Steinberg Sequel 3 Manual

							41
The Pilot Zone
Undo
Selecting this option will undo the last action that you per-
formed. You can undo any action you performed from the 
point that you opened the project.
You can also use the key command [Ctrl]/[Com-
mand]+[Z].
Redo
Selecting this option will redo the any action that you de-
leted using undo. When there is nothing left to redo the 
option will become grayed out.
You can also use the key command [Ctrl]/[Com-
mand]+[Shift]+[Z].
Cut
Cut can be used to move an event or group of events to 
another area in the “Arrange Zone”.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[X].
Copy
Copy can be used to copy an event or group of events to 
another area in the “Arrange Zone”.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[C].
Paste
Paste is used to move cut or copied material to its new lo-
cation.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[V].
Delete
Delete is used to remove an event or group of events from 
your project.
The key command for this is [Delete] or [Backspace].
Duplicate
Duplicate is used to create quick copies of an event. The 
copy will be pasted in the project directly after the se-
lected event.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[D].
Split at Cursor
Split at cursor allows you to split the selected event at the 
cursor location.
If no event is selected, all events (on all tracks) that are 
intersected by the project cursor will be split.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[T].
Select All
Selecting this option will select all events in the “Arrange 
Zone”. This is useful for performing large scale editing.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[A].
Select None
Select none will take clear any selection you have made is 
the Arrange Zone.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+ 
[Shift]+[A].
Add Track…
Selecting this option will bring up a dialog which allows 
you to add tracks to your project. You can create audio 
tracks or instrument tracks.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[+].
Remove selected tracks
Selecting this option will remove any tracks that you have 
selected in the Arrange Zone.
To select multiple tracks, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] 
and click on them.
The key command for this is [Ctrl]/[Command]+[Delete] 
or [Ctrl]/[Command]+[Backspace]. 
						

							42
The Pilot Zone
About the Project, Automation and 
Edit buttons
The Project, Automation and Edit buttons allow you quick 
and easy access to some of the most frequently used 
functions in Sequel.
The Project buttons
New Project
Clicking this button will close the current project and cre-
ate a new one.
Open Project
Clicking this button will allow you to open an existing 
project.
Save Project
Clicking this button will allow you to save your project. 
Make it a habit to save in regular intervals.
The Automation buttons
Show Automation
Activating this button will reveal your projects track auto-
mation. Deactivate it to hide all automation.
The key command for showing/hiding the automation is 
[A].
Edit/Write Automation
Activating this button will allow you to edit and write track 
automation. Deactivating it will lock the automation and 
you won’t be able to perform any editing.
The Edit buttons
Add New Track
Activating this button will open up the Add Track dialog, 
see “Add Track…” on page 41.
Project buttons 
(File management)Automation
buttonsEdit 
buttons
New Project
Open ProjectSave Project
!Note that any automation you have created will always 
be reproduced during playback, even if both automa-
tion buttons are tuned off. If you do not want the auto-
mation to be reproduced, you have to delete all auto-
mation data you recorded/wrote into your track(s).
Show Automation
Edit/Write Automation
Add New Track Undo Last Action Redo Last Action
Show Transpose TrackShow Arranger Track 
						

							43
The Pilot Zone
Show Transpose Track
The Transpose track allows you to set global key changes. 
Activating the “Show Transpose Track” button reveals the 
Transpose Track just below the Ruler Zone.
[Alt]/[Option]-click to add a global transpose change. 
You can add as many as you like.
To change a transpose value, click in the Transpose 
value field and drag up or down.
To hide the transpose track, deactivate the “Show 
Transpose Track” button. 
ÖEven when hidden, the transpose track will still affect 
your project.
If you do not want the transpose settings to affect your project, you have 
to delete all transpose parts on the transpose track.
Show Arranger Track
Activating the “Show Arranger Track” button will reveal 
the Arranger track just below the Ruler Zone.
To add an Arrange part, hold down [Alt]/[Option] and 
click.
ÖEven when hidden, the Arranger track will still affect 
your project.
If you do not want the Arranger track to affect your project, you have to 
manually delete all parts from the Arranger track.
For more information, see the chapter “Tutorial 4: Live 
Pads and Chain Play mode” on page 34.
Undo Last Action
Clicking this button will undo the last action that you per-
formed.
Redo Last Action
Clicking this button will redo the any action that you de-
leted using undo.
The Ruler Zone
The Ruler Zone is located just above the Arrange Zone. It 
displays the project’s timeline as numbers corresponding 
to the bars and beats of your song.
The Ruler Zone isn’t only useful as a display though. It is 
also a great tool for editing.
You can use the Ruler Zone to move the cursor around 
by clicking in the lower portion of the ruler bar at the place 
you would like to move the cursor to.
You can zoom in and out to see your project in more de-
tail by clicking and holding in the lower portion of the ruler 
bar and dragging up or down.
Dragging up zooms out and dragging down zooms in.
You can also create a loop region for cycle mode by 
moving your mouse to the top edge of the ruler zone.
You’ll notice that the pointer turns into a pencil. You can then click and 
drag to create a loop region.
Click here to show the Transpose track.
The Transpose track with transpose values.
Ruler Zone 
						

