Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

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Audio processing and functions
Background
Audio processing in Cubase can be called “non-destructive”, in the sense that you 
can always undo changes or revert to the original versions. This is possible because 
processing affects audio clips rather than the actual audio files, and because audio 
clips can refer to more than one audio file.
This is how it works:
PROCEDURE
1. If you process an event or a selection range, a new audio file is created in the 
Edits folder, within your project folder.
This new file contains the processed audio, while the original file is unaffected.
2. The processed section of the audio clip (the section corresponding to the 
event or selection range) then refers to the new, processed audio file.
The other sections of the clip will still refer to the original file.
• The original, unprocessed audio file can still be used by other clips in the 
project, by other projects or by other applications.
• Since all edits are available as separate files, it is possible to undo any 
processing, at any point and in any order!
This is done in the Offline Process History dialog.
RELATED LINKS
The Offline Process History dialog on page 418
Audio processing
You apply processing by making a selection and selecting a function from the 
Process submenu of the Audio menu.
Processing is applied according to the following rules:
• When events are selected in the Project window or the Audio Part Editor, the 
processing will be applied to these events only.
Processing will only affect the clip sections that are referenced by the events. 
						

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• When an audio clip is selected in the Pool, the processing will be applied to 
the whole clip.
• When you have made a selection range, the processing will be applied to this 
range only.
Other sections of the clip are not affected.
If you attempt to process an event that is a shared copy (i. e. the event refers to a 
clip that is used by other events in the project), you are asked whether you want to 
create a new version of the clip.
Select “New Version” if you want the processing to affect the selected event only. 
Select “Continue” if you want the processing to affect all shared copies.
Common settings and features
If there are any settings for the selected Audio processing function, these will 
appear when you select the function from the Process submenu. While most 
settings are specific for the function, some features and settings work in the same 
way for several functions.
The “More…” button
If the dialog has a lot of settings, some options may be hidden when the dialog 
opens.
• To reveal these, click the “More…” button.
• To hide the settings, click the button again (now labeled “Less…”).
The Preview, Process, and Cancel buttons
These buttons have the following functionality:
Preview button
Allows you to listen to the result of the processing with the current settings. 
Playback will continue repeatedly until you click the button again (the button 
is labeled “Stop” during Preview playback). You can make adjustments during 
Preview playback, but the changes are not applied until the start of the next 
“lap”. Some changes may automatically restart the Preview playback from the 
beginning.
NOTE
To start or stop previewing, you can also press [Space]. 
						

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Process button
Performs the processing and closes the dialog.
NOTE
To perform the process, you can also press [Enter] or [Return].
Cancel button
Closes the dialog without processing.
Pre/Post-Crossfade
Some processing functions allow you to gradually mix the effect in or out. This is 
done with the Pre/Post-Crossfade parameters. For example, if you activate 
Pre-Crossfade and specify a value of 1000
 ms, the processing is applied gradually 
from the start of selection, reaching full effect 1000
 ms after the start. Similarly, if 
you activate Post-Crossfade, the processing is gradually removed, starting at the 
specified interval before the end of the selection.
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
The sum of the Pre-Crossfade and Post-Crossfade times cannot be larger than the 
length of the selection.
Envelope
The Envelope function allows you to apply a volume envelope to the selected audio.
The dialog contains the following settings:
Curve Kind buttons
These determine whether the envelope curve consists of spline curve 
segments (left button), damped spline segments (middle button) or linear 
segments (right button).
Envelope display
Shows the shape of the envelope curve. The resulting waveform shape is 
shown in dark gray, with the current waveform shape in light gray. You can 
click on the curve to add points, and click and drag existing points to change 
the shape. To remove a point from the curve, drag it outside the display. 
						

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Presets
If you have set up an envelope curve that you may want to apply to other 
events or clips, you can save it as a preset by clicking the Store button.
• To apply a stored preset, select it from the pop-up menu.
• To rename the selected preset, double-click on the name and enter a 
new one in the dialog that opens.
• To remove a stored preset, select it from the pop-up menu and click 
Remove.
Fade In and Fade Out
For a description of these functions, click on the related link.
RELATED LINKS
Fades, crossfades, and envelopes on page 247
Gain
Allows you to change the gain (level) of the selected audio.
The dialog contains the following settings:
Gain
This is where you set the desired gain, between -50 and +20 dB. The setting 
is also indicated below the Gain display as a percentage.
Clipping detection text
If you use the Preview function before applying the processing, the text below 
the slider indicates whether the current settings result in clipping (audio levels 
above 0
 dB). If that is the case, lower the Gain value and use the Preview 
function again.
• If you want to increase the level of the audio as much as possible 
without causing clipping, use the Normalize function instead. 
						

