I notice that when I import midi exported from Dorico into Cubase that the data for the expression map key-switching is inclued with the MIDI. This makes sense.
However, in order for the keyswitching to work I need to disable the Cubase expression map I have assigned to the Cubase channel.
Note that both the Dorico audio engine and the Cubase audio engine are using the same set of VEPro instruments as each other, and that they shae a common set of expression maps.
Does anyone know how to syncronise the MIDI keyswitching with the Cubase expression map? Some sort of Cubase transformation or perhaps the use of the Logical Editor?
I’m afraid at present there’s no good way to synchronise Dorico’s expression maps with Cubase’s. You could try importing your Cubase expression map into Dorico via Library > Expression Map, which will bring some of the data over, but because Dorico’s model is richer than Cubase’s in this area, only the basic information will be imported.
However, if you in general are working with the same sounds in Dorico and in Cubase, then setting up a suitable expression map in Dorico will probably save you some time in the long run, since at least then when you export MIDI from Dorico and bring it into Cubase, you’ll hear the right techniques being triggered, even if that is coming from additional key switch notes etc. rather than “real” technique changes in the Cubase project.
I use exactly the same sounds in Dorico as I do in Cubase and my expression maps in Dorico are based on those in Cubase, though I do make changes in Dorico to take advantage it’s richer model.
It took me a while to realise that once I had imported the MIDI files from Dorico into Cubase that I needed to remove the expression map in Cubase for any instruments to work.
It is only this final step, the mapping of imported key notes to Cubase expression map articulation that I thought there might be a Logical Editor setting I could use. But I can see that that would be quite an undertaking and not just a simple step.
Unless someone out there has figured out a solution?
There is no good solution for this at the moment, I don’t think it will be possible through the Logical Editor because at the moment the Logical Editor is unable to read articulation information for the notes.
Basically the issue here is a lack of capability in Cubase where it is unable to associate existing MIDI notes with keyswitches that trigger the same notes, and convert those from notes to expression map entries. Ideally, Cubase should have a function where you could import MIDI and, if an expression map is provided, it could automatically convert keyswitch notes to expression map articulation entries.
What I would suggest for now is to try to do the majority of the work in Dorico so that you don’t have to use the expression maps in Cubase and can go without them. That is the way I have been working largely - getting the music 98% of the way there in Dorico, so that when it is brought over to Cubase with the same VE Pro project, it’s not a big deal at that point to not have the expression maps working.
As far as requesting this as a feature, it is best to request it in the Cubase forum as it is a limitation of Cubase and nothing to do with Dorico. Others have asked for this feature before for other similar situations involving Cubase alone - for instance, people who have started with keyswitches and wanted to convert it to an expression map later ended up having to manually convert the keyswitches to expression map entries one at a time.
Maybe outside of what you’re looking for, but looking at my database of things I’ve had to do: once for a client who gave me a midi file in cubase I had to change the keyswitch values (j 'uses Vsl but not with map expressions). I used a vsti plugin to remap certain notes in real time to other values like C5 to B0, etc…
The plugin was called notemapper NoteMapper