Plug-in Reference
Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Christina Kaboth, Insa Mingers, Sabine Pfeifer, Kevin Quarshie, Benjamin Schütte This PDF provides improved access for vision-impaired users. Please note that due to the complexity and number of images in this document, it is not possible to include text descriptions of images. The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
Table of Contents 4 4 10 38 64 75 83 84 100 103 107 125 137 149 Included Effect Plug-ins Delay Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins Filter Plug-ins Mastering Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Other Plug-ins Pitch Shift Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins Tools Plug-ins 158 158 160 163 164 173 177 178 180 181 181 183 184 185 186 186 187 192 195 MIDI Effects Arpache 5 Arpache SX Auto LFO Beat Designer Chorder Compressor Context Gate Density MIDI Control MI
Included Effect Plug-ins The included plug-in effects are arranged according to their categories. This chapter is arranged in the same fashion, with the plug-ins listed in separate sections for each effect category. NOTE Most of the included effects are compatible with VST 3. For more information, see the “Operation Manual”. Delay Plug-ins ModMachine ModMachine combines delay modulation and filter frequency/resonance modulation and can provide many interesting modulation effects.
Included Effect Plug-ins Delay Plug-ins Delay If tempo sync is activated, this sets the base note value for the delay. If tempo sync is deactivated, the delay time can be set freely in milliseconds. Delay – Sync Activates/Deactivates tempo sync for the Delay parameter. Rate If tempo sync is activated, this is where you specify the base note value for tempo-syncing the effect (1/1 to 1/32, straight, triplet, or dotted). If tempo sync is deactivated, the modulation speed can be set freely with the Rate knob.
Included Effect Plug-ins Delay Plug-ins Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. If the effect is used as a send effect, set this parameter to the maximum value as you can control the dry/effect balance with the send. Nudge Clicking this button once momentarily speeds up the audio coming into the plug-in, simulating the nudge command of analog tape machines.
Included Effect Plug-ins Delay Plug-ins Filter Resonance LFO Modulation Q-Factor Sets the resonance of the filter. It is only available if filter resonance LFO tempo sync is deactivated and the Speed parameter is set to 0. If tempo sync is activated, the resonance is controlled by the Speed and Range parameters. Speed Sets the speed of the filter resonance LFO modulation. If tempo sync is activated, this parameter sets the base note value for tempo syncing the modulation.
Included Effect Plug-ins Delay Plug-ins Delay If tempo sync is activated, this sets the base note value for the delay. If tempo sync is deactivated, the delay time can be set freely in milliseconds. Sync Activates/Deactivates tempo sync. Feedback Sets the number of repeats for the delay. Filter Lo Affects the feedback loop of the effect signal and allows you to roll off low frequencies. The button below the knob activates/deactivates the filter.
Included Effect Plug-ins Delay Plug-ins Delay If tempo sync is activated, this sets the base note value for the delay. If tempo sync is deactivated, the delay time can be set freely in milliseconds. Sync Activates/Deactivates tempo sync. Feedback Sets the number of repeats for the delay. Filter Lo Affects the feedback loop of the effect signal and allows you to roll off low frequencies. The button below the knob activates/deactivates the filter.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Delay If tempo sync is activated, this sets the base note value for the delay. If tempo sync is deactivated, the delay time can be set freely in milliseconds. Sync Activates/Deactivates tempo sync for the corresponding delay. Feedback Set the number of repeats for each delay. Filter Lo Affects the feedback loop of the effect signal and allows you to roll off low frequencies. The button below the knob activates/deactivates the filter.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Cubase LE Included with X Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist X X X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – Amplifier pop-up menu Click the amplifier name shown at the top of the amp section to open this pop-up menu. It allows you to select an amplifier model. This section can be bypassed by selecting No Amp. Drive Controls the amount of amp overdrive. Bass Tone control for the low frequencies. Middle Tone control for the mid frequencies.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins BitCrusher If you are into lo-fi sound, BitCrusher is the effect for you. It offers the possibility of decimating and truncating the input audio signal by bit reduction, to get a noisy, distorted sound. For example, you can make a 24-bit audio signal sound like an 8 or 4-bit signal, or even render it completely garbled and unrecognizable.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Drive Sets the pre-gain of the amplifier. Use high values if you want an overdriven sound just on the verge of distortion. Balance Sets the balance between the signal processed by the Drive parameter and the dry input signal. For maximum drive effect, set this to its highest value. Output Adjusts the post-gain, or output level, of the amplifier. Distortion Distortion adds crunch to your tracks.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Grungelizer Grungelizer adds noise and static to your recordings – like listening to a radio with bad reception, or a worn and scratched vinyl record. Cubase LE Included with X Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist X X X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – Crackle Adds crackle to create that old vinyl record sound. RPM When emulating the sound of a vinyl record, this switch lets you set the speed of the record in RPM (revolutions per minute).
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Magneto II This effect simulates the saturation and compression of recording on analog tape machines. Cubase LE Included with Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – – – X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – Saturation Determines the amount of saturation and the generation of overtones. This leads to a small increase in input gain. Saturation On/Off Activates/Deactivates the saturation effect. Dual Mode Simulates the use of two machines.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins VU Input/Output The buttons determine whether the VU meter shows the level of the input or of the output signal. To set the input/output level, use the knob or enter a value in the value field. Quadrafuzz v2 Quadrafuzz v2 is a multi-band distortion and multi-effect plug-in for processing drums and loops but also for treatment of vocals, for example. You can distort up to 4 bands. 5 different distortion modes with several sub-modes are available.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Scenes Scenes You can save up to 8 eight different settings. If the default setting of a scene is active, the selected scene button lights up yellow. If you change the default settings, the button lights up green. If you change the default settings, the button lights up green, indicating that this scene has customized settings.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Soloing Frequency Bands To solo a frequency band, activate the S button in each section. Only one band can be soloed at a time. In/Out meter Display the input and output level. Gate Determines the level at which the gate is activated. Signal levels above the set threshold trigger the gate to open, and signal levels below the set threshold close the gate. Tape This band mode simulates the saturation and compression of recording on analog tape machines.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Drive Controls the amount of amp overdrive. Amp Types You can select the following types of guitar amps: • Amp Clean • Amp Crunch • Amp Lead Dec This band mode allows you to decimate and truncate the input audio signal to create a noisy, distorted sound. Decimator Controls the resulting bit-resolution. The lower the resolution, the higher the distortion effect. Mode Allows you to select one of the four operating modes.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins FBK Determines the number of repeats for each delay. Mode If this option is activated, the delay signal is routed back into the distortion unit to create a feedback with distortion. NOTE High FBK values and low Duck values in combination with activated Mode can lead to unwanted noise. Slider Width Sets the stereo width for the corresponding band. Out Sets the output gain for the corresponding band. Pan Sets the stereo position for the corresponding band.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. Output Sets the output level. VST Amp Rack VST Amp Rack is a powerful guitar amp simulator. It offers a choice of amplifiers and speaker cabinets that can be combined with stomp box effects.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Pre/Post-Effects On the Pre-Effects and Post-Effects pages, you can select up to six common guitar effects. On both pages, the same effects are available, the only difference being the position in the signal chain (before and after the amplifier). On each page, every effect can be used once. Each effect features an On/Off button known from stompbox effects, as well as individual parameters. Wah Wah Pedal – Controls the filter frequency sweep.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Depth – Governs the depth of the amplitude modulation. Octaver Direct – Adjusts the mix of the original signal and the generated voices. A value of 0 means only the generated and transposed signal is heard. By raising this value, more of the original signal is heard. Octave 1 – Adjusts the level of the signal that is generated one octave below the original pitch. A setting of 0 means that the voice is muted.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Gate Threshold – Determines the level at which the gate is activated. Signal levels above the set threshold trigger the gate to open, and signal levels below the set threshold close the gate. Release – Sets the time after which the gate closes. Equalizer Low – Changes the level of the low-frequency portion of the incoming signal. Middle – Changes the level of the mid-frequency portion of the incoming signal.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins NOTE • Pre-effects and post-effects can be mono or stereo, depending on the track configuration. • Using quick controls you can set up an external MIDI device, such as a foot controller, to control the VST Amp Rack effects. For more information about quick controls, see the “Operation Manual”. Amplifiers The amps available on the Amplifiers page are modeled on real-life amplifiers.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Selecting and Deactivating Cabinets • To switch cabinets on the Cabinets page, click the model that you want to use. Select No Cabinet if you only want to use the amps and effects. • If you select Link Amplifier & Cabinet Choice, the plug-in automatically selects the cabinet corresponding to the selected amp model. Microphones On the Microphones page, you can choose between different microphone positions.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins • To change the volume of the output signal, use the Level control on the Master page. Configuration On the Configuration page, you can specify whether you want to use VST Amp Rack in stereo or in mono mode. • To process the pre-effects, the amplifier, and the cabinets in full stereo mode, make sure that the plug-in is inserted on a stereo track, and activate the Stereo button.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins • To lock the amplifier and cabinet combination, activate the Link/Unlink Amplifier & Cabinet Choice button. If you now select another amp model, the cabinet selection follows. However, if you select a different cabinet model, the lock is deactivated.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins At the top of the plug-in panel, the following buttons open different pages in the display section of the plug-in panel: Pre-Effects, Amplifiers, Cabinets, Post-Effects, Microphones, Configuration, and Master. These buttons are arranged according to the position of the corresponding elements in the signal chain. Below the display section, the selected bass amplifier is displayed. The color and texture of the area below the bass amp indicate the selected cabinet.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Attack – Determines how quickly an effect reacts to the input signal. Mix – Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. Type – Sets the filter type. Release – Determines how quickly the effect fades after the input signal stops. Volume Pedal – Controls the level of the signal passing through the effect. Compressor Intensity – Sets the amount by which an input signal is being compressed.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Flanger Rate – Allows you to set the sweep rate. This parameter can be synchronized to the project tempo. Feedback – Determines the character of the flanger effect. Higher settings produce a more metallic sounding sweep. Tone – Allows you to attenuate the low frequencies. Mix – Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. DI Driver Level – Sets the output level. Blend – Blends between normal and tube emulation circuitry.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Mix – Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. Overdrive Drive – Overdrive creates a tube-like overdrive effect. The higher this value, the more harmonics are added to the output signal of this effect. Tone – Works as a filter effect on the added harmonics. Level – Adjusts the output level. Magneto II Drive – Controls the amount of tape saturation.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Using Effects • To insert a new effect, click the + button that appears if you point the mouse at an empty plug-in slot or at one of the arrows before or after a used effect slot. • To remove an effect from an effect slot, click the effect name and select None from the pop-up menu. • To change the order of the effects in the chain, click on an effect and drag it to another position.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Paradise An amplifier from the 90s, with a hifi-like clear tone, that makes it applicable for several styles. iTech A modern amplifier, with a universal sound. Tweed A classic vintage amplifier from the 50s, with a characterful and bright tone. Originally created for bassists, also used by many guitar players. The different amps keep their settings if you switch models, but amp settings are lost when closing VST Bass AMP.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins • To switch cabinets on the Cabinets page, click the model that you want to use. Select No Cabinet if you only want to use the amps and effects. • If you select Link Amplifier & Cabinet Choice, the plug-in automatically selects the cabinet corresponding to the selected amp model. Microphones On the Microphones page, you can choose between different microphone types. 57 Dynamic microphone with cardioid pickup pattern.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins Master Use the Master page to fine-tune the sound. Input/Output Level Meters The input and output level meters on the left and the right of the Master section show the signal level of your audio. The rectangle on the input meter indicates the optimum incoming level range. In all other views, the input and output levels are indicated by two LEDs at the top left and right.
