Thursday, December 26, 2024
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Steinberg unveil Cubase 13
The latest version of Steinberg’s popular music production-focused DAW has arrived,
bringing with it a whole host of new features and enhancements. Cubase 13 delivers a
refreshed MixConsole design, expands the capabilities of the Key and Drum Editors and
adds some new plug-ins, as well as reintroducing the Vocoder.
Cubase has long been praised for its MIDI editing capabilities, and the latest version continues to expand and improve the DAW's powerful toolset. A new range tool in the Key Editor and Drum Editor windows makes quick work of applying changes to multiple notes or MIDI messages, and both editors also benefit from a new Visibility tab, which makes it possible to quickly switch between editing multiple parts, whilst a Track view provides a timeline display of the parts from within the editor window.
The Project window has also gained a new Channel tab, which provides channel strip-style access to all of a selected part’s mixer parameters — including routing, inserts and sends — without needing to switch windows.
The update brings with it a number of new plug-ins, including VocalChain, a comprehensive vocal processor packed with filter, EQ, dynamics and effects modules dedicated to crafting professional-sounding vocals. VoxComp then provides a compressor specifically designed for vocal tracks, whilst Black Valve promises the warmth and character associated with vintage valve compressors, and a pair of EQ-P1A and EQ-M5 plug-ins offer Pultec-style EQ options. The release also marks the return of Vocoder, which comes loaded with 24 filter bands capable of adding some interesting textures to instruments or creating robotic vocal sounds.
There’s a vast collection of other improvements and enhancements, too, including a new Spectral Warp mode for the Sampler Track, new video editing and export capabilities, new chord pads that offer musical starting points, a compact Iconica Sketch instrument that provides composers with an all-in-one orchestral scoring tool and much more.
We’ve been putting the latest version to the test here at SOS, with a full review planned for the upcoming December issue.
Compatibility
Cubase 13 is supported on PCs running Windows 10 or 11, and Macs running macOS 12 or 13.
Pricing & Availability
Cubase 13 is available now, with pricing as follows:
There are also a range of upgrade options available for existing Cubase users.
https://www.steinberg.net/cubase/
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Monday, December 23, 2024
Steinberg Cubase Pro 13
Cubase 13 may be light on headline features, but its raft of small improvements makes it a worthwhile upgrade.
In a world where version numbers have become largely meaningless, serving more as an expression of marketing than engineering, it’s perhaps unsurprising Steinberg are continuing to follow what might be regarded as the Spinal Tap approach to enumeration. And why not. If Cubase 12 was one better than Cubase 11, then Cubase 13 will be... well, one better again.
To Put One Brick Upon Another
The first thing seasoned users will notice about Cubase 13 is the vast number of user interface modifications, both in terms of appearance and functionality. And if you’re a Windows user, you’re probably in for a eureka moment when opening the new version for the first time, since Steinberg have finally ditched the cumbersome, seemingly orphaned window that hosted the application’s menu bar. This is a very welcome change, since the same window made tasks like minimising, maximising and restoring windows needlessly difficult. Instead, each Cubase window now implements a relevant instance of the menu bar, making life easier especially when working with multiple displays.
Over the course of 20 years of updates, windows haven’t always been modernised at the same rate. This has sometimes led to an inconsistent user experience, especially for those new to the application, so it’s good to see Steinberg have made a serious effort with Cubase 13 to ensure the application looks and feels both more congruent and contemporary. Upon opening your first Project, you’ll notice a not‑insignificant change to the general appearance of the familiar Project window. The Track List immediately stands out, thanks to a better use of contrast, with Track Controls now being displayed in white rather than black. And although the MIDI Channel Control is now much more readable than before, it now requires at least three units in Steinberg’s sizing scheme, which seems rather greedy.
Highway To The Channel Zone
Switching our attention to the Project window’s Left Zone, the design of the Inspector has once again been refined, with a crisper appearance requiring fewer vertical pixels; but there are also some crucial usability improvements. For instance, where Inspector Sections previously opened and closed exclusively, such that clicking a different Section’s header would close all other Sections without the use of a modifier, they now simply toggle between open and closed states independently.
