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Operation Manual

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Operation Manual by Ludvig Carlson, Anders Nordmark, Roger WiklanderQuality Control: C.Bachmann, H. Bischoff, S. Pfeifer, C. Schomburg

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not rep-

resent a commitment on the part of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. The soft-ware described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not becopied to other media except as specifically allowed in the License Agreement. No partof this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, forany purpose, without prior written permission by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

All product and company names are or trademarks of their respective owners.Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 and Windows XP aretrademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2003.All rights reserved.

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Table of Contents

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CUBASIS VST

4 Table of Contents

7 Introduction

8 Welcome!9 About Cubasis VST...

10 About this manual and theHTML Help

10 How you can reach us

11 Guided Tour

12 What is Cubasis VST?13 What is Digital Audio?13 What is MIDI?14 The Main Windows and

Panels in Cubasis VST

23 Requirements

24 Minimum Requirements25 Computer Requirements

27 Installation

28 Getting the Computer ready

29 Installing the Audio Cardand its Driver

30 Installing the MIDI Interface/Synthesizer card

31 Installing Cubasis VST32 Register your software!32 Installation done! Where do

I go next?

33 Setting up yourSystem

34 Making Settings for Audiowork

46 Enabling/Disabling Audio47 Setting up for MIDI53 MIDI Settings in Cubasis VST

55 Recording Audio

56 Preparations60 Selecting and setting up a

track67 Performing the first

recording69 Recording more on the

same track70 Recording the next track

Overdubbing70 Recording from Play mode

Punch In

71 Advanced: Recording Multi-ple Audio Channels

73 If you get Audio PerformanceProblems

75 Recording MIDI

76 About this Chapter76 Preparations81 Advanced: Program

Change and Bank Select83 Advanced: Working with

SoundFonts86 Advanced: Recording

SysEx Messages

87 Playback, Tempo and

the Transport Bar

88 The Transport Bar89 About Position Values90 Setting the Song Position92 Tempo and Time Signature

Handling95 Locators96 About the Cycle97 Setting up the Metronome

Click

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99 Arrangement Editing

100 About songs and arrange-ments

101 About tracks, parts andarranging

102 Creating and managingtracks

104 Mute and Solo105 Working with parts115 Using the Magnifying Glass

Tool116 Editing the arrangement

structure120 Using the Inspector122 Quantizing MIDI notes123 Other MIDI Functions

125 Using the Pool

126 What is the Pool?127 Opening the Pool127 Viewing Files and Segments129 Customizing the View131 Finding out how a segment

is used in the song132 File Operations135 Handling Missing Files137 Creating Wave Images and

keeping them up to date138 Segment Operations

141 Importing Files into the Pool143 Exporting Files andSegments

143 Dragging from the Pool tothe Arrange window

146 Saving and Loading theAudio Pool

147 Editing Audio

148 About the different AudioEditing methods

148 Editing in WaveLab Lite150 Using another Wave Editor

application

151 Editing MIDI

152 What can I do with the MIDIEditors?

153 Opening an Editor153 About Editor tools

154 Key Edit165 List Edit172 The Score Editor183 Common settings and

functions193 Closing the Editor

195 Mixing

196 Introduction196 Mixing Audio212 Mixing MIDI223 What is GM/GS/XG?

225 The included VST

Effects

226 Introduction227 Table Of Contents

269 Importing and Export-

ing Audio

270 Importing audio files into thearrangement

271 Importing Audio using Dragand Drop

271 Importing ReCycle Files

276 Import Mixman File (*.trk)279 Mixing down to an audio file

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6 Table of Contents

283 Using

VST Instruments

284 Introduction

284 Activating a VST Instrument286 Playing the VST Instrument287 Selecting Patches and mak-

ing Settings289 Making Mixer Settings290 Automating a VST Instrument291 The included

VST Instruments292 The Neon

294 CS40296 JX16 Synthesizer304 VB-1306 LM-9308 Universal Sound Module

(USM)311 Brother Gregory314 Easy Guitar

321 Movies

322 Introduction322 Playing a movie in sync with

Cubasis VST

325 Saving and Opening

326 Saving329 Opening

331 Saving and Importing Parts:the Audio and MIDI Libraryfunctions

334 Exporting MIDI Files335 Importing MIDI Files

337 The Master Unit

Program

338 About Master Unit

339 Using Master Unit340 The Master Unit window341 The Track List350 The Effects section353 The Waveform Display355 Available disk space356 Processing the Tracks358 Normalizing359 Recording the CD-R

361 The Menus

363 Index
http://cubasis%20vstix.pdf/

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1Introduction

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CUBASIS VST

1 8 Introduction

Welcome!

In a few short years the world has changed. Once music making was

strictly divided between those with access to professional studios,expensive equipment and other musicians, and those whose musicmaking was confined to the realms of second rate equipment, limitedfunds and a good deal of dreaming.

We at Steinberg are pleased to be part of the continuing revolutionthat has broken down these barriers, allowing anyone with musicalambitions to realize their true musical potential.

Cubasis VST 4.0 the program you now have in front of you

embodies the experience of over fifteen years of Steinberg history.Together with Windows 98, 98 SE, ME, 2000 or XP, it provides anexcellent framework for making music on computers.

Karl Steinberg Manfred Rrup

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Introduction 1 9

About Cubasis VST...

Now that you have Cubasis VST, which is a version of Cubase, you

belong to one of the largest music software user groups in the world.Cubase is a family of music software, ranging from the easy-to-under-stand package for the beginner to professional tools for the most de-manding applications. That's the Cubase advantage, Cubase growsas you develop musically.

Cubasis VST 4.0 was created as a result of years of experience inboth software engineering and listening to our users. The users of oursoftware were always an important information resource for how theprogram could be further developed. With the rise of the Internet thiswhole aspect has taken off. Instead of just communicating directly withSteinberg, our users have now become a vibrant and dynamic group,driving the direction of future Cubasis and Cubase VST versions.

See you out there

Your Steinberg Team.

www.steinberg.net

www.cubase.net

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1 10 Introduction

About this manual and the HTML Help

This document describes all features in Cubasis VST 4.0. However, if

you want information about a specific window, dialog or menu item itmay be more convenient to use the HTML Help:

To get information about the active window or dialog, press [F1] onthe computer keyboard or click the Help button in the actual dialog.You can also open the help from the Help menu in the program and browse to the de-scription of a particular window.

To get information about a menu item, open the HTML Help from theHelp menu in the program and browse to the desired menu item in the

Help window that appears.

How you can reach us

The Help menu contains direct links to Steinbergs web pages. Theseallow you to get technical support, answers to frequently asked ques-tions, information about new products, upgrade offers and other im-portant info.

For the web links to work, you need to have a working Internet connec-

tion and properly set up browser software.

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2Guided Tour

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2 12 Guided Tour

What is Cubasis VST?

Cubasis VST is an application that allows you to record, edit and mix

music. Included with the Cubasis VST package are two stand-aloneprograms; WaveLab Lite, that you can use for editing/processing au-dio files, and Master Unit, which is used for preparing/processing yourrecordings before burning your own CDs, using the program togetherwith a CD-R recorder (not included).

Cubasis VST records two types of musical information, digital audioand MIDI. It allows you to do the following (among other things):

Record any sound source such as a microphone, guitar, etc.

Record MIDI data from synthesizers or other MIDI instruments. Play back up to 64 tracks in any combination of MIDI and audio tracks (up to

48 separate channels of audio). Play VST Instruments software synthesizers contained within the program.

A number of different VST Instruments are included with the program, andothers can be purchased or downloaded from the Internet.

Apply cut and paste techniques to your music, to rearrange recorded parts. Perform detailed editing of your MIDI recordings. Mix your music, applying effects and EQ to your audio recordings. A wide va-

riety of effect plug-ins are included with the program. Create stereo-compatible surround audio mixes. Create a mixdown audio file on your hard disk, in AIFF, Wave, Real Audio or

MP3 format (MP3 export is a trial feature, limited to 20 times, but can be up-graded to unlimited functionality).

View movies and play your music along with the movie playback. Make printed scores.

Real time

One specific point to note about Cubasis VST is that it operates incomplete real time. You dont need to stop the music to perform anytype of editing, switch between windows or anything else. You caneven Save to disk while playing!

