

With the performance compiled, it's easy to bounce it down (using the File / Export / Audio Mixdown option with the vocal parts soloed, or Audio / Bounce Selection) to create a single consolidated audio event.

Such 'comping' is best done prior to any work with VariAudio, so that you get the best performance you can in terms of both pitch and expression, before doing any pitch correction. For example, when recording vocals, most people record several takes and compile a 'best of' version as their final performance. The most obvious application for VariAudio is pitch correction of vocals and instrumental solos, and while it may seem tempting to get straight in there, in the context of a real project it's usually more efficient to do a little editing work on your parts first. Steinberg included a short series of tutorials on VariAudio in Cubase 5's Getting Started manual (based around some sample projects on the install DVD), and these offer a good introduction, so in this column I'll focus on additional tips to improve your VariAudio work process. VariAudio is one of the headline features of Cubase 5, but you really need some experience with it to get the best results. Oops! This recording of someone whistling a series of short notes has been poorly detected by VariAudio probably due to a poor signal level, too many plosives (breaths at the start of each note) and not enough clear pitch information. In VariAudio, Cubase 5 users have a sophisticated pitch‑correction tool.
