Cubase SX Setup
Setting up Cubase can be troublesome for some of us but spending a little time getting to know this stage of the installation can save the monitor, the wall/window, and the cost of a decorator/glazier later on
Setting up Cubase
Cubase Sound Driver
Choose a sound driver for Cubase to use:
- Open up Devices » Device Setup » VST Multitrack
- Drop-down the ASIO Driver settings on the right side of the screen
Setting up Cubase SX
Contents:
- Cubase Sound Driver
- Clock Source
- Cubase Inputs
- MIDI Inputs
- Bit-Depth: Which?
Select the ASIO driver associated with your soundcard. Cubase may install its own ASIO drivers in addition to the ones provided by your own soundcard, it's usually always preferable to use your own - Check your soundcard manufacturers website often and download the latest updated drivers. Always try to avoid using the Multimedia and DirectX ASIO drivers if poss.
In other words, if you don't own an ASIO based soundcard, go buy one! Sorry, but that's just the way it is now you're playing with the monster that is, Cubase SX!
If you're a die-hard Steinberg fan and would rather, "keep everything in the family" (they know more than most about their products right?), then you might be interested to know that they have their own purpose-built VSL 2020 ASIO soundcard for Windows.
Clock Source
Unless you’re going to be using a digital input for sound, you're just as well to leave this set to Internal Clock.
If you are using a digital input, you can set it to S/PDIF now if you want, or leave it until later when you need it.
If you're having latency problems within Cubase, then you'll notice the buffer settings here too which you can mess with.
Cubase Inputs
Set-up the number of available inputs for recording audio - The actual number may be reliant upon your soundcard.
- Open Devices » VST Inputs
Here you'll see the number of inputs you're getting from your card.
To change:
- Click on the power button in the middle of the box.
You can also change the label names Cubase has given your inputs to a name of your choosing by just clicking within the label itself and entering your memorable name instead.
MIDI Inputs
To set up your MIDI ports:
- Open up Devices » Device Setup
- Click on Default MIDI ports
- Select MIDI device for In and Out.
If you can't see any interface devices in the list click All MIDI Inputs and see if it's any are present. If not, ensure that the drivers are indeed installed correctly and or re-boot
Bit-Depth - Which?
To see what bit-depth you're recording at:
- Open up Project » Project Setup and look at the Record Format option.
Generally, the higher the bit-depth, the finer the resolution of audio (Read more about Bits here). Some people say it's easier on your processor if you use Cubase's 32 Bit Float point resolution because of the way it handles data...you decide!
Watch Cubase video tutorials sourced by TheWhippinpost.
