External instrument problems

Cubase
#1

Hello, my goal is to live-monitor my external midi instruments before I record them. The only way I have found to do this and for cubase to properly account for my round-trip audio interface delay is to use the external instrument feature, however there is one big problem with that.

My midi devices are multi-timbral. I intend to use channels 1-16 which share the same audio channels (return busses).

From what I can tell an external instrument can only have one midi channel defined to it with one return bus. I can’t find any way to choose the midi track after assigning it to the arrange page, nor can I use the same return bus for multiple midi channels.

have I overlooked something? thanks in advance.

#2

I’d like to bump this question and also simplify it significantly.

Is it possible to live-monitor external MIDI gear via cubase with delay compensation? (round-trip in/out sound card latency compensation). Any help would be appreciated

#3

Short answer: No.

The external routing (using the ping feature) to an efx is designed for prerecorded track mixdown. The compensation for latency lines up a recorded track with a newly ‘RE’-recorded track using the chosen efx. When the project is played back, then all the tracks will line up. It’s not for live play.

Did I misunderstand your question?

#4

Not external FX if that’s what you mean, but External instrument. That would indeed seem to provide latency compensation.

In my first test I created a midi track, put quarter notes on it and monitored via an audio channel. It was way off with the metronome.

Then I created an external instrument track and assigned a MIDI device to it, that lines up great.

The only problem is that I can’t figure out how to make that MIDI device multi-timbral. Cubase wants to only allow it to function on a single midi channel (1) with no option to choose.

So I suppose this is actually a question regarding “is there a way to make the external instrument/MIDI devices multi-timbral”…

thanks