Steinberg Cubase 6 Manual
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101 Recording Naming MIDI ports in Cubase MIDI inputs and outputs are often displayed with unneces- sarily long and complicated names. However, you can re- name your MIDI ports to more descriptive names: 1.Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu. 2.Select the MIDI Port Setup item in the Device list. The available MIDI inputs and outputs are listed. Under Windows, which device to choose depends on your system. 3.To change the name of a MIDI port, click in the “Show As” column and type in a new name. After closing the dialog, the new name will appear on the MIDI Input and Output Routing pop-up menus. Setting the MIDI input in the Inspector You select MIDI inputs for tracks in the Inspector (the area to the left of the track list in the Project window): 1.Select the track by clicking in the track list. To select multiple tracks, press [Shift] or [Ctrl]/[Command] and click. The Inspector shows the settings for the first selected track (for details, see “The Inspector” on page 39). 2.Click the track name in the Inspector to make sure that the topmost section is shown. 3.Pull down the Input Routing pop-up menu and select an input. The available MIDI inputs are shown. The items on the menu depend on the type of MIDI interface you are using. •If you select the “All MIDI Inputs” option, the track will receive MIDI data from all available MIDI inputs. •If you hold down [Shift]-[Alt]/[Option] and select a MIDI input, this will be used for all selected MIDI tracks. Setting the MIDI channel and output The MIDI channel and output settings determine where the recorded MIDI is routed during playback, but are also relevant for MIDI Thru in Cubase. Channel and output can be selected in the track list or in the Inspector. The proce - dure below describes how to make the settings in the In- spector, but it can be done in largely the same manner in the track list as well. 1.To select the tracks and show the settings in the Inspector, proceed as when selecting a MIDI input (see above). 2.Pull down the Output Routing pop-up menu and se- lect an output. The available MIDI outputs are shown. The items on the menu depend on what type of MIDI interface you are using. •If you hold down [Shift]-[Alt]/[Option] and select a MIDI output, this is selected for all selected MIDI tracks. 3.Use the Channel pop-up menu to select a MIDI chan- nel for the track. •If you set the track to MIDI channel “Any”, each MIDI event on the track will be sent out on the channel stored in the event itself. In other words, the MIDI material will be played back on the channels used by the MIDI input device (the MIDI instrument you play during re- cording).
102 Recording Selecting a sound You can select sounds from within Cubase by instructing the program to send Program Change and Bank Select messages to your MIDI device. This is done using the “Patch Selector” and “Bank Selector” fields in the Inspec - tor or track list. Program Change messages give access to 128 different program locations. If your MIDI instruments have more than 128 programs, Bank Select messages (set in the “Bank Selector” field) allow you to select different banks, each containing 128 programs. ÖBank Select messages are recognized differently by different MIDI instruments. The structure and numbering of banks and programs may also vary. Consult the docu - mentation of your MIDI instruments for details. ÖNote that it is also possible to select sounds by name. For descriptions of how to set this up, see the separate PDF document “MIDI Devices”. Recording MIDI You can record MIDI according to the basic recording methods (see “Basic recording methods” on page 90). When you finish recording, a part containing MIDI events is created in the Project window. About overlap and the MIDI Record Mode MIDI tracks are different from audio tracks when it comes to overlapping parts: All events in overlapping parts are al - ways played back. If you record several parts in the same locations (or move parts so that they overlap), you will hear the events in all parts. When recording overlapping parts, the result depends on the MIDI Record Mode setting on the Transport panel. To select a MIDI Record Mode, proceed as follows: 1.On the Transport panel, click the MIDI symbol in the lower left section. 2.Activate the desired option. The following options are available: The MIDI Cycle Record Modes When you record MIDI in cycle mode, the result depends not only on the MIDI Record Mode, but also on which Cy - cle Record Mode is selected in the MIDI Cycle Record Mode section: OptionDescription New PartsExisting parts that are overlapped by a new recording are kept. The new recording is saved as a new part. MergeExisting events in parts that are overlapped by a new recording are kept. The newly recorded events are added to the existing part. ReplaceExisting events in parts that are overlapped by a new recording are replaced. OptionDescription MixFor each completed lap, everything you record is added to what was previously recorded. This is useful for building up rhythm patterns. Record a hi-hat part on the first lap, the bass drum part on the second lap, etc. Click here… …to open the MIDI Re- cord Mode panel.
