Introduction

Cubase has been around for a while now. I remember using its ancestor, the Pro 24 software, on my Atari ST in 1987 to create musical arrangements for composition assignments during my university training years. Since then, many things have changed, and Cubase has made the transition from a MIDI sequencer to a Virtual Studio Technology (VST) software. This installment of Cubase grows on the knowledge Steinberg has acquired from years of user comments like yours and dedicated development teams. If you are new to Cubase, you can expect this software to help you through your entire musical creation process. If you are a veteran Cubase user, you will find many of the things you loved and a few new features, as usual, that have made their way into the standard music producer toolbox over the years. Hopefully, in both cases, this book will help you to get the most out of this great tool.

Like any software, as it allows you to do more things and do them in a more intuitive way, the learning curve becomes more and more abrupt. You will find extensive documentation on all available features found in Cubase on the CD-ROM provided with the software, but you will have to sift through thousands of pages of electronic documentation. For most users, this might seem like an overwhelming task. Cubase 4 Power! will provide you with the most important features and some lesser-known features in step-by-step examples, as well as online resources that complement this book.

Beyond describing the features of the program and how they work, I address through examples the “why” of using certain features and when they can become useful to you. All of the Cubase Studio 4 features are included in Cubase 4; for those of you who have this version of the software, this book should address your questions as well, but since this is a trimmed-down version of the application, some features described in this book won’t apply to you. You can find a complete list of feature differences on Steinberg’s website.

Since Cubase is also available in both Macintosh and PC versions in quite similar environments, it doesn’t really matter which platform you are using—the way to use the features and functions will be the same. That being said, Mac users are strongly encouraged to purchase a two-button mouse. Although it is possible to use the Mac alternative Control-click for single-button devices, many of the features in Cubase are available through context menus, and the second button simply makes them easier and more convenient to access.

I offer you my years of experience working with the software, as well as my insight into some tips and tricks that have been very useful in getting the job done throughout these years. As a professor and program coordinator in sound design vocational schools in Canada, I have answered questions of many students who have wanted to work with this tool to create music. I have drawn from their most frequently asked questions and answered them in a way that I hope you will find enlightening.

Enjoy.

How This Book Is Organized

Because the feature set offered by Cubase is so vast and expansive, it would be impossible to write a book that covers all production styles and musical genres through specific examples in which all these features are described in the production context you would like to see. There are simply too many variables involved. Some of you might even find this book’s approach too academic. Although this may be the case, understand that this book and Cubase are tools that will hopefully help you jumpstart your imagination. We can give you paint and a brush and show you creative techniques, but what you do with that is all up to you.

With this in mind, the book is organized into 39 chapters that address specific topics. The topics are laid out in a typical production workflow. Here’s a summary of what you can expect to find:

• Part I: Setup. Chapters 1 through 5 address basic concepts related to digital audio, MIDI, and Cubase terminology. They also look at what needs to be done to connect peripherals to Cubase and to get Cubase to send its signal back to these peripherals. In other words, Part I covers getting sound in and out of Cubase and making sure your project is properly configured to handle these connections.

• Part II: Recording. Chapters 6 through 14 address recording preparations, monitoring setups through the Control Room Mixer, managing assets through the new Cubase management system called SoundFrame, configuring and using hardware and software instruments in a project, as well as recording both audio and MIDI data. We will also discuss the following main topics: the ReWire application, plug-in effects as inserts, audio content management through the Pool, and advanced recording options.

• Part III: Navigation. Chapters 15 through 18 address project navigation and functionalities, along with the most common operations performed in Cubase’s main interface: the Project window. We will take a close look at the components and controls provided in the audio and MIDI tracks, which can easily be considered the two most important track classes in a Cubase project.

• Part IV: Editing. Chapters 19 through 24 address editing environments outside the Project window: the Sample editor for audio events, and the Key and Drum editors for MIDI events. We will also explore a number of editing features and commands found in the MIDI and Audio menus.

• Part V: Arranging. Chapters 25 through 30 address techniques and tools associated with organizing your content in a project—from setting up grids to move events in a project, to applying MIDI effects; from creating copies of an entire section of a project, to trimming two bars off the second chorus. We will explore Cubase’s Play Order Tracks functionality, which makes it possible to build a project in a non-linear environment. Finally, we will look at tempo changing and synchronization functionalities available in Cubase.

• Part VI: Mixing and Mastering. Chapters 31 through 37 address using the Mixer panel, working with plug-in effect tracks and send effects, creating group channels for submixes, and cueing mixes along. This section also investigates Cubase’s automation techniques and functionalities, surround mixing, and project audio export options.

• Part VII: Managing. Chapters 38 and 39 look at ways to customize Cubase to better fit your working style, as well as techniques to make a project more resource-efficient.

At the beginning of each chapter, you will find a summary of what you will be learning. You can read this book from beginning to end, or you can quickly jump to the topics that interest you the most if you are already familiar with some of the features discussed in a particular chapter.

Keeping the Book’s Content Current

Everyone involved with this book has worked hard to make it complete and accurate. But as we all know, technology changes rapidly, and a small number of errors may have crept in besides. If you find any errors, have suggestions for future editions, have questions about the book or other topics, or simply would like to find out more about Cubase or audio-related subjects, please visit the support website at www.wavedesigners.com. Who knows—you might even find some additional bonus chapters there!