Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

							721
Key commandsThe default key commands
Tool category
Transport category
OptionKey command
Erase tool[5]
Draw tool[8]
Drumstick tool[0]
Glue tool[4]
Mute tool[7]
Next Tool[F10]
Play tool[9]
Previous Tool[F9]
Range tool[2]
Object Selection tool[1]
Split tool[3]
Zoom tool[6]
OptionKey command
Auto Punch In[I]
Auto Punch Out[O]
CycleNum [/]
Exchange Time Formats[.]
Fast Forward[Shift]-Num [+]
Fast Rewind[Shift]-Num [-]
ForwardNum [+]
Input Left Locator[Shift]-[L]
Input Position[Shift]-[P]
Input Right Locator[Shift]-[R]
Insert Marker[Insert] (Win)
Locate Next Event[N]
Locate Next Hitpoint[Alt]/[Option]-[N]
Locate Next Marker[Shift]-[N]
Locate Previous Event[B]
Locate Previous Hitpoint[Alt]/[Option]-[B]
Locate Previous Marker[Shift]-[B]
Locate Selection[L]
Locators to Selection[P]
Loop Selection[Shift]-[G]
Metronome On[C]
Nudge Cursor Left[Ctrl]/[Command]-Num [-]
Nudge Cursor Right[Ctrl]/[Command]-Num [+]
Panel (Transport panel)[F2]
Play Selection Range[Alt]/[Option]-[Space] 
						

							722
Key commandsThe default key commands
Windows category
Workspace category
Zoom category
To Marker 1 to 9[Shift]-Num [1] to Num [9]
RecordNum [*]
Retrospective Record[Shift]-Num [*]
Return to ZeroNum [.] or Num [,] or Num [;]
RewindNum [-]
Set Left Locator[Ctrl]/[Command]-Num [1]
Set Marker 1[Ctrl]/[Command]-[1]
Set Marker 2[Ctrl]/[Command]-[2]
Set Marker 3 to 9[Ctrl]/[Command]-Num [3] to [9] or 
[Ctrl]/[Command]- [3] to [9]
Set Right Locator[Ctrl]/[Command]-Num [2]
Start[Enter]
Start/Stop[Space]
StopNum [0]
To Left LocatorNum [1]
To Marker 1[Shift]-[1]
To Marker 2[Shift]-[2]
To Marker 3 to 9Num [3] to [9] or [Shift]-[3] to [9]
To Right LocatorNum [2]
Use External Sync[T]
OptionKey command
Inline: Key Commands[Shift]-[F4]
Inline: Settings[Shift]-[F3]
Inline: View Layout[Shift]-[F2]
OptionKey command
Lock/Unlock Active Workspace[Alt]/[Option]-Num [0]
New[Ctrl]/[Command]-Num [0]
Organize[W]
Workspace 1-9[Alt]/[Option]-Num [1-9]
Workspace X[Ctrl]/[Command]-[Alt]/[Option]-Num [0]
OptionKey command
Zoom Full[Shift]-[F]
Zoom In[H]
Zoom In Tracks[Alt]/[Option]-[Down Arrow]
Zoom Out[G]
Option Key command 
						

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Key commandsThe default key commands
Zoom Out Tracks[Alt]/[Option]-[Up Arrow] or [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Up 
Arrow]
Zoom to Event[Shift]-[E]
Zoom to Selection[Alt]/[Option]-[S]
Zoom Tracks Exclusive[Z] or [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Down Arrow]
Option Key command 
						

							Part II:
Score layout and printing
(Cubase only) 
						

							725
How the Score Editor works
About this chapter
In this chapter you will learn:
- How the Score Editor and MIDI data relate.
- What Display Quantize is and how it works.
Welcome!
Welcome to scoring in Cubase! The Score Editor has been created to allow you to 
get any possible piece of music displayed as a score, complete with all the necessary 
symbols and formatting. It allows you to extract parts out of a full orchestra score, to 
add lyrics and comments, create lead sheets, score for drums, create tablature, etc. In 
other words: just about any type of notation you could ever desire!
There are a few basic principles to how the Score Editor works, which you have to 
understand to make full use of it.
How the Score Editor operates
The Score Editor does the following:
- Reads the MIDI notes in the MIDI parts.
- Looks at the settings you have made.
- Decides how the MIDI notes are displayed according to the settings.
The Score Editor takes MIDI data and settings as input and produces a score as output.
The Score Editor does all this in realtime. If you change some of the MIDI data (for 
example by moving or shortening a note) this is immediately reflected in the score. If 
you change some of the settings (for example the time signature or key signature) this 
is also immediately apparent.
Do not think of the Score Editor as a drawing program, but rather as an “interpreter” of 
MIDI data.
MIDI data
Score Editor Score display
Score settings 
						

