Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual
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Chord Functions Chord Events 821 •The Proximity mode underlies the same rules as the List mode. Adding Chord Events Based on Suggestions If you do not know what your chord progression should look like, you can use the Chord Assistant to get suggestions for the following chords. PREREQUISITE Add a chord event on the chord track. PROCEDURE 1. Double-click the chord event 2. Click Chord Assistant. 3. Click Add Chord. 4. Do one of the following: • To display the suggestions in a list, click the List tab. • To display the suggestions in a graphic, click the Proximity tab. 5. Click a suggestion to select it.
Chord Functions Chord Events 822 RESULT The suggested chord is added as chord event to the chord track. Repeat the steps above to create as many chord events as required by your harmonic structure. Chord Assistant – Circle of Fifths The Circle of Fifths mode of the Chord Assistant shows the chords in an interactive visualization of the circle of fifths. The origin chord that defines the current key is shown in the center of the Chord Assistant and is marked as tonic (I). The outer circle shows the twelve major chords ordered in intervals of fifths. The inner circle displays the corresponding parallel minor chords. The roman numerals mark the chords of the current key with their scale degree. You can use these chords to create typical chord progressions or you can use the other chords for more creative results. • To play a chord and assign it to the selected chord event, click it. The last three chords that you clicked are shown with a highlighted frame. • To define a new key, right-click the chord in the Chord Assistant and select Use as Origin, or use the Rotate Left/Rotate Right controls. • To select the parallel minor chord and define it as key, click Major/Minor.
Chord Functions Chord Events 823 Auditioning Chord Events To hear the chord events on the chord track, you must connect the chord track to the output of an instrument or a MIDI track. PREREQUISITE Add the chord track and some chord events. PROCEDURE 1. Do one of the following: • To add an instrument track, select Project > Add Track > Instrument. • To add a MIDI track, select Project > Add Track > MIDI. 2. Assign a VST instrument to your instrument or MIDI track and select a sound. 3. In the chord track Inspector, activate Acoustic Feedback. 4. From the Select Track for Auditioning pop-up menu, select the track that you want to use for auditioning. RESULT The chord events on the chord track now trigger the sound of the assigned instrument on the MIDI or instrument track. Changing How Chord Events Are Displayed You can change how chord events are displayed. This is useful, if chord events overlap each other at low zoom levels, or if you do not like the font type. PROCEDURE 1. On the chord track, activate Resolve Display Conflicts. 2. Select File > Preferences > Event Display > Chords and set up the chord font. Here you can also determine the note name and naming format.
Chord Functions Scale Events 824 Scale Events Scale events inform you which chord events fit in a specific sequence of notes that belong to a specific root note. Cubase automatically creates scale events for your chord events. • To show the scale events, activate Show Scales on the chord track. • To audition the notes that belong to a scale event, click it. However, you can also add and edit scale events manually. Scale events have a specific start position. Their end is determined by the start of the next scale event. Editing Scale Events PREREQUISITE Add the chord track and chord events. Deactivate Automatic Scales in the chord track Inspector. PROCEDURE 1. On the chord track, activate Show Scales. The scale lane is displayed. 2. Select the chord event. A scale event is shown on the scale lane. 3. Do one of the following: • Click the first scale event on the chord track, and on the info line, select a Root Key and Type. • Double-click the scale event, and in the keyboard that appears, select a Root Key and Type of the scale. The keys that correspond to the scale are highlighted.
Chord Functions Voicings 825 Voicings Voicings determine how chord events are set up. They define the vertical spacing and order of the pitches in a chord, but also the instrumentation and genre of a musical piece. For example, a C chord can be spread over a wide range of pitches, and a pianist will choose different notes than a guitarist. The pianist may also play completely different pitches for different musical genres. • You can set up voicing for the entire chord track in the chord track Inspector. • You can set up voicings for individual chord events on the Voicing pop-up menu on the info line. NOTE If Adaptive Voicings is activated in the chord track Inspector, you can only change the voicings for the first chord event on the info line. Setting up Voicings To set up voicings for the entire chord track, you can use the chord track Inspector. 1)Voicing library Allows you to select Guitar, Piano, or Basic as a voicing library. 2)Voicing library subset NOTE This is only available, if Guitar or Piano is set as voicing library. Allows you to select a preset voicing library subset. 3)Configure voicing parameters Allows you to configure your own voicing parameters for a specific voicing scheme.
Chord Functions Voicings 826 4)Adaptive Voicings Activate this to let Cubase set the voicings automatically. This prevents the individual voices from jumping too much. 5)Automatic Scales Activate this to let Cubase set the scales automatically. 6)Mapping Offset If you enter a negative number of ticks, the chord events will affect the MIDI notes that have been triggered too early. Configure Voicing Parameters If you click Configure Voicing Parameters in the Voicings section of the Inspector, you can configure your own voicing parameters for a specific voicing scheme. NOTE The Start Voicing section for piano, guitar, and basic voicings lets you select a start voicing. This is only available for MIDI, instrument, and audio tracks (Cubase Pro only), but not for the chord track, and only if you select Voicings in the Follow Chord Track pop-up menu. In the Style section for Piano voicings, you can set up the following parameters: Triads Sets a triad. Chords with more than three notes are not changed. Triads with maj9 Sets a triad with a major ninth, but without root note. Chords with more than three notes are not changed. Triads with maj9 and min9 Sets a triad with a major and a minor ninth, but without root note. Chords with more than three notes are not changed. 4-note chords Sets a default 4-note chord without root note. Chords with less than three notes are not changed. 4-note chords (Open Jazz) Sets a 4-note chord without root note and without fifth. Chords with less than three notes are not changed. 5-note chords Sets a 5-note chord with a ninth. Chords with less than four notes are not changed.