103 Recording To learn how to create a “perfect take” by combining the best parts from the different cycle laps after a stacked re - cording, see “Comping operations” on page 77. About the Automatic MIDI Record Quantize function If Auto Quantize is activated on the Transport panel (the “Auto Q” button), the notes you record are automatically quantized according to the current Quantize settings. For more information about quantizing, see “Quantizing MIDI and audio” on page 108. Recording different types of MIDI messages Notes When you press and release a key on your synth or other MIDI keyboard, a Note On (key down) and a Note Off (key up) message are sent out. The MIDI note message also contains the information which MIDI channel was used. Normally, this information is overridden by the MIDI chan - nel setting for the track, but if you set the track to MIDI channel “Any”, the notes will be played back on their orig - inal channels. Continuous messages Pitchbend, aftertouch, and controllers (like modulation wheel, sustain pedal, volume, etc.) are considered as MIDI continuous events (as opposed to the momentary key down and key up messages). If you move the pitchbend wheel on your synthesizer while recording, this movement is recorded together with the key (Note On and Note Off messages), just as you would expect. But the continuous messages can also be recorded after the notes have been recorded (or even before). They can also be recorded on their own tracks, separately from the notes to which they belong. Say, for instance, that you record one or several bass parts on track 2. If you now set another track, like track 55, to the same output and MIDI channel as track 2, you can make a separate recording of just pitchbends for the bass parts on track 55. This means that you activate recording as usual and only move the pitchbend wheel during the take. As long as the two tracks are set to the same output and MIDI channel, it will appear to the MIDI instrument as if the two recordings were made at the same time. Program Change messages Normally, when you switch from one program to another on your keyboard (or whatever you use to record), a num - ber corresponding to that program is sent out via MIDI as a Program Change message. These can be recorded on the fly with the music, recorded afterwards on a separate track, or manually entered in the Key or List Editors. System Exclusive messages System Exclusive (SysEx) is a special type of MIDI mes- sage used to send data that only makes sense to a unit of a certain make and type. SysEx can be used to transmit a list of the numbers that make up the settings of one or more sounds in a synth. For details about viewing and ed - iting SysEx messages, see the section “Working with SysEx messages” on page 407. OverwriteAs soon as you play a MIDI note (or send any MIDI message), all MIDI you have recorded on previous laps is overwritten from that point. Make sure that you stop playing before the next lap begins – otherwise you will overwrite the entire take. Keep LastEach completed lap replaces the previously recorded lap. If you deactivate recording or press Stop before the cursor reaches the right locator, the previous take will be kept. If you do not play or input any MIDI during a lap, nothing happens (the previous take will be kept). StackedEach recorded cycle lap is turned into a separate MIDI part and the track is divided into “lanes”, one for each cycle lap. The parts are stacked above each other, each on a different lane. All takes but the last one are muted. Mix StackedSame as Stacked, but parts are not muted. !Use MIDI filters to decide exactly which event types are recorded, see “Filtering MIDI” on page 105. Option Description
104 Recording The Reset function The Reset function on the MIDI menu sends out note-off messages and resets controllers on all MIDI channels. This is sometimes necessary if you experience hanging notes, constant vibrato, etc. when punching in and out on MIDI recordings with pitchbend or controller data. There are two other options to perform a reset: •Cubase can automatically perform a MIDI reset on stop. You can turn this function on or off in the Preferences dialog (MIDI page). •Cubase can automatically insert a reset event at the end of a recorded part. Open the Preferences dialog (MIDI page) and activate the “Insert Reset Events after Record” option. The inserted Reset event will reset controller data such as Sustain, Aftertouch, Pitchbend, Modulation, Breath Control, etc. This is useful if a MIDI part is recorded and the Sustain pedal is still held after stopping recording. Usually, this would cause all following parts to be played with Sustain, as the Pedal Off command was not recorded. This can be prevented by activating “Insert Reset Events after Record”. Retrospective Record This feature allows you to capture any MIDI notes you play in Stop mode or during playback and turn them into a MIDI part “after the fact”. This is possible due to the fact that Cubase can capture MIDI input in buffer memory, even when not recording. Proceed as follows: 1.Enable the Retrospective Record option in the Prefer- ences dialog (Record–MIDI page). This activates the buffering of MIDI input, making Retrospective Record possible. 2.Make sure a MIDI track is record-enabled. 