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Cubase Pro 10 Music Production Seminar, Part 4: Polishing Vocals with VariAudio 3

Production RecipesPublished 2019.05.25Updated 2026.07.18
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VariAudio 3 in Cubase Pro 10 brings major advances to vocal editing. The new MIDI Reference feature displays the pitches of a MIDI track directly in VariAudio, making the target pitches for vocal correction clear at a glance. Smart Controls also let you carry out complex adjustments quickly and precisely, including raising or lowering pitch, correcting timing, reducing vibrato, and editing formants. Fine control over anchor points within each segment, together with pitch quantization, helps you achieve a professional vocal sound efficiently, improving both productivity and the quality of your music production.

Using only the instruments and effects included with Cubase Pro 10, we will explore the latest music production techniques.

In this installment, we will use VariAudio 3 to refine a vocal track.
See how the updated VariAudio lets you make detailed adjustments to the sound.

Video Tutorial

  1. 1Techniques for Creating Trap Rhythms
  2. 2Creating Trap Bass Sounds and Phrases
  3. 3Tips for Creating Melodic Layers That Bring a Track to Life
  4. 4Polishing Vocal Tracks with VariAudio 3
  5. 5An In-Depth Guide to Spatial Effects That Help Vocals Fit into a Mix
Download the Cubase Song Project Here!

If the project's Sampler Track does not play:

Toggle the A/B comparison button in the Sampler Track, then start playback.

Selected Questions and Answers from YouTube

I have a question. When releasing music on subscription streaming services, should I master it as well as mix it?


Yes. We recommend mastering your music.

I have a question: VariAudio appears for some audio tracks but not others. How can I make it appear?


Instead of just selecting the track, try double-clicking the audio event you want to edit. This should open the VariAudio editing view.

Working with VariAudio 3

VariAudio 3 is one of the standout features in Cubase Pro 10.
Let's polish a vocal track using VariAudio 3 and its intuitive, efficient workflow.

Using MIDI Notes as a Guide

The new MIDI Reference feature conveniently displays the pitches from a MIDI track in the VariAudio view you are editing.

Click MIDI Reference in the Inspector and select the MIDI track you want to display as a guide.

MIDI reference guide displayed

The target pitch lines now appear in VariAudio, making it easy to see which pitches to use as a reference when correcting the vocal.
This is a very welcome feature that can greatly speed up pitch correction.

Fast Vocal Correction with Smart Controls

Smart Controls let you quickly make adjustments directly on each segment, including raising or lowering pitch, correcting timing, tilting and straightening the pitch curve, editing formants, and changing volume.

Smart Controls

You can change the Smart Controls settings in the Inspector.
Selecting All changes the controls displayed on each segment.
Here, we have selected All so that every editing control is available.

For this example, we will make the pitch at the start of bar 29 more accurate.

Pitch tilt

The pitch is slightly sharp at the beginning of the segment, so we will adjust its tilt.
Drag the point at the upper left of the segment up or down to fine-tune the tilt.

Anchor point

The pitch at the beginning now sounds good, but the adjustment has also lowered the pitch almost as far as the middle of the segment.
To limit this pitch change to the beginning, drag the anchor at the top center toward the left.

Editing range

The pitch change will now affect only the region defined by the anchor.
This is a very useful feature for precisely defining the part you want to correct.

Quantize Pitch

Next, we will use pitch quantization to correct a segment that is slightly above its target pitch.
Drag the point at the bottom center of the segment to adjust pitch quantization.

As the value approaches 100%, the average pitch moves toward the center, which is the target pitch.

Straighten Pitch Curve

Finally, we will reduce the vibrato slightly to keep the pitch from wavering.
Drag the point at the top center of the segment to straighten the pitch curve.

As the value approaches 100%, the pitch fluctuates less.
Smart Controls make it possible to carry out vocal correction quickly and precisely in this way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What exactly does MIDI Reference in VariAudio 3 do?

It displays pitch information from a MIDI track as target pitch lines in the VariAudio editor. Simply select the MIDI track to use as a guide in the Inspector. This gives you a clear visual reference for vocal pitch correction, greatly improving its speed and accuracy.

Q2. Which vocal parameters can I adjust with Smart Controls?

Smart Controls provide access to the editing tools you need for a vocal track, including raising or lowering pitch, correcting timing, adjusting pitch tilt, quantizing pitch, reducing vibrato by straightening the pitch curve, editing formants, and adjusting segment volume.

Q3. What are anchor points in VariAudio 3 useful for?

Setting an anchor point within a segment lets you restrict a pitch change to a specific region. This allows you to make precise adjustments exactly where they are needed, achieving professional vocal correction without affecting other parts unnecessarily.