ContentsIntroduction ...........................................................xxvii

Conventions used in this book ....................................................................... xxviiAcknowledgements ....................................................................................... xxviii

Sequencing ..................................................................1Getting Started .................................................................................................... 2

The Transport ................................................................................................. 3The Metronome ............................................................................................. 4Changing Tempo ............................................................................................. 4Picking a sound .............................................................................................. 4Naming your tracks ........................................................................................ 5

Making a recording.............................................................................................. 5Snap ............................................................................................................... 6Adding another track ..................................................................................... 7Adding Drums................................................................................................. 7Adding more notes to a part .......................................................................... 8Picking which tracks play ................................................................................ 8

Mute.......................................................................................................... 8Solo ........................................................................................................... 9

Creating an arrangement ............................................................................... 9Practicing a section ........................................................................................ 9Cycle Recording ............................................................................................ 10

Adding notes to a part ............................................................................ 10Keeping only the last version .................................................................. 11Recording different versions ................................................................... 11

Editing ............................................................................................................... 13Non-Keyboard player tips ............................................................................. 15

Slowing things down ............................................................................... 15Recording rhythm then changing the pitch ............................................. 15Step Input ................................................................................................ 16

Saving your work ............................................................................................... 18The toolbar ........................................................................................................ 18

The Selection Tool ........................................................................................ 19Normal Sizing .......................................................................................... 19Sizing moves contents ............................................................................. 19

The Range Selection Tool ............................................................................. 20The Scissors .................................................................................................. 21The Glue ....................................................................................................... 21The Eraser .................................................................................................... 22The Zoom Tool .............................................................................................. 22The Mute Tool .............................................................................................. 22

The Pencil Tool ............................................................................................. 23The Play Tool ................................................................................................ 23The Line Tool ................................................................................................ 23The Time Warp Tool ..................................................................................... 23The Comp Tool ............................................................................................. 24

Editing Drums .................................................................................................... 24Volume and Panning ......................................................................................... 24The MixConsole ................................................................................................. 25Instrument Tracks vs Rack Instruments ............................................................. 26

Instrument Tracks ......................................................................................... 26VST Instruments and Separate MIDI Tracks .................................................. 27Advantages and Disadvantages .................................................................... 28Sending MIDI to an Instrument Track ........................................................... 29Using more than one output on a VST Instrument ...................................... 30

Setting up the outputs in the rack ........................................................... 30Assigning an output from inside the instrument .................................... 31Linking the Inspector to the Output Track .............................................. 33

Considerations for VST Instruments ............................................................. 34The Project Window in Detail ............................................................................ 35

The Main Area .............................................................................................. 35Visibility ................................................................................................... 36

The Right Zone ............................................................................................. 36VST Instruments ...................................................................................... 37MediaBay ................................................................................................ 37

Control Room ............................................................................................... 37Meter ........................................................................................................... 38The Lower Zone ............................................................................................ 38

MixConsole ............................................................................................. 39Sampler Control ...................................................................................... 39Chord Pads .............................................................................................. 40

Transport ...................................................................................................... 40Info Line........................................................................................................ 40Project Window Layouts .............................................................................. 41Backing up your work ................................................................................... 41

Exercises ............................................................................................................ 42Sequence a simple melody........................................................................... 42Sequence chords .......................................................................................... 42Sequence a bass part ................................................................................... 43Sequence drums........................................................................................... 43Change sounds ............................................................................................. 43Apply volume and panning .......................................................................... 43

Summary ........................................................................................................... 43

How MIDI Works ....................................................... 45MIDI ................................................................................................................... 46Communication ................................................................................................. 46

Controllers .................................................................................................... 48Common MIDI Controller Messages ............................................................ 48General MIDI Program Changes ................................................................... 49

Drums ................................................................................................................ 51Less Common Messages ................................................................................... 51

Interpretation ............................................................................................... 51General MIDI Standards .................................................................................... 52

MIDI Connections ......................................................................................... 52MIDI Files ..................................................................................................... 53MIDI File Types ............................................................................................. 54

Typical MIDI setups ........................................................................................... 54A controller keyboard, a computer and a synthesizer .................................. 55A controller keyboard and computer ........................................................... 55A keyboard with built-in sounds and a computer ........................................ 56

Summary ........................................................................................................... 56

Effective Sequencing .................................................. 57The Guitar.......................................................................................................... 58

Solo playing .................................................................................................. 61Vibrato .......................................................................................................... 61Bending Notes .............................................................................................. 62Multiple note bending ................................................................................. 63Strumming sounds ....................................................................................... 63Tuning ........................................................................................................... 64Slides ............................................................................................................ 64

The Bass Guitar ................................................................................................. 65The Drums ......................................................................................................... 65String Instruments ............................................................................................. 67The Voice ........................................................................................................... 68General Techniques ........................................................................................... 69

