Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

							MixConsole
Fader Section
321
NOTE
If a channel is deactivated in the channel selector or if its channel type is 
deactivated, it is not shown in the fader section.
The fader section allows you to do the following:
• Edit link group settings (Cubase Pro only)
• Set the panorama
• Activate mute and solo
• Enable Listen mode
• Open the channel settings
•Set the volume
• Enable automation
RELATED LINKS
Changing the Link Group Settings (Cubase Pro only) on page 307
Using Channel Settings on page 348
Write/Read Automation on page 577
Setting Pan
For each audio-related channel with at least a stereo output configuration, you can 
find a pan control at the top of the fader section. For MIDI channels, the pan control 
sends out MIDI pan messages. The result depends on how your MIDI instrument is 
set to respond to pan.
The pan control allows you to position a channel in the stereo spectrum. Cubase Pro 
only:
 This control is different for stereo and surround configurations. Channels with a 
multi-channel output configuration feature a miniature SurroundPanner control.
• To make fine adjustments, hold down [Shift] when you move the pan control.
• To select the default center pan position, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command], and 
click the pan control.
• To edit the value numerically, double-click the pan control.
RELATED LINKS
Creating New Projects on page 67
Surround Sound (Cubase Pro only) on page 558
Stereo Balance Panner
The stereo balance panner allows you to control the balance between the left and 
right channels. It is activated by default. 
						

							MixConsole
Fader Section
322
Stereo Combined Panner (Cubase Pro only)
With the stereo combined panner, the left and right pan controls are linked and keep 
their relative distance if you move them. It is available for channels with a stereo 
input and output configuration.
• To activate this panner, open the context menu for a pan control and select 
Stereo Combined Panner.
• To set the pan independently for the left and right channels, hold down 
[Alt]/[Option] and drag left or right.
• To reverse the left and right channels, pan the left channel to the right and the 
right to the left.
The area between the pan controls changes the color to indicate that the 
channels are reversed.
• To sum two channels, set them to the same pan position (mono).
Note that this increases the volume of the signal.
• To specify the default stereo panner mode for new audio tracks, select File > 
Preferences > VST.
Panning Bypass
You can bypass the panning for all audio-related channels.
• To activate panning bypass, click the button to the left or press 
[Ctrl]/[Command]-[Alt]/[Option]-[Shift] and click the pan control.
• To deactivate panning bypass, press 
[Ctrl]/[Command]-[Shift]-[Alt]/[Option]-[Shift] and click again.
When panning is bypassed for a channel, the following happens:
• Mono channels are panned center.
• Stereo channels are panned hard left and right.
•Cubase Pro only: Surround channels are panned center.
Using Solo and Mute
You can silence one or several channels using the Solo and Mute buttons.
• To silence a channel, click Mute.
Click again to deactivate the mute state for the channel.
• To mute all other channels, click Solo for a channel.
Click again to deactivate the solo state. 
						

							MixConsole
Fader Section
323
• To deactivate the mute or solo states for all channels simultaneously, click 
Deactivate All Mute States or Deactivate All Solo States.
• To activate exclusive solo mode, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and click Solo 
for the channel.
The Solo buttons of all other channels are deactivated.
• To activate solo defeat for a channel, [Alt]/[Option]-click Solo.
You can also click and hold Solo to activate solo defeat. In this mode the 
channel is not muted when you solo another channel. [Alt]/[Option]-click 
again to deactivate solo defeat.
Listen Mode (Cubase Pro only)
The listen mode allows you to quickly check the signal that is coming from selected 
channels without interrupting and interfering with the actual mix. During a recording 
session it allows the sound engineer in the control room to attenuate the signal that 
is coming from one of the musicians while the recording continues undisturbed, for 
example.
NOTE
To enable the listen mode, you need to enable the Control Room.
• To enable the listen mode, click the Listen button for a channel.
This routes the channel to the Control Room without interrupting the signal 
flow.
• To turn off listen mode for all channels simultaneously, click Deactivate all 
Listen States on the MixConsole toolbar.
Setting Volume
Each channel in the fader section of the MixConsole has a volume fader. The fader 
levels are displayed below the fader, in dB for audio-related channels and as MIDI 
volume (0 to 127) for MIDI channels.
• To change the volume, move the fader up or down.
• To make fine volume adjustments, press [Shift] while moving the faders.
• To reset the volume on its default value, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click a fader.
For audio channels, the volume fader controls the volume of the channel before it is 
routed to an output bus, directly or via a group channel. For output channels the 
volume fader controls the master output level of all audio channels that are routed 
to an output bus. For MIDI channels the volume fader controls the volume changes 
in the MixConsole by sending out MIDI volume messages to the connected 
instruments that are set to respond to MIDI messages. 
						

