Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual
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Sample Editor General Functions 451 You can also use the “Events from Regions” function from the Advanced submenu of the Audio menu. RELATED LINKS Region Operations on page 190 Exporting regions as audio files If you create a region in the Sample Editor, the region can be exported to disk as a new audio file. This is done from the Pool. RELATED LINKS Exporting Regions as Audio Files on page 516 Selecting an algorithm for realtime playback On the Algorithm pop-up menu on the toolbar you can select the algorithm preset to be applied during realtime playback. This setting affects warp changes in Musical Mode, FreeWarp, and Swing. Cubase Pro only: For the VariAudio warping and pitching features, the “Standard – Solo” preset must be used and is applied automatically. The pop-up menu contains various options that govern the audio quality of the realtime time stretching. There are presets for common uses and a Custom option that allows you to manually set warp parameters. The presets are sorted into categories, according to the technology used (élastique or Standard). RELATED LINKS About time stretch and pitch shift algorithms on page 428 Musical Mode You can use the Musical Mode to tempo-match audio loops to the project tempo. Musical Mode allows you to lock audio clips to the project tempo by using realtime time stretching. This is very useful if you want to use audio in your project without worrying too much about timing. If you want to use Musical Mode, verify that the length in bars corresponds to the audio file you imported. If necessary, listen to your audio and enter the correct length in bars and beats.
Sample Editor Warping audio452 When Musical Mode is activated, audio events will adapt to any tempo changes in Cubase, just like MIDI events. You can activate Musical Mode on the AudioWarp tab, the Definition tab, and the toolbar. NOTE It is also possible to activate/deactivat e Musical Mode from within the Pool by clicking the corresponding checkbox in the Musical Mode column. IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT Cubase supports ACID® loops. These loops are standard audio files but with embedded tempo/length information. When ACID® files are imported into Cubase, Musical Mode is automatically activated and the loops will adapt to the project tempo. Warping audio Warping is a term used to describe the realtime time stretching of a selected section of audio. Warping is generally used to correct the tempo or timing of audio. Adjusting loops to the project tempo using Musical Mode Audio loops are normally short audio files containing a defined number of bars with straight beats. These loops can be adjusted to the project tempo by using the Musical Mode function. PROCEDURE 1. Import an audio loop into a project an d double-click it to open the Sample Editor. If you open the Definition tab and take a look at the rulers, you will see that the project tempo grid (upper ruler) and the grid of your audio (lower ruler) do not match. 2. From the Algorithm pop-up menu on th e toolbar, select the algorithm preset to be applied during realtime playback. 3. Listen to the loop and, if necessary, correct the Bars and Beats values on the toolbar.
Sample Editor Warping audio 453 4. Activate the Musical Mode button. Your loop is warped and stretched automatically to adapt it to the project tempo. The rulers reflect the change. RESULT In the Project window, the audio event is now shown with a note symbol and a warp symbol in the upper right corner to indicate that time stretching has been applied. RELATED LINKS About time stretch and pitch shift algorithms on page 428 Adjusting complex audio material to the project tempo using Musical Mode If you want to use an audio file with unknown tempo or if the beat of your audio file is not straight, you have to change the “definition” of this audio file first. This is done with the Auto Adjust function on the Definition tab of the Sample Editor Inspector. The Auto Adjust function extracts a “local” definition grid that you can then match with the project tempo using Musical Mode. IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT The Auto Adjust function needs to be applied on a section containing complete bars. Therefore you first need to define a range in your audio material that starts and ends at a bar line. To extract the definition from an audio file, proceed as follows: PROCEDURE 1. Open an audio clip or audio event in the Sample Editor. 2. Open the Definition tab and select a suitable value from the Grid pop-up menu. This determines the grid resolution for your audio. 3. Select a range that is covering one or several bars. This selection should cover the section that you want to use in your project. The definition grid will be calculated for this section only.