Should you wish to revert to the older, established behaviour (and I can’t really imagine you would), you can simply right‑click a Section’s header and select Expand Sections Exclusively from the pop‑up menu. Perhaps regrettably, though, the modifier keys have been rendered impotent, having no effect with either the new default behaviour or the older method.
Previously, you could also toggle the inclusion of different Inspector Sections from the same pop‑up just mentioned, in addition to accessing a Setup window with the ability to configure presets. However, this slightly awkward combination of controls has now been consolidated into the new ‘Set up Sections’ dialogue, which is the other option available from the Section header’s pop‑up menu.
Joining the existing Left Zone is a second Left Zone known as the Channel Zone, which finally makes it possible to access a conventional channel‑strip‑like view for the selected track in the Project window. It was already possible to configure the Inspector to show different Sections pertaining to channel‑related controls such as inserts, sends, or indeed a fader, but such an approach could be disrupted when selecting different track types or accidentally closing the necessary Inspector Sections. Therefore, being able to display a streamlined channel strip for any track with an audio output independently of the Inspector is one of those small but useful additions.
The MixConsole window has been overhauled in Cubase 13 and no longer features the Racks section, opting for a more streamlined experience.
The appearance of the channel strip used in the Channel Zone reflects the updated design of the Mix Console window, where the Racks section is no more. This is frankly a relief, since it means the different components of a channel strip — routing, inserts, sends, and so on — are now sensibly revealed through independent toggles in the appropriate ‘Set up Window Layout’ dialogue.
The only aspect of the Channel Zone I found a little incongruous, which is why I referred to it as a second Left Zone, is that the button used to show and hide the new Channel Zone in the Project window’s toolbar has the same icon as the button used to show and hide the Left Zone containing the Inspector. I can’t help thinking there should be a better way to pictorially distinguish these two Zones.
In what seems like a flashback to the early days of Nuendo and Cubase, it’s now possible for audio, group and effect channels to be switched between mono and stereo configurations by clicking the Channel Configuration button on the corresponding track. This is undoubtedly handy, although one can’t help but imagine how being able to switch between other configurations might also be rather convenient, despite the can of worms that would inevitably be opened in practice.
Editing In Multiple Parts
Cubase’s Key Editor is arguably the most comprehensive piano‑roll‑style MIDI editor available in any modern music production application, and this window has been further enhanced in version 13, particularly for situations where you want to edit multiple MIDI parts simultaneously.
In prior versions of Cubase, several parts could be edited at once by selecting the desired parts in the Project window and opening the Key Editor, either in the Lower Zone of the Project window or in its own window. And, assuming the Editor Content Follows Event Selection option was enabled in the Editors page of the Preferences window (which it is by default), the parts displayed in the Key Editor would reflect the currently selected parts in the Project window.
By setting the Part Editing mode (from the Key Editor’s toolbar), you could specify whether the events for all displayed parts were available for editing simultaneously, or whether editing was focused only on the Active Part. In the latter case, the Active Part could be changed by simply clicking on an Event contained within a different part, or by selecting the desired part from the Activate Part for Editing pop‑up menu. Cubase 13 maintains this behaviour and improves it.
Clicking the Part Editing Mode control now reveals a dialogue with brief descriptions of the options provided: All Parts and Active Part, as before, plus a new All Parts on Active Track mode. And, to make selecting the Active Part more convenient, the Part Edit Mode control now opens a panel containing a clearly organised tree view. This displays the available parts grouped by the tracks on which they’re located, sorted by start time, making it easy to navigate a large number of tracks selected in the Project window. And, if that wasn’t enough, the panel also features a search field at the top, much like the Track List’s search facility.
Perhaps the cherry on the icing on the cake regarding these new part‑related options is a new mode for using the Solo Editor control. Previously, enabling Solo Editor would result in only the parts displayed in the Key Editor being played back, which is still the default option. However, a new Solo Editor Mode pop‑up panel offers a second option specifying Solo Editor should ‘follow’ Part Editing Mode, meaning that only the parts chosen for editing will be played back. Therefore, if only the Active Part is being edited, only that part will play back when Solo Editor is enabled.
