Confused with automation

Hi,
I’m confused with automation of instrument knobs and faders.
When I automate with a hardware controller via midi: the automation appears as midi controller data in key editor, and not in automation tracks.
When I automate with the mouse on the screen: data appear in automation tracks, and not as midi controller data in key editor.
This makes it difficult and confusing to change values afterwards.
Anyone suggestions ?

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Have a look in the main MIDI menu>CC Automation Setup dialog. :wink:

Thanks !! I Didn’t study the cc automation till now. :blush:
Unfortunately I don’t get it to work yet.
I switch “Record destination on conflict (global)” to: Automation track.
Now I hope to get my hardware automation on the same automation tracks as the onscreen moves, but it don’t.
(I have switched on write automation on the instrument )
The only way I manage to get it recorded is as controlchanges in the key editor.
What am I doing wrong ?
What do they mean by “on conflict” ? If possible I would like to record the hardware controller automation always on automation tracks, not only on conflict. So that later on my onscreen moves will appear on the same curve.
I’m still confused about this. Or am I too impatient for the learning curve ?

On conflict would be where there is both midi and program automation occurring simultaneously.

I read in the manual on page 242:
“Conflict i.e: if MIDI conroller data is recieved, and both Record and Automation Write buttons are enabled.”
That I have. I set Record Destination on conflict (global) to: Automation Track. All controllers have Record Destination: Use Global Settings.
But now my hardware controller automation goes to midi tracks, and mouse movements go to automation tracks.
Now I try Record Destination on conflict to: MIDI Part. This does have the same result.
How can I record hardware automation to automation tracks ??

What kind of hardware controller are you using?

Re…“Record destination on conflict”, I think what it’s describing is a situation in which you have a midi device, a keyboard lets say, you have a midi track and the track is in record mode. At the same time, the automation “write” button is also selected for that track. You play the key’s and while your playing you move the modulation wheel.

If the mod wheel CC happens to be mapped to some particular automation parameter (lets say the panpot), then Cubase will assume that the mod wheel CC values aren’t meant to actually modulate the instrument sound but, rather, is intended to be a panpot automation controller. Thus, it routes it to the automation track instead of saving it as a cc value in the midi track.

I used to have a Mackie Universal controller, now use a Steinberg CC121. Both of these are midi devices but Cubase knows them to be automation controllers so I’ve never had to do anything to get them work as expected. Just plug them in and, in the case of the Mackie, tell Cubase about it.

For other types of controllers I’m not exactly sure how they would be set up. Not at my rig right now but I’ll play around tomorrow with using an outboard MIDI device as an automation controller and see if I can figure something out.

For using incoming MIDI CC as automation, you should, instead, Write-enable the MIDI Track.

(for info, if you record on the MIDI track, without enabling Write automation, the incoming CCs will be recorded as regular data in the MIDI Part)

Yes !! That’s it, I’ve got it working ! Thank you very very much !!! :stuck_out_tongue:

Okay, so now I can automate my softsynth instruments; hardware controlled as well as onscreen, in the same automation tracks. I’m glad with that.
Now I come to the next challenge: I want to be able to automate my hardware instrument controls also this way, but can’t manage till now.
I have a few selfmade Midi Device Control Panels for some of my hardwaresynths, which work fine. I can automate onscreen the settings in the panel. The automation tracks appear in a new folder: Midi Device Automation.
Now I want to use my hardwarecontroller for automation of the same instrument. The movements do respond in the panel. As learned above, to record the automation now I don’t need the panel to be in write mode, instead being the miditrack in write mode. In cc Automation Setup I set Record Destination to Automation Track. The new automation tracks appear, belonging with the miditrack.
My problem again is the two kinds of automation tracks for the same controllers, and the impossibility to make onscreen adjustments in the panel of already recorded hardware automation.
How do I get automation of hardware controller and Midi Panel in the same tracks ?

Maybe someone else will have a better idea, but the only way I can think of is via Quick Controls (and you will be limited to eight incoming hardware knobs/sliders)…
In the Devices menu>Device Setup window>Quick Controls, you’ll need to set the MIDI Input to your external controlling device, and assign 8 faders/knobs to the 8 available Quick Controls slots.
Back in the Project window, click on one of the Quick Controls slots of the MIDI track (presumably you already have it routed to your created MIDI Device panel?), and navigate to the desired parameter of the Device panel.

I did also try accessing a MIDI Device Panel from a Generic Remote, but it didn’t seem to be available (I even tried configuring as an External Instrument)… but that is not to say it doesn’t exist :wink:.

EDIT: I did eventually manage to access a MIDI Device Panel in the Generic Remote, but only after having created an (External) Instrument Track. I can’t get it to see the Device panel when merely on a regular MIDI track.

… Edit the Edit :wink:… but even then, I couldn’t access the actual parameters on the MIDI Device Panel.

In short, I think Quick Controls is the only way :wink:.

Thank you Vic for your help ! :stuck_out_tongue:
I managed to arrange your method with Quick Controls exactly.
Now indeed my hardware controller corresponds to the Quick Controls and the Midi Device Panel, and the automation tracks appear in the Midi Device Automation folder. The onscreen automation of the panel appears in the same tracks, so I’m glad with this step forwards.
The restriction indeed is that I can use only 8 controllers (while for example my hardware organ-controller has 9 drawbars, leslie slow/fast, vibrato on/off and a few more things).
Now I want to record midi notes and hardware control data at the same time while playing.
But in my new configuration I now get double automation tracks ! :astonished: In the Midi Device Automation folder AND with the midi track, very interesting. (Or as cc’s in the key editor when I disable write on the miditrack.) I have to delete the automation tracks with the miditrack (or disable read, but I don’t need them), because else there is a conflict when making adjustments in Device Panel.
Or is there a way to record only notes and no cc’s on the miditrack, while recording the cc’s on the automationtracks in Midi Device Automation folder ? :question:

I will do a little study on Generic Remote now, maybe I find still another way in which I can hardware automate all parameters in the panel… :nerd:

Good question.

I already found the soltution to avoid the double automation tracks: the midi input of the midi track on which I only want to record the notes I assign to a keyboard, and the Quick Control Midi Input to the hardware controller.
This now is functioning, but I need more than 8 controls on the organ controller…

Yes, and many others would like more than 6 aux sends.

My proposal:

  • 8 aux sends
  • 12 Quick Controls

Yes, 12 Quick Controls would be just sufficient, speaking for myself. :stuck_out_tongue:

Yep.

And a dedicated headphone buss would surely help those audio professionals abound.

I didn’t manage to get it to work with Generic Remote either, so I think we’re stuck with the 8 Quick Controls.
Unfortunately that’s not enough for my organ controller with 9 drawbars! :cry:

MIDI Controllers aren’t supported for automation functions.