							MixConsole
Fader Section
324
Level Meters
The channel meters show the level when you play back audio or MIDI. The Meter 
Peak Level indicator shows the highest registered level.
• To reset the peak level, click the Meter Peak Level value.
NOTE
Input and output channels have clipping indicators. When they light up, lower the 
gain or the levels until the indicator is no longer lit.
Channel Meter Options
You can change the meter characteristics for audio channels using the context 
menu of the channel meter.
Meter Type - PPM
Shows a PPM type channel meter.
Meter Type - Wave
Shows a waveform type channel meter.
Meter Peak Options - Hold Peaks
The highest registered levels are held and shown as static horizontal lines in 
the meter.
Meter Peak Options - Hold Forever
If this option is activated, the peak levels are shown until you reset the meters. 
If this option is deactivated, you can use the Meters’ Peak Hold Time 
parameter (File > Preferences > Metering) to specify for how long the peak 
levels are held. The peak hold time can be between 500 and 30000
 ms.
Meter Position - Input
If this option is activated, the meters show input levels for all audio channels 
and input/output channels. The input meters are post input gain.
Meter Position - Post-Fader
If this option is activated, the meters show post-fader levels.
Meter Position - Post-Panner
If this option is activated, the meters show post-fader levels and also reflect 
pan settings.
Reset Meters
Resets the meters. 
						

							MixConsole
Working with Channel Racks
325
Working with Channel Racks
The Channel Racks section holds specific MixConsole functions, such as routing, 
insert, or send handling. These are organized in racks.
Routing
The Routing rack allows you to configure input and output routing, that is, setting 
up input and output busses.
Input busses are used when you record on an audio track. In this case, you must 
select from which input bus the audio is received.
NOTE
The settings that you make for the input channel will be a permanent part of the 
recorded audio file.
Output busses are used when you play back an audio, group, or FX channel. In this 
case, you must route the channel to an output bus.
You can route the outputs from multiple audio channels to a group. For example, to 
control the channel levels using one fader, and to apply the same effects and 
equalization to all the channels.
Setting up Routing
PREREQUISITE 
Set up busses and group channels in the VST Connections window.
PROCEDURE
1. On the MixConsole toolbar, activate Show Channel Racks.
2. Click Racks and activate Routing to show the Routing rack above the fader 
section. 
						

							MixConsole
Working with Channel Racks
326
3. Click one of the slots of the Routing rack to open the input or the output 
routing pop-up menu for a channel.
4. In the routing selector, select an entry.
• To set up the routing for multiple selected channels simultaneously, press 
[Shift]-[Alt]/[Option] and select a bus.
• To set several selected channels to incrementing busses (the second selected 
channel to the second bus, the third to the third bus, etc.), press [Shift] and 
select a bus.
• To disconnect input or output bus assignments, select No Bus.
Input Busses
The input routing selector only lists busses that correspond to the channel 
configuration.
NOTE
If you select a group channel as input for an audio channel, you can record a 
downmix.
Output Busses
For output busses any assignment is possible.
Using Group Channels
You can route the outputs from multiple audio channels to a group. This enables you 
to control the channel levels using one fader, apply the same effects and EQ to all 
channels, etc. You can also select a group channel as input for an audio track, to 
record a downmix of separate tracks, for example.
PREREQUISITE 
You have created and set up a group channel track in stereo.
PROCEDURE
1. Route the group channel track to an output bus.
2. Add effects to the group channel as insert effects.
3. Route the mono audio track to the group channel.
RESULT 
The signal from the mono audio track is sent directly to the group, where it passes 
through the insert effect, in stereo. 
						

							MixConsole
Working with Channel Racks
327
Pre (Filters/Gain/Phase)
The Pre rack for audio-related channels features a high-cut and a low-cut filter as 
well as gain and phase settings.
For MIDI channels it allows you to open the Input Transformer.
NOTE
You cannot edit the Pre rack settings in the EQ curve display.
RELATED LINKS
About the Input Transformer on page 860
Equalizer Settings on page 330
Making Filter Settings
Each audio-related channel has separate high-cut and low-cut filters that allow you 
to attenuate signals with frequencies that are higher or lower than the cutoff 
frequency.
PROCEDURE
1. On the MixConsole toolbar, activate Show Channel Racks.
2. Click Racks and activate Pre (Filters/Gain/Phase) to show the Pre rack 
above the fader section.
3. Click to the left of the high-cut filter to activate the high-cut filter. You have the 
following options:
• Drag the slider to adjust the cutoff frequency.
The available range spans from 20 kHz to 50 Hz.
•Click Select Filter Slope on the right of the high-cut filter to select a filter 
slope.
You can choose between 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 dB. The default value is 12 dB.
4. Click to the left of the low-cut filter to activate the low-cut filter. You have the 
following options:
• Drag the slider to adjust the cutoff frequency.
The available range spans from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
•Click Select Filter Slope on the right of the low-cut filter to select a filter slope.
You can choose between 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 dB. The default value is 12 dB.
RESULT 
The changed settings are visible in the curve display. If you deactivate the high-cut 
and low-cut filters, the filter curves are removed from the display. Bypassed high-cut 
and low-cut filters are displayed in a different color. 
						

