Simon Millward continues his mission throughout the furthest reaches of the universe of Cubase, boldly sequencing where no man has sequenced before...
The first two parts of this guide have explored the major working areas of Cubase. However, the system is also packed full of smaller, but equally useful, facilities which help in the routine manipulation and control of MIDI data. Many of these facilities may be called up from the menus, while others are specific to certain areas of the system. In the last two parts of this series, we will take a look at some of these features and their uses.
Quantisation
The 'Quantise' functions found in the Functions menu are among Cubase's most used features, and deserve some detailed consideration. Far from being a mere timing correction facility, quantise on Cubase is a creative tool in its own right.
It's clear from the menu items that various different kinds of quantise operations are possible, but the principle is the same for all of them; Quantise moves notes onto or towards the quantise value, as set in the 'QUANT' box. How this is done depends on the type of quantise chosen. 'Over Quantise', ('Q' on the computer keyboard), simply shifts notes onto the nearest quantise value, but it also has the ability to detect if the playing is consistently behind or in front of the beat, and act accordingly — in other words, it will quantise chords intelligently.
'Note On Quantise', ('W' on the computer keyboard), is the least musical quantise method. It uses the Note On element of notes to shift them onto the nearest quantise value with no regard for their particular context, and the original Note length remains unchanged.
'Iterative Quantise', ('E' on the computer keyboard), takes things one stage further, since the user can set up a 'Strength' percentage and 'Don't Q' (don't quantise) parameter to govern the manner in which notes will be shifted towards the Quantise Value. 'Don't Q' tells Cubase the range in ticks around the quantise value within which no 'Iterative Quantise' action will take place, while the 'Strength' percentage tells Cubase how far to shift notes that are outside this range. Due to its progressive nature, 'Iterative Quantise' may be selected a number of times in succession.
'Analytic Quantise' intelligently corrects timing errors according to an analysis of the music based on the quantise value, and the actual characteristics of the contents. This is best suited to rhythmically complex input or solos, and is worth trying if none of the other Quantise methods seem to do the trick.
'Match Quantise' is a special kind of quantise function provided in the Arrange window toolbox ('Match Q'). It is designed to impose the timing and accent characteristics (or feel) of one part upon another. This could be used to tighten up the feel (say) of bassline and bass drum parts, by using the bass drum part as the 'feel' part. To do this, you simply drag the part using the match Q tool, and let go over the target bassline part. A dialogue box will ask you if you also wish to match the velocity values. In this example, you would probably select 'No'. The quantise value you have selected for this operation will govern the capture range. If you have selected a coarse quantise value, such as 4, more data in the target part will be dragged to the positions of the notes in the 'feel' part, which, in this case, would probably not be desirable. Selecting a quantise value of 16 or 8 would ensure that the bassline remains fairly intact, with most of the notes slipping through unchanged — only the notes closest to those in the 'feel' part will be shifted back or forth in time.
'Groove Quantise' takes 'Match Quantise' one stage further, since it allows the user to store a number of 'Groove Maps' for creating rhythmic feels. A selection of 'grooves' are supplied with Cubase, but these may be updated or completely replaced by new sets of grooves designed by the user or third‑party companies. Using preset grooves on existing material can produce startling results. A detailed explanation of 'Groove Quantise' is beyond the scope of this series, but it is worth making the effort to understand the details if you have the time.
As with most Cubase processing, the final judge of whether something is working or not is the ear, and this is certainly true of quantise. However, the maze of quantise parameters involved may obscure what is actually going on and what you are trying to achieve. Visual feedback may help clarify matters; Figure 1 shows the results of various kinds of quantise on a very simple drum part in Key Edit. The snare drum (D1) and the hi‑hat (F#1) on the second beat of the second bar have been recorded very inaccurately, and the displays show how each quantise method changes the data. Note that the hi‑hat has been recorded nearer to the third beat of the bar than the snare, and thus gets pulled across to this beat rather than onto the desired second beat if both Note On and Iterative Quantise are used. Only Over Quantise produces a satisfactory result, since this method treats the snare and hi‑hat events as a kind of chord and shifts them to the same position. Note also that Iterative Quantise will have no further effect on the data after the second selection, because all notes are already within the chosen 48‑tick 'Don't Q' zone. Of course, the quantising of more sophisticated data may prove much more complicated and only experience and experimentation will help perfect the process.