Undo/Redo

Practically any operation in Cubasis VST can be undone, using theUndo item on the Edit menu. After something has been undone, thisitem changes to Redo, allowing you to undo the undo.

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Guided Tour 2 13

What is Digital Audio?

Audio is any sound source that you can connect to the sound input

of your PC audio card, a microphone, an electric guitar or similar.Digital we say because the computer converts the audio signal tonumbers, which Cubasis VST captures and stores on your hard disk.The fact that the sound is converted to numbers opens up enormouspossibilities in terms of manipulation of recordings.

What is MIDI?

MIDI is a type of control information used with synthesizers. Letsexplain this with an analogy: Your computer can send messages to aprinter about how you want a page to look. The printer then takes careof converting this information to the actual ink on paper.

With MIDI the synthesizer works much like a musical printer: thecomputer sends information to it, specifying which notes you want itto play, and it takes care of actually creating the audio.

One of the advantages of this technique is that a recording made with

for example a piano sound can be played back with a harpsichord,brass or guitar sound, just by changing settings on the synthesizer.

General MIDI (abbreviated GM) is an additional specification for MIDIinstruments. If an instrument is General MIDI compatible, it will have acommon, wide ranging set of sounds built in (piano, bass, drums,brass, strings etc.). If you create music with a General MIDI compati-ble instrument it can be played back on any other GM instrument andthe music will sound more or less the same. This allows you to share

your Cubasis VST songs with other people, and even publish yourworks in a common data format, for example on the Internet!

Cubasis VST also supports two expansions of the GM standard,called GS (Roland) and XG (Yamaha).

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2 14 Guided Tour

The Main Windows and Panels in Cubasis VST

The Transport Bar

This is much like the transport control on any tape recorder. This iswhere you play, stop, wind the tape etc. But the Transport Bar isalso used for setting tempo, time signature etc.

The Toolbar

Below the main menu bar, you will find a horizontal strip with icons,called the Toolbar. This gives you quick access to some of the mostcommon functions in Cubasis VST. For example, you can cut, copy orpaste, or open various important windows by clicking the correspond-ing icons on the Toolbar, instead of selecting items from the mainmenus.

These meters indicateMIDI In (recording) andOut (playback) activity.

These buttons are the equivalentsof the transport controls on a regu-lar cassette tape recorder.

Activates the metronome.

These are used for definingwhere to start and end recordingand what section to Cycle.

The tempo and time signature.

This shows you the current songposition in bars, beats and ticks.

When you activate this,the program will cycle

the section betweenthe locators.

Activates theMaster Track.

New Song Save

Open

VST Instruments

Audio Pool

VST Channel Mixer

Copy

Cut Paste Audio Lib

Key Edit

MIDI Track Mixer

VST Send Effects

List Edit

MIDI Lib

Score Edit

Show/Hide Transport Bar External Wave Editor

Undo Redo

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Guided Tour 2 15

The Arrange window

This is where you record and assemble your music. Each Cubasis VSTsong can contain several arrangements, each with its own Arrange

window.

Vertically, the Arrange window is divided into tracks, letting you orga-nize your recordings. You might use one track for drums, another forbass, a third for main vocals, a fourth for vocal harmonies, etc.

The left part of the Arrange window is called the Track List:

This symbol indicatesan audio track

This column shows youwhether anything is being

played back from the track.

Click in this column to mute(silence) a track. The tracks channel

The name of the track.Double click to change.

This symbol indicates aMIDI track

This button opens the Inspector, in which you canmake detailed settings for the selected track.

The active (selected)

track. Recording always

happens on the activetrack.

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The right part of the Arrange window is called the Part Display.

At the top of the Arrange window is a bar with various pop-ups andsettings.

Time runs from left to right,as the ruler indicates.

Each recording you make appears in thePart Display as a box, called a part.

The song position

The Left Locator The Right Locator

The vertical position of the partshows you which track it is on.

The horizontal position shows you where in the song the part starts.

The width of thebox shows youthe length of therecording.

In the part you will see a visual rep-resentation of the recording.

Click here to listen tothe selected track only

The precision for editing operations,

like moves and splits

This note value is usedfor the Quantize function.

The mouse pointers position

in bars, beats and ticks.

This pop-up menu lets youcolor the different parts.

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Guided Tour 2 17

The VST Channel Mixer

This is where you mix your audio tracks, that is, adjust the levels (vol-ume) and stereo panning. The section to the right is the Master sec-

tion, where you activate Surround and adjust the final output level ofthe mix.

Mute and Solo buttons

Pan controls

Level fader

Level meter

Mixer automation controls

Clip indicator

Input level

switch

Master faders

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2 18 Guided Tour

In addition, each audio channel has a two band parametric EQ, twoeffect sends and one insert effect slot.

The VST Instruments Window

This is where you activate and manage VST Instruments, software

synthesizers (or other sound sources) contained within Cubasis VST.You can have up to four different VST Instruments activated at thesame time. Each VST Instrument has its own control panel in a sepa-rate window.

The VST Instruments window (top) and the Neon control panel.

EQ section

Insert effect slot

Effect sends

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Guided Tour 2 19

The MIDI Track Mixer

This is one of the places where you can adjust the levels, panning andother parameters for the sounds created by your MIDI synthesizer.

The Audio PoolThis window lists all your audio recordings, allowing you to managethem in various ways.

Mute and

Solo buttons

Pan controls

Level fader

Level (velocity)meter

Mixer automationcontrols

Mutes all audio

tracks.

This is a file containing an audio recording.

These are segments that play parts of the file.By dragging segments into the arrangement, you can use the audio file in your song.

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2 20 Guided Tour

The MIDI Editors

There are three different editors for editing your MIDI recordings:

Key Edit

This editor consists of a grid with the notes shown as boxes. Thepitch of a note is indicated by the vertical position, and the note length

is indicated by the width of the box. This is the editor to use when youwant quick graphical editing of notes and continuous controllers, suchas modulation and volume.

Continuous events

Notes

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Guided Tour 2 21

List Edit

In this editor, all MIDI notes, controllers and other events are shownand edited in a list. List Edit is useful when you want absolute controlover values and positions, or if you are used to numerical editing.

Score Edit

Here, the MIDI notes are presented as a musical score. Use ScoreEdit to print scores, or simply if you are used to working with musicalnotation.

The Event List The Event Display

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The List Mastertrack

This window allows you to add tempo and time signature changes in

the song.

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3Requirements

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3 24 Requirements

Minimum Requirements

To use Cubasis VST, WaveLab Lite and Master Unit you need the fol-

lowing: A PC computer with Windows installed and ready.

For more details about the computer requirements and supported Windows versions,see below.

A compatible audio card.By audio card we mean a card capable of recording and playing back digital audio usingyour hard disk as a storage medium. It must also be Windows Multimedia or DirectX(6.1 or higher) compatible or come with a separate ASIO driver.

For MIDI

At least one MIDI interface (or a MIDI instrument with a built-in com-puter connector), including the necessary cables.

At least one MIDI instrument.Sometimes, the MIDI interface and instrument are built into the same card. Many audiocards also include MIDI synthesizers.

Any audio equipment necessary to listen to the sound from your MIDIdevices.

For Printing

To print out scores, you also need a Windows compatible printer.

For burning CDs with Master Unit

A CD-R recorder.

This can be connected via IDE or SCSI, but must be DAO (Disc At Once) compatible.

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Computer Requirements

Below, the minimum and recommended systems are listed. The fol-lowing sections describe each system component (processor, RAM,etc.) in more detail.

Minimum Requirements

Intel Pentium II or AMD Duron. 128 MB RAM (192 MB if you are using Windows 2000 or XP). Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Fast IDE hard drive. SVGA graphics card (16 bit color at 800x600 pixels). MME-, DirectX- or ASIO-compatible sound card. CD-ROM drive.

Recommended System

Intel Pentium III or AMD Athlon. 256 MB RAM. Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Fast IDE or SCSI hard drive. SVGA graphics card (16 bit color at 1024x768 pixels).

Audio card with low latency ASIO driver (10 ms or less). Steinberg USB MIDI interface. CD-ROM drive. CD Recorder (for use with the included Master Unit application).