Included Effect Plug-ins Distortion Plug-ins View Settings You can choose between 2 views: the default view and a compact view, which takes up less screen space. In the default view, you can use the buttons at the top of the plug-in panel to open the corresponding page in the display section above the amp controls. You can horizontally resize the plug-in panel by clicking and dragging the edges or corners. In the compact view, the display section is hidden from view.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Brickwall Limiter Brickwall Limiter ensures that the output level never exceeds a set limit. Cubase LE Included with – Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – X X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – Due to its fast attack time, Brickwall Limiter can reduce even short audio level peaks without creating audible artifacts. However, this plug-in creates a latency of 1ms.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins NOTE Brickwall Limiter is designed for the reduction of occasional peaks in the signal. If the Gain Reduction meter indicates constant limiting, try raising the threshold or lowering the overall level of the input signal. Compressor This plug-in reduces the dynamic range of the audio, making softer sounds louder or louder sounds softer, or both.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Make-up (0 to 24 dB or Auto mode) Compensates for output gain loss, caused by compression. If the Auto button is activated, the knob becomes dark and the output is automatically adjusted for gain loss. Attack (0.1 to 100 ms) Determines how fast the compressor responds to signals above the set threshold. If the attack time is long, more of the early part of the signal passes through unprocessed.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Close proximity microphone placement and equalizing can lead to situations where the overall sound is just right, but there is a problem with sibilants. Display Shows the spectrum of the input signal. • To adjust the frequency band, drag the border lines or click in the middle of the band and drag. • To change the width of the frequency band, hold [Shift] and drag to the left or right. Filter Lo/Hi Sets the left and right border of the frequency band.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Solo Solos the frequency band. This helps you to find the appropriate position and width of that band. Diff Plays back what DeEsser removed from the signal. This help you to adjust the frequency band, threshold, and reduction parameters, so that only sharp s-sounds are removed, for example. Dynamics Reduction Controls the intensity of the de-essing effect.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Side Activates the internal side-chain filter. You can now shape the input signal according to the filter parameters. Internal side-chaining can be useful for tailoring how the gate operates. Monitor Allows you to monitor the filtered signal. Live If this button is activated, the look-ahead feature of the effect is deactivated. Look-ahead produces more accurate processing, but adds a certain amount of latency as a trade-off.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Length (5 to 200 ms) Sets the length of the attack phase. Release (-20 to 20 dB) Sets the gain of the release phase of the signal. Output Sets the output level. NOTE If side-chaining is supported, the effect can also be controlled from another signal source via the side-chain input. If the side-chain signal exceeds the threshold, the effect is triggered. For a description of how to set up side-chain routing, see the “Operation Manual”.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Soft Knee If this button is deactivated, signals below the threshold are expanded instantly according to the set ratio (hard knee). If Soft Knee is activated, the onset of expansion is more gradual, producing less drastic results. Fall (0.1 to 100 ms) Determines how fast the expander responds to signals below the set threshold. If the fall time is long, more of the early part of the signal passes through unprocessed.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Threshold (-60 to 0 dB) Determines the level where the gate is activated. Signal levels above the set threshold trigger the gate to open, and signal levels below the set threshold close the gate. State LED Indicates whether the gate is open (LED lights up in green), closed (LED lights up in red) or in an intermediate state (LED lights up in yellow).
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Release (10 to 1000 ms or Auto mode) Sets the time after which the gate closes (after the set Hold time). If the Auto button is activated, Gate automatically finds the best release setting for the audio material. Range , the Adjusts the attenuation of the gate when it is shut. If Range is set to gate is completely shut. The higher the value, the higher the level of the signal that passes through the shut gate.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Limiter can adjust and optimize the Release parameter automatically according to the audio material, or it can be set manually. Limiter also features separate meters for the input, output and the amount of limiting (middle meters). Input (-24 to 24 dB) Sets the input gain. Output (-24 to 6 dB) Sets the maximum output level. Release (0.1 to 1000 ms or Auto mode) Sets the time after which the gain returns to its original level.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Cubase LE Included with Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – – – X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – Gating, in its fundamental form, silences audio signals below a set threshold. If a signal rises above the set level, the gate opens to let the signal through. Signals below the set level are silenced. MIDI Gate, however, is not triggered by threshold levels, but MIDI notes. Therefore, it needs both audio and MIDI data to function.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins • In Note-Off mode, the gate remains open for as long as the MIDI note plays. The Hold and Release parameters are applied once a note-off signal has been received. Setting Up MIDI Gate To use MIDI Gate for your audio, you need an audio track and a MIDI track. PROCEDURE 1. Select the audio track to which you want to apply MIDI Gate. This can be recorded or realtime audio material from any audio track. 2.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Cubase LE Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK Included with – – – – X X – Side-chain support – – – – X X – Frequency Band Editor The frequency band editor in the upper half of the panel is where you set the width of the frequency bands as well as their level after compression. The vertical value scale to the left shows the gain level of each frequency band. The horizontal scale shows the available frequency range.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Bypassing Frequency Bands To bypass each frequency band, activate the button in each section. Soloing Frequency Bands To solo a frequency band, activate the S button in each section. Only one band can be soloed at a time. Output (-24 to 24 dB) Sets the output level. Compressor Section You can specify the Threshold and Ratio by moving breakpoints or using the corresponding knobs.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Frequency If the Side-Chain button is activated, this sets the frequency of the side-chain filter. Q-Factor If the Side-Chain button is activated, this sets the resonance or width of the filter. Side-Chain Activates the internal side-chain filter. The input signal can then be shaped according to the filter parameters. Internal side-chaining is useful for tailoring how the gate operates. Side-Chain Activates the internal side-chain filter.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Frequency Band Editor The frequency band editor in the upper half of the panel is where you set the width of the frequency bands as well as their level. The vertical value scale to the left shows the gain level of each frequency band. The horizontal scale shows the available frequency range. • To define the frequency range of the different frequency bands, use the handles at the sides of each frequency band.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Output (-24 to 24 dB) Sets the output level. Shaper Section You can specify the Attack, Length, and Release by moving breakpoints or using the corresponding knobs. Be careful with levels when boosting the gain. You can reduce the output level to avoid clipping. Attack (-20 to 20 dB) Sets the gain of the attack phase of the signal. Length (5 to 200 ms) Sets the length of the attack phase. Release (-20 to 20 dB) Sets the gain of the release phase of the signal.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Frequency Band Editor The frequency band editor in the upper half of the panel is where you set the width of the frequency bands as well as their level after expansion. The vertical value scale to the left shows the gain level of each frequency band. The horizontal scale shows the available frequency range. • To define the frequency range of the different frequency bands, use the handles at the sides.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Output (-24 to 24 dB) Sets the output level. Expander Section You can specify the Threshold and Ratio by moving breakpoints or using the corresponding knobs. The first breakpoint from which the line deviates from the straight diagonal is the threshold point. Threshold (-60 to 0 dB) Determines the level where the expansion kicks in. Only signal levels below the set threshold are processed. Ratio Sets the amount of gain boost applied to signals below the threshold.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Q-Factor If the Side-Chain button is activated, this sets the resonance or width of the filter. Side-Chain Activates the internal side-chain filter. The input signal can then be shaped according to the filter parameters. Internal side-chaining is useful for tailoring how the gate operates. Side-Chain Activates the internal side-chain filter. The side-chain signal can then be shaped according to the filter parameters.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Output (-12 to 12 dB) Sets the output gain. Attack (0.1 to 100 ms) Determines how fast the compressor responds. If the attack time is long, more of the initial part of the signal passes through unprocessed. Release (10 to 1000 ms or Auto mode) Sets the time after which the gain returns to its original level. If the Auto button is activated, the plug-in automatically finds the best release setting for the audio material.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Cubase LE Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK Included with – – X X X X – Side-chain support – – – X X X – This compressor features separate controls for Input and Output gain, Attack, and Release. In addition, there is a Punch mode which preserves the attack phase of the signal and a program-dependent Auto feature for the Release parameter. Input Determines the compression amount.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Cubase LE Included with X Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist X X X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – The window is divided into three sections, containing controls and meters for each processor. Activate the individual processors using the buttons Gate, Compressor, and Limiter at the bottom of the plug-in panel. Gate Section Gating, or noise gating, is a method of dynamic processing that silences audio signals below a set threshold.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Monitor Allows you to monitor the filtered signal. Attack (0.1 to 100 ms) Determines how fast the compressor responds to signals above the set threshold. If the attack time is long, more of the early part of the signal passes through unprocessed. Hold (0 to 2000 ms) Determines how long the gate remains open after the signal drops below the threshold level. Release (10 to 1000 ms or Auto mode) Sets the time after which the gate closes after the set Hold time.
Included Effect Plug-ins Dynamics Plug-ins Release (10 to 1000 ms or Auto mode) Sets the time after which the gain returns to its original level when the signal drops below the threshold. If the Auto button is activated, the plug-in automatically finds the best release setting for the audio material. Graphical display Use the graphical display to graphically set the threshold and ratio values. To the left and right of the graphical display, you find two meters that show the amount of gain reduction in dB.
Included Effect Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins CurveEQ Voxengo CurveEQ is a spline equalizer for professional music and audio production applications. CurveEQ shows the filter response you are designing by means of a spline, that is, a smooth curvy line. This way you can see how the EQ alters the sound.
Included Effect Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins Title Bar Plug-in instance name This text box allows you to name the current plug-in instance. Bypass Use this button to compare the sound of the unprocessed signal to that of the processed signal. The Bypass button does not reduce the plug-in’s CPU load when switched on. General Control Bar Presets selector Allows you to store and restore custom settings. Undo Allows you to undo changes.
Included Effect Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins Save CSV Allows you to save the selected EQ curve in a comma-separated text file. The EQ curve is stored as series of frequency/gain pairs, one per line, in the following form: 20.00,3.00 400.00,2.51 1000.00,1.45 # comment 5000.00,3.40 20000.00,1.05 Each pair defines the position of a single control point on the CurveEQ’s control surface. Write decimal points as a period, not as a comma. Comments can be added at any position, starting with a hash character.
Included Effect Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins Main EQ Control Surface The heart of CurveEQ is the equalizer control surface with a built-in real-time spectrum analyzer. • To add a control point, double-click the curve. • To delete a control point, double-click it. The picture above shows the equalizer control surface with control points that can be dragged to adjust the filter’s gain and frequency.
Included Effect Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins Equalizer – Group Editing You can perform editing operations on a group of control points. • To select several control points, click inside the equalizer control surface and drag a rectangle over the control points that you want to select. • To select all control points at once, right-click the control surface. • To deselect any selected points, click in the control surface.