Users should note that Quantise works on notes alone, leaving other kinds of MIDI messages unchanged. In addition, Quantise does not permanently change the data, and except for Iterative Quantise, the original notes are always used for calculating subsequent quantise actions. 'Undo Quantise' will return a quantised part to its original state. Remember also that Cubase provides Quantise values of any resolution between 64th (or smaller in some Cubase versions) and whole notes, with triplet and dotted options for each. The choice of quantise value is crucial to a successful result.
Finally, 'Freeze Quantise' makes the current quantising status permanent. This could be used to permanently lock the quantise into parts that you are sure you will never need to reprocess.
Structural Editing Actions
Cut, Copy and Paste are found in the Edit menu, and will already be familiar to anyone who has used a word processor. Note that these functions may also be selected using the standard [Control] and 'X' for cut, [Control] and 'C' for copy and [Control] and 'V' for paste. As with your word processor, the chosen cut or copied data is stored in a temporary, invisible 'clipboard', ready to be pasted to a new location.
In the Arrange window, parts or whole arrangements may be cut or copied into the clipboard by simply selecting the parts required and then choosing cut or copy from the Edit menu or from the computer keyboard. The chosen data may be pasted back into the same Arrange window at a new position, or into a different Arrange window, where new Tracks will be automatically created for the pasted parts. You can paste from the clipboard as many times as you need to, since data is copied from the clipboard, not moved from it. Groups of notes and other MIDI data can be similarly manipulated in the Edit windows. Note, however, that data may be selected from a number of different parts but it is always pasted into the active part at the Song position pointer.
The 'Repeat' function is also concerned with moving data around. This is found in the Structure menu (or selected with [Control] and 'K'), and allows you to repeat parts and/or groups of parts in the Arrange window. Activating repeat brings up a small dialogue box where users may select the number of copies required and choose whether the copied parts are to be ghost or real tracks. The resulting copies will be automatically pasted onto the display immediately after the original.
For the bulk manipulation of data in the Arrange window, 'Global Cut', 'Global Insert' and 'Global Split' can be useful. Using the left and right locators to mark the positions of the appropriate section of music, 'Global Cut' will simply completely remove all data on all tracks between these points, and join the remaining music together where the section has been taken out, rather like removing a section of recording tape with a razor blade. 'Global Insert' is the opposite, and, to continue the tape analogy, simply inserts a piece of virtual 'blank tape' between the locators. The music is shifted forward from the left locator by the blank insert. 'Global Split' simultaneously splits all Parts at the left and right locator positions, rather as the scissor tool does for individual parts. In all three cases, muted tracks will not be subjected to the editing action.
All three global functions provide invaluable editing power when the arrangement is complex, for example when last‑minute changes demand that the middle eight becomes a middle 16, or when the Intro needs to be four bars longer!
'Repeat','Global Cut' and 'Global Insert' deal with the linear manipulation of data, but there is still the question of splitting and mixing data vertically between tracks to consider. 'Remix' and 'Mixdown', found in the Structure menu, provide the answer for structural editing requirements of this kind. 'Remix' is used to automatically extract a number of separate tracks, based on the MIDI channel of events, from an original composite multi‑MIDI channel part or track. In other words, if you have recorded an arrangement into Cubase from an external sequencer, and all the data has ended up on a single track, irrespective of MIDI channel, 'Remix' allows you to separate the data onto different tracks according to the MIDI channel of each event. Reasons for doing this might include the need to process or edit different parts of the arrangement separately, or to simply obtain a better overview of the actual contents of the arrangement. Before performing the remix, ensure that you have set up the left and right locators to the start and end positions of the target sequence. Upon selecting 'Remix' from the menu, all data between the locators will be copied over to separate tracks according to their MIDI channel. New tracks are created automatically as required, and the MIDI channel column is automatically numbered according to the MIDI channel of each separated track's contents.
'Mixdown', also found in the Structure menu, performs the opposite function of 'Remix'. In other words, it allows the merging of all data on a number of tracks into one single composite part on a new track. Simply set the left and right locators to the required section of your Song, create a new track and select it. Then activate 'Mixdown' from the menu. All tracks will be merged into a new composite part, entitled 'Mixdown'. Any tracks which you don't wish to include in the mixdown should be muted via the Mute column before you perform the mixdown; they will then be omitted. To enable the new composite track to play back normally, its entry in the MIDI Channel column should be set to 'Any'. Note that any of the Inspector's playback parameters, such as transpose or velocity changes, will be permanently written into the mixdown part.