Sample Editor Warping audio 454 4. Click the Auto Adjust button. The snap point is moved to the start of the selected range, which is now also the start position of the local definition grid. The lower ruler changes to reflect your edits. The transients, i. e. the bars and beats positions, are marked with vertical lines. 5. Activate the Musical Mode button. RESULT Your clip is warped and stretched automatically to adapt it to the project tempo. The rulers reflect the change. NOTE You can also apply Auto Adjust directly on an audio event or a clip. If no range selection is defined, the grid is calculated for the audio event. If no range selection and no audio event are defined, the grid is calculated for the entire clip. In both cases you need to make sure that the event or clip starts and ends on a bar line. Correcting the local definition grid In some situations, you might not be able to get satisfying results with the “Auto Adjust” function. In this case you can manually modify the grid and tempo of your audio file. PROCEDURE 1. On the Definition tab, activate the Manual Adjust tool. 2. If the grid start does not correspond with the first main beat, move the mouse pointer to the beginning of the audio clip until the tooltip “Set Grid Start” is displayed. The mouse pointer turns into a double arrow. 3. Click and drag the mouse to the right until you reach the first downbeat. Release the mouse button to move the grid start (and snap point). The lower ruler (for the local grid) changes to reflect your edits. 4. Audition the file to determine where the second bar in the sample begins.
Sample Editor Warping audio 455 5. In the upper part of the waveform, move the mouse pointer to the vertical line nearest to the second bar so that the tooltip “Stretch Grid” and a blue vertical line are shown. “Stretch Grid” allows you to correct the tempo by stretching or compressing the whole grid. 6. Click and drag the blue vertical line to the left or right to the position of the first downbeat in the second bar and release the mouse button. The beginning of the next bar is set, and all bar positions in the grid are adjusted so that the bars have the same length. 7. Check the positions of the following bars. If you find an incorrect bar position, move the mouse pointer over the grid lines in the lower part of the waveform so that the tooltip “Set Bar Position (Move Following Bars)” and a green vertical line are shown. “Set Bar Position” allows you to adjust a single bar line, thereby changing the tempo of one bar only. The bars to the right are moved accordingly, but the area to the left remains unaffected. 8. Click and drag the green vertical line to the left or right to the position of the first downbeat of the following bar and release the mouse button. Repeat the last two steps for all bar lines that need to be corrected. 9. Now have a look at the single beats in between the bars. If you find an incorrect beat position, move the mouse pointer over the corresponding grid line so that the tooltip “Set Beat Position” and a blue vertical line are shown. 10. Click and drag the grid line to align the single beat position with the waveform, and release the mouse button.
Sample Editor Warping audio 456 11. To remove a misplaced beat edit, press any modifier key so that the Erase tool is shown and click on the adjusted grid line. NOTE If you want to hear your changes immediately, you can activate Musical Mode for this procedure. The warping will be recalculated after each edit. Applying swing If you find that your audio sounds too straight, for example, after having used the “Auto Adjust” function, you can add swing. PROCEDURE 1. Activate Musical Mode. 2. On the Algorithm pop-up menu on the toolbar, select the algorithm preset that fits the audio material best. 3. On the AudioWarp tab, select a suitable grid resolution from the Resolution pop-up menu. This defines the positions that the swing is applied to. For example, if you select 1/2, the swing is applied in steps of half notes. 4. Move the Swing fader to the right to offset every second position in the grid. RESULT This creates a swing or shuffle feel. Depending on how far you move the fader to the right and what grid resolution you chose, this function offers everything from half-note swing to 64th-note swing. RELATED LINKS About time stretch and pitch shift algorithms on page 428
Sample Editor Warping audio 457 Free Warp The Free Warp tool allows you to change the timing of individual positions in the audio material. The Free Warp tool snaps to hitpoint positions and/or warp markers. The Free Warp tool creates warp markers. Warp markers are a kind of marker or anchor that can be attached to musically relevant time positions in an audio event, for example, the first beat of every bar. Warp markers can be dragged to the corresponding time positions in the project, and the audio will be stretched accordingly. IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT When you activate or deactivate Musical Mode or select another Resolution value, all your warp modifications are lost. Warp markers are typically used for creative tempo editing or further tweaking after having activated Musical Mode. NOTE Warp markers can also be created from hitpoints. RELATED LINKS Create Warp Markers on page 467 Correcting the Timing You can correct the timing using the Free Warp tool. PROCEDURE 1. Open the audio file that you want to process in the Sample Editor. 2. Activate the “Snap to Zero Crossing” button on the Sample Editor toolbar. When this button is activated, warp markers will snap to zero crossings. 3. If you want to use the Free Warp tool for selective timing corrections, you can define the local definition grid and activate Musical Mode. The next step is to find out where a warp marker needs to be added.
