Cubase question answered: "How do I change the volume of tracks in my project?"

Hi Paul. Hope we can connect soon for a lesson. I want to be able to control the levels of the instruments in my Cubase project and have them change throughout the song. What’s the best way for me to do this? – Sarah

I received the above message from Sarah and we set up a time to connect for a one-hour remote lesson later that week.

Sarah is a composer who uses VST orchestral instruments to create her compositions in Cubase. She already knew how to balance the levels of the instruments in her projects using the MixConsole, but she wanted to be able to vary the levels of instruments throughout the piece.

Sarah’s request was straightforward, but (as with almost everything in Cubase) there was more than one way we could achieve what she wanted:

We could vary the velocities of individual MIDI notes
We could draw automation data using the Pencil or Line tools
We could record automation changes by moving the cursor
We could record movement of the pots/sliders on her controller keyboard as MIDI regions
We could record movement of the pots/sliders as Quick Control automation data

We had a chat about the resources available in Sarah’s setup and decided that since she had an M-Audio Axiom 49 controller keyboard with physical sliders, it would make sense to use this.

We assigned Cubase’s Quick Controls to the default MIDI CC values being sent by the Axiom’s sliders.

Here’s instruction on how to do that from Steinberg’s online Cubase manual.

I then showed Sarah how to open the Quick Controls section of the Track Inspector and showed her how we could now adjust the volume of tracks using the sliders.

Everything was working correctly, so I showed Sarah how we could arm a track for Automation recording using each track’s W button. (We discussed the importance of turning the W off once she had recorded a section of automation in order to not overwrite previously recorded automation.)

Now that automation recording was working, Sarah made a recording to test out the new setup. Everything worked perfectly!

After a couple more tests Sarah was confident that she could go on to use this method while composing on her own.

Sarah was very pleased that in a single one-hour lesson she had her question answered with an easy solution that did exactly what she wanted.

I told Sarah she was very welcome and would be happy to connect again to answer any other Cubase or music technology questions in the future.

Categories: Cubase, Cubase control surfaces, Remote Support, Teaching

Recent Reviews

    
 
 
         
   Laura Forrest-Hay 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Paul reinstalled all my lost sample libraries, streamlined the storage on my computer so it works faster and fixed my corrupted disk. it took us a couple of sessions and he was friendly and patient throughout. He never made me feel stupid and never over-explained stuff I already knew - in fact he boosted my confidence. Would highly recommend. I've put him on speed dial!
  
 
        
   MrMattkitt 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Paul was brilliant, listened to the issues I had on Cubase and my home studio, worked methodically through potential problems and  sorted everything. Amazing service, down to earth and explained everything so I
could understand. I am a very happy song writer once again thanks to Paul! Will be using Paul again in the future and highly recommend. Thanks Paul.
  
 
        
   Ciarán Hanna 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Honestly, if you're in any way stuck in a creative block because of the gear you have, you've more questions than answers about what the best setup should be for your flow, or even if you have very nuanced problems in your DAW/with your gear, the service Paul provides is second to none. Besides being an extremely nice guy, he knows his stuff and takes the time to understand what you want to get out of each session and makes sure all is good to go! Can't recommend him enough!
  
 
        
   Trudie Brogan 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Really great service. Paul is so knowledgeable and I learned so much. Totally recommend.
  
 
        
   Cottin Ulysse 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Paul was fantastic, he solved my problem in less than 30mn, and he is a lovely guy. I really recommend him.
  
 
        
   Justin Bikram 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Paul provided as stellar service, worth every penny. I came to him with a genuine issue that was affecting my Logic Pro 11 album project regarding drums and midi maps and he solved my problem most efficiently.  He was patient, courteous, quick thinking and highly knowledgeable. I will certainly consider using the service again and thoroughly recommend Audio Support -
Thank you Paul - you are a star :)
  
 
        
   josh fulford 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Working in Reaper.
Super knowledgeable, friendly, speaks in easy to understand terms.
Paul is helping us DAW newbies get in the game. Paul got my lost plugin files working again as well as showed me how to find missing wave files for projects that were loading incorrectly. Keep this man on speed dial.
  
 
        
   Richard Grant 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Paul fixed in around half an hour some midi keyboard/controller problems I have been trying to solve but have had to live with for around two years! He is very knowledgeable and patient and the Any Desk link worked perfectly. I wish I had found his website sooner and wouldn't hesitate to call on his services again.
Rick Grant
  
 
        
   Paul B 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Paul was excellent in helping me diagnose and resolve a problem I had on Logic Pro 12 file issues
  
 
        
   William Schrul 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Paul really helped get my Cubase up and running again.  He really knows his stuff, and I'll definitely look him up again when I'm stuck.  Thanks!!!
  
 
  
 
  
 
   Google rating score: 5.0 of 5, based on 160 reviews

Let’s Get Your System Running Smoothly.

No automated tickets, no waiting queues — just one-to-one help from an experienced music technology specialist. I’ll connect to your system remotely, identify the issue, and guide you through the fix.

Request Consultation

Recent Reviews

Let’s Get Your System Running Smoothly.

Related Case Studies

Why is Cubase getting MIDI input but not recording it on a track?

Why is my backing track on my vocal recording in Cubase?

I'm getting latency with my M-Audio Delta card in Cubase 8.5 on Windows 10. I've read that I need to change the buffer size in the ASIO control panel, but when I click to open it from Cubase nothing happens. How do I get to it?

Why does my MIDI keyboard delete tracks in Cubase?