User manual

95
Recording
To check the level of the “unprocessed” signal coming
into the audio hardware, you need to switch the level me-
ters to “Meter Input”. In this mode, the input channel level
meters will show the level of the signal at the input of the
bus, before any adjustments such as input gain, EQ, ef-
fects, level or pan:
1. Right-click in the Mixer window to open the context
menu.
2. Select the Global Meter Settings submenu and make
sure that “Meter Input” is activated.
3. Play back the audio and check the level meter for the
input channel.
The signal should be as loud as possible without exceeding 0 dB (the
Clipping indicator for the input bus should not light up).
The Clipping indicator
4. If necessary, adjust the input level in one of the follow-
ing ways:
• Adjust the output level of the sound source or external
mixer.
• Use the audio hardware’s own application program to
set the input levels (if possible).
See the documentation for the audio hardware.
• If your audio hardware supports the ASIO Control Panel
function, it may be possible to make input level settings.
To open the ASIO control panel, open the Device Setup dialog via the De-
vices menu and, in the list to the left (below “VST Audio System”), select
your audio card. When this is selected, you can open the Control Panel by
clicking the Control Panel button in the settings section to the right.
The next step is to check the level of the audio being writ-
ten to a file on your hard disk. This is only necessary if you
have made any adjustments to the input channel (level
settings, EQ, insert effects, etc.).
Also note the following:
• If you record in 32-bit float format, the bit resolution will
not be reduced – which means there is no risk of clipping
at this stage.
Also, this preserves the signal quality perfectly. Therefore, you should
consider using 32-bit float format when you are recording with effects
(see
“Recording with effects (Cubase only)” on page 98).
• If you record in 16- or 24-bit format, the available head-
room is lower, which means clipping can occur if the sig-
nal is too loud. To avoid this, set the signal as described
below.
1. Bring up the Mixer context menu, open and select
Global Meter Settings “Meter Post-Fader”.
2. Set up the input channel, by adding EQ and/or effects.
With some effects you may want to adjust the level of the signal going
into the effect – use the Input Gain knob for this. Note that you need to
press [Shift] or [Alt]/[Option] to adjust the Input Gain.
Adjusting the Input Gain.
3. Play back the audio and check the level meter of the
input channel.
The signal should be reasonably loud without exceeding 0 dB (the Clip-
ping indicator for the input bus should not light up).
4. If necessary, use the input channel fader to adjust the
signal level.
Audio pre-record
This feature allows you to capture up to 1 minute of any in-
coming audio you play in Stop mode or during playback,
“after the fact”. This is possible because Cubase can cap-
ture audio input in buffer memory, even when not record-
ing.
Proceed as follows:
1. Open the Preferences dialog (Record–Audio page).
2. Specify a time (up to 60 seconds) in the “Audio Pre-
Record Seconds” field.
This activates the buffering of audio input, making Pre-Record possible.
3. Make sure an audio track is record-enabled and re-
ceives audio from the signal source.
4. When you have played some audio material you want
to capture (either in Stop mode or during playback), click
the Record button.