Complementing these improvements is the new Visibility Zone, which is displayed to the left of the Inspector (and again, Steinberg need to rethink the logic of having two identical buttons in the toolbar that toggle the visibility of different user interface elements). As with the Project window’s Visibility tab, the Editor’s Visibility Zone enables you to toggle which tracks are visible in the editor without having to switch back and forth between the Project window’s Event Display selection. If you’ve ever worked with Pro Tools’ MIDI Editor window, you’ll know what to expect.
As you might suppose from working with the Project window, the visibility of tracks (whose parts are then displayed) can be toggled by clicking to the left of a track’s name to tick and untick its current state. This works in a non‑exclusive manner, although you can focus on a specific track — and thus hiding all others — by double‑clicking that track’s name in the list. And this works great in conjunction with the new Part Editing mode that enables All Parts on Active Track for editing. The Active Track has its name underlined, and you can select which track is the Active Track by simply clicking its name in the list.
Had Bach been alive today, he would undoubtedly have appreciated Cubase 13’s Key Editor, which now features a Track Visibility List and a new Track Display area, enabling parts to be manipulated directly in the Key Editor window without switching back to the Project window.
Given that the configuration of the Key Editor’s Visibility Zone has the potential to conflict with the aforementioned Editor Content Follows Event Selection preference, such interference can be prevented by enabling the Keep Editor Contents button, represented by a pin in the top left of the Zone’s mini toolbar. This toolbar also contains visibility‑related functions similar to those found at the top of the Project window’s Track List, such as setting Track Visibility Agents and an all‑important Find Tracks search field, vital for Projects with large track counts.
The Visibility Zone is accessible in the Key or Drum Editor, either when they’re displayed in their own windows or in the Project window’s Lower Zone. Although, to be honest, this Zone is rather more convenient in the former scenario, since, when using the Key Editor in the Lower Zone, you must use the appropriate tabs to select Visibility at the top of the Left Zone and Editor at the bottom to see the appropriate Track List. And what’s pleasant about using the Visibility Zone in a dedicated Editor window is that it can be displayed in addition to the Inspector, as opposed to having to switch between two different tabs in the Left Zone like you do in the Project window.
Tracks On Display
Being able to better manage which tracks are accessible for editing without leaving the Key Editor is extremely convenient, and Steinberg have taken this concept to its logical conclusion with the new Track Display feature. Available in either the Key or Drum Editor windows, Track Display essentially provides a mini version of the Project window’s Event Display, displaying parts for the visible tracks alongside the Note Display.
Enabling Track Display is surprisingly obtuse, since you have to click the small Track Display Settings button in the Visibility Zone’s mini toolbar and then activate Show Tracks in the pop‑up panel. Why Steinberg chose not to simply add a button to the Key Editor’s toolbar (and a second control to open the panel to access additional configuration options) is a bit of a mystery, although fortunately the Show Tracks toggle is assignable as a key command.
Parts can be manipulated in the Track Display in the same way as they would be in the Project window’s Event Display. For example, parts can be resized or even repeated with the familiar handles, moved or copied on the timeline across different tracks, muted and unmuted, and it’s even possible to show lanes by toggling a track’s Show Lanes control. The Active Part can be chosen by simply clicking the desired part, which also designates the Active Track. Alternatively, as you might anticipate, you can select the Active Track by clicking the corresponding track.
The Track Display is an intriguing feature, and perhaps its only quirk concerns vertical sizing. You can adjust track heights as you can on the Project window’s Track List — and there’s even a handy option to enlarge the selected track — but you can’t adjust the height of all tracks simultaneously by dragging the divider between the Track and Note Displays. Instead, you have to ensure the Track Display has focus (indicated by a solid vertical line on the left side of the Track Display’s area, as opposed to a dotted line), and then use the vertical zoom key commands.
This effectively turns vertical sizing into an awkward, two‑step process, since you have to balance vertical zooming and resizing the height of the Track Display separately. And it can’t be beyond the wit of man to be able to scale the visible tracks with the height of the Track Display, perhaps with a modifier key or an option in the Track Display Settings panel or both.
