I have just plugged in my MPK261 and am running it with the latest version of cubase 13 artist on my Win 11 PC.
Cubase happly detected the MPK261 as the midi remote and assigned the default map automatically. I’ve subsequently assigned the faders to track controls and the knobs to focus quick controls.
I have the Arturia Jun6V on an instrument track and would like to assign the M-Audio expression pedal I have connected to the MPK 261 to the cutoff. The expression pedal is plugged in to the MPK261 expression pedal socket, it is being detected by the MPK261 (displaying the properties on the MPK’s blue screen) and is also lighting up the red light on the Cubase Focus QC panel at the top of the Jun6V VST .
However, when I click the L button to Learn the expression pedal input, it is not being recognised on the VST QC panel in Cubase.
Looking at the mapping page for the MPK261 in Cubase, there seems to be no way to assign the expression pedal (or foot switch/sustain pedals)?
Could someone give me some direction on this please.
Thanks.
Hi,
Where exactly, you are assigning this, please? Do you do this in the Studio Setup window?
Hi Martin,
Thanks for your help. it’s on the plug in itself, at the top next to the Focus Quick Controls. So
when I’ve extended the view on the plug in to include the focus quick control assignments.
Hi,
OK, these are the Focus Quick Controls.
Isn’t the MIDI Message (Expression Pedal) eaten by another device (ike Track or VST Quick Control) by any chance?
It doesn’t seem to be the case no. As when I go to the learn button in the track quick controls the same thing happens, not recognised.
I’m confident the pedal is working as I can assign it elsewhere eg via other plugins Midi Learn button (cherry Audio/Uhe etc.).
I have to run so I’ll try to explain this quickly, then if you get stuck or have questions, hopefully somebody else can pick up where I left off:
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First, you’re likely using the stock MIDI Remote script for the MPK261, which doesn’t let you manually edit it. So you’re better off not using it and then creating your own custom script instead where you can add your own controls.
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Add a “modulation wheel” to the custom MIDI remote, set it to CC mode, then set CC to #11 (for expression).
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Now that there’s a visible expression parameter in the script, open the mapping window and set the new expression “wheel” to one of these:
Now you will be able to continue doing what you were doing before, since you now have a specific thing on your controller that is mapped to a quick control that you couldn’t map before (at least I don’t think you could before).
If you want to take this a level further, instead of using Quick Controls, map the control to something like “Parameter 7” under “Selected Track–>Instrument–>Parameters–>Parameter 7.”
Then you can open your instrument, right-click at the very top empty grey area above the plugin and choose “Remote Control Editor.” The window that opens will be showing you “parameter 1” at the top left, then parameter 2 next to it, etc.
It’s here that you use MIDI learn at the top of the Remote Control Editor. Click the L button, then click the cutoff in your plugin (or any parameter in the plugin you want), then click on the 7th knob over (if you picked parameter 7 to be the one you want to set), then hit apply.
It will remember this forever, every time you open a new instance of this instrument. It’s set and forget, and it won’t mess with other instruments since every instrument would have its own mapping, doing it this way.
Edit: Of course, the flipside is that it wouldn’t be a Quick Control for other things. But for other things, do the same thing as described above and you won’t have to rely on quick controls for much of anything.
Hi, the solutions proposed above are all valid. Indeed these ways comply with the midi remote.
However I noticed this quote:
Now, unless we’re talking about assignments to quick controls, you can actually use the in-built midi configuration section of the Jun-6V. In case you’re not aware of it, you can click on its settings button, and then navigate to the MIDI tab. There you can assign pretty much every single parameter of the VST to whichever CC you want (in the case of mod, you’ll go for the 11).
Here’s a screenshot of the VST:
Now, the reason I’m suggesting this alternative approach is because you can keep in tact your 8 knobs (and/or faders) for the quick controls as working in Cubase, while at the same time assign your modulation wheel even to a quite different parameter, i.e. it won’t duplicate an original one. Just my approach on it, and strictly because we’re talking about the mod wheel. Furthermore, you can even use this assignment even when using the VST in standalone mode.
Brill - thanks!
Yeah MIDI learn has never worked for me when its built into the plugin like that.
I just tried it with the CS-80 v4. Hit MIDI learn, it lets me choose a parameter in the instrument but as soon as I go to turn a knob, it doesn’t do anything.
But as soon as I leave that and go back to the remote control editor, the mapping works instantly.
Correct. One has to manually input the CC number. The MIDI Learn term in this case means to show the parameters that can be assigned to a control and that’s it in this VSTs. And yes, surely the most efficient way in Cubase is to try and follow its own system, I do use it all the time and made maps for it. However, when we have these VSTs in wrappers for live usage (we can always use Cubase for live too, but not everyone does that) it’s always good to have native mapping available.