Steinberg Cubase Le 8 Manual

							Remote controlling Cubase
Operations
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Enable Auto Select
If this option is activated, touching a fader on a touch-sensitive remote control 
device automatically selects the corresponding channel. On devices without 
touch-sensitive faders, the channel gets selected as soon as you move the 
fader.
Writing automation using remote controls
Automating the MixConsole using a remote control device is done in the same way 
as when you operate on-screen controls in Write mode. 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 button is pressed and released. When you are 
using an external remote control device without touch-sensitive controls, Cubase 
cannot tell whether you “grab and hold” a fader or simply move it and release it.
Therefore, when you are using a device without touch-sensitive controls and want 
to replace existing automation data, pay attention to the following:
• If you activate Write mode and move a control on the remote control device, 
all data for the corresponding parameter is replaced from the position where 
you moved the control, up to 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.
• Make sure that you move only the controller you want to replace.
Assigning remote key commands
For some remote devices, you can assign any Cubase function (to which a key 
command can be assigned) to generic buttons, wheels, or other controls.
PROCEDURE
1. Open the Device Setup dialog and select your remote device.
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 function.
3. Click in the Category column for the control and select one of the Cubase 
function categories from the pop-up menu.
4. Click in the Command column and select the desired Cubase function from 
the pop-up menu.
The available items on the pop-up menu depend on the selected category.
5. Click “Apply” when you are done.
Click “Reset” to revert to the default settings. 
						

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RESULT 
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, the parameter setup may be different. For example, 
audio-specific controls (such as EQ) will be disregarded when controlling MIDI 
channels.
The Generic Remote device
If you have a generic MIDI controller, you can use this for remote control of Cubase 
by setting up the Generic Remote device:
PROCEDURE
1. Open the Device Setup dialog on the Devices menu.
If the Generic Remote device is not 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.
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. 
						

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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 channels at a time (often 8 or 16). 
For example, if your MIDI control device has 16 volume faders, and you are using 32 
MixConsole channels in Cubase, you would need two banks of 16 channels each. 
When the first bank is selected you can control channel 1 to 16; when the second 
Bank is selected you can control channel 17 to 32.
6. Set up the table at the top according to the controls on your MIDI control 
device.
The columns have the following functionality:
Column Description
Control 
NameDouble-clicking this field allows you to enter a descriptive name for the 
control (typically a name written on the console). This name is 
automatically reflected in the Control Name column in the lower table.
MIDI 
StatusClicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing you to specify 
the type of MIDI message sent by the control (e. g. Controller, Prog. 
Change Trigger).
The NRPN and RPN controllers are part of the MIDI specification and 
present a way to extend the available control messages. The “Ctrl 
JLCooper” option is a special version of a Continuous Controller where 
the 3rd byte of a MIDI message is used as address instead of the 2nd 
byte (a method supported by various JL-Cooper remote devices). For a 
description of the Ctrl-Houston status value, see the Steinberg Houston 
hardware manual.
MIDI 
ChannelClicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing you to select the 
MIDI channel on which the controller is transmitted. 
						

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• 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 column), 
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.
• If you use the Learn function for a control that sends a Program Change value, 
the “Prog. Change Trigger” option is automatically selected on the “MIDI 
Status” pop-up menu. This allows you to use the different values of a Program 
Change parameter to control different parameters in Cubase.
If this does not give you the result you want, try using the “Prog. Change” value 
instead.
7. Use the table at the bottom to specify which Cubase 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:
Address The Continuous Controller number, the pitch of a note, or the address of 
a NRPN/RPN Continuous Controller.
Max. 
Va l u eThe 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 opens a pop-up menu, allowing 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” rotary encoder, 
which reports the number of turns instead of an absolute value.
Column Description
Device Clicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, used for determining 
which device in Cubase is controlled. The special “Command” option 
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/ 
ActionClicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing 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. Column Description 
						

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8. If necessary, make settings for another bank.
NOTE
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 
menu.
Clicking the Rename button allows you to assign a new name to the currently 
selected bank, and you can remove an unneeded bank by selecting it and clicking the 
Delete button.
9. When you are finished, close the Device Setup window.
Now, you can control the specified Cubase parameters from the MIDI remote device. 
To select another bank, use the pop-up menu in the Generic Remote 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 file extension “.xml”). 
Clicking the Import button allows you to import saved remote setup files.
NOTE
The last imported or exported remote setup will automatically be loaded when the 
program starts or the Generic Remote control is added in the Device Setup dialog.
Flags Clicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing 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. Column Description 
						

