Drum Editor window navigation issue

[Springs]

Despite the option ‘Use Drum Editor when Drum Map is assigned’ being checked, opening the Drum Editor in a second window either through the command ‘Open/Close Editor’ or by double clicking on a midi drum part in the Project Window does not open the Drum Editor in a second window if the Key Editor Window is already open. It takes you to the Key Editor instead. This doesn’t feel like it’s working as intended.

If this command were fixed you would be able to leave all the editor windows open (in full screen or separate desktops if you like) and by simply double clicking on a region or selecting a region and pressing ‘Open Editor’ quickly navigate to that window. This feels like a much smoother way to work. I don’t know about other users but once I have an editor window open I don’t really like/need to close it until I finish the session for that day and this fix would help a lot with that.

Also please add an independent ‘Open Editor’ and ‘Close Editor’ command so that you don’t accidentally close the editor by, for example, pressing the command when the window is already open and visible.

Cheers

[Martin.Jirsak]

Hi,

Which Cubase version exactly do you use, please? Are you on Windows or Mac?

[Springs]

I’m on MacOS 15.6.1. Cubase 15.0.6.139

[Greg_Purkey]

What has changed since your prior post?

Navigating Editor Windows

So I like to work with my editors on a second monitor. It seems like there should be a command for simply “open editor” that gets Cubase to jump to the proper editor window based on the selected content (audio > sample editor, midi [no drum map] > key editor, midi [drum map] > drum editor, pattern > pattern editor). There is a command called “open/close editor” that is close but even though I have the “Use Drum Editor when Drum Map is assigned” checked in the preferences, it opens to the Key Ed…

I think I understood your original post. However I did not notice that you need a 2nd video display to demonstrate the issue. I think I followed your steps all on one video display.

If I’m following you, yes it is a bug which others verified as well.

You said you have Metagrid. I don’t think you can create a macro without it because you need some delays between steps. Are you not able to achieve your objectives with Metagrid?

[Springs]

Thanks @Greg_Purkey Yeah, nothing has changed since the last post. I just wanted to state clearly what Cubase is doing and what I think the expected behavior should be. The last post was long and meandering. I think this is a little clearer. Hopefully the devs see it and mend it up quickly…we’ll see. Think it will be kind of essential to my workflow.

I don’t really see how a Metagrid macro could help with this exactly because it would have to know, somehow another, whether or not the track of the part that I’m clicking on or have selected when pushing ‘open/close editor’ has a drum map editor loaded. Either that or somehow once the window is open it can read some parameter inside of the window and if it has a drum map loaded then it can switch…I don’t know though. I can’t think of a reliable way to transmit this information to Metagrid but if you have any ideas I’m all up for suggestions.

[jcity]

@Springs

Despite the option ‘Use Drum Editor when Drum Map is assigned’ being checked, opening the Drum Editor in a second window either through the command ‘Open/Close Editor’ or by double clicking on a midi drum part in the Project Window does not open the Drum Editor in a second window if the Key Editor Window is already open.

I agree this is a major pain in the a##. I’ve posted about it before. The desired behavior does occur in the “lower zone” when you have editor selected and are switching between a regular midi and drum mapped midi track. Why can’t this behavior also happen in the key editor???

[Greg_Purkey]

@jcity

The desired behavior does occur in the “lower zone” when you have editor selected and are switching between a regular midi and drum mapped midi track. Why can’t this behavior also happen in the key editor???

Do you happen have a link to your post?

I never use the lower zone. Are you able to duplicate the OPs issue with 2 editors on the same screen? He says “on a 2nd monitor” in the link I posted, but I don’t think that matters. However, I may not completely understand the issue.

I did replicate what I think he has addressed, but not positive. And according to @mlib, it appears to be a issue that has never been addressed.

If anyone wants more mileage with this issue, he or someone needs to create a step-by-step reproduction without leaving anything to question, and include @mlib post. As said, I believe I understood, but it would help with a step-by-step reproduction to clarify any misunderstanding. For example, remove conditions such as “a second monitor” that I don’t believe have any bearing on the issue.

When you have a track in focus on the track list, does it matter if that part needs to reside on that focused particular track or can any track be in focus while you click on parts from other tracks? Again a repro would help here IMO.

A reproduction will also make it easier for more users as well as testers to chime in without all the guessing. If you want Steinbergs attention, I assure you this is the best method.

@Springs

it would have to know, somehow another, whether or not the track of the part that I’m clicking on or have selected when pushing ‘open/close editor’ has a drum map editor loaded.

I guess I’m trying to figure out your ultimate objective. What you are saying is that as it stands, the Drum editor does not open on subsequent openings, even though you have a drum map assigned in the Inspector. You are keeping both Drum and Key Editors open. On subsequent openings it opens the Key Editor?

Before any KC press (even if Cubase macros had pauses) you need track focus on the track list in the Arrange Page, to determine what you are opening. The track either has a drum map or does not. And if focused on a track with a drum map, and assuming that is checked in the preferences, it should open the drum editor every time.

My suggestion of using Metagrid was to achieve what I think is your ultimate objective. Viewing 2 different editors, one on top of the other on a 2nd monitor (but now I think a 2nd monitor is not relevant to the issue) Then with both drum editor and key editor open, using a KC to focus which one is viewable assuming both editors are stacked on top of each other.