3.When you have played some MIDI material you want to capture (either in Stop mode or during playback), select Retrospective Record from the Transport menu (or use the key command, by default [Shift]-Num[*]). The content of the MIDI buffer (i. e. what you just played) is turned into a MIDI part on the record enabled track. The part will appear where the project cursor was when you started playing – this means that if you played along dur - ing playback, the captured notes will end up exactly where you played them in relation to the project. •The Retrospective Record Buffer Size setting in the Preferences dialog (Record–MIDI page) determines how much data can be captured. MIDI Preferences There are several other options and settings in the Prefer- ences that affect MIDI recording and playback: MIDI page •Length Adjustment Adjusts the length of notes so that there is always a short time between the end of one note and the start of another (of the same pitch and on the same MIDI channel). The time is set in ticks. By default there are 120 ticks per 1/16 note, but you can adjust this with the MIDI Display Reso - lution setting on the same page. Record–MIDI page •Snap MIDI Parts to Bars When this is activated, recorded MIDI parts will automatically be length-ened to start and end at whole bar positions. If you are working in a Bars+Beats-based context, this can make editing (moving, duplicating, repeating, etc.) easier. •Solo Record in MIDI Editors If this is activated and you open a part for editing in a MIDI editor, its track is automatically record-enabled. Furthermore, Record Enable is deacti -vated for all other MIDI tracks until you close the editor again. This makes it easier to record MIDI data when you are editing a part – you will always be sure the recorded data ends up in the edited part and not on any other track. •MIDI Record Catch Range in ms When you record starting at the left locator, this setting helps you make sure that the very start of the recording is included. A very annoying scenario is when you have recorded a perfect MIDI take, only to find out that the very first note was not included – because you started playing a little bit too early! If you raise the Record Catch Range, Cubase will catch the events played just before the recording start point, eliminating this problem. For a description of the other options, click the Help but- ton in the Preferences dialog.
105 Recording Filtering MIDI The MIDI–MIDI Filter page in the Preferences dialog allows you to prevent certain MIDI messages from being recorded and/or “thruput” (echoed by the MIDI Thru function). The dialog is divided into four sections: Options and Settings Recording-related Transport Preferences A couple of settings in the Preferences dialog (Transport page) are relevant for recording. Set these according to your preferred method of work: Deactivate Punch In on Stop If this is activated, punch in on the Transport panel is auto- matically deactivated whenever you enter Stop mode. Stop after Automatic Punch Out If this is activated, playback will automatically stop after automatic punch out (when the project cursor reaches the right locator and punch out is activated on the Transport panel). If the post-roll value on the Transport panel is set to a value other than zero, playback will continue for the set time before stopping (see below). About Pre-roll and Post-roll The pre-roll and post-roll value fields (below the left/right locator fields) on the Transport panel have the following functionality: •By setting a pre-roll value, you instruct Cubase to “roll back” a short section whenever playback is activated. This applies whenever you start playback, but is perhaps most relevant when recording from the left locator (punch in activated on the Transport panel) as described below. •By setting a post-roll value, you instruct Cubase to play back a short section after automatic punch out before stopping. This is only relevant when punch out is activated on the Transport panel and “Stop after Automatic Punch Out” is activated in the Preferences di- alog (Transport page). •To turn pre-roll or post-roll on or off, click the corre- sponding button on the Transport panel (next to the pre/ post-roll value) or use the “Use Pre-roll” and “Use Post- roll” options on the Transport menu. SectionDescription Record Activating any of these options prevents that type of MIDI message from being recorded. It can, however, be thru-put, and if already recorded, it will play back normally. Thru Activating any of these options prevents that type of MIDI message from being thruput. It can, however, be recorded and played back normally. ChannelsIf you activate a channel button, no MIDI messages on that MIDI channel will be recorded or thruput. Already re-corded messages will, however, be played back normally. Controller Allows you to prevent certain MIDI controller types from being recorded or thruput. To filter out a controller type, select it from the list at the top of the Controller section and click “Add”. It will ap-pear on the list below.To remove a controller type from the list (allow it to be re-corded and thruput), select it in the lower list and click “Remove”. Post-roll value field and on/off switch Pre-roll value field and on/off switch
