Steinberg Cubase SX/SL 3 MIDI Devices And Features Manual

							4
The Logical Editor, Transformer
and Input Transformer 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL4 – 112 The Logical Editor, Transformer and Input Transformer
Introduction
Most of the time you will probably perform your MIDI editing graphi-
cally, from one of the main graphic editors. But there are times when 
you want more of a “search and replace” function on MIDI data, and 
that’s where the Logical Editor comes in.
The principle for the Logical Editor is this:
•You set up filter conditions to find certain events.
This could be events of a certain type, with certain attributes or values or on certain po-
sitions, in any combination. You can combine any number of filter conditions and make 
composite conditions using AND/OR operators.
•You select the basic function to be performed.
The options include Transform (changing properties of the found events), Delete (re-
moving the events), Insert (adding new events based on the found events’ positions) 
and more.
•You set up a list of actions, which specify exactly what should be done.
This is not necessary for all functions. For example, the Delete function does not re-
quire any additional action specifications – it simply removes all found events. The 
Transform function on the other hand requires that you specify which properties 
should be changed and in which way (transpose notes by a certain amount, adjust ve-
locity values, etc.).
By combining filter conditions, functions and the specific actions, you 
can perform very powerful processing.
To master the Logical Editor you need some knowledge about how 
MIDI messages are structured. However, the Logical Editor also 
comes with a rich selection of presets, allowing you to access its pro-
cessing powers without delving into its more complicated aspects, 
see page 115.
Studying the included presets is an excellent way to learn the workings 
of the Logical Editor! Many of them can also be used as starting points 
when you set up your own editing operations using the Logical Editor. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLThe Logical Editor, Transformer and Input Transformer 4 – 113
About the Transformer MIDI effect
The Transformer effect is a real-time version of the Logical Editor, al-
lowing you to apply editing to the events played back from a track “on 
the fly”. The Transformer contains virtually the same settings and func-
tions as the Logical Editor – where there are differences between the 
two, this is clearly stated on the following pages.
About the Input Transformer
Again, this is very similar to the Logical Editor. Just like the Trans-
former effect, the Input Transformer works in real time. However, the 
Input Transformer filters out and transforms MIDI data as it is re-
corded. In other words, the settings you make in the Input Transformer 
will affect the actual MIDI events you record.
The Input Transformer is described on page 136. However, we rec-
ommend that you make yourself familiar with the Logical Editor first, 
since they share many features and principles. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL4 – 114 The Logical Editor, Transformer and Input Transformer
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 se-
lected 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 af-
fected.
You can change the selection while the Logical Editor window is 
open.
2.Select “Logical Editor…” from the MIDI menu.
•For details on how to open the Transformer (and other MIDI effects), see 
the chapter “MIDI realtime parameters and effects” in the Operation 
manual.
Window overview
This is where you select a function (Transform, Delete, etc.). The field 
to the right shows an additional explanation of the selected function. This is the filter 
condition list, 
specifying which 
events to look for.
This is the action 
list, specifying e.g. 
how to change 
the found events.
This is where you load, store and 
handle presets. See page 135.The “Do It” button performs the task you have 
set up (not available in the Transformer). 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLThe Logical Editor, Transformer and Input Transformer 4 – 115
Selecting a preset
To understand the Logical Editor, it might be a good idea to start with 
exploring the included presets. These are found on the Presets pop-
up menu at the bottom of the window, to the right.
•To load a preset, select it from the Presets pop-up menu.
The window will show the settings stored in the preset. As the preset is not applied to 
the MIDI events yet, you can load different presets just to study them without affecting 
any events. You can also edit the preset before applying it.
•To apply the loaded preset (i.e. to perform the operations defined in 
the Logical Editor), click Do It.
•You can also select Logical Editor presets directly from the MIDI menu.
This allows you to apply a preset to the selected MIDI part directly, without having to 
open the Logical Editor.
•It is also possible to select and apply Logical Editor presets directly in 
the List Editor (from the Mask menu). You can also open the Logical Ed-
itor from the List Editor. 
For information on how to create and handle your own presets, see 
page 135. 
						

