cubase presets question

Cubase
1

hey guys

ok so I’m a total noob at this. I’m a pretty good violinist and am so excited to get this up and rolling; I just figured out how to record myself and actually get it to play back to me!

my question is about the presets within cubase 5. when I go into the mediabay, loop or sound browsers, I can only play the audio tracks. anything that says VSTPreset I can’t get to play.

how do I use the presets on cubase 5?

Thanks
Blake

2

Hi, Violinist.
It’s best to see how the preset system works when you look at it from two different ends: choosing presets in the Media Bay and in the Track Inspector.

In the Media Bay.

  1. Clicking on a VstPreset file with a soft synth name under PlugIn Name tag will create an instrument track with the corresponding soft synth loaded. To preview it you can either use your qwerty keyboard (or click on its virtual keys in the Media Bay previewer) or play a MIDI keyboard controller if such is connected to your system trough a MIDI interface that Cubase has recognized and listed among its devices, or you just need to have some MIDI recorded on that track.

Dragging such VstPreset file onto an existing instrument track in the project will load the synth in that track.

  1. Clicking on a VstPreset file with a sound processing plugin name under PlugIn Name tag will do nothing since this is a preset accessible from the given plugin’s own preset window when it’s loaded as a track insert.

  2. Clicking on TrackPreset Instrument file will create an Instrument Track with the soft synth listed under PlugIn Name tag and will also insert an audio FX chain.

Dragging such TrackPreset Instrument file onto an existing Instrument Track will also insert the synth and the FX chain.

Again, to listen to the result you need to either use the previewer with the querty keyboard or a keyboard controller attached to your MIDI interface, or simply have some MIDI already recorded on that track.

  1. Clicking on TrackPreset Audio file will create an audio track with an audio FX chain inserted into that track. Dragging the file onto an existing audio track will do the same. You can listen to the result if you have some audio on that track.

  2. Clicking on a patternbank file will create an instrument track with GA 1 and a drum pattern which will play if you press play, but for the life of me I don’t understand where that actual MIDI pattern resides .

  3. Clicking on TrackPreset MIDI file will create a MIDI track with a MIDI FX chain loaded. Dragging it onto an existing MIDI track will also insert that chain. To listen to the result you need to route that MIDI track to a soft synth loaded in the VST Instruments rack and either have some MIDI recorded on that track or play the instrument through a keyboard controller (or on the querty keyboard).]

etc.etc.etc.


In the Track Inspector.

Just load three empty tracks: Audio, Instrument and MIDI. In the Track Inspector go to the Load Track Preset window, click on it and see what is there at your disposal. You will recognize familiar preset types when you load them.
Audio tracks will offer you a wealth of TrackPreset Audio type of files (audio processing FX chains, remember?).
Instrument Tracks will let you load either TrackPreset Instrument files (a soft synth plus an FX chain) or VstPreset files (just a soft synth).
MIDI Tracks will let you load TrackPreset MIDI files (which are MIDI FX chains).

The procedures necessary to preview the results are the same as I described above.

Good Luck.

3

Thanks so much, for this reply as well as to the other question about my midi tracks being off tempo. I did hit the button like you said and it worked out awesome.


Thanks so much for your explanation, it totally cleared things up! I’m actually recording and playing back decent on time tracks now!