I am setting up my first little music studio to record and mix my songs (pop + 70s rock + 60s soul style) and I can’t find clarity on the question of if I buy a Novation SL MK III Midi keyboard (61 keys) , will it work well with Cubase Artist 12? Or will all the sliders, knobs, pads and trinkets become useless unless it is Ableton?
I am looking at the SL MK III only because it has a quality keybed, reportedly way better than the Novation Lauchkey MK3. I will need faders, modwheel, knobs and stuff to work, especially with expressive VSTs like strings, brass or electric guitar.
So might I find myself with a unusable keyboard in this regard if I want to stick with Cubase?
I would appreciate feedback from anyone that has experience.
I have read the previous threads about issues with this, and I understand (perhaps I misunderstand!! 
) That the individual VST’s do work well with the SL MK III, it is only the actual Cubase integration thet has issues. Is that so?
Because if my VSTs like Session Strings 2 and East-West Hollywood Pop Brass will give me full access to modulation and sliders/knobs, even though opened in Cubase, I will be happy enough!
Hello, and welcome to this forum!
Since you haven’t get the SL Mk3 yet, I would suggest that you have a look at my own script here:
If you open the pdf file at the bottom of this post, you can see what’s included, and then judge if it’s worth it.
Furthermore, note that for controlling VSTs, you can always use it without even the DAW integration, by assigning its knobs/faders/buttons to VSTs using their midi learn options when available.
So basically it will work if I only spend a few weeks programming it to Cubase and the VST’s? 
That doesn’t sound very integrated at all… The thing is that Arturia is also geared towards Ableton (and I don’t like the position of the modwheel), and the insanely expensive Komplete Kontrol MIDIs, which are supposed to do well with Cubase, have done away with all faders and pads, so what’s the point? I don’t get a MIDI to gain a second computer screen…
I feel like I don’t have good alternatives to the MIDI (in my price-range and below 10 kg!! 
), so basically I will be pushed into Ableton, even though their layout and session view makes me cringe.
I guess I will have to do the 60 days free trial and see if I can make it work in that time.
Not sure I understand this, but I will not insist. Choose what suits you best 
OK, maybe not a few weeks 
- I found this video: https://youtu.be/ElAvIx-XSdY?si=PFUQptOrzS013kmw and it seems to be a smoother process that I imagined. If it works with Launchkey it should do so with SL MK III aswell.
What I’ve actually proposed was to have a look at what my script offers and IF you like its functionalities and when you get a trial version of cubase 12, download and install my script. This is a 1 to 2 minutes task.
Now if you want to create your own midi remote surface that’s absolutely fine, however this is not what you’ve asked for in your original post.
I’m all new to this, and the difference between “install my script” and “create your own midi remote surface” mean absolutely nothing to me. I just know the documents you sent me looked extremely complicated to implement, while what the guy Dom Sigalas is showing in the video seems rather simple - you just touch/use a button and assign a function, end of story. I don’t know what the difference is in “installing a script” but the more it looks like advanced computer programming the more difficult it seems to me.
The way the guy is doing it in the video is through a special integration function provided by Steinberg Cubase, which basically seems to me like teaching Cubase how to talk to your MIDI, while your version seems to me like teaching the midi how to understand Cubase, which is infinitely harder as I can’t “touch the knobs” on Cubase, so it’s all down to computer language. Do you understand how I see it?
Anyway, when I get my keyboard I will come back here with a integration review
Hi,
Dom is showing how to create your OWN midi remote surface, while I suggested you download and install my very own midi remote surface. This means that when you install my script inside Cubase (it’s really just a download and some clicks to “install”) you’ll get all the functionalities I’ve programmed. You need to do nothing further, at least for getting to know how things work. Think of it as a setup for your pc.
Let me show you with screenshots, with Cubase and a new project open.
Go to Studio->Midi Remote Manager:
Click on the “Script” tab:
Click on “Import Script”:
Select the downloaded file I’ve attached to my post:
You’re done! Now the Sl MK3 should work immediately by placing in to InControl mode.
I totally get that your are very new to this, and this means you really have to read Cubase manual’s section of midi remote before assuming that things are that difficult. They’re not when it comes to just a script installation.