If you’ve ever been frustrated by the lack of a playback pause function in Cubase, this guide might be helpful for you.
With a simple method, you can add a pause function alongside the standard playback/stop functionality.
If you usually have “Return to Start Position on Stop” enabled in the Transport settings, this macro will allow you to use a “pause playback at the current position” function as well.
Macro for the “Playback Pause Function”
The concept behind this macro is straightforward.
The macro temporarily disables the “Return to Start Position on Stop” setting using a shortcut, stops playback, and then immediately re-enables the setting.
As a result, playback is stopped on the spot only when this macro is executed.
The specific shortcut actions to include in the macro are as follows:
- Transport – Return to Start Position
- Transport – Stop
- Transport – Return to Start Position
Since the “Return to Start Position” shortcut works as a toggle, repeating the same shortcut restores the original setting.
Once you’ve created the macro, assign a shortcut key to it.
I recommend assigning it to a key close to your usual playback/stop key or a key that is easy to press.
For example, I use the spacebar for regular playback/stop, so I assigned Shift + Spacebar to this macro. Additionally, I assigned it to the Enter key on the numeric keypad for quick access with my right hand.
Scenarios Where the Playback Pause Macro Is Useful
Most of my production workflow involves editing in the Key Editor.
I input notes, edit control changes, play back to confirm, and then repeat the process to refine the details.
To make it easier to repeatedly edit the same section, I usually keep the “Return to Start Position on Stop” setting enabled in the Transport settings.
This setting eliminates the need to manually move the position cursor back to the starting point each time, making the editing process much more efficient.
However, when I’m playing back the entire track and come across a section that catches my attention, stopping playback to edit that part immediately returns the cursor to the starting position.
In such cases, having a simple pause function allows you to jump into editing without losing your place, making the process much smoother and less frustrating.
Additional Convenient Features
Using this macro also adds an extra layer of functionality.
After pausing playback with the macro, running the macro again will return the cursor to the position where playback originally started.
For example:
- Start playback from time position A.
- Pause playback at any desired position using the pause macro.
- Run the macro again.
- The cursor returns to time position A.
This behavior is now possible with the macro.
This is done by utilizing the “stop command while stopped will return to the previous playback start position” function.
