Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

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The Logical Editor, Transformer, and Input TransformerOpening the Logical Editor
About the Input Transformer
This too is very similar to the Logical Editor. Just like the Transformer effect, the Input 
Transformer works in realtime. However, the Input Transformer filters out and 
transforms MIDI data as it is recorded. In other words, the settings you make in the 
Input Transformer will affect the actual MIDI events you record.
The Input Transformer is described in the section “The Input Transformer” on page 
595. However, we recommend that you make yourself familiar with the Logical Editor 
first, since they share many features and principles.
About the Project Logical Editor
There is also a “Project Logical Editor” available via the Edit menu. This is described in 
the chapter 
“The Project Logical Editor (Cubase only)” on page 597.
Opening the Logical Editor
1.Select the desired parts or events.
What will be affected by the operation depends on the current selection.
- In the Project window, edits using the Logical Editor are applied to all selected 
parts, affecting all events (of the relevant types) in them.
- In the MIDI editors, edits using the Logical Editor are applied to all selected 
events. If no events are selected, all events in the edited part(s) will be affected.
You can change the selection while the Logical Editor window is open.
2.Select “Logical Editor…” from the MIDI menu.
Window overview
Setting up filter conditions
General procedure
The upper list is where you set up the filter conditions, determining which elements to 
find. The list can contain one or several conditions, each on a separate line.
•To add a new condition, click the “+” button below the list.
A new line is added at the bottom of the list. If there are many lines, you may need 
to use the scrollbar to the right to view them.
Function pop-up menu Filter conditions 
list
Apply button (not available in the 
Transformer)
Action List 
						

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The Logical Editor, Transformer, and Input TransformerSetting up filter conditions
•To remove a condition, select it and click the “-” button below the list.
ÖIf you have already defined filter conditions and/or applied a preset, but want to start 
again from scratch, you can initialize the settings by selecting the Init option from the 
Presets pop-up menu.
You set up a filter condition line by clicking in the columns and selecting options from 
the pop-up menus that appear. Here is a brief description of the columns:
•You can also set up filter conditions by dragging MIDI events directly into the 
upper list.
If the list contains no entries, a MIDI event dragged into this section will form 
conditions including the state and type of the event. If it contains entries, the 
dragged event will initialize the matching parameters. For example, if a length 
condition is used, the length will be set according to the length of the event.
ColumnDescription
Left bracketThis is used for “bracketing” several lines together when creating 
conditions with multiple lines and the boolean operators And/Or, see 
“Combining multiple condition lines” on page 589.
Filter TargetHere you select which property to look for when finding elements. 
Your choice here affects the available options in the other columns as 
well, see below!
ConditionThis determines how the Logical Editor compares the property in the 
Filter Target column to the values in the Parameter columns (see 
below). The available options depend on the Filter Target setting.
Parameter 1Here you set which value the element properties are compared to 
(depending on the Filter Target). 
For example, if the Filter Target is “Position” and Condition is “Equal”, 
the Logical Editor will look for all elements starting at the position you 
specify in the Parameter 1 column.
Parameter 2This column is used if you have selected one of the “Range” options 
in the Condition column. This allows you to find all elements with 
values inside (or outside) the range between Parameter 1 and 
Parameter 2.
Furthermore, if you want to find certain VST 3 events (Filter Target set 
to “Type is” and Parameter 1 set to “VST3 Event”), you can use the 
Parameter 2 column to specify the VST 3 parameter that you are 
searching for, e.
 g. Tuning.
Bar Range/Time 
Base (Logical 
Editor only)This column is only used if the Filter Target is set to “Position”. If one 
of the “Bar Range” options is selected in the Condition column, you 
use the Bar Range/Time Base column to specify “zones” within each 
bar (for example, allowing you to find all elements on or around the 
first beat of every bar). If any of the other Condition options is 
selected, you can use the Bar Range/Time Base column to specify 
the time base (PPQ, Seconds, etc.). See 
“Searching for elements at 
certain positions (Logical Editor only)” on page 584 for details.
Right bracketThis is used for “bracketing” several lines together, see “Combining 
multiple condition lines” on page 589.
boolThis allows you to insert the boolean operators And/Or, when 
creating conditions with multiple lines, see 
“Combining multiple 
condition lines” on page 589. 
						

