Snap and other Drum Editor Features in Cubase 12

today we cover

Snap and other Drum Editor Features in Cubase 12

Toolbar buttons

Snap

Notes Length

Pitch Visibility

Nudge

Quantize

Drum Editor

The Drum Editor is the editor to use when you are editing drum or percussion parts.

You can open the Drum Editor in a separate window or in the lower zone of the Project window. Opening the Drum Editor in the lower zone of the Project window is useful if you want to access the Drum Editor functions from within a fixed zone of the Project window.

To open a MIDI part in the Drum Editor, do one of the following:

• Select a MIDI part in the Project window and select MIDI > Open Drum Editor.

If the MIDI track has a drum map assigned and Editor Content Follows Event Selection and Use Drum Editor when Drum Map is assigned are activated in the Preferences dialog (Editors page), you can do the following to open a MIDI part in the Drum Editor:

• Double-click a MIDI part in the Project window.
• Select a MIDI part in the Project window and press Return or Ctrl/Cmd-E.
• Select a MIDI part in the Project window and select MIDI > Open Drum Editor.
• In the Key Commands dialog in the Editors category, assign a key command for Open Drum Editor. Select a MIDI part in the Project window and use the key command.

Note

If you select MIDI > Set up Editor Preferences, the Preferences dialog opens on the Editors page. Make your changes to specify if you want the Drum Editor to open in a separate window or in the lower zone of the Project window.

The Drum Editor window:

The Drum Editor is divided into several sections:

• Toolbar
  Contains tools and settings.

• Status line
  Informs about the mouse time position and the mouse value.

• Info line
  Displays information about the selected event.

• Drum Editor Inspector
  Contains tools and functions for working with MIDI data.

• Drum sound list
  Lists all drum sounds.

• Ruler
  Displays the time line.

• Note display
  Contains a grid in which notes are displayed.

• Drum map
  Lets you select the drum map for the edited track or a list of drum sound names.

• Controller display
  The area below the note display consists of one or multiple controller lanes.

Note

You can activate/deactivate the status line, the info line, and the controller lanes by clicking Set up Window Layout on the toolbar and activating/deactivating the corresponding options.

Pasted from <https://steinberg.help/cubase_pro/v12/en/cubase_nuendo/topics/midi_editors/midi_editors_drum_editor_r.html>

Drum Editor Toolbar

The toolbar contains tools and various settings for the Drum Editor.

• To show or hide the toolbar elements, right-click the toolbar and activate or deactivate the elements.

Retrospective Record

Insert MIDI Retrospective Recording in Editor

Allows you to recover MIDI notes that you played in stop mode or during playback.

Left Divider

Left Divider

Allows you to use the left divider. Tools that are placed to the left of the divider are always shown.

Pitch Visibility

Pitch Visibility On/Off

Activates the selected pitch visibility option.

Select Pitch Visibility Options

Deactivate this to show all drum sounds in the note display. Activate this to reduce the drum sounds in the note display according to the selected pitch visibility option.

• Show Drum Sounds with Events shows only the drum sounds for which events are available in the note display.
• Show Drum Sounds in Use by Instruments shows the drum sounds for which a pad, etc. is in use for the instrument. This option is only available if the instrument can provide this information.
• Reverse Drum Sound List reverses the order of the sounds displayed in the drum sound list.

Auto-Scroll

Link Project and Lower Zone Editor Cursors

Links timelines, cursors, and zoom factors of the Editor tab in the lower zone and the Project window.

Note

You cannot activate Link Project and Lower Zone Editor Cursors if Independent Track Loop is active.

Auto-Scroll

Keeps the project cursor visible during playback.

Select Auto-Scroll Settings

Allows you to activate Page Scroll or Stationary Cursor and to activate Suspend Auto-Scroll When Editing.

Acoustic Feedback

Acoustic Feedback

Automatically plays back events when you move or transpose them, or when you create them by drawing.

Tool Buttons

Object Selection

Selects events and parts.

Drumstick

Draws drum events.

Erase

Deletes events.

Mute

Mutes events.

Zoom

Zooms in. Hold Alt/Opt and click to zoom out.

Time Warp

Adjusts musical positions of events to time positions.

Line

Creates a series of contiguous events.

Auto Select Controllers

Auto Select Controllers

Automatically selects controller data of the selected MIDI notes.

Independent Track Loop

Independent Track Loop

Activates/Deactivates the independent track loop.

Note

If you activate Independent Track Loop, the Link Project and Lower Zone Editor Cursors function is automatically deactivated in the Editor tab in the lower zone.

Nudge

Nudge Settings

Allow you to set up a snap grid for the nudge commands.

• By default, the snap grid for nudge operations is set to Link to Grid, and the step width corresponds to the snap grid.
• If you activate Link to Primary Time Format, the snap grid for nudge operations follows the primary time format, and you can set up the step width in the Nudge Settings pop-up menu.
• If you deactivate Link to Grid and Link to Primary Time Format, you can set up a snap grid that  is fully independent for nudge operations. In this case, you can select a time format and a value from the Nudge Settings pop-up menu.

