Cubasis 3 — Full Operations Manual

1. Setup & MIDI

• Open Cubasis → tap "+" for new project. Default settings: 44100 Hz, 16-bit.
• Audio output: Settings → Audio → select USB audio interface or built-in speakers/headphones. Buffer: 256 recommended. Lower for less latency when playing, higher for stability during mixing.
• MPK Mini IV: Connect via USB-C OTG adapter. Cubasis auto-detects. All 25 keys play instruments, pads trigger Beat Designer pads, pitch wheel and mod wheel active, knobs assignable. Zero configuration needed.

2. Instruments — Deep Dive

Micrologue (Virtual Analog Synthesizer)

• Full-featured VA synth — not a toy, a real synthesizer engine.
• 2 Oscillators: Sawtooth, square (with pulse width), triangle, sine. Independent tuning: octave, semitone, fine. Detune Osc 2 from Osc 1 for thickness — even 5-10 cents adds width.
• Noise generator: Mix white noise with oscillators for breath, texture, and percussive transients.
• Sub-oscillator: One octave below Osc 1 for low-end weight in bass patches.
• Multimode filter: Low-pass (warmth), High-pass (thinning), Band-pass (nasal/wah). Cutoff, resonance, envelope depth, key tracking. The filter is where the tone lives — sweep the cutoff and the sound transforms.
• 2 LFOs: Route to pitch (vibrato), filter (wah/wobble), volume (tremolo), pan (auto-pan). Tempo-syncable. Shapes: sine, triangle, square, saw, S&H (random steps).
• 2 Envelopes (ADSR): One for amp (volume shape), one for filter (tone shape). Fast attack + short decay = pluck. Slow attack + full sustain + long release = pad.
• Modulation Matrix: Route any source (envelope, LFO, velocity, mod wheel) to any destination (pitch, filter, volume, pan). Build complex, evolving patches.
• Arpeggiator: Up, down, up-down, random. Octave range, gate length, tempo sync. Turn held chords into rhythmic sequences.
• Preset browser: Hundreds of presets organized by category — leads, basses, pads, keys, FX, sequences. Starting points for sound design.

MiniSampler

• Load ANY WAV file → play it chromatically across the MIDI keyboard. Record from the mic, import from storage, or use built-in samples.
• Controls: Filter (LP/HP/BP), amplitude envelope (ADSR), pitch, pan, volume. Shape the loaded sample into a new instrument.
• Loop mode: Enable for sustained sounds. The sample cycles while the key is held.
• One sample = one complete instrument. Record a glass hit → load in MiniSampler → play glass melodies across the keyboard.

Beat Designer

• 16 pads in a 4×4 grid. Load WAV drum samples on each pad — kicks, snares, hats, claps, percussion, FX.
• Step sequencer mode: 16 steps per row, tap to add hits, velocity per step.
• Real-time recording: play pads from MPK Mini IV → Cubasis captures the performance with timing and velocity.
• Per-pad: volume, pan, pitch, mute group (choke). Independent control per sound.

3. Recording Audio & Samples

• Audio track recording: Add Audio Track → set input to Microphone or USB interface → arm (red button) → Record → perform → Stop. WAV saved to project.
• Mono for vocals/single mic. Stereo for keyboards/stereo recording.
• External mic: Connect USB microphone or audio interface via OTG for higher quality than phone mic.
• MiniSampler workflow: Record a sound into an audio track → load the WAV clip into MiniSampler → now it's a playable chromatic instrument. Any sound becomes an instrument in two steps.
• Audio import: Import WAV/MP3 from device storage directly onto the timeline. Trim, split, fade, loop.
• Multi-take: Record multiple takes on the same section. Compare and select the best. Or comp sections from different takes.