Range Selection, Revisited
A particularly welcome addition to Cubase 13 is that the Range Selection tool is now available within the Key and Drum editors, where Events from the Note Display and Controller Lanes can be selected in much the same way as events and parts across different tracks in the Project window. Using the Key Editor (since I’ve yet to meet anyone who uses the Drum Editor), if you make a selection with the Range Selection tool in the Note Display, the notes within that selection can be moved or copied as you would expect. And, as with a selection that contains portions of objects in the Project window’s Event Display, a split operation will be automatically performed in the Key Editor if a selection overlaps Note Events.
The Range Selection tool is now available in the Key Editor, and can be used to make non‑continuous selections across the Note Display and Controller Lanes, as shown here.
Unlike selecting across multiple tracks in the Project Editor, the Range Selection tool treats the Note Display and controller lanes exclusively by default. This means that if you make a selection in the Note Display, clicking in a controller lane will start a new selection. However, it’s possible to extend the selection either consecutively or non‑consecutively across multiple Controller Lanes and the Note Display by using the Shift or Control/Command modifier keys respectively. And this makes moving and copying multiple sections of controller lane data significantly easier than was previously possible, which is nice.
In bringing the Range Selection tool to the Key and Drum Editors, Steinberg have also made some improvements to this tool that also apply to its use in the Project window. For example, when objects fall completely within the selected range, switching to the Object Selection tool will automatically select such objects. This is tremendously handy, since it enables you to easily jump in and out of a range selection to make quick edits to the appropriate objects, such as transposing notes or muting and unmuting objects.
Classics Reborn (Again)
The world is not short of software recreations of the Pultec EQP‑1A and MEQ‑5, but perhaps Steinberg felt left out, because Cubase 13 includes its own EQ‑P1A and EQ‑M5 plug‑ins. Their DSP wizards have done a great job and these are useful, contemporary examples that sound and feel as you would expect. However, their real value becomes apparent in the context of the new VocalChain plug‑in, a modular effect that brings a veritable ensemble of algorithms under one processing roof for modern vocal production. VocalChain comprises 16 modules grouped into three sections — Clean, Character, and Send — including effects for compression, EQ, de‑essing, filtering, and so on. The left of the interface lists the modules in order of processing, and they can be toggled on and off, auditioned in solo, or even rearranged within the corresponding group.
Other new algorithms presented by VocalChain that are also available as independent
plug‑ins include Black Valve and VoxComp. The former is an unapologetically
analogue‑sounding processor, combining a tube preamp stage with a classic
compressor/limiter; the wet/dry mix control is a welcome touch, allowing you to
blend in the amount of vulgarity to taste. For subtler dynamics, VoxComp is ideal
for situations where you want to compress a vocal track simply and tenderly with an
air of mansuetude.
Cubase 13 includes the new modular VocalChain plug‑in for vocal processing, which includes Pultec EQ emulations also accessible as separate plug‑ins, like the new EQ‑P1A.
Cubase 13 also sees the return of a vocoder, a type of plug‑in last seen back in Cubase SX 3. The aptly named Vocoder offers between two and 24 bands, recreating the classic sound of a vintage vocoder. And, last but not least, the TestGenerator plug‑in has been updated and now usefully includes enable/disable buttons for each speaker channel (handy when testing surround and spatial configurations), in addition to using geometric oscillators for improved signal generation.
Superstition?
Cubase 13 is one of those interesting releases where there isn’t a singular, headline‑grabbing new feature. Rather it’s perhaps an example of what Steinberg do best: a carefully curated collection of significant workflow enhancements, user interface polishes, and under‑the‑bonnet refinements.
As I was writing this review, I noticed how many comparisons I was making to earlier versions of Cubase to provide context for the decisions Steinberg have taken with Cubase 13. And I think this reflects how sophisticated Cubase has become over the years, making the huge amount of effort that’s been deployed in improving the clarity and consistency of the application’s user interface even more satisfying.
Having used Cubase 13 for some time now, I find my temperament becoming rather prickly when confronted with the mere sight of Cubase 12, a sentiment that might be considered as a form of praise. And I don’t think I’ll be alone. Cubase 13 has something for every musician and audio engineer, ensuring a better experience for everyone who uses Steinberg’s Advanced Music Production System.
