Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

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The MIDI editorsWorking with drum maps
Open the Functions pop-up menu in the top left corner to open a list of available 
functionalities:
ÖDrum maps are saved with the project files. If you have created or modified a drum 
map, use the Save function to save it as a separate XML file, available for loading into 
other projects. 
ÖIf you always want to have the same drum map(s) included in your projects, you may 
want to load these into the template – see 
“Save as Template” on page 58.
O-Note Conversion
This function on the MIDI menu goes through the selected MIDI part(s) and sets the 
actual pitch of each note according to its O-note setting. This is useful if you want to 
convert a track to a “regular” MIDI track (with no drum map) and still have the notes 
play back the correct drum sound. A typical application is if you want to export your 
MIDI recording as a standard MIDI file (see 
“Exporting and importing standard MIDI 
files” on page 692) – by first performing an O-Note Conversion you make sure that 
your drum tracks play back as intended when they are exported.
Use Head Pairs and Edit in Scores (Cubase only)
These options are explained in detail in the section “Setting up the drum map” on 
page 884.
ButtonDescription
New MapClick this to add a new drum map to the project. The drum sounds 
are named “Sound 1, Sound 2”, and so on, and have all parameters 
set to default values. The map is named “Empty Map”, but you can 
rename it by clicking and typing in the list.
New CopyAdds a copy of the currently selected drum map. This is probably the 
quickest way to create a new drum map: select the map that is similar 
to what you want, create a copy, change the desired drum sound 
settings, and rename the map in the list.
RemoveRemoves the selected drum map from the project.
Load…Opens a file dialog, allowing you to load drum maps from disk. The 
Cubase DVD contains a number of drum maps for different MIDI 
instruments – use this function to load the desired maps into your 
project.
Save…Opens a file dialog for saving the drum map selected in the list. If you 
have created or modified a drum map, you can use this function to 
save it as a file on disk – this allows you to load it into other projects. 
Drum map files have the extension “.drm”.
Edit head pairs…Allows you to customize the note pairs, see “Customizing note head 
pairs” on page 885.
Init Display NotesAllows you to reset the Display Notes entry to the original setting, i. e. 
the Pitch entry. 
						

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The MIDI editorsUsing drum name lists
Using drum name lists 
Even if no drum map is selected for the edited MIDI track, you can still use the Drum 
Editor. As previously mentioned, the drum sound list then only has four columns: 
Audition, Pitch, Instrument (drum sound name), and Quantize. There is no I-note and 
O-note functionality.
In this mode, the names shown in the Instrument column depend on the selection on 
the Names pop-up menu, just below the Map pop-up menu in the Drum Editor.
The options on this pop-up menu are the currently loaded drum maps plus a “GM 
Default” item, which is always available. This means you can use the drum sound 
names in any loaded drum map without using I-notes and O-notes if you want to.
The List Editor – Overview
The toolbar
The toolbar contains several items that are the same as in the Key Editor. The 
following toolbar items are unique to the List Editor:
•The Insert Event Type pop-up menu is used when creating new events.
This is where you determine what type of event to add (see “Inserting events” on 
page 523).
•The List Editor contains an additional value display.
•The List Editor has no info line (numerical editing is available in the list instead).
ÖIf you see an empty or incomplete list of items although the items are visible in the Key 
Editor, check if you have activated any filters (see 
“Filtering” on page 525).
The Filters bar
Similar to the info line and the status line, the Filters bar can be shown/hidden via the 
“Set up Window Layout” button (see 
“The status line” on page 485). The Filters bar 
allows you to hide events from view, based on their type and other properties (see 
“Filtering” on page 525).
The status line
This is the same as in the Key Editor (see “The status line” on page 485), except for 
the Current Note Position option, which is not available in the List Editor.
Event display Event listValue display Ruler Toolbar
Filters bar
Status line 
						

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The MIDI editorsList Editor operations
The event list
This lists all events in the selected MIDI part(s), in the order (from top to bottom) in 
which they are played back. You can edit the event properties by using regular value 
editing, see 
“Editing in the list” on page 524.
The event display
This shows the events graphically. The vertical position of an event in the display 
corresponds to its entry in the list (i.
 e. to the playback order), while the horizontal 
position corresponds to its actual position in the project. This is where you add new 
parts or events, drag to move them, etc.
The value display
This display shows the “value” of each event, allowing for easy viewing and graphical 
editing. Typically, the value shown is the “Data 2” or “Value 2” property (amounts to 
MIDI controller events, velocity for notes, etc.). 
•To show or hide the value display, click the “Set up Window Layout” button on the 
toolbar and activate or deactivate the “Value Display” option.
List Editor operations
Customizing the view
You can click and drag the divider between the list and the event display to make one 
area wider and the other narrower. Furthermore, the list can be customized in the 
following ways:
•You can change the order of the columns by dragging the column headings.
•You can resize columns by dragging the dividers between the column headings.
Setting the display format
Just like in the Project window, you set the display format (bars+beats, seconds, etc.) 
by right-clicking in the ruler and selecting an option from the pop-up menu. This 
setting affects both the ruler and all start, end and length values shown in the list.
Zooming
You can change the horizontal magnification in the event display by using the zoom 
slider below the display or the Zoom tool (the magnification glass).
Inserting events
To add a new event to the edited part, proceed as follows:
1.Use the Insert Event Type pop-up menu on the toolbar to select the event type. 
						