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Pre/Post-Crossfade
Some processing functions allow you to gradually mix the effect in or out. This 
is done with the Pre/Post-Crossfade parameters. For example, if you activate 
Pre-Crossfade and specify a value of 1000
 ms, the processing is applied 
gradually from the start of selection, reaching full effect 1000
 ms after the 
start. Similarly, if you activate Post-Crossfade, the processing is gradually 
removed, starting at the specified interval before the end of the selection.
IMPORTANT
The sum of the Pre-Crossfade and Post-Crossfade times cannot be larger 
than the length of the selection.
RELATED LINKS
Normalize on page 407
Merge Clipboard
This function mixes the audio from the clipboard into the audio selected for 
processing, starting at the beginning of the selection.
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
For this function to be available, you need to have cut or copied a range of audio in 
the Sample Editor first.
The dialog contains the following settings:
Sources mix
Allows you to specify a mix ratio between the original (the audio selected for 
processing) and the copy (the audio on the clipboard).
Pre/Post-Crossfade
Some processing functions allow you to gradually mix the effect in or out. This 
is done with the Pre/Post-Crossfade parameters. For example, if you activate 
Pre-Crossfade and specify a value of 1000
 ms, the processing is applied 
gradually from the start of selection, reaching full effect 1000
 ms after the 
start. Similarly, if you activate Post-Crossfade, the processing is gradually 
removed, starting at the specified interval before the end of the selection.
IMPORTANT
The sum of the Pre-Crossfade and Post-Crossfade times cannot be larger 
than the length of the selection. 
						

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Noise Gate
Scans the audio for sections weaker than a specified threshold level and replaces 
them with silence.
The dialog contains the following settings:
Threshold
The level below which you want audio to be silenced. Levels below this value 
will close the gate.
Attack Time
The time it takes for the gate to open fully after the audio level has exceeded 
the threshold level.
Min. Opening Time
This is the shortest time the gate will remain open. If you find that the gate 
opens and closes too often when processing material that varies rapidly in 
level, try raising this value.
Release Time
The time it takes for the gate to close fully after the audio level has dropped 
below the threshold level.
Linked Channels
This is available for stereo audio only. When it is activated, the Noise Gate is 
opened for both channels as soon as one or both channels exceed the 
Threshold level. When Linked Channels is deactivated, the Noise Gate works 
independently for the left and right channel.
Dry/Wet mix
Allows you to specify a mix ratio between “dry” and processed sound. 
						

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Pre/Post-Crossfade
Some processing functions allow you to gradually mix the effect in or out. This 
is done with the Pre/Post-Crossfade parameters. For example, if you activate 
Pre-Crossfade and specify a value of 1000
 ms, the processing is applied 
gradually from the start of selection, reaching full effect 1000
 ms after the 
start. Similarly, if you activate Post-Crossfade, the processing is gradually 
removed, starting at the specified interval before the end of the selection.
IMPORTANT
The sum of the Pre-Crossfade and Post-Crossfade times cannot be larger 
than the length of the selection.
Normalize
The Normalize function allows you to specify the desired maximum level of the 
audio. It then analyzes the selected audio and finds the current maximum level. 
Finally it subtracts the current maximum level from the specified level and raises the 
gain of the audio by the resulting amount (if the specified maximum level is lower 
than the current maximum, the gain will be lowered instead). A common use for 
Normalizing is to raise the level of audio that was recorded at too low an input level.
The dialog contains the following settings:
Maximum
The desired maximum level for the audio, between -50 and 0 dB. The setting 
is also indicated below the Gain display as a percentage.
Pre/Post-Crossfade
Some processing functions allow you to gradually mix the effect in or out. This 
is done with the Pre/Post-Crossfade parameters. For example, if you activate 
Pre-Crossfade and specify a value of 1000
 ms, the processing is applied 
gradually from the start of selection, reaching full effect 1000
 ms after the 
start. Similarly, if you activate Post-Crossfade, the processing is gradually 
removed, starting at the specified interval before the end of the selection.
IMPORTANT
The sum of the Pre-Crossfade and Post-Crossfade times cannot be larger 
than the length of the selection. 
						