Velocity ......................................................................................................... 69Quantization ................................................................................................. 69Iterative Quantize ......................................................................................... 69Swing ............................................................................................................ 70Randomness ................................................................................................. 71Controllers .................................................................................................... 71Using Volume / Expression / Velocity ........................................................... 71Volume – controller 7 ................................................................................... 71

Expression – controller 11 ............................................................................ 72Editing controller data in a relative manner ................................................. 72Velocity ......................................................................................................... 73Viewing Multiple Controllers ........................................................................ 73

Tempo Mapping ................................................................................................ 74Importing the original audio file .................................................................. 74Trimming the Audio ...................................................................................... 74

The Time Warp Tool .......................................................................................... 75The Tempo Track ............................................................................................... 78

Changing Tempo ........................................................................................... 78Deleting a Tempo event .......................................................................... 79

Changing Time Signature ............................................................................. 79Transpose .......................................................................................................... 79Marker Tracks .................................................................................................... 81

Creating the Marker Track ............................................................................ 81Active Marker Track ...................................................................................... 81Cycle Markers ............................................................................................... 82Applications .................................................................................................. 83

The Arranger Track ............................................................................................ 83Good and Bad programming ............................................................................. 85

Velocity ......................................................................................................... 86Controllers .................................................................................................... 86Sound Selection ............................................................................................ 87

Exercises ............................................................................................................ 88Sequencing Guitar Parts ............................................................................... 88

Chords ..................................................................................................... 88Strumming .............................................................................................. 88Bending ................................................................................................... 88Bending more than 2 semitones ............................................................. 88Unison Bends .......................................................................................... 88Slides ....................................................................................................... 88

Drums ........................................................................................................... 88Sequence a simple drum part ................................................................. 88More complex playing ............................................................................. 89Change the hi-hat .................................................................................... 89Repeat with 16ths ................................................................................... 89Use written music ................................................................................... 89

String Instruments ........................................................................................ 89Voice ............................................................................................................. 89

Large range pitch bend............................................................................ 89Vibrato .................................................................................................... 89

“Scooping” into notes ............................................................................. 89Tuning...................................................................................................... 90

Volume / Expression..................................................................................... 90Tempo Mapping ........................................................................................... 90

Summary ........................................................................................................... 91

Sequencing an Entire Song......................................... 93Listen and Analyse ............................................................................................. 94Tempo-map the entire song .............................................................................. 94Create Markers .................................................................................................. 94

Create empty parts ...................................................................................... 95Work out the parts in a basic form ............................................................... 95

Tuning...................................................................................................... 95Repetition ................................................................................................ 95

Subtle variations ........................................................................................... 96Listen with the original ................................................................................. 96

Programming of sounds .................................................................................... 96Dynamic changes ......................................................................................... 97Filtering ........................................................................................................ 97EQ ................................................................................................................. 98Performance characteristics ......................................................................... 98

Mixing and Effects ............................................................................................. 98Summary ........................................................................................................... 99

MediaBay ................................................................ 101The Full view ................................................................................................... 102

Attribute Filter ............................................................................................ 102Text Search ................................................................................................. 103Auditioning ................................................................................................. 104

MIDI ...................................................................................................... 104Patches .................................................................................................. 104Audio ..................................................................................................... 104

Filtering Media Types in MediaBay ............................................................ 105Search using Logical Filters .............................................................................. 106

Using Logical Mode .................................................................................... 106Filtering by type and tempo ....................................................................... 107Filtering by Key ........................................................................................... 107

Media Bay in the Right Zone ........................................................................... 108Instruments ................................................................................................ 108

The Loop Browser ........................................................................................... 109Using MediaBay to scan your own samples .................................................... 110

Editing Attributes ....................................................................................... 111Editing Tempo Information ................................................................... 112

Editing Categories ................................................................................. 114Summary ......................................................................................................... 115

Music Theory ........................................................... 117Musical Notation ............................................................................................. 118Rhythm ............................................................................................................ 119The Major Scale ............................................................................................... 120

Sharp Keys .................................................................................................. 121The Sharp Keys in order ........................................................................ 123

Flat Keys ..................................................................................................... 123The flat keys in order ............................................................................. 125

Reading Key Signatures ................................................................................... 125The Circle of Fifths ........................................................................................... 126More complexity ............................................................................................. 127

Enharmonic Notes ...................................................................................... 127Dynamics .................................................................................................... 127

Intervals ........................................................................................................... 128Chords ............................................................................................................. 128Inversions ........................................................................................................ 130

Chords with more notes ............................................................................. 131Reading Chords ............................................................................................... 132

Remember the Key ..................................................................................... 132Get the notes in the right order ................................................................. 132More examples........................................................................................... 133

Harmonising a Melody .................................................................................... 134Movement .................................................................................................. 135Voice Leading ............................................................................................. 137

