Cubase questions from a Logic user

Cubase
1

Hi all,

I’m checking out the Cubase 8 demo, and of course lots of questions pop up. For the record, there’s more stuff that impress me with Cubase 8 than confuses me - but more about that later.

Here are some of my questions. Thanks in advance to anyone who can respond to one of more of them!

Is there a way to make the bar ruler get a different color for the cycle area when it’s enabled?

Is there a way to type in a key combination and see which key command those keys are assigned to?

Is there a general key command for transpose up/dow a half step, which works in all editors?

In the score editor, I hear no sound when I transposing a note an octave up or down with a key command. Is this intended behaviour?

Is there something similar to Logic’s polyphonic voice separation tool in Cubase?

When I use the key command to open the tool palette once, the tool palette opens up. But when I click the same key again, it doesn’t close, but opens up another tool palette. Is there a way to avoid this?

Red is used as a color for both Solo and Rec mode. Can this be changed?

What’s the easiest way to edit velocities in the score/piano roll editors (for selected notes)?

If I enable the display of the audio inserts, 8 inserts are shown even if none are assigned. Can this be changed?

Can the piano roll window be opened up as a part of the “main window”, instead of as a separate window?

How do I delete a track (instead of just hiding it)?

How do I remove a Lane, and what do lanes do in Cubase (in Logic, the display multiple automation parameters)?

Is there a “Toggle automation display” key command, or do I need to memorise two key commands to display and hide the automation data?

2

My, we have been saving them up haven’t we… :wink: Well, firstly welcome…! Hope you continue to enjoy Cubase.

As you’ll know, all the main DAW’s have their individual ups and downs - use what you feel comfortable with to get the job done.

Can I just say that this thread could get messy for you - too many topics…! I’ll have a go first, but maybe prune it down to more manageable chunks, is my advice…

So, in the order they come:-

-No
-Only in the KeyCommands window itself (check manual)
-Can be assigned, but don’t know about the ‘in all editors’ bit
-Don’t know
-Don’t know
-Don’t know
-Don’t know
-No
-Lasso select the notes (or use CTRL and click-select separate notes), then use CTRL+drag up or down on one of the notes (or is it ALT…? not sure… but it works)
-In the Inspector, no
-No
-Right-click on the Track Header and choose Remove Selected Track from context menu
-Highlight, press delete (Lanes are for Comping takes in Cubase - check the manual)
-Don’t know

3

Not specifically when enabled, but the Cycle Zone itself can be colored, in Preferences.

Like Puma0382 said, in The Key Commands window.

It is different for the Score Editor, where Transpose is handled by the “Nudge Up/Down” commands.

Works here :wink:. I presume you do have “Acoustic Feedback” activated (the “speaker” icon in the Score Editor’s toolbar)

There is no “Voice Separation” Tool, as such, but of course Polyphonic Voicing is available (once the staff is set to Polyphonic, with your desired polyphonic settings, just right-click on a note and set “To Voice…”)

Am I guessing you are still referring to the Score Editor? Indeed, a 2nd click on the same key Command doesn’t toggle the palette… but, here, it isn’t opening a duplicate either :wink:.

Like Puma0382 said… No :wink:.

A few ways…
a) Like Puma0382 said (except that the modifier keys are CMD (or Ctrl on PC) + Shift, then hover over the note (or selection of notes) then drag up/down)
b) Use the Info Line (when the selection is multiple, it is the value of the first note that is seen, but they will all move proportionally. (or hold down CMD while pressing Return, and they will all take on the same absolute value)
c) In the Velocity Lane of the Key/Drum/In Place Editors, make your selection then Drag the enclosing box (several options there, including tilt :slight_smile: )

Not in the Inspector, but, in the Mixer window, the Inserts pane can be optimised (number of used inserts +1)

Like Puma0382 said… No :wink:.