'Mixdown' is useful for producing composite drum or percussion parts, or bringing together disparate tracks or harmony lines on the same MIDI channel. It can also help to tidy up a disorganised arrangement.
Synchronisation
A vague relative of the 'Master Track' is Cubase's Synchronisation facility. Cubase can, of course, run by itself in sync with the computer's internal clock, but as with most computer‑based sequencers, it can also be sync'ed up to external units. In such cases, Cubase will usually be slaved to an incoming time code of some kind via an additional hardware interface, or to MIDI Time Code or MIDI Clock via the MIDI In. Selecting 'Synchronisation' in the Options menu brings up a dialogue box where the essential parameters may be adjusted (see Figure 2). However, if you intend to use a hardware interface, such as Steinberg's SMP24 or SMP2, you must activate the 'driver' file for the unit. A driver is a file type used to provide Cubase with the necessary data to link up with the interface in use. The driver file is active when it has a full file extension; for example, on an Atari, .DR means the file is inactive, and .DRV means the file is active. On a PC, .DL represents an inactive file and .DLL an active one. The chosen interface will appear in the Synchronisation dialogue box as one of the options in the 'SMPTE Sync' and other pop‑up boxes.
The default setting of the Synchronisation dialogue box when you first open it is Internal mode, where no synchronisation to an external source is possible.
To take a practical example of Cubase sychronisation, imagine you wish to sync Atari Cubase to a tape recorder via a Steinberg SMP24 interface. The SMP24 is linked directly into the computer and Cubase via one of the Atari ports.
To readers not familiar with the Steinberg SMP24, it is a rackmounting interface with SMPTE read/write, two MIDI Ins, and four MIDI Outs. It may be directly controlled from within Cubase. If your SMP24 Driver has been correctly activated, the 'SMPTE Sync' panel in the Synchronisation dialogue box (see Figure 2) will now contain 'Intern', 'MTC' and 'SMP24' settings; the 'From Input' panel will provide the choice of receiving MTC from MIDI Input 1 or 2 of the SMP24; the 'Tempo Sync' panel will also provide the choice of SMP24 MIDI Inputs 1 or 2 for MIDI Clock tempo data; and the 'Send Sync' panel will offer the option of sending out MIDI Time Code or MIDI Clock information from any of the SMP24's four outputs. This kind of sync will be sent when Cubase is put into Play mode. SMPTE code will also be sent out of the SMP24 if the 'Write SMPTE' option is activated. This initiates the striping of the tape with SMPTE code at the rate set in 'Frame Rate' (usually 25 frames per second in Europe) and at the start time set in the 'Write SMPTE' box (indicated in hours, minutes, seconds and frames).
Once the tape has been striped, you can test Cubase to see if it syncs perfectly to the incoming time code. Adjust the Synchronisation dialogue box so that 'SMPTE Sync' is set to 'SMP24', and select the desired frame rate which should, of course, be the same as the rate on the tape. 'Tempo Sync' should be set to 'Internal'. Next, select the Song 'Start Time' in the 'Offsets' section. This is the SMPTE value which Cubase will treat as the starting point for the Song. It is probably a good standard procedure to set 'Time Display' to the same as the 'Song Start'. This ensures that Cubase's main time position readout on the transport bar matches the SMPTE time being received from tape, and is desirable as all the machines in your setup will then display the same SMPTE time. Note that the Offsets display the time in hours, minutes, seconds, frames and sub‑frames.
Finally, activate the 'Sync' option on the transport bar using the mouse or 'X' on the keyboard. Rewind the tape machine to before the selected SMPTE start time of the Song and put it into play mode. When the SMP24 receives code on or after the start time, Cubase will go into play at the appropriate position.
Those who have already used SMPTE will know that Cubase automatically chases and locks up to each new tape position selected. In the 'Sync Options' section of the Synchronisation dialogue box, the 'Locktime' setting dictates how fast Cubase will lock up to the incoming code, while the 'Dropout Time' setting determines how long a tape dropout will be tolerated before Cubase stops. 'Locktime' is expressed in the number of correct frames of time code received, while 'Dropout Time' is displayed in incorrect received frames. Cubase can be set to accommodate changes in the frame rate of incoming timecode.
