User manual

128
The mixer
The input and output channels
The busses you have set up in the VST Connections win-
dow are represented by input and output channels in the
mixer. These are shown in separate “panes” (to the left
and right of the regular channel strips, respectively), with
their own dividers and horizontal scrollbars. The i/o chan-
nel strips are very similar to other audio channels and are
identical for input and output channels (except that input
channels don’t have Solo buttons or Sends).
Ö If you are using Cubase Studio, only output channels
are shown in the mixer.
The input channels (busses) you have set up in the VST Connections
window are available for selection on the input routing pop-up menus but
you cannot view them or make settings for them in the mixer.
• For information on how to set up input and output bus-
ses, see “VST Connections: Setting up input and output
busses” on page 13.
• How to route audio channels to busses is described on
“Routing audio channels to busses” on page 139.
• If the Control Room is disabled (see the chapter “Con-
trol Room (Cubase only)” on page 146), the Main Mix (the
default output) bus is used for monitoring. For information
about Monitoring, see “About monitoring” on page 20.
In Cubase Studio, the Main Mix bus is always used for monitoring.
Basic mixing procedures
Setting volume in the mixer
In the mixer, each channel strip has a fader for volume
control.
• For audio channels, the faders control the volume of the
channels before they are routed directly or via a group
channel to an output bus.
Each channel can in turn handle up to 6 speaker channels – see “Sur-
round sound in Cubase” on page 196.
• An output channel fader determines the master output
level of all audio channels routed to that output bus.
• MIDI channels handle fader volume changes in the mixer
by sending out MIDI volume messages to the connected in-
strument(s).
Connected instruments must be set to respond to MIDI messages (such
as MIDI volume in this case) for this to function properly.
• The fader settings are displayed numerically below the
faders, in dB for audio channels and in the MIDI volume 0
to 127 value range for MIDI channels.
You can click in the fader value fields and enter a volume setting by typing.
• To make fine volume adjustments, hold down [Shift]
when you move the faders.
• If you hold down [Ctrl]/[Command] and click on a fader,
it will be reset to its default value, i.e. 0.0 dB for audio
channels, or MIDI volume 100 for MIDI channels.
This reset to default values works for most mixer parameters.
You can use the faders to set up a volume balance be-
tween the audio and MIDI channels and perform a manual
mix by moving the faders and other controls while playing
back. By using the Write function (see “Using Write/Read
automation” on page 209), you can automate the levels
and most mixer actions.
Input gain
(Cubase only)
Bus level meter
Read/Write
Automation
Clip indicator, see
“Setting input le-
vels” on page 70.
The Speaker configuration
for the bus.
Edit button
Inserts and EQ
indicators and
Bypass buttons
Pan control (no
Panner used for
surround busses)
Input Phase switch
(Cubase only)
Mute and Listen
buttons
(the Output bus
also features a
Solo button)
Bus volume fader
!
It is also possible to create volume envelopes for
separate events in the Project window or Audio Part
Editor (see “Event Envelopes” on page 94) or to
make static volume settings for an event on the info
line or with the volume handle (see “About the vo-
lume handle” on page 89).