Sample Editor Warping audio 458 4. On the Transport panel, activate the Click button, and play back your audio clip to determine positions where the beat is not on time with the click. If you find it difficult to pinpoint an exact position in the audio event, you can use the Scrub tool and/or zoom in the view. 5. On the AudioWarp tab, select the Free Warp tool, place the pointer at the position of the beat that you want to adjust, click, and hold. The mouse pointer changes to a clock with arrows on either side and a vertical line in the middle. A new warp marker is inserted. 6. With the mouse button still pressed, drag the warp marker to the new position and release the mouse button. The beat should now be perfectly aligned with the corresponding position in the project. You can also first add warp markers at the relevant musical positions and change their positions later. RESULT Next to the warp marker handle in the ruler, a number is shown. This number indicates the warp factor, that is the amount of stretch. Warp factors higher than 1.0 indicate that the audio region preceding the warp marker is expanded and will play back slower. Warp factors lower than 1.0 indicate that the audio region preceding the warp marker is compressed and will play back faster. RELATED LINKS Editing warp markers on page 458 Editing warp markers • To stretch or compress the audio using a warp marker, select the Free Warp tool and position the pointer on the warp line in the waveform, click and drag. • To change the position of a warp marker in the audio, click and drag the warp marker handle in the ruler. This will change the warping. • To disable all warp modifications, click the “Disable Warp Changes” button on the AudioWarp tab. • To delete a warp marker, hold down [Alt]/[Option] so that the pointer becomes an eraser, and click on the warp marker. To delete several warp markers, hold down [Alt]/[Option] while drawing a selection rectangle.
Sample Editor Working with hitpoints and slices459 Resetting warp modifications You can reset your Free Warp edits. PROCEDURE •Click Reset on the AudioWarp tab. This also resets Disable Warp Changes on the same tab. NOTE If Musical Mode is activated, only Free Warp edits are reset. Working with hitpoints and slices Cubase can detect hitpoints, musically rele vant positions, by analyzing onsets and melodic changes. At these po sitions a type of marker is added. Hitpoints allow you to create slices, where each slice ideally represents each individual sound or “beat”. Drum or other rhythmic recordings or loops work best with this feature. Purpose and preparation Hitpoints are useful to slice up audio to make it fit the project tempo or to create a situation that allows the song tempo to be changed while retaining the timing of a rhythmic audio loop. When you have successfully detected the hitpoints for an audio file, you can do a nu mber of useful things: • Change the tempo of the audio material without affecting the pitch and audio quality. • Extract the timing (a groove map) from a dr um loop. The groove map can then be used to quantize other events. • Use slices to replace indivi dual sounds in a drum loop. • Extract sounds from loops. You can further edit these slices in the Au dio Part Editor. You can, for example: • Remove or mute slices. • Change the loop by reordering, replacing, or quantizing slices. • Apply processing or effects to individual slices. • Create new files from individual slices using the “Bounce Selection” function o n the Audio menu. • Transpose in realtime and stretch slices. • Edit slice envelopes.
Sample Editor Working with hitpoints and slices 460 Hitpoints can also be used to quantize audio material without creating slices. RELATED LINKS Creating Groove Quantize Presets on page 246 Quantizing MIDI and Audio on page 234 Which audio files can be used? Here are some guidelines as to what type of audio files are suited for slicing using hitpoints: • Each individual sound should have a noticeable attack. Slow attacks, legato playing, etc. may not produce the expected result. • Poorly recorded audio might be difficult to slice correctly. In these cases, try to normalize the files or to remove DC Offset. • The recorded audio should contain as little crosstalk signals as possible. Crosstalk refers to the “bleeding” of a sound into a microphone placed before another instrument during recording. • There may be problems with sounds drowned in smearing effects, like short delays. Adjusting the tempo: warping vs. hitpoints and slices Both the warping features and the hitpoint detection can be used to alter the tempo and timing of audio material. Warping is very useful for continuous audio material without noticeable gaps between the individual sounds, for example, piano or vocal recordings. Using hitpoints has the advantage that the quality of the sound is not affected and no artifacts are being introduced. The audio is cut up into slices that are then moved on the timeline, making this method especially suited for drums, which contain silence between the individual sounds. Furthermore, hitpoint detection is useful for multi-track drum recordings, because the phase alignment is kept stable. Using hitpoints and slices for continuous audio material is not recommended, as it is difficult to fill the gaps caused by moving the slices. Automatic Hitpoint Detection When you add an audio file to your project by recording or by importing, Cubase automatically detects hitpoints. This allows you to navigate to hitpoints of an audio file from within the Project window. For long audio files, hitpoint detection may take a while. All operations that are based on hitpoints are disabled during the calculation.