							MixConsole
Working with Channel Racks
328
Making Input Gain Settings
The Pre-Gain slider allows you to change the level of a signal before it reaches the 
EQ and the effects section. This is useful as the level going into certain effects can 
change the way the signal is affected. A compressor, for example, can be driven 
harder by raising the input gain. Gain can also be used to boost the level of poorly 
recorded signals.
PROCEDURE
1. On the MixConsole toolbar, activate Show Channel Racks.
2. Click Racks and activate Pre (Filters/Gain/Phase) to show the Pre rack 
above the fader section.
3. Drag the Gain slider to the left or to the right to cut or boost the gain.
Making Phase Settings
Each audio-related channel and input/output channel has a Phase button that 
allows you to correct the phase for balanced lines and microphones that are wired 
backwards or that are out of phase due to their positioning.
PROCEDURE
1. On the MixConsole toolbar, activate Show Channel Racks.
2. Click Racks and activate Pre (Filters/Gain/Phase) to show the Pre rack 
above the fader section.
3. Activate Phase to invert the phase polarity for the signal.
Inserts
The Inserts rack for audio-related channels features insert effect slots that allow you 
to load insert effects for a channel. For MIDI channels you can load MIDI inserts.
For further information, refer to the separate PDF document Plug-in Reference.
RELATED LINKS
Audio Effects on page 372
Adding Insert Effects
PROCEDURE
1. On the MixConsole toolbar, activate Show Channel Racks.
2. Click Racks and activate Inserts to show the Inserts rack above the fader 
section. 
						

							MixConsole
Working with Channel Racks
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3. Click one of the insert slots to open the insert selector.
4. Click an insert effect to select it.
RESULT 
The selected insert effect is loaded and automatically activated. Its plug-in panel 
opens.
Moving Inserts to Post-Fader or Pre-Fader Position
For each audio-related channel, you can add 6 pre-fader and 2 post-fader inserts.
PROCEDURE
1. Right-click an insert effect in a pre-fader position.
2. From the context menu, select Move to Post-Fader Slot.
To move a post-fader insert to a pre-fader position, open its context menu and select 
Move to Pre-Fader Slot.
Bypassing Insert Effects
• To bypass all inserts, click the bypass button at the top of the Inserts rack.
• To bypass a single insert, click the button on the left of the inserts slot.
• To deactivate bypass, click the button again.
Activating Side-Chain for Inserts
Some of the inserts feature side-chain functionality.
PROCEDURE
1. Right-click an insert effect.
2. From the context menu, select Activate Side-Chain. 
						

							MixConsole
Working with Channel Racks
330
Saving/Loading FX Chain Presets
You can save and load all insert rack settings using FX chain presets. FX chain 
presets have the file name extension .fxchainpreset.
PROCEDURE
• In the top right corner of the Inserts rack, open the Presets pop-up menu and 
perform one of the following actions:
• To save the current settings as a preset, select Save FX Chain Preset and 
name your preset.
• To load a preset, select Load FX Chain Preset and select a preset.
NOTE
You can also apply inserts together with EQ and channel strip settings from track 
presets. You can load, tag, and save FX chain presets in the MediaBay.
Equalizers (EQ)
The Equalizers (EQ) rack is only available for audio-related channels. It features a 
built-in parametric equalizer with up to 4 bands for each audio channel.
Activating Equalizer Bands
PROCEDURE
1. On the MixConsole toolbar, activate Show Channel Racks.
2. Click Racks and activate Equalizers to show the EQ rack above the fader 
section.
3. Click Activate Band to activate an EQ band.
Equalizer Settings
You can make equalizer settings for the 4 bands. These have different default 
frequency values and different Q names. However, they all have the same frequency 
range (20
 Hz to 20 kHz). You can specify different filter types for each individual 
module.