Included Effect Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins Equalizer - Narrow-Band Sweeping To highlight the resonances in the sound, you can enable the narrow-band sweeping function by pressing [Shift] and dragging in the control surface with the mouse. As a result of this action, the curve of the band-pass filter only passes the selected frequency range. You can adjust the bandwidth of the filter with the mouse wheel. The band-pass filter’s curve is applied on top of the existing equalizer curve.
Included Effect Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins Curve 1/2/3 You can define up to 3 equalizer curves for every channel group. This is useful if you are using spectrum matching. For example, you can apply a matching EQ curve generated automatically and at the same time apply any additional EQ curve that you draw manually. Note that CurveEQ has a lower resolution at the frequencies below 200 Hz. At these frequencies, the EQ curve does not always follow the control point positions.
Included Effect Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins • To set the Low, Mid, and Hi frequency bands, click and drag the EQ points. • To fine-adjust the Low, Mid, and Hi frequency bands, press [Shift] and drag the EQ points. • To set a parameter to zero, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click it. • To change the Gain values, click them and move the mouse up or down. Low Gain Sets the amount of boost or attenuation for the low band. Low Kill (Activates Low Cut) Cuts the low band.
Included Effect Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins Each band can be attenuated or boosted by up to 12 dB, allowing for fine control of the frequency response. In addition, there are several preset modes available that can add color to the sound of GEQ-10/GEQ-30. You can draw response curves in the main display by clicking and dragging with the mouse. You have to click one of the sliders before you drag across the display. At the bottom of the window, the individual frequency bands are shown in Hz.
Included Effect Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins Resonant Applies serial filters where a gain increase of one band lowers the gain in adjacent bands. StudioEQ Studio EQ is a high-quality 4-band parametric stereo equalizer with two fully parametric mid-range bands. The low and high bands can act as either shelving filters (three types), or as peak filter (band-pass), or as cut filter (low-pass/high-pass).
Included Effect Plug-ins EQ Plug-ins Q-Factor Controls the width, or resonance, of the corresponding band. Filter mode For the low and high band, you can choose between three types of shelving filters, a peak filter (band-pass), and a cut filter (lowpass/high-pass). If Cut mode is selected, the Gain parameter is fixed. • Shelf I adds resonance in the opposite gain direction slightly above the set frequency. • Shelf II adds resonance in the gain direction at the set frequency.
Included Effect Plug-ins Filter Plug-ins [Shift] If you keep [Shift] pressed and drag the mouse, the Q-factor of the corresponding EQ band is modified. [Alt]/[Option] If you keep [Alt]/[Option] pressed and drag the mouse, the frequency of the corresponding EQ band is modified. [Ctrl]/[Command] If you keep [Ctrl]/[Command] pressed and drag the mouse, the gain value of the corresponding EQ band is modified.
Included Effect Plug-ins Filter Plug-ins Cubase LE Included with 1) – Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – X X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – High Pass (6, 12, 18, 24 dB per decade) Eliminates low-frequency signal components. Several filter slopes are available. 2) Band Rejection (12, 24 dB/per decade) Lets all frequencies pass, except those in the stop band. Several filter slopes are available. 3) Resonance Factor Changes the resonance value of the filters.
Included Effect Plug-ins Filter Plug-ins 8) Band Pass (12, 24 dB per decade) Allows signals falling within a certain frequency range to pass through. Several filter slopes are available. 9) Low Pass (6, 12, 18, 24 dB per decade) Eliminates high-frequency signal components. Several filter slopes are available. PostFilter This effect allows quick and easy filtering of unwanted frequencies, creating room for the important sounds in your mix.
Included Effect Plug-ins Filter Plug-ins Low Cut Freq (20 Hz to 1 kHz, or Off) Allows you to eliminate low-frequency noise. The filter is inactive if the curve point is located all the way to the left. You can set the frequency either in Hz or as a note value. If you enter a note value, the frequency is automatically changed to Hz. For example, a note value of A3 sets the frequency to 440 Hz. When you enter a note value, you can also enter a cent offset. For example, enter A5 -23 or C4 +49.
Included Effect Plug-ins Filter Plug-ins Notches buttons (1, 2, 4, 8) These buttons add additional notch filters to filter out harmonics. High Cut Freq (3 Hz to 20 kHz, or Off) This high-cut filter allows you to remove high-frequency noise. The filter is inactive if the curve point is located all the way to the right. You can set the frequency either in Hz or as a note value. If you enter a note value, the frequency is automatically changed to Hz.
Included Effect Plug-ins Filter Plug-ins The horizontal axis shows the pattern steps 1 to 16 from left to right, and the vertical axis determines the (relative) filter cutoff frequency and resonance settings. The higher up on the vertical axis a step value is entered, the higher the relative filter cutoff frequency or filter resonance setting.
Included Effect Plug-ins Filter Plug-ins Sync If the Sync button to the right of the Sync pop-up menu is activated (yellow), the pattern playback is synchronized to the project tempo. Use the pop-up menu to set the pattern beat resolution, that is, the note values the pattern plays in relation to the tempo (1/1 to 1/32, straight, triplet, or dotted). Output Sets the output level. Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal.
Included Effect Plug-ins Filter Plug-ins Gain Adjusts the gain of the selected frequency range by up to 24 dB. Width Sets the resonance of the filter. Mode selector Sets the basic operational mode of the filter: Peak or Band Mode. RELATED LINKS AmpSimulator on page 10 WahWah This plug-in is a variable slope band-pass filter that can be auto-controlled by a side-chain signal (if supported) or via MIDI modeling the well-known analog pedal effect.
Included Effect Plug-ins Mastering Plug-ins Gain Lo/Hi Set the gain of the filter for the Lo and Hi pedal positions. Filter Slope selector Allows you to choose between two filter slope values: 6 dB or 12 dB. NOTE If side-chaining is supported, the Pedal parameter can also be controlled from another signal source via the side-chain input. The louder the signal, the more the filter frequency is raised so that the plug-in acts as an auto-wah effect.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Lo Applies a lower level of dither noise. Auto black If this option is activated, the dither noise is gated during silent passages. IMPORTANT Dithering should always be applied post-fader on an output bus. Modulation Plug-ins AutoPan This plug-in is a simple auto-pan effect. It can use different waveforms to modulate the left-right stereo position (pan), using manual modulation speed settings.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins NOTE If side-chaining is supported, the Width parameter can also be controlled from another signal source via the side-chain input. For a description of how to set up side-chain routing, see the “Operation Manual”. Chopper This effect allows you to create a tremolo with or without an additional panning effect.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. If the effect is used as a send effect, set this parameter to the maximum value as you can control the dry/effect balance with the send. Chorus This plug-in is a single-stage chorus effect. It works by doubling the audio that is sent into it with a slightly detuned version.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Delay Affects the frequency range of the modulation sweep by adjusting the initial delay time. Filter Lo/Hi Allow you to roll off low and high frequencies of the effect signal. NOTE If side-chaining is supported, the modulation can also be controlled from another signal source via the side-chain input. If the side-chain signal exceeds the threshold, the modulation is controlled by the side-chain signal’s envelope.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Detune slider (1 to 4) Controls the relative detune amount for each voice. Positive and negative values can be set. A value of zero means no detune for that voice. Delay slider (1 to 4) Controls the relative delay amount for each voice. A value of zero means no delay for that voice. Natural Changes the pitch algorithm. Detune – Humanize Controls the amount of detune variation if Static Detune is deactivated.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Rate If tempo sync is activated, this is where you specify the base note value for synchronizing the flanger sweep to the tempo of the host application (1/1 to 1/32, straight, triplet, or dotted). If tempo sync is deactivated, the sweep rate can be set freely with the Rate knob. Sync Activates/Deactivates tempo sync. Range Lo/Hi Set the frequency boundaries for the flanger sweep. Feedback Determines the character of the flanger effect.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Metalizer This plug-in feeds the audio signal through a variable frequency filter, with tempo sync or time modulation and feedback control. Cubase LE Included with Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – X X X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – Feedback Determines the character of the metal effect. Higher settings produce a more metallic the sound. Sharpness Governs the character of the filter effect.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. If the effect is used as a send effect, set this parameter to the maximum value as you can control the dry/effect balance with the send. Phaser This plug-in produces the well-known swooshing phasing effect with additional stereo enhancement.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. If the effect is used as a send effect, set this parameter to the maximum value as you can control the dry/effect balance with the send. Manual If this option is activated, the flanger sweep is static, that is, no modulation takes place. If the Manual button is deactivated, a knob is available, allowing you to change the sweep position manually.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Oscillator LFO Amount Controls how much the oscillator frequency is affected by the LFO. Env. Amount Controls how much the oscillator frequency is affected by the envelope that is triggered by the input signal. Left of center, a loud input signal decreases the oscillator pitch, whereas right of center the oscillator pitch increases if it is fed a loud input. Waveform buttons Allow you to select the oscillator waveform: square, sine, saw, or triangle.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Decay Controls how fast the envelope output level falls in response to a falling input signal. Lock L
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Speed Mod If the Speed Change Mode setting is set to the right side, this knob allows you to modulate the rotary speed. Speed Mod Control (MIDI) This pop-up menu allows you to select the MIDI controller that controls the Rotary speed. If you do not want to use MIDI realtime control, set this to Automation. If you select Pitchbend as MIDI controller, the speed changes with an up or down flick of the bender.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Amp Mod Adjusts the modulation depth of the amplitude. Level Adjusts the overall bass level. Microphones Phase Adjusts the phasing amount in the sound of the high rotor. Angle Sets the simulated microphone angle. 0 = mono, 180 = a mic on each side. Distance Sets the simulated microphone distance from the speaker in inches. Final Settings Output Sets the output level. Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Rate If tempo sync is deactivated, this sets the sweep rate. Sync Activates/Deactivates tempo sync. Width Sets the depth of the chorus effect. Higher settings produce a more pronounced effect. Spatial Sets the stereo width of the effect. Turn clockwise for a wider stereo effect. Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Tranceformer In this ring modulator effect, the incoming audio is ring modulated by an internal, variable frequency oscillator, producing new harmonics. A second oscillator can be used to modulate the frequency of the first oscillator, in sync with the Song tempo if needed. Cubase LE Included with – Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist X X X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – Waveform These buttons allow you to select a pitch modulation waveform.
Included Effect Plug-ins Modulation Plug-ins Output Sets the output level. Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. Tremolo Tremolo produces amplitude modulation. Cubase LE Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK Included with X X X X X X – Side-chain support – – – X X X – Rate If tempo sync is activated, this is where you specify the base note value for tempo-syncing the effect (1/1 to 1/32, straight, triplet, or dotted).
Included Effect Plug-ins Other Plug-ins Vibrato This effect creates pitch modulation. Cubase LE Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK Included with X X X X X X – Side-chain support – – – X X X – Rate If tempo sync is activated, this is where you specify the base note value for tempo-syncing the effect (1/1 to 1/32, straight, triplet, or dotted). If tempo sync is deactivated, the modulation speed can be set freely with the Rate knob.
Included Effect Plug-ins Other Plug-ins Cubase LE Included with Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – – – X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – Quantize Note Sets the note value on which the quantize grid of the effects is based. Performance Controls By clicking these buttons during playback, you can apply effects to your overall performance. An effect is applied as long as you keep the button pressed. NOTE The effects can be automated.
