How to Interface With Cubase

An audio interface is the best solution for getting audio into your computer.

Cubase is a professional digital audio workstation, DAW, that you can use to create your own audio projects, from podcasts to music albums. To get the most out of this software, you first must find a way to get audio into it. The best solution for this is to purchase a PCI, USB or Firewire audio interface and use it to connect your microphones, guitars, keyboards or other instruments. This way, you can just press "Record," and you're rolling.

Things You'll Need

• Sound source (microphone, keyboard, guitar, etc.)
• Audio cables
• PCI, USB or Firewire audio interface
• USB or Firewire cable (if no PCI card)

Instructions

1. Plug one end of the USB or Firewire cable into your audio interface Plug the other end into the USB or Firewire port on your computer. If using a PCI card, turn your computer off, open it, and directly insert the card into one of the PCI slots on your computer's motherboard.

2. Plug one end of an audio cable into a sound source. Plug the other end into the audio interface.

3. Turn on the computer, click "Start," then "Control Panel," then "Sound." Click "Input" and select your audio interface as your computer's audio input. If your audio interface is not listed, download and install a driver for the audio interface.

4. Click the Cubase icon on your to launch it. Click "Start," then "Programs," and select Cubase from the program list.

5. Click "Devices," then "Device Setup." Select your audio interface from the resulting list and click "OK."

6. Click "Devices," then "VST Connections." Click "Inputs," then "Add Bus," then click "Configuration" and select your preferred configuration from the drop-down list. Choices include mono, stereo, and multiple different surround configurations.

7. Click "Outputs" and add an output bus, similar to how you set up the input bus in the previous step.

8. Click "Project," then "Add Track" to add a track. Click "Input" and select the main input bus you set up earlier, then click the "Record-Enable" button. At this point, when you play a note on the sound source, the input meter on that track should respond to it.

References

• Steinberg: Cubase Operation Manual