User manual

58
Working with projects
Audio handling
When you work with audio files, it is crucial to understand
how audio is handled in Cubase:
When you edit or process audio in the Project window,
you always work with an audio clip that is automatically
created on import or during recording. This audio clip re
-
fers to an audio file on the hard disk that itself remains un-
touched. This means, that audio editing and processing is
“non-destructive”, in the sense that you can always undo
changes or revert to the original versions.
An audio clip does not necessarily refer to just one origi-
nal audio file! If you apply some processing to a specific
section of an audio clip, for example, this will create a new
audio file containing only this section. The processing will
then be applied to the new audio file only, leaving the orig
-
inal audio file unchanged. Finally, the audio clip is auto-
matically adjusted, so that it refers both to the original file
and to the new, processed file. During playback, the pro
-
gram will switch between the original file and the pro-
cessed file at the correct positions. You will hear this as a
single recording, with processing applied to one section
only. This feature makes it possible to undo processing at
a later stage, and to apply different processing to different
audio clips that refer to the same original file.
An audio event is the object that you place on a time po-
sition in Cubase. If you make copies of an audio event and
move them to different positions in the project, they will
still all refer to the same audio clip. Furthermore, each au
-
dio event has an Offset value and a Length value. These
determine at which positions in the clip the event will start
and end, i.
e. which section of the audio clip will be played
back by the audio event. For example, if you resize the au-
dio event, you will just change its start and/or end position
in the audio clip – the clip itself will not be affected.
An audio region is a section within a clip with a length
value, a start time, and a snap point. Audio regions are
shown in the Pool and are best created and edited in the
Sample Editor.
Ö If you want to use one audio file in different contexts,
or if you want to create several loops from one audio file,
convert the corresponding regions of the audio clip to
events and bounce them into separate audio files. This is
necessary since different events that refer to the same clip
access the same clip information.
Auditioning audio parts and events
Audio parts and events can be auditioned in the Project
window with the Play tool:
1. Select the Play tool.
2. Click where you want playback to start, and keep the
mouse button pressed.
Only the track on which you click is played back, starting at the click posi-
tion.
3. Release the mouse button to stop playback.
Edit as Drums
when Drum
Map is
assigned
If this is activated, parts on MIDI tracks with drum maps
assigned will be shown with drum note symbols in the
Project window. Also, the parts will automatically open in
the Drum Editor when double-clicked (overriding the De
-
fault Edit Action setting above).
Note Name
Style
Determines how MIDI note names (pitches) are dis-
played in editors, etc.
Option Description
!
When auditioning, audio will be routed directly to the
Control Room (Cubase only), if the Control Room is
activated. When the Control Room is deactivated,
the audio will be routed to the default output bus,
bypassing the audio channel’s settings, effects and
EQs. In Cubase Artist, the Main Mix bus is always
used for monitoring.