106 Recording An example: 1.Set the locators to where you want to start and end re- cording. 2.Activate Punch in and Punch out on the Transport panel. 3.Activate the “Stop after Automatic Punch Out” option in the Preferences dialog (Transport page). 4.Set suitable pre-roll and post-roll times by clicking in the corresponding fields on the Transport panel and typ - ing in time values. 5.Activate pre-roll and post-roll by clicking the buttons next to the pre-roll and post-roll times so that they light up. 6.Activate recording. The project cursor “rolls back” by the time specified in the pre-roll field and playback starts. When the cursor reaches the left locator, recording is automatically activated. When the cursor reaches the right locator, re -cording is deactivated, but playback continues for the time set in the post-roll field before stopping. Using the metronome The metronome can output a click that can be used as a timing reference. The two parameters that govern the tim - ing of the metronome are tempo and time signature, as set on the tempo track and signature track, or in the Tempo Track Editor (see “Editing the tempo curve” on page 465). The metronome can use a either an audio click played back via the audio hardware, send MIDI data to a con - nected device which will play back the click or both. You can also set up a precount (count-in) that will be heard when you start recording from Stop mode. This can be musical or time based. •To activate the metronome click, activate the Click but- ton on the Transport panel. You can also select the “Metronome On” option on the Transport menu or use the corresponding key command (by default [C]). •To activate the precount, click the Precount button on the Transport panel. You can also select the “Precount On” option on the Transport menu or set up a key command for this. Metronome settings You make settings for the metronome in the Metronome Setup dialog, opened from the Transport menu. In the Metronome Options section, the following options are available: The following precount options are available: Click on/off Precount on/off OptionDescription Metronome in Record/PlayAllows you to specify whether the metronome is heard during playback, recording or both (when Click is acti-vated on the Transport panel). OptionDescription Precount BarsSets the number of bars the metronome counts in before recording starts. Use Project Count BaseIf this option is activated, the metronome plays one click per beat according to the project count base. Use Count BaseIf this option is activated, a field appears to the right where you specify the “rhythm” of the metronome. For example, setting this to “1/8”, gives you eighth notes (two clicks per beat). It is also possible to create unusual metronome rhythms such as triplets. Use Time Sign. at Rec. Start TimeWhen this is activated, the precount automatically uses the time signature and tempo set at the position where recording starts. Use Time Sign. at Project TimeWhen this is activated, the precount uses the time signa-ture set on the tempo track. Furthermore, any tempo changes on the tempo track during the precount are ap-plied. Use SignatureThis lets you set a time signature for the precount. In this mode, tempo changes on the tempo track do not affect the precount.
107 Recording Further configuration options for MIDI and audio clicks are available in the Click Outputs section: Lock and Unlock Record During recording it can happen that you accidentally de- activate the record mode, e. g. by pressing [Space]. In or- der to prevent this, you can set up a key command for this in the Key Commands dialog. If you use the Lock Record key command, the Record button will turn gray and the re - cord mode is locked until you use the Unlock Record key command or enter Stop mode. •If Lock Record is activated and you want to enter Stop mode (by clicking Stop or pressing [Space]), you will see a dialog in which you need to confirm that you want to stop recording. You can also use the Unlock Record key command first and then enter Stop mode as usual. •By default, no key commands are assigned to these functions. In the Key Commands dialog, you will find the corresponding key command entries in the Transport cat - egory (see the chapter “Key commands” on page 541 for more information on how to set up key commands). ÖThese key commands are especially useful when com- bined with other commands (e. g. with Record/Stop) using the macro functions. That way you will receive powerful macros that can greatly enhance your workflow. ÖNote that an automatic punch-out at the right locator position that you may have set on the transport panel, will be ignored in Lock Record mode. Record Time Max display The Record Time Max display lets you see how much time you have left for recording. The available time depends on the current setup, for example, on the amount of tracks that are record-enabled, your project setup (e. g. the sam- ple rate), and the amount of hard disk space available. You can show and hide the display using the “Record Time Max” option on the Devices menu. ÖThe remaining record time is also shown in the status line above the track list. OptionDescription Activate MIDI ClickSelects whether or not the metronome sounds via MIDI. MIDI Port/ ChannelThis is where you select a MIDI output and channel for the metronome click. For the metronome click you can also select a VST instru-ment previously set up in the VST Instruments window. Hi Note/ VelocitySets the MIDI note number and velocity value for the “high note” (the first beat in a bar). Lo Note/ VelocitySets the MIDI note number and velocity for the “low notes” (the other beats). Activate Audio ClickSelects whether or not the metronome sounds via the audio hardware. BeepsWhen this is selected, the audio clicks will be beeps generated by the program. Adjust the pitch and level of the beeps for the “Hi” (first) beat and “Lo” (other) beats using the sliders below. SoundsWhen this is selected, you can click in the “Sound” fields below to load any audio files for the “Hi” and “Lo” metro-nome sounds. The sliders set the level of the click. !If you are storing your tracks on different drives (by using individual record folders), the time display re - fers to the medium with the least storage space available.
