Steinberg Cubase Le 8 Manual

							MIDI realtime parameters
The Inspector sections
411
Setting up ranges
PROCEDURE
1. Open the Range pop-up menu and select one of the following four modes:
2. Use the two fields to the right to set the minimum and maximum values.
These values will be shown as numbers (0 to 127) for the velocity modes and as note 
numbers (C-2 to G8) for the pitch modes.
NOTE
Note that you can make independent settings for the two Range functions.
To deactivate the Range function, open the Range pop-up menu(s) and select “OFF”.
MIDI Fader section
This contains a single channel, allowing you to set volume, pan, mute/solo and other 
parameters for the track, and a panel view of the active sends/inserts. This is a 
“mirror” of the track’s channel in the MixConsole.
Notepad section
This is a standard notepad, allowing you to enter notes and comments about the 
track. Each track has its own notepad in the Inspector.
Mode Description
Vel. Limit This function affects all velocity values outside the specified range. 
Velocity values below the Min setting (the lower limit of the range) are 
set to the Min value, and velocity values above the Max setting are set to 
the Max value. Notes with velocity values within the set range are not 
affected. Use this if you want to force all velocity values to fit within a 
certain range.
Vel. Filter Velocity Filter works by excluding all notes with velocity values outside 
the specified range. Notes with velocity values below the Min setting or 
above the Max setting will not be played back. Use this to “isolate” notes 
with certain velocity values.
Note Limit This function allows you to specify a pitch range, and forces all notes to 
fit within this range. Notes outside the specified range are transposed 
up or down in octave steps until they fit within the range.Note: If the 
range is too “narrow”, so that some notes cannot be fit within the range 
by octave-transposing, these notes will get a pitch in the middle of the 
range. For example, if you have a note with a pitch of F3, and the range 
is C4-E4, that note will be transposed to D4.
Note 
FilterNote Filter works by excluding all notes with pitches outside the 
specified range. Notes lower than the Min setting or higher than the Max 
setting will not be played back. Use this to “isolate” notes with certain 
pitches. 
						

							MIDI realtime parameters
The Inspector sections
412
VST Instrument section (Cubase Elements only)
If the MIDI track is routed to a VST instrument, a new section will appear at the 
bottom of the Inspector, labeled with the name of the VST instrument. Clicking this 
section shows a duplicate of the Inspector settings for the VST instrument channel. 
This makes it easy to adjust the channel settings for the VST instrument while you 
are editing the MIDI track.
• If multiple outputs for a VST instrument are activated, there is a setting called 
“Output” at the top of the VST Instrument section.
New sections will also be added in the following cases:
• When a MIDI track is routed to an effect plug-in that also receives audio data, 
i.
 e .  t h a t  i s  u s e d  a s  a n  i n s e r t  e f f e c t  f o r  a n  a u d i o  t r a c k  ( e . g. MIDI Gate), a section 
for this audio track appears in the MIDI track inspector.
• If a MIDI track is routed to a plug-in assigned to an FX channel track, an FX 
section is added to the Inspector.
NOTE
For an easy way to combine MIDI and VST instruments, check out instrument tracks.
RELATED LINKS
VST Instruments on page 368 
						

							413
Using MIDI devices
The MIDI Device Manager allows you to specify and set up your MIDI devices, 
making global control and patch selection easy.
MIDI devices – general settings and patch handling
On the following pages, we will describe how to install and set up preset MIDI 
devices, and how to select patches by name from within Cubase.
About Program Change and Bank Select
To instruct a MIDI instrument to select a certain patch (sound), you send a MIDI 
Program Change message to the instrument. Program Change messages can be 
recorded or entered in a MIDI part like other events, but you can also enter a value 
in the Program Selector field in the Inspector for a MIDI track. This way, you can 
quickly set each MIDI track to play a different sound.
With Program Change messages, you are able to select between 128 different 
patches in your MIDI device. However, many MIDI instruments contain a larger 
number of patch locations. To make these available from within Cubase, you need 
to use Bank Select messages, a system in which the programs in a MIDI instrument 
are divided into banks, each bank containing 128 programs. If your instruments 
support MIDI Bank Select, you can use the Bank Selector field in the Inspector to 
select a bank, and then the Program Selector field to select a program in this bank.
Unfortunately, different instrument manufacturers use different schemes for how 
Bank Select messages are constructed, which can lead to some confusion and 
make it hard to select the correct sound. Also, selecting patches by numbers this 
way seems unnecessarily cumbersome, when most instruments use names for their 
patches nowadays. 
						

							Using MIDI devices
MIDI devices – general settings and patch handling
414
To help with this, you can use the MIDI Device Manager to specify which MIDI 
instruments you have connected by selecting from a vast list of existing devices or 
by specifying the details yourself. Once you have specified which MIDI devices you 
are using, you can select to which particular device each MIDI track is routed. It is 
then possible to select patches by name in the track list or Inspector.
Opening the MIDI Device Manager
Select MIDI Device Manager from the Devices menu to bring up the following 
window:
Installed Devices
List of connected MIDI devices. The first time you open the MIDI Device 
Manager, this list will be empty.
Install Device/Remove Device
Use these buttons to install/remove devices.
Export Setup/Import Setup
Use these buttons to import/export XML Device setups.
Open Device
This button opens the selected device.
Output
Here you specify to which MIDI output the selected device is connected. 
						