Like Puma0382 said :wink:

Don’t confuse Lanes with Automation Lanes (which are expanded by clicking bottom-left of the Track header :wink:

Two separate Key Commands

4

yes you easily can, it’s called ‘edit in place’. Also, Note: to modify what controls appear on a track, right click on it and alter the order and what is visible in ‘track control settings’ for each track type audio, instrument, midi etc.

yes you easily can, key command: Project/Folding:Toggle Selected track

5

Select the part and go to Midi menu → ‘Open In-Place Editor’ to open a piano roll inside the main window.

6

Oops… forgot about Edit-in-place :blush: :wink:. It expands under the MIDI/Instrument track (as opposed to being a “docked” window like in Logic).

7

Thanks for the replies!


“Is there a general key command for transpose up/down a half step, which works in all editors?” The answer seems to be that one needs separate key commands for doing the same action in two different windows. There are things like that in Logic as well… Are there no workarounds for this in Cubase… I wonder if a user macro be created to solve this?


So a mini piano roll window be can opened up as a part of the “main window”, but no full drawer integrated into the main window. I can get used to this, I guess (and certainly like the idea of editing inside each region), but think I’ll miss the Logic solution here.

It’s kind of confusing that in order to hide/show automation, the needed key command doesn’t contain the word automation, and likewise – that in order to remove a lane, I need a command which removes a track. But I’ll get used to that as well.

Most of these are relatively minor things, and luckily, many of the major things (automation of Kontakt parameters, dealing with Smart/Quick Controls, and general virtual instrument stuff (dealing with articulations, expression maps and possibly MIDI step input functions) all seem to have better solutions in Cubase. Thanks again.

I’ll isolate further questions in separate threads, but one more thing for now, if any of you have time: Does Cubase have something similar to Beat Mapping?

8

Yes, the TimeWarp Tool. Works more-or-less on the same principle (but I find Cubase’s TimeWarp tool much nicer to work with :wink: )

9

Is there a simple way to get a click in Cubase which doesn’t have a pitch, more like a metronome or click kind of sound?

10

You can import an audio clip of your choice into the Metronome (in fact, two… one for 1st downbeat, and a 2nd for the others).
Save this as your main start-up template .cpr.
(btw., just out of curiosity, nearly a year after your original post… are you still just demoing Cubase? :wink: )

11

Thanks a lot. I was hoping that there was an internal setting in Cubase. (Frankly, I’ve never understood why someone would want a metronome with a pitch, because in so many songs it will crash with the tonality of the song.)


"btw., just out of curiosity, nearly a year after your original post… are you still just demoing Cubase? :wink: "

Sure, I didn’t have enough time back then, and since there’s a new version since then, I have another 30 days. And more questions. :slight_smile:

There area many things to like in Cubase (stuff Logic doesn’t have), but there are a L O T of windows of various sizes to relate to. For instance, it seems that I need to open a separate, small window in order to change quantise settings?


Also: Logic defaults to show only one plugin slot at a time, and more will be added once you have used the avilable slot.

The built in score editor also seems better, but that could probably change in Cubase since Steinberg now has the old Sibelius team.
At my stage with Cubase, I also miss the QuickHelp function Logic has (there’s useful info popping up at most things you point at), and the iPad help thing, which shows more detailed help info (in the connected iPad) about the area you focus on.

And the voice separation tool in Score definitely is a big time saver compared with the Cubase solution.
Plus, the UI is ion general a lot less cluttered. Besides, I really miss to just be able to press X and have the Mixer undock itself from the bottom of the screen. I used Cubase’s help menu to see how I found the mixer, but only two menu items popped up. And: when I choose a workspace, in lack of have a consolidated window like Logic has, Cubase doesn’t understand the size of my monitor, so I still have to edit the configuration manually.

OTOH, Cubase has Track alternatives, Multiple CC lanes, inline piano roll editing in the Arrange window, Expression maps, note names in the piano roll events, better CC editing and more. If Steinberg Applyfies and streamlines the UI more, I think they could win many Logic users.

12

I see there’s an option to choose a Logic key command preset in the key command window. But how do I actually load the Logic key commands into Cubase? I have chosen that preset, but nothing happens, and there’s no “Load” option, just save etc.

