User manual

116
Recording
Audio recording specifics
Selecting a folder for the recorded audio files
Each Cubase project has a project folder containing (among other things) an “Audio”
folder. By default, this is where recorded audio files are stored. However, you can
select record folders independently for each audio track if needed.
Proceed as follows:
1. To select the same record folder for several audio tracks, select them by pressing
[Shift] or [Ctrl]/[Command] and clicking on them in the track list.
2. Right-click the track list for one of the tracks to bring up the context menu.
3. Select “Set Record Folder”.
A file dialog opens.
4. Navigate to the desired folder (or create a new folder with the Create button).
Tip: if you want to have separate folders for different types of material (speech,
ambient sounds, music, etc.), you can create subfolders within the project’s
“Audio” folder and assign different tracks to different subfolders. This way, all
audio files will still reside within the project folder, which will make managing the
Project easier.
• It is possible to have different tracks record to totally different locations, even on
different disks. However, if you need to move or archive the project, there is a risk
of missing some files. The solution is to use the “Prepare Archive” function in the
Pool to gather all external files into the project folder first, see
“Prepare Archive” on
page 390.
Setting input levels
When recording digital sound, it is important to set the input levels correctly – loud
enough to ensure low noise and high audio quality, but not so loud that clipping
(digital distortion) occurs.
Clipping typically occurs in the audio hardware when a too loud analog signal is
converted to digital in the hardware’s A/D converters.
• Clipping can also occur when the signal from the input bus is written to a file on
your hard disk.
This is because in Cubase, you can make settings for the input bus, adding EQ,
effects, etc. to the signal as it is being recorded. This may raise the level of the
signal, causing clipping in the recorded audio file.
To check the level of the unprocessed signal coming into the audio hardware, you
need to switch the Meter Position of the level meters to “Input”. In this mode, the input
channel level meters will show the level of the signal at the input of the bus, before any
adjustments such as input gain, EQ, effects, level or pan:
1. In the MixConsole window, click the “Channel Types” button, and activate “Input
Channels”.
2. Open the Functions Menu, and on the “Global Meter Settings” submenu, select
“Meter Position”, and activate Input.
3. Play back the audio and check the level meter for the input channel.
The signal should be as loud as possible without exceeding 0 dB (the Clipping
indicator for the input bus should not light up).
The Clipping
indicator
4. If necessary, adjust the input level in one of the following ways:
• Adjust the output level of the sound source or external mixer.