Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

							Recording
Audio Recording Specifics
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Selecting an Input Bus for the Track
Before you can record on your track, you must add and set up the required input 
busses and specify from which input bus the track will record.
PROCEDURE
1. In the Inspector for the audio track, open the Input Routing pop-up menu.
2. Select an input bus.
RELATED LINKS
Setting Up the Input and Output Ports on page 18
Setting Up Busses on page 17
Audio Track Inspector on page 83
Recording Audio
You can record audio using any of the basic recording methods.
When you finish recording, an audio file is created in the Audio folder within the 
project folder. In the Pool, an audio clip is created for the audio file, and an audio 
event that plays the whole clip appears on the recording track. Finally, a waveform 
image is calculated for the audio event. If the recording was very long, this may take 
a while.
NOTE
The waveform image will be calculated and displayed during the actual recording 
process. This realtime calculation uses some processing power. If your processor 
is slow or if you are working on a CPU-intensive project, select File > Preferences 
> Record > Audio and deactivate Create Audio Images During Record.
RELATED LINKS
Activating Recording on page 213
Cycle Recording on page 214 
						

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Audio Record Modes
By selecting an Audio Record Mode you decide what happens to your recording 
and to any existing events on the track where you are recording. This is necessary 
because you will not always record on an empty track. There may be situations 
where you record over existing events, especially in cycle mode.
• To select an Audio Record Mode, click the audio symbol in Record Mode 
section of the Transport panel and select a record mode.
• To close the Audio Record Mode panel, click anywhere outside the panel.
Keep History
Existing events or portions of events that are overlapped by a new recording 
are kept.
Cycle History + Replace
Existing events or portions of events that are overlapped by a new recording 
are replaced by the new recording. However, if you record in cycle mode, all 
takes from the current cycle recording are kept.
Replace
Existing events or portions of events that are overlapped by a new recording 
are replaced by the last recorded take.
Recording with Effects
Cubase allows you to add effects and/or EQ directly while recording. This is done 
by adding insert effects and/or making EQ settings for the input channel in the 
MixConsole.
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
If you record with effects, the effects become part of the audio file itself. You cannot 
change the effect settings after recording.
When you are recording with effects consider using 32-bit float format. This way, 
the bit resolution will not be reduced, which means there is no r i s k  o f  c l i p p i n g  a t  t h i s  
stage. Also, this preserves the signal quality perfectly. If you record in 16-bit or 
24-bit format, the available headroom is lower, which means clipping can occur if 
the signal is too loud. 
						

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Recording a Mix of Separate Tracks
You can create a downmix of separate tracks, bass drum, hi-hats, or snare, for 
example. This is done by selecting an output bus, a group bus, or an FX channel bus 
as an input for your recording.
PROCEDURE
1. Set up your separate tracks and add a group track.
2. For each of the drum tracks, open the Output Routing pop-up menu and 
select the group track as output.
3. Create a new audio track, open the Input Routing pop-up menu for it and 
select the group track as input for this audio track.
4. Record-enable this audio track and start recording.
RESULT 
The output of the group track will be recorded on the new track and you will get a 
mix of your separate tracks.
NOTE
You can also select an FX channel as recording source. In this case, only the output 
of the FX channel will be recorded.
RELATED LINKS
Routing on page 325
Undoing Recording
If you decide that you do not like what you just recorded, you can delete it.
•Select Edit > Undo.
This removes the events that you just recorded from the Project window and moves 
the audio clips in the Pool to the trash folder. To remove the recorded audio files 
from the hard disk, open the Pool, right-click the Trash icon and select Empty 
Trash.
RELATED LINKS
Pool Window on page 500
Recovering Audio Recordings
Cubase allows you to recover audio recordings in two situations: if you specified an 
audio pre-record time when you hit the record button too late and after a system 
failure during recording. 
						