4. MIDI Editing — Key Editor

• Double-tap any MIDI clip → Key Editor opens (piano roll). Tap to add notes, drag to move, pinch to zoom horizontally and vertically.
• Note drawing: Tap empty space to place a note. Note length follows the current grid setting. Drag the right edge to resize.
• Velocity: Tap the velocity tab at the bottom of the Key Editor. Each note shows a velocity bar — drag up (louder) or down (softer). This controls dynamics — ghost notes to accents.
• Controller lanes: Add CC lanes below the velocity display — CC1 (mod wheel), CC11 (expression), pitch bend, aftertouch. Draw automation curves with your finger for evolving modulation, filter sweeps, and expression.
• Selection: Tap a note to select. Tap+hold and drag to lasso-select multiple notes. Two-finger tap to deselect all.
• Copy/Paste: Select notes → Copy → tap target position → Paste. Duplicate patterns quickly.

5. Quantize

• MIDI quantize: Select notes in the Key Editor → tap the Quantize button (grid/magnet icon) → choose resolution: 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, triplets.
• Selected notes snap to the nearest grid position. Tightens timing while keeping the notes you intended.
• Snap grid: Set the global snap resolution. All editing operations (move, draw, resize) align to this grid. This acts as real-time quantize during note input.
• Audio: No automatic audio quantize. Manually split audio clips at desired points and move sections to grid positions with snap enabled.

6. Transpose

• MIDI: Select notes in Key Editor → drag up/down. Each row = one semitone. Or: use the Transpose function from the menu → enter exact semitone value.
• Audio: Select audio clip → in clip properties, set pitch offset in semitones. Audio pitch-shifts without speed change.
• Micrologue: Oscillator tuning controls transpose the entire synth patch. Adjust Osc 1 and Osc 2 together for uniform transposition.

7. Looping — Every Scenario

Cubasis 3's transport loop is global by design — it loops time, not individual tracks. The trick to "looping one track while the others keep going" is understanding that in a linear DAW, loops aren't a track property — they're a clip arrangement property. You loop one track by making its clip(s) repeat across the timeline while the other tracks have their own independent clip arrangements playing through. This section covers every way to get that result.

The Two Cubasis Loop Concepts — Know the Difference

• Transport Loop (Cycle Mode): The blue L/R markers in the timeline ruler. When Cycle is on, the playhead repeats the bracketed region. This is GLOBAL — every track inside the cycle region loops together. Not what you want when you only want ONE track to repeat.
• Clip-Based Looping: A clip is repeated/duplicated/extended across the timeline so the track plays continuously while other tracks do their own thing. This IS what you want when you say "loop one track while others continue." Cubasis 3 doesn't have a per-track loop toggle like Ableton — it's done by extending or duplicating clips on the timeline.

Method 1 — Drag-Repeat (The Fastest Way to Loop One Track)

This is the single most important looping technique in Cubasis 3. Once a clip is on the timeline, you can drag its RIGHT EDGE to extend it as a repeating loop. The clip repeats automatically every bar it's stretched across.

• Make sure the track's clip exists at the right starting bar (e.g., a 4-bar drum pattern at bar 1).
• Tap the clip to select it (not long-press, just tap).
• A right-edge handle appears. Drag that handle to the RIGHT across the timeline.
• As you drag, you'll see vertical division lines inside the clip — each line marks a new repetition of the original content.
• Drag to bar 33 to get 8 repetitions of a 4-bar pattern (32 bars of loop).
• Other tracks are untouched. They play their own clips at whatever lengths you set them to.

Why this is the answer to "loop one track while others play": Other tracks have their own clips at their own lengths. Drag-repeat your drums to 64 bars. Leave your bass at 8 bars (silence after bar 8). Place a synth clip only from bar 17 to 33. Hit play — drums loop the full 64 bars, bass plays the first 8 then stops, synth enters at 17. Each track has its own "loop length" defined purely by where its clips exist.

Method 2 — Duplicate Clip (Long-Press → Copy → Paste)

Use this when you want to loop a clip but EDIT each repetition independently — variations on a theme rather than identical loops.

