I’m trying setting up my hardware synths as extrenal instruments at this time and I’m using a patchbay to do proper connections. Now, my plan is to patch mono lines to a specific audio input at a time. Cubase refuse to accept just one audio connection when I’m trying to set up the external instrument at the audio connections and “claims” the audio connection is explicity used yet, please chose another one. Can you please tell me how you setting that up when patching your outboard lines?
Each time I saw this message is when, for a reason or another, I had to reconfigure the whole routing of my template projects. I never saw an unsolvable error when this was happening.
So there must be somewhere :
either an input of your setup actually already using the device port that you want to use,
or a connection issue between your interface and an eventual extension unit - i.e., it already happened to me when having forgot to start my ADA8200 before starting a Cubase session.
Thanks for your response. It is the one you have mentioned as I have “ordered” this channel for another instrument yet (the previous or the first one).
What I would like to achive is that I create the midi information (individual) per external instrument but the audio input stays the same (always channel(s) e.g. channel 7). So it looks like I just can set up 8 instruments when my soundcard provides 8 (analog) inputs. Is that really the limitation? I cannot believe that…
Not sure about what you are expecting, as I’m not able to associate an audio stream with a MIDI channel. AFAIK, the main rule is that, once you have set specific input(s) to a dedicated instrument, it/they won’t be sharable with another one and it seems logic to me : there is no magic operating, in this case…
Well, if you use MIDI channel changes for having different ‘sounds’ (“audio n” in your terminology, I guess), you limit yourself to 16 sounds for each of your external instruments.
I have three (rather old, I must say) multitimbral instruments and avoid the hassle of changing MIDI channels by using for each of my external instruments, a preset mapping (xml files created in Cubase MIDI device manager) which allows me to select the wanted sound with the preset control of the associated MIDI track(s). I have fixed the involved MIDI channels once for all, both in my hardware units, if needed, and in the MIDI tracks associated to them in my usual project template. No more need to scratch my head about the MIDI channels matching… But maybe we have different needs concerning this, as I still don’t see exactly what is your aim, I admit.
The advantage of an “external instruments” plugin in cubase is in my opinion to have a midi bus plus an audio bus for listening (monitoring) for the line return compbined in just one bus. Therefore the solution in having that option as extrenal instruments that combines both, the midi and the audio in just the single bus is a great approach. I believe that I have mixed terminology and have missused the term midi “channel”. I’m just talking about the midi number. However, I don’t have issues with the midi as I do have more midi capabilities as instruments but I do have more instruments than 8 soundcard returns.
So, your actual issue is that you don’t have enough of hardware audio inputs. Purchasing an interface with more inputs, using an extension such as an ADAT one or, as a last resort, using a mixer with all your outnumbered instruments connected to it in line inputs, are the first things that come to my mind.
Another way, Cubase related, would be to define each of your instruments in the Audio connections window, define it as a ‘Favorite’ and select it each time the involved instrument is in use when connecting it to your interface. I don’t see other ways of managing this, honestly : again, there is no magic that could operate, in this case…