Using different chords ..................................................................................... 139Modes ............................................................................................................. 140

Alterations from the Major Scale ............................................................... 144Tonal Quality .............................................................................................. 144Using Modes to alter a melody and chords ............................................... 145

Chords from Modes ......................................................................................... 148Development of a Melody or Rhythm ............................................................. 149

Repetition ................................................................................................... 149Transposition .............................................................................................. 149

Tonal ...................................................................................................... 149Exact ...................................................................................................... 150Sequences ............................................................................................. 150Tonal ...................................................................................................... 150Exact ...................................................................................................... 151

Retrograde ................................................................................................. 151

Strict ...................................................................................................... 151Pitch ...................................................................................................... 151Rhythm .................................................................................................. 151

Removing Notes ......................................................................................... 152Augmentation ............................................................................................ 152Diminution ................................................................................................. 152Rhythmic Offset .......................................................................................... 152Relatives ..................................................................................................... 152Two Before Five .......................................................................................... 154Flat Five Substitution .................................................................................. 155Direct Modulation ...................................................................................... 156Reinforcing the Key Change ....................................................................... 157Hinting at the new key ............................................................................... 158Using a pivot chord .................................................................................... 159Common Tone Modulation ........................................................................ 160

Ear Training ...................................................................................................... 161Exercises .......................................................................................................... 161

Harmonise a melody .................................................................................. 161Add extensions ........................................................................................... 161Voice lead ................................................................................................... 161Develop Melody ......................................................................................... 161Develop Rhythm ......................................................................................... 162

Summary ......................................................................................................... 162

Cubase and Chords .................................................. 163Introduction .................................................................................................... 164Chord Tracks .................................................................................................... 164

Creating a Chord Track ............................................................................... 164Editing a Chord Part ................................................................................... 164Voicings and Instruments ........................................................................... 166Creating New Chords.................................................................................. 167Chord Assistant Modes .............................................................................. 168

Cadence Mode ...................................................................................... 168Complexity ................................................................................................. 169Converting to MIDI ..................................................................................... 170

A Single Part .......................................................................................... 170All Chord Parts....................................................................................... 170

Live Transform ................................................................................................. 171Setup .......................................................................................................... 171Following Chords ........................................................................................ 171Following Scales ......................................................................................... 172

Chord Tracks and Audio ................................................................................... 175

Chord Editing Tools .......................................................................................... 176Inversions ................................................................................................... 179Inserting Chords ......................................................................................... 180Drop 2, 3 and 2/4 ....................................................................................... 181Add to Chord Track ..................................................................................... 182Match with Chord Track ............................................................................. 183

Chord Pads ...................................................................................................... 184Activating ................................................................................................... 184Editing ........................................................................................................ 185Voicings ...................................................................................................... 185

Adaptive Voicings .................................................................................. 185Editing Voicings ..................................................................................... 185Players ................................................................................................... 186

Remote Control .......................................................................................... 188The Chord Assistant.................................................................................... 188

Circle of Fifths ....................................................................................... 189Proximity ............................................................................................... 189

Exercises: ......................................................................................................... 190Simple Chord Parts ..................................................................................... 190Using Cadence mode to suggest new chords ............................................. 190Using Gap mode to bridge between chords ............................................... 190Use the Arpeggiator ................................................................................... 190

Arrangements ......................................................... 191Listen ............................................................................................................... 192Musical Elements in an Arrangement ............................................................. 192

Form ........................................................................................................... 192Instrumentation ......................................................................................... 193Rhythm ....................................................................................................... 193Time Signature ........................................................................................... 194Melody ....................................................................................................... 195Harmony..................................................................................................... 196

Example Arrangements ................................................................................... 197The Ace Of Spades – Motorhead / Hayseed Dixie ...................................... 197

Structure ............................................................................................... 197Instrumentation ................................................................................... 197Musical changes .................................................................................... 197

Don’t Stand So Close To Me – The Police (1979 and 1986) ........................ 198Structure ............................................................................................... 198Instrumentation .................................................................................... 198Production ............................................................................................. 199

Sex Type Thing / Swing Type Version- Stone Temple Pilots ........................ 199

Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden / The Moog Cookbook .............................. 200Instrumentation .................................................................................... 200Rhythm .................................................................................................. 200Introduction .......................................................................................... 200Structure ............................................................................................... 200

It’s Raining Men – The Weather Girls/ Geri Halliwell ................................ 201Structure ............................................................................................... 201Introduction .......................................................................................... 201Choruses ............................................................................................... 201

Summary ......................................................................................................... 202

Synthesizers ............................................................. 203History ............................................................................................................. 204Hardware ......................................................................................................... 205Structure ......................................................................................................... 207Editing a synthesizer ........................................................................................ 207

