Steinberg Cubase LE 4 Remote Control Devices Manual

							
Remote Control Devices 
						

							Revision and Quality Control:
Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Sabine Pfeifer
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All rights reserved. 
						

							Table of Contents 
						

							4
Table of Contents
5Remote controlling the mixer
6About this manual
6Setting Up
7Operations
7The Generic Remote device
9The supported remote control devices
14Index 
						

							1
Remote controlling the mixer 
						

							6
Remote controlling the mixer
About this manual
It is possible to control the Cubase LE mixer via MIDI. A 
large number of MIDI control devices is supported. This 
manual describes how to set up Cubase LE for remote 
control, and lists the supported devices.
•There is also a Generic Remote Device option, allowing 
you to use any MIDI controller to remote control Cubase LE.
How to set this up is described in the section “The Generic Remote de-
vice” on page 7.
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 
“Inactive”.
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.
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.
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.
!Sometimes communication between Cubase LE and 
a remote device is interrupted or the handshaking pro-
tocol fails to create a connection. To re-establish 
communication with any device in the Devices list, se-
lect 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. 
						

							7
Remote controlling the mixer
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 LE 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 LE function (to which a key command 
can be assigned) to generic buttons, wheels or other con-
trols. 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 
control or button to which you wish to assign a Cubase LE 
function.
3.Click in the “Category” column for the control, and se-
lect one of the Cubase LE function categories from the 
pop-up menu that appears.
4.Click in the “Command” column, and select the desired 
Cubase LE function from the pop-up menu that appears.
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 LE, the parame-
ter setup may be different. For example, audio-specific 
controls (such as EQ) will be disregarded when control-
ling MIDI channels.
The Generic Remote device
If you have a generic MIDI controller, you can use this for 
remote control of Cubase LE by setting up the Generic 
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
!This is only relevant when you are using a remote con-
trol device and Write mode is activated in the mixer. 
						

							8
Remote controlling the mixer
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 LE.
4.Use the MIDI Input and Output pop-up menus to select 
the MIDI port(s) to which your remote device is connected.
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 LE, 
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.
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 
LE 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:
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. 
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 or the pitch of a note.
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 parameter.
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.
Column Description
Device Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, used 
for determining which device in Cubase LE 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. Column Description 
						

							9
Remote controlling the mixer
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 de-
vice.
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 LE parameters from the MIDI 
remote device. To select another bank, use the pop-up menu in the Re-
mote 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.
The supported remote control 
devices
In the following sections, the remote control devices sup-
ported by Cubase LE are listed along with a brief descrip-
tion of the corresponding feature set.
Steinberg Houston
Houston is a MIDI/USB remote control device designed 
especially for use with VST audio applications such as 
Cubase LE. With clearly laid out controls (including touch 
sensitive motorized faders, rotary knobs, transport con-
trols and a jog/shuttle wheel) Houston allows you to con-
trol virtually every mixer parameter in Cubase LE, without 
having to use the computer keyboard or mouse.
For details about parameters and hands-on mixing tech-
niques, please see the Houston documentation.
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.
Mackie HUI
Specifications
Mackie HUI can control any number of channels in groups 
of 8.
Use the left and right Bank buttons to select channels 
1–8, 9 –16 etc.
Use the left and right Channel buttons to shift the fader 
assignment in steps of one channel.
The Fader button in the Auto Enable section is used to 
disable/enable the motors.
The Mute, Pan, Send, Plug In and Send Mute buttons in 
the Auto Enable section are currently not supported.
Use the Rec/Rdy buttons to arm a track for recording.
Value/Action Clicking in this column pulls down a pop-up menu, allow-
ing you to select the parameter of the channel to be con-
trolled (typically, if the “VST Mixer” Device option is 
selected you can choose between volume, pan, send lev-
els, 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 un-
equal 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.  Column Description 
						

							10
Remote controlling the mixer
Use the Select buttons to select a single track for de-
tailed settings.
With the Mute and Solo buttons you can mute or solo a 
track.
Use the Default button to un-solo all tracks.
Use the Assign button to un-mute all tracks.
To the right of the time display, you find an LED labeled 
“Rude Solo Light”. This LED lights up as soon as any 
channel is soloed.
Use the Insert buttons to bypass all inserts of one track.
Pan button in the Select Assign section:
 Fader Set: panning left/right or panning front/rear. Press but-
ton repeatedly to cycle through the assignments (the eight V-
Pots control the pan parameters).
 V-Sel button in the Select Assign section: monitor track.
Send A to Send E buttons in the Select Assign section:
 Fader Set: Send 1 level to Send 8 level (Send A to Send D 
assigns Send 1 to Send 4, Send E assigns Send 5 to Send 8: 
press button repeatedly to cycle through the assignments).
 V-Sel button in the Select Assign section: send on/off switch 
(depending on selected Send).
 V-Sel button with Shift in the Select Assign section selected: 
pre/post fader switch (depending on selected Send).
The SELECT ASSIGN four character display in the Se-
lect Assign section displays Send or Pan assignment for 
V-Pots and V-Sel buttons.
The four character displays above the Select buttons 
display the assigned track names.
The Bypass button in the Select Assign section is al-
ways selected to indicate the bypass function of the Insert 
buttons.
The Mute, Rec/Rdy All, Input and Output buttons in the 
Select Assign section are currently not supported.
Use the Auto buttons to control the status of the Read 
and Write buttons in the Mixer of Cubase LE, depending 
on the Read/Write status in the Auto Mode section.
Use the Off button in the Auto Mode section to control 
the Read All or Write All button in the mixer of Cubase LE, 
depending on the Read/Write status in the Auto Mode 
section.The Touch, Latch and Trim buttons in the Auto Mode 
section are currently not supported.
Use the Transport button in the Window section to 
open or close the Transport panel.
Use the Edit button in the Window section to bring the 
current Project window to the front.
Use the Status button in the Window section to open or 
close the VST Performance window.
Use the Mix button in the Window section to open or 
close the Mixer window.
Use the Mem-Loc button in the Window section to 
open the Marker window.
The Alt button in the Window section is used for user-
assigned functions.
The Undo button in the Keyboard Shortcuts section un-
does the last performed operation in Cubase LE.
Hold down the Shift button and press Undo to redo the last undone oper-
ation.
Press the Save button in the Keyboard Shortcuts sec-
tion to save the current project.
Hold down the Shift button and press the Save button to save a backup 
copy of the current project.
The Edit Mode, Edit Tool, Option/All, Ctrl/Clutch and 
Alt/Fine buttons in the Keyboard Shortcuts section are 
currently not supported.
The Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete buttons in the Edit 
section control the equivalent Cubase LE functions.
The Capture and Separate buttons in the Edit section 
are currently not supported.
The buttons in the Status/Group section are currently 
not supported.
Use the In and Out buttons above the transport controls 
to set the project cursor to the positions of the left or right 
locators.
Hold down the Shift button and press the In or Out button to move the 
left or right locator to the current project cursor position.
Use the RTZ and END buttons to set the project cursor 
to the beginning or the end of the project.