13

Are you aware of the option in MixConsole called ‘Fixed Number of Slots (In the MixConsole page, click the star next to the word Racks at the top of the screen and you will get a dropdown menu)’? Uncheck this option and then the mixer will only show enough Insert slots to accommodate the plugins that you are actually using.

14

Thanks, JSQ, I’m learning new things every day.
Btw, are there other Cubase users here with a Logic background which possible have some tips to share? I’m so used to Logic that my main obstacle probably is exactly that: old habits. This, and various things which I still don’t know if is possible in Cubase (and again, I can’t seem to get used to that one in Cubase needs to open a lot of small windows, often, to get things done) are what I have to deal with if I should buy Cubase.

Is it possible to convert from region based to track based automation (and vice versa) ib Cubase?
LPX can convert between Track Automation & Region Automation and back again
The score editor looks a little… outdated - is it possible to use Steinberg’s score font (Bravura) in Cubase (I use it in Logic)?

Is there a Solo lock mode?

I like the in-line editing of MIDI regions in Arrange, but is there an option for the opposite as well: to have one single piano roll editor open, which at all times shows what’s inside the selected MIDI region?

Is there a way to see and edit automation ion top of a MIDI/audio region?

Is there a way to automatically show piano MIDI tracks with bass/treble clef in Score (I seem to have to select Piano Split manually each time)?

And finally, is there a way to see fewer menus options in the main menu area? I like that in Logic, the score related menu options only show up when you need them - they are in the actual score window and not in the main window.

15

“I like the in-line editing of MIDI regions in Arrange, but is there an option for the opposite as well: to have one single piano roll editor open, which at all times shows what’s inside the selected MIDI region?”

I’ll answer this one: yes, just double click the MIDI part in the Arrange and it opens the MIDI piano roll editor for that part.

There is also a dedicated Drum editor page which you may prefer for drums and percussion.

Note you can also open multiple MIDI parts in one editor window: Just select the parts in arrange (Shift Select) and Open Key Edit - all the notes are there together, and if you select one note, the other notes in that part are highlighted.

16

Thanks, yes - it opens an “inline” editor, inside the Arrange area itself. And if I double click on another region, this region also turns into piano roll modem also in the Arrange area. After a while I have many small piano roll editors in that area, but I miss a way where a main piano roll editor at all times automatically displays the notes in whichever region you select.
A similar thing is relevant for the plugin windows: I’d like the plugin window to change its display if I select a new track in Arrange. This means that if I select a piano track, I see the piano plugin, and if I open a Kontakt track, the same plugin window now shows Kontakt instead (instead of my Piano plugin). This is done in Logic by activating the Link button, which defines if your editor or plugin windows are linked or unlinked to the selected track or region. This is a major workflow helper, and Maybe Cubase has something similar - I just haven’t found it yet.

17

I’m not in front of Cubase right now, but it sounds as if you have a preference set which opens the inline MIDI editor instead of the Key (piano roll) editor - I didn’t know that was an option so I’ve learned something!

There is an option somewhere in Preferences which allows you to set a default editor (any of them - Score if you like) when you double-click a part.

As far as I know there’s no automatic way to bring the VSTi to the front when you select its track - someone else may know. In general Cubase workflow has suffered massively (IMHO) since the ‘new’ mixer arrived - there is far more selecting and clicking now.

18

Thanks, I’ll look for that.

As far as I know there’s no automatic way to bring the VSTi to the front when you select its track - someone else may know.

Well, Logic doesn’t do this either, but if a plugin window already is open, it can be set to follow your track selection.

I have a couple of monitors I don’t use, and if I hooked one of them up to permanently show the score or piano roll editor, what would happen then (if Cubase has no window link function)? First time i double clicked a region, I guess the editor would show up in monitor #2 (if I had set it up that way). but what if at two minutes later double clicked or selected another region? Would a new editor open up on top pf the existing one?

Habits die hard, and I’m sure I could get used to a different workflow with some time, but I hope Steinberg consider some workflow changes which don’t involve all those extra windows, small or large.

19

Are there key commands for zooming in/out horizontally?

20

H and/or G (+ shift for zooming vertically)