							726
How the Score Editor worksMIDI notes vs. score notes
MIDI notes vs. score notes
MIDI tracks in Cubase hold MIDI notes and other MIDI data. As you may know, a MIDI 
note in Cubase is only defined by its position, length, pitch and velocity. This is not 
nearly enough information to decide how the note is to be displayed in a score. The 
program needs to know more: What type of instrument are we talking about, Drums? 
Piano? What key is the piece in? What is the basic rhythm? How should the notes be 
grouped under beams? You provide this information by making settings and working 
with the tools available in the Score Editor.
An example of the MIDI/score relationship
When Cubase stores a MIDI note’s position, it makes the measurement in an absolute 
value, called ticks. There are 480 ticks to a quarter note. Have a look at the example 
below:
A quarter note at the end of a 4/4 measure
The note is on the fourth beat of the measure. Now, let’s say you change the time 
signature to 3/4. This shortens the length of a “measure” to only three quarter notes – 
1440 ticks. Suddenly our quarter note is in the next measure:
The same note in 3/4
Why? Since you are not changing the MIDI data in the track/part (that would ruin your 
recording!) by changing the time signature, the note is still at the same absolute 
position. It is just that now each “measure” is shorter, which effectively moves the note 
in the score.
What we are trying to get across here is that the Score Editor is an “interpreter” of the 
MIDI data. It follows rules that you set up by making settings in dialogs, on menus, etc. 
And this interpretation is “dynamic”, or in other words, it is constantly updated 
whenever the data (the MIDI notes) or the rules (the score settings) change.
Display Quantize
Let’s say you used the Project window to record a figure with some staccato eighth 
notes. When you open the Score Editor, these notes are displayed like this:
This does not look anything like what you intended. Let’s start with the timing – 
obviously, you were off at a couple of places (the third, fourth and last note all seem to 
be a 32nd note late). You can solve this by quantizing the figure, but this would make 
the passage sound too “stiff”, and not fit in the musical context. To resolve this 
problem the Score Editor employs something called “Display Quantize”.
Display Quantize is a setting which is used to tell the program two things:
•How precise the Score Editor is to be when displaying the note positions.
•The smallest note values (lengths) you want displayed in the score.
In the example above, the Display Quantize value seems to be set to 32nd notes (or a 
smaller note value). 
						

							727
How the Score Editor worksDisplay Quantize
Let’s say we change the Display Quantize value to sixteenth notes in the example:
With Display Quantize set to sixteenth notes
OK, now the timing looks right, but the notes still do not look like what you intended. 
Maybe you can understand that from a computer’s point of view, you did play sixteenth 
notes, which is why there are a lot of pauses. But that’s not how you meant it. You still 
want the track to play back short notes, because it is a staccato part, but you want 
something else “displayed”. Try setting the Display Quantize value to eighth notes 
instead:
With Display Quantize set to eighth notes
Now we have eighth notes, as we wanted. All we have to do now is to add staccato 
articulation which can be done with one simple mouse click using the Draw tool (see 
the chapter 
“Working with symbols” on page 811) or using musical articulations (see 
“Expression maps (Cubase only)” on page 555).
How did this work? By setting the Display Quantize value to eighth notes, you give the 
program two instructions that would sound something like this in English: “Display all 
notes as if they were on exact eighth note positions, regardless of their actual 
positions” and “Don’t display any notes smaller than eighth notes, regardless of how 
short they are”. Please note that we used the word “display”, which leads us to one of 
the most important messages of this chapter:
Choose your Display Quantize values with care
As explained above, the Display Quantize value for notes puts a restriction on the 
smallest note value that can be displayed. Let’s see what happens if we set it to 
quarter notes:
With Display Quantize set to quarter notes
Oops, this doesn’t look too good. Well of course it doesn’t! We have now instructed 
the program that the “smallest” note that occurs in the piece is a quarter note. We 
have explicitly told it that there are no eighth notes, no sixteenths, etc. So when the 
program draws the score on screen (and on paper) it quantizes the display of all our 
eighth notes to quarter note positions, which makes it look like above. But again, 
please note that when you hit Play, the passage still plays as it originally did. The 
Display Quantize setting only affects the score image of the recording.
!Setting a Display Quantize value does not alter the MIDI notes of your recording in 
any way, as regular quantizing does. It only affects how the notes are displayed in the 
Score Editor (and nowhere else)!
!Even if you manually enter notes in the score using perfect note values, it is very 
important that you have your Display Quantize settings right! These values are not just 
used for MIDI recordings! If you for example set the Display Quantize value for notes 
to quarter notes and start clicking in eighth notes, you get eighth notes in the track (as 
MIDI data), but still only quarter notes in the display! 
						

