Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

							The basics
Designing your work space
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3. If you need to, change the margins by setting the left, right, top and bottom 
settings.
To make the settings permanent, save the project.
If you want new projects to always start with certain page setup settings, you can 
create project templates.
RELATED LINKS
Saving a Project Template File on page 71
Designing your work space
You can design your work space according to your needs by showing/hiding 
different areas using the Window Layout function and by showing/hiding different 
options of these areas using the Setup options dialogs. Which areas and options 
to show or hide depends on what kind of project you are working on, how large your 
monitor is, and so on.
Window layout
1) Status line
2) Info line
3) Extended toolbar
4) Filter bar
5) Symbols Inspector 
						

							The basics
Designing your work space
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Configuring the window layout
PROCEDURE
1. On the toolbar, click the “Set up Window Layout” button.
2. Activate the desired options.
The status line
The status line features the Mouse Time and the Mouse Note Position displays as 
well as the Current Chord Display, which helps you identify chords in the Score 
Editor note display. It can be hidden/displayed using the “Status Line” option in the 
“Set up Window Layout” pane.
The status line has its own Setup dialog where you can specify exactly which 
properties you want to see.
• Right-click on the status line and select “Setup…” from the context menu.
In the dialog that appears you can configure where the separate items will be 
placed and save/recall different setup configurations.
The info line
The info line displays information about the selected note. It can be shown and 
hidden using the “Info Line” option in the “Set up Window Layout” pane.
The info line has its own setup dialog where you can specify exactly which 
properties are shown.
• Right-click on the info line and select “Setup…” from the context menu.
In the dialog that appears you can configure where the separate items will be 
placed and save/recall different setup configurations.
The extended toolbar
The extended toolbar contains additional tools four your score. It can be 
hidden/displayed using the Tools option in the “Set up Window Layout” pane. 
						

							The basics
Designing your work space
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The filter bar
This area contains checkboxes determining which indicators, handles, and other 
non-printed elements are shown in the score. It can be hidden/displayed using the 
Filters option in the “Set up Window Layout” pane.
Showing and hiding elements
Some of the elements in the score are not printed, but rather serve as indicators for 
layout changes, handles, etc. These elements can be hidden or shown in any 
combination by using the Filters options.
The following options are available:
Bar Handles
Displays the bar handles, used for copying bars.
Hidden Notes
Displays any notes you might have hidden.
Hide
Displays markers in the score for each hidden element (except notes).
Quantize
Displays markers in the score where you have made Display Quantize 
“exceptions”.
Layout Tool
Displays markers in the score where you have made adjustments with the 
Layout tool.
Grouping
Displays markers in the score where you have made beam groupings.
Cutflag
Displays markers in the score where you have inserted cutflag events.
Split Rests
Displays markers in the score wherever you have split multiple rests.
Stems/Beams
Displays markers in the score where you have made any stem or beam 
adjustments.
RELATED LINKS
Moving and duplicating with the bar handles on page 1229
Hiding/showing objects on page 1283
Inserting Display Quantize changes on page 1122
Graphic moving of notes on page 1198
Grouping on page 1188 
						

							The basics
Designing your work space
1104
The Cut Notes tool on page 1197
Splitting multi-rests on page 1286
Setting stem direction on page 1178
Manual adjustment of beams on page 1195
The Symbols Inspector
This area contains symbol tabs, which are used to add symbols to the score. It can 
be hidden/displayed using the Symbols option in the “Set up Window Layout” 
pane.
The symbol tabs can also be opened as free-floating palettes by opening them, 
right-clicking any of the buttons and selecting “Open as Palette” from the context 
menu. This way you can move symbol palettes around on the screen by clicking and 
dragging their title bars. Right-clicking on a symbol palette brings up a pop-up 
menu:
• Select “Toggle” to switch between a vertical or horizontal view of the palette.
• Select one of the options on the pop-up menu to bring up the corresponding 
palette instead of the current palette.
• Hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and select a palette from the pop-up menu to 
open the selected palette in a new window (without closing the existing one).
• Click the close button to close a symbol palette.
In the Symbols Inspector setup dialog you can specify exactly which symbol tabs 
are shown.
RELATED LINKS
The Symbols Inspector Setup dialog on page 1208
Working with symbols on page 1206
The ruler
In the Score Editor there are no meter/time position rulers as in the other editors. 
Instead, there are horizontal and vertical “graphic rulers” in Page Mode. These help 
you to position symbols and graphical objects in the score.
• To specify which units to show on the rulers, open the Zoom pop-up menu 
and select one of the options.
You can choose between points, inches, and centimeters. 
						

							The basics
About the Score Editor context menus
1105
• To hide the rulers, select “Off” from the pop-up menu.
The Position Info window
To help you when positioning objects in the score, the Page Mode has a special 
Position Info window, in which you can view and adjust object positions numerically, 
in the unit selected for the ruler. To display the Position Info window, click in the 
ruler.
About the Score Editor context menus
Many functions and settings of the Score Editor can be accessed via context 
menus, opened by right-clicking on certain elements of the score. For example, if 
you choose a note, the note context menu opens, listing note-related functions.
If you open the context menu on an empty area of the score, it lists all available tools 
(allowing you to quickly switch between tools) and it contains many functions of the 
main menus.
About dialogs in the Score Editor
There are two types of dialogs available in the Score Editor:
• Non-modal dialogs can remain open while you continue working in the score.
In a non-modal dialog, clicking the Apply button applies the settings in the 
dialog to the selected objects in the score. This means you can select 
different elements in the score and change their settings, without having to 
close the dialog in between.
The dialog is closed by clicking the standard close button in the window title 
bar. The Score Settings dialog is an example for a non-modal dialog. 
						