Oscillators ................................................................................................... 208Filter ........................................................................................................... 208Amplifier..................................................................................................... 208Envelopes .................................................................................................. 208LFO ............................................................................................................. 208The Amplifier Section (VCA) ....................................................................... 209

Controlling the Amplifier ....................................................................... 209The Envelope Generator ....................................................................... 210The Dynamics Switch ............................................................................ 211

The Filter Section (VCF) .............................................................................. 212Resonance ............................................................................................. 213

Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) .................................................................. 215The Oscillators (DCOs) ................................................................................ 216Two Oscillators at once .............................................................................. 217

MIDI Learn ....................................................................................................... 218Controlling Cutoff Frequency ..................................................................... 218

Storing A Sound ............................................................................................... 219Loading a Preset ......................................................................................... 221Choosing a Preset by using Attributes ........................................................ 221

Searching by name ................................................................................ 221Filtering Results ..................................................................................... 222Adding Attributes to Sounds ................................................................. 223Converting to VST Presets ..................................................................... 224

Halion Sonic SE ................................................................................................ 224The Main Window ...................................................................................... 224The Edit Page .............................................................................................. 225

The MIDI Page ............................................................................................ 226The Mix Page .............................................................................................. 226The Options Page ....................................................................................... 227Trip ............................................................................................................. 227

Oscillator (OSC) ..................................................................................... 227Sub (SUB) .............................................................................................. 227Modulation (MOD) ................................................................................ 228Arpeggio (ARP) ...................................................................................... 228

Flux ............................................................................................................. 229The Bottom Section ............................................................................... 230OSC Page ............................................................................................... 230SUB Page ............................................................................................... 231MOD Page ............................................................................................. 232Voice Page ............................................................................................. 233ARP Page ............................................................................................... 233

Using the Arpeggiator ................................................................................ 233The Lower Section ................................................................................. 235Using the Arpeggio Controllers ............................................................. 235

Other Synths .................................................................................................... 237Different Controls ....................................................................................... 237

TAL Elec7ro ............................................................................................ 237Sylenth 1 ............................................................................................... 238

Different Sounds......................................................................................... 238Different Features ...................................................................................... 239

Exercises .......................................................................................................... 240Listen to waveforms ................................................................................... 240Use the amplifier’s ADSR ............................................................................ 240Use the filter .............................................................................................. 240Use the filter’s ADSR .................................................................................. 240Use multiple oscillators .............................................................................. 240

Summary ......................................................................................................... 241

Sampling ................................................................. 243The History of Sampling .................................................................................. 244Sampling Hardware ......................................................................................... 245How a Sampler Works ..................................................................................... 246Sampling in action ........................................................................................... 247Sampler Tracks ................................................................................................ 247

Pitch Section ............................................................................................... 249Amp Section ............................................................................................... 249Trimming the sample ................................................................................. 249Fading the sample ...................................................................................... 250

The Filter .................................................................................................... 250Low Pass ................................................................................................ 251High Pass ............................................................................................... 251Band Pass .............................................................................................. 251All Pass .................................................................................................. 251Band Reject ........................................................................................... 252

Envelopes .................................................................................................. 252Filter Envelope ........................................................................................... 253Pitch Envelope ............................................................................................ 254Advanced Envelope Modes ........................................................................ 254

Sustain ................................................................................................... 254Loop ...................................................................................................... 254One Shot ............................................................................................... 254Sample Loop .......................................................................................... 254

AudioWarp ................................................................................................. 255Changing the Pitch ..................................................................................... 255

Root Key ................................................................................................ 255Range .................................................................................................... 256

Looping ....................................................................................................... 256No Loop ................................................................................................. 256

Other Features ........................................................................................... 258One Shot ............................................................................................... 258MIDI Reset ............................................................................................. 258Fixed Pitch ............................................................................................. 258Reverse .................................................................................................. 258Monophonic Mode ............................................................................... 258Transfer to New Instrument .................................................................. 258

Sample Backup ........................................................................................... 258Summary .................................................................................................... 259

Shortcircuit ...................................................................................................... 260The Shortcircuit Window............................................................................ 260Sampling for a percussion instrument or single note ................................. 260Melodic Sampling ....................................................................................... 262Sampling with velocity zones ..................................................................... 263Altering the sample’s volume over time .................................................... 264Using filters ................................................................................................ 265

Modulation ...................................................................................................... 266Altering the filter over time........................................................................ 266Velocity control of the filter ....................................................................... 267Velocity and envelope control of the filter ................................................. 268

Looping a sample ............................................................................................ 268

Making use of short cycle waveforms ........................................................ 270Tuning a sample .............................................................................................. 271Using the LFOs ................................................................................................. 272

Assigning the LFO ....................................................................................... 273Advanced Modulation ..................................................................................... 273