							44
The Pilot Zone
The project name
To the left of the Ruler Zone, the project name is shown.
Grid Snap Status
The Grid Snap Status is displayed on the right hand side 
of the Ruler Zone.
When the Grid Snap Status icon is green, grid snap is ac-
tivated. This is will cause all editing you do to snap to the 
grid. The grid resolution is determined by how far in or out 
you are zoomed. See “Zooming in the Arrange Zone” on 
page 52 for more information.
Click on the “Grid Snap Status” icon to deactivate grid 
snap. The icon will turn red meaning that the grid status is 
in free mode. In free mode, events and event edits will no 
longer snap to the grid.
The Tuner
Sequel features a built-in tuner used for tuning instruments 
like a guitar or bass before recording.
When the Tuner is activated for the selected track, that 
track will become soloed. All track effects are bypassed 
and sends are disabled and the Pilot Zone display is re-
placed by the Tuner display.
When deactivated, solo is cancelled and all instruments, 
EQ, and effects are returned to normal.
ÖSee “Tuning your instrument” on page 15 to see how 
the Tuner works.
The Transport controls
The Transport Controls in Sequel.
The transport controls are similar to those that you would 
find on a VCR or DVD player.
Project name 
						

							45
The Pilot Zone
The Play button
The Play button allows you to listen back to your project.
To start playback
Click on the Play button.
Press the space bar on your computer keyboard – this 
toggles between start and stop.
Press the [Enter] key on the numerical computer keypad.
Double-click in the lower half of the Ruler Zone.
To stop playback
Click on the Play button during playback.
Press the space bar on your computer keyboard – this 
toggles between start and stop.
Press the [0] key on the numerical computer keypad.
The Record button
The Record button allows you to record audio events or 
Instrument parts into your project.
To start recording
Click on the Record button at any time during playback.
Press the [*] key on the numerical computer keypad dur-
ing playback or while stopped.
To stop recording
Click on the Record button during recording.
Press the [*] key on the numerical computer keypad.
The Locate buttons
The locate buttons are used to jump between marker po-
sitions or to go to the beginning or end of your project. 
To locate the previous marker or go to the beginning of 
the project
Click on the “Locate Previous Marker” button.
Press [Shift]+[B] on your computer keyboard.
To locate the next marker or go to the end of the project
Click on the “Locate Next Marker” button.
Press [Shift]+[N] on your computer keyboard.
About Cycle mode
The Cycle button activates/deactivates cycle mode. Cycle 
mode allows you to loop a section of your song so that 
you can hear it again and again.
To create a cycle region, move your mouse to the top 
edge of the ruler zone (the pointer turns into a pencil) and 
click and drag.
To activate/deactivate cycle mode
Click on the Cycle button.
Press the [/] key on the numerical computer keypad.
Press the [-] key on you computer keyboard.
The Play button
The Record button
The Locate buttons
The Cycle button 
						

							46
The Pilot Zone
The Metronome
To add a click sound to playback and/or recording (as 
specified on the Program Settings page, see “The Pro-
gram Settings page” on page 71), activate the Metronome 
button. The metronome will follow the project tempo and 
time signature. 
Deactivating this button will turn off the metronome click.
Computer Usage
On the right side of the Pilot Zone, there is a Computer 
Usage indicator. If your computer is trying to do too many 
things at once, it may overload. If this happens, the Com-
puter Usage indicator will light up. Click on it to reset it.
The Pilot Zone display
The Pilot Zone Display contains important information 
about your project. Displayed in the Pilot Zone Display 
from left to right is the Song Position, the Tempo, the Time 
Signature and the Project Root Key.
The Pilot Zone Display.
The Song Position (POS)
The Song position tells you the current position of the cur-
sor in your project. 
The Song position can be displayed in the time formats 
“bars and beats” or “seconds”. To set the time format, 
click in the top right corner of the Song Position field.
To change the song position, you have the following pos-
sibilities:
Double-click the song position field and type in the de-
sired position.
Click and hold the song position field and drag up or 
down with your mouse.
Click in the lower half of the Ruler Zone at the desired 
position.
The Tempo (TEMPO)
The tempo display shows the current project tempo at the 
cursor position.
To change the tempo, you have the following possibilities:
Double-click the tempo field and type in the desired 
tempo.
Click in the tempo field, keep the mouse button pressed 
and drag up or down.
Select a loop within your project that has the desired 
tempo and drag it onto the Tempo field.
This will change the tempo to the tempo set in the loop file. 
						