							Recording
Audio Recording Specifics
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Specifying an Audio Pre-Record Time
You can capture up to 1 minute of any incoming audio that you play in Stop mode 
or during playback. This is possible because Cubase can capture audio input in 
buffer memory, even when not recording.
PROCEDURE
1. Select File > Preferences > Record > Audio.
2. Specify a time (up to 60 seconds) in the Audio Pre-Record Seconds field.
This activates the buffering of audio input, making pre-record possible.
3. Make sure that an audio track is record-enabled and receives audio from the 
signal source.
4. When you have played some audio material that you want to capture (either 
in Stop mode or during playback), click the Record button.
5. Stop the recording after a few seconds.
This creates an audio event that starts where the cursor position was when you 
activated recording. If you were in stop mode, and the cursor was at the beginning of 
the project, you may have to move the event to the right in the next step. If you were 
playing along to a project, you leave the event where it is.
6. Select the Object Selection tool and place the cursor on the bottom left edge 
of the event so that a double arrow appears. Then click and drag to the left.
RESULT 
The event is now extended, and the audio that you played before activating the 
recording is inserted. This means that if you played along during playback, the 
captured notes end up exactly where you played them in relation to the project.
RELATED LINKS
Record - Audio on page 1075
Recovering Audio Recordings after System Failure
Cubase allows you to recover audio recordings after a system failure, because of a 
power cut or other mishap, for example.
When you experience a computer crash during a recording, relaunch the system 
and check the project record folder. By default, this is the Audio subfolder inside 
the project folder. It should contain the audio file that you recorded, from the 
moment when you started recording to the time when your computer crashed.
NOTE
• This feature does not constitute an overall guarantee by Steinberg. While the 
program itself was improved in such a way that audio recordings can be 
recovered after a system failure, it is always possible that a computer crash, 
power cut, etc. might have damaged another component of the computer, 
making it impossible to save or recover any of the data. 
						

							Recording
MIDI Recording Specifics
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• Do not try to actively bring about this kind of situation to test this feature. 
Although the internal program processes have been improved to cope with 
such situations, Steinberg cannot guarantee that other parts of the computer 
are not damaged as a consequence.
MIDI Recording Specifics
Preparations
The preparations described in the following sections mainly focus on external MIDI 
devices.
MIDI Instruments and Channels
Most MIDI synthesizers can play several sounds at the same time, each on a 
different MIDI channel. This allows you to play back several sounds (bass, piano, 
etc.) from the same instrument.
Some devices, such as General MIDI compatible sound modules, always receive on 
all 16 MIDI channels. If you have such an instrument, there is no specific setting to 
make in the instrument.
On other instruments, you must use the front panel controls to set up a number of 
parts, timbres, or similar so that they all receive on one MIDI channel.
For more information, see the manual that came with your instrument.
Naming MIDI Ports
MIDI inputs and outputs are often displayed with long and complicated names. In 
Cubase, you can rename your MIDI ports to more descriptive names.
PROCEDURE
1. Select Devices > Device Setup.
2. In the Devices list, select MIDI Port Setup.
The available MIDI inputs and outputs are listed. On Windows systems, the device to 
choose depends on your system.
3. Click in the Show As column and type in a new name.
4. Click OK.
RESULT 
The new port names appear on the MIDI Input and Output Routing pop-up menus. 
						

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Setting the MIDI Input
In the Inspector, you set the MIDI input for the track.
PROCEDURE
1. In the track list, select the track to which you want to assign a MIDI input.
2. In the topmost Inspector section, open the Input Routing pop-up menu and 
select an input.
The available inputs on the menu depend on the type of MIDI interface that you are 
using. If you hold down [Shift]-[Alt]/[Option], the selected MIDI input is used for all 
selected MIDI tracks.
NOTE
If you select All MIDI Inputs, the track will receive MIDI data from all available MIDI 
inputs.
Setting the MIDI Channel and Output
The MIDI channel and output settings determine where the recorded MIDI is routed 
during playback. They are also relevant for monitoring MIDI in Cubase. You can 
select the channel and output in the track list or in the Inspector.
PROCEDURE
1. In the track list, select the track to which you want to assign a MIDI channel 
and output.
2. In the topmost Inspector section, open the Output Routing pop-up menu 
and select an output.
The available outputs on the menu depend on the type of MIDI interface that you are 
using. If you hold down [Shift]-[Alt]/[Option], the selected MIDI output is used for all 
selected MIDI tracks.
3. Open the Channel pop-up menu and select a MIDI channel.
NOTE
If you select the Any MIDI channel, the MIDI material is routed to the channels that are 
used by your MIDI instrument. 
						

