How to control GLOBAL volume in Cubase using a MIDI controller?

Cubase
1

Question as stated above.

My MIDI keyboard effectively doesn’t allow for volume control out of the box (local setting isn’t saved after power off, so I have to operate at minimum volume settings, but this is another story).

I would like to map a MIDI knob to the GLOBAL (not the track specific) volume level.

So, now… if anyone starts his response with “use the control room to do this”, I have a completely different counter-question:

HOW, really HOW can it be, that such a simple and straight forward setting as controlling the master volume (==Control Room), is limited to Cubase Pro??

Like, I bought Cubase Artist and would REALLY expect such a basic midi learn possibility without investing into the like most expensive license.

2

What is your overall goal? Control the volume of your speakers with a physical control?

1 Like
3

I hate to break it to you but there is no such concept as “global volume” or “master volume” in Cubase.
So, as @GPnicolett asked: What is your goal? What is the volume change supposed to achieve? Attenuate the project’s level or reduce the volume on your speakers or headphines only?

4

If you are on CB 12 or 13 you can create a tiny MIDI Remote, binding your knob to the Mixer’Output channel volume.

5

The goal is simply to control the project (or application-) specific main output volume via a midi knob, without affecting the volume in the final mixdown.

Like the windows volume slider if you go into the (windows-) volume mixer and reduce Cubase volume (and Cubase volume only). This isn’t quite 100% what I’m after (setting project specific volume without affecting mixdown volume), but it would be completely sufficient.

Now, the reason why I was freaking out yesterday was merely since this (really very basic) feature apparently exists, but only in Control Room. Then I did some more research and figured Cubase apparently (as you said) doesn’t have what any other video editor or DAW I’ve used so far do have:

A master slider in the mixer.

Such a master slider WOULD of course affect mixdown volume, but I would also have been able to live with it (the downside is just, if I increase master volume and already work close to the clipping / oversteering limit, the output will sound distorted while I’m working on a project).

Then again, as I figured out in the meantime, it’s apparently possible to create “group channel tracks”, on which I could probably place some kind of amplifier VST to accomplish the same effect as a master slider in the mixer would be responsible for? (assuming I route all tracks to this “group channel master track”).

The above solution is still kinda cumbersome though and doesn’t excuse for the lack of a proper master slider. And limiting similar functionality to Cubase Pro’s Control Room is either a massive design flaw, or a cheap money-grab tactic on behalf of Steinberg.

Does Cubase Artist really not adopt the concept of a master volume control anywhere?

If there’s a better way to control project or application volume with a MIDI controller, that’d of close be preferable to me (as explained above), but I’m not sure if this is possible?

6

Sorry, I overlooked @m.c 's Response…

I assume the MIDI Remote mapping is available in Artist as well?

7

Gotcha.
I never gave it much thought to be honest. For one I own Cubase Pro, for another if I were to own Artist I’d change the monitoring volume on the mixer app of my audio interface. However, that one is out of reach for MIDI Remote.

So, how to do it? You would need to use MIDI Remote (included in Artist since version 12).
Project-wise I would probably set up my template like this:

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“PreMaster” is a Group Track. I would put any mastering plugins on there. I’d route that to the output bus “StereoOut”, which would act as the rendering output but is not listened to otherwise (not connected).
I’d create a second output bus “Monitoring Bus” and use a post fader send from “PreMaster” to copy the signal onto this bus. The bus gets assigned to my audio interfaces outputs. The volume fader of this Monitoring Out is the one that gets controlled by MIDI Remote.

EDIT: I do not use MIDI Remote. Looking at how to assign it to the Monitoring Out I came to realize you cannot assign anythinng to a specific channel/bus. The channel/bus has to be selected anytime you want to change volume. Bummer.

I think you do have a point. It would be nice for Cubase Artist to have a stripped down control room. It would require just the main mix volume control and the ability to create up to 4 monitoring busses.