Using a MIDI controller to alter LFO speed ................................................ 273Using automation to control LFO speed ..................................................... 275Using one LFO to control another .............................................................. 275

Using Groups ................................................................................................... 276Making your own samples .............................................................................. 278

Using Loops with the sampler .................................................................... 278Using samples without a sampler .............................................................. 278Using Loops with Cubase ........................................................................... 278

Exercises .......................................................................................................... 279Sample a single note ................................................................................ 279Sample percussion sounds, program basic drumkit ................................... 279Sample singer over 1 octave ...................................................................... 279Extend above and below / detune ............................................................. 279Looping ....................................................................................................... 279Single-cycle looping .................................................................................... 279Modulation ................................................................................................. 280

Summary ......................................................................................................... 280

Automation ............................................................. 281Basic Principles ................................................................................................ 282

Controls ...................................................................................................... 282A first piece of automation .............................................................................. 283Creating Automation Data ............................................................................... 284Editing Automation Data ................................................................................. 285

Range Selection vs Point Selection ............................................................. 286Trim ............................................................................................................ 288Suspending Automation ............................................................................. 289

Viewing Automation types quickly .................................................................. 289Automating more than one parameter at a time ............................................ 289Bypassing an effect .......................................................................................... 289Automation of MIDI controllers ...................................................................... 290Automating Instruments ................................................................................. 291

Automation of an Instrument Track ........................................................... 292Automation of a Rack Instrument .............................................................. 292Automate Volume ...................................................................................... 294Automate Panning...................................................................................... 294Automate a Mute ....................................................................................... 294

Automate Bypass ....................................................................................... 294Summary ......................................................................................................... 294

The Logical Editor .................................................... 296Overview ......................................................................................................... 297The filter section ............................................................................................. 297

Selecting Notes .......................................................................................... 298Selecting Notes by Pitch ............................................................................. 298Selecting by Velocity .................................................................................. 299Filter Section Summary .............................................................................. 299

The Action Section .......................................................................................... 299Changing the Pitch ..................................................................................... 299Random Velocity ........................................................................................ 301Delete Short Notes ..................................................................................... 301Extract Note (C3) ........................................................................................ 301Accent Downbeat ....................................................................................... 302Delete Black Keys ....................................................................................... 303

Making a part more realistic ........................................................................... 303Using the editor for Composition ............................................................... 304

Generating new pitches ....................................................................... 305Changing note lengths and speed ......................................................... 305Changing Tonality .................................................................................. 306

Exercises .......................................................................................................... 307Select a single pitch .................................................................................... 307Alter the pitch ............................................................................................ 307Extract all the snares .................................................................................. 307Select all of a given note ............................................................................ 307Apply velocity changes ............................................................................... 307Apply timing changes ................................................................................. 307

Summary ......................................................................................................... 308

The List Editor .......................................................... 309Setup Window Layout ................................................................................ 311

The Filter ......................................................................................................... 312The Show Menu ......................................................................................... 312

Summary ......................................................................................................... 313

Scoring .................................................................... 315Basics ............................................................................................................... 316Staff Settings .................................................................................................... 318

Clef and Key ................................................................................................ 319Drums .............................................................................................................. 319

Editing the Drum Map ............................................................................... 320

Tidying up note lengths .............................................................................. 323Multirests ................................................................................................... 324Unpitched Percussion ................................................................................. 324

Guitar Tab ........................................................................................................ 325Chord Boxes ............................................................................................... 326Strummed Parts ......................................................................................... 327

Staff Modes ..................................................................................................... 328Split ............................................................................................................ 328Polyphonic .................................................................................................. 328

Adding Dynamics ............................................................................................. 330Adding Text ...................................................................................................... 331Bars and Bar Numbers ..................................................................................... 332

Using Repeat Marks ................................................................................... 333Aligning Elements ............................................................................................ 335Editing Multiple Parts ...................................................................................... 335Scoring for sampled parts ............................................................................... 335Printout ........................................................................................................... 335Exercises .......................................................................................................... 336

Produce a part ............................................................................................ 336Produce a part for a transposing instrument ............................................. 336Produce a strummed guitar part ................................................................ 336Produce a drum part .................................................................................. 336

Summary ......................................................................................................... 336

Audio ...................................................................... 337The Language of Sound ................................................................................... 338

Amplitude................................................................................................... 339Frequency Response Diagrams .................................................................. 340Waveforms ................................................................................................. 341Harmonics .................................................................................................. 342Dynamic Changes ....................................................................................... 344Phase .......................................................................................................... 345Dynamic Microphones ............................................................................... 347Condenser Microphones ............................................................................ 348Boundary Microphones .............................................................................. 350Summary of Microphone Characteristics ................................................... 351

Polar Patterns .................................................................................................. 351The Proximity Effect ........................................................................................ 353Gain ................................................................................................................. 355Analogue and Digital ....................................................................................... 361

