Steinberg Sequel 3 Manual

							81
Setting up your system
About this chapter
In this chapter, you will find information on the basic com-
puter setup (audio card and drivers, etc.) and on more ad-
vanced audio and MIDI system setups.
General notes on how to set up your 
system
RAM – There is a direct relation between the amount of 
available RAM and the number of audio channels that you 
can have running.
The amount of RAM specified above is the minimum requirement, but as 
a general rule “the more the better” applies.
Hard disk size – The size of the hard disk determines 
how many minutes of audio you will be able to record.
Recording one minute of stereo CD quality audio requires 10 MB of hard 
disk space. That is, eight stereo tracks in Sequel use up at least 80 MB 
of disk space per recording minute.
Hard disk speed – The speed of the hard drive also de-
termines the number of audio tracks you can run.
That is the quantity of information that the disk can read, usually expressed 
as “sustained transfer rate”. Again, “the more the better” applies.
Wheel mouse – We recommend that you use a wheel 
mouse.
This will speed up value editing and scrolling considerably.
Defragmenting the hard disk 
(Windows only)
If you plan to record audio on a hard disk where you have 
already stored other files, now is the time to defragment it. 
Use the Windows Defragmentation tool to optimize your 
system’s performance.
MIDI requirements
If you intend to use the MIDI features of Sequel, you need 
the following:
 A MIDI interface to connect external MIDI equipment to your 
computer.

 Any audio equipment required to listen to the sound from your 
MIDI devices.
Installing a MIDI interface/synthesizer card
Installation instructions for a MIDI interface should be in-
cluded with the product. However, here’s an outline of the 
necessary steps:
1.Install the interface (or MIDI synthesizer card) inside 
your computer or connect it to a “port” (connector) on the 
computer.
Which is right for you depends on which type of interface you have.
2.If the interface has a power supply and/or a power 
switch, turn it on.
3.Install the driver for the interface, as described in the 
documentation that comes with the interface.
You should also make sure to check the manufacturer’s web site for the 
latest driver updates.
Audio hardware
Sequel will run with audio hardware that meets the follow-
ing specifications:


 Sampling rate: 44.1kHz.
 Windows – The audio hardware must be supplied with a spe-
cial ASIO driver, or a DirectX compatible driver, see below.
 Mac – The audio hardware must be supplied with Mac OS X 
compatible drivers (CoreAudio or ASIO).
!On the Steinberg web site, under “Support-DAW 
Components”, you can find detailed information on 
what to consider when setting up a computer system 
dedicated to audio work. 
						

							82
Setting up your system
Using the built-in audio hardware of the 
Macintosh
As of this writing, all current Macintosh models provide at 
least built-in 16 bit stereo audio hardware. For detailed in-
formation, refer to the documentation describing your com-
puter.
Depending on your preferences and requirements, using 
the built-in audio hardware may be sufficient for use with 
Sequel. It is always available for selection in Sequel – you 
don’t need to install any additional drivers.
About drivers
A driver is a piece of software that allows a program to 
communicate with a certain piece of hardware. In this 
case, the driver allows Sequel to use the audio hardware. 
For audio hardware, there are different cases, requiring 
different driver configurations:
If the audio hardware has a specific ASIO driver
Professional audio cards often come with an ASIO driver 
written especially for the card. This allows for communica-
tion directly between Sequel and the audio card. As a re-
sult, audio cards with specific ASIO drivers can provide 
lower latency (input-output delay), which is crucial when 
monitoring audio via Sequel, for example. The ASIO driver 
may also provide special support for multiple inputs and 
outputs, routing, synchronization, etc.
Audio card-specific ASIO drivers are provided by the card 
manufacturers. Make sure to check the manufacturer’s 
web site for the latest driver versions.
If the audio card communicates via DirectX (Windows 
only)
DirectX is a Microsoft “package” for handling various 
types of multimedia data under Windows. Sequel sup-
ports DirectX, or to be more precise, DirectSound, which 
is a part of DirectX used for playing back and recording 
audio. This requires two types of drivers:
 A DirectX driver for the audio card, allowing it to communicate 
with DirectX. If the audio card supports DirectX, this driver 
should be supplied by the audio card manufacturer. If it isn’t 
installed with the audio card, please check the manufacturer’s 
web site for more information.
 The ASIO DirectX Full Duplex driver, allowing Sequel to com-
municate with DirectX. This driver is included with Sequel, and 
does not require any special installation.
Installing the audio hardware and its driver
1.Install the audio card and related equipment in the 
computer, as described in the card’s documentation.
2.Install the driver for the card.
Depending on the operating system of your computer, there are different 
types of drivers that could apply: card-specific ASIO drivers, DirectX 
drivers (Windows) or Mac OS X (Mac) drivers:
Specific ASIO driver
If your audio card has a specific ASIO driver, it may be in-
cluded with the audio card, but you should always make 
sure to check the audio card manufacturer’s web site for 
the most recent drivers. For details on how to install the 
driver, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.
DirectX driver (Windows only)
If your audio card is DirectX compatible, its DirectX drivers 
will most likely be installed when you install the card. If you 
have downloaded special DirectX drivers for the audio 
card, you should follow the manufacturer’s installation in-
structions.
Mac OS X drivers (Mac)
If you are using a Macintosh computer, make sure you are 
using the latest Mac OS X drivers for your audio hardware. 
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to install the driver.
Testing the card
To make sure the audio card will work as expected, perform 
the following two tests:
Use any software included with the audio card to make 
sure you can record and play back audio without problems.
If the card is accessed via a standard operating system 
driver, try playing back audio using the computer’s standard 
audio application (e.g. Windows Media Player or Apple 
iTunes).
!Some Macintosh models have audio outputs but no 
inputs. This means that you can only play back audio 
– recording is not possible without additional audio 
hardware.
!If your audio hardware comes with a specific ASIO 
driver we strongly recommend that you use this. 
						