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The MIDI editorsList Editor operations
2.Select the Draw tool and click in the event display at the desired position (relative 
to the ruler).
If you are creating note events, you can click and drag to set the length of the note.
The new event appears in the list and in the display. Its properties will be set to default 
values, but can be adjusted in the list.
•Notes will get the insert velocity value set in the Insert Velocity field on the toolbar, 
see 
“Setting velocity values” on page 494.
Editing in the list
The list allows you to perform detailed numerical editing of the events properties. The 
columns have the following functionality:
ColumnDescription
>An arrow in this column indicates the event that starts closest before 
the project cursor position. If you click in this column for an event, the 
project cursor is moved to the start of that event. Double-clicking 
moves the cursor position and starts/stops playback – useful for 
auditioning when editing in the list.
TypeThe event type. This cannot be changed.
StartThe start position of the event, shown in the format selected for the 
ruler. Changing this is the same as moving the event. Note that 
moving the event past any other event in the list will re-sort the list 
(the list always shows the events in the order they are played back).
EndThis is only used for note events, allowing you to view and edit the 
end position of a note (thereby resizing it).
LengthThis is only used for note events. It shows the length of the note – 
changing this resizes the note and automatically changes the End 
value as well.
Data 1This is the “data 1” or “value 1” property of the event. The content of 
this depends on the event type – for notes, this is the pitch, for 
example. Where applicable, the values are shown in the most relevant 
form. For instance, the Data 1 value for notes is shown as a note 
number in the format selected in the Preferences dialog (Event 
Display–MIDI page). For further information, see the table in the 
section 
“Editing in the value display” on page 526.
Data 2This is the “data 2” or “value 2” property of the event. The content of 
this depends on the event type – for notes, this is the note-on velocity 
value, for example. For further information, see the table in the section 
“Editing in the value display” on page 526.
Data 3This is the “data 3” or “value 3” property of the event. This value is 
only used for note events, where it corresponds with the note-off 
velocity.
ChannelThe MIDI channel of the event. Note that this setting is normally 
overridden by the channel setting for the track. To make a MIDI event 
play back on “its own” channel, set its track to channel “Any” in the 
Project window.
CommentThis column is used for some event types only, providing an 
additional comment about the event. 
						

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The MIDI editorsList Editor operations
•You can edit several events at once. If several events are selected and you edit a 
value for one event, the other selected events’ values will be changed as well.
Normally, any initial value differences between the events will be maintained – i. e. 
the values will change by the same amount. If you press [Ctrl]/[Command] when 
you edit, however, all events will get the same value.
ÖFor SysEx (system exclusive) events, you can only edit the position (Start) in the list. 
However, when you click the Comment column, the MIDI SysEx Editor opens, in 
which you can perform detailed editing of system exclusive events (see 
“Working with 
SysEx messages” on page 527).
ÖWhen you trim the beginning of a note in the List Editor, the note may move to a 
different position in the list (since other events may now begin before the edited 
event).
Editing in the event display
The event display allows you to edit the events graphically using the tools on the 
toolbar. You can edit single events as well as several selected events simultaneously.
•To move an event, click and drag it to a new position.
Note that moving the event past any other event in the display will re-sort the list 
(the list always shows the events in the order they are played back). As a result, the 
vertical position of the event in the display will change as well.
•To make a copy of an event, press [Alt]/[Option] and drag it to a new position.
•To resize a note, select it and drag its end point with the Object Selection tool as 
in the Project window.
This only works with notes.
•To mute or unmute an event, click on it with the Mute tool.
You can mute or unmute several events in one go by enclosing them in a selection 
rectangle with the Mute tool.
•You can select a color scheme for the events with the Event Colors pop-up menu 
on the toolbar.
This affects how all MIDI events are shown in the MIDI editors, see “Coloring notes 
and events” on page 490.
•To delete an event, select it and press [Backspace] or [Delete], or click on it with 
the Erase tool in the event display.
Filtering
The Filters bar is displayed below the toolbar in the List Editor. It contains two 
sections. On the left, you can find controls for setting up complex filters, and on the 
right, you can exclude certain event types from being displayed.
•To show or hide the Filters bar, click the “Set up Window Layout” button on the 
toolbar and activate or deactivate the Filters option.
The Show section (complex filtering)
On the left of the Filters bar, you find the Show pop-up menu. This can be used to 
filter the event display based on complex criteria. Proceed as follows:
1.Select one or more events.
2.Open the Show pop-up menu and select one of the options. 
						

