C-12: VST Instrument Track - Notes Velocities Frozen, Only 0 or 127 Edits

Cubase
1

Cubase Pro 12, up-to-date
VST Instrument - RealStrat
OS: Windows 10

While I am certainly open to anyone who can possibly help solve this, but if you have any MusicLab guitar or bass, I’d particularly welcome your input.

I use RealStrat + NI Session Guitarist Sunburst Deluxe for leads, and the notes vary in velocity in the Key Editor as they should when played and recorded. The following ONLY happens in RealStrat, not Sunburst or any other VST instrument I use:

STRAT TRACK
STRAT TRACK1920×1033 239 KB

Once I close the project session and relaunch, the notes show and play varying velocity colors as first recorded, but when I try to raise or lower notes velocities, anything between 1 and 127 sounds 127. Only 0 turns them off.

(In this screenshot below the CC7 at 0 from bar 73 to 75 was just a random test to see what happened, not in actual arrangement.)

REALSTRAT MIDI
REALSTRAT MIDI1920×1080 231 KB

And when I click on a note to hear its velocity, it plays at 127 even though it is lower.

The same thing happens with the Main Volume/CC7: If I do a fade-in or out, the velocity just stays on not honoring the progressive reduction or increase, then turns off at the keyframe where it hits the bottom or 0 velocity.

So all on, or off, no nuance in between.

Since I use a Korg workstation as MIDI keyboard, I make sure to delete any Aftertouch or other CCs that may have been recorded. The List Edior shows this.

STRAT LIST EDITOR
STRAT LIST EDITOR1922×996 287 KB

I read this thread on a similar issue with CC7 where Martin.Jirsak mentioned that some 3rd party VST instruments don’t allow for CC values. But that thread didn’t solve this issue for me.

I haven’t contacted MusicLab yet to find out if this may be the issue, but would seem strange considering how a guitar VST needs just about every nuance-creating option possible.

And because maybe it could be a Cubase issue or fixed/set somehow in Cubase.

RealStrat has a feature called Key Switches, but I haven’t needed to use that. I also has this thing called “MIDI CC Automation” as shown below, but not sure if its in-VST or DAW integrated, though they state this about the VST’s control options:

“Whether you are playing live or programing a DAW, these techniques are controllable by using special gestures, key switches, key velocity, modulation wheel, sustain pedal, key aftertouch, MIDI CC, DAW parameter automation, and any combinations of these.”

REALSTRAT CC AUTOMATION
REALSTRAT CC AUTOMATION915×770 105 KB

I’m dead in the water with this and it’s very frustrating for it’s taken me a long time to finally getting a good lead guitar sound.

Hopefully someone will save my butt. :sunglasses:
Thanks.

2

Hi,

Do you use any other Insert effect(s) in the track? Or a Group or the Stereo Out? Any Compressor, Limiter or any other Dynamics plug-in? Or is any of these effects applied in Kontakt or the library instrument itself?

3

@Martin.Jirsak

Thanks for reply.

First, it’s not a Kontakt instrument, it’s MusicLab. As to FX on the RealStrat track, only one used - GuitarRig 6 (which is NI but not an instrument). The other is disabled until I see a need for it - NI Raum). Some low and high cut on track and modest EQ, but that’s it.

None of the above would seem to or should have any relevance to the data on the MIDI events/files on that Track since that data would precede any effects added. Not being a MIDI track, no modifier inserts either.

I went back a bit and launched an earlier draft of the project to see if some corruption had entered between then and now. Same issue there too.

Oh, and I did try creating a whole new RealStrat track, but in the end the result was the same.

Also, RealStrat’s GUI shows note velocities in real time as they are played so doesn’t seem like this VST is blocking or not honoring velocity variations.

4

Hi,

I would start with a simple case. Could you load the instrument, load any patch (no automation) and add some MIDI Notes with Velocity 0-127 (for example 0, 32, 64, 96, 127). Does it work?

Could you then add the MIDI CC7 Volume automation curve from 0-127., Does it work?

5

@Martin.Jirsak - Thanks for reply. Did it work for both CCs…? Yes if only with the VST’s patch. Very thin sound. Due to my style of music - old slow prog rock style, I use the below Guitar Rig 6 stack for sustained notes, etc.

LEAD GTR GUITAR RIG FX
LEAD GTR GUITAR RIG FX1110×850 105 KB

Which may be why it’s a bit hard to notice velocity edit changes (massive legato, so to speak).

Here is a draft of 1 chorus with quick fade into 2nd verse of this composition - a bit distorted by gives a sense of it:

But I couldn’t totally duplicate the tracks sound, such as copying the three automated lanes settings including Pre-gain and Volume.

— Is there somewhere in Cubase where I could get a List Editor type GUI where I could see the full data of all the automated lanes in a track?

I know I can choose to show all automation in selected track, but something is off because the Mixer settings were copied over exactly also.

6

Hi,

Right-click the track in the track list and choose the “Show All used Automation of the Track” from the drop-down menu.

7

As stated in my post above yours here, I already know and use that. I’m just looking for something like the List Editor or even some .xml file that would show me what lanes are activated.

I say this because some VSTs automatically create a lot of lanes of various settings however subtle - beyond what one has chosen to created oneself.

I’ve sent a support Q to MusicLab earlier today so maybe this will find some resolution.

8

Hi,

No, there is no other list or XML file available, sorry.