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Setting up filter conditions
General procedure
The upper list is where you set up the filter conditions, determining 
which events to find. The list contains one or several conditions, each 
on a separate line.
•If you want to start from scratch (as opposed to basing your settings on 
an existing preset) you may want to initialize the settings by selecting 
the Init option from the Presets pop-up menu.
•To add a new line (condition) click the Add Line button to the right.
The 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.
•To remove a line, click anywhere on it to select it and click the Delete 
Line button to the right.
You set up a filter condition line by clicking in the columns and select-
ing options from the pop-up menus that appear. Here is a brief de-
scription of the columns:
Column Description
Left bracket This is used for “bracketing” several lines together when creating 
conditions with multiple lines and the boolean operators And/Or. See 
page 125.
Filter Target Here you select which property to look for when finding events. Your 
choice here affects the available options in the other columns as well, 
see below!
Condition This determines how the Logical Editor should compare the property 
in the Filter Target column to the values in the Parameter columns 
(Equal, Unequal, Bigger, etc. – see the separate table below). The 
available options depend on the Filter Target setting. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLThe Logical Editor, Transformer and Input Transformer 4 – 117
•You can also set up filter cinditions by dragging MIDI events directly 
into the upper list. 
If the list contains no line entries, a MIDI event dragged into this section will form con-
ditions including the state and type of the event. If it contains entries, the dragged 
event(s) will initialize the matching parameters. E.g. if a length condition is used, the 
length will be set according to the event length.
Conditions
The options in the Condition column have the following meaning (note 
that the available Condition options depend on the Filter Target setting):
Parameter 1 Here you set which value the event properties should be compared 
to (a numeric value, a position or a choice from a pop-up menu, de-
pending on the Filter Target). 
For example, if the Filter Target is “Position” and Condition is “Equal”, 
the Logical Editor will look for all events starting at the position you 
specify in the Parameter 1 column.
Parameter 2 This column is only used if you have selected one of the “Range” op-
tions in the Condition column. Typically, this allows you to find all 
events with values inside (or outside) the range between Parameter 1 
and Parameter 2.
Bar Range This column is only used if the Filter Target is “Position” and one of 
the “Bar Range” options is selected in the Condition column. In these 
cases, you use the Bar Range column to specify “zones” within each 
bar (allowing you to find e.g. all events on or around the first beat of 
every bar). See page 119.
Right bracket This is used for “bracketing” several lines together. See page 125.
bool This allows you to insert the boolean operators And/Or, when creat-
ing conditions with multiple lines. See page 125.
Condition Events 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. Column Description 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL4 – 118 The Logical Editor, Transformer and Input Transformer
•The Conditions for the “Property” filter target are different, see page 123.
Below, the different Filter Targets (and their corresponding Condition 
and Parameter options) are described in more detail.
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…is within the “zone” set up in the Bar Range column (Position only), 
in each bar within the current selection.
Outside Bar 
Range…is outside the “zone” set up in the Bar Range column (Position 
only), in each bar within the current selection.
Before Cursor ... is before the song cursor position (Position only).
Beyond Cursor ... is after the song cursor position (Position only).
Inside Track 
Loop... is inside the set track loop (Position only).
Inside Cycle ...is inside the set cycle (Position only).
Exactly matching 
Cycle…exactly matches the set cycle (Position only).
Note is equal to …is the note specified in the Parameter 1 column, regardless of oc-
tave (Pitch only). Lets you find e.g. all C notes, in all octaves. Condition Events will be found if their Filter Target property… 
						

							CUBASE SX/SLThe Logical Editor, Transformer and Input Transformer 4 – 119
Searching for events at certain positions
Selecting Position in the Filter Target column lets you find events 
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 bars, beats, sixteenth notes and ticks) in the Param-
eter 1 column.
Here, the Logical Editor will find all events at 5.1.1 in the project.
•If you select the Inside or Outside Range option in the Condition column, you 
set the start position of the range in the Parameter 1 column and the end po-
sition in the Parameter 2 column.
The Logical Editor will then find all events inside or outside this position range.
•If you select one of the Bar Range options in the Condition column, the Bar 
Range 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 events starting inside or outside this Bar Range, in 
all bars (within the current selection).
Here, the Logical Editor will find events starting around the second beat in each bar. 
						

							CUBASE SX/SL4 – 120 The Logical Editor, Transformer and Input Transformer
Searching for notes of certain lengths
Only note events have lengths (actually, a note is made up of separate 
note-on and note-off events but in Cubase SX/SL it’s considered as a 
single event with a length). Therefore, the “Length” Filter Target is only 
valid if you’re specifically searching for notes – there has to be an-
other condition line with the Filter Target “Type”, Condition “Equal” 
and Parameter 1 set to “Note”. See page 125 for more about using 
multiple filter conditions.
Searching for Value 1 or Value 2
A MIDI event is composed of several values. The meanings of value 1 
and 2 depend on the type of event:
•System Exclusive events are not included in the table above, since they 
don’t use value 1 and 2.
Since value 1 and 2 have different meanings for different events, 
searching for e.g. 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 Tar-
get “Type”, specifying which type of events to find (see below).
This is particularly useful when searching for note pitch or velocity val-
ues, as described below.
Event type Value 1 Value 2
Notes The Note Number/Pitch. The velocity of the note.
PolyPressure The key that was pressed. The amount of pressure for the key.
Controller The type of Controller, dis-
played as a number.The amount of Control Change.
Program Change The Program Change number. Not used.
Aftertouch The amount of pressure. Not used.
Pitchbend The “fine tune” of the bend. Not 
always used.The coarse amount of bend.