							83
Setting up your system
Setting up audio
Connecting audio
Exactly how to set up your system depends on many dif-
ferent factors, e.g. the kind of project you wish to create, 
the external equipment you want to use, the computer 
hardware available to you, etc. Therefore, the following 
sections can only serve as examples.
How you connect your equipment, i.e. whether you use 
digital or analog connections, also depends on your indi-
vidual setup.
Stereo input and output – the simplest connection
If you only use a stereo input and output from Sequel, you 
can connect your audio hardware, e.g. the inputs of your 
audio card or your audio interface, directly to the input 
source and the outputs to a power amplifier and speaker.
A simple stereo audio setup.
This is probably the simplest of all setups – once you have 
set up the internal input and output busses, you can con-
nect your audio source, e.g. a microphone, to your audio 
interface and start recording.
Multi-channel input and output
You may have other audio equipment that you want to in-
tegrate with Sequel, using several input and output chan-
nels. Depending on the equipment available to you, there 
are two ways to go: either mixing using an external mixing 
desk, or mixing using the mixer inside Sequel.External mixing means having a hardware mixing device 
with a group or bus system that can be used for feeding 
inputs on your audio hardware.
In the example below, four busses are used for feeding 
signals to the audio hardware’s inputs. The four outputs 
are connected back to the mixer for monitoring and play-
back. Remaining mixer inputs can be used for connecting 
audio sources like microphones, instruments, etc.
A multi-channel audio setup using an external mixer.
ÖWhen connecting an input source (like a mixer) to the 
audio hardware, you should use output busses, sends or 
similar that are separate from the mixer’s master output to 
avoid recording what you are playing back. You may also 
have mixing hardware that can be connected via FireWire.
When using the Mixer inside Sequel, you can use the in-
puts on your audio hardware to connect microphones 
and/or external devices. Use the outputs to connect your 
monitoring equipment.
Mixing inside Sequel
!Always make all connections with all equipment 
turned off! 
						