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The Logical Editor, Transformer, and Input TransformerSetting up filter conditions
Conditions
Depending on the Filter Target setting, the following options can be selected in the 
Condition column:
ÖThe Conditions for the “Property” filter target are different, see “Searching for 
properties” on page 587.
Below, the different Filter Targets (and their corresponding Condition and Parameter 
options) are described in more detail.
ConditionElements will be found if their Filter Target property…
Equal…has the exact same value as set up in the Parameter 1 column.
Unequal…has any value other than the one set up in the Parameter 1 column.
Bigger…has a value higher than the one set up in the Parameter 1 column.
Bigger or Equal…has a value that is the same as or higher than the one set up in the 
Parameter 1 column.
Less…has a value lower than the one set up in the Parameter 1 column.
Less or Equal…has a value that is the same as or lower than the one set up in the 
Parameter 1 column.
Inside Range…has a value that is between the values set up in the Parameter 1 
and Parameter 2 columns. Note that Parameter 1 should be the lower 
value and Parameter 2 the higher.
Outside Range…has a value that is not between the values set up in the Parameter 1 
and Parameter 2 columns.
Inside Bar Range 
(Logical Editor 
only)…is within the “zone” set up in the Bar Range/Time Base column 
(Position only), in each bar within the current selection.
Outside Bar 
Range (Logical 
Editor only)…is outside the “zone” set up in the Bar Range/Time Base column 
(Position only), in each bar within the current selection.
Before Cursor 
(Logical Editor 
only)…is before the song cursor position (Position only).
Beyond Cursor 
(Logical Editor 
only)…is after the song cursor position (Position only).
Inside Track Loop 
(Logical Editor 
only)…is inside the set track loop (Position only).
Inside Cycle 
(Logical Editor 
only)…is inside the set cycle (Position only).
Exactly matching 
Cycle (Logical 
Editor only)…exactly matches the set cycle (Position only).
Note is equal to…is the note specified in the Parameter 1 column, regardless of 
octave (Pitch only). For example, lets you find all C notes, in all 
octaves. 
						

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The Logical Editor, Transformer, and Input TransformerSetting up filter conditions
Searching for elements at certain positions (Logical Editor only)
Selecting “Position” in the Filter Target column lets you find elements starting at 
certain positions, either relative to the start of the song or within each bar.
•If you select any condition other than the Range or Bar Range options, you set up 
a specific position (in PPQ, seconds, samples, or frames) in the Parameter 1 
column. Use the Bar Range/Time Base column to specify the time base.
Here, the Logical Editor will find all elements at 1.1.1.0 in the project.
•If you select Inside Range or Outside Range in the Condition column, you set the 
start position of the range in the Parameter 1 column and the end position in the 
Parameter 2 column. You can also change the time base using the Bar 
Range/Time Base column.
The Logical Editor will then find all elements inside or outside this position range.
•If you select one of the Bar Range options in the Condition column, the Bar 
Range/Time Base column will show a graphic bar display. You specify the range 
within the bar by clicking and dragging in the bar display (the specified Bar Range 
is indicated in blue).
The Logical Editor will then find all elements starting inside or outside this Bar 
Range, in all bars (within the current selection).
Here, the Logical Editor will find elements starting around the second beat in each bar.
Searching for notes of certain lengths (Logical Editor only)
Only note events have lengths (actually, a note is made up of separate note-on and 
note-off events but in Cubase it is considered as a single event with a length). 
Therefore, the “Length” Filter Target is only valid if you are specifically searching for 
notes – there has to be another condition line with the Filter Target “Type”, Condition 
“Equal” and Parameter 1 set to “Note”. See 
“Combining multiple condition lines” on 
page 589 for details about using multiple filter conditions.
Searching for Value 1 or Value 2
A MIDI event is composed of several values. What is displayed for Value 1 and 2 
depends on the type of event:
Event typeValue 1Value 2
NotesThe Note Number/Pitch.The velocity of the note.
Poly PressureThe key that was pressed.The amount of pressure for the 
key.
ControllerThe type of Controller, 
displayed as a number.The amount of Control Change.
Program ChangeThe Program Change 
number.Not used.
AftertouchThe amount of pressure.Not used.
PitchbendThe “fine-tune” of the bend. 
Not always used.The coarse amount of bend. 
						