Processing Power

The difference between running Cubasis VST on a faster computerand a slower one is noticeable in two areas:

Number of audio channels and real time processing

When you use Cubasis VST for recording audio, there is a direct rela-tion between the speed of your system and the number of audio chan-nels and, especially, the available real-time processing power (effects,equalizers, VST Instruments etc.).

Screen updates

Even when only working with MIDI or when preparing scores, youbenefit from using a fast computer. Scrolling, editing and manipulatingobjects is simply snappier on a faster machine.

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3 26 Requirements

RAM

Each program you run on your computer requires a certain amount ofRAM. In Cubasis VST, the exact amount of RAM required depends

largely on the number of audio channels you plan to use.

In addition, the RAM requirements depend on whether you plan to runother programs at the same time as Cubasis VST. The more RAM youhave, the more programs you will be able to run simultaneously.

Hard Disk

MIDI

Cubasis VST document files are relatively small, which means thatMIDI recording in Cubasis VST puts little demand on your hard disk interms of disk space.

Audio

For audio recording, a large and fast hard disk is very important.

The size of the hard disk determines how many minutes of audio you will beable to record. Recording one minute of stereo CD quality audio, requiresapproximately 10 MBytes of hard disk space. That is, eight stereo tracks inCubasis eat up 80 MBytes of disk space per recording minute.

The performance of the hard disk has a significant impact on the number ofaudio channels you will be able to record.

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4Installation

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4 28 Installation

Getting the Computer ready

Before you proceed you should have the computer set up:

Make sure Windows is properly installed and check that all basicfunctionality seems to work as intended.

Study the manuals that come with the computer and familiarize your-self with concepts such as file handling, clicking, double clicking,dragging etc.

If you plan to record audio on a hard disk where you have alreadystored other files, you should also defragment it.

Defragmentation reorganizes the physical allocation of space on the hard disk in orderto optimize its performance. Defragmentation utilities are included with Windowsand are also available commercially.

It is crucial to the audio recording performance that your hard disk is de-fragmented.

Installing a CD Recorder

For general instructions on installing SCSI cards and CD-R recorders,please refer to the instructions that came with the computer, Windows,the SCSI controller and the CD-R recorder itself.

About Printers

If you intend to print, install the printer. Use the software included withthe printer or some other software you already have installed (such asa word processing application) to verify that the printer works as ex-pected.

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Installation 4 29

Installing the Audio Card and its Driver

1. Install the audio card and related equipment in the computer, as de-

scribed in the cards documentation.For some audio cards, you may need to check hardware settings such as jumperswitches, etc.

2. Install the driver(s) for the card.There are three types of drivers that could apply: Windows Multimedia drivers, DirectXdrivers and card-specific ASIO drivers:

Windows Multimedia Driver

These drivers are normally included with all types of regular PC audiocards. Some are even included with Windows itself. Depending onwhether the audio card is PlugnPlay compatible or not, the installa-tion of the card is done differently:

If the card is PlugnPlay compatible, Windows will detect thecard once it is plugged in, and ask for the necessary driver disks.

If not, you need to use the Add New Hardware feature in the ControlPanel to install the card and its drivers.

Refer to the documentation that comes with the card.

DirectX Driver

If your audio card is DirectX compatible, its DirectX drivers will mostlikely be installed when you install the card (as with the Windows Mul-timedia driver). If you have downloaded special DirectX drivers for theaudio card, you should follow the manufacturers installation instruc-tions.

Special ASIO Driver

If your audio card has a specific ASIO driver it may be included withthe audio card, but you should always make sure to check the audiocard manufacturers web site for the most recent drivers. For detailson how to install the driver, refer to the manufacturers instructions.

Should you have an audio card, but no driver, please ask your music or

computer dealer for help.

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4 30 Installation

Testing the Card

To make sure the audio card will work as expected, perform the fol-lowing two tests:

Use any software included with the audio card to make sure you canrecord and play back audio without problems.

If the card is accessed via a standard Windows driver, use the Media-Player application (included with Windows) to play back audio.Both tests of course assume you have the outputs of the card connected to a soundsystem or headphones.

Installing the MIDI Interface/Synthesizer cardInstallation instructions for the MIDI Interface should come with the in-terface. However, heres an outline of the necessary steps:

1. Install the interface (or MIDI synthesizer card) inside your computer orconnect it to a port (connector) on the computer.Which is right for you depends on which type of interface you have. Note that someMIDI instruments can be connected directly to a computer, without the need for a MIDI

interface (usually, these instruments have a connection labeled To Host, Computeror similar). Again, see the instruments documentation for details on which type of ca-ble to use, etc.

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 its documentation.This is most likely done using the Add New Hardware feature in the Control Panel inWindows. It is likely that you will need a floppy disk supplied by the manufacturer of theMIDI interface.

There might be settings you have to make for Base Address and IRQ for

the interface/synth card. Make absolutely sure the settings in Windowsare in accordance with the settings actually made on the card. Also make

sure no two cards in your computer use the same Base Address or IRQsettings! This is extremely important; Base Address and IRQ conflict is

the single most common installation problem!

Should you have an interface, but no corresponding driver, please ask

your music or computer dealer for help.

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Installing Cubasis VST

Installing the files on the CD-ROM

Before proceeding, read the Software Licensing Contract included in this

package. By opening the disk pack or sending back the registration card,

you are declaring yourself to be in agreement with the conditions in thecontract.

A special installation procedure unpacks all the files and puts them inthe right places, automatically.

1. Start the computer and let Windows start.2. Insert the Cubasis VST CD-ROM.

A pop-up dialog should automatically appear. If it does not appear, open the CD-ROMon the desktop, and double click the Autorun.EXE icon.

3. To start the installation, click on the picture in the dialog.A number of dialogs will appear, guiding you through the installation process.

During the procedure you will be asked to decide which of the included

programs you want to install.The options are Cubasis VST, WaveLab Lite, Master Unit and Muon Tau/M-Drive.When the installation is finished, you can find the program(s) among your other pro-grams on the Start menu and/or the Desktop.

4. Finally, you will be told that you need to restart the computer. Do so.

The program has now created a Cubasis VST folder on your harddisk, and also installed some files in your Windows System.

5. Open the new Cubasis VST folder on your hard disk and check for

Late Changes text files.These list any changes to the program made after this manual was written.

6. Remove the CD-ROM and store it in a safe place.You may want to browse the CD-ROM and copy additional files to your hard disk.

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Register your software!

Please fill out and send in the registration card that comes in this

package. Doing so will make sure you are entitled to technical supportand kept aware of updates and other news regarding Cubasis VST.

Installation done! Where do I go next?

We suggest that you do the following:

Follow the instructions in the next chapter (to set up your MIDI and au-dio system properly).

Try the Tutorial Song, for a quick hands-on introduction to the mostimportant Cubasis VST features.To open the Tutorial Song, launch Cubasis VST and select Tutorial Song from theHelp menu.

Read through the rest of this book and try out the different possibili-ties as you go along.

Browse the Cubasis VST folder and the CD for files that might be ofuse for you.

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5Setting up your System

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5 34 Setting up your System

Making Settings for Audio work

Connecting a musical instrument, a microphone or a mixer

About microphones

If you plan to record vocals or a musical instrument, we recommendthat you contact a retailer of musical equipment to find a suitable micro-phone and a cable with the appropriate type of connector. Also, youshould be aware that microphones generally produce rather low signallevels. Therefore, you should only connect the microphone to a dedi-cated mic input on the audio hardware (or even better, via a separatemicrophone preamp or a mixer see below).

About electric instruments

You might have an electric instrument such as an electric guitar, elec-tric bass, organ or similar, that normally requires an amplifier. If you do,you need to be a bit careful about how to connect it to the audio hard-ware, in order to make your recordings sound as good as possible.Generally, electric guitars and basses should be connected to a micro-phone input, since they deliver a weak signal. Synthesizers, keyboards

and other devices deliver a stronger signal called a line level signal.These should always be connected to the line input of the audio card.

It is very important to make sure you use the correct type of input on youraudio card, or your recordings will either be distorted or unnecessarily

noisy.