							84
Setting up your system
Recording from a CD player
Most computers come with a CD-ROM drive that can also 
be used as a regular CD player. In some cases the CD 
player is internally connected to the audio hardware so 
that you can record the output of the CD player directly 
into Sequel (consult the audio hardware documentation if 
you are uncertain).
 All routing and level adjustments for recording from a CD (if 
available) are done in the audio hardware setup application, 
see below.
About recording levels and inputs
When you connect your equipment, you should make sure 
that the impedance and levels of the audio sources and in-
puts are matched. Typically, different inputs may be de-
signed for use with microphones, consumer line level (-10 
dBV) or professional line level (+4 dBV), or you may be 
able to adjust input characteristics on the audio interface 
or in its control panel. Please check the audio hardware 
documentation for details.
ÖUsing the correct types of input is important to avoid 
distortion or noisy recordings.
Making settings for the audio hardware
Most audio cards come with one or more small applica-
tions that allow you to configure the inputs of the hard-
ware to your liking. This includes:
 Selecting which inputs/outputs are active.
 Setting up word clock synchronization (if available).
 Setting levels for each input. This is very important!
 Setting levels for the outputs, so that they match the equip-
ment you use for monitoring.
 Selecting digital input and output formats.
 Making settings for the audio buffers.
In many cases all available settings for the audio hardware 
are gathered in a control panel, which can be opened from 
within Sequel as described below (or opened separately, 
when Sequel isn’t running). In some cases, there may be 
several different applications and panels – please refer to 
the audio hardware documentation for details.
Selecting a driver and making audio settings in Sequel
The first thing you need to do is select the correct driver in 
Sequel to make sure that the program can communicate 
with the audio hardware:
1.Launch Sequel.
2.Select the Program Settings page from the Multi 
Zone.
The Audio Settings section of the Program Settings page.
3.Click in the Audio Connection field to open the driver 
pop-up menu and select your audio hardware driver.
!Sequel does not provide any input level adjustments 
for the signals coming in to your audio hardware, 
since these are handled differently for each card. Ad-
justing input levels is either done in a special applica-
tion included with the hardware or from its control 
panel (see below).
!Under Windows, we strongly recommend that you 
access your hardware via an ASIO driver written 
specifically for the hardware, if available. If no ASIO 
driver is installed, we recommend that you check 
with your audio hardware manufacturer if they have 
an ASIO driver available, for example for download 
via the Internet. 
						

							85
Setting up your system
Bring up the control panel for the audio hardware and ad-
just the settings as recommended by the audio hardware 
manufacturer.
Under Windows, you open the control panel by clicking 
the “Setup…” button.
The control panel that appears when you click this button is provided by 
the audio hardware manufacturer and not Sequel (unless you use Di-
rectX, see below). Hence it will be different for each audio card brand 
and model.
The Control panel for the ASIO DirectX driver is an exception, as it is 
provided by Steinberg, and is described in the dialog help, opened by 
clicking the Help button in the dialog. See also the notes below.
Under Mac OS X, you will find the control panel for your 
audio hardware in the System Preferences (“Other” sec-
tion), opened from the Apple menu or from the Dock.
If you are using the built-in audio hardware of the Macintosh, you use the 
“Sound” control panel in the System Preferences to set levels, balance, 
etc. If you are using ASIO audio hardware, you can click the Control 
Panel button to bring up its panel.
4.Click Apply and OK to close the dialog.
If you are using audio hardware with a DirectX driver 
(Windows only)
Sequel comes with a driver called “ASIO DirectX Full Du-
plex Driver” available for selection on the Audio Connec-
tion pop-up menu in the Program Settings page.
ÖTo be able to take full advantage of DirectX Full Du-
plex, the audio hardware must support WDM (Windows 
Driver Model) in combination with DirectX version 8.1 or 
higher.
In all other cases, the audio inputs will be emulated by DirectX (see the 
dialog help for the ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Setup dialog for details 
about how this is reported).
ÖDuring the installation of Sequel, the latest DirectX 
driver will be installed on your computer.
When ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Driver is selected on the 
Audio Connections pop-up menu, you can click “Setup...” 
to open the ASIO Direct Sound Full Duplex Setup control 
panel and adjust the following settings:Direct Sound Output and Input Ports 
In the list to the left in the window, all available Direct Sound output and 
input ports are listed. In many cases, there will be only one port in each 
list. To activate or deactivate a port in the list, click the checkbox in the 
left column. If the checkbox is ticked, the port is activated.
You can edit the Buffer Size and Offset settings in this 
list if necessary, by double-clicking on the value and typ-
ing in a new value.
In most cases, the default settings will work fine. Audio buffers are used 
when audio data is transferred between Sequel and the audio card. 
While larger buffers ensure that playback will occur without glitches, the 
latency (the time between the moment Sequel sends out the data and 
when it actually reaches the output) will be higher.
Offset
If a constant offset is audible during playback of Audio and MIDI record-
ings, you can adjust the output or input latency time using this value.
Setting up the input and output ports
Setting the inputs and outputs primarily depends on the 
configuration settings of your audio card. You can check 
the configuration by clicking on “Setup...” on the Program 
Settings page.
If you have a stereo in/out audio card this will most likely 
be set up automatically.
Inputs
Setting the recording input for Sequel is discussed in 
“Adding an audio track” on page 13.
Outputs
Audio outputs can be selected in the Program Settings 
page from the Output Selector pop-up.
About monitoring
In Sequel, monitoring means listening to the input signal 
while preparing to record or while recording. Sequel al-
ways monitors the signal in real-time.
The audio passes from the input into Sequel, possibly 
through Sequel effects and EQ and then back to the out-
put. You control monitoring via settings in Sequel. This al-
lows you to control the monitoring level from Sequel and 
add effects to the monitored signal only.
!If your Windows audio hardware doesn’t have a spe-
cific ASIO driver, a DirectX driver is the next best op-
tion. 
						