Note

To show the nudge buttons, click the points to the right of the Nudge Settings.

Nudge Start Left

Increases the length of the selected event by moving its start to the left.

Nudge Start Right

Decreases the length of the selected event by moving its start to the right.

Move Left

Moves the selected event to the left.

Move Right

Moves the selected event to the right.

Nudge End Left

Decreases the length of the selected event by moving its end to the left.

Nudge End Right

Increases the length of the selected event by moving its end to the right.

Transpose Palette

Move Up

Transposes the selected event up by a half note.

Move Down

Transposes the selected event down by a half note.

Move Up More

Transposes the selected event up by an octave.

Move Down More

Transposes the selected event down by an octave.

Insert Velocity

Note Insert Velocity

Allows you to specify a velocity value for new notes.

Notes Length

Insert Length

Allows you to determine a length for newly created notes.

Show Note Length On/Off

Shows drum notes as boxes that display the note length.

Snap

Snap On/Off

Activates/Deactivates the Snap function.

Snap Type

Allows you to select one of the following snap types:

• Grid snaps events to the grid that is selected in the Quantize Presets pop-up menu.
• Grid Relative keeps the relative positions when snapping events to the grid.
• Events snaps events to the start or end of other events.
• Shuffle changes the order of events if you drag one event to the left or right of other events.
• Cursor snaps events to the cursor position.
• Grid + Cursor snaps events to the quantize grid that is selected in the Quantize Presets pop-up menu or to the cursor position.
• Events + Cursor snaps events to the start or end of other events, or to the cursor position.
• Grid + Events + Cursor snaps events to the quantize grid that is selected in the Quantize Presets pop-up menu, to the start or end of other events or to the cursor position.

Grid Type

Allows you to select one of the following grid types:

• Use Quantize activates a grid where events snap to the value that is selected in the Quantize Presets pop-up menu.
• Adapt to Zoom activates a grid where events snap to the zoom level.
• Use Snap from Drum Map activates a grid where events snap to the Snap value that is selected in the drum map.

Quantize

Apply Quantize

Applies the quantize settings.

Quantize Presets

Allows you to select a quantize or a groove preset.

Soft Quantize On/Off

Activates/Deactivates soft quantize.

Open Quantize Panel

Opens the Quantize Panel.

Multiple Part Controls

Show Part Borders

Shows/Hides part borders for the active MIDI part within the left and right locators.

Part Editing Mode

Sets the editing mode for parts.

• Edit All Parts allows you to edit all parts that are opened in the Editor at the same time.
• Edit Active Part restricts editing operations to the part that is selected in the Activate Part for Editing pop-up menu.

Activate Part for Editing

Lists all parts that were selected when you opened the editor, and allows you to activate a part.

Event Colors

Event Colors

Allows you to select event colors.

Step/MIDI Input

Step Input

Activates/Deactivates MIDI step input.

MIDI Input/Note Expression MIDI Input

Activates/Deactivates MIDI input and note expression MIDI input.

Move Insert Mode

Moves all note events to the right of the step input position to the right to make room for the inserted event when you insert notes.

Note

This only works if Step Input is activated.

Record Pitch

Includes the pitch when you insert notes.

Record NoteOn Velocity

Includes the NoteOn velocity when you insert notes.

Record NoteOff Velocity

Includes the NoteOff velocity when you insert notes.

Edit VST Instrument

Edit VST Instrument

Opens the VST instrument that the track is routed to.

Right Divider

Right Divider

Allows you to use the right divider. Tools that are placed to the right of the divider are always shown.

Window Zone Controls

Open in Separate Window

This button is available in the Editor tab in the lower zone. It opens the editor in a separate window.

Open in Lower Zone

This button is available in the editor window. It opens the Editor tab in the lower zone of the Project window.

Show/Hide Left Zone

Shows/Hides the left zone.

Show/Hide Controller Lanes

Shows/Hides the controller lanes.

Set up Window Layout

Allows you to set up the window layout.

Set up Toolbar

Opens a pop-up menu where you can set up which toolbar elements are visible.

Pasted from <https://steinberg.help/cubase_pro/v12/en/cubase_nuendo/topics/midi_editors/midi_editors_drum_editor_toolbar_r.html>

Status Line

The status line is displayed below the toolbar. It displays important mouse information.

• To show the status line, click Set up Window Layout on the toolbar, and activate Status Line.

The on/off status of the status line in the Drum Editor window and in the Editor tab in the lower zone of the Project window are independent of each other.

Mouse Time Position

Displays the exact time position of the mouse pointer, depending on the selected ruler display format. This lets you edit or insert notes at exact positions.

Mouse Value

Displays the exact pitch of the mouse pointer position in the event display. This facilitates finding the right pitch when entering or transposing notes.

If you move the mouse in the controller display, the controller event value at the mouse cursor position is displayed.

