Fast Guide to Cubase SX ver 2 edn
Simon Millward

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£17.95

236 x 189 mm * 448 pages  ISBN 1870775910

Press review

'About as comprehensive a guide as you can get. Author Simon Millward brings the kind of perspective that only an experienced user can bring. Nothing to match the sheer accessibility. Recommended!'

Music Tech Magazine Oct 2004

* For SX version 2
* Installation and setting up
* Audio and MIDI recording and editing
* Mixing, mastering, EQ and effects
* Hands on projects
* Time saving shortcuts
* For Cubase SX and SL

The Fast Guide to Cubase SX provides all the information you need to quickly master the essentials of the software and also explores advanced techniques. The book covers all the important aspects of the program including recording and editing in the Project window, mixing in the Mixer, audio looping and editing in the Sample editor, and detailed MIDI editing in the the MIDI editors. Installation and setting up are explained and detailed information on audio and MIDI recording techniques, EQ, compression, gating, limiting, effects and mix automation are all featured. Projects throughout the book describe Cubase SX in a number of recording and editing situations, providing valuable practical insights into how best to use the program for specific tasks.

This second edition includes coverage of the new functions of version 2. It also features a new chapter on mastering and a special tips and power tools chapter to help take your music production and programming to the next level.

Topics covered include: Installing and setting up, the Project window, the Mixer, the Key, List and Drum editors, the Audio Part editor, the Sample editor, the Pool, audio effects plug-ins, MIDI effects plug-ins, audio and MIDI theory, quantize, EQ, compression, gating, looping, filtering, mixing, mix automation, synchronisation, dither, VST Instruments, surround sound and much more.

Simon Millward is a music software specialist. He has a Master of Science degree in Music Technology from the University of York, UK. Originally trained as a musician and subsequently as a sound engineer, his interest in software sequencers and virtual studio instruments has established him as one of the UK's foremost Cubase experts.

Reviews
'Thoroughly recommended!'
Keyboard Player

'All you need to master the essentials of Cubase SX.'
Music Tech magazine

'Five stars. Clear and concise, yet detailed, this book explains the fundamentals of digital recording in general and Cubase SX in particular, from the basics to the complex - and the truth is, recording audio well is a complicated business. This book makes the whole process clear and understandable. Having tried many 'Quick Start' guides, with limited success, I found this book told me everything I needed to know to start making decent recordings, from input to final mix. If you're relatively new to music recording, this book is essential. All manuals should be this good'
Amazon reader June 2004

'Very detailed and clearly explained for beginners and the advanced. An excellent mentor.'
Digital Creative Arts

Contents
1 Description and overview
What is Cubase SX? When was Cubase SX developed? Who can use Cubase SX? Why use Cubase SX? How do I use Cubase SX? The big picture. Brief preview. Patience, practice and understanding.

2 Setting up the system
General computer requirements Installation System verification. Overall system setup Summary.

3 First steps
Recording in Cubase SX. First impressions.

4 The Project window
The Project window. Split, divide and size functions. The Project window tools. Autoscroll and snap functions. The ruler and the left and right locators. The Transport Panel. The Inspector. Using the tools. The Quick menu. Zoom functions in the Project window. The Marker track and Marker window. Folder tracks. Saving and opening details. Progress report.

5 MIDI recording
What is MIDI? MIDI network details. Record modes for MIDI recording. MIDI recording in detail. Recording project. Recording project 2. Recording project 3. Combining techniques. Other MIDI recording techniques. Quantize. How do I include my MIDI recordings when I use Export/Audio Mixdown? Summary.

6 MIDI editing.
General features of the MIDI editors. General tips on using the MIDI editors. Key editor. The List editor. The Drum editor. Smart Moves. More about the MIDI menu. More about quantize. Quantize setup in detail. Advanced quantizing techniques.

7 Audio recording
Digital audio and audio recording techniques. What bit resolution and sample rate should I use? Audio routing. Troubleshooting the recording process. Monitoring in Cubase SX. Record enable and monitor buttons in detail. Monitoring modes in detail. Latency. Record modes for audio recording. Audio recording strategies. Dropping in Œon the fly1. Audio recording in cycle mode. Practical audio recording projects in cycle mode. Audio events, audio clips and audio files.

8 Audio editing
General audio editing techniques. The Audio Part editor. The Sample editor. Audio editing projects using the Audio Part editor and Sample editor.

9 Audio processing
The processing options. What gets affected. Common buttons in the audio processing dialogues. The Process functions. Combination processing. Offline Process History.

10 The Pool
The Pool window. The Pool columns. The Pool toolbar. The Pool Infoline. The Pool Search function. Getting to know the Pool. Archiving your Cubase SX projects. Switching to a new Project folder and making back-ups. Practical Pool techniques. Importing and exporting the Pool.

11 Mixing and EQ
Preliminaries. What is mixing? Ten golden rules for recording and mixing. The Mixer. Mixing decisions. EQ Hot Zones. Mixing strategies. Mixer routing. Mixing down. Export/Audio Mixdown. Mixer moves.

12 Audio effects
Plug-in formats and standards. Audio effects in theory. Filtering. Setting up audio effects in Cubase SX. Common GUI functions for audio effects. The supplied audio effects. Additional effects. Combination processing. Plug-in information.

13 Mastering
Mastering decisions. Mastering in Cubase SX. Mastering processing settings. Dithering. Recommended order of use of plug-ins for mastering. Quality control. Burning the CD.

14 MIDI effects
The difference between MIDI effects and audio effects. Setting up MIDI effects in Cubase SX. Common graphical user Interface functions for MIDI effects. The supplied MIDI effects. How do I make the MIDI effects a permanent part of the data? MIDI effects combinations.

15 Automation
Basic automation. Automating your mix. Step-by-step automation project. Automation modes (Cubase SX only). Creating static mix automation settings. What exactly can be automated?

16 Surround sound
Demystifying surround sound. Common surround sound formats. Setting up the surround features in Cubase SX. Mixing surround sound. Using the surround panner plug-in. Exporting a surround sound mix.

17 VST Instruments
What are VST Instruments? System requirements and performance issues. The supplied VST Instruments. Installing third party developer VST instruments. Activating and using VST Instruments. VST instrument automation in Cubase SX. Converting VSTi tracks into regular audio tracks. The supplied VST Instruments. Summary.

18 The Tempo Track
The Tempo Track editor toolbar. Exploring the Tempo Track editor. Time display format in the ruler. Why use tempo changes. Matching the tempo of Cubase SX to the tempo of a musical performance.

19 Synchronisation
Bar-based synchronisation. Time-based synchronisation. Synchronisation in digital systems. The SMPTE Generator plug-in. Setting up synchronisation in Cubase SX. Practical synchronisation in Cubase SX.

20 Production tips and power tools SiXty SiX tips. Macro magic.

21 Recommended reading

22 Useful websites

23 Glossary

Appendix 1 Computer hardware

Appendix 2 MIDI messages

Appendix 3 MIDI Controllers

Appendix 4 General MIDI

Index