• Long-press the clip → context menu appears → tap Duplicate.
• The clip copies and lands at the next available position immediately after the original.
• Tap Duplicate again to add another copy. Each copy is independent — you can open one in the Key Editor and change notes without affecting the others.
• This gives you a "loop with variations" — same drum pattern across 8 bars, but bar 5-8 has a fill that the first 4 bars don't.

Method 3 — Multiple Independent Clip Placement

You don't need to use the same clip for every loop iteration. Drop different clips at specific bars to build a verse-chorus-verse arrangement on a single track.

• Record / draw your main loop clip at bar 1.
• Drag-copy that clip to bars 9, 17, 25 (every chorus position).
• Record a different "verse" clip and place it at bars 5, 13, 21.
• Now that single track alternates between two loops while the other tracks do whatever they're doing.

Method 4 — Cycle Mode With a Single Long Track

For live jam / sketch sessions where you want ONE track to loop while you play OVER it on another track, this is the workflow:

• Place your "loop" track's clip(s) so they fill the cycle region you'll set.
• Tap the Loop button on the transport (the curved arrow / cycle icon next to Play).
• Drag the blue L/R cycle markers in the ruler to bracket the loop region.
• Hit Play. The playhead bounces between L and R indefinitely.
• While that's looping, arm the OTHER track for recording. As the cycle plays, you record over it — adding new notes/audio to a different track that captures whatever you play.
• This is identical to the "Cycle Recording" workflow in Cubase Pro — what's looping is the section of time, but only the armed track is recording. Your loop track plays the same content every pass.

Method 5 — Solo + Cycle for Practicing a Single Loop

When you want to focus on ONE track in isolation while it loops — to practice over, to A/B mix changes, to fine-tune a synth patch against just that one part — use Solo.

• Tap the S (solo) button on the track you want to loop.
• Every other track is silenced.
• Set the transport Cycle markers around the section of that track you want to repeat.
• Hit Play. Now only that one track plays, looping the cycle region.
• Tap S again to unsolo when done. Other tracks come back.

Solo is non-destructive — it just mutes other tracks for monitoring. Nothing about the project changes. This is the right tool when you want to "loop one track while the others stay silent for now," then bring everything back later.

Method 6 — Different Loop Lengths Per Track

Cubasis 3's killer feature for arrangement: every track has its OWN clip lengths. There's no single "song length" or "loop length" that applies to all tracks. Combine this with drag-repeat and you can build arrangements where each track loops at its own rate.

• Drums: 4-bar pattern, drag-repeated across 32 bars.
• Bass: 8-bar pattern, drag-repeated across 32 bars (4 repetitions).
• Synth chords: 16-bar pattern, drag-repeated across 32 bars (2 repetitions).
• Lead melody: One single 32-bar clip (no repetition — plays once through).

Hit play and all four tracks play together at their respective loop lengths. This is the answer to "loop one track while others continue" — each track is essentially looping its own pattern at its own length, and the arrangement happens by the way those different cycles overlap.

Method 7 — Single Sample Loop (Inside MiniSampler)

• Open MiniSampler, load a WAV → tap Loop mode → sample cycles while key held. Set loop start/end for seamless repetition.
• This is a SAMPLE-LEVEL loop (inside one note), not a CLIP-LEVEL loop (across the timeline). Use for sustained pads, drones, and held bass notes where one MIDI note triggers a continuously-cycling audio file.
• Independent of every other looping method — it's about what happens when a single key is held, not about timeline arrangement.

Method 8 — Audio Clip Looping (For Recorded Audio Tracks)

Audio clips (recorded WAV) loop the same way as MIDI clips — drag the right edge to extend.

• Record a 4-bar guitar phrase on an audio track.
• Tap the clip to select.
• Drag the right edge to extend it. Cubasis automatically repeats the recorded waveform — same content, looping cleanly.
• For the loop to sound seamless, the recorded clip needs to be exactly 4 bars (or 8, or 16) in length, ending right where it began. Cut the clip's tail with the Split tool first if it overshoots.

