Yes, but Dorico too is part of Steinberg/Yamaha, and use C4… And this C3 thing is from the beginning in Cubase I assume? Were they already part of Yamaha from the start?
Too bad then (even though it would have been a pain to change it for each xpression map…
I believe “C3” predates midi by many decades, because of organ terminology. Middle C is the 3rd C from the bottom on organ manuals.
Makes sense. Especially considering Yamaha started out as a maker of reed organs and that DX7 had 61 keys instead of 88…
Can’t we just refer to it the way my piano teacher did, “C nearest the lock.”
I think this cat is also finding it hard to pin down the position of middle C.
But I can’t find the lock on my DX7! 
(I just wish every reference to middle-C would equate its octave number with the MIDI number: C3=MIDI 60, as I believe Dorico does at least in places.)
Music theater and Actor’s Equity uses C4 when describing ranges for the singers.
To add grist to the mill, the HALion player marks Middle C as C3, too.
This is a real issue, as it seems not possible to change this error in Cubase, forcing to struggle with keyswitches. I hope they’ll correct this one day, or a least allow to change middle C to C4 for those who are used to the classic denomination.
I’d also like an option to at least display middle C as C3 in the piano roll. After many years of wrangling midi in Cubase it has been burned deep into my brain that C3 is middle C, causing lots of confusion when working in Dorico.
We plan to add an option to allow you to choose which octave number should be used for middle C in a future version.
That’s funny, but true. I taught college music theory, and watched my students’ confusion upon learning there are more than one pitch class systems- each with a different designation for middle C🙃
Personally, I wish all systems could simply define their middle-C as C60. I doubt anyone would confuse that with an octave number.
Transposing score versus concert score, same thing written two ways …
Well, at least it doesn’t spring forward and fall back twice a year. Middle C = C3 after Easter…
There’s always Helmholz pitch notation.
And unfortunately 60 = high B on organ manuals. For organ technicians Middle C is 25.
60 means many different things in different contexts, but with a C in front of the 60 (C60) I expect any organ tuners (for whom I have respect bordering on awe) would not be confused.
(I do wonder how many organ techs would be working in MIDI and not switch gears. Anyhow, I offered that thought as a conversation starter, and you responded in that vein. I’m just looking for a way to avoid the C3/C4 confusion.)
Some cathedral pipe organs do actually have MIDI record and playback.
Agreed, but I’m sure any organ tech capable of programming them in MIDI knows not to use key number but rather MIDI numbers.
Wouldn’t that be fun🙃