Track Loop Start/Track Loop End

If Independent Track Loop is activated on the toolbar and you set up a loop, the start/end position is displayed.

Pasted from <https://steinberg.help/cubase_pro/v12/en/cubase_nuendo/topics/midi_editors/midi_editors_drum_editor_status_line_r.html>

Info Line

The info line shows values and properties of the selected events. If several notes are selected, the values for the first note are displayed in color.

• To show the info line, click Set up Window Layout on the toolbar, and activate Info Line.

Length and position values are displayed in the selected ruler display format.

The on/off status of the info line in the Drum Editor window and in the Editor tab in the lower zone of the Project window are independent of each other.

Pasted from <https://steinberg.help/cubase_pro/v12/en/cubase_nuendo/topics/midi_editors/midi_editors_drum_editor_info_line_r.html>

Drum Editor Inspector

The Drum Editor Inspector is located to the left of the note display. It contains tools and functions for working with MIDI data.

Expression Map

Allows you to load an expression map. Expression maps are useful for working with articulations.

Quantize

Allows you to access the main quantize parameters. These are identical with the functions on the Quantize Panel.

Length

Contains length-related options, similar to the Functions submenu of the MIDI menu.

• To change the length of the selected MIDI events or all events of the active part if no events are selected, use the Scale Length/Scale Legato slider.
  At the maximum value the notes reach the beginning of the next note.
• To make the new length settings permanent, click Freeze MIDI Lengths.
• To fine-tune the distance between consecutive notes, use the Overlap slider.
  At 0 Ticks, the Scale Length/Scale Legato slider extends each note so that it reaches the next note exactly. Positive values cause the notes to overlap and negative values allow you to define a small gap between the notes.
• To use the Legato function or slider to extend a note until the next selected note, activate Extend to Next Selected.
  This is identical with activating the Legato Mode: Between Selected Notes Only option in the Preferences dialog.

Setup

Allows you to open a dialog to edit the Drum Editor Inspector settings. Click Setup Inspector, and from the pop-up menu, select Setup.

Note

If you open the Drum Editor in the lower zone, these sections are shown in the Editor Inspector in the left zone.

Pasted from <https://steinberg.help/cubase_pro/v12/en/cubase_nuendo/topics/midi_editors/midi_editors_drum_editor_inspector_r.html>

Note Display

The note display of the Drum Editor contains a grid in which note events are shown.

The notes are displayed as diamond symbols. If you activate Show Note Length On/Off on the toolbar, notes are displayed as boxes and show the note length.

The vertical position of the notes corresponds to the drum sound list to the left, while the horizontal position corresponds to the note’s position in time.

Pasted from <https://steinberg.help/cubase_pro/v12/en/cubase_nuendo/topics/midi_editors/midi_editors_drum_editor_note_display_r.html>

Drum Sound List

The drum sound list lists all drum sounds by name and allows you to adjust and manipulate the drum sound setup in various ways.

Note

The number of columns in the list depends on whether a drum map is selected for the track or not.

Pitch

Note number of the drum sound.

Instrument

Name of the drum sound.

Snap

This is used when entering and editing notes.

Mute

Allows you to mute drum sounds.

I-Note

Input note for the drum sound. When you play this note, it is mapped to the corresponding drum sound and automatically transposed according to the Pitch setting for the sound.

O-Note

The MIDI output note that is sent out every time the drum sound is played back.

Channel

The MIDI channel, on which the drum sound is played back.

Output

MIDI output on which the drum sound is played back.

Pasted from <https://steinberg.help/cubase_pro/v12/en/cubase_nuendo/topics/midi_editors/midi_editors_drum_editor_drum_sound_list_r.html>

Select Pitch Visibility Options Menu

The Select Pitch Visibility Options pop-up menu on the drum editor toolbar allows you to determine which drum sounds are shown in the drum sound list.

• Activate Pitch Visibility On/Off, and click Select Pitch Visibility Options on the toolbar.
  Note
  If Pitch Visibility On/Off is deactivated, all drum sounds of the selected drum map are shown, and you can edit the order of the drum sound list manually.

Show Drum Sounds with Events

Shows only the drum sounds for which events are available in the selected MIDI part.

Show Drum Sounds in use by Instrument

Shows all drum sounds for which a pad, etc. is in use for the instrument. This option is only available if the instrument can provide this information.

Reverse Drum Sound List

Reverses the order of the sounds displayed in the drum sound list.

Pasted from <https://steinberg.help/cubase_pro/v12/en/cubase_nuendo/topics/midi_editors/midi_editors_drum_editor_drum_sound_visibilty_r.html>

Drum Map and Names Menus

Below the drum sound list are pop-up menus that are used for selecting a drum map for the edited track or, if no drum map is selected, a list of drum sound names.

Pasted from <https://steinberg.help/cubase_pro/v12/en/cubase_nuendo/topics/midi_editors/midi_editors_drum_editor_drum_map_and_names_menus_r.html>