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Setting up your System 5 35

Using an audio mixer

This is usually the best option. If you have access to an audio mixer,connect your microphones or instruments to this, and connect the

output of the mixer to the line input on the audio hardware. The picturebelow shows a possible configuration:

In this example, the mixer is used not only for sending audio into thecomputer, but also for listening to all sound sources (including a MIDIsynthesizer). However, this requires that the mixer has separate, inde-pendently controllable outputs for recording into the computer and lis-tening to the mix. This is necessary, because otherwise you will not beable to record a separate sound source since everything (the syn-thesizers, microphones and even the computers own sound) will berecorded at the same time!

A common method is to use a special output on the mixer called amonitor send or a separate bus, connected to the input of the au-

dio card. This ensures you can separately control what gets recordedon an audio track.

The main outputs of the mixer are connected to the speakers, and it isvia this connection you are able to hear the output of the audio cardand the synthesizers, blended to a final mix.

Naturally, there are endless variations on this concept depending onthe type of mixer, the sources to be recorded and the specification ofthe audio card. Contact your music dealer for help on configuring a

system ideal for your specific needs.

Audio Card

Send/Bus Out

Main Out

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Use the Audio Hardware Setup application

Often, an audio card or external audio interface has several inputs: amicrophone input, a stereo line input, possibly digital inputs and maybe

a connection from the CD-ROM drive in your computer. Typically, au-dio hardware comes with one or more small applications that let youconfigure the inputs of the card to your liking. This includes:

Selecting which ins/outs are active. Turning monitoring via the card on/off (see page 64). Setting levels for each input. This is very important! Setting levels for the outputs, so that they match the equipment you use for

monitoring.

It is a good idea to make sure audio recording and playback works prop-erly before you launch Cubasis VST. This is best done using Windows

Sound Recorder and Media Player applications.

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Selecting an ASIO Driver

ASIO (Audio Stream Input Output) is a technology developed bySteinberg, that acts as a connector between an audio application (in

this case, Cubasis VST) and the audio hardware. For audio playbackand recording to work in Cubasis VST, you must select the properASIO driver:

1. If you havent launched Cubasis VST, do so.

2. Pull down the Options menu and select Audio System Setup... fromthe Audio Setup submenu.The Audio System Setup dialog appears.

3. Pull down the ASIO Device pop-up menu.The pop-up menu lists the available ASIO drivers. To know which one to select, usethe following general guidelines:

If there is a dedicated ASIO driver for your audio hardware (that is, anASIO driver specifically written for that audio hardware), you shouldselect that!Dedicated ASIO drivers generally give much lower latency (see below), and can pro-vide audio hardware-specific features. Make sure you get the latest ASIO driver fromthe manufacturer of the audio hardware.

If there is no dedicated ASIO driver, you can try selecting the ASIODirectX Full Duplex driver.This makes use of Microsoft DirectX, which can provide reasonably low latency (seebelow). When you have successfully selected the ASIO DirectX Full Duplex driver, you

should check the ASIO settings as described on page 39.

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To be able to use the ASIO DirectX Full Duplex driver, you need MicrosoftDirectX installed on your computer (version 6.1 or higher is recom-

mended). A DirectX Installer is included on the Cubasis VST CD-ROM, but

you should also check Microsofts web page for updates. Furthermore,your audio hardware and its drivers must support DirectX. If in doubt, con-

sult the audio hardware manufacturer.

If your audio hardware doesnt support DirectX (in which case you willget an error message when you try to select the ASIO DirectX Full Du-plex driver) you should select the ASIO Multimedia driver.This makes use of the Windows Multimedia System, which often gives quite large la-tency times (see below). When you have selected the ASIO Multimedia driver, you

should make ASIO settings as described on page 41.Even if your audio hardware supports ASIO DirectX, there may still be reasons to usethe ASIO Multimedia driver, as explained on page 40.

A word about Latency

In this chapter we mention latency, which means the delay betweenwhen audio is sent from the program and when you actually hear it.The latency in an audio system depends on the audio hardware andits drivers. Latency may become a problem in the following situations:

When you are playing VST Instruments live from a MIDI keyboard, the soundof the VST Instrument will be delayed according to the latency.

When you monitor through Cubasis VST, the monitored sound will come outdelayed. This is probably the area that requires the lowest latency, but thenagain, if you monitor externally or directly through the audio hardware thiswont be a problem at all.

When you mix your audio, a high latency will give a clearly noticeable delay be-tween when you e.g. mute an audio channel and when the sound is muted.

Audio playback and recording timing will not be affected by latency, sinceVST takes the latency into account, and adjusts the timing accordingly.

Similarly, if you play back MIDI parts routed to VST Instruments, the play-back precision is sample accurate, regardless of the latency.

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Making settings for ASIO DirectX Full Duplex

This assumes that you have selected the ASIO DirectX Full Duplexdriver, as described on page 37.

1. In the Audio System Setup dialog, click the ASIO Control Panel button.The ASIO Direct Sound Full Duplex Setup dialog appears.

This dialog lists the available output and input ports, and also allowsyou to adjust buffer sizes and make other settings. For now, we willconcentrate on three things:

2. Check the Direct Sound Output Ports list (the upper list) and makesure the desired outputs are activated.In many cases, there will only be one output port available. Ports are activated by click-ing the checkbox to the left in the list.

An activated output port.

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3. Check the Direct Sound Input Ports list (the lower list) and make surethe desired inputs are activated.See the note below about emulated inputs.

4. In the Card Options section to the right in the dialog, make sure theFull Duplex checkbox is activated.Full Duplex means that the audio system can record and play back audio at the sametime. If your audio card doesnt support this, you are limited to either recording or play-ing back (activating the VST Inputs selects recording mode, deactivating them selectsplayback mode).

5. Click OK to close the dialog.If you experience problems with audio playback or recording, you may want to go backto this dialog and try changing some settings. See the online help for descriptions of

the settings.

About emulated inputs

There is one important thing to note about the inputs: To be able totake full advantage of DirectX Full Duplex, the audio hardware mustsupport WDM (Windows Driver Model) in combination with DirectXversion 6.1 or higher.

In all other cases, the audio inputs will be emulatedby DirectX. Emu-

lated inputs are indicated by the symbol at the beginning of thedevice name in the Direct Sound Input Ports list.

An emulated audio input.

Using emulated inputs will result in higher latency. If your audio in-put(s) are reported as emulated and you get a high latency, you maywant to use the ASIO Multimedia driver instead, as this gives yousome more possibilities to fine-tune the settings (see page 42).

Make sure to check with the audio hardware manufacturers for new

driver versions.

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Making settings for the ASIO Multimedia driver

This assumes that you have selected the ASIO Multimedia driver, asdescribed on page 37.

1. In the Audio System Setup dialog, click the ASIO Control Panel button.The ASIO Multimedia Setup panel appears. This is used for setting up your audio card.

2. Pull down the Presets pop-up menu.This contains pre-programmed setups for some common audio cards, but you can alsoadd your own Presets here.

3. Select the Preset for your audio card.There may be several Presets for a single audio card type. For example, you may beable to select a half duplex or a full duplex setup. Full duplex means that the cardhas the ability to record and play back at the same time, which is a great benefit. If youraudio card supports this feature (see the audio card documentation), make sure to se-lect the full duplex Preset.

4. Close the dialog by clicking OK and then close the Audio SystemSetup dialog.

Once the settings are done, they are automatically saved together with the program.

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If there is no Preset for your audio card

If you cannot find a Preset for your audio card model, you need to setup the card manually:

1. In the ASIO Multimedia Setup dialog, click on the Advanced Options...button.A dialog with more settings appears.

2. Locate your audio card in the Output and Input Port lists and makesure the checkboxes to the left in both lists are activated for your card.If you have more than one audio card in the computer, only one should be active at thispoint. See the online help for more info on advanced options.

3. If your card has the ability to record and play back at the same time(full duplex), make sure that this option is activated on the CardOptions pop-up menu in the lower right corner of the dialog.If you are unsure about your specific cards ability, check its documentation.

4. Click OK to close the Advanced Options dialog and close the basicASIO Multimedia Setup dialog.The settings are automatically saved together with the program, but you can go backlater and save your Advanced ASIO Multimedia settings as a Preset (see the onlinehelp).

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Additional Audio Settings

While youre in the Audio System Setup dialog, you need to make afew additional settings:

1. If you like, adjust the Number of Channels value.The number of audio channels determines how many audio recordings you can playback at the same time (with stereo recordings using two audio channels). You can al-ways adjust this value later if needed.

