Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

							MediaBay
Filters Section
541
5. On the condition pop-up menu, select one of the search operators.
6. Enter the text or number that you want to find in the field to the right.
NOTE
If you enter 2 or more strings or filter lines, the files that are found match all strings or 
filter lines.
• To add more than one string in the text field, enter a [Space] between them.
• To add another filter line, click the + button to the right of the text field. You can 
add up to seven filter lines in which you can define further search conditions.
• To remove a filter line, click the corresponding - button.
• To reset all search fields to their default settings, click the Reset Filter button 
in the top right corner of the Filters section.
RESULT 
The Results list is automatically updated, showing only the files that correspond to 
your search conditions.
Advanced Text Search
You can perform very advanced text searches using boolean operators.
PREREQUISITE 
In the Locations section, select the location in which you want to search for files.
PROCEDURE
1. In the Filters section, activate the Logical button.
2. Select an attribute on the Select Filter Attributes pop-up menu or leave the 
setting on Any Attribute.
3. Set the condition to matches.
4. Specify the text that you want to search for in the field to the right using 
boolean operators.
RELATED LINKS
Performing a Text Search on page 533 
						

							MediaBay
Filters Section
542
About Attributes for Media Files
Attributes for media files are sets of meta data providing additional information on 
the file.
The different types of media files have different attributes. For example, .wav audio 
files have attributes like name, length, size, sample rate, etc., while .mp3 files have 
additional attributes such as artist or genre. 
RELATED LINKS
Attribute Inspector on page 544
Attribute Filter
Assigning attribute values to your files makes it easy to organize the media files. 
With the Attribute filter, you can view and edit some of the standard file attributes 
found in your media files.
If you click the Attribute button, the Filters section displays all values found for a 
specific attribute. Selecting one of these values displays a list of files that contain 
this attribute value.
1)Attribute columns
Let you select different attribute categories. If the columns are wide enough, 
the number of files that match this criteria is displayed to the right of the filter 
name.
2)Attribute values
Displays the attribute values and how often a certain attribute value is 
available among your media files.
NOTE
• Some attributes are directly linked to each other. For example, for each 
category value, there are certain sub category values available. Changing the 
value in one of these attribute columns displays different values in the other 
column.
• Each attribute column displays only the attribute values found in the currently 
selected location.
R
ELATED LINKS
Attribute Inspector on page 544 
						

							MediaBay
Filters Section
543
Applying an Attribute Filter
With the Attribute filter you can quickly find audio files with certain attributes.
• To apply an Attribute filter, click on an attribute value.
The Results list is filtered accordingly. Apply more attribute filters to restrict 
the result even more.
• To find files that match either one or the other attribute, 
[Ctrl]/[Command]-click different attribute values in the same column.
• To change the displayed attribute values of a column, click on the attribute 
column and select another attribute.
NOTE
Character attributes always form an AND condition.
Performing a Context Menu Search
You can search for other files with the same attribute as the selected. This way you 
can easily find all the files that have a value in common, for example, if you want to 
view all files that were created on the same day.
• In the Results list or the Attribute Inspector, right-click a file, and select the 
attribute value that you want to search for from the Search for submenu.
The Filters section automatically switches to Logical filtering and the 
corresponding filter condition line is displayed.
• To reset the filter, click the Reset Result Filters button. 
						

							MediaBay
Attribute Inspector
544
Resetting the Filter
PROCEDURE
• To reset the filter, click the Reset Filter button at the top of the Filters section.
This also resets the Results list.
Attribute Inspector
When you have selected one or more files in the Results list, the Attribute 
Inspector shows a list of attributes and their values.
In the Attribute Inspector, you can also edit and add new attribute values.
The available attributes are divided into several groups (Media, Musical, Preset, 
etc.), so as to keep the list manageable and make it easy to find an element quickly.
Dynamic
Displays all available values for the selected files.
Defined
Displays a configured set of attributes for the selected media type regardless 
of whether corresponding values are available for the selected files.
Configure Defined Attributes
Activates the configuration mode in which you can set up the attributes are 
that are displayed in the Attribute Inspector. 
						