Saturday, December 21, 2024
Friday, December 20, 2024
Steinberg update Cubasis and Dorico apps
Steinberg have announced that the latest versions of their mobile music making and
notation apps, Cubasis 3.6 and Dorico for iPad 5.1, are now available. With the arrival
of the updates, both apps now benefit from new built-in instruments powered by the
company’s HALion sampling and virtual instrument engine.
Cubasis
Cubasis 3.6 will now include a free LoFi Piano instrument, a sample-based instrument that offers a blend of vintage and contemporary upright piano sounds and includes a collection of six intuitive built-in effects. There are then another three new offerings available via optional in‑app purchases.
The first, HALion Sonic Selection, is described as the ultimate creation workstation for Cubasis, delivering a library of over 1100 world-class instruments that can be fine-tuned to suit any genre thanks to a set of eight simple controls. Neo FM and Classic FM then offer a range of FM sounds, with the former loaded with next-generation basses, pads, leads and more, and the latter dedicated to recreating the tones of sought-after classics such as Yamaha’s DX7 and TX81Z.
Dorico for iPad
Dorico for iPad has also been treated to an instrument-based upgrade, with users benefitting from a new free set of General MIDI-compatible sounds powered by the HALion engine. Also available via an in‑app purchase is Iconica Sketch, the company’s recently released all-in-one orchestral instrument. Now optimised for iPad, the instrument offers the sound of a complete orchestra with 34 individual instruments and a total of 140 articulations, allowing composers and arrangers to produce detailed mock-ups with just their iPad. The instrument is available via a monthly or yearly subscription, or can be purchased with a one-off Lifetime Unlock payment.
Pricing & Availability
The latest versions of Cubasis and Dorico for iPad, along with the new instruments, are available now, and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store (Dorico is only available for iPad). Steinberg are celebrating the launch with an introductory pricing offer, with discounts of 25% being applied to the following prices until 8 January 2024.
https://www.steinberg.net/dorico/
Published 18/12/23
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Cubase: Managing The Low Mids With Frequency 2
With Frequency 2 inserted on the master bus, you can apply gain reduction only to the low‑mid frequencies, and only when they contain the most energy — this can be an effective tactic if faced with a muddy‑sounding mix and static EQ can’t get things where you want.
Wrestling with low‑mid mud? Cubase’s dynamic EQ can help.
Almost every instrument group in modern music productions can contain significant energy in the low mids (broadly speaking, around 250‑500 Hz), so when mixing you’ll often find that there’s an unhelpful build‑up of energy within this range — if there’s too much going on in this region, a mix might sound ‘muddy’, ‘muffled’ or ‘boxy’, and you need a plan to address that.
There are a number of ways in which this ‘too much mud’ issue might be approached, and careful arrangement and instrumentation choices can obviously play a big part, by which I mean you can write the parts and pick and layer your sound sources in a way that avoids an unhealthy build‑up of energy in the low midrange in the first place. But if further control is required, standard EQ applied at the master bus, on subgroups, at the individual instrument level or a combination of all three can be used to control the energy that sits in this frequency range. Cubase offers several EQ tools that can be used for that, including the Channel Strip EQ, StudioEQ and, for users of Cubase Pro or Nuendo only, Frequency 2.
In addition to normal EQ duties, Frequency 2 provides an additional level of control: dynamic EQ. Compared to a standard EQ, where any cut (or boost) is applied all the time, with a dynamic EQ, the cut (or boost) is only applied when the signal is at its loudest in the target frequency range. There are plenty of third‑party options for those using other versions of Cubase (such as Tokyo Dawn’s freeware Nova: https://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-nova), but since Frequency 2 comes with Cubase Pro and its GUI makes everything really easy to configure, let’s use it to explore some dynamic mud management tactics.
I’ve also prepared some short audio examples (available on the SOS website at https://sosm.ag/cubase-1223) to illustrate what I’m discussing here.
Mud Master
If you think the correction required is a modest final tweak to an otherwise finished mix, or you’re already at the mastering stage of a project, some corrective low‑mid EQ on your master bus or stereo mix might be the most appropriate, or perhaps even the only option. But even if not, I find it’s often worth trying an instance of Frequency 2 on the master bus before you move on to a more finessed approach. You might be surprised by what you can achieve!
