
When you edit or process audio in the Project window, 
you always work with an audio clip that is automatically 
created on import or during recording. This audio clip re
-
fers to an audio file on the hard disk that itself remains un-
touched. This means, that audio editing and processing is 
“non-destructive”, in the sense that you can always undo 
changes or revert to...

59
Working with projects
Scrubbing audio
The Scrub tool allows you to locate positions in the audio 
part or event by playing back, forwards or backwards, at 
any speed:
1.Select the Play tool and click a second time on the 
icon.
A pop-up menu opens.
2.Select “Scrub”.
3.Click at the desired position of your audio event or 
part and keep the mouse button pressed.
The project cursor moves to the position where you click. The mouse 
pointer is not visible anymore.
4.Drag to the left or right.
The project...

60
Working with projects
•Select all events on a track by right-clicking on it in the 
track list and selecting “Select All Events” from the con
-
text menu.
•It is also possible to select ranges, regardless of the 
event and track boundaries.
This is done using the Range Selection tool (see “Range editing” on page 66).
•Use the arrow keys on the computer keyboard to select 
the closest event to the left, right, above, or below.
If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, the current selection will be...