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The Logical Editor, Transformer, and Input TransformerSetting up filter conditions
ÖSystem Exclusive events are not included in the table above, because they do not use 
value 1 and 2.
Because value 1 and 2 have different meanings for different events, searching for 
value 2 = 64 would both find notes with the velocity 64 and controllers with the 
amount 64, etc. If this is not what you want, you can add an additional filter condition 
line with the Filter Target “Type”, specifying which type of events to find (see below).
The general procedures when searching for value 1 or 2 are:
•If you select any Condition other than the Range options, you set up a specific 
value in the Parameter 1 column.
Here, the Logical Editor will find all events with a value 2 less than 80.
•If you select Inside Range or Outside Range in the Condition column, the range 
consists of the values between Parameter 1 and Parameter 2.
Note that Parameter 1 should have the lower value.
Searching for note pitch or velocity
If you add another condition line with the Filter Target “Type”, Condition “Equal” and 
Parameter 1 set to “Note”, the Logical Editor will “know” you are searching for pitch or 
velocity. This has the following benefits:
- The Filter Targets Value 1 and Value 2 will be displayed as “Pitch” and “Velocity” 
respectively, making it easier to grasp the function of the filter condition.
- Pitch values in the Parameter columns will be displayed as note names (C3, D#4, 
etc.). When entering pitch values you can either type a note name or a MIDI note 
number (0–127).
- When Value 1 (pitch) is selected as Filter Target, an additional option appears in 
the Condition column: “Note is equal to”. When this is selected, you specify a note 
name in the Parameter 1 column but without any octave number (C, C#, D, D#, 
etc.). The Logical Editor can then find all notes of a certain key, in all octaves.
See “Combining multiple condition lines” on page 589 for more info on working with 
multiple filter condition lines.
VST3 EventNot used.The value of the VST3 event 
parameter. The value range of the 
VST3 event (0.0 to 1.0) is 
transformed into the MIDI value 
range (0-127), i.
 e., the VST3 
event value 0.5 corresponds to 
64. For some operations that 
require a higher resolution, you 
can make use of the “VST3 Value 
Operation” parameter, see 
“Action Target” on page 591.
Event type Value 1 Value 2
!This is particularly useful when searching for note pitch or velocity values, as 
described below. 
						

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The Logical Editor, Transformer, and Input TransformerSetting up filter conditions
Searching for controllers
There is similar extended functionality when searching for controllers: If you have 
added an additional “Type = Controller” condition line, the Logical Editor will “know” 
you are searching for controllers. The Parameter 1 column will then show the names 
of the MIDI controllers (Modulation, Volume, etc.) when Value 1 is selected as Filter 
Target.
Searching for MIDI channels
Each MIDI event contains a MIDI channel setting (1–16). Normally, these settings are 
not used, since the MIDI event plays back on the MIDI channel set for its track. 
However, you can come across MIDI parts with events set to different channels, for 
example in the following scenarios:
- If you have recorded MIDI from an instrument sending on several different 
channels (e.
 g. a master keyboard with different key zones).
- If you have imported a MIDI file of type 0 (with a single track, containing MIDI 
events with different channel settings).
Searching for MIDI channel values is straightforward; you select a Condition and enter 
a MIDI channel (1–16) in the Parameter 1 column (and, if you have selected one of the 
Range Conditions, a higher channel in the Parameter 2 column, creating a value 
range).
Searching for element types
Selecting Type as the Filter Target allows you to find elements of a certain type only.
- The Condition column contains only three options: Equal, Unequal and All Types.
- Clicking the Parameter 1 column displays a pop-up menu, listing the available 
types (Note, Poly Pressure, Controller, etc.).
The Logical Editor will find all elements matching or not matching the selected type 
(depending on the Condition).
!As mentioned above, selecting Type = Note or Type = Controller adds some 
additional functionality to the Logical Editor. You should make it a habit to add a Type 
condition when applicable. 
						