Chord Functions Voicings 827 In the Options section for Piano voicings, you can set up the following parameters: Add Root Note Adds a root note. Duplicate Root Duplicates the root note. Fatten up Duplicates the tenor. In the Voicing Range section for Piano voicings, you can set up the following parameters: Lowest Root Note Sets the limit for the lowest root note. Lowest Note Sets the limit for the lowest note, except the root note. Highest Note Sets the limit for the highest note, except the root note. In the Style section for Guitar voicings, you can set up the following parameters: Triads Sets a triad with four, five or six voices. 4-Note Chords Sets a 4-note chord with four, five or six voices without tensions. 3-String Triads Sets a three string triad. Modern Jazz Sets 4-note, 5-note, and 6-note chords, partly without root note, but with tensions. For Basic voicings only Octave Offset from C3 is available. This allows you to determine an offset value for the default octave range.
Chord Functions Converting Chord Events to MIDI 828 Converting Chord Events to MIDI You can convert chord events to MIDI for further editing or for printing a lead sheet in the Score Editor. PROCEDURE 1. Add an instrument track or a MIDI track. • To add an instrument track, select Project > Add Track > Instrument. • To add a MIDI track, select Project > Add Track > MIDI. 2. Do one of the following: • To convert all chord events to MIDI, select Project > Chord Track > Chords to MIDI. • To convert only selected chords to MIDI, select the chord events and drag them to the MIDI or instrument track. RESULT A new MIDI part is created, containing the chords as MIDI events. Assigning Chord Events to MIDI Effects or VST Instruments PREREQUISITE Create a chord progression on the chord track and add a MIDI or instrument track to your project. PROCEDURE 1. In the Inspector for the MIDI or instrument track, open the MIDI Inserts section. 2. Click an insert slot and select Chorder from the Effect Type pop-up menu. The Chorder effect is activated, and its control panel opens. 3. On the chord track, select the chord events and drag them to the Chorder control panel. The drop position determines the velocity area and the position of the first chord event. All subsequent chord events are mapped chromatically. Chord events with more than one occurrence are only assigned once. To remap the chords, hold down [Alt]/[Option] and drag again. 4. On your MIDI keyboard, hit the corresponding keys to play back the chords.
Chord Functions Controlling MIDI or Audio Playback using the Chord Track 829 Assigning Chord Events to HALion Sonic SE Pads PREREQUISITE Create a chord progression on the chord track and add an instrument track with HALion Sonic SE as VST instrument to your project. PROCEDURE 1. On the chord track, select the chord events and drag them to the HALion Sonic SE pads. The first chord event is mapped to the pad where you dropped it, and all subsequent chord events are mapped to the following pads. 2. Click the corresponding pads on the HALion Sonic SE keyboard to trigger the chords. Controlling MIDI or Audio Playback using the Chord Track You can use the chord track to control audio playback (Cubase Pro only) or MIDI playback. Using Live Transform Live Transform allows you to transpose the MIDI input live to a chord progression on the chord track. This way, you do not have to worry about what key you hit on your MIDI keyboard as the MIDI input is transposed to match chords or scales on your chord track in realtime. PROCEDURE 1. Create a MIDI or an instrument track and activate Record Enable. 2. In the Inspector, open the Chords section. 3. Open the Live Transform pop-up menu and do one of the following: • To map the MIDI input to chord events, select Chords. • To map the MIDI input to scale events, select Scales. 4. Hit some keys on your MIDI keyboard or on the Virtual Keyboard. RESULT Any key that you hit is mapped in realtime to the chord or scale events on the chord track.
Chord Functions Controlling MIDI or Audio Playback using the Chord Track 830 Using Follow Chord Track This allows you to match an existing recording to a chord progression on the chord track. PROCEDURE 1. Select the track that you want to match to the chord track. 2. In the Inspector, click Chords. 3. Open the Follow Chord Track pop-up menu and select a mode. NOTE If this is the first time that you open this pop-up menu for the track, the Follow Chord Track dialog opens. 4. In the Follow Chord Track dialog, make your settings. 5. Click OK. RESULT The events on your track now match the chord progression on the chord track. NOTE If you matched your MIDI track to the chord track, some of the original MIDI notes may be muted. To hide these notes in the editors, select File > Preferences > Editing > Chords and activate Hide muted Notes in Editors. RELATED LINKS Follow Chord Track Dialog on page 831 Follow Chord Track Modes on page 830 Follow Chord Track Modes This section of the Inspector allows you to determine how your track follows the chord track. The following options are available on the Follow Chord Track pop-up menu: Off Follow Chord Track is deactivated.