Double-click the Cubase 5 icon on your desktop. It might take a minute for the program to fully load.
Click "File" in the top left corner of your string. Select "New Track," you are prompted to select the amount of and type of tracks you want. If you are recording via an audio interface, select "Audio track." If you are recording via a MIDI controller, select "MIDI track." If you are using a combination of the two, for example seven audio tracks and one MIDI track select "Audio track" and enter "7" into the dialog box that says "Number of tracks." Then select "New track" again and select "MIDI track" and enter "1" in the dialog box.
Route your instruments into the audio interface. The amount of input jacks you have available depends on the make and model of the audio interface. For example, the Saffire Pro 24 audio interface has 16 inputs. If your audio interface has fewer than eight inputs, use one input to record two instruments. Do this by placing a microphone half-way between two acoustic instruments, such as two acoustic guitars.
Double-click in the box on the left of the channel strip, where it says "Channel 1" and enter the name of the instrument that you are recording. Do the same for the rest of the channels.
Audition each track individually. Have the musician recording into Track 1 play a few notes. Adjust the gain dial on the audio interface to make the volume as loud as possible before it distorts. If the gain meter turns red, it is distorting.
Balance the ensemble volume. Have every musician play together and adjust each individual track volume to your taste. For example, you might want the vocal track to be louder than the bass guitar track.
Type your selected tempo into the box at the center bottom of the screen. The default tempo on Cubase 5 is 120 beats per minute. Turn off the metronome symbol to mute it. You can't have the metronome playing audibly, as it will spill into the microphones. But the musicians can follow the beat visually by watching the screen as it scrolls along.