							47
The Pilot Zone
Using the Rehearsal tempo
If you are recording an instrument into Sequel and you find 
that at some moments, it is impossible for you to keep up 
with the project tempo, try activating Rehearsal mode. 
This reduces the project tempo, making it easier for you to 
record even tricky parts into Sequel.
To activate Rehearsal tempo, click in the top right cor-
ner of the tempo field.
Rehearsal tempo is activated.
To use the normal project tempo again, click again in 
the top right corner of the tempo field.
The Time Signature (T.SIGN)
Your project time signature is displayed here.
To change the time signature, you have the following pos-
sibilities:
Double-click the time signature field and type in the de-
sired time signature.
Click in the time signature field, keep the mouse button 
pressed and drag up or down.
The Project Root Key (KEY)
The root key of your project is displayed here. You can 
change this in the following ways:
To change the project root key, click on the value and 
select a key from the pop-up menu.
Select a loop in your project that has the desired key 
and drag it onto the key field. 
This will only work if the key information was saved with the original audio 
loop file.
ÖWhen you create a new project, the first audio event 
that you drag into your project will define the key, provided 
that the audio event’s data contains key information. 
						

							8
The Arrange Zone 
						

							49
The Arrange Zone
Introduction
The Arrange Zone is where all of the main elements of 
your project will reside. This is also where all of your re-
cording, editing, and arranging will take place.
To the left of the program window you will find the track list. 
The Arrange Zone in the center displays the instrument 
parts and audio events of the project along the timeline.
Resizing the Arrange Zone
The Arrange Zone can be resized by clicking on the bar at 
the bottom of the Arrange Zone and dragging up or down.
The cursor will change letting you know when you can re-
size.
About tracks and track controls
There are two types of tracks in Sequel: audio tracks and 
instrument tracks. All of the tracks reside along the left hand 
side of the Arrange Zone. In the retail version of Sequel, 
there is no limit to the amount of tracks you can create.
Selecting tracks
You can select tracks by clicking on the track name. You 
can select multiple tracks at once by [Shift]-clicking on 
each track you wish to select.
Renaming tracks
You can rename tracks by double-clicking in the track 
name field and typing in the desired name.
Track numbering
Tracks are automatically numbered based on the order they 
are arranged in. You can rearrange tracks by clicking and 
holding on the track name field and dragging up or down.
When you move the track, the track number will change 
according to its order.
Tracks
Audio events and Instrument parts
Click here to resize the Arrange Zone.
Track name
Track number 
						

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The Arrange Zone
Track height
In the bottom left corner of the Arrange Zone track list are 
four buttons for controlling track height.
 The first button “Medium Size for Selected Tracks” sets all 
tracks to small except for the selected track which is set to a 
size between large and medium. To disable this, select one of 
the other buttons.
 The second button “Small Tracks” sets all tracks to a small size.
 The third button “Medium Tracks” sets all tracks to a medium 
size.
 The forth button “Large Tracks” sets all tracks to a large size.
Track controls
Each track includes a set of track controls. These are de-
scribed next.
Record Ready
Record Ready will enable recording on the respective 
track. You can record on up to 8 tracks at once.To enable recording, you have the following possibilities:
Activate the Record Ready button.
Select the track you wish to record on and press [R] on 
your computer keyboard – this toggles Record Ready on 
and off.
Mute
Mute will stop all output from any track that it is activated 
on.
To mute a track, you have the following possibilities:
Activate the “Mute” button.
Select the track you wish to mute and press [M] on your 
computer keyboard.
Solo
Solo will stop all output from any track other than the one 
with Solo activated on it.
To solo a track, you have the following possibilities:
Activate the “Solo” button.
Select the track you wish to solo and press [S] on your 
computer keyboard.
Automatic Fades (audio tracks only)
Found just below the track number, the “Automatic Fades” 
button applies a short fade to the edges of all the events in 
the track.
This is useful for eliminating pops or clicks that can occur 
when transitioning between events or parts.
ÖFades created with the automatic fades function will 
not be displayed in the events. Instead, when this function 
is applied, the button symbol changes.
!Click on the button “Large Tracks” to display all 
available track controls.
Track height buttons
Record Ready
MuteSolo
Automatic FadesTrack Input