How can I get my Tascam US428 to work with Steinberg’s Cubase 5?

Special Thanks to Gary Brenner from Apogee Electronics in compiling this solution.

First step:
(This is not absolutely neccessary but it does help the US428 work a little more stable with Cubase and the ASIO drivers)
Open the US428 Control Panel
Go to Start Menu
Settings
Control Panel
Double click on the US428 Control Panel Icon
Select the Systems Tab
Bring the latency bar all the way to 256
Close the US428 Control Panel
Close the Windows Control Panel
Go to Start Menu
Programs
Steinberg Cubase VST 5.0
ASIO Multimedia Setup
At this point it will ask you to run the test..check Skip Test(why test something
you havent configured yet)
Hit OK and a new window opens up..Click on the Advanced Options Button
On the Outputs field make sure the US-428 Out is checked and everything else Unchecked..also
highlite the US-428 Out and make sure it is on top of the list..do this by clicking on the Move Up
Button
On the Inputs make sure the US-428 A:B and US-428 C:D are checked and everything else is
Unchecked..make sure that US-428 A:B is on top and US-428 is right below it.
On the lower right hand side is a button labeled Card Options..make sure Full Duplex and Start
Input First is Unchecked.
Hit OK…hit OK…run test and it will pass!! (if it doesnt pass please post this on the US428 forum
and we will see what we can do for you)

Second: Launch Cubase
When Cubase opens you will need to do the following to get Audio to work:
Go to Options>Audio System> Setup
Under Multimedia device choose either the US428 16 or 24bit driver
By default the monitor type is set to Tape Type and ASIO Direct Monitoring is
Unchecked..leave this alone
On the right hand side you will see how many Audio tracks you will have..if you
want more simply raise the number then hit apply.
Close out of the Audio setup window
For Controller setup
Go to Options>Remote Setup>Setup
Choose the Tascam US428 as your controller
For Input choose Control Port
For Output choose Control Port
Hit Ok and you now have controller surface functionality(sometimes the controller wont
work and this is dur to the MME setup)
Minimize Cubase
Go to Start Menu
Programs
Steinberg Cubase VST
MME setup..make sure the Control is on top of the list for Input and Output

Third:
By default Cubase only has the first TWO inputs enabled for recording. To enable all four inputs
Go to Panels
VST Inputs
Enable C and D(which is a stereo pair)

Fourth:
By defualt Cubase is setup to only record TWO channels at a time. To make it so you can record all
four at once
Go to Options
Multirecord..make sure Active is checked
An “R” column now appears in the arrange window. This is how you record enable multiple tracks.
When you record enable a track it asks you where you want to save the audio files that will be
recorded. Choose a folder of your choice. When record enabled you will see what looks like a little
speaker icon.

Fifth:
On the VST Channel mixer:
Panels
VST Channel Mixer 1..above each fader is an input selection..this is where you tell each track to
record from a specific input
Hold down the Control key and press the IN1L button and it will give you a drop down menu for
the other inputs. IN1L is Input one..IN1R is input 2..IN2L is input 3 and IN2R is input 4
To see the signal coming in you must press the little “IN” button at the top of the fader.

Sixth:
To “hear” what is coming out of Cubase instead of what is going “thru” the 428 you must first:
Turn off the Input Monitoring on the 428
Press Input Monitor button..it lights up
Press the Mute buttons for faders 1 thru 4..they will all light up
Depress the Input Monitor button..light for that and the 1 thru 4 faders will go out.
On the VST Channel mixer in Cubase press the desired channel to listen to..so, press
IN1L and it will light up thus enabling the Tape Type monitoring mode.
Put a signal into channel one of the 428 and you will hear it coming “out” of Cubase
To listen to FX in real time simply open up the FX window in Cubase for the desired channel
and enable either an Insert or an Aux send.

This is merely a beginners guide to setting Cubase up with the Tascam US428 and only a setup document. Any operational issues should be researched in the manual or by contacing Steinberg

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