Included Effect Plug-ins Other Plug-ins Tapestop 1 Simulates a tapestop, that is, slows the slice down, first lightly then abruptly. Tapestop 2 Simulates a tapestop, that is, slows the slice down, smoothly. Stutter Plays only the initial portion of a slice and repeats it 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 times during one slice length. Slur Stretches the slice over 2 or 4 slice lengths. Cycle Sets up a short cycle over 4, 2, or 1 slice. This short cycle is always set up within the loop range that is set in the ruler.
Included Effect Plug-ins Pitch Shift Plug-ins VST Connect CUE Mix Cubase LE Included with – Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – – – Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – This plug-in is described in detail in the separate PDF document “VST Connect SE”. VST Connect SE Cubase LE Included with – Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – – – This plug-in is described in detail in the separate PDF document “VST Connect SE”.
Included Effect Plug-ins Pitch Shift Plug-ins Octave 2 Adjusts the level of the generated signal two octaves below the original pitch. A setting of 0 means that the voice is muted. Pitch Correct Pitch Correct automatically detects, adjusts, and fixes slight pitch and intonation inconsistencies in monophonic vocal and instrumental performances in realtime.
Included Effect Plug-ins Pitch Shift Plug-ins Tolerance Determines the sensitivity of analysis. A low Tolerance value lets Pitch Correct find pitch changes quickly. If the Tolerance value is high, pitch variations in the audio (for example, vibrato) are not immediately interpreted as note changes. Transpose With this parameter you can adjust, or retune, the pitch of the incoming audio in semitone steps. A value of zero means that the signal is not transposed.
Included Effect Plug-ins Pitch Shift Plug-ins Chord Track – Scale Select this option if you want the audio to be shifted to a scale of target pitches, using the scale information from the Chord track. NOTE You have to add a MIDI track in addition to the Chord track and assign Pitch Correct as output of the MIDI track. Formant Shift Changes the natural timbre, that is, the characteristic frequency components of the source audio.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Detune Lets you detune the pitch of the incoming audio. Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. Spatial Creates an ambience effect. It introduces a light pitch offset to the incoming signal. Different offset values are used for the individual input channels in order to create a panorama effect. NOTE The created panorama effect can be unstable. For a stable panorama, deactivate the Spatial parameter.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins The early reflections are responsible for the spatial impression in the first milliseconds of the reverb. For emulating different rooms, you can choose between different early reflections patterns and adjust their size. The reverb tail, or late reverberation, offers parameters for controlling the room size and the reverb time. You can adjust the reverb time individually in 3 frequency bands. Pre-Delay Determines how much time passes before the reverb is applied.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Size Adjusts the length of the early reflections pattern. At a setting of 100 %, the pattern is applied with its original length and the room sounds the most natural. At settings below 100 %, the early reflections pattern is compressed and the room is perceived smaller. Low Cut Attenuates the low frequencies of the early reflections. The higher this value, the less low frequencies are present in the early reflections.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Shape Controls the attack of the reverb tail. At a setting of 0 %, the attack is more immediate, which is a good setting for drums. The higher this value, the less immediate the attack. Density Adjusts the echo density of the reverb tail. At a setting of 100 %, single reflections from walls cannot be heard. The lower this value, the more single reflections can be heard. High Cut Attenuates the high frequencies of the reverb tail.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins This is done by processing the audio signal according to an impulse response – a recording of an impulse in a room or another location that recreates the characteristics of the room. As a result, the processed audio sounds as if it were played in the same location. Included with the plug-in are top quality samples of real spaces to create reverberation. NOTE REVerence can be very demanding in terms of RAM.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Browse This button opens a browser window showing the available programs. If you select a program in the browser, it is loaded into the active program slot. To filter the list of impulse responses by room type or the number of channels, for example, activate the Filters section (by clicking the Set Up Window Layout button at the bottom left of the window). Import Click this button to load your own impulse response files from disk.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Presets Presets are useful in the following situations: • To save a complete setup with different impulse responses for later use (for example, different setups for explosion sounds that can be reused for other scenes or movies). • When you want to save different parameter sets for the same impulse response so that you can later choose the set that best suits your needs.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins 5. Set up as many programs as you need by following the steps above. NOTE If you want to use your set of programs in other projects, save your settings as a plug-in preset. RELATED LINKS Importing Impulse Responses on page 119 Reverb Settings The reverb settings allow you to change the characteristics of the room. Main All values shown in the top row apply to all speakers or to the front channels if you are working with surround tracks.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins ER Tail Split Sets a split point between the early reflections and the tail, allowing you to determine where the reverb tail begins. A value of 60 means that the early reflections are heard for 60 ms. ER Tail Mix Allows you to set up the relation of early reflections and tail. Values above 50 attenuate the early reflections and values below 50 attenuate the tail.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Trim This slider allows you to trim the start and end of the impulse response. Drag the front handle to trim the start of the impulse response, and the end handle to trim the reverb tail. NOTE The impulse response is cut without any fading. EQ Settings In the Equalizer section, you can tune the sound of the reverb. EQ curve Shows the EQ curve.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Mid Freq (100 to 10000) Sets the center frequency of the mid band. Mid Gain(-12 to +12) Sets the amount of attenuation/boost for the mid band. Hi Shelf On Activates the high shelf filter that boosts or attenuates frequencies above the cutoff frequency by the specified amount. Hi Freq (5000 to 20000) Sets the frequency of the high band. Hi Gain (-24 to +24) Sets the amount of attenuation/boost for the high band.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Output Settings In the output section, you can control the overall level and determine the dry/wet mix. Output activity meter Indicates the overall level of the impulse response and its settings. Output This slider adjusts the overall output level. Out (-24 to +12) Raises or lowers the signal output of the plug-in. Mix (0 to 100) Sets the level balance between the dry and the wet signal.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Importing Impulse Responses PROCEDURE 1. In the program matrix, click Import. 2. Navigate to the file that you want to import, and click Open. The file is loaded into REVerence. The channels from an interleaved file are imported in the same order as in other areas of the program (for example, the VST Connections window), see below. 3. Make the appropriate settings and add a picture, if available.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins REVerence can only process true-stereo impulse response files with the following channel configuration (in exactly that order): LL, LR, RL, RR.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins The factory content is not a problem because it is also present on the other computer. For these impulse responses, you just need to transfer your REVerence programs and presets to be able to access your setups. User content is a different matter, though.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Input Filters Lo Freq Determines the frequency at which the low-shelving filter takes effect. Both the high and low settings filter the input signal prior to reverb processing. Hi Freq Determines the frequency at which the high-shelving filter takes effect. Both the high and low settings filter the input signal prior to reverb processing. Lo Gain Sets the amount of boost or attenuation for the low-shelving filter.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Variation Clicking this button generates a new version of the same reverb program using altered reflection patterns. This is helpful if certain sounds are causing odd ringing or undesirable results. Creating a new variation often solves these issues. There are 1000 possible variations. Hold Activating this button freezes the reverb buffer in an infinite loop. You can create some interesting pad sounds using this feature.
Included Effect Plug-ins Reverb Plug-ins Output Mix Sets the level balance between the dry signal and the wet signal. If RoomWorks is used as an insert effect for an FX channel, you most likely want to set this to 100 % or use the wet only button. Wet only This button deactivates the Mix parameter, setting the effect to 100 % wet or affected signal. This button should normally be activated if RoomWorks is used as a send effect for an FX channel or a group channel.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins Diffusion Affects the character of the reverb tail. Higher values lead to more diffusion and a smoother sound, while lower values lead to a clearer sound. Hi Level Affects the decay time of the high frequencies. Normal room reverb decays quicker in the high- and low-frequency range than in the mid-range. Lowering the level percentage causes high frequencies to decay quicker.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins If Anymix Pro is used as an insert effect, the maximum input and output configuration cannot exceed the track width of the current track. If Anymix Pro is used as a panner, the maximum input configuration cannot exceed the track width of the current track. The maximum output configuration cannot exceed the width of the output bus that the track is routed to.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins The Plug-in Panel The panel of Anymix Pro is divided into several sections, with the stage view taking the most space to display the position and movement of the input channels, output configuration, and distance-dependent filter values. On the right side, there are the controls for position and movement, and the lower section of the plug-in panel contains the upmix controls. NOTE The plug-in panel has two different display modes: panning and upmix.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins NOTE The distance between the input channels automatically shrinks if they are moved to the border of the stage. This lets you create the illusion of depth when moving stereo or multi-channel material. Position Section In addition to using the stage view, the input channels can also be moved using the controls at the top right of the plug-in panel. Rotation Rotates the input group around its center point.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins X/Y Move the selected input channel horizontally and vertically. Volume Applies gain to the selected input channel. LFE Volume Controls the amount of LFE for the selected input channel. Spread Distributes the audio from the selected input channel to more than two output channels. • At 0 % the audio source is rendered where the channel icon is placed. • At 100 % the audio is evenly distributed to all speakers of the output configuration.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins Loudness Lowers the volume for objects that are further away. EQ Dampens the high frequencies of objects that are further away. For both of the filters, you can choose an attenuation curve from the corresponding pop-up menu. Off Deactivates the distance-dependent filter. Linear The filtering starts right from the center point and is applied linearly. Select this curve type if even tiny movements should have an impact on the distance-dependent filter.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins The upmix algorithm analyzes the incoming audio signal and separates it into parts of direct sound and ambient sound. While the direct sound parts are sent to the direct sound stream and can be placed at the virtual front speaker configuration, the ambient sound parts can be modified and arranged around the virtual stage. Note that this does not add any additional information to the audio stream.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins NOTE The position parameters for the input group and any created automation are preserved when the upmix is enabled. In upmix mode, the sound image created by the upmix algorithm can be moved around the stage and is also fully automatable. The parameters that you have adjusted for a single channel have no influence on the upmix, but they are kept and are automatically reloaded when the upmix is disabled.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins • Ambience Delay. Furthermore, the following parameters on the Advanced panel are affected by the preset: • LFE Gain • LFE Low Pass Enable • LFE Low Pass Order • LFE Low Pass Cutoff Frequency • Output Gain. NOTE Upmix presets from the Cinema category are designed for the use with X-curve tuned speaker systems. The other presets are designed for listening environments with a flat speaker tuning.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins Front/Rear Adjusts the front/rear balance of the ambient sound stream. Low Pass Controls the ambient sound stream with a low-pass filter to prevent hissing. Delay Adds extra delay to the ambient sound stream to create the illusion of a very large space. Advanced Options The advanced options can be opened using the top left button in the main plug-in panel. These options can be set for the plug-in instance by adjusting the values as needed.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins EQ Cutoff Sets the cutoff frequency of the distance-dependent EQ. Upmix – Matrix Activates matrix decoding for matrix-encoded input signals. NOTE Matrix decoding is only applied in upmix mode. LFE Parameters LFE Gain Sets a separate gain level for the LFE channel that is applied to the plug-in output. LP Enable Enables a low-pass filter that is applied to the LFE output channel after summing the signals from the input channels.
Included Effect Plug-ins Spatial + Panner Plug-ins Cubase LE Included with – Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist X X X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – Width Controls the width or depth of the stereo enhancement. Turn clockwise to increase the enhancement. Delay Increases the amount of differences between the left and right channels to further increase the stereo effect. Color Generates additional differences between the channels to increase the stereo enhancement.
