Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

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Transpose Functions
Cubase offers transpose functions for audio, MIDI and instrument parts and for 
audio events. These allow you to create variations of your music or change the 
harmonics of an entire project or separate sections.
Transpose can be applied on three levels:
• To the entire project
By changing the project Root Key on the Project window toolbar, the whole 
project will be transposed.
• To sections of the project
By creating transpose events on the transpose track, you can set transpose 
values for separate sections of your project.
• To individual parts or events
By selecting individual parts or events and changing their transpose value in 
the info line, you can transpose individual parts or events.
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
The transpose functions do not change the actual MIDI notes or the audio, but only 
affect the playback.
Apart from the transpose features described in this chapter, you can also transpose 
all MIDI notes on the selected track using the MIDI modifiers, selected notes using 
the Transpose dialog, and MIDI tracks using MIDI effects (see the separate PDF 
document 
						

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Transposing your music
In the following sections we will describe the different possibilities of transposing 
your music. Note that these can also be combined. However, we recommend you 
to set the root key first, before recording or changing transpose values on the 
transpose track.
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
As a general rule, always set the root key first when you work with content with a 
defined root key.
Transposing an entire project with the root key
The root key you specify for a project will be the reference that audio or MIDI events 
in your project will follow. You can however exclude separate parts or events from 
being transposed, e.
 g. drums or percussion.
Depending on whether you are using events which already contain root key 
information or not, the procedures differ slightly.
RELATED LINKS
The Global Transpose setting on page 277
If the events already contain root key information
Let’s say you want to create a project based on loops.
PROCEDURE
1. Open the MediaBay and drag some loops into an empty project.
For this example, import audio loops with different root keys.
2. Open the Root Key pop-up menu on the Project window toolbar and set the 
project root key.
If the Root Key pop-up menu is not visible, right-click the toolbar and select the 
“Project Root Key” option from the context menu. By default, no project root key is 
specified (“-”). 
						

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The entire project will be played back with this root key. To do so, the separate loops 
are transposed to match the project root key. For example, if you have imported a bass 
loop in C and the project root key is set to E, the bass loop will be transposed up by 
4 semitones.
3. With the root key set, record some audio or MIDI.
The recorded events will get the project root key.
4. When you are done, you can change the project root key and your events will 
follow.
IMPORTANT
If you work with drums or percussion, exclude these from being transposed by setting 
the “Global Transpose” setting on the info line to “Independent”.
RELATED LINKS
Inserting Files into the Project on page 528
The Global Transpose setting on page 277
If the events do not contain root key information
Let’s say you have created a project by recording audio and importing some MIDI 
loops, and you want to match the root key of the whole project to the register of a 
certain singer.
PROCEDURE
1. Open the Project menu and select “Transpose” from the Add Track submenu 
(or right-click the track list select the corresponding option from the context 
menu).
A transpose track is created. You can only have one transpose track in a project.
2. Set the project to the desired root key by selecting the corresponding option 
from the Root Key pop-up menu on the Project window toolbar.
3. Right-click the transpose track in the track list and select “Set root key for 
unassigned events” from the context menu.
This sets the project root key for all parts or events not containing any root key 
information. This option is only available, if a project root key has been set. 
						

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IMPORTANT
If you work with drums or percussion, exclude these from being transposed by setting 
the “Global Transpose” setting on the info line to “Independent”.
RELATED LINKS
The Global Transpose setting on page 277
Recording with a project root key
Let’s say that you want to record a guitar line for a project that is in D# minor, but 
your guitar player prefers to play in A minor. In this case, change the project root key 
to A, so that you can record your guitar.
PROCEDURE
1. Open your project and set the project root key to A.
All parts and events will be transposed in order to match the root key.
2. Listen to your project and verify that no drums and percussions have been 
transposed.
If drums have been transposed, select them and set their Global Transpose setting 
to “Independent”.
3. Record your guitar line as desired.
4. When you are done and satisfied with the result, you can change the project 
root key back to D# minor and your events will follow.
IMPORTANT
For recorded audio events and MIDI parts, the “Global Transpose” setting on the info 
line is automatically set to “Follow”, i. e. the events or parts will get the project root key.
Changing the root key of single events or parts
If you want to check if an audio event or part has root key information or if you want 
to change it, proceed as follows:
1) Open the Pool and display the Key column by activating the Root Key option 
on the View/Attributes pop-up menu.
2) Click in the Key column for the desired audio event and set the root key 
according to your needs.
You can also check and assign root keys in the MediaBay.
NOTE
If you change the root key of an audio part or event, the corresponding audio file will 
not change. To save the root key in the audio file, you have to use the “Bounce 
Selection” function on the Audio menu. 
						

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To check or change the root key setting of a MIDI part, proceed as follows:
1) Select your MIDI part in the Project window and check the Project window 
info line.
A MIDI part with the root key set to “D”
2) Click on the root key value in the info line to open the corresponding pop-up 
menu and select the desired root key.
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
If you change the project root key after setting the event root key, the events will 
keep their own root key settings, and will be transposed to match the project root 
key. If you record an audio or a MIDI part and the project root key is specified, this 
root key is automatically set.
Transposing separate sections of a project using transpose 
events
Sometimes you may want to transpose only certain sections of your project, e. g. to 
create harmonic variations. This can be done by creating transpose events. 
Transpose events allow you to add a relative transpose offset by specifying 
transpose values in semitones.
For example, you can brighten up your loops in C major by transposing them by 5 
semitones, so that the subdominant on F major is played back, or you can turn your 
hit more interesting by transposing the last chorus one semitone upwards.
PROCEDURE
1. Open the Project menu and select “Transpose” from the Add Track submenu 
(or right-click the track list select the corresponding option from the context 
menu).
A transpose track is created. You can only have one transpose track in a project.
2. Select the Draw tool and click in the transpose track to create a transpose 
event.
A transpose event will be created from the point where you clicked until the end of 
the project. 
						