							Using MIDI devices
MIDI devices – general settings and patch handling
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Commands
This pop-up menu lets you edit the selected device (provided that “Enable 
Edit” is ticked). The patch structure for the selected device is shown on the 
left side of the dialog.
MIDI Messages
This area on the right side of the dialog shows exactly which MIDI messages 
are sent out to select the patch highlighted in the list to the left.
When you open the MIDI Device Manager for the first time, it will be empty (because 
you have not installed any devices yet). On the following pages we describe how to 
add a pre-configured MIDI device to the list, how to edit the settings and how to 
define a device from scratch.
Note that there is an important difference between installing a preset MIDI device 
(“Install Device”) and importing a MIDI device setup (“Import Setup”):
• The presets do not include any device mapping of parameters and controls 
and no graphic panels.
They are simply patch name scripts. When you install a preset MIDI device, it 
is added to the Installed Devices list. For more information about patch name 
scripts, see the separate PDF document “MIDI Devices”.
• A device setup can include device mapping and/or patch information.
Device setups are also added to the list of installed devices when imported.
Defining a new MIDI device
If your MIDI device is not included in the list of pre-configured devices (and is not a 
“plain” GM or XG device), you need to define it manually to make it possible to 
select patches by name.
PROCEDURE
1. In the MIDI Device Manager, click the Install Device button.
The Add MIDI Device dialog opens.
2. Select “Define New…” and click OK.
A dialog appears.
3. Enter the name of the device and the MIDI channels you would like the device 
to use and click OK.
The device appears in the Installed Devices list.
4. Select the device in the list.
As you can see, it currently contains only an Empty Bank item.
5. Make sure that the Enable Edit checkbox is activated.
Now you can use the functions on the Commands pop-up menu on the left to 
organize the patch structure of the new device. 
						

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Installing a preset MIDI device
PROCEDURE
1. Click the Install Device button.
A dialog opens listing all pre-configured MIDI devices. For now we assume that your 
MIDI device is included in this list.
2. Locate and select the device in the list and click OK.
If your MIDI device is not included in the list but is compatible with the GM (General 
MIDI) or XG standards, you can select the generic GM or XG Device options at the 
top of the list.
When you select one of these options, a name dialog will appear. Enter a name for 
the instrument and click OK.
The device now appears in the Installed Devices list to the left.
3. Make sure that the new device is selected in the list and open the Output 
pop-up menu.
4. Select the MIDI output that the device is connected to.
RESULT 
The Patch Banks list in the left half of the window shows the patch structure of the 
device. This could simply be a list of patches, but it is usually one or several layers 
of banks or groups containing the patches (much like a folder structure on a hard 
disk for example).
• You can rename a device in the Installed Devices list by double-clicking and 
typing – this is useful if you have several devices of the same model, and want 
to separate them by name instead of by number.
• To remove a device from the Installed Devices list, select it and click Remove 
Device.
About Patch Banks
Depending on the selected device, you may find that the Patch Banks list is divided 
in two or more main banks. Typically, these are called Patches, Performances, 
Drums, etc. The reason for having several patch banks is that different “types” of 
patches are handled differently in the instruments. For example, while “patches” 
typically are “regular” programs that you play one at the time, “performances” may 
be combinations of programs, which could be split across the keyboard, layered, or 
used for multi-timbral playback, and so on. 
						

							Using MIDI devices
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Devices with several banks have an additional tab “Bank Assignment”. Select this 
tab to specify for each MIDI channel which bank it should use.
The selection here will affect which bank is displayed when you select programs by 
name for the device in the track list or Inspector. For example, many instruments use 
MIDI channel 10 as an exclusive drum channel, in which case you would want to 
select the “Drums” (or “Rhythm Set”, “Percussion”, etc.) bank for channel 10 in this 
list. This would then let you choose between different drum kits in the track list or 
Inspector.
Selecting a patch for an installed device
If you return to the Project window at this point, you will find that the installed device 
has been added to the MIDI Output menus (in the track list and the Inspector). Now 
you can select patches by name, in the following way:
PROCEDURE
1. Open the Output menu (in the track list or Inspector) for the track you want to 
associate the installed device with, and select the device.
This directs the track to the MIDI output specified for the device in the MIDI Device 
Manager. The Bank and Program Selector fields in the track list and Inspector are 
replaced by a single Program Selector field that currently reads “Off”.
2. Click the Program Selector field to display a pop-up menu, hierarchically 
listing all the patches in the device.
The list is similar to the one displayed in the MIDI Device Manager. You can scroll the 
list up and down (if required), click the plus/minus signs to show or hide subgroups, 
etc.
You can also use a filter function here. For this, enter the search term in the Filter field, 
e.g. “drum”, and press [Return] to display all sounds with “drum” in the name.
3. Click a patch in the list to select it.
This sends the appropriate MIDI message to the device. You can also scroll the 
program selection up or down, as with any value. 
						