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The MIDI editorsList Editor operations
•In the top section, the following options are available:
•Cubase only: In addition to these options, the menu also gives you access to the 
presets available in the Logical Editor. Using the “Setup…” item, you can directly 
open the Logical Editor. In this editor, you can create very complex filter settings 
(see the chapter 
“The Logical Editor, Transformer, and Input Transformer” on page 
580). 
When you apply any of the Logical presets or use the Logical Editor to create filter 
settings yourself, only the events that meet the specified criteria will be visible.
The Hide section (filtering out event types)
The Hide section on the Filters bar allows you to hide specific event types from view. 
For example, it may be hard to find note events if the part contains a lot of controller 
data. By hiding the controllers, the list becomes more manageable.
•To hide an event type, activate the corresponding checkbox on the Filters bar.
•To hide all event types except one, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and click the checkbox 
of the event type you want to view.
If you [Ctrl]/[Command]-click again, all checkboxes are cleared.
ÖThe event types remain hidden even if you hide the Filters bar. To make sure that you 
see all events, show the Filters bar and verify that all checkboxes are deactivated and 
that the Show pop-up menu is set to “No Focus”.
ÖFiltering events out does not remove, mute, or change the events in any way.
Editing in the value display
The value display to the right of the event display is a tool for quick viewing and editing 
of multiple values, e.
 g. velocities or controller amounts. The values are shown as 
horizontal bars, with the bar length corresponding to the value.
A velocity 
ramp in the 
value display
You edit the values by clicking and dragging. Note that the pointer automatically takes 
on the shape of the Draw tool when you move it over the value display – you do not 
have to select the Draw tool for this.
OptionDescription
No FocusSelect this to deactivate this filtering function.
Event TypesOnly events of the same type as the selected events will be shown. 
This is the same as activating event types in the Hide section.
Event Types and 
Data 1Only events of the same type and with the same “Data 1” value will be 
shown. For example, if a note event is selected, only notes with the 
same pitch are shown. If a controller event is selected, only 
controllers of the same type are shown.
Event ChannelsOnly events with the same MIDI channel value as the selected event 
will be shown. 
						

							527
The MIDI editorsWorking with SysEx messages
Exactly which value is shown for an event depends on the event type. The following 
table shows what is displayed and edited in the Data columns and the value display:
•For note events there will also be a value in the Data 3 column, which is used for 
note-off velocity.
•Note that for SMF and text events no values are displayed.
Working with SysEx messages
SysEx (System Exclusive) messages are model-specific messages for setting various 
parameters of a MIDI device. This makes it possible to address device parameters that 
would not be available via normal MIDI syntax.
Every major MIDI manufacturer has its own SysEx identity code. SysEx messages are 
typically used for transmitting patch data, i.
 e. the numbers that make up the settings of 
one or more sounds in a MIDI instrument.
Cubase allows you to record and manipulate SysEx data in various ways. The 
following sections point to various features that help you manage and create SysEx 
data.
To learn about the possibilities of the MIDI Device Manager for controlling your device, 
see the chapter 
“Using MIDI devices” on page 460.
Bulk dumps
Recording a bulk dump in Cubase
In any programmable device, the settings are stored as numbers in computer memory. 
Change those numbers, and you will change the settings.
Normally, MIDI devices allow you to dump (transmit) all or some settings in the 
device’s memory in the form of MIDI SysEx messages. A dump is therefore (among 
other things) a way of making backup copies of the settings of your instrument: 
sending such a dump back to the MIDI device will restore the settings. 
If your instrument allows the dumping of a few or all of its settings via MIDI by 
activating some function on the front panel, this dump will probably be recordable in 
Cubase.
Event typeData 1Data 2Value display
NotePitch (note number)Note-on velocityVelocity
ControllerController typeController amountController amount
Program ChangeProgram numberNot usedProgram number
AftertouchAftertouch amountNot usedAftertouch amount
PitchbendBend amountNot usedBend amount
SysExNot usedNot usedNot used 
						

