Sending click tracks to a Cubase user

[Kurt Cowling]

Sorry if this strays off topic a bit. Anyone here have experience with Cubase? I'm collaborating with a Cubase user. For each song I send them a click and a stereo music mix (created in DP... on topic?). If the tempo in their Cubase project is set to something other than the correct tempo for the song Cubase will time stretch the click automatically to the current Cubase setting. If I tell him the tempo and he sets Cubase to that tempo before importing it works OK as far as I can tell. However, if there are tempo changes I send him a MIDI file to import and create a tempo map. When he imports the click into that project it still gets time stretched somehow.

Does anyone know what I can tell my collaborator to get Cubase to stop being so "helpful"?

Thanks much!
--Kurt

[apanacci]

Hey Kurt, I ran into a similar problem with a Cubase user. I Googled what Cubase is doing and I think it said it is something you can turn off in Cubase before hand. Drove me nuts. To get around the problem , because my client is not computer savy I have Cubase Elements and create a file in that program and send it to him that way and then he sends me back the file as an OMF. See if you can find out what to shut off in Cubase with YouTube or someone who knows the program well. Sorry I could not be of any help in what to do in Cubase because Cubase Elements does not have that function. If you find out please post, thanks!

[magicd]

RTFCBM!

Sorry, couldn't resist...

The good news for the DP user is that a standard MIDI file is not a MOTU or DP standard, it's an industry standard. Any software that reads tempo information from a standard MIDI file should be able to read that from a file created by DP.

It never hurts to check what you are sending out. After you've created the SMF, import it into a new DP session to make sure the tempo info is in fact there.

A further test would be to play back your audio click with the DP click from the re-imported SMF. Then you know the SMF and audio file are in synch.

DP has a settable preference where it can try to figure out audio tempo and then conform it to sequence tempo - automatically. Perhaps Cubase has something similar, which can then be disabled?

Dave

[Kurt Cowling]

Yes, reading the Cubase manual was the first thing I did before asking anyone for help. I did not get any answers from it. It mentions ways to change the tempo of the audio after import, but nothing about automatic tempo conforming on import (that I could find).

After importing the MIDI file he was able to play along with the MIDI tracks only (ignoring the altered audio tracks) and return a part to me that lined up. So, the MIDI file imported properly but the audio tracks were still getting stretched.

He also played my click track as I sent it (opened it in iTunes) and confirmed that my original click was the correct tempo and that Cubase was stretching the audio on import.

We’ve only got a few more songs to do so I’m not sure I’m going to solve this (since I a kind of work around). If it comes up again I might do what was suggested in the first reply.

Thanks!

PS I also posted in the Steinberg forum, but no replies yet

[Kurt Cowling]

Another PS, I sent the audio click and mix to three other musicians to track with and they all had no problems (ProTools, GarageBand and one other on Windows that I’m not sure about).

[magicd]

Yes, reading the Cubase manual was the first thing I did before asking anyone for help. I did not get any answers from it.

Didn't mean to be snarky! No offense intended.

I wish I could help you with Cubase. I'll bet it's a simple preference somewhere. I guess the good news is that you've confirmed you're doing things right on your end. Best of luck!

Dave

[Kurt Cowling]

Thanks! I did get a little help on the Steinberg forum. Apparently there is something called “musical mode” that does real-time time-stretching to audio. That sounds like what is happening. Looks like it can be turned on and off per audio clip. I couldn’t suss out exactly how because Cubase uses some unfamiliar terminology (“go to the pool”?). Also, since it is real-time that explains why I couldn’t find it in the Cubase manual under import options. Would never have thought to search on the term “musical mode”. Ah, manuals. Can’t live with ‘em...

So, I think I’m now in the right direction but just don’t know the specific “button pushes” to get it accomplished.

[HCMarkus]

I just ran into what seems to be the same thing with a guitarist collaborator who uses Cuebase. Tracks I send to him for reference getting time stretched for no apparent reason, resulting in out of time guitar tracks that required me to play God in DP and time-compress him back into the groove. No one else in the band experiencing issues like this. Guitarist switched to Gargeband; no more troubles.

[apanacci]

Hey Kurt, I found Musical Mode in Cubase Elements.Might be the same in Cubase. Go to "Open Pool Window" and look for "Show Attributes".There you should see Musical Mode and uncheck it. Hope that helps.

[Kurt Cowling]

But I don’t wanna go to the pool! It’s too cold!

Seriously, thanks much! I will pass that along to my trumpet playing Cubase friend.

[apanacci]

https://steinberg.help/cubase_pro_artis ... ode_c.html Hey Kurt, found this. Ive got a lot of time on my hands !

[Kurt Cowling]

Thanks for that. It’s the html version of what I found in the pdf manual. Easier to forward your link though!

[Kurt Cowling]

So I heard back from my trumpet player and indeed Musical Mode audio warping was automatically switched ON for the audio tracks he imported from me. Once he used the info from the manual (thanks again) to switch off Musical Mode for those soundbites everything lined up: Click audio, mix audio, Cubase metronome using MIDI file tempo info.

The guys on the Steinberg forum tell me that Cubase should only put Musical Mode on automatically for ACIDized WAV files. I wonder if the tempo info in DPs exported WAV files confuses Cubase into thinking they are ACIDized?

Magic Dave, do have any insight into this?
Thanks!
--Kurt Cowling