The first screenshot shows the settings I configured for this approach with the mix used in the audio examples. Note that I’ve switched the Frequency 2 display to Sing (single band) mode, as this provides easier access to the full range of EQ controls for a single EQ band (in this case, band three of the eight available bands), including the Dynamics section. The required settings will be dependent upon the source material, of course, but there are some useful guiding principles. I’ve used a peak filter centred at 350Hz and with a Q of 2.5 to deliver 9dB of gain reduction. No, that’s not a mistake! A 9dB cut on the master bus would almost certainly be too much with a conventional static EQ band; as can be heard in the audio examples, it would rob this mix of too much low‑mid energy, making the mix sound ‘thin’. But this won’t be a conventional EQ cut...
Before we engage the Dynamics section, though, there are a couple of points worth noting. First, with this combination of settings, the filter shape means the cut extends a little beyond the 250‑500 Hz range. You can control this by adjusting the Q (larger values make the filter narrower) or gain (smaller cuts also reduce the range of frequencies affected by the filter). Second, when you know you’ll be making the band dynamic, it’s actually not such a bad idea to start by applying a static EQ that produces rather more cut than you think you’ll eventually need. This makes it easier to hear the EQ change, and I find it helps when targeting the initial Freq and Q settings; it’ll be that bit easier to hear exactly where the problem lies.
Applying Frequency 2’s dynamic EQ to subgroup tracks gives you greater control over which instruments are ‘de‑mudified’.
Get Dynamic
Having brought our ‘mud spot’ into focus, we can now engage the Dynamics section. The main control options are Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release, and will be familiar to anyone who’s used a conventional compressor before. Again, the settings could vary according to the material, but you probably don’t want the gain reduction to be too aggressive. In the example, I opted for a gentle 2:1 ratio, fast (3ms) attack and medium (150ms) release. With those set up, I simply adjusted the Threshold fader, to specify the signal level at which this band‑specific compression started delivering the amount of gain reduction that my ears suggested was required.
The GUI provides some very useful visual feedback, and it’s worth noting that the original Freq, Q and Gain settings control the absolute maximum amount of gain reduction that can be applied, while our Dynamics settings control how often and how far the gain reduction moves towards that maximum position. When there’s more ‘mud’ — that is, more energy within the specified frequency band — more gain reduction is applied so, almost as if by magic, the unwanted mud is dynamically managed. You can hear the result in an audio example on the SOS website for which I applied different Threshold settings to adjust the level of mud reduction. The degree of control is impressive and if you get the balance right, you can tackle the mud without making your mix sound thin.
The Start control lets you combine static and dynamic EQ. I’ve exaggerated the settings here for clarity: the Start setting of ‑6dB (topmost thin white curve) forms the EQ starting point onto which any further dynamic cuts are superimposed.Before we move on, a final thing to note about the Dynamics section is the Start control. This allows you to combine your dynamic EQ adjustment with a static cut/boost. So, for example, if I set Start to ‑3dB, I would get a static 3dB gain reduction applied all the time and this would then form the starting point (hence ‘Start’) from which any further dynamic gain adjustment would applied. Again, the frequency display in the upper panel provides a very intuitive graphical representation of this so it’s easy to see what’s happening.
Group Therapy
If your usual approach to mixing makes use of the group channels to provide separate sub‑mixes of the drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, vocals and so forth, then you can apply precisely the same basic principles at the subgroup level. Simply insert an instance of Frequency 2 on each of group channel and use each one to dynamically control the lower mids of each instrument group.
In principle, this should give you greater control over how and where your mud management is applied, and minimise collateral damage to sources that you don’t want cut. For example, you could use the approach on just your guitar and keyboard/synth buses (common culprits in mud supplies), while avoiding stealing any lower‑mid energy from other instrument groups. Equally, since you’re dealing with single instrument groups, you can generally be a little more conservative (for example, a higher threshold or lower ratio). Cuts are only applied to a specific instrument when that instrument exceeds the threshold, and when combined with similar cuts being applied in isolation to other channels, the overall result should, hopefully, be a mix with a little more clarity.