							587
The Logical Editor, Transformer, and Input TransformerSetting up filter conditions
Searching for properties
On the Filter Target pop-up menu, you will find an option called Property. This allows 
you to search for properties that are not part of the MIDI standard but rather Cubase-
specific settings.
When the Property option is selected, the Condition column has two options: 
“Property is set” and “Property is not set”. Which property to look for is selected in the 
Parameter 1 column. The options are “muted”, “selected”, “empty”, “inside NoteExp”, 
and “valid VST3”. Some examples:
Here, the Logical Editor will find all muted events.
Here, the Logical Editor will find all events that are selected and muted.
Cubase only: Here, the Logical Editor will find all Note Expression data.
Cubase only: Here, the Logical Editor will find all MIDI controller events that form part of Note 
Expression data.
Cubase only: Here, the Logical Editor will find all VST 3 events that cannot be played back, 
because there is no Note Expression compatible VST instrument on the related track.
Searching for event contexts
On the Filter Target pop-up menu, you will find an option called “Last Event”. This can 
be used to perform context-dependent searches (especially useful in the Input 
Transformer).
“Last Event” indicates the state of an event which has already passed the Input 
Transformer/Logical Editor. The condition has to be combined with Parameter 1 and 
Parameter 2. 
Below, you will find a few examples on how the Last Event filter target can be used.
Here, the action will only be performed when the sustain pedal is down:
Filter TargetConditionParameter 1Parameter 2
Last EventEqualMIDI Status176/Controller
Last EventEqualValue 164
Last EventBiggerValue 264 
						

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The Logical Editor, Transformer, and Input TransformerSetting up filter conditions
In this example, the action will be performed when the note C1 is pressed (the “Note 
is playing” condition is only available in the Input Transformer and in the Transformer 
effect):
In this example, the action will be performed after playing the C1 note:
Cubase only: In this example, the action will be performed for Note Expression VST 3 
Tuning events that are attached to a C1 note when C1 is pressed:
Searching for Chords (Logical Editor only)
ÖA note belongs to a chord, if at least two other notes play at the same time.
The Context Variable option on the Filter Target pop-up menu allows you to search for 
chords in a MIDI part or on the chord track. 
When Context Variable is selected, the Condition column shows the following 
options: Equal, Unequal, Bigger, Bigger or Equal, Less, Less or Equal, Inside Range, 
Outside Range, see 
“Conditions” on page 583. 
Parameter 1 allows you to specify which context variable is searched: 
For the following values of Parameter 1 you have to specify a Parameter 2:
Filter TargetConditionParameter 1Parameter 2
Type isEqualNote 
Last EventEqualNote is playing36/C1
Filter TargetConditionParameter 1Parameter 2
Last EventEqualValue 136/C1
Filter TargetConditionParameter 1Parameter 2
Type isEqualVST3 EventTuning
Last EventEqualMIDI Status144/Note On
Last EventEqualValue 136/C1
Parameter 1Searches for…
Highest/Lowest/
Average Pitch…notes with the highest, lowest or average pitch in the selected MIDI 
part. 
Highest/Lowest/
Average Velocity…notes with the highest, lowest or average pitch velocity in the 
selected MIDI part. 
Highest/Lowest/
Average CC 
Value…controllers with the highest, lowest or average value in the selected 
MIDI part. 
Parameter 1Parameter 2Searches for…
No. of Notes in Chord 
(Part)Enter a value for the number of 
notes in the chord.…chords with the specified 
number of notes in the selected 
MIDI part. 
No. of Voices (Part)Enter a number for the number 
of voices of the chord.…chords with the specified 
number of voices in the selected 
MIDI part. 
Position in Chord 
(Part)Select the position (interval) in 
the chord.…the specified chord interval in 
the selected MIDI part. 
Note Number in Chord 
(lowest = 0)Enter a number for the voicing 
number of chord.…the specified voicing number in 
the selected MIDI part.  
						