How many channels you will actually be able to use depends on your com-

puters processing power, the speed of the hard disk and other factors.

2. Make sure Audio Clock Source is set to Internal for now.Depending on your audio hardware, there may be other options on this pop-up menu,allowing you to synchronize the sample rate to an external source. For example, if yourecord audio from digital inputs on your audio hardware, you should select the corre-sponding option on this pop-up menu, so that Cubasis VSTs sample rate is properlysynchronized to the device producing the digital signal (see the hardware and ASIOdriver documentation for details).

3. Leave the Disk Cache Scheme setting as it is for now.This determines how Cubasis VST transfers audio data to and from disk. If you get per-

formance problems, you should try selecting another Disk Cache Scheme.

4. Click OK to close the Audio System Setup dialog.

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About Monitoring

In Cubasis VST, Monitoring means listening to the signal being re-corded while preparing to record or while recording. There are basi-

cally three ways to monitor:

Via a mixerIf you have the equipment connected to a mixer and then to the audio card, you can ofcourse choose to listen to the connected equipment directly from the mixer. If youshould choose this option or not depends on how advanced your mixer is.

Via Cubasis VSTIn this case, the audio passes from the input into Cubasis VST and back to the output.You then control monitoring via settings in Cubasis VST.

Directly via the audio hardwareIn this case, the computers audio input is connected directly to its output. If supportedby the audio hardware, you activate this feature (usually called through, monitor orsimilar) in the hardwares ASIO Control Panel (accessed from Cubasis VSTs AudioSystem Setup dialog) or in a mixer application that comes with the hardware.

Which should I choose Direct or Cubasis monitoring?

Monitoring via Cubasis VST has the advantage that any effect and

other settings you make in the program will also be apparent on themonitored signal, not only on recordings you have already made andplay back.This will not be the case if you monitor directly via the audio hardware.

Monitoring via Cubasis VST has one disadvantage: There is an un-avoidable delay in the Monitor signal (the monitored sound will appearto be a little late). This delay, called latency, is due to the way audio ishandled on computers and audio cards.

The latency time depends on the audio card, its drivers and settings. Audio hardwarewith separate ASIO drivers may have a low enough latency to allow proper monitoringthrough Cubasis VST, while audio cards that use the ASIO Multimedia driver or theASIO Direct X Full Duplex driver (see page 37) may have too large a latency for this tobe possible.

Direct monitoring does not have this problem.

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Setting up

If you want to use Cubasis VSTs monitoring, pull down the Optionsmenu and select Enable Monitor from the Audio Setup submenu (if

the menu item says Disable Monitor, monitoring is already enabledand you dont need to change the setting).You also need to make sure there is no monitoring (or through) function activated inthe cards mixer application or ASIO Control Panel.

If you want to monitor directly through the audio hardware, make surethis function is activated in the cards mixer application or ASIO Con-trol Panel.You also need to pull down the Options menu and select Disable Monitor from the

Audio Setup submenu (if the menu item says Enable Monitor, monitoring is alreadydisabled and you dont need to change the setting).

If you want to monitor externally using a mixer, pull down the Optionsmenu and select Disable Monitor from the Audio Setup submenu (ifthe menu item says Enable Monitor, monitoring is already disabledand you dont need to change the setting).

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Enabling/Disabling Audio

On the Audio Setup submenu on the Options menu you will find a set-ting called Disable Audio, which allows you to disable all audio inputand output. This feature is mainly for two situations:

When you only want to record and play back MIDI and dont want towaste processing power on the audio engine.This lets the computer use all power for screen updates and MIDI playback.

When the computer you use is not powerful enough to run CubasisVST with the VST engine enabled.

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Setting up for MIDI

This section describes how to connect and set up MIDI equipment. If

you have no MIDI equipment you can skip this section and move di-rectly to page 56.

Connecting the MIDI Equipment

Below you find five setup examples for small MIDI systems. You mightneed or want to hook things up differently!

Example 1A Using the Keyboard for recording and playback, via a

separate MIDI Interface1. Connect the MIDI Out of the instrument to a MIDI In on the interface.

If you have several MIDI inputs, it doesnt matter which on you use. Cubasis VST canrecord from all inputs on a multi-port interface.

2. Connect a MIDI Out on the interface to a MIDI In on the instrument.

Your MIDI interface may have more than one MIDI Out. Each MIDI portcan address up to 16 different devices (or the 16 different voices in amultitimbral module). On smaller MIDI interfaces, the outputs all carrythe same information, so it doesnt matter which one you use.

MIDI In

MIDI Out

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On larger, multi-port interfaces, the MIDI outputs are all separate, thatis, they carry different sets of the 16 MIDI channels. This allows CubasisVST to send MIDI data selectively to different MIDI channels on any ofthe available outputs. If you have a multi-port interface, you should con-

nect the first output to your instrument, and use the following outputs ifyou need to connect more instruments.

Example 1B Using a Keyboard with a built-in MIDI Interface

If your instrument has a built-in MIDI interface, no MIDI cables areneeded, only a serial or USB cable (see the instruments documenta-tion for cable specifications).

1. Make the connections with computer and instrument turned off.

2. Connect the cable between the serial/USB port on the computer andthe computer connection on the instrument.Many instruments have a special switch that needs to be set for the computer connec-tion to be active (see the instruments documentation).

The connection above allows you to feed the computer with the sig-nals from the keyboard, during recording. It also allows you to sendMIDI signals from the computer to the instrument during playback.

Computer Connection

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Example 2A Using a separate Keyboard and MIDI Card

If you have a card in your computer with a built-in MIDI synthesizer (forexample your audio card), you dont need to make any MIDI connec-

tion to get Cubasis to play back from the card. However, to be able torecordMIDI data you need at leasta separate MIDI keyboard, thatproduces no sound but only transmits MIDI signals. This should thenbe connected to the MIDI In on the computer.

MIDI In

MIDI Synthesizerinside computer

MIDI Out

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Example 2B Using a separate Keyboard and Sound Module

If you have a separate MIDI keyboard, that produces no sound, and asound module without keyboard, you should hook things up as in the

picture below. Using Cubasis VSTs MIDI Thru feature (describedlater) you will still be able to hear the sound from the sound modulewhile playing the keyboard and when recording.

MIDI In

MIDI Out

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Example 3 Adding more devices using the MIDI Thru connectors on the

instruments

You might want to use more instruments for playback. Connect MIDIThru on the first instrument to MIDI In on the next, and so on. In thishook-up, you will always play the first keyboard when recording. But,thanks to the Thru connection, you can still use all your devices for

providing sounds on playback.

If you plan to use more than three sound sources we recommend that

you either use an interface with more than one output, or a separate

MIDI Thru box instead of the Thru jacks on each unit.

Setting up the Instruments

If you have a General MIDI, Roland GS or Yamaha XG compatible in-strument, you may want to set it to its GM/GS/XG mode. If you haveother types of instruments, set each Sound (Timbre, Part, Program,Patch) to receive on a different MIDI channel.

MIDI In

MIDI Out

MIDI Thru

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Activating and Ordering MIDI Ports

Before you launch Cubasis VST, you should check your MIDI inter-face(s). This is done by using a small utility program called Setup MME:

1. Open the Windows Start menu and select Setup MME from the Cu-basis VST program group.The Setup MME dialog appears. This lists the available MIDI inputs and outputs.

2. Make sure the necessary inputs and outputs are activated.To change the status of a port, select it in the list and click the Set inactive/Set activebutton.

3. If you like, you can rename ports, to make them easier identifiable inCubasis VST.This is done by selecting the port, clicking Rename and typing in a new name.

4. If you want to reorder the outputs, select one of them in the list anduse the Move Up and Move down buttons.Since new MIDI tracks in Cubasis VST will default to the first output on the list, youmay want to move the output you are most likely to use to the top. For MIDI Inputs, thisis not relevant, since Cubasis VST receives data on all activated inputs, regardless oftheir order.

5. Click OK.You can now launch Cubasis VST for the changes to take effect.

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MIDI Settings in Cubasis VST

Setting MIDI Thru and Local On/Off

On the Options menu you will find a setting called MIDI Thru whichcan be enabled or not. This is related to a setting in your instrumentcalled Local On/Off or Local Control On/Off.

