Steinberg Cubase Essential 4 Remote Control Devices Manual

							Remote Control Devices 
						

							Revision and Quality Control:
Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Marion Bröer, Sabine Pfeifer
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part 
of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement 
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Release Date: January 30, 2008
© Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2008.
All rights reserved. 
						

							Table of Contents 
						

							4
Table of Contents
5Remote controlling Cubase Essential
6About this manual
6Setting Up
7Operations
8The Generic Remote device
10The supported remote control devices
16Index 
						

							1
Remote controlling Cubase Essential 
						

							6
Remote controlling Cubase Essential
About this manual
It is possible to control Cubase Essential via MIDI. A large 
number of MIDI control devices is supported. This manual 
describes how to set up Cubase Essential for remote con-
trol, and lists the supported devices.
•There is also a Generic Remote Device option, allowing 
you to use any MIDI controller to remote control Cubase 
Essential.
How to set this up is described in the section “The Generic Remote de-
vice” on page 8.
Setting Up
Connecting the remote device
Connect the MIDI Out on the remote unit to a MIDI In on 
your MIDI interface. Depending on the remote unit model, 
you may also need to connect a MIDI Out on the interface 
to a MIDI In on the remote unit (this is necessary if the re-
mote unit features “feedback devices” such as indicators, 
motorized faders, etc.).
If you will be recording MIDI tracks, you don’t want any 
MIDI data from the remote unit to accidentally be recorded 
as well. To avoid this, you should also make the following 
setting:
1.Open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu.
2.Select “MIDI Port Setup” in the list to the left.
3.Check the table to the right and locate the MIDI input 
to which you have connected the MIDI remote unit.
4.Deactivate the check box in the “In ’All MIDI Inputs’” 
column for that input, so that the State column reads “In-
active”.
5.Click OK to close the Device Setup dialog.
Now you have removed the remote unit input from the “All 
MIDI Inputs” group. This means that you can record MIDI 
tracks with the “All MIDI Inputs” port selected without risk-
ing to record the data from the remote unit at the same time.
Selecting a remote device
1.Pull down the Devices menu and select Device Setup.
A dialog window opens with a list of device categories and devices shown 
in the left part of the window. 
2.If you can’t find the remote device you are looking for, 
click on the plus sign in the top left corner and select the 
device from the pop-up that appears.
The selected device is added to the Devices list.
Note that it is possible to select more than one remote 
device of the same type.
If you have more than one remote device of the same type, these will be 
numbered in the Devices list. For example, to be able to use a Mackie 
Control Extender, you must install a second Mackie control device.
3.Now select your MIDI control device model from the 
Devices list.
Depending on the selected device, either a list of programmable function 
commands or a blank panel is shown in the right half of the dialog window.
A Yamaha 01x selected as remote control device.
4.Select the correct MIDI input from the pop-up menu.
If necessary, select the correct MIDI output from the pop-up menu. 
						

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Remote controlling Cubase Essential
5.Click OK to close the dialog.
You can now use the MIDI control device to move faders and knobs, ac-
tivate Mute and Solo, etc. The exact parameter configuration depends on 
which external MIDI control device you are using.
Operations
Writing automation using remote controls
Automating the mixer using a remote control device is done 
in the same way as when you operate on-screen controls in 
Write mode. However, when it comes to replacing existing 
automation data, there is one important difference:
If you activate Write mode and move a control on the re-
mote control device, all data for the corresponding para-
meter is replaced from the position where you moved the 
control, up until the position where playback is stopped!
In other words, as soon as you move a control in Write mode, it remains 
“active” until you stop playback. The reason for this is explained below.
As a consequence, an additional precaution must be taken:
Make sure you move only the controller you want to re-
place!
In order to replace existing automation data for a control, 
the computer needs to know how long the user actually 
“grabbed” or used the control. When doing this “on 
screen”, the program simply detects when the mouse but-
ton is pressed and released. When you are using an exter-
nal remote control device, however, there is no mouse 
button involved, and Cubase Essential cannot tell whether 
you “grab and hold” a fader, or simply move it and release 
it. Instead, you have to indicate that you have “released” 
the control by stopping playback.
Assigning remote key commands
For some of the supported remote devices, you can as-
sign any Cubase Essential function (to which a key com-
mand can be assigned) to generic buttons, wheels or 
other controls. As of this writing, these devices are:

 Yamaha 01x
 Yamaha DM 2000v2
 Yamaha DM 1000v2

Proceed as follows:
1.Open the Device Setup dialog and select one of the 
remote devices that support this feature.
On the right side of the window you will find a three column table. This is 
where you assign commands.
2.Use the “Button” column to locate a remote device con-
trol or button to which you wish to assign a Cubase Essen-
tial function.
3.Click in the “Category” column for the control, and se-
lect one of the Cubase Essential function categories from 
the pop-up menu that appears.
4.Click in the “Command” column, and select the desired 
Cubase Essential function from the pop-up menu that ap-
pears.
The available items on the pop-up menu depend on the selected category.
5.Click “Apply” when you are done.
The selected function is now assigned to the button or 
control on the remote device.
A note about remote controlling MIDI tracks
While most remote control devices will be able to control 
both MIDI and audio channels in Cubase Essential, the 
parameter setup may be different. For example, audio-
specific controls (such as EQ) will be disregarded when 
controlling MIDI channels.
!Sometimes communication between Cubase Essen-
tial and a remote device is interrupted or the hand-
shaking protocol fails to create a connection. To re-
establish communication with any device in the De-
vices list, select it and click the Reset button in the 
Device Setup dialog. Also, the “Send Reset Message 
to all Devices” button at the top of the dialog will reset 
every device in the Devices list.
!The above does not apply to the Mackie Control or 
any other remote control device with touch sensitive 
controls. These devices will stop writing as they have 
touch sensitive faders, which means that they stop 
writing as soon as you release the fader.
!This is only relevant when you are using a remote 
control device and Write mode is activated in the 
mixer. 
						

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Remote controlling Cubase Essential
The Generic Remote device
If you have a generic MIDI controller, you can use this for 
remote control of Cubase Essential by setting up the Ge-
neric Remote device:
1.Open the Device Setup dialog on the Devices menu.
If the Generic Remote device isn’t on the Devices list, you need to add it.
2.Click the “+” sign in the top left corner and select the 
“Generic Remote” device from the pop-up menu.
When the Generic Remote device is added in the Device 
Setup dialog, you can open the corresponding window by 
selecting “Generic Remote” from the Devices menu.
The Generic Remote window
3.Select the Generic Remote device in the Devices list 
to the left.
The settings for the Generic Remote device are displayed, allowing you 
to specify which control on your device should control which parameter 
in Cubase Essential.
4.Use the MIDI Input and Output pop-up menus to se-
lect the MIDI port(s) to which your remote device is con-
nected.5.Use the pop-up menu to the right to select a bank.
Banks are combinations of a certain number of channels, and are used 
because most MIDI devices can control only a limited number of chan-
nels at a time (often 8 or 16). For example, if your MIDI control device has 
16 volume faders, and you are using 32 mixer channels in Cubase Es-
sential, you would need two banks of 16 channels each. When the first 
bank is selected you control channel 1 to 16; when the second Bank is 
selected you control channel 17 to 32. Since you can control Transport 
functions as well, you may need several banks.
6.Set up the table at the top according to the controls 
on your MIDI control device.
The columns have the following functionality:
If you find that the table at the top holds too many or too 
few controls, you can add or remove controls with the Add 
and Delete buttons to the right of the table.
Column Description
Control Name Double clicking this field allows you to enter a descriptive 
name for the control (typically a name written on the con-
sole). This name is automatically reflected in the Control 
Name column in the lower table.
MIDI Status Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allow-
ing you to specify the type of MIDI message sent by the 
control. The options are Controller, Program Change, 
Note On, Note Off, Aftertouch and Polyphonic Pressure. 
Also available are Continuous Control NRPN and RPN, a 
way to extend the available control messages. ??The 
“Ctrl JLCooper” option is a special version of a Continu-
ous Controller where the 3rd byte of a MIDI message is 
used as address instead of the 2nd byte (a method sup-
ported by various JL-Cooper remote devices).
MIDI Channel Clicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing 
you to select the MIDI channel on which the controller is 
transmitted.
Address The Continuous Controller number, the pitch of a note or 
the address of a NRPN/RPN Continuous Controller.
Max. Value The maximum value the control will transmit. This value is 
used by the program to “scale” the value range of the 
MIDI controller to the value range of the program para-
meter.
Flags Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allow-
ing you to activate or deactivate three flags:
Receive – activate this if the MIDI message should be 
processed on reception.
Transmit – activate this if a MIDI message should be 
transmitted when the corresponding value in the program 
changes.
Relative – activate this if the control is an “endless” dial, 
which reports the number of turns instead of an absolute 
value. 
						

