Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual
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Creating tablature Creating tablature manually 1311 Normally, the program automatically decides on which string to display a note, by looking at the pitch and then putting the note at the lowest possible string. You can then either manually move a note to the correct string, or use the “MIDI Channel 1–6” option to let the program move the notes automatically. PROCEDURE 1. Many guitar synthesizers are able to transmit each string on a different MIDI channel. If you have such an instrument, set it up so that the high E string transmits on MIDI channel 1, the B string transmits on MIDI channel 2, etc. This feature can be used for MIDI string instruments with up to six strings. 2. Record the project. Quantize and edit it as desired. 3. Make sure that the “MIDI Channel 1–6” option is activated and convert the notes into tablature, as described above. 4. The notes are automatically placed on the right strings. For example if you played a “B” on the low E-string, it appears as a “7” on that string, not as a “2” on the A-string. Creating tablature manually To set up an empty system for inputting tablature, proceed as follows: PROCEDURE 1. Double-click on the clef symbol in the score to open the Edit Clef dialog. 2. Change the clef to the tablature symbol. 3. Open the Score Settings dialog on the Staff page and select the Options tab. 4. Set the “System Lines” to as many strings as the instrument you are scoring for has. 5. Raise the Add Space value to 1 or 2. You need a little extra space between note lines to make room for the numbered note heads. Suggested system line settings for guitar tablature 6. On the Tablature tab, activate “Tablature Mode”.
Creating tablature Tablature number appearance 1312 7. Set up whatever other parameters you need in the dialog, and click Apply. 8. Select the Insert Note tool and move the pointer over the score. 9. Press the mouse button and drag up and down until the note appears on the desired string with the correct fret number (you can also verify the pitch on the toolbar, as usual). When you drag up and down, the program automatically selects the lowest possible string. If you want a fret number higher than 4 on a guitar tablature, for example, you have to use “Move To String”, see below. Setting the correct pitch. Use the Mouse Note Position display in the status line as an additional guide. 10. Release the mouse button. The note is displayed. Tablature number appearance In the Score Settings dialog on the Project–Font Settings subpage, you can find settings for the tablature numbers. In the “Font For” pop-up menu, select “Tablatures” and then select the desired font, size, and style for the number note heads. Editing Tablature can be edited like any other score. You can move notes, handle beaming, stem direction, etc. Moving notes to another string If you want for example a “C” to appear as an “8” on the low E-string rather than a “3” on the A-string on a guitar, proceed as follows: PROCEDURE 1. Select one note or a number of notes that you want to move to a new string. 2. Right-click on one of the selected notes and, from the “Move to String” submenu, select the desired string. The Fret number is automatically adjusted according to the tuning of the instrument (as set up on the Tablature tab of the Staff page in the Score Settings dialog).
Creating tablature Note head shape 1313 Moving notes Moving notes in pitch in a tablature score is working the same way as entering notes manually, see above. Editing on the info line You can change the pitch of notes on the info line as usual. The string and fret number are updated automatically in the score. Note head shape If you only want to enter a fret number for your notes (Tablature mode off), you can use the Set Note Info dialog on regular notes. PROCEDURE 1. Double-click on the head of a note. The Set Note Info dialog appears. 2. Activate the Tablature option and set a fret number in the value field to the right. 3. Click Apply.
1314 The score and MIDI playback About this chapter In this chapter you will learn: • How to use the Arranger mode to have the playback follow the structure of the score. • How to use the “mapped” Dynamics symbols. NOTE Cubase Pro only: You can also play back articulations in the Score using the Expression Map and Note Expression functions. RELATED LINKS Expression maps (Cubase Pro only) on page 778 Note Expression on page 792 Scores and the Arranger mode Repeats (bar lines) appear in all layouts, as well as Project symbols like Segnos, Codas, Da Capo, endings, etc. To have the playback in Cubase follow these directions, proceed as follows: PROCEDURE 1. Add the desired repeats and project symbols to the score. 2. Right-click the toolbar in the Score Editor and make sure that “Arranger” is ticked. This adds the Arranger buttons to the toolbar. 3. Click the “Activate Arranger Mode” button on the toolbar and start playback. Playback follows the repeats and Project symbols in the score – sections within repeat symbols are repeated, the playback position jumps to the beginning when encountering a Da Capo symbol, and so on.
The score and MIDI playback Working with mapped dynamics 1315 Working with mapped dynamics Apart from the dynamics symbols found on the Dynamics tab, you can also use 12 “mapped” Dynamics symbols. These make use of the Note Expression functionality in Cubase. Mapped Dynamics symbols can be played back using three different methods: by modifying the velocity values in percentages, by sending volume controller messages or by sending additional generic controllers. These methods can also be combined. RELATED LINKS Note Expression on page 792 Setting up the symbols You can make settings for the symbols in the Dynamics Mapping Setup dialog. On the left in the upper section, the available symbols are listed. • To open the dialog, right-click on one of the symbols on the Dynamics Mapping tab in the Symbols Inspector and select “Dynamics Mapping…”. When mapped dynamics symbols have been added to the score, you can also double-click on a symbol to open the dialog.