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins Delay Increases the amount of differences between the left and right channels to further increase the stereo effect. Color Generates additional differences between the channels to increase the stereo enhancement. Mono Switches the output to mono, to check for possible unwanted coloring of the sound which sometimes can occur when enhancing the stereo image.
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins If your monitoring system is connected directly to your audio interface and lacks a bass management system, you can use Bass Manager in the Control Room inserts to adjust the signal levels and signal routing of the LFE and main speakers. Thus, small speakers can achieve full-range sound. Input/Output Level Meters Level In Shows the level of the input signal. Level Out Shows the level of the output signal.
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins L/R If this is activated, the LFE signal is routed to the left and right channels. Freq Sets the crossover frequency. Frequencies above this value are routed to the left and right channels or to the center channel. Gain Sets the amount of attenuation/boost of the signal that is routed to the left and right channels or to the center channel. +10 dB Boosts the level of the LFE signal by 10 dB. Subwoofer Solo Solos the subwoofer signal.
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins NOTE If an encoded mix is played back via the decoder, the Lt/Rt channels are again converted to four outputs (LRCS). IMPORTANT This manual does not attempt to explain the full background on how Pro Logic works, but focuses on how you can use the MatrixEncoder/Decoder to produce a mix that is compatible with this standard.
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins Setting Up PROCEDURE 1. In the VST Connections window, create an output bus with the LRCS channel configuration and route it to the physical outputs of your audio hardware. This is if you want to make a four-channel surround mix. If you want to make a five-channel mix, use MatrixEncoder with the 5.0 Surround Format. 2. Place the MatrixEncoder in the first post-fader insert slot (#7) for the output bus, followed by the MatrixDecoder (#8).
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins 4. By activating and deactivating the Bypass button in the MatrixDecoder, you can compare the decoded mix with the encoded stereo mix, and make adjustments in the MixConsole as necessary. The main goal is to produce a mix that sounds good in both the encoded and the decoded version. To compare the encoded or decoded mix with the unprocessed mix, switch off both the MatrixEncoder and the Decoder.
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins Using the MatrixDecoder with the 5.0 Surround Format Normally, two surround speakers are used even when playing back LRCS. The two speakers then simply use the same material. The MatrixDecoder simulates this by delivering the surround channel to two outputs. This allows you to move between formats and listening situations with less repatching of speaker channels. Mix6to2 This plug-in lets you quickly mix down your surround mix format to stereo.
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins Output Bus Volume Set the volume of the of the mixed output. Link Links the Output faders. Normalize If this option is activated, the mixed output is normalized. For example, the output level is automatically adjusted so that the loudest signal is as loud as possible without clipping. Mix8to2 This plug-in lets you quickly mix down your surround mix format to stereo.
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins Invert Invert the phase of the left and right channel of the surround bus. Output Bus Volume Set the volume of the of the mixed output. Link Links the Output faders. Normalize If this option is activated, the mixed output is normalized. For example, the output level is automatically adjusted so that the loudest signal is as loud as possible without clipping.
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins If MixConvert V6 replaces the panner, the output configuration is determined by the destination of the channel or cue send. If MixConvert V6 is used as an insert effect, the output configuration can be modified using the Select Output Channel Configuration pop-up menu. You can select any configuration from the VST 3 specification that contains speakers that are also present in the input configuration.
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins Center Level Controls the level of the front center channel. LFE fader Controls the level of the LFE channel. Surround Level Controls the level of the surround channels. The level of the surround channels cannot be adjusted individually. Activate/Deactivate Low-Pass Filter Activates the low-pass filter that is applied to the LFE channel. Soloing Channels in the Channel Displays • To solo a channel, click the corresponding speaker icon.
Included Effect Plug-ins Surround Plug-ins Above the individual channel controls, you find global buttons for turning off Mute, Solo and Invert Phase switches for all channels. Mute Allows you to mute individual channels. Solo Allows you to solo individual channels. Inv Lets you invert the phase or polarity for individual channels. Delay Allows you to delay individual speaker channels.
Included Effect Plug-ins Tools Plug-ins Tools Plug-ins MultiScope MultiScope can be used for viewing the waveform, phase linearity, or frequency content of a signal. Cubase LE Included with Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – – – – Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – There are three different modes: • Oscilloscope (Ampl.) • Phase Correlator (Scope) • Frequency Spectrum Analyzer (Freq.) Oscilloscope Mode (Ampl.) If Ampl. is activated, the display shows signal waveform.
Included Effect Plug-ins Tools Plug-ins Amplitude Allows you to increase/decrease the vertical size of the waveform. Frequency Allows you to select the frequency area for viewing. Frequency Spectrum Analyzer Mode (Freq.) If Freq. is activated, MultiScope divides the frequency spectrum into separate vertical bands, which allows you to get a visual overview of the different frequencies’ relative amplitude. The frequency bands are shown from left to right, starting with the lower frequencies.
Included Effect Plug-ins Tools Plug-ins Frequency Allows you to divide the frequency spectrum into 8, 15, or 31 bands, or you set it to Spectrum, which gives you a high-resolution view. Phase Correlator Mode (Scope) If Scope is activated, the phase correlator indicates the phase and amplitude relationship between channels in a stereo pair or a surround configuration.
Included Effect Plug-ins Tools Plug-ins Mode A/Mode B If the channel mode Surround is selected, these buttons allow you to switch between different view modes. Amplitude Allows you to increase/decrease the vertical size of the waveform. Frequency Allows you to select the frequency area for viewing. SMPTEGenerator This plug-in is not a real audio effect.
Included Effect Plug-ins Tools Plug-ins Offset timecode display This display is only available if Link to Transport is activated. It allows you to set an offset with regard to the timecode used by your host application. The offset affects the generated SMPTE signal, the current cursor position remains unaffected. For example, use this when playing back video using an external device, where the video starts at a different timecode position than in your host.
Included Effect Plug-ins Tools Plug-ins 3. Optional: Adjust the level of the timecode, either in your host application or in the receiving device. Activate the Generate Code button (make the device send the SMPTE timecode in free run mode) to test the level. 4. Make sure that the frame rate in the receiving device matches the frame rate set in the SMPTE Generator. 5. Activate the Link to Transport button.
Included Effect Plug-ins Tools Plug-ins Waveforms and noise section Allows you to set the basis for the signal generated by the waveform generator. You can choose between four basic waveforms (sine, triangle, square, and sawtooth) and three types of noise (white, pink, and brownian). Frequency section Allows you to set the frequency of the generated signal. You can set the frequency either in Hz or as a note value. If you enter a note value, the frequency is automatically changed to Hz.
Included Effect Plug-ins Tools Plug-ins Analog View When you play a note, the pitch is shown in the middle of the display. The frequency in Hz is shown in the bottom left corner and the octave range in the bottom right corner. The two arrows indicate any deviation in pitch. If the pitch is flat, they are positioned in the left half of the display, if the pitch is sharp they are in the right half. The deviation is also shown in the upper area of the display.
Included Effect Plug-ins Tools Plug-ins When you play a note in Classic mode, the pitch is shown in the middle of the display. When you play the correct pitch, the middle of the indicator turns gray. Base Displays the root note the tuner is working on. Its default value is 440 Hz. You can adjust Base by ± 15 Hz. Octave Displays the exact octave.
MIDI Effects This chapter describes the included MIDI realtime effects and their parameters. How to apply and handle MIDI effects is described in the “Operation Manual”. Arpache 5 A typical arpeggiator accepts a chord as input, and plays back each note in the chord separately, with the playback order and speed set by the user.
MIDI Effects Arpache 5 Length Sets the length of the arpeggio notes, as a note value related to the project tempo. • To create staccato arpeggios, set a smaller value for Length than for Step Size. • To create arpeggio notes that overlap each other, set a greater value for Length than for Step Size. Key Range Determines the arpeggiated note range, in semitones counted from the lowest key you play.
MIDI Effects Arpache SX 2. Select the arpeggiator as an insert effect for the track. 3. Activate the arpeggiator. 4. On the arpeggiator panel, use the Step Size setting to set the arpeggio speed. 5. Use the Length setting to set the length of the arpeggio notes. 6. Set the Key Range parameter to 12. This makes the notes arpeggiate within an octave. 7. Play a chord on your MIDI instrument. Now, instead of hearing the chord, you hear the notes of the chord played one by one, in an arpeggio. 8.
MIDI Effects Arpache SX Classic Mode Direction Allows you to choose how the notes in the played chord should be arpeggiated. One Shot Mode Activate this option if you want the phrase to be played only once. If this option is deactivated, the phrase is looped. Transpose With a setting other than Off, the arpeggio is expanded upwards, downwards, or both (depending on the mode). This is done by adding transposed repeats of the basic arpeggio pattern. Repeats Sets the number of transposed repeats.
MIDI Effects Arpache SX Sequence Mode In Sequence mode, you can import a MIDI part into Arpache SX by dragging it from the Project window onto the Drop MIDI Sequence field on the right of the Arpache SX panel. The notes in the dropped MIDI part are sorted internally, either according to their pitch if the MIDI Seq. sort by pitch checkbox is activated or according to their play order in the part. This results in a list of numbers.
MIDI Effects Auto LFO NOTE You can choose to keep the original note timing, note length, and note velocities from the dropped MIDI part, by selecting from sequence for the Step Size, Length, and Velocity options. Auto LFO This effect works like an LFO in a synthesizer, allowing you to send out continuously changing MIDI controller messages. One typical use for this is automatic MIDI panning, but you can select any MIDI continuous controller event type.
MIDI Effects Beat Designer Value Range These sliders determine the range of controller values that are sent out, in other words, the bottom and top of the controller curves. Beat Designer Beat Designer is a MIDI pattern sequencer that allows you to create your own drum parts or patterns for a project. With the Beat Designer, you can quickly and easily set up the drums for a project, by experimenting and creating new drum sequences from scratch.
MIDI Effects Beat Designer Control Panel 1) Step display 2) Jump mode 3) Swing and Offset controls 4) Flam position settings 5) Pattern display 6) Swing settings Patterns and Subbanks Beat Designer patterns are saved as pattern banks. One pattern bank contains 4 subbanks which in turn contain 12 patterns each. In the pattern display in the lower part of the Beat Designer, subbanks and patterns are displayed graphically. To select a subbank, click a number (1 to 4) at the top of the display.
MIDI Effects Beat Designer • The playback length, that is, the note value for the steps, can be specified on the Step Resolution pop-up menu. On this menu, you can also set triplet values. These also affect the Swing setting. RELATED LINKS Triggering Patterns on page 172 Swing Setting on page 169 Selecting Drum Sounds PROCEDURE 1. Click in the drum name field for a lane and select a drum sound from the pop-up menu. The available drum sounds depend on the selected drum map.
MIDI Effects Beat Designer Velocity Settings When entering a drum step, the velocity setting of this step is determined by where you click: Click in the upper part of a step for the highest velocity setting, in the middle section for a medium velocity and in the lower part for the lowest velocity setting. In the display, the different velocity settings are indicated by different colors. • To fine-tune the velocity setting for an existing drum step, click on it and drag up or down.
