Get a FREE fully-working copy of Steganos Security Suite 7 (worth £49.99) when you sign up to the Practical PC Newsletter. Getting the most from Cubase - Part 3
Ian Waugh, our resident Cubase expert has a wealth of power user tips to let you get the most from the world's most popular sequencer. In Part 3 he looks at Cubase VST/32
1 Good starter
Create your own default start-up file which will load when you boot up Cubase. On the PC this file is called def.all and on the Mac it's Autoload. It stores information such as the size and position of the windows, Preference settings, Key Commands, Track names, Mixer Maps, Grooves, and MIDI Filter settings. After creating your preferred settings you'll have to overwrite (or backup) the original file.
2 Window Sets
Window Sets were added with VST 4 and 5 and are a great time saver. They let you save the entire layout of the screen including the effects and mixers (whose positions were not remembered in earlier versions of the program). Set them up from the Windows menu. They are particularly useful when mixing and using effects because these take up a lot of screen space. Create different Window Sets for recording, editing and mixing and then you can quickly switch between them.
3 Two hand look
The Mac OS and Windows 98 onwards support the use of two monitors. Use one for the Mixer and one for the Arrange page. To do this the main window must cover both screens. On the PC, the Maximise button may only fill one screen so drag and resize the window until it fills both screens. Coupled with Windows Sets (see previous tip) this can vastly improve your working environment.
4 None-slip notes
When dragging notes in the Score editor, it's easy to move them in the wrong direction, say left or right, changing their position, when you only want to move them up or down to change their pitch. Hold down Shift before moving a note. If your first move is vertical, you will not then be able to move the note horizontally and vice versa.
5 Split it
MIDI Format 0 files contain all the data for all MIDI channels on one track. This format is typically used by hardware sequencers and some commercial files are supplied in this format, too. If you need to edit a Format 0 file, use the Explode by Channel function in the Structure menu. This works on the currently-selected Track on the data between the Locators and it splits each MIDI channel onto its own track making the file much easier to edit.
6 Audio splitter
Explode by Channel works with audio files, too. If the channel of an audio Track is set to Any in the Inspector, events will be split onto tracks according to the audio channel they play back on.
7 Exploding drums
With drum Tracks, Explode by Channel puts each drum onto its own track. This is ideal for editing and creating complex drum parts.
8 Where's that file?
The Audio Pool holds all the audio files that are used by a song, plus any that you have imported. To find out where any of the files is located, press Ctrl and left-click or simply right-click on it and select Find Target from the menu. A dialogue opens showing the file.
9 Pump up the volume
Rather than use the mixer to set volume levels and create fades, for greater precision draw volume envelopes directly onto audio parts. Open the audio part in the Audio editor. Make sure Waveforms and Dynamic Events are ticked in the View menu. Select Volume from the Events drop-down menu (the other two options are Pan and M-Points). Select the Pencil tool and click and drag on the Volume line below the waveform to set a new volume level. The volume in dB (decibels) is shown on the left as you drag. To create a fade, hold down Alt (Option on the Mac) and click on the line to create a new node. You can now drag this left, right, up and down to create a fade or any other volume envelope.
10 Tempo tips
Parts are easier to record if the tempo isn't changing while you're doing it. So create your song at a single tempo and insert tempo events later. If you have inserted tempo events and want to record additional tracks, click the Master button in the Transport Bar to off. The song will then play at the tempo set in the Transport Bar. When the Master button is on, tempo is governed by the Mastertrack.
11 Good driver
For best performance and lowest latency you ought to use a sound card with ASIO drivers. Check the manufacturer's web site regularly for driver updates.
12 Stack 'em up
It's quite common to want to play a MIDI Track with several different sounds or to want to add an octave or some other interval to it. This can be done by copying the parts to other Tracks and selecting other MIDI channels and sounds or using the Transpose parameter in the Inspector to change the interval. But there's an easier and more flexible way and that's to use the Inspector's Multi Out function.
You need to expand the Inspector first by clicking on the right-pointing arrow in its top right corner. Highlight the Track, click on the Multi Out drop down menu and select Add Out. Initially this will be the only option. To the left a new entry will appear having the original Track name with a '+' in front of it. This is a new output. It will initially have exactly the same settings as the original track but you can change its MIDI channel and all its other parameters in the Inspector. Each Multi Out that you create will have exactly the same name so rename each one as soon as you create it.
13 Link up
If you're interested in System Link, keep an eye on the Steinberg site for the imminent release of public beta VST v5.2 which will allow VST to be used with other System Link software.
14 Help!
If you need help, an excellent source of information is Steinberg's Knowledge Base. When you're connected to the Net you should be able to access this from Help>Steinberg on the Web>Knowledge Base. However, Steinberg is want to move it and it's unlikely that this will work. As of going to press it's located at:
http://service.steinberg.net/knowledge_pro.nsf
The Cubase Users Forum (accessible from the same menu) is still working and is another excellent source of information.
15 Ramming it in
You can't have too much RAM. The more audio tracks, virtual instruments and FX you want to run the more RAM you need (although RAM is not a substitute for raw CPU power, and a slow computer with 1Gb RAM will still not do the job). PC users - in the Audio System Setup box, don't specify more audio tracks than you need. Mac users - increase Cubase's memory allocation (close Cubase, highlight the icon, select Get Info from the File menu).
16 Take note
In the Score editor, select a note and press Ctrl+I or select Get Info from the Edit menu and the Note Info box will appear. Here you can change the note head, stem direction, and note type including making it a Grace note.
17 Frag it
When you continuously save and delete files to and from your hard disk, the files can get split or fragmented into many segments and spread across the hard disk. It takes the computer longer to read fragmented files than ones which have been saved in a contiguous chunk because the disk heads have to move a greater distance to retrieve all the data - not what you want with audio. So defragment your hard disks regularly, particularly before starting a new project.
Top Tip - Don't Miss it! |
| You're doodling on the keyboard and play the most brilliant riff in the world - which you instantly forget! Don't worry, Cubase has been secretly recording you all the time. It will 'remember' what you played if you press a certain combination of keys. Which keys? You must set them up before hand so go to Edit>Preferences>Key Commands>Transport and Locators, highlight the Retrospective Record function and select your keys. Now even if you forget a riff, Cubase won't. This function has no menu option and is only available as a Key Command. And it has a limited capacity so don't rely on it to remember a whole song! |