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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.
PROCEDURE
1. In the track list, select the track to which you want to assign a sound.
2. In the track list or the Inspector, open the Program Selector pop-up menu 
and select a program.
Program Change messages give access to 128 different program locations.
3. If your MIDI instruments have more than 128 programs, you can open the Bank 
Selector pop-up menu and select different banks, each containing 128 programs.
NOTE
Bank Select messages are recognized differently by different MIDI instruments. The 
structure and numbering of banks and programs may also vary. Refer to the 
documentation of your MIDI instruments for details.
RELATED LINKS
MIDI Track Inspector on page 96
Recording MIDI
You can record MIDI using any of the basic recording methods.
When you finish recording, a part that contains MIDI events is created in the Project 
window.
NOTE
If you perform a live recording on a VST instrument, you usually compensate the 
latency of the audio card by playing earlier. In consequence, the timestamps are 
recorded too early. If you activate the ASIO Latency Compensation button on the 
track list, all recorded events are moved by the current latency setting.
The following preferences affect MIDI recording:
• Length Adjustment
• Snap MIDI Parts to Bars
• Solo Record in MIDI Editors
• MIDI Record Catch Range in ms
• ASIO Latency Compensation Active by Default
You can find them on the MIDI and Record–MIDI page of the Preferences dialog.
RELATED LINKS
MIDI on page 1068
Record - MIDI on page 1076 
						

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Recording Different Types of MIDI Messages
You can record different types of MIDI messages.
• To specify which event types are recorded, select File > Preferences > MIDI 
> MIDI Filter and deactivate the options for the type of MIDI message that 
you want to record.
RELATED LINKS
MIDI - MIDI Filter on page 1073
Recording MIDI Notes
If you press and release a key on your synthesizer or on another MIDI keyboard, the 
following messages are recorded:
• Note On (key down)
• Note Off (key up)
•MIDI channel
NOTE
Normally, the MIDI channel information is overridden by the MIDI channel setting for 
the track. However, if you set the track to the Any MIDI channel, the notes will be 
played back on their original channels.
Recording Continuous Messages
Pitchbend, aftertouch, and controllers, such as modulation wheel, sustain pedal, 
volume, etc. are considered as MIDI continuous events, as opposed to the 
momentary key down and key up messages.
You can record continuous messages together or independently from the notes, 
that is, afterwards or before.
You can record continuous messages on their own tracks, separately from the 
notes to which they belong. As long as you set the two tracks to the same output 
and MIDI channel, it will appear to the MIDI instrument as if you made the two 
recordings at the same time.
Recording Program Change Messages
When you switch from one program to another on your synthesizer or on another 
MIDI keyboard, a number corresponding to that program is sent out via MIDI as a 
Program Change message.
You can record Program Change Messages together or independently from the 
notes, that is, afterwards or before. 
						

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You can record Program Change Messages on their own tracks, separately from 
the notes to which they belong. As long as you set the two tracks to the same output 
and MIDI channel, it will appear to the MIDI instrument as if you made the two 
recordings at the same time.
Recording System Exclusive Messages
System Exclusive (SysEx) messages are special types of MIDI messages that are 
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.
Reset Function
The Reset function 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.
• To perform a MIDI reset manually, select MIDI > Reset.
• If you want Cubase to perform a MIDI reset on stop, select File > 
Preferences > MIDI and activate Reset on Stop.
• If you want Cubase to insert a reset event at the end of a recorded part, select 
File > Preferences > MIDI and activate Insert Reset Events after Record.
This resets controller data such as sustain, aftertouch, pitchbend, modulation, 
and breath control. 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.
RELATED LINKS
MIDI on page 1068
MIDI Record Modes
By selecting a MIDI Record Mode you decide what happens to any existing parts 
on the track where you are recording. MIDI tracks can play back all events in 
overlapping parts. If you record several parts in the same locations or move parts so 
that they overlap, you will hear the events in all parts. 
						

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• To select a MIDI Record Mode, click the MIDI symbol in the left section of the 
Transport panel.
• To close the MIDI Record Mode panel again, click anywhere outside the 
panel.
MIDI Record Mode
New Parts
Existing parts that are overlapped by a new recording are kept. The new 
recording is saved as a new part.
Merge
Existing events in parts that are overlapped by a new recording are kept. The 
newly recorded events are added to the existing part.
Replace
Existing events in parts that are overlapped by a new recording are replaced.
MIDI Cycle Record Mode
When you record MIDI in cycle mode, the result not only depends on the MIDI 
Record Mode, but also on the Cycle Record Mode that is selected in the MIDI 
Cycle Record Mode section.
Mix
For 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.
Overwrite
As soon as you play a MIDI note or send any MIDI message, all MIDI that 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.