							86
Setting up your system
Setting up MIDI
This section describes how to connect and set up MIDI 
equipment. If you have no MIDI equipment you can skip 
this section. Note that this is only an example – you might 
need or want to hook things up differently!
Connecting the MIDI equipment
In this example we assume that you have a MIDI keyboard. 
The keyboard is used for feeding the computer with MIDI 
messages for recording. Using Sequel’s automatic MIDI 
Thru feature you will be able to hear the correct sound 
from the instrument track while playing the keyboard or re-
cording.
A typical MIDI Setup.
Setting up MIDI ports in Sequel
Sequel automatically finds any MIDI devices on your com-
puter and allows them to be active MIDI inputs for record-
ing.
Optimizing audio performance
This section gives you some hints and tips on how to get 
the most out of your Sequel system, audio performance-
wise. Some of this text refers to hardware properties and 
can be used as a guide when upgrading your system. 
Two aspects of performance
There are two distinct aspects of performance in respect 
to Sequel:
Tracks and effects
Simply put: the faster your computer, the more tracks, ef-
fects and EQ you will be able to play. Exactly what consti-
tutes a “fast computer” is almost a science in itself, but 
some hints are given below.
Short response times (latency)
Another aspect of performance is response time. The term 
“latency” refers to the “buffering”, i.e. the temporary stor-
ing, of small chunks of audio data during various steps of 
the recording and playback process on a computer. The 
more and larger those chunks, the higher the latency.
High latency is most irritating when playing software in-
struments and when monitoring through the computer, i.e. 
when listening to a live audio source via the Sequel mixer 
and effects. However, very long latency times (several 
hundred milliseconds) can also affect other processes like 
mixing, e.g. when the effect of a fader movement is heard 
only after a noticeable delay.
A  system that r es ponds fast  will a lwa ys be more convenient  
to work with.
Depending on your audio hardware, it may be possible 
to “trim” your latency times, usually by lowering the size 
and the number of buffers.
For details, refer to the audio hardware documentation, or, if you are using 
a DirectX driver under Windows, the dialog help.
!Always make all connections with all equipment 
turned off! 
						

							87
Setting up your system
System factors that affect performance
CPU and processor cache
It goes without saying that the faster the computer pro-
cessor, the better. But there are a number of factors that 
affect the apparent speed of a computer: the bus speed 
and type (PCI is strongly recommended), the processor 
cache size and of course, the processor type and brand. 
Sequel relies heavily on floating point calculations. When 
shopping for a processor, please make sure you get one 
that is powerful in calculating floating point arithmetics.
Note also that Sequel features full support for multi-pro-
cessor systems. So if you own a computer system with 
more than one processor, Sequel can take advantage of 
the total capacity and evenly distribute the processing 
load to all available processors.
Hard disk and controller
The number of hard disk tracks you can record and play 
back at the same time also depends on the speed of your 
hard disk and hard disk controller. If you use E-IDE disks 
and controllers, make sure that the transfer mode is DMA 
Busmaster. Under Windows, you can check the current 
mode by launching the Windows Device Manager and 
looking for properties of the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller’s 
primary and secondary channel. DMA transfer mode is en-
abled by default, but may be turned off by the system 
should hardware problems occur.
Audio hardware and driver
The hardware and its driver can have some effect on reg-
ular performance. A badly written driver can reduce the 
performance of your computer. But where the hardware 
driver design makes the most difference is with latency.
This is especially true when using Sequel for Windows:
Under Windows, ASIO drivers written specifically for 
the hardware are more efficient than a DirectX driver and 
produce shorter latency times.
Under Mac OS X, audio hardware with properly written 
Mac OS X (Core Audio) drivers can be very efficient and 
produce very low latency times.
Making settings that affect performance
Choosing a driver for your audio hardware
As described in the section “Selecting a driver and making 
audio settings in Sequel” on page 84, it is recommended 
to install and use a standard ASIO driver if available for 
your specific hardware. Check the manufacturers web site 
for the latest drivers etc.
Making audio buffer settings
Audio buffers affect how audio is sent to and from the audio 
hardware. The size of the audio buffers affects both the la-
tency and the audio performance. Generally, the smaller the 
buffer size, the lower the latency. On the other hand, work-
ing with small buffers can be demanding for the computer. 
If the audio buffers are too small, you may get clicks, pops 
or other audio playback problems.
You adjust the buffer size settings in the control panel for 
the audio hardware (opened by clicking the “Settings…” 
button on the Program Settings page.
Optimizing processor scheduling (Windows 
only)
To get the lowest possible latencies when using ASIO un-
der Windows XP (on a single CPU system), the system 
performance has to be optimized for “Background ser-
vices”:
1.Open the Windows Control Panel from the “Start” 
menu and select “System”.
2.Select the “Advanced” tab and click the “Settings” 
button in the “Performance” section. The “Performance 
Options” dialog is opened.
3.Select the “Advanced” tab.
4.In the “Processor Scheduling” section, select “Adjust 
for best performance of: Background services”.
5.Click “OK” to close the dialogs.
!Again, we strongly recommend that you use audio 
hardware for which there is a specific ASIO driver! 
						