							Using MIDI devices
MIDI devices – general settings and patch handling
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Renaming patches in a device
The pre-configured devices list is based on the factory-preset patches, i. e. the 
patches included in the device when you first bought it. If you have replaced some 
of the factory presets with your own patches, you need to modify the device so that 
the patch name list matches the actual device:
PROCEDURE
1. In the MIDI Device Manager, select the device in the Installed Devices list.
Make sure that the Patch Banks tab is selected.
2. Activate the Enable Edit checkbox.
When this is turned off (default), you cannot edit the pre-configured devices.
3. In the Patch Banks list, locate and select the patch you want to rename.
In many instruments, the user-editable patches are located in a separate group or 
bank.
4. Click on the selected patch in the Patch Banks list to edit its name.
5. Type in the new name and press [Return].
6. Rename the desired patches in this way, and finish by deactivating Enable 
Edit again (to avoid modifying the device by accident).
NOTE
You can also make more radical changes to the patch structure in a device (adding 
or deleting patches, groups or banks), see below. For example, this is useful if you 
expand your MIDI device by adding extra storage media such as RAM cards.
Patch Structure
Patches are structured as follows:
• Banks are the main categories of sounds – typically patches, performances 
and drums, as described above.
• Each bank can contain any number of groups, represented by folders in the 
list.
• The individual patches, performances or drum kits are represented by presets 
in the list.
The Commands pop-up menu contains the following items:
Create Bank
Creates a new bank at the highest hierarchical level of the Patch Banks list. 
You can rename this by clicking on it and typing a new name. 
						

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New Folder
Creates a new subfolder in the selected bank or folder. This could correspond 
to a group of patches in the MIDI device, or just be a way for you to categorize 
sounds, etc. When you select this item, a name dialog opens, allowing you to 
name the folder. You can also rename the folder afterwards by clicking it and 
typing in the list.
New Preset
This adds a new preset in the selected bank or folder.
You can rename the preset by clicking it and typing a new name.
When the preset is selected, the corresponding MIDI events (Program 
Change, Bank Select, etc.) are shown in the event display to the right. The 
default setting for a new preset is Program Change 0 – to change this, 
proceed as follows:
IMPORTANT
For details on which MIDI events are used for selecting patches in the MIDI 
device, consult its documentation.
• To change which Program Change value is sent out to select the patch, 
adjust the number in the Value column for the Program Change event.
• To add another MIDI event (e. g. Bank Select) click directly below the 
last event in the list and select a new event from the pop-up menu.
After adding a new event, you need to set its value in the Value column, 
as with Program Change.
• To replace an event, click on it and select another event from the pop-up 
menu.
For example, a MIDI device may require that a Bank Select message is 
sent first, followed by a Program Change message, in which case you 
would need to replace the default Program Change message with a 
Bank Select message and add a new Program Change after that.
• To remove an event, select it and press [Delete] or [Backspace].
IMPORTANT
Different devices use different schemes for Bank Select. When you insert a 
Bank Select event, you should check the device’s documentation to find out 
whether to choose “CC: BankSelect MSB”, “Bank Select 14
 Bit”, “Bank 
Select 14 Bit MSB-LSB Swapped” or some other option.
Add Multiple Presets
This opens a dialog, allowing you to set up a range of presets to be added to 
the selected bank or folder. 
						

							Using MIDI devices
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Adding Multiple Presets
PROCEDURE
1. Add the event types required for selecting a patch in the MIDI device.
This is done just as when editing the settings for a single event: clicking in the event 
display brings up a pop-up menu from which you can select an event type.
2. Use the Range column to set up either a fixed value or a range of values for 
each event type in the list.
This requires some explanation:
If you specify a single value in the Range column (e. g. 3, 15 or 127), all added presets 
will have an event of this type set to the same value.
If you instead specify a value range (a start value and an end value, separated by a 
dash, e.
 g. 0–63), the first added preset will have an event set to the start value, the 
next value will be incrementally raised by one and so on, up to and including the end 
value.
NOTE
The number of added presets depends on the Range setting.
3. Specify a Default Name below the event display.
The added events will get this name, followed by a number. You can rename presets 
manually in the Patch Banks list later.
4. Click OK.
A number of new presets have now been added to the selected bank or folder, 
according to your settings.
Other editing functions
• You can move presets between banks and folders by dragging them to the 
Patch Banks list.
• You can remove a bank, folder or preset by selecting it in the Patch Banks list 
and pressing [Backspace].
• If you specify more than one bank, a Bank Assignment tab is added next to 
the Patch Banks tab.
RELATED LINKS
About Patch Banks on page 416