Feature Request: Independent Presets for MIDI Remote Mappings (Stop Losing Assignments!)

Cubase
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Subject: Feature Request: Independent Presets for MIDI Remote Mappings (Stop Losing Assignments!)

Hi everyone,

I am experiencing a recurring nightmare with the MIDI Remote system in Cubase.

I have a complex studio setup and I spend hours mapping my MIDI controllers to these specific parameters. However, Cubase frequently loses these assignment times and resets to default, especially when moving preference folders or handling .json files.

My Request to Steinberg: Please make MIDI Remote Mappings manageable as independent, standalone presets (separate from the global UserDevices.json or general preferences).

Currently, if the preferences get corrupted or a path changes, all the hard work of mapping is gone. We need a way to:

  1. Save/Export specific mapping sets as individual files.

  2. Import them into any project or new installation without relying on the entire “AppData” folder structure.

  3. Lock these assignments so they don’t get overwritten by “default” states when the software/hardware sync has a hiccup.

It is frustrating to lose professional routing and control setups because the system treats MIDI Remote data as disposable global settings rather than critical project/user assets.

Is anyone else losing their mappings constantly? Steinberg, please give us a dedicated “Save Preset” function for the actual Mapping-Layer!

Best regards, Ronald

Addendum / My “Emergency Workaround”: To get my settings back, I had to:

  1. Close Cubase.

  2. Rename the MIDI Remote folder in the Documents directory to force Cubase to create a fresh one.

  3. Manually copy my old .json and global_mappings files into the new structure.

  4. Re-add the hardware in the MIDI Remote Manager to trigger a re-indexing.

This is not a professional workflow! We shouldn’t have to manipulate system folders and perform “open-heart surgery” on the DAW just to restore our controller assignments. Steinberg, we need a simple “Export/Import Mapping Preset” button that handles all of this automatically!

1 Like
2

It’s already possible export your Midi Remote Mappings.
Go to the Midi Remote Manger (the cogwheel icon in the Midi Remote Tab), then change to the Scripts tab, select your Midi Remote Script and press Export (now you can save your MidiRemote anywhere you like as a .midiremote file)

And when you need it again, you can create a new remote Device, press “Import” and then select your the .midiremote file

3

Hi Joshua,

Thank you very much for your quick response and for pointing that out! I appreciate the help.

I have actually tried the export/import function via the MIDI Remote Manager. However, in a complex hybrid studio environment, I’ve found this method to be quite unreliable for two main reasons:

  1. The Overwrite Issue: When I try to import a script for a device that is already known to the system, Cubase asks to overwrite everything. This is a “risky” move when you have spent hours on fine-tuning assignments. There is no simple way to just “merge” or “update” mappings.

  2. Missing Mappings: In my experience, the .midiremote export often includes the hardware GUI and the CC-definitions, but it frequently fails to capture the actual User Mappings (the specific link between a fader and a plugin parameter) if those were created outside the original script logic.

This is why I’m advocating for a dedicated “Mapping-only Preset” system. We need a way to save and load our plugin assignments independently from the hardware script, without having to perform “open-heart surgery” on the AppData or Documents folders.

Again, thanks for the tip, but I believe the current implementation acts more like a “brake” than a support for professional workflows.

Best regards, Ronald

4

That’s unfortunate, that the export function doesn’t fit your requirements.
On my system the .midiremote files have always correctly imported the User Mappings, even those mappings created in the Editor and not the script. But this of course doesn’t mean anything, as I know that Midi Remote can be very unpredictable and unreliable.

I’m still a bit skeptical if this is a good feature request. I hope Steinberg focuses their effort on actually fixing the issues in the MidiRemote, so it doesn’t randomly forget everything and works reliably and if they can get that done there is probably no real need to save only the Mappings, independent of the hardware and GUI elements.

But I can absolutely understand your frustration with the Midi Remote.

5

"I see your point about fixing the bugs first, but I disagree that independent mappings wouldn’t be a useful feature.

Think about different workflows for the same hardware: I might want one mapping set for mixing (SSL, EQs, Compressors) and a completely different mapping set for sound design or virtual instruments – all on the same Keystation.

Currently, you have to bake everything into one giant script or swap entire hardware definitions, which is prone to errors. Having ‘Mapping Presets’ would allow us to switch the ‘brain’ of the controller instantly, without touching the hardware/GUI script. That’s a standard workflow in professional studios, and Cubase is currently lacking this flexibility."

2 Likes
6

I agree with you. Been down this road many times. Yes, there are workarounds as noted in post 2, but these should not be necessary. I also think the workflow is unnecessarily confusing for MIDIremote. Having said that, it is a wonderful feature and I use it constantly.

I also think Steinberg should create MIDI mappings for a number of other controllers. Their selection is pretty skimpy. Maybe they should obtain a list of the most popular controllers and create some mappings for the top ten. Frankly, I kind of expected them to have done this shortly after MIDIremote was introduced.

1 Like