Bit Depth .................................................................................................... 362Sample Rate ............................................................................................... 364

Storing audio in less space .............................................................................. 365Summary ......................................................................................................... 368

First Recordings ....................................................... 369Recording using a PC ....................................................................................... 370Preparation for the recording .......................................................................... 371Making the recording ...................................................................................... 372Ambient Recording .......................................................................................... 373Microphone placement ................................................................................... 374

Spaced or “AB” Pair .................................................................................. 374Coincident or “XY” pair .............................................................................. 374MS Mic’ing ................................................................................................. 375MS Recording and decoding ....................................................................... 375

Without a plugin ................................................................................... 375With a plugin ......................................................................................... 376

Setting up ........................................................................................................ 378Making the recording ...................................................................................... 380Listening back .................................................................................................. 380EQ .................................................................................................................... 381Trimming the recording ................................................................................... 381Mixdown ......................................................................................................... 382Exercises .......................................................................................................... 382

Record something ...................................................................................... 382Experiment with mic types......................................................................... 382Experiment with stereo mic placement ..................................................... 382

Summary ......................................................................................................... 383

Multi-Track Recording ............................................. 385Advantages ...................................................................................................... 386Disadvantages ................................................................................................. 386Recording Techniques...................................................................................... 386

Planning ..................................................................................................... 387Recordist .................................................................................................... 387Performers ................................................................................................. 388

Microphone Placement ................................................................................... 388Amplified instruments ................................................................................ 389

Multiple Microphones ........................................................................... 389Acoustic Instruments.................................................................................. 391Acoustic Guitar ........................................................................................... 391Double Bass ................................................................................................ 392Piano .......................................................................................................... 392

The Grand Piano .................................................................................... 393

Upright Piano ........................................................................................ 394Vocalist ....................................................................................................... 395Drum Kit ..................................................................................................... 395

Bass Drum ............................................................................................. 395Snare ..................................................................................................... 396Toms ...................................................................................................... 397Overheads ............................................................................................. 397

Making use of Polar Patterns ..................................................................... 400Experimentation ......................................................................................... 401How placement alters the sound ............................................................... 401The 3 to 1 rule ............................................................................................ 403

DI ..................................................................................................................... 403Budgeting for tracks ........................................................................................ 404

A typical recording session ......................................................................... 405The recording sessions .................................................................................... 406

Instrument order to record ........................................................................ 406Playing along to a backing ..................................................................... 406Click Tracks ............................................................................................ 406

Overdubbing .............................................................................................. 407An example ........................................................................................... 407

Setting the record mode ............................................................................ 408Keep History .......................................................................................... 408

Cycle recording and Lanes .......................................................................... 410Keep History and Cycle History + Replace ............................................. 410Replace .................................................................................................. 411

Dropping In ................................................................................................ 411Using Punch In / Out ............................................................................. 412

Providing Foldback for Overdubs ............................................................... 413Performer hears control room mix........................................................ 413Performer hears their own mix ............................................................. 413General Tips .......................................................................................... 413

Assessing the tracks ................................................................................... 414Exercises .......................................................................................................... 415

Basic Overdubbing ..................................................................................... 415Build up a track with multiple overdubs .................................................... 415Compare microphone positions ................................................................. 415Drop in and edit replacements ................................................................... 416

Summary ......................................................................................................... 416

Audio Editing ........................................................... 417The Tools: ........................................................................................................ 418

Trim ............................................................................................................ 418

Fade ............................................................................................................ 418Dynamic Automation ................................................................................. 419

Creating a loop from a sample ........................................................................ 420Finding the tempo of a sample ....................................................................... 421Altering the Tempo of a sample ...................................................................... 423

Using timestretch ....................................................................................... 423Making a sample follow Cubase’s tempo ................................................... 424Changing the Algorithm ............................................................................. 425

Changing Pitch ................................................................................................. 425Transpose Mode ......................................................................................... 426Envelope Mode .......................................................................................... 427Timing ........................................................................................................ 428Using AudioWarp ....................................................................................... 430VariAudio .................................................................................................... 433

Using Snap ....................................................................................................... 435Grid Mode .................................................................................................. 435Event Mode ................................................................................................ 436Magnetic Cursor Mode .............................................................................. 436Shuffle Mode .............................................................................................. 437

Audio Editing Examples ................................................................................... 437Fixing a timing error ................................................................................... 437

Using Time Stretch ................................................................................ 437Fixing Multitrack Drum Tracks .................................................................... 441Replacing a section .................................................................................... 443

With timestretch ................................................................................... 444Comping ..................................................................................................... 445Fixing pitch errors on a vocal ...................................................................... 447

Using pitch shift .................................................................................... 447A simple example .................................................................................. 447A more complex example ...................................................................... 448Using VariAudio ..................................................................................... 449

