5.0

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The mixer
About the level meters for audio channels
When playing back audio in Cubase AI, the level meters in
the mixer show the level of each audio channel.
• Directly below the level meter is a small level readout –
this shows the highest registered level in the signal.
Click this to reset the peak levels.
If the peak level of the audio goes above 0dB, the numer-
ical level indicator will show a positive value (i.e. a value
above 0dB).
Ö Cubase AI uses 32 bit floating point processing inter-
nally, so there is virtually limitless headroom – signals can
go way beyond 0dB without clipping. Having higher levels
than 0dB for individual audio channels is therefore not a
problem in itself. The audio quality will not be degraded by
this.
However, when many high level signals are mixed in an output bus, this
may require that you lower the output channel level a lot (see below).
Therefore it is good practice to keep the maximum levels for individual
audio channels roughly around 0dB.
About the level meters for output channels
For the output channels, things are different. These chan-
nels have clipping indicators.
• When you are recording, clipping can occur when the
analog signal is converted to digital in the audio hardware.
It is also possible to get clipping in the signal being recorded to disk. For
more information, see “Setting input levels” on page 52.
• In the output busses, the floating point audio is converted
to the resolution of the audio hardware. In the integer audio
domain, the maximum level is 0dB – higher levels will cause
the clipping indicator for each bus to light up.
If the clipping indicators light up for a bus, this indicates actual clipping –
digital distortion which should always be avoided.
Level meters for MIDI channels
The level meters for MIDI channels do not show actual vol-
ume levels. Instead, they indicate the velocity values of the
notes played back on MIDI tracks.
MIDI tracks set to the same MIDI channel and output
If you have several MIDI tracks set to the same MIDI chan-
nel (and routed to the same MIDI output), making volume
and pan settings for one of these MIDI tracks/mixer chan-
nels will also affect all other mixer channels set to the
same MIDI channel/output combination.
Using Solo and Mute
The Mute and Solo buttons
You can use the Mute and Solo buttons to silence one or
several channels. The following applies:
• The Mute button silences the selected channel.
Clicking the Mute button again unmutes the channel. Several channels
can be muted simultaneously. Muting Group channels can have two dif-
ferent results depending on how the Preferences are set (see “Settings
for group channels” on page 80). A muted channel is indicated by a lit
Mute button and also by the lit Global Mute indicator on the common
panel.
• Clicking the Solo button for a channel mutes all other
channels.
A soloed channel is indicated by a lit Solo button, and also by the lit Glo-
bal Solo indicator on the common panel. Click the Solo button again to
turn off Solo.
• Several channels can be soloed at the same time.
However, if you press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click the Solo button for a
channel, any other soloed channels will automatically be un-soloed (i.e.
this Solo mode is exclusive).
• [Alt]/[Option]-clicking a Solo button activates “Solo De-
feat” for that channel.
In this mode the channel will not be muted if you solo another channel. To
turn off Solo Defeat, [Alt]/[Option]-click the Solo button again.
• You can un-mute or un-solo all channels by clicking the
Mute or Solo indicator on the common panel.
!
If the clipping indicator lights up for an output chan-
nel, reset the indicator by clicking on it, and lower the
level until the indicator does not light up.
A muted channel
in the mixer.
A lit Global Mute indicator on the
common panel shows that one or
more channels are muted.
[Alt]/[Option]-click a Solo
button…
…to activate Solo Defeat for that channel.