Ability to recognise separate keypads for key commands

Cubase
,
1

A very basic idea:

Allow the key command facility to recognise multiple keyboards or keypads so that you can programme them differently.

For instance, the main keyboard uses number 7 on the number pad to go to marker seven.

But number 7 on a separate keypad may trigger a macro.

Although you can do this to a certain extent with utilities like HIDMacroes, it doesn’t play well with Cubase so has limits.

This would allow people to create their own key controllers from cheap keypads quickly and easily, adding hugely to the functionality.

2

on Mac this should already be possible, on Windows not so much.

3

The problem I had with HID Macroes is with combinations. So, I can remap a numeric keypad so that Num 1 outputs “b” instead, for instance.

The software can do combinations so that pressing Num 1 might output ctrl+alt+q. This is happily recognised by Photoshop, but Cubase only gets the last in the combination - q in this case. Not good for macroes unless you are removing single key commands from the usual set up (I have had to do that for the moment).

But also, using systems like this mean you have to mess around programming up another application, then have that application running in the background to recognise the separate keyboard. And if you unplug the keyboard, when you plug it back in, it doesn’t always come up with the same designations… grrr.

So, building in specific keyboard recognition would speed things up enormously.

I am not sure how much can be done with a Mac (I don’t have one) but a lot of people have complained that HID Macroes is not available for Mac.

4

It is technically possible to do on Windows, but requires raw input. That would require Steinberg to write some sort of driver, I just don’t see that happening. Although I would welcome it :slight_smile:
I use a Beatstep as a generic remote to have its 16 pads for commands and macros. There are cheaper alternatives like the Akai APC mini, that will give you 64 keys/pads.