Removing Breaths ...................................................................................... 451Changing what someone has said .............................................................. 451

Exercises .......................................................................................................... 453Create a Loop ............................................................................................. 453Find the Tempo of a sample ....................................................................... 453Alter tempo of a sample ............................................................................. 453Find errors and fix them ............................................................................. 453

Effects ..................................................................... 455Send and Insert Effects .................................................................................... 456

Send Effects ............................................................................................... 456

Insert Effect ................................................................................................ 458Effect Types ..................................................................................................... 459

Reverb ........................................................................................................ 459Delay .......................................................................................................... 460Tremolo ...................................................................................................... 461Distortion ................................................................................................... 461Chorus ........................................................................................................ 462Flanger ....................................................................................................... 462Phaser ........................................................................................................ 463

EQ .................................................................................................................... 463Using EQ in Cubase .................................................................................... 465

Viewing Modes ..................................................................................... 465EQ Modes .............................................................................................. 466Editing EQ .............................................................................................. 467Pre Section ............................................................................................ 467Spectrum Analyser ................................................................................ 467

Frequency EQ Plugin ....................................................................................... 469EQ Display .................................................................................................. 469Piano Keyboard .......................................................................................... 469EQ types ..................................................................................................... 470

Peak ....................................................................................................... 470Low/High Shelf ...................................................................................... 470Notch ..................................................................................................... 470Cut ......................................................................................................... 471

EQ Modes ................................................................................................... 472Stereo Mode ......................................................................................... 472L/R Mode .............................................................................................. 472M/S Mode ............................................................................................. 472

Other Controls ............................................................................................ 473Inv ......................................................................................................... 473Lin .......................................................................................................... 473Output ................................................................................................... 473Auto Listen for Filters ............................................................................ 473Settings .................................................................................................. 473

Applying EQ ................................................................................................ 474Complimentary EQ ..................................................................................... 474

Compression.................................................................................................... 475Threshold ................................................................................................... 475Ratio ........................................................................................................... 475More controls ............................................................................................. 476

Make-up Gain ........................................................................................ 476

Attack .................................................................................................... 476Release .................................................................................................. 477

Side-chain ................................................................................................... 478Setting up .............................................................................................. 478Ducking ................................................................................................. 479Kick Drum side-chaining ........................................................................ 480

Sidechain in VST Instruments .......................................................................... 481Setup .......................................................................................................... 481Multi-band compression ............................................................................ 485Limiting....................................................................................................... 487

Gating .............................................................................................................. 487Attack ......................................................................................................... 488Release ....................................................................................................... 488Side-chain filtering ..................................................................................... 488

Direct Offline Processing ................................................................................. 488Applying a single process ........................................................................... 489Making a process permanent ..................................................................... 490Applying Multiple Processes ...................................................................... 490

Exercises .......................................................................................................... 492Insert effect to several channels, note difference ...................................... 492Set up FX channel, setup sends .................................................................. 492Use tempo matching to create musical delay-based effects ...................... 492Use of EQ .................................................................................................... 493Use of compression .................................................................................... 493Use of gating .............................................................................................. 493

Summary ......................................................................................................... 494

The Mix Console ...................................................... 495Opening the Mix Console ................................................................................ 496

Mix Console Sections ................................................................................. 497Zooming and View ........................................................................................... 498Channel Faders ................................................................................................ 499

Pan Control............................................................................................ 499Mute, Solo, Listen and Edit ................................................................... 499Channel Fader and Meter .................................................................... 499Automation, Monitor and Record ......................................................... 500Name ..................................................................................................... 500

The Channel Right-Click Menu ................................................................... 500Adding Group Channels to selected channels ............................................ 501

Channel Selector ............................................................................................. 504Visibility ..................................................................................................... 504Zones .......................................................................................................... 505

History ........................................................................................................ 505Channel Racks & Selection .............................................................................. 506

The Strip ..................................................................................................... 507The Sends Right-Click Menu ....................................................................... 508

Show “Enable” and “Level” Automation Track ...................................... 508EQ ................................................................................................................... 509Channel Strip Effects ....................................................................................... 509

Gate ............................................................................................................ 509Comp .......................................................................................................... 509Tools ........................................................................................................... 509Sat .............................................................................................................. 510Limit ........................................................................................................... 510Changing the order of the Strip section ..................................................... 510Setup Window Layout ................................................................................ 511Channel Types ............................................................................................ 511Agents ........................................................................................................ 512Mute, Automation and Bypass ................................................................... 514

Mute, Solo and Listen ........................................................................... 514Read, Write, Suspend All Automation ................................................... 514Bypass Rack Sections............................................................................. 514

Linking channels ......................................................................................... 515Linking limits: ............................................................................................. 516

Faders .................................................................................................... 516Pan ........................................................................................................ 517