If you use a MIDI keyboard instrument, as described in Example 1 earlier inthis chapter, MIDI Thru should be activated and that instrument should be setto Local Off (sometimes called Local Control Off see the instruments oper-ation manual for details).This will let the MIDI signal from the keyboard get recorded into Cubasis VST and at

the same time re-routed back to the instrument so that you hear what you are playing,without the keyboard triggering its own sounds.

If you use a separate MIDI keyboard, that does not produce any sounds itself,as in Example 2, MIDI Thru in Cubasis VST should also be activated, but youdont need to look for any Local On/Off setting in your instruments.

The only situation where MIDI Thru should be deactivated is if you use Cuba-sis VST with only one keyboard instrument and that instrument cannot be setto Local Off mode.

MIDI In

MIDI Out

Synth

When MIDI Thru is active in Cubasis VST,MIDI data received is immediately echoedback out.

When you press a key,it is sent out via MIDIto Cubasis VST.

MIDI data coming in to the instrument

is played by the Synth inside it.

When Local Control is On in the instrument, the keys youpress will be played by the Synth inside the Instrument.When Local Control is turned Off, this connection is cut off.

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Checking your MIDI Setup

1. Select a MIDI track by clicking on its name in the Track List (to the leftin the Arrange window).

2. Play your MIDI keyboard.

3. If the In indicator on the Transport Bar lights up, Cubasis VST re-ceives MIDI data.

4. If you have Thru activated, the Out indicator should indicate outputof data.

5. Make sure you hear the instrument that you are playing.If not, check your MIDI connections and Cubasis VSTs MIDI Thru setting. Also checkthe audio equipment and audio connections.

6. If you are playing a MIDI instrument with a built-in sound source, listento make sure the instrument doesnt sound thin or flanged.If it does, you have probably not set the instrument to Local Off. This means that everykey you press is played twice, once directly on the instrument and once via MIDI.

MIDI tracks are indicated by the note symbol in the C column.

When this lights up, Cubasis VST is receiving MIDI data.

When this lights up, Cubasis VST is transmitting MIDI

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6 56 Recording Audio

Preparations

Selecting a Sound Source

Before you begin recording, you have to select which sound source torecord. You may for example have a microphone connected, as wellas some kind of line level instrument or mixer, and the audio output ofan internal CD drive. Depending on which audio hardware you use,you may be able to make this selection from inside Cubasis VST, byclicking the ASIO Control Panel button in the Audio System dialog.For many audio cards, however, the input source selection and othersettings are made in a small, separate application program included

with the audio card. See the documentation for the audio card. A standard stereo audio card often lets you mix several input sources.

However, if you plan to record a single sound source, we recommend that you turndown or deactivate the other sources, to avoid unnecessary noise.

Activating VST Inputs

Cubasis VST allows you to use audio hardware with several inputsand route different inputs to different audio channels. For now, how-

ever, lets stick to a basic 2 in/2 out setup (such as a simple stereoaudio card). Still, you need to make sure that these inputs are acti-vated before you attempt to record anything:

1. Pull down the Panels menu and select VST Inputs.The VST Inputs window appears:

To the left are the available physical input ports (in this case there are two inputs).The right column shows the names that will be used for each input throughout theprogram. The indicator(s) in the middle column show which inputs are active.

2. Make sure that the indicator in the middle column is lit.If not, click on it so that it lights up. This shows that the inputs are active.

3. Close the Inputs window by clicking its close box.

For details on using audio hardware with several inputs, see page 71.

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Recording Audio 6 57

Selecting a Sample Rate

Before recording you have to set the sample rate for the song:

1.On the Options menu select Audio System Setup... from the AudioSetup submenu.The Audio System Setup dialog opens.

2. Use the Sample Rate popup to select a sample rate.The higher the sample rate, the better the audio quality of your recordings (but the higher

the demands on disk space and processing power). The most common options are:

Please note that not all audio cards support all these sample rates

(see the cards documentation for details).

This setting is done once and for all for the whole song. You cannot

make some recordings at one sample rate and others at some other

sample rate.

3. Close the Audio System Setup dialog by clicking OK.The settings are saved.

Sample Rate Description

44.100 kHz The standard sample rate used on commercial audio CDs.

48 kHz Another common sample rate, used e.g. with DAT recorders.

96 kHz A very high-quality setting, used for professional audio recordings.

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Selecting Recording Resolution

You select the resolution for recording on the Record Mode pop-upmenu above the Part Display in the Arrange window.

The options are 16 or 24 Bit resolution. While 16 Bit resolution isconsidered high audio quality (this is for example the format used oncommercial audio CDs), 24 Bit files have an even greater dynamicrange, and thus a higher audio quality. Note however:

24 Bit recording is only useful if your audio hardware supports a higherresolution than 16 Bit.Preferably, 24 Bit resolution should be supported, but it would also make sense to use24 Bit recording if your audio hardware supported e.g. 20 Bit resolution. However, re-cording in 24 Bit mode with a 16 Bit audio card would not add to the audio quality inany way.

24 bit files will be 1.5 times the size of 16 bit files.

If you are using the ASIO Multimedia driver, you need to deactivate theUse 16-Bit only option in the ASIO Control Panel (ASIO Multimedia

Setup Advanced Options - see the online help).

You can freely mix audio files of different resolution in the same song.Regardless of the resolution of the actual audio files, Cubasis VSTprocesses audio internally in 32 bit float resolution to ensure pristineaudio quality.

It is also important to understand that the recording resolution hasnothing to do with the resolution of the final mix. If you use the Export

Audio Tracks function to mix down to a file, you can freely specify thedesired resolution as described on page 281. If you are mixing downto an external recorder, the resolution depends on the audio hard-ware, the connection and the recorder.

Finally, audio hardware that supports high resolution may also supporthigh sample rates, allowing for very high audio quality (e.g. 24 bit/96kHz). As described above, you select a sample rate in the AudioSystem Setup dialog. Note that the sample rate setting is global forthe song - all files must be recorded with the same sample rate, other-

wise some will play back with the wrong speed and pitch.

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Setting a tempo and time signature for the song

Before you start you should specify tempo and time signature. Theseare both adjusted on the Transport Bar:

Tempo tip

A good way of setting the tempo is to activate playback and adjust thetempo on the Transport Bar while listening to the metronome (Click)that is generated on each beat (quarter note). For the metronome tobe heard, you need to make sure that the Click button on the Trans-port Bar is activated:

Click activated on the Transport Bar.

If you start playback with Click activated and still cannot hear the metro-

nome, you need to adjust the settings in the Metronome dialog on theOptions menu (see page 97 to find out about the parameters and op-

tions in the dialog).

For now, make sureMaster is not activated

on the Transport Bar.

The time signature determinesthe number of beats to each bar.

The tempo determines the speed of the music.The number is in beats (quarter notes) per minute.

For now, we recommend that youleave the Cycle function deactivated.

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Selecting and setting up a track

About Stereo and Mono

Before you select a track to record on, it is necessary to understandthe basic concept about audio channels and how Cubasis VST han-dles mono and stereo recordings:

All audio is played back via audio channels. The number of available audiochannels is determined by the Number of Channels setting in the Audio Sys-tem Setup dialog (up to 48; actual maximum depending on computer/harddisk performance).

Each audio channel can play back one mono audio recording at a time.

Stereo recordings play back on two audio channels, one for each stereoside. A stereo channel pair always consists of an odd channel and the nexteven channel (e.g. channel 1+2, 3+4, etc.).

Channels that are used in stereo pairs cannot be used for mono recordings,and vice versa.

Setting Up

Set up a track for recording as follows:

1. Select an audio track by clicking on its name field in the list.

If you dont have any empty audio tracks in your arrangement, youneed to create one, for example by using the Create Track item on theStructure menu.To make sure the track is an audio track, position the mouse in the C column for thetrack, pull down the pop-up menu and select Audio Track.

2. Set the tracks channel (Chn) to the audio channel you plan to recordon.If this is the first audio track you record on, select 1. Generally, you should avoid usinga channel already used by another track, since each channel only can play one record-ing at a time.

The Any channel setting is explained on page 71. For now, select anormal channel number.