							12
Key commands 
						

							89
Key commands
Introduction
This chapter contains a list of the available key commands 
in Sequel, structured according to the different edit cate-
gories in the program.
The available key commands
File commands
Edit commandsProject commands
Navigate commands
Zoom commands
Option Key command
New Project [Ctrl]/[Command] + [N]
Open Project [Ctrl]/[Command] + [O]
Save Project [Ctrl]/[Command] + [S]
Save As [Ctrl]/[Command] + [Shift] + [S]
Manage Projects [Ctrl]/[Command] + [Shift] + [M]
Help [F1]
Quit [Ctrl]/[Command] + [Q]
Option Key command
Undo [Ctrl]/[Command] + [Z]
Redo [Ctrl]/[Command] + [Shift] + [Z]
Cut [Ctrl]/[Command] + [X]
Copy [Ctrl]/[Command] + [C]
Paste [Ctrl]/[Command] + [P]
Delete [Delete] or [Backspace] 
Select All [Ctrl]/[Command] + [A]
Select None [Ctrl]/[Command] + [Shift] + [A] 
Duplicate [Ctrl]/[Command] + [D]
Split at Cursor [Ctrl]/[Command] + [T]
Move to Cursor [Ctrl]/[Command] + [L]
Solo [S]
Mute selected 
track(s)[M]
Mute objects [Ctrl]/[Command] + [M]
Quantize [Q]
Record Ready [R]
Option Key command
Add Track [Ctrl]/[Command] + [+]
Remove Track [Ctrl]/[Command] + [Delete] or [Backspace]
Toggle Automation 
Mode[A]
Show Mixer [1]
Show Inspector [2]
Show Media [3]
Show Editor [4]
Show Arranger 
Page[5]
Show Program 
Setttings[6]
Set Cycle to 
Selection[P]
Option Key command
Left [Left Arrow]
Right [Right Arrow]
Up [Up Arrow]
Down [Down Arrow]
Add Left [Shift] + [Left Arrow]
Add Right [Shift] + [Right Arrow]
Add Up [Shift] + [Up Arrow]
Add Down [Shift] + [Down Arrow]
Bottom [End]
Option Key command
Zoom In [H]
Zoom Out  [G]
Zoom Last [Shift] + [H]
Zoom Full [Shift] + [G]
Zoom to Parts [Shift] + [P] 
						

							90
Key commands
Transport commands
Option Key command
Locate Selection [L]
To Left Locator [Home]/[Command]+ [Home]
Start [Enter] (numeric keypad)
Stop [0] (numeric keypad)
Start / Stop [Space]
Record [*] (“multiply” on the numeric keypad)
Rewind [-] (“subtract” on the numeric keypad)
Forward [+] (“add” on the numeric keypad)
Return to Zero [.] or [,] on the numeric keypad
Cycle [/] (“divide” on the numeric keypad)
Metronome on [C]
Locate next Marker [Shift] + [N]
Locate Previous 
Marker[Shift] + [B]
One Button 
Record[Ctrl]/[Command] + [R], [Ctrl]/[Command] + [*] (Num)