MIDI Effects Beat Designer • To mute or solo a lane, click the corresponding buttons to the left of the step display. IMPORTANT Lane operations always affect all patterns in the Beat Designer instance. Pattern Functions Menu Shift Left Moves all steps of the current pattern on all lanes to the left. Shift Right Moves all steps of the current pattern on all lanes to the right. Reverse Reverses the pattern, so that it plays backwards. Copy Pattern Copies the pattern to the clipboard.
MIDI Effects Beat Designer Insert Pattern at Left Locator Creates a MIDI part for the current pattern and inserts it in the Project window, at the left locator. Insert Subbank at Left Locator Creates a MIDI part for each used pattern in the subbank and inserts the parts one after the other, starting at the left locator. Fill Loop with Pattern Creates a MIDI part for the current pattern and inserts it in the Project window as often as needed to fill the current loop area.
MIDI Effects Beat Designer Flams The Flam parameter lets you add flams, that is, short secondary drum hits just before or after the actual main drum beat. You can add up to three flams for each pattern step. In the lower left section of the Beat Designer panel you can make settings for the flams you created.
MIDI Effects Beat Designer 2. Experiment with the settings to find out which fit best in your project. NOTE This function can also be used to correct faulty drum samples: If a drum sound has an attack that is slightly late, simply adjust the Offset slider for the lane. Using the Drum Patterns in Your Project Converting Patterns into MIDI Parts You can convert the drum patterns created in the Beat Designer into a MIDI part by dragging them into the Project window. PROCEDURE 1.
MIDI Effects Beat Designer • If you import patterns that sound before the first step (due to flams or lane offsets), the MIDI part is lengthened accordingly. The inserted MIDI parts can now be edited as usual in the project. For example, you can fine-tune your settings in the Drum Editor. NOTE Once a pattern is converted into a MIDI part, it cannot be opened in the Beat Designer again.
MIDI Effects Chorder • You can also drag a pattern or subbank into the Project with Jump mode activated to automatically create MIDI parts containing the trigger events. NOTE When triggering a pattern that contains sound before the first step (due to flams or lane offsets), these are taken into account as well. Chorder Chorder is a MIDI chord processor, allowing you to assign complete chords to single keys in a multitude of variations.
MIDI Effects Chorder One Octave This mode is similar to the All Keys mode, but you can only set up chords for each key of a single octave, that is, up to eight different chords on twelve keys. If you play a note in a different octave, you hear a transposed version of the chords set up for this key. Global Key In this mode, you can set up chords for a single key only. These chords (that you recorded on C3) are then played by all keys on the keyboard, but transposed according to the note you play.
MIDI Effects Chorder 2. Select the key to which you want to assign a chord by clicking on it on the keyboard display or by pressing the key on a connected MIDI keyboard. The red bar now moves to the first layer, indicating that you are ready to record the first chord. NOTE In Global Key mode, you do not have to choose a trigger key. The first layer is activated automatically. 3. Play a chord on the MIDI keyboard and/or use the mouse to enter or change the chord in the layer display.
MIDI Effects Chorder RELATED LINKS Empty Layers on page 176 Layer Modes You can play the keyboard and trigger the variations according to the selected layer mode. Velocity The full velocity range (1 to 127) is divided into zones, according to the number of layers you specified. For example, if you are using 2 variations, 2 velocity zones are used: 1 to 63 and 64 to 127. Playing a note with velocity 64 or higher triggers the second layer, while playing a softer note triggers the first layer.
MIDI Effects Compressor Resetting Layers PROCEDURE • In Learn mode, click Reset layers at the top left of the Chorder window. RESULT For the selected trigger key, all notes in the different layers are deleted. Playstyle From the Playstyle pop-up menu at the bottom of the panel, you can choose one of seven different styles that determine in which order the individual notes of the chords are played back. simultaneous In this mode, all notes are played back simultaneously.
MIDI Effects Context Gate Cubase LE Included with – Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – – X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – Threshold Only notes with velocities above this value are affected by the compression/expansion. Ratio Sets the amount of compression applied to the velocity values above the set threshold. Ratios greater than 1:1 result in compression. Ratios lower than 1:1 result in expansion. Gain Adds or subtracts a fixed value from the velocities.
MIDI Effects Context Gate Poly Mode Polyphony Gate Allows you to filter MIDI according to the number of pressed keys within a given key range. This can be used independently or in conjunction with the Chord Gate function. • The Key Range Limit sliders set the key range. Only notes within this range are let through. • The Minimum Polyphony value field allows you to specify the minimum number of notes required to open the gate.
MIDI Effects Density Learn Reset If this is activated, you can specify a reset trigger event via MIDI. Whenever this specific MIDI event is sent, it triggers an All Notes Off message. When you have set the reset event, deactivate the Learn Reset button. RELATED LINKS Application Examples on page 180 Application Examples Poly Mode In this mode, you can use Context Gate to accompany yourself during a live guitar performance using a VST instrument.
MIDI Effects MIDI Control MIDI Control This generic control panel allows you to select up to 8 different MIDI controller types and set values for these. You can then use the plug-in as a control panel to adjust the sound of a MIDI instrument from within your host application. Cubase LE Included with – Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – – X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – • To select a controller type, use the pop-up menus on the right.
MIDI Effects MIDI Echo The effect does not echo the actual audio, but the MIDI notes which eventually produce the sound in the synthesizer. Velocity Offset Allows you to raise or lower the velocity values for each repeat so that the echo fades away or increases in volume (provided that the sound you use is velocity sensitive). Pitch Offset If you set this to a value other than 0, the echoing notes are raised or lowered in pitch, so that each successive note has a higher or lower pitch than the previous.
MIDI Effects MIDI Modifiers Length Sets the length of the echoed notes. This can either be identical with the length of the original notes (parameter set to its lowest value) or the length you specify manually. You can either set this to rhythmically exact values (displayed as note values – see the table below) or activate the PPQ button and choose a PPQ value. NOTE The length can also be affected by the Length Decay parameter.
MIDI Effects MIDI Monitor Scale Transpose Allows you to transpose each incoming MIDI note, so that it fits within a selected musical scale. The scale is specified by selecting a key (C, C#, D, etc.) and a scale type (major, melodic or harmonic minor, blues, etc.). • To deactivate Scale Transpose, select No Scale from the Scale pop-up menu. MIDI Monitor This effect monitors incoming MIDI events.
MIDI Effects Micro Tuner Buffer Pop-up Menu This is the maximum number of events that is kept in the list of monitored events. Once this list is full, the oldest entries are deleted when new events are received. NOTE The larger the buffer, the more processing resources are required. Export Allows you to export the monitoring data as a simple text file. Record Events This button to the left of the Inputs section allows you to start or stop the monitoring of MIDI events.
MIDI Effects Note to CC Note to CC Cubase LE Included with – Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – – X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – This effect generates a MIDI continuous controller event for each incoming MIDI note. The value of the controller event corresponds to the velocity of the MIDI note, which is then used to control the selected MIDI controller (by default CC 7, Main Volume). For each note end, another controller event with the value 0 is sent.
MIDI Effects StepDesigner Quantize Note Sets the note value on which the quantize grid is based. Straight notes, triplets. and dotted notes are available. For example, 16 means straight sixteenth notes and 8T means eighth note triplets. Swing Allows you to offset every second position in the grid, creating a swing or shuffle feel. The value is a percentage – the higher you set this, the farther to the right every even grid position is moved.
MIDI Effects StepDesigner 1) Shift octave up/down 2) Shift steps left/right 3) Number of steps 4) Step size 5) Swing 6) Controller pop-up menu 7) Pattern selector Creating a Basic Pattern PROCEDURE 1. Use the Pattern selector to choose which pattern to create. Each StepDesigner can hold up to 200 different patterns. 2. Use the Step size setting to specify the resolution of the pattern. This setting determines the step length. 3.
MIDI Effects StepDesigner • The display spans one octave (as indicated by the pitch list to the left). You can scroll the displayed octave up or down by clicking in the pitch list and dragging up or down. This way you can insert notes at any pitch. • To remove a note from the pattern, click on it again. NOTE Each step can contain one note only – StepDesigner is monophonic.
MIDI Effects StepDesigner Setting Up the Controller Menu You can specify which two controller types (filter cutoff, resonance, volume, etc.) should be available on the Controller pop-up menu. PROCEDURE 1. Click Setup. 2. Select the controllers that you want to have available in the Controller pop-up menu and click OK. This selection is global, that is, it applies to all patterns.
MIDI Effects StepDesigner Swing Offsets every second step, creating a swing or shuffle feel. The value is a percentage – the higher you set this, the farther to the right every even step is moved. Presets Allows you to load/save presets for the effect. NOTE A stored preset contains all 200 patterns in the StepDesigner. Automating Pattern Changes You can create up to 200 different patterns in each StepDesigner instance. Typically, you want the pattern selection to change during the project.
MIDI Effects Track Control Track Control Cubase LE Included with – Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist – – X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X X – The Track Control effect contains three control panels for adjusting parameters on a GS or XG compatible MIDI device. The Roland GS and Yamaha XG protocols are extensions of the General MIDI standard, allowing for more sounds and better control of various instrument settings.
MIDI Effects Track Control • Clicking the Off button sets all controls to their lowest value, without sending out any MIDI messages. • Clicking the Reset button resets all parameters to their default values, and sends out the corresponding MIDI messages. GS 1 The following controls are available if the GS 1 Controls mode is selected: Send 1 Send level for the reverb effect. Send 2 Send level for the chorus effect. Send 3 Send level for the variation effect. Attack Adjusts the attack time of the sound.
MIDI Effects Track Control Modul. Allows you to send modulation messages on the track’s MIDI channel. XG 1 The following controls are available if the XG 1 mode is selected. Send 1 Send level for the reverb effect. Send 2 Send level for the chorus effect. Send 3 Send level for the variation effect. Attack Adjusts the attack time of the sound. Lowering this value shortens the attack, while raising it makes the attack time longer. Release Adjusts the release time of the sound.
MIDI Effects Transformer Eff. 2 Allows you to select which type of chorus effect should be used: No effect (chorus deactivated), Chorus 1–3, Celeste 1–3, or Flanger 1–2. Eff. 3 Allows you to select one of a large number of variation effect types. Select No Effect to deactivate the variation effect. Reset Sends an XG reset message. MastVol Controls the Master Volume of an instrument.