By the way, there’s nothing to stop you combining both the master bus and group bus approaches, although if the main mud management is done at the group level, you’ll find you can apply much more subtle settings at the master bus, just to catch the occasional 1 or 2 dB of excess mud.
Keeping Your Balance
So, where fader moves and conventional compression and static EQ boosts don’t seem to deliver a satisfying tonal balance (it’s rarely a bad idea to try such bread‑and‑butter tactics first!), looking to these Frequency 2 tactics to minimise the mud can be a great next step. Of course, you could extend the same basic approach down to the individual instrument channel level, though do use your ears to decide if its actually needed — there’s no point processing audio for the sake of it, and if there are complex phase relationships between different sources you should listen out for unwanted side‑effects; unpicking problems you only notice later can be time‑consuming and frustrating!
Another tactic is to use Frequency 2’s external side‑chain input options to duck one or more sources out of the way of a source whose low‑mid presence you want to retain (for example, using the guitar bus to duck a synth bus), but that’s perhaps a topic for another day.
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Monday, December 16, 2024
Cubase: Using Chord Pads
The updated Chord Pad window incorporates the Chord Assistant, including its handy Circle of Fifths display, in a panel on the right.
The revamped Chord Pad offers even better support for songwriters than before.
Cubase’s Chord Pad facility has always made experimenting with different chords easy for anyone, regardless of their version of Cubase (it’s included in the Pro, Artist and Elements editions) or their level of keyboard competence — you can create (or load) a palette of suitable chords, which can be as simple or as complex as you like, pick a key, and then all you need to experiment with different chord sequences is a single finger. Thus, it can be a very powerful aid to songwriting... and Cubase 13 brought some interesting refinements that are aimed squarely at this use‑case scenario.
Strike The Right Chord
As shown in the first screenshot (above), the Chord Pads can be accessed in the Project window’s Lower Zone. At its simplest, you can use the pads, each of which is associated with a MIDI note, to trigger a full chord on the currently active MIDI/virtual instrument track. However, you can now specify a larger number of pads (configured in the Chord Pad Remote Setting dialogue box, accessed using the MIDI connector icon located top right). You can also opt for a grid‑based layout (in the Chord Pads Display Setting dialogue, accessed very top right), which may be helpful if you are using a drum‑pad‑style device to trigger your chords.
The top bar menu system has been reorganised to provide better access to options for transposing or re‑voicing chords on selected pads. There are also improved pattern performance options (very neat, but a topic for more detailed consideration another day...) and options to configure both how chord triggers are quantised and how note overlaps are handled.
Steinberg have added a bunch of new Chord Pad presets that are well worth exploring but it’s easy to build your own selections, and we will look at one songwriter‑friendly route for doing this in a moment. Before we do, I want to offer you a quick reminder about the Adaptive Voicing (AV) feature. In essence, if this is active when you trigger chord changes, then Cubase will attempt to make those changes smoother by using the smallest shifts in pitch required to move between chords — much like a competent piano or guitar player might do. This can be activated on a per‑pad basis using the AV buttons in the toolbar. But sometimes you’ll want more specific control over the voicing used on a specific pad (for example, by setting the notes used with your MIDI keyboard), and in that case you can deactivate the AV system for that pad altogether and, as an extra ‘failsafe’, use the Lock button to ensure your chosen voicing doesn’t get altered.
You can now create larger sets of Chord Pads and the Chord Assistant’s List display makes it easy to add more harmonically complex chords to your selection.
Test Your Theory
From a songwriting perspective, the new ability to open the Chord Assistant directly in the Chord Pad system is very useful. This can be toggled on/off using the ‘right panel’ button, located at the top right of the window. There are three display options available here: Chord Editor, List and Circle of Fifths. They all have their uses, but for creating an initial chord selection from scratch, I think the Circle of Fifths display is particularly useful.
To start with a blank set of pads, use the Select All button on the left of the lower row of toolbar items, and then hit the Delete button. You can then select the root note of the key you wish to use from the drop‑down box at the top left of the toolbar, and choose between major or minor keys in the Chord Assistant. The Circle of Fifths display will automatically adjust to place your root‑note chord at the centre of its display.
