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The Sample Editor
When you have correctly set a tempo or length for an au-
dio clip, this information is saved with the project. This al-
lows you to import files into the project with Musical mode
already activated. The tempo (if set) is also saved when
exporting files.
Proceed as follows to tempo match an audio loop to the
project tempo:
1. Import your loop into the project and double-click it to
open it in the Sample Editor.
2. From the Algorithm pop-up in the toolbar, select the
algorithm to be applied on realtime playback.
In this pop-up you can find various options that govern the
audio quality of the realtime time stretching. There are pre-
sets for common types of audio material and an Advanced
option which allows you to manually set warp parameters:
If you select the Advanced menu item, a dialog opens
where you can manually adjust the three parameters that
govern the sound quality of the time stretching:
3. Activate the Musical Mode button on the toolbar.
Your loop will automatically be adapted to the project tempo.
As you can see, it is very easy to adapt audio loops to the
project tempo.
!
Cubase AI supports ACID® loops. These loops are
standard audio files but with embedded tempo/length
information. When ACID® files are imported into Cu-
base AI, Musical mode is automatically activated and
the loops will adapt to the tempo set in the project.
Option Description
Drums This mode is best for percussive sounds, because it will not
change the timing of your audio. Using this option for pitched
audio will lead to noticeable artifacts. In this case, you can try
the Mix mode.
Plucked This should be used for audio with transients and a relatively
stable spectral sound character (e.g. plucked instruments).
Pads Use this mode for pitched audio with slower rhythm and a sta-
ble spectral sound character. This will minimize sound arti-
facts, but the rhythmic accuracy will not be preserved.
Vocals This mode was optimized for slower signals with transients
and a prominent tonal character (e.g. vocals).
Mix This mode will preserve the rhythm and minimize the artifacts
for pitched material which does not meet the above criteria
(i.e. with a less homogenous sound character).
This will be selected by default for audio that is not catego-
rized.
Advanced This allows for a manual tweaking of the time stretching pa-
rameters. The settings that are shown when you open the dia-
log are those of the last used preset. The Advanced settings
are described in more detail below this table.
Parameter Description
Grainsize The realtime time stretching algorithm splits the audio into
small pieces called “grains”. This parameter determines the
size of the grains. For material with many transients you
should use low Grainsize values for best results.
Overlap Overlap is the percentage of the whole grain that will over-
lap with other grains. Use higher values for material with a
stable sound character.
Variance Variance is also a percentage of the whole length of the
grains and sets a variation in positioning so that the overlap-
ping area will sound smooth. A Variance setting of 0 will
produce a sound akin to time stretching used in early sam-
plers, whereas higher settings will produce more (rhythmic)
“smearing” effects but less audio artifacts.
Option Description