Tracks - Cubasis - 3.7

Cubasis workflow is based on tracks.

There are four types of tracks, which can be added via the ADD button in the track list:

Audio

An Audio track contains one or more audio files (e.g. microphone recordings or imported audio files) that are displayed as wave forms.

MIDI

You can think of a MIDI track as an instrumentalist in a band or an orchestra. It has one virtual instrument of your choice assigned to it and offers a flexible way of recording and editing notes. Tapping the instrument icon on a track brings up the instrument rack with the default Micro Sonic (sampled instruments) instrument. From the list, you can select other internal instruments (free ones and in-app purchases are available in the Shop), or third-party Audio Unit or Inter-App Audio instruments.

Group

A Group track creates a submix of several audio or MIDI tracks and applies the same effects to them. A group track contains no events as such, but displays settings and automation for the corresponding group. Each group track has a corresponding channel in the Mixer. Individual tracks can be added to a group track via the Routing tab of the group track, or from within the input display of individual channel strips in the Mixer.

Global

A Global track contains data that affects the song, such as tempo or signature changes.

Events

Content on a MIDI or audio track is arranged within rectangular blocks, which are referred to as events.

• Select a single event by tapping it.

• Move events by dragging them with your finger. They can also be moved into another track of the same type.

• Adjust an event's gain (volume) by dragging the top centered white handle vertically.

• Dragging the top left/right handles horizontally fades the event in/out.

• Adjust the length of your event by dragging the bottom left/right handle horizontally.

• Copy events quickly by dragging the middle right handle horizontally. When multiple events are selected on a track, only the touched one is copied.

• To edit an event's content, double tap it.

Ruler

The vertical lines and numbers on the ruler indicate the bars and beats (measures). The ruler holds the playhead (black vertical line) and two locators. To position the playhead, tap or slide anywhere on the ruler.

Navigation

• Move around by dragging your finger across the screen.

• Pinch to zoom in/out. Vertical zoom is performed on the left column (track list).

• Tap and hold a track to move it.

Locators

The left and right locator in the ruler provide an easy way to work with a specific part of your song.

• Activating the cycle button makes playback and recording loop between the two locators.

• Optionally, you can restrict the length of your song to the part enclosed by the locators when exporting (mixdown).

• Tap and hold an event to set the locators to encompass the selected event.

• Tap and hold a locator for a second to move both locators together.

Tempo

Tap the panel displaying the tempo and signature values to bring up the tempo settings.

• To adjust the song tempo quickly, tap and slide the tempo display. Using the + and - buttons allows tempo adjustments with up to a tenth BPM precision. Alternatively, tap your desired tempo on the Tap Tempo button.

• The signature option offers values ranging from 3/4 to 7/4.

Track management

The three buttons below the track list allow you to delete the selected track or add Audio, MIDI, group or global tracks. Also, you can duplicate tracks with all their events, settings, effects and parameters (except for IAA instances).

Mute

Use this button to toggle whether your selected track is muted and therefore excluded from playback.

Solo

Soloing a track (or a group of tracks) mutes all other tracks.

Note

There are global Mute and Solo buttons above the track list and the mixer's global panel. Tapping one of them mutes/solos all tracks. If one or more tracks are already muted or on solo, it will reset these settings first.

Follow playhead

When enabled, the view will automatically jump to the playhead's position when it leaves the screen.

Record Enable

Setting a track to Record Enable lets Cubasis know that you wish to record on this track. You can have multiple tracks record-enabled at a time, which allows for recording on multiple tracks simultaneously.

Monitoring (audio tracks only)

Monitoring outputs the audio input of your track routed through the track's effects.

Note

In order to prevent feedback, monitoring only works if hardware (e.g. headphones, a microphone or an audio interface) is connected.

Freezing tracks (not in LE)

Depending on the scope of your project, your device may consume more CPU capacity than it can provide, which results in stuttering / crackling playback. Tracks can be frozen by tapping the freeze button. This action disables the track and creates an audio track clone of it, which consumes less processing power during playback.

• The clone track has all applied effects, volume and pan parameters mixed into the waveform. These cannot be edited (apart from applying new effects and parameters).

• The same applies to MIDI tracks. All MIDI notes are exported into an audio format and inserted into the clone track as audio material.

• To unfreeze a track, press the freeze button again or delete the clone audio track. Any edits you made on the audio track are lost because they are not transferred to the original track.

  Note

  • There is a setup option to keep the clone track when you unfreeze the original track.

  • Another setup option allows you to apply your mixdown settings when freezing tracks, in order to automatically normalize them or to apply the locators.

  • Unfreezing is only available as long as the original (disabled) track is not deleted.