Ruler track

Cubase
#1

:cry: Why isn’t it possible to just drag the ruler track ‘second’ start time to user desired point ?? And count negatively before the zero point ? THAT would have been convenient and NEW ! :imp:

One can have negative bars on the project since cubase 4 or 5 and since then I’m waiting to have the same for time, they finally had the ruler idea … But no negative count ! Wake up, Mr Steinberg ! Turn on your brain again ! Like when you gave us innovations on less expensive updates !

I really think I’m going to try Studio One and stop to give money for nothing interesting in return to Steinberg.

#2

In the Project Setup, you can set Display Offset. If you set 00:00:04:00, then the Ruler starts with -1 23:59:56:00. Is this what you are looking for?

#3

Yes, it is …

…But when you want the time start to be on the same point as the first bar start, you can’t… There is not enough precision the display offset. And don’t ask me why (someone maybe has the explanation !) when you turn the mouse wheel on the last display offset number (which should be 1/100° second), the seconds (the number just on the right) increases every 30s !!
So --> impossible to allign time & bar start… And things become even ore complicated when you change the tempo of your project !! : the bar offset works correctly but the time start offset doesn’t change or update itself with project tempo change !
That means that you must calculate (and NEVER find the right one, see the 4th sentence of this reply) the new time offset as soon as you change the tempo project !
Can’t we just have a simple button to make time and bar start coinciding together with, for instance, 30s before this start ?? Then a way to keep this coincidence what ever the tempo of the project ?
This unfinished feature has never been fixed to work correctly, like so many other things in the most expensive daw on the market ! A shame !

You can replace project configuration “display offset” by “start”, those 2 project configuration menu features seem to have the same behavior for what I try to achieve. :neutral_face:

#4

Hi,

The Display Offset is based on the Time code. so the last digits are frames. If you set Frame Rate to 30 fps, then the last 01 = 1 frame, i.e. 1/30sec.

If I set the Time offset to the 0:00:00:03, I can see the offset of 3 frames, in the Time Code. Same if I set it to the 0:00:00:01, I can see 1 frame offset.

So it works as expected, to me.

#5

Really ?
But, did you change the tempo ? Is your time starting point still together with your bar startibg point after changing project tempo ? If it does, I need more explaination to achieve the same result ! :open_mouth: Maybe you’re right ! But I don’t find the way !

Why is the display offset based on only time code ? Why ? I must make calculation that never result on a precise point to have the bar & the time starting at the same time ! And it’s impossible because one is based on timecode and the other on time untill millisecond !

I always start my projects (made a template) with 18 bars in the bar offset to have place for sysex, storage of different stuff,…etc… But my projects are not always 120bpm ! So even if I achieve to set the display offset to have time and the 1° bar starting exactly on the same point, if I modify the tempo, the time offset doesn’t change (which is normal : only the tempo has changed, not the time !), so I need to find again the good time display offset to have time and the 1° bar starting exactly on the same point…
But as you said, because the Display Offset is based on the Time code, I can’t have time and the 1° bar starting exactly on the same point… :mrgreen:

Here, on a 84bpm project, I can’t have the 0 time closer to the left locator (which is on the 1°bar starting point) than on this jpg :
time.jpg
And with 60fps frame rate ! Ok, it’s very close… But on a 64bit system, one could hope to have some accurateness !

A simple “start time & bar at the same point” feature in the project layout menu would resolve this issue quickly and should not be too hard to code… And should have appeared with this project layout window (years ago !).

#6

So your goal is to get some headroom before the real start? So the 1.1.1.0 beat should start at 00:00:00:00 time, right? But you need some time, and also some bars ahead. Am I right?

#7

Yes ! That’s exactly it ! Sorry, I was busy… And sorry if my explanations are not quiet clear… I don’t speak english like I wish.

You’re speaking like you have the solution and it’s simple ! Please ! Tell me tell me tell me ! :sunglasses:

#8

Oh, I’m sorry, I have no trick here. :-/

The only one, I could imagine, is to set the Time offset and also the Bars 7 Beats offset. To make it simple to calculate it, use temp 120 (or 60) in the part of the offset. Then change the tempo to the wanted one in the very 1st beat.

#9

I believe I have similar experiences to the OP.

I often listen to projects via USB in the car, and take notes based on the “project time” displayed there.

When I get back to Cubase, I of course would wish to have a time display that matches the written notes I took in the car, i.e., project starting at zero, and moving forward consistently thereafter.

I have found however that project offset did not do that correctly. After reading the above, perhaps it is because my projects normally have variable tempo, and often even various time signatures.

Following this thread with interest!

#10

:astonished: I was starting to believe you know THE way ! :wink:

Well, sure, I guess at 120bpm, you should have the 2 points at the same place… But as soon as you want another tempo…etc…

I don’t understand Steinberg. They add new feature that are not totally functionnal, one hope they will fix them ! For that price ! They should !! Then … Nada, nothing, nichts, niente, rien, walou, peau d’zob, τίποτα, 何も, 没什么, que dalle, لا شيء !

Like the usefull track loop, which nobody use, with more than 2 bars, they never worked correctly ! And with more than one track selected in the key editor, it will work only on one ! I remember it was a new feature they claim it was worth to get the new update ! Long time ago, never finished but took your money for this new amazing feature…

#11

–> Alexis… Yes ! If I want to check something on a place of an audio track I recorded in cubase in another audio editor, I can’t use time because the time ruler in cubase doesn’t start at the same time as the audio track ! What a professionnal app !