Suspend ...................................................................................................... 517Absolute ..................................................................................................... 517Q-Link ......................................................................................................... 517

Sections not shown by default ........................................................................ 518Overview .................................................................................................... 518Meter Bridge .............................................................................................. 518Pictures ...................................................................................................... 520Notepad ..................................................................................................... 521Control Room / Meter ................................................................................ 522

Master Mode ........................................................................................ 522Loudness Mode ..................................................................................... 523

Summary ......................................................................................................... 523

Mixing ..................................................................... 525Importing Tracks .............................................................................................. 526

Trimming the tracks ................................................................................... 526Add Group Channels ....................................................................................... 527Add Folder Tracks ............................................................................................ 527

Panning ............................................................................................................ 529Set Levels ......................................................................................................... 529Effects .............................................................................................................. 529Individual Sounds ............................................................................................ 531

Compression .............................................................................................. 531EQ ............................................................................................................... 532

EQ Settings ............................................................................................ 532Making drums sound better ............................................................................ 535

EQ ............................................................................................................... 537Conflicts ........................................................................................................... 538Building the Mix .............................................................................................. 539

Automation ................................................................................................ 539Using the volume setting............................................................................ 539Using volume curves on events .................................................................. 540Using compression ..................................................................................... 540

Mixdown ......................................................................................................... 540File Format ................................................................................................. 541

Wave File ............................................................................................... 541MP3 ....................................................................................................... 541

Import Into Project: ................................................................................... 541Accurate Mixdowns .................................................................................... 542

Setting locators ..................................................................................... 542The correct tracks.................................................................................. 542Levels .................................................................................................... 542

Compare your work ......................................................................................... 543Rough mix & Notes..................................................................................... 544Re-mix and A/B mixes ................................................................................ 544

Final editing and mastering ............................................................................. 545Multi-band compression ............................................................................ 545Normalising ................................................................................................ 549

Exercises .......................................................................................................... 551Mixing ........................................................................................................ 551Multi-Band Compression ........................................................................... 551

Summary ......................................................................................................... 551

Audio Setup in Cubase ............................................. 553Latency ............................................................................................................ 554

Altering the driver and latency ................................................................... 555Routing Audio in Cubase ................................................................................. 556Plugins ............................................................................................................. 558

32-bit or 64-bit? ......................................................................................... 558Obtain 64-bit versions ........................................................................... 559

Abandon 32-bit plugins and find alternatives ....................................... 559Bridge 32-bit plugins to 64-bit. ............................................................. 559

Bridging plugins using JBridge .................................................................... 559Bridging plugins on Windows ................................................................ 560Bridging Plugins on Mac ........................................................................ 562

Installing Plugins .............................................................................................. 563Using an installer ........................................................................................ 563

Locating the VST Plugins Folder ............................................................ 563Adding a location for VST2 Plugins ....................................................... 564

Arranging your plugins .................................................................................... 565Arranging VST2 Plugins .............................................................................. 565Arranging VST2 and VST3 Plugins with Plugin Collections ......................... 566

Shortcircuit (Windows Only) ........................................................................... 567Troubleshooting .............................................................................................. 568

CPU Overload ............................................................................................. 568Checking CPU Load on Windows........................................................... 568Checking CPU Load on Mac ................................................................... 569

Disk Access ................................................................................................. 569Disk Overload ............................................................................................. 569

Getting more from a system ............................................................................ 570Freeze ......................................................................................................... 570Economising ............................................................................................... 571

Exercises .......................................................................................................... 571Set up Inputs .............................................................................................. 571Route audio inputs ..................................................................................... 571Install a plugin ............................................................................................ 571

Binary, Hexadecimal and MIDI Communication ....... 573Binary .............................................................................................................. 574Hexadecimal .................................................................................................... 575MIDI Transmission ........................................................................................... 576Summary ......................................................................................................... 579

Glossary .................................................................. 581Keyboard Shortcuts ................................................. 591

Editing - based ............................................................................................ 592Transport - based ....................................................................................... 592Window - based ......................................................................................... 593Tool - based ................................................................................................ 593View - based ............................................................................................... 593

Index ....................................................................... 595A ...................................................................................................................... 596

B ...................................................................................................................... 596C ...................................................................................................................... 596D ...................................................................................................................... 597E ...................................................................................................................... 597F ....................................................................................................................... 598G ...................................................................................................................... 598H ...................................................................................................................... 598I ....................................................................................................................... 599J ....................................................................................................................... 599K ...................................................................................................................... 599L ....................................................................................................................... 599M ..................................................................................................................... 599N ...................................................................................................................... 600P ...................................................................................................................... 600Q ...................................................................................................................... 601R ...................................................................................................................... 601S ....................................................................................................................... 601T....................................................................................................................... 602V ...................................................................................................................... 603W ..................................................................................................................... 603Z ....................................................................................................................... 603