If you plan to make a stereo recording, you must select an odd channel

number.

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3. Make sure the Inspector (the area to the left of the Track List) is open.You open or close the Inspector by clicking on the icon below the Track List.

4. Decide if you want the recording to be in mono or stereo by using theMono/Stereo button in the Inspector.The label on the switch (Mono/Stereo) indicates which mode is currently selected forthe track. But the switch also indicates whether it is possible to switch mode or not:

Click on this icon...

...to open the Inspector.

The track is set to Mono. The lit buttonmeans that you can switch to Stereo

by clicking on the button.

The track is set to Stereo. The litbutton means that you can switch to

Mono by clicking on the button.

The track is set to Mono, and the dark buttonindicates that it cannot be switched to Ste-reo. This is either because the track is set toan even channel, or because the next chan-nel is already used for a mono recording.

The track is set to Stereo and cannotbe switched to Mono. This is be-cause there is already a stereo re-cording on the track.

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If you select Stereo for a track, it will use the audio channel you set instep 2 above for the left side of the stereo recording, and the nextchannel for the right side. These two channels are then reserved forstereo use, so that no mono track can be set to any of these channels.

5. Double click on the track name, type in a new name for the track andpress [Return].Since the recorded audio file will get the name of the track, it is a good idea to use de-scriptive track names.

Now you need to make sure the correct inputs are selected for the se-lected audio channel(s). By default, the left input on your audio card isassigned to odd-numbered channels, and the right input is assignedto even-numbered channels, but you may want to change this:

6. Pull down the Panels menu and select VST Channel Mixer.The VST Channel Mixer window opens.

7. Locate the mixer strip for the audio channel(s) you have selected forrecording.There is one mixer strip for each audio channel (the value you set in the Chn column forthe track). At the top of the strip, you find a button with the name of the input selectedfor the channel.

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8. Click on the right half of the Input button to pull down a pop-up menuwith the two inputs.

9. Select the input to which your sound source is connected.

If you have selected Stereo above, there will be a stereo channel pairin the mixer, with a common Input pop-up menu.

In that case, the Input pop-up menu will list stereo input pairs. If you are using audiohardware with a single stereo input, the left and right inputs will automatically be as-signed to the odd and even channel, respectively.

10.Go back to the Arrange window and click on the Enable button in theInspector, to make the track and its selected audio channel ready forrecording.If this is the first time you enable audio recording in the song, you will be asked to se-lect a folder for storing your recorded audio files.

Selecting a folder for your Audio Files

When you enable recording for the first time in a new song, a file dia-log box will appear, asking you to select a folder for your audio files.This folder will be used to store all audio files recorded for the song. Ifyou have the opportunity, we recommend that you store your audiofiles on a separate hard disk.

If you want to change the folder for your audio files during the session,

you can do this at any time by pulling down the Options menu and se-lecting Audio Files Folder on the Audio Setup submenu.This opens the same file dialog, letting you select a new folder, which will be used fromthat point on.

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Monitoring

As described on page 44, you can monitor via Cubasis VST, directlyvia the audio hardware or externally via a mixer.

If you monitor via Cubasis VST, you set this up in the following way:

1. Pull down the Options menu and open the Audio Setup submenu.

2. Select the item called Enable Monitor.This is the global master switch for monitoring in Cubasis VST. If the menu item saysDisable Monitor, monitoring is already enabled, and you dont need to change any-thing.

3. Activate monitoring for the audio track by clicking on the left half of the

Input button in the Inspector.The incoming audio will now be echoed back out again.

For this method of monitoring to be useful, audio hardware with low la-

tency is required! See page 38 for details.

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Checking the Input Levels

Digital recording (as in Cubasis VST) is different from analog record-ing when it comes to recording levels. Whereas with analog recording

it is often perfectly acceptable to let the needle hit the red (record atlevels actually higher than the system can reproduce accurately), thisis not true when it comes to digital recording.

The term used here is headroom. The headroom is the difference inlevel between the signal you record and the maximum level the systemcan handle. When the signal increases, the headroom diminishes to-wards 0 dB (decibels).

When the signal is stronger than the system can handle when you

exceed the available headroom in a digital recording system, hardclipping occurs, which results in clearly audible and very unpleasantdistortion. To avoid this, you should use the Input meter function in theVST Channel Mixer window to accurately check the recording levels:

1. Pull down the Panels menu and select VST Channel Mixer.The VST Channel Mixer window opens.

2. Click the In button above the level meter for the recording channelto activate the Input meter function.

When this button is activated, the meter shows the signal level at the input selected forthe audio channel.When the button is deactivated, the meters show the output level of each audio chan-nel, which is what you want when you play back your recordings.

Note that all actual settings (volume, pan, etc.) relate to the output sig-

nals, regardless of this switch. It is not possible to set the Input Gain with

the volume fader!

If you are making a stereo recording, activate the In buttons for both

channels in the stereo pair.

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3. Sing or play the connected instrument and check the meter and thenumeric level display above the fader.The level should be as high as possible, without ever clipping (exceeding 0 dB).

Clipping is indicated by the red clip light above the In button. To reset the clip

indicator, click on it.

4. If needed, adjust the recording level in the audio cards mixer applica-tion (or adjust the output level of the sound source or external mixer).

5. While you are in the VST Channel Mixer window, you may want to ad-just the output level of the monitored channel.Use the volume fader for the channel to set a comfortable listening level (this onlyworks if you are monitoring through Cubasis VST).

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Performing the first recording

Setting start- and end-points for the recording

When you start recording from Stop mode, the recording will alwaysstart at the position of the Left Locator and end at the Right Locator.

To position the locators, simply click on the ruler - the left mouse but-ton sets the Left Locator to where you clicked, the right button setsthe Right Locator.

Recording

1. If you want to record to a metronome click, activate the Click buttonon the Transport Bar.

2. Click the Record button.

By default, you will hear a two bar count-in (you can adjust the length of this or turn itoff completely in the Metronome dialog, as described on page 97).

3. After the precount, start performing.Recording will automatically be deactivated when you reach the Right Locator, if youdont hit Stop before that.

4. When you are done, press Stop.The program will now calculate an image file so that a waveform can be displayed inthe program. Depending on the length of your recording, this may take a few seconds,

during which a dialog box shows the progress of the calculation.The program has now created an audio file in the folder you selectedon page 63. The file will appear in the Pool (a window containing a listof all audio used in the song), along with an audio segment. A seg-ment is a building block that tells the program which section of theaudio file to play back. In this case, the segment will play back thewhole audio file.

Read more about audio files and segments on page 127.

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In the Arrange window, a part is created between the start and endpoints of the recording. Parts are containers for your recordings (inthis case, the part contains the audio segment that plays back the re-corded audio file). As described in the chapter Arrangement Editing,

you can move, copy, paste and manipulate parts in many other waysto edit and assemble songs.

A part.

Listening to the Recording

1. To hear what you just did, use the transport controls to move back tothe beginning of the recording and click Play.

2. Stop when you are done.

If you dont like what you just recorded

If you are not satisfied with the recording, you can select Undo fromthe Edit menu to remove the recorded part, or select the part (by click-ing on it) and press [Backspace].

However, neither of these methods will remove the actual audio file onyour hard disk! If you want to permanently delete the recorded audiofile, proceed as follows:

1. Click on the part to select it.

2. Hold down [Ctrl] and press [Backspace].You will be asked whether you want to delete the audio file permanently.Click Yes.

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Recording more on the same track

To record more on the same track, proceed as follows:

1. Move the Left Locator to the position where you want to start recording.This can be at a free area on the track, or at some place where something is alreadyrecorded, as described below.

2. Make sure the Right Locator is to the right of the Left Locator. If it isnt,please move it.You cannot activate recording if the Right Locator is to the left of the Left Locator.

3. Activate recording just as you did the first time on the track.A new file is automatically created.

About overlap

When you record again, where something has already been recordedon the track, you will get a new part which overlaps the previous one(s).However, when you play back, only the parts that you can actually seeare played back. This is because each audio channel can only playback one audio file at a time.