							MediaBay
Attribute Inspector
545
Configuration Mode
When you click the Configure Defined Attributes button, the configuration mode 
is enabled.
Select Media Types
Lets you select one or several media types. You can then manage which 
attributes are displayed in the Attribute Inspector for the selected media 
types.
+/-
Opens the Add User Attribute dialog, where you can add or remove custom 
user attributes. You can select the Attribute Type and the Display Name.
Reset to Default
Resets the attribute list to the default settings.
Attribute
Shows the attribute name.
Select
Shows whether an attribute is activated or deactivated.
Type
Shows whether the value for an attribute is a number, text, or a Yes/No switch.
Precision
Shows the number of decimals displayed for number attributes.
RELATED LINKS
About Attributes for Media Files on page 542
Managing Attribute Lists on page 549 
						

							MediaBay
Attribute Inspector
546
Color Schemes in the Attribute Inspector
The color of an attribute value indicates if and in which form you can edit an 
attribute.
White
One or more files are selected in the Results list, and they have the same 
values.
Yellow
Multiple files are selected in the Results list, and their values differ.
Orange
Multiple files are selected in the Results list, with differing values, and which 
cannot be edited.
Red
One or more files are selected in the Results list, whose values cannot be 
edited.
Information on the meaning of the colors used in the Attribute Inspector are also 
displayed in a tooltip when you move the mouse pointer over one of the color icons 
below the Attribute Inspector.
Editing Attributes (Tagging)
The search functions, especially the attribute filter, are a powerful media 
management tool when making extensive use of tagging, for example, when adding 
and editing attributes.
Media files are usually organized in complex folder structures to provide a logical 
way of guiding the user to certain files, with the folder and/or file names indicating 
the instrument, style, tempo, etc.
Tags help you finding a particular sound or loop in such a folder structure.
Editing Attributes in the Attribute Inspector
In the Attribute Inspector, you can edit attribute values of the various media files. 
Attribute values can be chosen from pop-up lists, entered as text or numbers, or set 
to Yes or No.
NOTE
• Changing an attribute value in the Attribute Inspector permanently changes 
the corresponding file unless the file is write-protected or part of a VST Sound 
archive. 
						

							MediaBay
Attribute Inspector
547
• Some attributes cannot be edited. If this is the case, the file format probably 
does not permit changing this value, or changing a particular value makes no 
sense. For example, you cannot change the file size in the MediaBay.
PROCEDURE
1. In the Results list, select the file that you want to make settings for.
The corresponding attribute values are displayed in the Attribute Inspector.
You can also select several files and make settings for them simultaneously. The only 
exception is the name attribute, which must be unique for every file.
2. In the Attribute Inspector, click in the Value column for an attribute.
Depending on the selected attribute, the following happens:
• For most of the attributes, a pop-up menu opens from which you can choose 
a value. This can be a name, a number and an on/off state. Some of the pop-up 
menus also have a “more…” entry to open a window with more attribute values.
• For the Rating attribute, you can click in the Value column and drag left or right 
to modify the setting.
•For the Character attribute (Musical group), the Edit Character dialog opens. 
Click a radio button on the left or the right side and then click OK to define 
values for the Character attribute.
3. Set the attribute value.
To remove the attribute value from the selected files, right-click in the corresponding 
Value column and select Remove Attribute from the context menu.
Editing Attributes in the Results List
You can edit attributes directly in the Results list. This allows you to assign tags to 
a number of loop files, for example.
PREREQUISITE 
Allow Editing in Results List must be activated in the MediaBay Preferences.
PROCEDURE
1. In the Results list, select the files that you want to make settings for.
You can make settings for several files simultaneously. The only exception is the name 
attribute, which must be unique for every file.
2. Click in the column for the value that you want to change and make the 
settings.
RELATED LINKS
MediaBay Preferences on page 550 
						