[mlib]

Here is a step-by-step of the issue as I see it. (May be different from OP.)

1. From a new, blank project, create 2 MIDI Tracks—“MIDI 01” and “MIDI 02”.
2. Assign a Drum Map to track “MIDI 02”.
3. Ensure the following preferences are set:
   a. Use Drum Editor when Drum Map is assigned
   b. Editor Content Follows Event Selection
   c. Double-click opens Editor in a Window
   d. Open Editor Commands Open Editors in a Window
4. Create one MIDI part on each of the two MIDI tracks.
5. Ensure no Editor Windows are open.
6. Double-click (or use the Open/Close Editor command) on the MIDI Part of track “MIDI 01”. The MIDI Key Editor opens as expected.
7. With the MIDI Key Editor still open, double-click (or use the Open/Close Editor command) on the MIDI Part of track “MIDI 02” (the track with the Drum Map). The MIDI Key Editor gets focus and is displaying the part for track “MIDI 02”. It does not open the MIDI Drum Editor as one might expect.
8. Close the Key Editor and again double-click the part of track “MIDI 02”. The Drum Editor now opens.

I made an interesting observation as I’m writing. Disabling the preference “Editor Content Follows Event Selection” changes the behavior of the above step by step. Every unique part you open, opens in a dedicated editor window. Parts with drum maps assigned however, are allowed to open multiple times in several editor windows. That last bit surprises me but may very well be intended behavior.

Personally I would like to see MIDI Parts with drum map assignments open in the Drum Editor even when the preference “Editor Content Follows Event Selection” is enabled.

[Springs]

Yes, I’ve just re-created the behavior when disabling ‘Editor Content Follows Event Selection’ (be sure to press Apply in order for these changes to take effect). Now, new Drum Editor windows appear each subsequent press. When this setting is enabled, it reverts back to the old behavior of never opening a Drum Editor window if there is a Key Editor window already open.

I’ve also confirmed that this issue does not seem to exist when opening in the lower zone either through double click or through the ‘open/close editor’ command. When the settings are adjusted to open editors in the lower zone, clicking on a part within a track that has a drum map loaded opens the Drum Editor in the lower zone every time. The same as true when using the command.

Hmmm…would be nice to have a fix for this.

[Martin.Jirsak]

Hi,

I can replicate the issue. Reported to Steinberg. Thank you!

[Springs]

Awesome!!! Thanks @Martin.Jirsak

[Greg_Purkey]

@mlib

Here is a step-by-step of the issue as I see it. (May be different from OP.)

Thank you for that! It’s impossible to do this when I’m out of town.

Very clear and concise and Martin has reported it.

[Springs]

So after a bit of a break from this issue I’ve come back to it and found a somewhat clunky workaround. I assigned two commands to a macro inside Cubase: “Open/Close Editor” (with Cubase set to open editor windows in Lower Zone) + “Open in Separate Window/Lower Zone”. This opens or navigates to the correct editor in a separate window every time. If there is an instance of the window already open in a separate workspace/full-screen window, it navigates that workspace and no new redundant window is opened. Good.

I had gotten this far before though. The problem lies in how then to close the lower zone editor. I tried adding “Open/Close Lower Zone” to the macro but this doesn’t work, I’m assuming because once Cubase opens/navigates to the Editor Window, the focused window is no longer the Project Window so zone open/close functionality doesn’t work.

So what I’ve done is create a macro via Keyboard Maestro that executes the first two operations (open/close editor + open in separate window), then a window switcher + short pause, keystroke for Open/Close Lower Zone, window switcher again to move focus back to the Editor Window.

It works…but it’s pretty clunky though. If anyone can think of any more elegant solutions to this until the Steinberg team get it fixed I’m all ears.

Thanks,
Jeff

[Greg_Purkey]

@Springs

I’m assuming because once Cubase opens/navigates to the Editor Window, the focused window is no longer the Project Window so zone open/close functionality doesn’t work.

Hi

I don’t want to keep beating a dead horse now that it’s at least clunky.

In the above, with a macro, why did you not put the KC Bring to Front between the editor window that you say has current focus, and the lower zone that is part of the Arrange Page? I would have tried that. But still I’m not sure if it would work without a time delay inserted in the macro.

Regardless, it’s a known and verified issue, and now up to Steinberg.

[Springs]

@Martin.Jirsak Sorry to keep coming back to this issue but I’ve noticed another issue that seems less than ideal, and if the developers will be working on the key/drum editor window issue I figured it might be a good idea to mention this while they’re at it.

The problem:
When you create a new track version the editor window closes.

Whenever you have a track with a midi part (have not confirmed with audio but I suspect it is the same) and choose to create a track version, any midi part is automatically dissected, and unfortunately, regardless of full screen status, if the editor is open in a separate window it is closed. This is not the case for the lower zone editor. When you create a new track version with the lower zone editor open, the lower zone remains open and focused on the editor zone.

I understand that the code underlying Cubase might require that midi part in the new part is automatically de-selected (although if the midi part’s selection status were carried over to the new track version that would be awesome as well, could jump straight into editing!) but being able to keep the editor window open would improve the overall workflow in Cubase imo.

Thanks again.