The score and MIDI playback Working with mapped dynamics 1316 In the dialog, you can make the following settings: Change Velocities You can create dynamics by defining different velocities for the different symbols. PROCEDURE 1. Activate the “Change Velocities” checkbox in the lower section of the dialog. 2. Set up a percentage value (positive or negative) in the Velocity column to specify by how much the corresponding symbol will raise or reduce the current velocity value of a note. Send Volume You also have the possibility to define the dynamics by sending Volume controller values. PROCEDURE 1. Activate “Send Volume” in the lower section of the dialog, and select whether you want to use the MIDI controllers 7 or 11 or the VST 3 parameter Volume (if the instrument you are using is compatible with VST 3). 2. Set up a percentage value (positive or negative) in the Volume column to specify by how much the corresponding symbol will raise or reduce the current volume of a note. NOTE When “Send Volume” is activated and set to VST 3 Volume, the VST 3 volume events in the notes are being merged with the volume specified for the Dynamics symbols, according to the Merge Mode setting, see below. However, make sure that the edited part does not contain events for MIDI controller 7 (Main Volume) or 11 (Expression) on the controller lane. The Merge modes When you use the parameter VST 3 Volume in the notes and for the dynamics symbols, the result depends on the Merge Mode. The following modes are available: Average When this is selected, the average of the two volume messages will be used for the notes. Merge When this is selected, the VST 3 Volume setting for the Dynamics symbols modulates the existing VST 3 Volume setting of the notes. Higher settings increase the volume and low settings decrease the volume set for the note.
The score and MIDI playback Working with mapped dynamics 1317 Send Controller You can also send an additional MIDI controller (except MIDI controllers 7 and 11, which are used for the “Send Volume” function). If you combine this with the “Send Volume” function, you can set up a sound which gets brighter as it gets louder, which is useful when working with strings or woodwind and brass instruments. PROCEDURE 1. Activate “Send Controller” and specify the controller you want to use in the pop-up menu. You can select any of the available MIDI controllers, but also VST 3 parameters (except Volume, Pan, and Pitch). 2. Set up a percentage value (positive or negative) in the Controller column to specify by how much the corresponding symbol will raise or reduce the controller value of a note. Initializing the Dynamic Range You can specify the dynamic range for the work with mapped dynamics symbols using the pop-up menu in the middle section of the dialog. If you select “pp-ff”, the extreme Dynamics symbols (pppp, ppp, ffff, and fff) do not have an effect. If you select “pppp-ffff”, the whole dynamic range will be used. Using dynamics symbols in the Score Editor Once you have set up the dynamics as desired, you can use the symbols in the Score Editor. Inserting dynamics symbols When you insert dynamics symbols, note the following: • Select the desired symbol on the Inspector tab and click at the position in the Score Editor at which you want to insert the symbol. Note that the “mapped” dynamics symbols have a different color scheme than the regular dynamics symbols. • Crescendi and Decrescendi are updated intelligently, i. e. when you have inserted a crescendo between two dynamics symbols and the order of these symbols is reversed, the decrescendo automatically becomes a crescendo.
The score and MIDI playback Working with mapped dynamics 1318 • When you insert a crescendo symbol which is not preceded by a Dynamic symbol, the “assumed” start value is mezzo forte (mf). • Likewise, if a crescendo symbol is not followed by a dynamic symbol, an end value will be calculated automatically. For a crescendo, this is one value above the start value, and for a decrescendo one value below the start value. Modifying/Editing dynamics symbols You can change the settings for the dynamics symbols at any time in the Dynamics Mapping Setup dialog, as described above. • You can step between the available dynamics symbols by using the commands “One up” and “One down” on the context menu, by using the corresponding key commands, or by clicking the “+” and “-” buttons on the toolbar. When several dynamics symbols are selected, they will all be modified accordingly.
1319 Tips and Tricks Overview This chapter provides useful information about editing techniques and answers to a number of questions that might arise when you use the Score Editor. For more information about the functions referred to, please use the index and check the previous chapters. Useful editing techniques Use this section to find out more about some editing techniques that help you to use the score functions more efficiently. Moving a note without transposing it If you hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] while moving a note (or several notes), only horizontal movements are possible, so that you do not have to worry about the notes being transposed. You can also set up a key command for this. This is done in the Key Commands dialog (Nudge category). Moving and spacing several staves If you have a number of staves that you want displayed with an equal distance (for example, all strings of a grand staff in a full orchestra score), this can be done using the Position Info window: PROCEDURE 1. Open the Preferences (Scores–Editing page) and deactivate the “Global staff Spacing with [Alt]/[Option]-[Ctrl]/[Command]” option. 2. In the score, select the staves you want to set to an equal distance. 3. Open the Position Info window by clicking on the ruler.
Tips and Tricks Useful editing techniques 1320 4. Use the To Previous Staff or To Next Staff settings to specify the desired distance between the staves. All selected staves are spaced according to your settings. If you do this when the “Global staff Spacing with [Alt]/[Option]-[Ctrl]/[Command]” option is activated, all staves in the score are affected. Polyphonic voicing If you are working on a full score with more than one instrument in one staff (2 flutes, 2 trumpets, etc.), you should use polyphonic voices. And even if both instruments play the same notes, you should insert notes for both instruments (you can mute the notes of the second voice, if playback is an issue). If you do this, it is much easier to extract single parts later by using the “Extract Voices” command. Using the bar handles Double-clicking a bar handle opens the Bar Copy dialog. This function is great for copying accents, but you can also use it for copying drum phrases, etc. • If you hold down [Shift] and double-click on a bar handle, this and the next bar are selected. This is handy when copying phrases of two or more bars in one go. RELATED LINKS Moving and duplicating with the bar handles on page 1229 Copying a section with “invisibles” If you want to copy and paste a section which contains hidden elements, adjusted beams and stems, etc., there are two ways to proceed: • Use the filter bar to make indicators appear in the score. Then select these indicators together with the notes before you copy. This ensures the notes are copied with their formatting, etc. • Double-click the bar handle of one of the bars, and make sure all relevant event types are activated in the dialog. Then select the bars you want to copy by clicking their bar handles, and copy them by [Alt]/[Option]-dragging the bar handles. RELATED LINKS Moving and duplicating with the bar handles on page 1229