Included VST Instruments This chapter contains descriptions of the included VST instruments and their parameters. NOTE Most of the included instruments are compatible with VST 3. For further information, see the “Operation Manual”. Groove Agent SE Cubase LE Included with X Cubase Cubase Cubase AI Elements Artist X X X Cubase Pro Nuendo NEK X – X This VST instrument is described in detail in the separate PDF document “Groove Agent SE”.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash LoopMash is a powerful tool for slicing and instant re-assembling of any kind of rhythmic audio material. With LoopMash, you can preserve the rhythmic pattern of one audio loop, but you can replace all sounds of this loop with the sounds from up to seven other loops. LoopMash provides dozens of possibilities to influence the way the slices are re-assembled, thus giving you full control over the results of your performance.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash The selected track holds the master loop. The rhythmic pattern of the LoopMash output is governed by the master loop – that is, what you hear is the rhythmic pattern of this loop. On the left of each track, you find the similarity gain sliders. The further to the right you move the similarity gain slider of a track, the more slices are played back from this track. Getting Started To give you a first impression of what you can do with LoopMash, open the tutorial preset.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash How Does LoopMash Work? Whenever you import a loop into LoopMash, the plug-in analyzes the audio material. It generates perceptual descriptors (information on tempo, rhythm, spectrum, timbre, etc.) and then slices the loop into eighth-note segments. This means that after you have imported several loops, LoopMash knows the rhythmic pattern of each loop and the location of various sounds that make up this pattern within each loop.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash 1) Master track slices for playback steps 1 to 4. 2) Slices 1 to 4 selected for playback. For best performance, use audio files that have the same sample rate as your project (to avoid sample rate conversion when loading presets or storing scenes).
Included VST Instruments LoopMash The Track Section The track section contains the track display with the track controls for setting the track volume and a transposition value to the right of each track. To the left of the track display you find the similarity gain sliders. With the button between the similarity gain slider and the track, you can define the master track that serves as the reference for rhythm and timbre.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash 2. Drag the loop file onto a track in LoopMash. Dragging a loop to a track already occupied replaces the original loop. RESULT LoopMash separates the loop into slices, analyzes them, and displays them as a waveform on the track. One track can hold up to 32 slices. If a long loop contains more than 32 slices, LoopMash imports only the first 32. Ideally, you would use a loop file cut at bar boundaries.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash Setting a Loop Range At the top of the track display, a ruler showing bars and beats (using the project’s time signature) is displayed. In the ruler, you also find the loop range selector (the bracket) that defines the play length. PROCEDURE 1. To shorten the play length, click and drag the handles of the loop range selector (the bracket) at the top of the track display.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash Setting the Similarity With the similarity gain slider (to the left of each track), you determine how important a particular track is for the mashing up of the master loop. By moving the slider, you specify that a track is more/less similar to the master track, thus overruling the result of the LoopMash analysis. As a result, more/less slices from this track are included in the current mash. PROCEDURE 1.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash You can use this feature in a very versatile way: • You can assemble a combination of sounds that you like most on one track. • You can define a certain rhythmic pattern by combining slices from different loops on a composite track and making this track the master loop. • You can use a composite track as a clipboard, allowing you to include sounds from more than eight loops into your mash.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash Reverse Plays the slice in reverse. Staccato Shortens the slice. Scratch A, B Plays the slice as if scratched. Backspin 4 Simulates a turntable backspin lasting over 4 slices. Slowdown Applies a slowdown. Tapestart Simulates a tapestart, that is, speeds the slice up. Tapestop 1, 2 Simulates a tapestop, that is, slows the slice down. Slur 4 Stretches the slice over 4 slice lengths. Slur 2 Stretches the slice over 2 slice lengths.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash Step left/right Clicking the Step left/right button steps backwards/forwards through the timeline, playing one slice at a time. Setting the LoopMash Tempo During playback, LoopMash can be synchronized to the tempo set in your host application, or can follow its own tempo setting. • Activate the sync button (to the right of the Play button) to synchronize LoopMash to the project tempo set in your host application.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash Storing Your Configuration as Scenes On the Slice Selection and the Audio Parameters pages, you find a row of 24 pads. For each of these pads, you can save one scene, that is, a combination of up to eight tracks with all parameter settings. By triggering the pads, you can quickly change between different scenes during your performance.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash Setting a Jump Interval You can determine the point at which LoopMash changes to the next scene during playback when you trigger a pad. PROCEDURE • Click the Jump interval button and select an option from the pop-up menu. RESULT NOTE The option e: End means that the current loop is played to the end before switching scenes. When you set up a short loop range, you may need to set the interval to e: End to ensure that the jump point is reached.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash Selection Grid Determines how often LoopMash looks for similar slices during playback: always (left position), or only every 2nd, 4th, or 8th (right position) step. For example, if you set the Selection Grid to every 8th step (right position), LoopMash replaces similar slices every 8th step. Between two replacement steps it plays back the tracks of the slices that have been selected in the last replacement step, resulting in longer playback sequences on one track.
Included VST Instruments LoopMash • Env + Spectrum – this is a combination of the Envelope and Spectrum modes. Adapt Amount Move this slider to the right to increase the adaptation specified with the Adapt Mode parameter. Slice Quantize Move this slider to the right to apply quantizing to the slices, that is, the slices are aligned to an eighth-note grid. If the slider is all the way to the left, the slices follow the rhythmic pattern defined by the original master loop.
Included VST Instruments Mystic With the blue buttons and the yellow button, you can apply additional effects that cannot be applied to single slices: Cycle 4, 2, 1 Sets up a short cycle over 4, 2, and 1 slices, respectively. This short cycle is always set up within the loop range that is set in the ruler. Setting up a cycle over 1 slice means that this slice is repeated until you release the button. Continue Plays back the tracks of the selected slices continuously until you release the button.
Included VST Instruments Mystic The synthesis method used by Mystic is based on three parallel comb filters with feedback. A comb filter is a filter with a number of notches in its frequency response, with the notch frequencies harmonically related to the frequency of the fundamental (lowest) notch. A typical example of comb filtering occurs if you are using a flanger effect or a delay effect with very short delay time.
Included VST Instruments Mystic • The level of the feedback signal is governed by a feedback control. This determines the decay of the feedback tone. Setting this to a negative value simulates the traveling wave in a tube with one open end and one closed end. The result is a more hollow, square wave-like sound, pitched one octave lower. • A detune control offsets the fundamental frequencies of the three comb filters, for chorus-like sounds or drastic special effects.
Included VST Instruments Mystic • To set up the contour, click in one of the displays and drag the mouse to draw a curve. This produces the inverse contour in the other display, for maximum sonic versatility. To set up the contour independently for the two filters, hold down [Shift] and click and drag the mouse in either display. • Use the Preset pop-up menu to select a preset contour.
Included VST Instruments Mystic Comb Filter Sound Parameters Damping This is a 6 dB/oct low-pass filter that affects the sound being fed back into the comb filters. This means the sound becomes gradually softer when decaying, that is, high harmonics decay faster than the lower harmonics (as when plucking a string on a guitar, for example). • The lower the Damping, the more pronounced this effect.
Included VST Instruments Mystic Detune Offsets the notch frequencies of the three parallel comb filters, effectively changing the pitches of their feedback tones. At low settings, this creates a chorus-like detune effect. Higher settings detunes the three tones in wider intervals. Pitch and Fine Overall pitch adjustment of the final sound. This changes the pitch of both the impulse sound and the final comb filter sound. Key Tracking Determines whether the impulse sound should track the keyboard.
Included VST Instruments Mystic • The ENV page contains the four envelope generators that can be assigned to control parameters. • The Event page contains the common MIDI controllers (Mod wheel, Aftertouch, etc.) and their assignments. • The EFX page offers three separate effect types: Distortion, Delay, and Modulation.
Included VST Instruments Mystic About the Sync Modes The Sync modes determine how the LFO cycle affects the notes you play. Part In this mode, the LFO cycle is free running and affects all the voices in sync. Free running means that the LFO cycles continuously, and does not reset when a note is played. MIDI In this mode, the LFO rate is synced in various beat increments to MIDI clock. Voice In this mode, each voice in the Part has its own independent LFO cycle (the LFO is polyphonic).
Included VST Instruments Mystic 2. Select a destination, for example, Cut. The selected modulation destination is now shown in the list. Beside the destination, a default value (50) has been set. The value represents the modulation amount. • You can set positive and negative modulation values by clicking on the value in the list, typing in a new value, and pressing [Enter]. To enter negative values, type a minus sign followed by the value. 3. Select a suitable LFO Waveform, Speed, Depth, and Sync mode.
Included VST Instruments Mystic Envelope Page The Envelope page is opened by clicking the ENV button at the top of the lower half of the control panel. The page contains all parameters and the modulation and velocity destinations for the four independent envelope generators. Envelope generators govern how a parameter value changes when a key is pressed, when a key is held and finally when a key is released. On the Envelope page, the parameters for one of the four envelope generators is shown at a time.
Included VST Instruments Mystic Sustain Determines the level for the envelope after the Decay phase. Note that Sustain represents a level, whereas the other envelope parameters represent times. Release Determines the time it takes for the value to fall back to zero after releasing the key. Range is from 0.0 milliseconds to 91.1 seconds.
Included VST Instruments Mystic Assigning Envelope Velocity Destinations You can also assign velocity-controlled envelope modulation, that is, the modulation is governed by how hard or soft you strike a key. PROCEDURE 1. Click in the Vel Dest box for one of the envelopes. A pop-up menu appears in which all possible velocity destinations are shown. 2. Select a destination. The selected velocity destination is now shown in the list. Beside the destination, a default value (50) has been set.
Included VST Instruments Mystic Modulation Wheel The modulation wheel on your keyboard can be used to modulate parameters. Velocity Controls parameters according to how hard or soft you play notes on your keyboard. A common application of velocity is to make sounds brighter and louder if you strike the key harder. Aftertouch Aftertouch, or channel pressure, is MIDI data sent when pressure is applied to a keyboard after the key has been struck, and while it is being held down or sustained.
Included VST Instruments Mystic • Each separate effect section is laid out with a row of buttons that determine the effect type or characteristic and a row of sliders for making parameter settings. • To activate an effect, click the Active button so that a dot appears. Clicking again deactivates the effect. Distortion You can choose between 4 basic distortion characteristics: • Distortion provides hard clipping distortion. • Soft Distortion provides soft clipping distortion.
Included VST Instruments Mystic Song Sync Activates/Deactivates tempo sync of the delay times. Delay 1 Sets the delay time ranging from 0 ms to 728 ms. If MIDI sync is activated, the range is from 1/32 to 1/1; straight, triplet or dotted. Delay 2 Same as Delay 1. Feedback Controls the decay of the delays. With higher settings, the echoes repeat longer. Filter A low-pass filter is built into the feedback loop of the delay. This parameter controls the cutoff frequency of this feedback filter.
