"Copy Part to" + "Search Tracks" + Export MIDI click as audio" + Expression Maps CC issue

Cubase
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1

Greetings Steinberg friends! I have been working for the last several months on building a massive new film score template. I have my sights on the forthcoming Mac Pro, and I am ready to put it to the test.

As I have been building this template, I have also been identifying certain workflow bottlenecks. I have been taking notes along the way, and coming up with some ideas that would be extremely helpful to me and, I believe, other working film/TV composers who use Cubase and Nuendo. Here is the list so far:

  1. Export Click Track as Audio File function. I imagine it would appear as part of the export menu. Mixes/submixes would be able to be exported with the click, or the click should be able to be exported solo.I realize the workarounds of copy/pasting MIDI or audio to construct a click–but this is less than ideal when dealing with a longer, more complicated project, such as a feature film with multiple time signature and tempo changes. Whether I am using Steinberg’s built-in “beeping” click sound, or whether I have chosen another sound I like (WAV file)–whatever is set up in the metronome menu, and whatever click I am hearing while working–should be able to be exported, if possible. Ideally, I should not have to play back a 90-minute click track and record it as audio into a secondary DAW.

  2. More flexible MIDI controller usage within expression maps CURRENT PROBLEM: Within an expression map set-up, if any individual output mapping sets a specific CC controller at a fixed value–that CC controller no longer functions for other patches within the expression map. EXAMPLE utilizing East West Hollywood Strings: Remote C0 is set to control a legato strings patch on MIDI channel 1, which uses mod wheel control and expression for dynamics and vibrato, respectively; REMOTE C#1 and subsequent keys are all set to control a staccato strings patch, with mod wheels set to specific values, which correspond with different note lengths. Unfortunately, once setting the specific mod wheel controls for MIDI channel two–for some reason, channel one no longer is able to utilize mod wheel control. PROPOSED SOLUTION: moving a set of expression/articulation controls to a separate group should alleviate this problem, and enable channel 1 and channel 2 to handle their respective MIDI cc event commands independently of one another. Although expression maps current allow up to four different sets of articulations within a single expression map, the use of different channels does not solve the problem.

  3. Search and Select Tracks This refers to a smart system of quickly locating a selecting a specific track/folder/group/instrument/effect, etc within a project’s arrange window, based on the track’s name. Similar to the current system in place for searching for VST plug-ins within Cubase. I envision a pop-up window with a search bar, and a smart finder that lists the closest matches to what is typed in the search. If multiple tracks show up as possible matches, it should be possible to select any or all of them. If one track is selected, that track would automatically appear as selected within the main project/arrange window. If more than one track is selected, it should be possible to ONLY show the selected tracks, making all the other tracks invisible, with the ability to revert to the previous project visibility setting.

  4. THIS WOULD BE A GAME-CHANGER FOR ME - Copy MIDI part to Track >>> I imagine right clicking on any MIDI part/event within the arrange menu, and being able to easily have the part copied to another track. After selecting the event/part, there would be a pop-up menu similar to the search function detailed in #3 above. I would be able to instantly copy the MIDI data from the part to another track–or multiple tracks, if selected. Timecode position of the selected part would be preserved, and there would, ideally, be an option to shift the notes up or down by an octave–or perhaps by another transposition, if desired.

This would save us an extraordinary amount of time scrolling around the template, opening and closing folders, in search of the target track for copying. It would also solve the conundrum of either choosing “option+click+drag” (timecode position of the copied part is not locked, and placement may shift as the part is dragged) or “command+click+drag” (part maintains timecode position but is not a copy of the original part; instead the original part is moved to another track altogether). EXAMPLE: I wish to copy a violin part to a flute track and trumpet track. Also, related–CURRENT PROBLEM: When I copy a part or event from, for example, “18 Violins” to “6 Trumpets”, the copied part will be named “18 Violins”, even though it is now a Trumpet part, on the target track. PROPOSED SOLUTION: The copied part should always take on the name of the track it is copied to–rather than keeping the same name as the original track from which the part was copied.

I hope to see some (ALL!) of these changes implemented in upcoming software builds! Many thanks to Steinberg for the amazing products and great support. Special thanks to Adam and Jeff in tech support, for encouraging me to share these ideas on this forum. I’d be happy to assist in any way possible! Happy to provide additional ideas for improvement as well, as they arise.

All the best,
Shaun Drew

2

Unless I’m misunderstanding, #3 is already in place and works great. Look for the key command “Edit - Find Track/Channel”. Personally, I’ve set this command to Cntrl+F because that just makes the most sense and it’s easy to hit. (I have loads of keycommands and macros that make more sense than the factory defaults lol)

#4 So I think you’re saying you want basically what we already have for copy/paste, except you want an option to ensure that it pastes it at the same place/timecode as the original, right? Instead of placing it where the timeline/transport cursor is? For now, you could probably do a work around that’s almost as good. If you select the event/part you want to copy, you could use the “Transport - Locate Selection Start” and then just paste it on the desired track. The downside to this would be that the cursor would then be moved to the event/part start… not sure if that’s a big deal or not for you, but I could see it potentially being an issue. Also, you’d have to pause playback while doing it and that position wouldn’t be copied to the clipboard so you’d always have to do both the transport command and the paste command together.

Being able to export the metronome would be kinda cool and for more than just time keeping. I’ve found some drum patterns to feel like they’re missing something when the metronome is turned off. In those cases, I usually go and implement something similar to what the metronome is doing, but being able to export the metronome itself would be kinda neat.

3

Hi, Oxygen Beats. Thanks for alerting me that a “smart find” feature already exists, essentially acting in the manner I described in #3 above! Just goes to show how jam-packed our software is with features. I certainly have no qualms about discovering that a requested feature already exists! I already set the key command for it. :slight_smile:

Now we just need to be able to “copy to” selected tracks from that list, as in #4 above. Thanks for coming up with a workaround idea. The main problem I have is that scrolling up and down through a large template becomes cumbersome, and over the course of a project, I undoubtedly spend hours doing just that, plus copying/pasting, shifting time position. My templates are well organized, but there are just so many tracks! I am looking for a faster, simpler way to copy parts over to one or multiple tracks simultaneously, with an option to shift octaves, ideally–all from within a menu that looks similar to the current “finder” window that you just taught me about.

Thanks again for the feedback, and have a great weekend!