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Remote controlling Cubase Essential
If you are uncertain of which MIDI message a certain 
controller sends, you can use the Learn function:
Select the control in the upper table (by clicking in the Control Name co-
lumn), move the corresponding control on your MIDI device and click the 
Learn button to the right of the table. The MIDI Status, MIDI Channel and 
Address values are automatically set to those of the moved control.
7.Use the table at the bottom to specify which Cubase 
Essential parameters you want to control.
Each row in the table is associated to the controller in the corresponding 
row in the first table (as indicated by the Control Name column). The 
other columns have the following functionality:
8.If necessary, select another bank and make settings 
for it.
Note that you only need to make settings in the bottom table for this bank. 
The table at the top is already set up according to the MIDI remote device.
If necessary, you can add banks by clicking the Add 
button below the Bank pop-up.
Clicking the Rename button allows you to assign a new name to the cur-
rently selected bank, and you can remove an unneeded bank by select-
ing it and clicking the Delete button.
9.When you are finished, close the Device Setup window.
Now, you can control the specified Cubase Essential parameters from 
the MIDI remote device. To select another bank, use the pop-up menu in 
the Remote Status window (or use a control on the MIDI remote device, 
if you have assigned one for this).
Importing and exporting remote setups
The Export button in the top right corner of the Generic 
Remote Setup window allows you to export the current 
setup, including the Control configuration (the table at the 
top) and all banks. The setup is saved as a file (with the 
Windows file extension “.xml”). Clicking the Import button 
allows you to import saved remote setup files.
The last imported or exported remote setup will auto-
matically be loaded when the program starts or the Ge-
neric Remote control is added in the Device Setup dialog.
Column Description
Device Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, used 
for determining which device in Cubase Essential should 
be controlled. The special option “Command” allows you 
to perform certain command actions by remote control. 
One example of this is the selection of remote banks.
Channel/
CategoryThis is where you select the channel to be controlled or, if 
the “Command” Device option is selected, the Command 
category.
Value/Action Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allow-
ing you to select the parameter of the channel to be 
controlled (typically, if the “VST Mixer” Device option is 
selected you can choose between volume, pan, send 
levels, EQ, etc.).
If the “Command” Device option is selected, this is where 
you specify the “Action” of the category.
Flags Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allow-
ing you to activate or deactivate three flags:
Push Button – When activated, the parameter is only 
changed if the received MIDI message shows a value 
unequal to 0.
Toggle – When activated, the parameter value is 
switched between minimum and maximum value each 
time a MIDI message is received. The combination of 
Push Button and Toggle is useful for remote controls 
which do not latch the state of a button. One example is 
controlling mute status with a device on which pressing 
the Mute button turns it on, and releasing the Mute button 
turns it off. If Push Button and Toggle are activated, the 
Mute status will change between on and off whenever 
the button is pressed on the console.
Not Automated – When activated, the parameter will not 
be automated.  
						

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Remote controlling Cubase Essential
The supported remote control 
devices
In the following sections, the remote control devices sup-
ported by Cubase Essential are listed along with a brief 
description of the corresponding feature set.
Apple Remote (Macintosh only)
Many Apple computers come with an Apple Remote Con-
trol, a small hand-held device akin to TV remote controls. It 
allows you to remotely control certain features in Cubase 
Essential.
1.Open the Device Setup dialog and select Apple Re-
mote Control from the Add Device pop-up.
2.In the list on the right, the Apple Remote’s buttons are 
listed. For each button you can open a pop-up menu from 
which you can select a Cubase Essential parameter.
The parameter you select will be assigned to the corresponding button 
on the Apple Remote.
By default, the Apple Remote always controls the applica-
tion that currently has the focus on your Macintosh com-
puter (provided that this application supports the Apple 
Remote).
When the option “Disable when application is not in 
front” is not selected, the Apple Remote will control Cu-
base Essential even if it does not have the focus.
Steinberg Houston
Houston is a MIDI/USB remote control device designed 
especially for use with VST audio applications such as 
Cubase Essential. With clearly laid out controls (including 
touch sensitive motorized faders, rotary knobs, transport 
controls and a jog/shuttle wheel) Houston allows you to 
control Cubase Essential, without having to use the com-
puter keyboard or mouse.
For details about parameters and hands-on mixing tech-
niques, please see the Houston documentation.
In this version of Cubase Essential, the following functions 
have been added:
[Dyn/User1]: Studio Send for selected channel


 Page 03 – Pre/Post
 Page 04 – Pan Left/Right
[User2]: Instrument for selected channel (Instrument 
tracks and MIDI track to VSTi from the Rack)
 Page 1 – Select instrument
 Page 2-n – Instrument parameter
Fader Set Section:
 [Shift]+[FX Send1]: Studio Send 1
 [Shift]+[FX Send2]: Studio Send 2
 [Shift]+[FX Send3]: Studio Send 3
 [Shift]+[FX Send4]: Studio Send 4
 Page 1 – Level
 Page 2 – Enable
 Page 3 – Pre/Post
 Page 4 – Pan Left/Right
Mackie Control
Mackie Control is an automated touch-sensitive control 
surface. It is a nine-fader (eight channels and master) MIDI 
controller that provides in-depth mixing, editing, automa-
tion and navigational control for any supported digital au-
dio workstation.
A special Lexan overlay that shows all Steinberg-specific 
key assignments for the Mackie Control device is available 
to customize the controller for Cubase Essential.