Included VST Instruments Padshop Level Controls the output level of the effect. SR Parameters With these buttons, you can change the sample rate. Lower sample rates basically reduce the high frequency content and sound quality, but the pitch is not altered. This is useful to emulate the lo-fi sounds of older digital synths. • If the F button is active, the program of the selected part plays back with the sample rate set in the host application.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Prologue is modelled on subtractive synthesis, the method used in classic analog synthesizers. It has the following basic features: • Multimode filter Variable slope low-pass and high-pass, plus band-pass and notch filter modes. • Three oscillators, each with 4 standard waveforms plus an assortment of specialized waveforms. • Frequency modulation. • Ring Modulation. • Built-in effects. • Prologue receives MIDI on all MIDI channels.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Sound Parameters Oscillator Section This section contains parameters affecting the 3 oscillators. These are located in upper half of the instrument panel. Selecting Waveforms Each oscillator has a number of waveforms that can be selected by clicking on the waveform name in the box located in each oscillator section. Sawtooth This waveform contains all harmonics and produces a bright and rich sound.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Triangle The triangle waveform generates only a few harmonics, spaced at odd harmonic numbers, which produces a slightly hollow sound. Sine The sine wave is the simplest possible waveform, with no harmonics (overtones). The sine wave produces a neutral, soft timbre. Formant 1–12 Formant waveforms emphasizes certain frequency bands.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Fine (±50 cent) Fine-tunes the oscillator pitch in cent increments (100th of a semitone). This also affects all oscillators. Wave Mod (±50) This parameter is only active if the Wave Mod button is activated beside the waveform selection box. Wave modulation works by adding a phase-shifted copy of the oscillator output to itself, which produces waveform variations. For example if a sawtooth waveform is used, activating WM produces a pulse waveform.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Wave Mod (±50) This parameter is only active if the Wave Mod button next to the waveform selector is activated. Wave modulation works by adding a phase-shifted copy of the oscillator output to itself, which produces waveform variations. For example, if a sawtooth waveform is used, activating WM produces a pulse waveform. By modulating the WM parameter with an LFO, classic PWM (pulse width modulation) is produced. Wave modulation can be applied to any waveform.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Ratio (1–16) This parameter is only active if the Freq Mod button is activated. It adjusts the amount of frequency modulation applied to oscillator 3. It is normally referred to as FM index. Sync button (On/Off) If Sync is activated, Osc 3 is slaved to Osc 1. This means that every time Osc 1 completes its cycle, Osc 3 is forced to start its cycle from the beginning. This produces a characteristic sound, suitable for lead playing.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Portamento This parameter makes the pitch glide between the notes you play. The parameter setting determines the time it takes for the pitch to glide from one note to the next. Turn the knob clockwise for longer glide time. The Mode switch allows you to apply glide only if you play a legato note. Legato mode only works with monophonic parts. Ring Modulation Ring modulators multiply two audio signals.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Filter type Sets the filter type to low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, or notch. Cutoff Controls the filter frequency or cutoff. If a low-pass filter is used, it can control the opening and closing of the filter, producing the classic sweeping synthesizer sound. How this parameter operates is governed by the filter type. Emphasis This is the resonance control for the filter.
Included VST Instruments Prologue 18 dB LP This low-pass filter also has a cascade design, attenuating frequencies above the cutoff frequency with a 18 dB/octave slope, as used in the classic TB 303 synth. 24 dB LP This filter type attenuates frequencies above the cutoff frequency with a 24 dB/octave slope that produces a warm and fat sound.
Included VST Instruments Prologue The following pages are available: • The LFO page has two low frequency oscillators (LFOs) for modulating parameters. • The ENV page contains the four envelope generators that can be assigned to control parameters. • The Event page contains the common MIDI controllers (Mod wheel, Aftertouch, etc.) and their assignments. • The EFX page offers three separate effect types: Distortion, Delay, and Modulation.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Sync mode (Part/MIDI/Voice/Key) Sets the sync mode for the LFO. RELATED LINKS Assigning LFO Modulation Destinations on page 219 About the Sync Modes The Sync modes determine how the LFO cycle affects the notes you play. Part In this mode, the LFO cycle is free running and affects all the voices in sync. Free running means that the LFO cycles continuously, and does not reset when a note is played.
Included VST Instruments Prologue 2. Select a destination, for example, Cut. The selected modulation destination is now shown in the list. Beside the destination, a default value (50) has been set. The value represents the modulation amount. • You can set positive and negative modulation values by clicking on the value in the list, typing in a new value, and pressing [Enter]. To enter negative values, type a minus sign followed by the value. 3.
Included VST Instruments Prologue LFO modulation velocity control If you follow the steps above and select the Cut parameter as a Velocity destination, the following happens: • The harder you strike the key, the more the Cut parameter is modulated by the LFO. • If you enter a negative value for the velocity modulation amount, the opposite happens: the harder you play, the less the Cut parameter is modulated by the LFO.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Attack The attack phase is the time it takes from zero to the maximum value. How long this takes is governed by the Attack setting. If the Attack is set to 0, the maximum value is reached instantly. If this value is raised, it takes time before the maximum value is reached. Range is from 0.0 milliseconds to 91.1 seconds. Decay After the maximum value has been reached, the value starts to drop. How long this takes is governed by the Decay parameter.
Included VST Instruments Prologue 3. Select a suitable envelope curve for the modulation. You should now hear the Cut parameter being modulated by the envelope as you play. 4. Using the same basic method, you can add any number of modulation destinations for the envelope. They are all listed in the Mod Dest box. • To remove a modulation destination, click on its name in the list and select Off from the pop-up menu.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Event Page The Event page is opened by clicking the EVENT button at the top of the lower half of the control panel. This page contains the most common MIDI controllers and their assignments. Modulation Wheel The modulation wheel on your keyboard can be used to modulate parameters. Velocity Controls parameters according to how hard or soft you play notes on your keyboard. A common application of velocity is to make sounds brighter and louder if you strike the key harder.
Included VST Instruments Prologue • To remove a modulation destination, click on its name in the list and select Off from the pop-up menu. Effects (EFX) Page This page features three separate effect units: Distortion, Delay, and Modulation (Phaser/Flanger/Chorus). The Effect page is opened by clicking the EFX button at the top of the lower half of the control panel.
Included VST Instruments Prologue Delay You can choose between 3 basic delay characteristics: • Stereo Delay has two separate delay lines panned left and right. • In Mono Delay, the two delay lines are connected in series for monophonic dual tap delay effects. • In Cross Delay, the delayed sound bounces between the stereo channels. Song Sync Activates/Deactivates tempo sync of the delay times. Delay 1 Sets the delay time ranging from 0 ms to 728 ms.
Included VST Instruments Retrologue Depth Controls the depth of the delay time modulation. Delay Sets the delay time of the four delay lines. Feedback Controls the amount of positive or negative feedback for all four delay lines. Level Controls the output level of the effect. SR Parameters With these buttons, you can change the sample rate. Lower sample rates basically reduce the high frequency content and sound quality, but the pitch is not altered.
Included VST Instruments Spector The synthesis is based around a spectrum filter. This allows you to specify the frequency response by drawing a filter contour in the spectrum display. Slightly simplified, the signal path is the following: • The starting point is the sound generated by up to 6 oscillators. You can choose between different numbers of oscillators in different configurations (in octaves, in unison, etc.). The oscillators can also be detuned for fat sounds or extreme special effects.
Included VST Instruments Spector Sound Parameters Oscillator Section A/B Waveform Pop-up Menus This is where you select basic waveforms for the A and B output of the oscillators. The options are best suited for use with the spectrum filter. Coarse and Fine These parameters provide overall transposition and tuning of the oscillators (common for all oscillators, A and B waveforms).
Included VST Instruments Spector 6 Osc 1:2 3 oscillators with base pitch and 3 pitched one octave down. 6 Osc 1:2:3 Three groups of two oscillators with the pitch ratio 1:2:3 (2 oscillators with base pitch, 2 oscillators at half the frequency of the base pitch, and 2 oscillators at a third of the frequency). 6 Osc 1:2:3:4:5:6 6 oscillators tuned with the pitch ratio 1:2:3:4:5:6 (known as the subharmonic series). 4 Osc 1:2 2 oscillators with base pitch and 2 pitched one octave down.
Included VST Instruments Spector The Mode switch allows you to apply glide only if you play a legato note. Legato mode only works with monophonic parts. Spectrum Filter Sections This is where you create the contours, that is, frequency response characteristics, for the two 128 pole resonant spectrum filters A and B. • You can use the Preset pop-up menu to select a preset contour. • To change the contour, click and draw with the mouse.
Included VST Instruments Spector Master Volume and Pan The master Volume knob controls the master volume (amplitude) of the instrument. By default, this parameter is controlled by Envelope 1, to generate an amplitude envelope for the oscillators. The Pan knob controls the position of the instrument in the stereo spectrum. You can use Pan as a modulation destination.
Included VST Instruments Spector Depending on the selected preset, there may already be modulation destinations assigned, in which case these are listed in the Mod Dest box for each LFO. A low frequency oscillator (LFO) is used for modulating parameters, for example the pitch of an oscillator (to produce vibrato), or for any parameter where cyclic modulation is required. The two LFOs have identical parameters. Speed Governs the rate of the LFO.
Included VST Instruments Spector Key Same as Voice except that it is not free running – for each key down the LFO cycle starts over. About the Waveforms Most standard LFO waveforms are available for LFO modulation. You use sine and triangle waveforms for smooth modulation cycles, square and ramp up/down for different types of stepped modulation cycles and random or sample for random modulation. The sample waveform is different: • In this mode, the LFO makes use of the other LFO as well.
Included VST Instruments Spector Assigning LFO Velocity Destinations You can also assign velocity-controlled LFO modulation. PROCEDURE 1. Click in the Vel Dest box for one of the LFOs. A pop-up menu appears in which all possible velocity destinations are shown. 2. Select a destination. The selected velocity destination is now shown in the list. Beside the destination, a default value (50) has been set. The value represents the modulation amount.
Included VST Instruments Spector On the Envelope page, the parameters for one of the four envelope generators is shown at a time. • You switch between the four envelopes in the section to the left. Clicking on either of the four mini curve displays selects it and displays the corresponding envelope parameters to the right. • Envelope generators have four parameters: Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release (ADSR).
Included VST Instruments Spector Retrigger If Retrigger is activated, the envelope retriggers each time you play a new note. However, with certain textures/pad sounds and a limited number of voices, it is recommended to leave the button deactivated, due to click noises that might occur. Assigning Envelope Modulation Destinations You can assign a modulation destination for an envelope. PROCEDURE 1. Click in the Mod Dest box for one of the envelopes.
Included VST Instruments Spector 3. Using the same basic method, you can add any number of velocity destinations for the Envelope. They are all listed in the Vel Dest box. • To remove a velocity destination, click on its name in the list and select Off from the pop-up menu. Envelope modulation velocity control If you follow the steps above and select the Cut parameter as a Velocity destination, the following happens: • The harder you strike the key, the more the parameter is modulated by the envelope.
Included VST Instruments Spector Assign a Controller to a Parameter PROCEDURE 1. Click in the Mod Dest box for one of the controllers. A pop-up menu appears in which all possible modulation destinations are shown. All Sound parameters as well as most LFO and Envelope parameters are available as destinations. 2. Select a destination. The selected modulation destination is now shown in the list. Beside the destination, a default value (50) has been set.
Included VST Instruments Spector • Tape Emulation produces distortion similar to magnetic tape saturation. • Tube Emulation produces distortion similar to valve amplifiers. Drive Sets the amount of distortion by amplifying the input signal. Filter Sets the crossover frequency of the distortion filter. The distortion filter consists of a low-pass filter and a high-pass filter with a cutoff frequency equal to the crossover frequency.
Included VST Instruments Spector Modulation You can choose between 3 basic modulation characteristics: • Phaser uses an 8-pole all-pass filter to produce the classic phasing effect. • Flanger is composed of two independent delay lines with feedback for the left and the right channel. The delay time of both delays is modulated by one LFO with adjustable frequency. • Chorus produces a rich chorus effect with 4 delays modulated by four independent LFOs.
Included VST Instruments Diagrams Diagrams Prologue 261
Included VST Instruments Diagrams Mystic Spector 262