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The MIDI editorsWorking with SysEx messages
Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu (on the Mac, this is located on the 
Cubase menu) and select the MIDI–MIDI Filter page.
This allows you to govern which MIDI event types are recorded and/or thru-put.
2.Make sure that recording of SysEx data is not filtered, by deactivating the SysEx 
checkbox in the Record section. The SysEx checkbox in the Thru section can be 
left as it is (by default activated).
This way, SysEx messages will be recorded but not echoed back out to the 
instrument (which might lead to unpredictable results).
3.Activate recording on a MIDI track and initiate the dump from the front panel of the 
instrument.
4.When done recording, select the new part and open the List Editor from the MIDI 
menu.
This allows you to check that the SysEx dump was recorded – there should be one 
or several SysEx events in the part/event list.
Transmitting a bulk dump back to a device
1.Make sure that the MIDI track with the System Exclusive data is routed to the 
device.
You may want to check your device’s documentation to find details about which 
MIDI channel should be used, etc.
2.Solo the track.
This might not be necessary, but it is a good safety measure.
3.Make sure that the device is set up to receive SysEx messages (often, receiving 
SysEx is turned off by default).
4.If necessary, put the device in “Standby to Receive System Exclusive” mode.
5.Play back the data.
!If your MIDI instrument does not offer a way to initiate a dump “by itself”, you have to 
send a Dump Request message from Cubase to start the dump. In that case, use the 
MIDI SysEx Editor (see “Editing SysEx messages” on page 529) to insert the specific 
Dump Request message (see the instrument’s documentation) at the beginning of a 
MIDI track. When you activate recording, the Dump Request message will be played 
back (sent to the instrument), the dump will start and be recorded as above. 
						

							529
The MIDI editorsRecording SysEx parameter changes
Some advice
•Do not transmit more data than you need. If all you want is a single program, do not 
send them all, it will only make it harder to find the one you want. Usually, you can 
specify exactly what you want to send.
•If you want the sequencer to dump the pertinent sounds to your instrument each 
time you load a project, put the SysEx data in a silent “count-in” before the project 
itself starts.
•If the dump is very short (for instance, a single sound) you can put it in the middle 
of the project to re-program a device on the fly. However, you can achieve the 
same effect by using Program Change. This is definitely preferable, since less MIDI 
data is sent and recorded. Some devices may be set up to dump the settings for a 
sound as soon as you select it on the front panel.
•If you create parts with useful SysEx dumps, you can put these on a special muted 
track. When you want to use one of them, drag it to an empty unmuted track and 
play it back from there.
•Do not transmit several SysEx dumps to several instruments at the same time.
•Make a note of the current device ID setting of the instrument. If you change this, 
the instrument may refuse to load the dump later.
Recording SysEx parameter changes
Often you can use SysEx to remotely change individual settings in a device, e. g. open 
a filter, select a waveform, change the decay of the reverb, etc. Many devices are also 
capable of transmitting changes made on the front panel as SysEx messages. These 
can be recorded in Cubase, and thus incorporated into a regular MIDI recording.
Here’s how it works: let’s say you open up a filter while playing some notes. In that 
case, you will record both the notes and the SysEx messages generated when you 
opened of the filter. When you play it back, the sound changes exactly like it did when 
you recorded it.
1.Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu, select the MIDI–MIDI Filter page 
and make sure that SysEx is recorded, i.
 e. the SysEx checkbox in the Record 
section is deactivated.
2.Make sure that the instrument is actually set to transmit changes of front panel 
controls as SysEx messages.
3.Record normally.
When you are done, you can check in the List Editor that the events were recorded 
properly.
Editing SysEx messages
While SysEx events are shown in the List Editor/Project Browser (Cubase only), their 
entire content is not (only the beginning of the message is displayed in the Comment 
column for the event). Also, you cannot edit the event (other than moving it) as you can 
with other event types in the List Editor.
Instead, you have to use the MIDI SysEx Editor for this. 
						

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The MIDI editorsEditing SysEx messages
•To open the MIDI SysEx Editor for an event, click in the Comments column for the 
event in the List Editor/Project Browser.
The display shows the entire message on one or several lines. SysEx messages 
always begin with F0 and end with F7 with a number of arbitrary bytes in between. If 
the message contains more bytes than fit on one line, it continues on the next. The 
Address indication to the left helps you find out on which position in the message a 
certain value resides.
You can edit all values except for the first (F0) and last one (F7).
Selecting and viewing values
To select a value, either click on it or use the cursor keys. The selected byte is 
displayed in various formats:
- In the main display, values are shown in hexadecimal format.
- To the right of this, values are shown in ASCII format.
- At the bottom of the dialog, the selected value is shown in ASCII, binary, and 
decimal formats.
Editing a value
The selected value can be edited directly in the main display or in the ASCII, decimal, 
and binary displays. Just click on it and type in the desired value as usual.
Adding and deleting bytes
Using the Insert and Delete buttons or their corresponding computer keyboard keys, 
you can add and delete bytes from the message. Inserted data will appear before the 
selection.
•To delete the complete SysEx message, select it in the List Editor and press 
[Delete] or [Backspace].
Importing and exporting data
The Import and Export buttons allow you to get SysEx data from disk and to export the 
edited data to a file. The file has to be in “MIDI SysEx” (.syx) binary format. Only the 
first dump in a SYX file will be loaded.
ÖDo not confuse this format with MIDI files, which have the extension .mid.