							The basics
Setting clef, key, and time signature
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• Regular dialogs have an OK button instead of an Apply button.
Clicking OK applies the settings you have made and closes the dialog. You 
cannot continue working in the score (or select other objects) until you close 
the dialog.
NOTE
If the “Apply closes Property Windows” option is activated in the Preferences dialog 
(Scores–Editing page), clicking the Apply button in a non-modal dialog closes the 
dialog. In other words, this makes a non-modal dialog work a bit more like a regular 
dialog.
Setting clef, key, and time signature
When preparing to enter notes into a score, you probably want to start out by 
setting the desired clef, key, and time signature for the staff. The text below assumes 
you are working on one track only. If you have multiple staves, you either make this 
setting independently for each staff or for all staves at once.
Normally, all these symbols appear at the beginning of each staff. However, you can 
control this by using the Real Book option and by hiding objects.
When entering or editing keys, there is one important thing to note:
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
In the Score Settings dialog on the Project
						

							The basics
Setting clef, key, and time signature
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4. Select the Keys tab and click on the symbol for the key that you want to use.
5. Click anywhere in the first bar of the staff to set the key for the track.
6. Open the Time Signature tab of the Inspector and click on the symbol for the 
time signature value that you want to use.
If you cannot find the desired time signature, you can use the Edit Time Signature 
dialog (see below).
AFTER COMPLETING THIS TASK 
The settings you have made so far are valid for the entire track. If you want to further 
edit these settings, or if you need different settings for different bars of your track, 
proceed as described in the next section.
Editing the time signature
PROCEDURE
1. Double-click on the time signature symbol at the beginning of the staff.
A dialog opens.
2. If the project is in 4/4 or 2/2, you can select common time/cut time directly by 
clicking one of the two symbols on the right.
This sets the time signature to 4/4 or 2/2, respectively and also inserts a common/cut 
time symbol on the staff.
3. If the project is in any other time, set the numerator and denominator above 
and below the line, respectively.
The numerator can consist of several numbers for composite time signatures. 
However, if the project is in a simple time signature you only need to fill in the first 
number above the line. The more advanced options are described below. 
						

							The basics
Setting clef, key, and time signature
1108
4. Click OK or press [Return].
IMPORTANT
All tracks share the time signature! In other words, when you set the time signature, 
you do this for all tracks in the project.
If you need to enter half a bar somewhere (for example) you have to make a time 
signature change (e. g. from 4/4 to 2/4 and back again).
RELATED LINKS
By using the Pickup Bar feature on page 1288
Inserting and editing clefs, keys, or time signatures on page 1148
Composite time signatures and the For Grouping Only option
For composite signatures, the numerator can be made up of up to four groups. For 
example, “4+4+3+/” on the upper line and 8 on the lower means the time signature 
is 11/8.
The reason for dividing the numerator into several numbers is to get beaming and 
tied notes displayed correctly automatically. This does not affect the metronome or 
anything else, only beams and ties.
If “For Grouping Only” is not activated, the numerator shows all the numbers 
entered. If it is activated, it shows the sum of the numbers entered, as for “simple” 
time signatures.
“For Grouping Only” off and on
Note that Cubase tries to preserve the denominator when you insert a composite 
signature with “For Grouping Only” activated. This means that if you have a 4/4 time 
signature, and change it to a composite value (3+3+2 eighths for example), the 
time signature still is displayed as 4/4 instead of 8/8.
RELATED LINKS
Handling beaming on page 1188
Setting the time signature on the Transport panel
You can also set the time signature directly on the Transport panel. Please note that 
you cannot create composite time signatures from the Transport panel. 
						

							The basics
Setting clef, key, and time signature
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Setting the time signature using the signature track/Tempo Track Editor
You can also add, edit and delete time signatures using the signature track or the 
Tempo Track Editor.
Please note the following:
• The score always shows the time signature events set in the signature 
track/Tempo Track Editor, regardless of whether or not the Tempo button is 
activated. Likewise, any time signatures you create in the Score Editor are 
shown in the signature track/Tempo Track Editor.
• You cannot create composite time signatures using the signature 
track/Tempo Track Editor.
RELATED LINKS
Editing tempo and signature on page 904
Editing the clef
On the clef context menu
When you right-click on a clef symbol, a context menu with a list of all available clefs 
opens. This menu also contains the following options:
• Display Clef Changes as Small Symbols
If you activate this option and insert a clef change in the score, the clef is 
displayed with a smaller symbol.
• Warnings for new Clefs at Line Breaks
If you activate this option and insert a new clef at a line break, the Clef change 
symbol is inserted in the last bar before the staff break. When this is 
deactivated, the symbol is inserted in the first bar of the next staff line.
•Hide
If you select this function, the clef is hidden.
• Properties
If you select this function, the Edit Clef dialog opens.
In the Edit Clef dialog
PROCEDURE
1. Double-click on the current clef.
A dialog appears. 
						

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Setting clef, key, and time signature
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2. Use the scrollbar to select a clef.
IMPORTANT
This does not work if Auto Clef is activated on the Staff page of the Score Settings 
dialog, see below.
3. Repeat the steps above for all staves in the system.
On the Staff page of the Score Settings dialog
PROCEDURE
1. Click on a staff to make it the active staff.
2. On the Scores menu, select “Settings…” to open the Score Settings dialog. 
Select the Staff page at the top to open the Main tab, showing the current 
settings for the active staff.
You can also double-click to the left of a staff to make it active and bring up the Score 
Settings dialog in one go (if this does not work, the “Double-click on staff flips 
between full score/part” option in the Preferences dialog (Scores–Editing page) may 
be activated.
3. In the Clef/Key section, use the scrollbar on the left to select one of the 
available clefs.