							728
How the Score Editor worksDisplay Quantize
Using Rests as Display Quantize setting
Above we used Display Quantize for notes. There is a similar Display Quantize setting 
called “Rests” which is used to set the smallest rest to be displayed. Often, this 
setting is very effective.
Let’s start with the following note example:
As you see, the first note appears one sixteenth note late. If we change the Display 
Quantize value for notes to eighth notes, the score is displayed like this:
With Display Quantize: Notes set to eighth notes
Unfortunately, this moves the first note to the same position as the second, since 
sixteenth note positions are not allowed. We can solve this by inserting extra Display 
Quantize values within the bar with the Display Quantize tool (see 
“Inserting Display 
Quantize changes” on page 750), but there is a much easier way: Change the Display 
Quantize value for notes back to sixteenths, but set the value for rests to eighth notes! 
This tells the program not to display any rests smaller than eighth notes, except when 
necessary. The result looks like this:
With Display Quantize: Notes set to sixteenth notes, but Rests set to eighth notes.
How did this work? Well, you instructed the program not to display any rests smaller 
than eighth notes, except when “necessary”. Since the first note appeared on the 
second sixteenth note position, it was necessary to put a sixteenth rest at the 
beginning of the figure. All other rests can be hidden by displaying the notes as eighth 
notes, and were therefore not “necessary”.
This leads us to the following general guidelines:
ÖSet the Notes value according to the “smallest note position” you want to be shown in 
the score (e.
 g. if you have notes on odd sixteenth note positions, set the Notes to 
sixteenth notes).
ÖSet the Rests value according to the smallest note value (length) you want to be 
displayed for a single note, positioned on a beat.
Common Display Quantize settings would be to have Notes set to 16 (sixteenth 
notes) and Rests set to 4 (quarter notes).
Handling exceptions
Unfortunately, the guidelines above do not work perfectly in every situation. You may 
for example have a mix of straight notes and tuplets of different types, or you may wish 
to display equally long notes with different note values depending on the context. 
There are several methods you can try:
Automatic Display Quantize
If your score contains both straight notes and triplets, you can use Auto Quantize. 
When this is activated, Cubase tries to “understand” whether the notes should be 
display quantized to straight notes or triplets, see 
“If your music contains mixed 
straight notes and triplets” on page 774. 
						

							729
How the Score Editor worksEntering notes by hand vs. recording notes
Using the Display Quantize tool
With the “Q” tool, you can insert new Display Quantize values anywhere in the score. 
Inserted Display Quantize values affect the staff from the insertion point onwards, see 
“Inserting Display Quantize changes” on page 750.
Permanent alteration of MIDI data
As a last resort, you can resize, quantize or move the actual note events. However, this 
would result in the music not playing back like it originally did. Often it is possible to 
get the score to look the way you want without altering any MIDI data.
Summary
This closes our discussion on the basic concept of display quantizing. There are a 
number of other special situations which require more advanced techniques 
described in the next chapters. The interpretation options which work along the same 
lines as Display Quantize are also explained.
Entering notes by hand vs. recording notes
Sometimes you enter and edit notes by hand (or rather using the mouse and/or the 
computer keyboard) and at other times you record them from a MIDI keyboard. Most 
of the time, you do a combination of both. In the chapter 
“Transcribing MIDI 
recordings” on page 747 you can find out how to make a recorded score as legible as 
possible without making any permanent changes to the MIDI data. The chapter 
“Entering and editing notes” on page 753 shows you how to enter and edit notes 
using the mouse. In real life, even if you have recorded the piece perfectly, you often 
have to do some permanent editing to your recording before printing.
!In order to understand how to produce legible scores we recommend to read both 
chapters. 
						

							730
The basics
About this chapter
In this chapter you will learn:
- How to open the Score Editor.
- How to switch between Page Mode and Edit Mode.
- How to set up the page size and margins.
- How to hide and show the Symbols Inspector, the toolbar, and the extended 
toolbar.
- How to set up the ruler.
- How to set a zoom factor.
- How to make initial settings for clef, key, and time signature.
- How to transpose instruments.
- How to print and export your score.
Preparations
1.In the Project window, create a MIDI track for each instrument.
You can prepare a piano (split) staff from a single track, i. e. there is no need to 
create one track for the bass clef and one for the treble clef.
2.Name each track after the instrument.
This name can later be used in the score if you like.
3.Record on the tracks or create empty parts on all tracks.
You can make very long parts that cover the entire project, or you can start out with 
shorter parts to begin with. If you choose the latter option, you can always go back 
later and add new parts or copy existing parts.
Opening the Score Editor
Editing one or several parts
To open one or several parts in the Score Editor, select the parts (on the same or on 
different tracks) and select “Open Score Editor” from the MIDI menu or “Open 
Selection” from the Scores menu. The default key command for this is 
[Ctrl]/[Command]-[R]. 
•You can also select the Score Editor as your default editor, allowing you to open it 
by double-clicking parts.
This is done with the Default Edit Action pop-up menu in the Preferences dialog 
(Event Display–MIDI page).
Editing whole tracks
When preparing a score for printing, you probably want to open whole MIDI tracks in 
the Score Editor. To do this, select the track(s) in the track list and make sure no parts 
are selected – then open the Score Editor as described above.