What Cubasis 3 Doesn't Do — and the Workaround

Cubasis 3 does NOT have Ableton's "clip launcher" or session view — you can't trigger individual clips to loop independently in real time on demand. Everything is linear/timeline-based. If you need clip-launching for live performance, switch to Ableton or Bitwig (or use Loopy Pro alongside Cubasis via Inter-App Audio).

The workaround for "spontaneous one-track looping" inside Cubasis: build your loops on the timeline ahead of time, then use the Mute and Solo buttons on each track to bring loops in and out during playback. Tap Track 2's Mute off at bar 9 → Track 2's pre-placed loop enters. Tap Track 3's Solo at bar 17 → only Track 3 plays. This is performable but not as fluid as session view.

Making Tracks Play/Stop During Export

• Solo/mute tracks before mixdown. Only active (audible) tracks render.
• For stems: solo each track → mixdown individually → repeat for every track → import all the stems into a desktop DAW for final mix.
• The transport Cycle region does NOT affect mixdown — Cubasis renders the full project timeline (or your defined export range), ignoring cycle markers.

8. Mixing & Effects

Mixer

• Full mixer view: volume fader, pan, mute, solo per track. Visual meters for level monitoring.

Insert Effects

• Per-track effects chain. Tap effect slots to add:
• Parametric EQ: Multi-band frequency shaping. Cut/boost specific ranges.
• Compressor: Threshold, ratio, attack, release. Tame peaks, add punch.
• Reverb: Room, hall, plate. Decay, mix, damping. Add space and depth.
• Delay: Time, feedback, mix. Tempo-syncable. Stereo width.
• Chorus: Width and depth. Thickens thin sounds.
• Flanger / Phaser: Sweeping modulation.
• Distortion: Warmth to overdrive.
• Limiter: Prevents clipping. Essential on master bus.
• Noise Gate: Removes background noise between phrases.

Send Effects

• Create FX return tracks with shared reverb/delay. Send from multiple tracks → shared processing → saves CPU and creates cohesive space.

Automation

• Long-press any parameter → Write Automation. Play the project while moving the parameter → Cubasis records the movement as an automation envelope.
• Draw automation directly on the timeline. Volume rides, filter sweeps, pan movement, effect wet/dry changes.

9. Exporting & Cubase Transfer

• Mixdown: WAV or AAC → quality settings → Export. Share to BandLab, SoundCloud, email, cloud.
• Stems: Solo tracks → mixdown each individually as separate WAV files.
• MIDI export: Save MIDI data for use in any desktop DAW — Cubase, Ableton, FL Studio.
• Cubase project transfer (.cbp): Export as Cubasis project file → open in desktop Cubase. Tracks, MIDI data, audio clips — everything transfers. This is the smoothest mobile-to-desktop workflow in music production. Sketch on phone → polish on desktop Cubase with full VST access and MixConsole.

10. Touch Gestures

11. Pro Tips — The Kokumo Method

• MiniSampler is the bridge between mobile and desktop. Record sounds on the phone → load into MiniSampler → play as instruments → export MIDI → open in desktop Cubase with professional VSTs. Phone captures the idea, desktop realizes it.
• Cubasis → Cubase pipeline. The .cbp export is unique — no other mobile/desktop DAW pair has this direct project transfer. Sketch on mobile, polish on desktop, same project file. Zero re-creation work.
• Micrologue is a real synth. Don't just browse presets. Open a preset, study the oscillators, filter, envelopes, and mod matrix. Modify parameters. Build patches from scratch. The synth engine is deep enough for professional sound design.
• Beat Designer for speed. Load 4-5 drum samples, tap out a pattern on the 16 pads, move on to the next element. Drum programming shouldn't take 30 minutes — get the groove down fast and refine later.
• Automation adds life. A flat mix is a dead mix. Automate volume (quiet verse, loud chorus), filter cutoff (sweeps and builds), reverb send (more space in the chorus), pan (movement). Even subtle automation transforms a sketch into a production.