The beauty of this display is twofold. First, even if your music theory knowledge is a work in progress, the arrangement of the chords gives you a clear indication of which chords are most likely to work well together in your chosen key. The seven basic triad chords in the selected key are shown in the upper quadrant of the display, and are also indicated with Roman numerals that show the position of their respective root notes in the scale (three major, three minor and the ‘harmonically challenging’ diminished VII chord). As you move further away from this upper quadrant, all the chords shown stray progressively further ‘out of key’. As a result, they might be more difficult to place in a chord sequence with your ‘in key’ chords — but, equally, the occasional unexpected chord choice can often be really helpful in giving a sequence a unique, engaging feel. The ease with which this sort of experimentation can be explored is one of the real advantages of the Chord Pad system.
Second, you can now assign a chord to a Chord Pad simply by dragging from the Circle of Fifths display to an empty Chord Pad. And with the Circle of Fifths display to guide your choices, you can simply repeat this process until you’ve built a set of chords to explore.
Colourful Chord Changes
As shown in the second screenshot, I’ve done this for all the basic chords in the C major scale, starting at Chord Pad C0. For simplicity in triggering, I’ve confined the triggers to the white notes. But having expanded the number of Chord Pads (as mentioned earlier) to span two octaves, I’ve then added a second instance of each chord, with adjustments that give me access to something beyond the basic triads. If I want to add some more harmonically interesting chords in my sequence, it’s now just as easy as triggering the basic triads.
The two sideways arrow buttons in the toolbar (Less Tensions and More Tensions) can be used to create these extended chords. But if you switch from the Circle of Fifths display to the Chord Editor display in the Chord Assistant panel, then you get even more control over these extended chord options. Usefully, the chords automatically audition themselves as you make selections.
From a ‘songwriting assistant’ perspective, there are a couple of other really useful additions to the pads display. First, in the Chord Pad Display Settings dialogue, you can add either Roman Numerals or Nashville Number System labels to the pads, either as the primary or secondary label. Chord sequences are often abbreviated to these number sequences (for example, the classic I, V, iv, IV that’s been used in a gazillion hit songs) because it provides a concise summary of the chord sequence that would work, whatever the key. It can be super‑useful to see these labels on the pads themselves as you explore your own chord sequence ideas.
The other addition, which I reckon is a really clever one, is the interactive colour coding of the Chord Pads. When you trigger a pad, Cubase applies a little bit of music theory in the background and instantly colour codes (at the bottom strip of the pad) the more obvious ‘next chord’ destinations for you. A shade of green indicates the most obvious destinations, while yellow, orange or red suggest chords that will create a progressively more dramatic change. This process happens in real time as you play, so as you search for some chord sequence ideas, you’ll find that your ‘virtual assistant’ has always got your back with a suitable idea or two as to where to go next! Whatever your level of music or harmony knowledge, and whether you wish to use it to follow the suggested wisdom or deliberately choose not to, I think this is genuinely useful.
Did I Play That?
From this point on, it’s all about having fun and letting the creative process happen, and with these enhancements to the Chord Pad feature set it’s even easier to experiment with chord sequences than ever. You needn’t worry about your keyboard chops or struggle to draw on a partial knowledge of music theory — it can be a really liberating experience. And when you are happy with your chord sequence, hit the record button, trigger your one‑finger chords, and the full triggered chords, however complex, will be present and correct in the resulting MIDI clip.
Once you’ve created a useful Chord Pad configuration, don’t forget to save it as a preset. And if you decide the key needs adjustment when you try to sing a topline over your chords, you can simply change the root note from the drop‑down mentioned earlier — the Chord Pads will just transpose to suit (note that you can defeat this automatic change, if required).
Over multiple releases, the Chord Pad system has gradually evolved into a really powerful feature in Cubase, but the ‘songwriting assistant’ workflow that I’ve described above is just one way it can be used — so I’ll return to explore other applications for the Chord Pads in a future workshop or two. Until then, let your one‑fingered chord sequence writing run free and generate some new song ideas.