109 Quantizing MIDI and audio Introduction What is quantizing? Quantizing is a function that moves recorded audio or MIDI, positioning it on the nearest grid position that is mu - sically relevant. Quantizing can be used to correct errors, or in a creative way. In Cubase, you can quantize audio and MIDI to a grid (see “Options for quantizing to a musical grid” on page 113) or to a groove (see “Options for quantizing to a groove” on page 113). You can also quantize multiple audio tracks simultaneously while keeping their phase relation (see “Quantizing multiple audio tracks (Cubase only)” on page 114). Audio and MIDI can be quantized at the same time. How- ever, what exactly happens during quantizing differs for audio and MIDI: •Audio quantizing affects the audio event starts (see “Audio – quantizing audio event starts” on page 110), or the content of your audio (see “Audio Warp Quantize” on page 110). •MIDI quantizing can affect the starts of MIDI events in a part (see “MIDI – quantizing MIDI event starts” on page 110), the MIDI event lengths (see “Quantize MIDI Event Lengths” on page 110), or the MIDI event ends (see “Quantize MIDI Event Ends” on page 111). ÖWhen you apply quantizing, the result is based on the original position of the events. Therefore, you can freely try out different quantize settings without the risk of “destroy - ing” anything. Where are the quantize functions located? Quantize functions on the Edit menu •To apply the quantize function, you can either open the Edit menu and select Quantize, or use the default key command [Q]. •To apply one of the advanced quantizing functions, open the Edit menu and select the desired function on the Advanced Quantize submenu. Quantize functions on the toolbar The Quantize section on the Project window toolbar pro- vides the following parameters: •The “Q” button If you click the “Q” button, it toggles to “iQ”. This changes the mode from default to iterative quantize (see “iQ option and Iterative Strength set-ting” on page 112). •The Quantize Presets pop-up menu On this pop-up menu, you can select a preset for quantizing (see “Quan-tize Presets pop-up menu” on page 111). •The “Open Quantize Panel” button By clicking on this button you can open the Quantize Panel (see “The Quantize Panel” on page 111).
110 Quantizing MIDI and audio Quantize functions on the Quantize Panel The Quantize Panel provides different settings and parame- ters (see “The Quantize Panel” on page 111). You can open it by clicking on the corresponding button on the tool- bar or by opening the Edit menu and selecting “Quantize Panel”. Quantize functions on the Transport panel (MIDI only) On the Transport panel, you can activate the Auto Q button. The Auto Q function quantizes MIDI automatically on re - cording, according to the settings on the Quantize Panel. Quantize functions in the key commands In the Key Commands dialog (Quantize Category), you can set up key commands for the quantize functions. For further information about key commands, see “Key com- mands” on page 541. Quantize functions Quantize The Quantize function is found on the Edit menu. You can also use the key command [Q] or the “Quantize” button on the Quantize Panel. What exactly happens when you use the Quantize function depends on whether you apply it to audio or MIDI. Audio – quantizing audio event starts If you select one or several audio events or a sliced loop and use the Quantize function, the audio event starts are quantized. The event snap points (or, if no snap point is available, the event start) that ended up slightly beside exact note posi - tions are moved to the nearest position of the grid. The grid is set up in the Quantize pop-up menu. ÖIf you use the Quantize function on an audio part, the event starts inside the part are quantized. MIDI – quantizing MIDI event starts If you select several MIDI notes in a part and use the Quantize function on the Edit menu, the MIDI note starts are quantized, i. e. The starts of MIDI notes that ended up slightly beside exact note positions are moved to the near - est position of the grid. The grid is set up in the Quantize pop-up menu. The note lengths are maintained. ÖIf you quantize MIDI parts, all events are quantized, even if none is selected. Reset Quantize This command on the Edit menu reverts your audio or MIDI to its original, unquantized state. This function is in - dependent from the regular Undo History. ÖThe Reset function will also reset any length changes that you performed using the “Scale Length/Legato” slider, see “The Length section” on page 379. Advanced Quantize functions Audio Warp Quantize The “Audio Warp Quantize” function on the Edit menu, Advanced submenu, quantizes the content of your audio event by applying time stretch. The following happens: • If you have already set up hitpoints, these will be taken. Other- wise, hitpoints are detected automatically. For further informa- tion on hitpoints, see “Working with hitpoints and slices” on page 276. • For each hitpoint, a warp tab is created. For further information on hitpoints, see “Warping audio” on page 272. • The warp tabs that are located close to a beat or bar position are matched with the nearest grid positions as set up on the Quantize pop-up menu. This stretches your audio. The audio event gets a warp tab at the event start and one at the event end. These warp tabs are also aligned to the nearest position in the grid. Quantize MIDI Event Lengths The “Quantize MIDI Event Lengths” function on the Edit menu, Advanced Quantize submenu, quantizes the length of MIDI notes without changing their start positions. At its most basic level, this function sets the length of the notes to the Length Quantize value on the MIDI editor toolbar by cutting their ends.