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3. To create another transpose event, click with the Draw tool on the first 
transpose event.
By default, the transpose value of new transpose events is set to 0.
You can add more transpose events by clicking with the Draw tool.
4. Click in the transpose value field and enter the transpose value for the 
transpose event.
You can enter the desired value with the computer keyboard, use the mouse wheel 
or [Alt]/[Option]-click on the transpose value to open a value fader. You can specify 
values between -24 and 24 semitones.
5. Play back your project.
The parts of your project on the same position as the transpose events will be 
transposed according to the specified transpose values.
NOTE
You can also transpose the whole project using the transpose track. This is useful if 
your singer does not reach a certain pitch, for example. You could then transpose the 
whole project by -2 semitones, for example. Always remember to verify that the 
“Global Transpose” setting for drums and percussion is set to “Independent” on the 
info line.
You can erase and move transpose events, but you cannot mute, cut or glue them. 
The “Locators to Selection” option does not apply on transpose events.
RELATED LINKS
The Global Transpose setting on page 277
Transposing individual parts or events using the info line
You can also transpose individual audio and MIDI parts and events using the info 
line (or the Inspector). This transposition will be added to the global transposition 
(i.
 e. the root key or the transpose events).
PROCEDURE
1. Select the event that you want to transpose.
2. In the Project window info line, adjust the Transpose value as desired.
NOTE
A global transpose change will not overwrite individual part or event transpose, but 
will be added to the transpose value for the part or event. In this case, it might be 
useful to keep the transposition within the octave range.
RELATED LINKS
Keep Transpose in Octave Range on page 279 
						

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Other functions
Indicate Transpositions
When you transpose your music using the transpose track, you may sometimes 
want to visually compare the original sounds and the transposed music. For MIDI 
parts, you can check this by opening the Key Editor and clicking the “Indicate 
Transpositions” button.
This will help you to see how your MIDI notes will be transposed. If the button is 
activated, the Key Editor will show the note pitch you will hear, if it is deactivated, 
the Key Editor shows the original pitch of the notes in your MIDI part. By default, the 
“Indicate Transpositions” button is deactivated.
A MIDI part as originally recorded.
When you activate “Indicate Transpositions” you will see how your MIDI part will be 
transposed.
The Global Transpose setting
If you are working with drum and percussion loops or special effects (FX) loops, you 
will want to exclude these from being transposed. This can be achieved by locking 
them using the Global Transpose setting. 
						

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Proceed as follows:
1) Open your project.
2) Select the desired event or part and set the “Global Transpose” setting on the 
info line to “Independent”.
A symbol will be displayed in the upper right corner of the selected part or 
event, indicating that it will not be transposed neither by changing the root key 
nor by specifying transpose events.
If Global Transpose is set to Independent, the selected part will not be transposed.
3) You can now change the project root key.
The “Independent” parts or events will not be affected by the root key 
changes.
NOTE
If you import ready-made parts or events that are tagged drums or FX, Global 
Transpose will be automatically set to Independent.
If you record audio or MIDI, Global Transpose will be set to “Independent”, provided 
that the transpose track exists and you have specified at least one transpose event 
(even when the transpose value is not defined). In this case, your recording will 
sound exactly the way you played it. The transpose events will not be taken into 
account during recording and the recorded event will not get the project root key.
Have a look at the following example:
1) Set up a project with the root key in C.
2) Add a transpose track and enter transpose events with the values 0, 5, 7 and 
0.
3) Record some chords with your MIDI keyboard. For our example, record C, F, 
G and C.
The transpose events are not taken into account and the result of your recording will 
be C, F, G and C. No root key will be set.
NOTE
Recorded events are independent from Global Transpose.
If no transpose track exists or if no transpose event has been added, Global 
Transpose will be set to Follow.
If Global Transpose is set to Follow, the selected part will follow all global 
transpositions. 
						

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Locking the transpose track
If you want to prevent your transpose events from being changed by mistake, 
activate the Lock button on the transpose track. This way, you will not be able to 
move your transpose events or change their transpose values.
Muting transpose events
Sometimes it might be useful to disable the transpose track, e. g. to hear the original 
sound of individual tracks. If you activate the mute button on the transpose track, 
your transpose events will not be taken into account during playback.
Keep Transpose in Octave Range
The “Keep Transpose in Octave Range” button on the transpose track (the button 
with an up and down arrow in brackets) keeps the transposition in the octave range. 
This option is activated by default. This way, nothing will be transposed by more 
than seven semitones. This ensures that your music never sounds unnatural 
because the pitch was raised too high or too low.
To understand the principle behind this, follow the example below:
PROCEDURE
1. Create a MIDI part, enter a C major chord, open the Key Editor and activate 
“Indicate Transpositions”.
This way you can observe and understand what happens when you change the 
transposition.
2. Add a transpose track and create a transpose event.
By default, the transpose value is set to 0. 
						

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3. Make sure that the “Keep Transpose in Octave Range” button is activated on 
the transpose track and change the transpose value of the transpose event to 
7.
Your chord will be transposed accordingly.
If you enter a transpose value of 7, your chord will be transposed by seven 
semitones upwards. In this example, this would be G3/D4/F#4.
4. Set the transpose value to 8 semitones.
As “Keep Transpose in Octave Range” is activated, your chord will now be 
transposed to the nearest interval or pitch.
Your chord has been transposed to the nearest pitch, this results in G#2/D#3/G3.
IMPORTANT
If you mainly work with audio loops, we recommend activating “Keep Transpose in 
Octave Range”.