If I record or import a guitar track, is there a way that I can use Cubase to automatically detect the tuning of the guitar or the key it is played in?
It is easy to see the notes from within midi. I could probably match it by ear with a keyboard, but I am hoping to find a faster and easier way. Thanks!
If you can’t do it by ear you should take up needlepoint or basket weaving or the like. 
You can use the tuner plugin to tell you the individual notes being played.
From there you can determine the tuning and key.
However, this will only work on a dry recording (no effects).
There is no plugin that comes standard with Cubase that will tell you tuning and key immediately (I don’t know of any either).
in the sample editor pitch and warp then functions extract midi ,i dont know if you will be able to determine the key from that , maybe analize it in the score editor it may give you a clue , ive never used the score editor but i think it tells you all the names of the midi notes. good luck anyhow . if you need to know the key desperatly just post the audio up somewhere on here somebody will help you out.
Ditto. Cubase will never EVER be able to tell the key…because its subjective…all the modalities possible. Even once it can dissect every pitch, any key it assigns would be opinion.
generally most intrumental sections can easily be identified as to what key they are been played in.even melodyne can identify what key something is been played in as long as the notes remain diatonic ,and in most cases do. i think you are taking it to the worst case senario from the way you are talking , i assume the op isn`t wanting to identify the key of a bizzare alan holdsworth or John Scofield lick. 
Feature needs to be included in Cubase IMO, for the non-harmonically inclined.
Surely it is quicker and more reliable for a musician just to play along with a tune for a few bars than wait for software to analyze a song and stll not pick out the right key.
If I record or import a guitar track
If you record the part why not just ask the guitarist?
When listening to a song and it arrives at the root key keep that chord in your head by singing the note to yourself and then find those notes on an instrument. You should be able to train yourself to do this fairly quickly with a little practice.
Depending on what we’re talking about, 1 note can change the styling of the chord… For 4/4 blues, sure, something more complex may not follow the ‘basic’ rules as much. Those with more ambition to ‘master’ different mode and variation of scale might not to associate the root with the key, perhaps futilely.
and the manual way is to add up the sharps and flats and check that way but that’s a more pure theoretical method no?
IMVHO most people with an ear for music should be able to learn, with some patience, practice and hard listening, to pick out the notes of a pretty complex chord. Of course proper listening is a skill in itself.
Similarly, learning to mix is about the ability to listen to little details and hear small changes rather than seeing an eq curve or looking at compressor settings and watching meters.
To me, the art of seriously listening to music is slowly being lost, as is the appreciation of technical ability and musicianship, especially of an instrumentalist.
Amen to that. People seem to think that computers should do everything for them. Spend some time learning how music works, and some basic theory. It’s not there just for the sake of it…
Yes. Use your god-given free ears, do a couple of days work on music theory and save one year pleading and two years waiting for the DAW to add this “necessary” feature.
Sometimes you just HAVE to get out of bed and boil your own eggyweggy. 
And that’s why the little feature on the toolbar “root key” has been specially designed for US to do a little work and tell IT what key the score will display.
Ditto, it could be fun to try!
ok off topic, if you are say tone deaf, and something sounds in key when it isn’t.
When it is in key, does it sound out to tone deaf people ?
Just wanted to know if there is any feature like this in Cubase in the meantime. A keyfinder tool would speed up my workflow. For me it would be sufficient, if I could select a bunch of midi notes, and cubase would give me a list of possible keys and scales that contain the given notes (maybe sorted from easy to more complex keys and scales).
Or is there some midi plugin, that can do that maybe?
Cheers,
Sven
I don’t think there is. Besides, so many songs are in multiple keys, not even sure how software could be that smart.
Assuming Cubase doesn’t have such a feature, try to figure out the chords one at a time while looping sections of the song while you play/strum along. Then it won’t matter as much what the chords names are. But if they do you’ll have figured them out.
usually use the chord (usually the very last chord of the song) that makes the song feel/sound finished as the key of the song.
If there are key changes then treat them individually with the same method.
Search for “GTune”.
Excellent and free plugin for determining the pitch of notes.
Regards
ChemicalBear