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The Logical Editor, Transformer, and Input TransformerSetting up filter conditions
The Musical Context presets give you an idea of the possibilities of this filter target. 
For further information on presets, see 
“Working with presets” on page 594.
Combining multiple condition lines
As described above, you can add condition lines by clicking the “+” button below the 
list. The result of combining condition lines depends on the boolean And/Or operators 
and the brackets.
The bool column
By clicking in the “bool” column to the right in the list, you can select a boolean 
operator: “And” or “Or”. A boolean operator combines two condition lines and 
determines the result in the following way:
•If two condition lines are combined with a boolean And, both conditions must be 
fulfilled for an element to be found.
The Logical Editor will only find elements that are notes and start at the beginning of the third 
bar.
•If two condition lines are combined with a boolean Or, one of the conditions (or 
both) must be fulfilled for an element to be found.
The Logical Editor will find all events that are notes (regardless of their position) and all 
events starting at the beginning of the third bar (regardless of their type).
When you add a new condition line, the boolean setting defaults to And. Therefore, if 
all you want to do is set up two or more conditions that all must be met for an element 
to be found, you do not have to think about the boolean column – just add the 
required lines and make the usual filter settings.
Using brackets
The bracket (parenthesis) columns let you enclose two or more condition lines, 
dividing the conditional expression into smaller units. This is only relevant when you 
have three or more condition lines and want to use the boolean Or operator. This is 
how it works:
•Without brackets, the conditional expressions are evaluated according to their 
order in the list.
In this case the Logical Editor will find all MIDI notes with the pitch C3, as well as all events 
(regardless of their type) set to MIDI channel 1.
Position in Chord 
(Chordtrack)Select the position (interval) in 
the chord. … the specified chord interval in 
the selected MIDI part. The Chord 
track is taken as reference.
VoiceSelect a voice in the chord.…the specified voice in the 
selected MIDI part.
Parameter 1 Parameter 2 Searches for… 
						

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The Logical Editor, Transformer, and Input TransformerSelecting a function
Maybe you wanted to find all notes that either had the pitch C3 or the MIDI channel 1 
(but no non-note events)? Then you need to add some brackets:
•Expressions within brackets are evaluated first.
If there are several layers of brackets, these are evaluated “from the inside out”, 
starting with the innermost brackets.
You add brackets by clicking in the bracket columns and selecting an option. Up to 
triple brackets can be selected.
Selecting a function
The pop-up menu at the bottom of the Logical Editor is where you select the function 
– the basic type of editing to be performed.
Below, the available options are listed. Note that some options are not available in the 
Transformer effect.
Delete
Deletes all elements found by the Logical Editor. In the case of the Transformer, this 
function will remove (or “mute”) all found elements from the “output stream” – the 
actual elements on the track are not affected.
Transform
Changes one or several aspects of the found elements. You set up exactly what is 
changed in the action list, see 
“Specifying actions” on page 591.
Insert
This will create new elements and insert these into the part(s) (Logical Editor) or the 
output stream (Transformer). The new elements will be based on the elements found 
by the Logical Editor’s filter conditions, but with any changes you have set up in the 
action list applied. 
Another way of expressing this is that the Insert function copies the found elements, 
transforms them according to the action list and inserts the transformed copies 
among the existing elements.
Insert Exclusive
This will transform the found elements according to the action list. Then, all elements 
that were not found (that did not meet the filter conditions) are deleted (Logical Editor) 
or removed from the output stream (Transformer).
Copy (Logical Editor only)
This will copy all found elements, transform them according to the action list and paste 
them into a new part on a new MIDI track. The original events are not affected.