							MediaBay
Attribute Inspector
548
Editing Attributes of Multiple Files Simultaneously
You can tag multiple files at the same time. There is no limit as to how many files 
can be tagged at the same time, but the tagging of a large amount of files in one go 
can take a while.
The tagging operation is executed in the background, so that you can continue with 
your work as usual. By looking at the Attribute Counter above the Results list, you 
can see how many files still have to be updated.
Editing Attributes of Write-Protected Files
Media files can be write-protected due to a number of reasons. The content can be 
provided by someone who write-protected the files, the file format could restrict 
write operations by the MediaBay, etc..
In the MediaBay, the write protection status of files is shown as an attribute in the 
Attribute Inspector and in the Write Protection column in the Results list.
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
You can define attribute values of write-protected files in the MediaBay. These 
changes are not written to disk though and occur in the MediaBay only.
NOTE
If the Write Protection and/or the Pending Tags columns are not visible, activate 
the corresponding attributes for the file type in the Attribute Inspector.
• To set or remove the write protection attribute for a file, right-click the file in 
the Results list and select Set/Remove Write Protection.
This is only possible if the file type allows write operations and you have the 
necessary operation system permission.
• When you specify attribute values for a file that is write-protected, this is 
reflected in the Pending Tags column next to the Write Protection column in 
the Results list.
If you rescan the MediaBay content and a media file on your hard disk has 
changed since the last scan, the pending tags for this file will be lost.
• If a file has pending tags, and you want to write the corresponding attributes 
to the file, you must remove the write protection, then right-click the file, and 
select Write Tags to File.
NOTE
If you use other programs than Cubase to change the write-protection status of a 
file, you must rescan the files in the MediaBay to reflect these changes. 
						

							MediaBay
Attribute Inspector
549
Managing Attribute Lists
In the Attribute Inspector, you can define which attributes are displayed in the 
Results list and in the Attribute Inspector itself. For different media types, 
individual attribute sets can be configured.
PROCEDURE
1. In the Attribute Inspector, click the Defined button.
2. Click the Configure Defined Attributes button to enter configuration mode.
3. Open the Show pop-up menu, activate the media types that you want to 
display, and click anywhere in the MediaBay.
The Attribute Inspector now shows a list of all attributes available for these media 
types.
• If you have activated more than one media type, your settings affect all selected 
types. An orange checkmark indicates that the current display settings for an 
attribute differ for the selected media types.
• The display settings made for the Mixed Media Types option are applied if you 
select files of different media types in the Results list or the Attribute 
Inspector.
4. Activate the attributes that you want to be displayed.
You can edit several attributes in one go.
5. Click the Configure Defined Attributes button again to exit the configuration 
mode.
Defining User Attributes
You can define your own attributes and save these in the MediaBay database and 
the corresponding media files. Cubase recognizes all user attributes that are 
included in media files.
PROCEDURE
1. In the Attribute Inspector, activate the Defined button.
2. Click the Configure Defined Attributes button to enter configuration mode.
3. Click the + button. 
						

							MediaBay
Loop Browser, Sound Browser, and Mini Browser
550
4. In the Add User Attribute dialog, specify the Attribute Type and the Display 
Name.
The display name must be unique in the attribute list. The Database Name field 
indicates if a certain name is valid or not.
5. Click OK.
RESULT 
The new attribute is added to the list of available attributes and is displayed in the 
Attribute Inspector and the Results list.
Loop Browser, Sound Browser, and Mini Browser
The Loop Browser, Sound Browser, and Mini Browser show different views of 
the MediaBay.
The Loop Browser lets you quickly browse your loops, for example, audio files, MIDI 
loops, and pattern banks.
The Sound Browser lets you quickly search sounds. By default, it is set to display 
track presets and plug-in presets.
The Mini Browser is perfect to be placed along instruments like LoopMash or 
Groove Agent One.
These browser windows offer the same functions as the MediaBay, for example, 
you can specify different browse locations, define searches, set up the available 
panes, etc.
MediaBay Preferences
The Preferences dialog in Cubase contains a special MediaBay page where you 
can set up the MediaBay. These settings are also available from within the 
MediaBay.
• To display the preferences, click the MediaBay Preferences button in the 
lower left corner of the MediaBay.