Many synchronisation configurations are possible in addition to the one in the above example, the most popular of which are MTC (MIDI Time Code) or MIDI Clock setups. MTC is a particular kind of timecode which is sent down an ordinary MIDI cable. The synchronisation setup for MTC involves setting 'SMPTE Sync' to 'MTC' and, as with the SMP24 example, 'Tempo Sync' to 'Internal'. The choice of MIDI Input for the MTC is made at the SMPTE Sync 'From Input' panel, and will depend on the interface (or other unit) which is sending the code into Cubase. Once again, select the appropriate frame rate and activate 'Sync' on the transport bar. You should now be able to sync Cubase to the external unit using MTC, and the handling will be much the same as with SMPTE.
Note that both the SMPTE Sync and MTC Sync options described above do not dictate the actual tempo of Cubase. This is still governed by the tempo indicated on the transport bar or by the tempo (or tempo changes) in the master track when it is activated. However, synchronising Cubase using MIDI Clock is a different story.
MIDI Clock usually contains messages called Song Position Pointers, as well as tempo information to keep Cubase in sync with the external unit. For this kind of configuration, the parameters in the Synchronisation box should be set as follows: 'SMPTE Sync' to 'Internal', 'Tempo Sync' to 'MIDI Clock', and 'From Input' to the MIDI Input into which the MIDI Clocks are being fed. This time, the external unit governs the basic tempo and any Cubase tempo changes. This means that any tempo changes you may have programmed into the Song will have to be re‑programmed into the controlling device. Whilst this is all rather awkward and inconvenient when compared with other synchronisation methods, it can be useful if you are simultaneously synchronising several MIDI devices to a common tempo.
Next month, in the last part of this series, we'll take a look at Cubase's Preferences, MIDI Filter options, and Notepad.
Warning!
The features described in this series are those found on the latest Atari Score version of Cubase, but most of what is mentioned is also available on the latest PC and Mac versions. However, please note that there will be superficial variations in the examples given in this series for users of the PC and Mac versions.
Editing Pitch And Velocity
'Transpose/Velocity' (selected in the Functions Menu or by pressing [Control] and 'H' on the computer keyboard) is for the fine manipulation of the pitch and velocity of notes. When selected, a small window presents you with the options of changing either the pitch, the velocity, or both at the same time (see screenshot). The transpose section is fairly straightforward, as the chosen data may be pitch‑shifted up or down in semitones, or corrected according to a number of chosen scales using the 'Scale Correction' option. The velocity options, however, are slightly more complicated. These include the following: the addition or subtraction of a set amount from all chosen notes, the limiting of velocities between a set lower and upper limit (which has the effect of raising or lowering the velocities outside this range) and the compression/expansion of velocities according to a percentage and centre point. This last option requires some explanation. The compression/expansion ratio is in the range ‑100 to +300 percent. Ratios above 100 percent produce expansion, while those below produce compression. The 'Centre' setting is used to calculate the level from which the expansion or compression will occur. It may be set to average (where the program finds its own setting based on an average of the velocities of the chosen data), or to any user setting. Velocities with exactly the centre value will not be affected by the operation. When expanding, all velocity values lower than centre value will be lowered and all those above will be raised, both according to the percentage amount. When compressing, all velocity values lower than the centre will be raised and all those above lowered, once again according to the percentage amount.
Remember that Transpose/Velocity produces a permanent effect on the data, but this may be undone as long as the edit remains in the clipboard. As a general precaution, it is probably best to work with Transpose/Velocity from within one of the Editors until you have mastered the options thoroughly. If you work this way, updates to the data will only be committed to memory if you leave the editor and choose to keep all the changes you've made, for which you have to select 'Keep' in the dialogue box that comes up when you leave the editor. In the case of an undesirable result, using 'Escape' to leave the editor will return the part to its original form.
The Inspector & Playback Parameters
The Inspector (mentioned in Part One of this series, page 90, SOS September '95) is specific to the Arrange window, and is simply a mini window which appears to the left of the Arrange columns (see screenshot). To open and close the Inspector, you can either click on the square‑shaped icon in the lower left corner of the Arrange window, or press [Alternate] and 'I' together on the computer keyboard. The Inspector is important because it contains a number of parameters which can be changed to affect the playback of the currently selected part(s) or track. These changes are not recorded into the data in any permanent form, so the Inspector provides an excellent facility for quickly experimenting with the data without permanently changing it. The immediately useful functions are shown in the screenshot in this box. This outlines the functions, gives some example settings and shows their effect on the MIDI data.