The Smooth Segments option

When audio segments on the same channel are lined up after eachother (with no gap at all) or overlapping, this can give rise to clicks andpops during playback. The reason is that the signals in the two seg-ments may have a different amplitude (level) at the intersection point,which in turn creates a transient (a sudden and dramatic change insignal level). This can be especially noticeable when working withReCycle files (see page 271).

To remedy this, you should activate the option Smooth Segments onthe Audio Setup submenu on the Options menu. When this is on, Cu-basis VST will add small crossfades at the intersection points betweensegments during playback. This ensures that the transition from onesegment to the next is smooth, and removes the transients (and thusthe clicks and pops).

This function uses some processing power and RAM. Therefore, if you

dont need it, turn it off.

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Recording the next track Overdubbing

Recording the next track is done just as with the first. Here follows a

summary of the steps:1. Select another audio track and make sure its set to another audio

channel.

2. Make sure the track is set to the correct audio input.

3. Set up the locators and activate recording.

Now, the previously recorded tracks will play back and you are able torecord the new track as an overdub.

Recording from Play mode Punch In

Sometimes it is useful to go directly from playback to recording. Thisis called punching in, and can be very useful. For example, if youhave made a mistake in the middle of a chorus, you can play back fromthe beginning of the chorus, punch in just before the flawed sectionand replace that section with a new performance.

Similarly punch out is when you deactivate recording without stop-ping playback. If in the example above the chorus is followed by averse which is perfectly OK, you would punch out at the end of thechorus so that you dont record anything over the verse.

In Cubasis VST you punch in by clicking the Record button (or press-ing [*] on the numeric keypad) during playback. To punch out, clickRecord again. Also, since recording always stops at the Right Loca-tor, you can use this as an automatic punch out just set the RightLocator at where you want the recording to end (in our exampleabove, that would be at the end of the flawed section to be replaced).

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Advanced: Recording Multiple Audio Channels

If you have audio hardware with several inputs, you can record from

any combination of these at the same time. For example, you may wantto make a recording with several microphones or record several play-ers at the same time. The key to this is recording on an audio track setto channel Any:

A single Any track can contain recordings on multiple channels. In factone track can contain mono recordings on as many channels as the sys-

tem supports.

Proceed as follows:

1. Activate the inputs you need in the VST Inputs window on the Panelsmenu.

2. Open the VST Channel Mixer and select the correct audio inputs forthe audio channels you wish to record.You select inputs on the pop-up menus at the top of the channel strips, as describedon page 63.

3. Select or create an audio track to record on.4. Open the Inspector for the track and set it to channel Any.

A number of Record Info buttons appear. Exactly how many depends on the number ofaudio channels in your audio recording system (set in the Audio System Setup dialog).

A track set to Any in a 16 channel system. For stereo channel pairs, only the first

Record Info button is shown.

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There is also a group of Monitor buttons in the Inspector, as many asthere are audio channels.These work just like the Monitor button for a single channel track, allowing you to man-ually turn monitoring on and off for each audio channel.

5. For the channels you plan to record on, click the correspondingRecord Info button in the Inspector.Activated Record Info buttons will be red.

6. Activate recording as usual.All activated audio channels will now be recorded at once.

When you finish recording, a part is created as usual. However, thepart will only contain the data recorded on the first audio channel (or

the first stereo channel pair). The audio recorded on the other chan-nels has been stored in audio files on the hard disk, and the files havebeen added to the Pool, but you have to move the files into the ar-rangement manually.

7. Make sure there are separate audio tracks available for the remainingrecorded channels.

8. Pull down the Panels menu and select Audio Pool, or click the AudioPool icon on the Toolbar.The Pool window opens.

9. Drag the audio files for these channels from the Pool into the Arrangewindow, and line them up with the original recording.For an example of dragging from the Pool into the Arrange window, see page 143.

10.Finally, set the Any channel track to the correct audio channel.This should be the first audio channel recorded. That is, if you recorded on channels 3,4, 7 and 9, you should set the track to channel 3.

Now you can play back the tracks and hear all the recorded channels.

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If you get Audio Performance Problems

If you experience audio dropouts, crackles or untight playback, there

are some audio settings you can adjust (and some general precau-tions to take):

Try selecting another Disk Cache Scheme in the Audio System Setupdialog.

Adjust the MIDI to Audio Time Offset in the Audio System Setup dialog.This is useful if there is a fixed time offset between the MIDI and audio playback.

Adjust the settings in the ASIO Control Panel.

These are opened by clicking the ASIO Control Panel button in the Audio SystemSetup dialog. See the online help for the ASIO Control Panel for more info.

Dont run other applications when you use Cubasis VST, if you dontexplicitly need them.

Check the integrity of your hard disk(s) regularly.Even though nothing may appear to be wrong, there can be various small hard disk er-rors that affect performance. When working with hard disk recording, its also impor-tant to defragment your hard disk regularly, for maximum hard disk efficiency.

There are several hard disk analysis and repair tools available just make sure you usea version compatible with your Operating System and file structure!

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7Recording MIDI

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7 76 Recording MIDI

About this Chapter

In this chapter, you will learn how to make a MIDI recording.

This chapter assumes the following:

That you have connected a MIDI keyboard (or other controller) and some kindof MIDI sound source. As described earlier in this book, this could be a MIDIkeyboard with a built-in sound source, or any combination of a MIDI controllerand a sound module, external or built into the audio card in the computer.

You are already familiar with audio recording as described in the previouschapter.

Preparations

Tempo, Time Signature and Click

If this is your first recording in a new arrangement, set up the time sig-nature, tempo and Click as described on page 59 in this book.

Selecting and naming a track

The tracks with the note symbol in the C column are for MIDI record-ing. An arrangement can contain up to 64 tracks.

1. Select a track by clicking on its name in the list.

If you dont have any empty MIDI tracks in your arrangement, you needto create one, for example by using the Create Track item on theStructure menu.To make sure the track is a MIDI track, position the mouse in the C column for the

track, pull down the pop-up menu and select MIDI Track.

2. Double click on the track name, type in the name you desire and press[Return].

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Recording MIDI 7 77

Setting MIDI Channel and Output

Setting the MIDI Channel in the Instrument

Most MIDI synthesizers can play several sounds at the same time,each on a different MIDI channel. This is the key to playing back sev-eral sounds (bass, piano etc.) from the same instrument.

Some devices (such as General MIDI compatible sound modules) al-ways receive on all 16 MIDI channels. If you have such an instrument,theres no specific setting you need to make in the instrument.

On other instruments you will have to use the front panel controls toset up a number of Parts, Timbres or similar so that they receive on

one MIDI channel each. See the manual that came with your instru-ment for more information.

Setting the MIDI Channel and Output in the Track List

1. If you cannot see the Chn and Output columns in the Track List, pointat the Divider (the border between the Track List and the Part Display),click and drag it to the right.

2. Set the Chn column for the track to the same MIDI channel as you just

set up to use on the synthesizer.

In General MIDI, channel 10 is always used for drums!

3. Make sure the track is set to the MIDI output that the synthesizer is ac-tually connected to. If it isnt, pull down the Output menu for that trackand select the desired MIDI output.The available MIDI outputs on the menu depend on your MIDI interface(s) and on thesettings you have made in the Setup MME application (see page 52). For example, ifyou have a standard SoundBlaster card, the MIDI Outputs menu will contain a MIDIOut item and one or more Synth items for the cards built-in synthesizer(s) - pro-vided that you havent turned any of these outputs off in the Setup MME application.

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7 78 Recording MIDI

Selecting a sound

When you play your keyboard, you should now hear the sound thatthe instrument plays on this MIDI channel (the tracks Chn setting).

To select a sound, proceed as follows:

1. Open the Inspector.

2. Set a numeric Program Change value in the Prg field.See also page 81 for more information about Program Change and Bank Select.

You may also be able to select sounds by name, using the Patchnamepop-up menu. This is possible if:

The MIDI instrument is SoundFont compatible (e.g. a synthesizer on a sound

card - see also page 83). The MIDI instrument is a VST Instrument that supports patch selection.

3. Play the keyboard to try out the new sound.

Setting levels

While you can set volume, pan, etc. from the Inspector, it is much eas-ier to do this from the MIDI Track Mixer:

1. Pull down the Panels menu and select MIDI Track Mixer, or click theMIDI Track Mixer icon on the Toolbar.The MIDI Track Mixer window opens. This window

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