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File handling
Ö You can achieve similar results by using Cubase’s
own loop slicing features, see “Working with hitpoints and
slices” on page 186.
Importing compressed audio files
Cubase can import (and export, see “Mixing down to audio
files” on page 297) several common audio compression
formats. The procedure is the same as when importing any
non-compressed audio file, with one important thing to
note:
• When you import a compressed audio file, Cubase cre-
ates a copy of the file and converts this to Wave format
(Windows) or AIFF format (Mac OS X) before importing it.
The original compressed file will not be used in the project.
The imported file is placed in the designated project Audio folder.
The following file types are supported:
MPEG audio files
MPEG, which stands for Moving Picture Experts Group, is
the name of a family of standards used for encoding au-
dio-visual information (e. g. movies, video, music) in a digi-
tal compressed format.
Cubase can read MPEG Layer 3 (*.mp3) files.
Ogg Vorbis files
Ogg Vorbis is an open and patent-free format that offers
very small audio files maintaining comparatively high audio
quality. Ogg Vorbis files have the extension “.ogg”.
Windows Media Audio files (Windows only)
Windows Media Audio is an audio format developed by
Microsoft, Inc. Due to advanced audio compression algo-
rithms, Windows Media Audio files can be made very
small, maintaining good audio quality. The files have the
extension “.wma”.
Ö For exporting Audio, see the chapter “Export Audio
Mixdown” on page 296.
Exporting and importing standard
MIDI files
Cubase can import and export standard MIDI files, which
makes it possible to transfer MIDI material to and from virtu-
ally any MIDI application on any platform. When you import
and export MIDI files, you can also specify whether certain
settings associated with the tracks are included in the files
(automation tracks, volume and pan settings, etc.).
Exporting MIDI files
To export your MIDI tracks as a standard MIDI file, pull
down the File menu and select “MIDI File…” from the Ex-
port submenu. A regular file dialog opens, allowing you to
specify a location and name for the file.
When you have specified a location and a name for the file,
click “Save”. The Export Options dialog opens, allowing you
to specify a number of options for the file, e. g. what is in-
cluded in the file, its type and its resolution (see below for a
description of the options).
The Export Options dialog
You will also find most of these settings in the Preferences
dialog (MIDI–MIDI File page). If you set these up in the
Preferences dialog, you only need to click OK in the Ex
-
port Options dialog to proceed.
!
The resulting Wave/AIFF file will be several times
larger than the original compressed file.