Most obvious are the 'Bank' and 'Program Change' parameters, which simply change the bank or program number in the target unit. These functions are useful, firstly for flipping through the patches available on a synth to find the one you want, and secondly, for automatic program changes between parts. 'Volume' is useful for setting up a basic 'mix' of the current arrangement by changing the level of each part or track while the sequencer is playing. 'Velocity' and 'Compression' both affect the dynamics of the MIDI data, 'Velocity' in the simple sense of adding or subtracting a value and 'Compression' by dividing or multiplying according to a percentage. The two can be used together to 'flatten out' the dynamics of an over‑excited part (try settings of +50 for velocity, with 50 percent compression), or for adding dynamics to a static‑sounding part (try ‑30 for velocity, with 175 percent compression). 'Transpose' is useful for trying out simple harmonies or shifting the octave for any given sound. 'Delay' could be used for changing the 'feel' of the chosen part(s) or track in relation to the others by shifting the data backwards or forwards in time by a number of ticks. One possible use might be for changing a snare or hi‑hat part or track to be late or early, to give the drum arrangement a special feel. 'Length' might be used to increase the staccato feel to a part by using a setting of 25 percent, or to increase its legato feel with a value of 150 percent or more.
Tempo Management
The 'Master Track' (see screenshot) is Cubase's tempo and time signature manager. It is, in fact, another track like those in the Arrange window, but it contains specialised data. It also has its own unique display, which can be opened by selecting 'Master Track' from the Edit menu, or by pressing [Control] and 'M' on the keyboard. It contains tempo and time signature information alone.
Cubase usually runs at the tempo set on the transport bar, but when the Master Track button is activated (by clicking on it or pressing 'M' on the keyboard), Cubase follows the tempo(s) and time signature(s) set in the Master Track display. Even if the Master Track button has not been activated, all time signatures in the display will still be present in the Arrange window. However, tempo changes will only occur when the button has been activated.
The 'Master Track' display is managed using various commands in the local Functions menu in the top left of the window. The time signatures and tempi may be changed directly in the display by using the left and right mouse buttons. The position of inserted time signature or tempo events is decided by adjusting the 'Master Track' window's 'Song Position' before the events are added to the list using 'Insert Signature' or 'Insert Tempo'. Neither the bar number nor the SMPTE position are adjustable directly in the display list; the current value of the Song Position Pointer in the Arrange window is always the same as the default in the 'Song Position' display on the 'Master Track' window.
The 'Master Track' may be updated in a number of ways. It is always a good idea to enter the definitive tempo for your latest finished Song into the 'Master Track', just in case you accidentally change the tempo on the transport bar and cannot remember the precise tempo setting. If you wish to up the pace on all the choruses and return to the original tempo for the verses, this may be achieved by manually entering the tempi into the list at the appropriate positions.
If you wish to repeat certain sections of the tempo changes, 'Copy Range' in the local Functions menu may be of help. This copies the master track data between the left and right locators to a new position according to the current value of the Song Position Pointer. Whether the data replaces what is already there or is placed alongside it is determined by the 'Record Mode' status on the transport bar, which can be set to either 'Replace' or 'Overdub'.
To really 'feel' what tempi are required in a more musical context, try activating 'Record Tempo/Mutes' in the Options menu. If you then put Cubase into record, and change the tempo, each change will be recorded into the 'Master Track'. This results in tempo changes which feel more natural and musical. The data may, of course, be edited in the 'Master Track' window as before, but you may find that the amount of entries in the list becomes unmanageable, particularly if you need to delete 16 bars of tempi, for example. The delete facility in the 'Master Track' window is slightly awkward to use, and you may find it easier to set the left and right locators to a suitable length of blank space in the Song and use 'Copy Range' with the record status on the transport bar set to 'Replace'. The Song Position Pointer should be set to the start of the section that you wish to delete. The result is that all 'Master Track' entries for the appropriate section will be replaced with blank space and thus deleted.
A final point to note about the 'Master Track' is that it always contains at least one initial tempo and one time signature at the beginning of the Song.