							Remote controlling Cubase
The Remote Control Editor (Cubase Elements only)
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The Remote Control Editor (Cubase Elements only)
Often, the automatic mapping of plug-in parameters to remote control devices 
appears rather random, and not very intuitive. The Remote Control Editor allows you 
to define your own mapping of VST plug-in parameters to the controls of the 
supported hardware controllers.
• To open the Remote Control Editor, right-click the plug-in panel of the plug-in 
that you want to remote-control and select “Remote Control Editor”.
Layout Section
The main area of the editor is the Layout section. Layouts represent the hardware 
devices that are used to remote-control the plug-in parameters. Like these devices, 
a layout can have a number of pages. These pages contain a number of cells, which 
in turn contain controls. The available controls are a text label, a knob, and two 
switches.
You can perform the following editing operations:
• Change the parameter assignments
• Change the name in the text label
• Set up the cells
• Arrange the order of cells and pages
When you open the editor for the first time, the Standard Layout is shown. 
						

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Inspector Section
The Inspector contains the settings and the parameter assignment for the selected 
cell. The upper section contains settings for the text label. The lower section 
contains settings for the knob and the switches.
Status Bar
When you position the mouse pointer over an element in the editor window, the 
status bar shows information on what you can do with this element. 
						

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Setting up the Standard Layout
Click the “Set up Cell Layout” button to open the Cell Layout Configuration panel. 
Here, you can make the following settings:
• Use the pop-up menu to specify the number of cells per page.
• In the lower section, select the switch layout that you want to use for the 
pages.
You can specify the number of switches for a cell by activating/deactivating 
them.
Defining the Controls
You can define the operation for a particular switch or knob. This includes changing 
the LED ring or changing its behaviour, from continuous value representation to 
on/off, for example.
Right-click the control and select a new control style in the settings window or 
select the control and select a style in the inspector.
NOTE
• To be able to make settings for a control, it has to be assigned to a function.
• Not all hardware devices support all control type settings.
Control Type Settings for Knobs 
						

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The following control types are available for knobs:
Standard
A standard knob with undefined LED style.
Toggle Switch
This is best used for parameters with two states, like On/Off buttons.
LED Ring
An LED ring is shown around the knob. The setting increases clockwise.
LED Ring (counter-clockwise)
An LED ring is shown around the knob. The setting increases 
counter-clockwise from right to left.
Center Width
The LED ring starts at the top center position and when the settings increase, 
an LED is shown growing in both directions.
Center Neutral
The dial starts at the top center position and can be moved left or right, like a 
pan control, for example.
Single Dot
As “LED Ring”, but showing only a dot to indicate the current value.
Control Type Settings for Switches
The following options are available for switches:
Momentary
The assigned function is active for as long as you keep the switch pressed.
Increasing Stepwise
Pressing the switch steps through the available settings until the maximum is 
reached.
Decreasing Stepwise
Pressing the switch steps through the available settings in reverse order until 
the minimum is reached. 
						

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Increasing Stepwise (cycle)Pressing the switch steps through the available settings, starting over with the 
mi
nimum value when th e maximum is reached.
Decreasing Stepwise (cycle) Pressing the switch steps through the av ailable settings in re
 verse order, 
starting over with the maximum value when the minimum is reached.
Smart Switch This changes between two states every ti me you press 
 the switch, like an On/Off 
button. Furthermore, if you keep the switch pressed, you enter Momentary mode, 
that is, the corresponding function stays acti ve for as long as the button is pressed.
Invert Control Value
This inverts the control state/value.
Hide Control When Inactive
Hides plug-in parameters when they are inactive or disabled.
Assigning Parameters to Controls
PROCEDURE
1. Click the L button  on the toolbar to activate Learn mode for the editor.
2. In the editor, select the control that you want to assign to a plug-in parameter.
A colored frame around a control shows  that this control has the Learn focus.
3. Click on a parameter on the plug-in panel.
This assigns that parameter to the control.
You can also double-click on a control in the edit
 or to open the list of available plug-in 
parameters, and click a parameter to assign it to the control.
4. Click on another control to set the Learn focus to that control and assign a  parameter to it.
5. Press [Esc] to  end Learn mode.
Removing the Parameter assignment
• To remove the parameter assignment for a cell, activate Learn mode, select 
the cell, and press [Delete] or [Backspace].
• To remove all assignments, click the “Remove All Assignments” button.