When entering notes by hand in the Key Editor they are always assigned to midi channel 1. Is there anyway to change this on the fly so that new notes are assigned to a different midi channel? That way, for example, within the same midi part I could write a line that plays on channel 1 and a second line for channel 3. I understand that I can select a range of notes and change the channel in the Info Line. But that can be cumbersome (and error prone) especially if the lines cross each other or have notes in common. I couldn’t find anything in the manual or by poking around.
Why don’t you use the List editor for that?
The midi channel of new notes defaults to the midi channel of the track if one is assigned. (as opposed to “any”)
I’m having a hard time seeing how that helps. Entering notes via the List Editor seems like it would be ugly. And editing existing note data would be even more difficult than in the Key Editor it seems to me. Suppose I have a series of 4 note chords and I want the top 2 to be on ch. 1 and the bottom 2 on ch. 3. In the list editor I’d need to select the first 2 notes in the list, skip the next 2, select the next 2, skip the next 2, etc. and then change all the selected notes to channel 3. That strikes me as more tedious and error prone than in the Key Editor. Perhaps I’m missing something - can you clarify your approach?
Thanks Steve. It took me awhile to realize that this only works on a midi track and not Instrument tracks which are what I typically use. 
I kept looking at the Inspector thinking something like that should be there.
But even if you write on channel 3 on an instrument track, it still goes to channel 1. That’s why I assumed you were talking about midi tracks. Are you using different channels as voices in Score?
Yup.
I should have been more clear I was using an instrument track, although I never thought (except in hindsight) they would be different regarding channels. Anyway, the answer is to use a midi track, or if there are only 2 parts start with the channel 3 stuff, select all, and change it before doing the channel 1 stuff.
- In Key Editor select those notes you want to change their Midi Channel
- While leaving the Key Editor opened, select MIDI > Open List Editor
- List editor opens with all notes are still being selected.
- Maybe it is not visible yet, but make sure the (MIDI) Channel column is visible. Enter any change to one of the selected note’s Channels field and will change the MIDI Ch all of the selected notes at once.
Sure, you must set the channel to “Any” if you want multiple channels from a single MIDI Part.
Is this what are you looking for?
Not exactly. The problem with changing the channel numbers occurs when selecting the notes to change. If the lower voices and upper voices cross each other you can’t just draw a rectangle to select them because you’ll either miss some notes or select ones you don’t want to select. So you end up having to ctrl-click to select only the notes you want (I know that’s kind of a whiny problem to complain about 
). But once you have the notes selected there is no need to go into the List Editor. You can just change the channel number on the info line in the Key Editor.
What I want to do is when I enter a new note using the pencil tool have it be created on channel 3 instead channel 1. But as Steve pointed out, that is only possible using MIDI Tracks not Instrument Tracks. So that’s the workaround.
Also, supposedly a future update will make Instrument Tracks multi-timbral. I assume when that happens I’ll be able to change the channel being written in Instrument Tracks the same as I currently can in MIDI Tracks.
The list editor is actually a really powerful and often overlooked midi editing tool. It’s well worth the time taken to learn your way around it.
I agree and have used it numerous times. It is especially useful in isolating specific types of midi events.
I’m a bit late coming in. But all my tracks are midi tracks and I still can’t change the midi channel by changing the channel number on the info line. The channel number on the info line appears haphazard, it’s mostly 1 but it can be any number up to 16 and doesn’t seem to refer to any type of channel.
I want to get this sorted. It’s taking years.
OK Gearslutz just sent me a sort of explanatory link> Voices and MIDI channels
So, the midi channel in the info line hasn’t anything to do with the midi channel of the instrument after all. It has something to do with internal voicing and the meassage is unless you are into all that then leave the bloody thing alone.
(edit:
That link is to a manual page about voices in the Score editor.)
Actually, the use of midi channels in the Score Editor for polyphonic staves is a specialized feature that’s unique to the Score editor, and is not at all related at all to what you have been trying to do, using channels to change the sound source of a note.
If you were only willing to make the effort needed to learn what you don’t know, you could get on with writing music.
As I’ve said before, what you don’t understand is: what a “MIDI port” is, and what “MIDI channels”
If you can find a teacher who can walk you live, in real time, through setting up your instruments and tracks in Cubase, you will probably be able to get your head around it. Faffing about on the Internet really is getting you nowhere.