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Phase Reverse
Reverses the phase of the selected audio, turning the waveform “upside down”.
The dialog contains the following settings:
Phase Reverse on
When processing stereo audio, this pop-up menu allows you to specify which 
channel(s) are phase-reversed.
Pre/Post-Crossfade
Some processing functions allow you to gradually mix the effect in or out. This 
is done with the Pre/Post-Crossfade parameters. For example, if you activate 
Pre-Crossfade and specify a value of 1000
 ms, the processing is applied 
gradually from the start of selection, reaching full effect 1000
 ms after the 
start. Similarly, if you activate Post-Crossfade, the processing is gradually 
removed, starting at the specified interval before the end of the selection.
IMPORTANT
The sum of the Pre-Crossfade and Post-Crossfade times cannot be larger 
than the length of the selection.
Pitch Shift
This function allows you to change the pitch of the audio with or without affecting 
its length. You can also create “harmonies” by specifying several pitches or apply 
pitch shift based on a user specified envelope curve. 
						

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When the Transpose tab is selected, the dialog contains the following parameters:
Keyboard display
This is a graphic overview of the transposition setting. Here, you can specify 
the transpose interval in semitones.
• The root note is indicated in red.
This has nothing to do with the actual key or pitch of the original audio, 
it just provides a way to display transpose intervals. You can change the 
root note by using the settings in the Pitch Shift Base section, or by 
pressing [Alt]/[Option] and clicking in the keyboard display.
• To specify a transpose interval, click on one of the keys.
The key is indicated in blue, and the program plays test tones in the 
base pitch and transpose pitch to give you an audible confirmation.
• If “Multi Shift” is activated (see below), you can click on several keys to 
create “chords”.
Clicking on a blue (activated) key removes it.
Pitch Shift settings
The “Semitones” and “Fine-Tune” settings allow you to specify the amount of 
pitch shift. You can transpose the audio ±16 semitones, and fine-tune it by 
±200 cents (hundredths of semitones).
Volume/Amplitude
Allows you to lower the volume of the pitch-shifted sound.
Multi Shift
When this is activated, you can add several transpose values, creating 
multi-part harmonies. This is done by adding intervals in the keyboard display 
(see above). Note that you cannot use the Preview function in Multi Shift 
mode.
• If the intervals you add make up a standard chord, this chord is 
displayed to the right.
Note, however, that to include the base pitch (the original, untransposed 
sound) in the processed result, you need to click the base key in the 
keyboard display as well, so that it is displayed in blue.
Listen Key/Chord button
Clicking this button plays a test tone pitched according to the activated 
interval key on the keyboard display. If “Multi Shift” is activated, this button is 
called “Listen Chord” and plays all activated intervals as a chord.
Pitch Shift Base
This allows you to set the root note (the red key in the keyboard display). It has 
nothing to do with the actual pitch, but is an aid for setting up intervals and 
chords. 
						

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Algorithm Settings
This is where you can make settings for the MPEX 4 algorithm.
For each quality setting you can choose between the regular setting and a 
setting where the formants are preserved. If you are processing vocal material, 
select the Preserve Formant setting in order to preserve the vocal 
characteristics of the pitch-shifted audio and to avoid a “chipmunk voice” 
effect.
Time Correction
When this is activated, the pitch shift process will not affect the length of the 
audio. When this is deactivated, raising the pitch will shorten the audio 
section and vice versa, much like changing the playback speed on a tape 
recorder.
RELATED LINKS
About time stretch and pitch shift algorithms on page 428
Using envelope based Pitch Shift
When the “Envelope” tab is selected, you can specify an envelope curve on which 
the pitch shift will be based. This allows you to create pitchbend effects, pitch-shift 
different sections of the audio by different amounts, etc.
Envelope display
Shows the shape of the envelope curve over the waveform image of the audio 
selected for processing. Envelope curve points above the center line indicate 
positive pitch shift, while curve points below the center line indicate negative 
pitch shift. Initially, the envelope curve will be a horizontal, centered line, 
indicating zero pitch shift.
• You can click on the curve to add points, and click and drag existing 
points to change the shape. To remove a point from the curve, drag it 
outside the display.