Well, first it tried with the new expressionmap feature to make a classical score by note entry in the key editor/score editor.
This is not easy at the moment and cumbersome in Cubase 6.5 and for easy score entry composing you need a another dedicated program like Finale, Sibilius, Notion etc ( i hope that Steinberg can make in the near future, a dedicated score editor for the classical instruments ?? )
Ok, in my videotutorials the classical score is started with recording a piano piece, so … i take this appraoch too
First record a melodic line in Cubase!
But now comes the trouble again in Cubase…how to do this on a easy way so that the score editor is not cluttered with a serie of notes
see this http://www.zerospec.com/testmap/midiorchestration.jpg that i must try to record
( suddenly i remember here the program score cleaner as recommendation )
Nasty situation with Cubase 6.5: score editing by hand is not really possible and practical recording gives a “difficult score”
There are some video who handles about the score cleaning up
How to setup Cubase for easy midi recording ?
I read the manual (quick start guide) about recording midi, but there is nothing explained about quantisize
I like to see that piano melody gets in the score no triplets …all notes fall on the quantisize grid
How to set this up?..probably with a Quantisize preset in the project window?
Auto quantisize “on” the transportpanel and Quantisize value, must give than a better legigble score ?
If I’m understanding you right, the best thing to do in this case would be to turn Auto Q in the transport panel on, then select the value you want to snap to at the top of the project window.
That can be really tough when you have triplets, so I normally just use Step Input in the score editor to input the notes manually, then use the swing function in the Quantize midi insert and Velocity in the Key Editor to humanize it. You can also input your velocity as you input the notes.
Thank you very much !
That is a interesting workflow with the score editor and a( midi keyboard??) and autoquantisize and step input.
It means i can play the example piano melody in step mode in the score editor than in autoquantisiz mode…can be go not wrong anymore with unwanted notes and timing.
The only problem is here, how step input is used …
If you want to use Step Input, you don’t need to worry about auto quantize. You can do this in both the score editor and the key editor.
Open your editor.
At the top (rightish) you’ll see the step input button (six blocks stacked on each other). Enable that.
Now click some where in the grid. You’ll see a blue/black line much like the cursor.
Notice it will move according to the note value shown under Quantize.
Now set the length you want the note to be (length Q) and place the line where you want the note to show up.
Use your MIDI Keyboard or the virtual keyboard to add the pitch data (and velocity if you so choose).
Normally I set the length Q to Quantize Link, but that can be problematic if you use dotted values.
What I would do for optimal workflow (this is what I will be doing in the Score Editor), is take a compact MIDI Controller with several pads and assign all of those values (and also Toggle Triplet and Toggle Dotted) to the pads. You might also want to add Toggle Step Input and Undo to their own pads as well. Meanwhile you have your keyboard connected to handle the pitch data. This is the best way that I know of to keep the Score neat and work without a mouse.
Furthermore, the only disadvantage to this method is keeping the MIDI sounding human, which can be fixed as I said earlier by adding velocity and a conservative swing in the Quantize MIDI Insert.
Thanks!
It is more clear now how it exactly works.
I can control now the note entry…step by step in the score editor.
How about the score setting in the score editor and quantisize in the mainscreen…do they not conflict?
And how about real time recording and autoquantisize ? … is it workable ? ( i get the idea from you not, because you use step recording )
What controller (keyboard) is capable to do midi the editing?
I read also that someone uses a second computerkeyboard for controlling?
In certain situations, recording with auto quantize is the fastest. Let’s say you have a few measures with all quarter notes in the right hand and whole/half notes on the left hand. You could set auto quantize on and the value to 1/4 and record faster than doing the step input as long as your playing is reasonably close to the metronome. Most people don’t record like this (unless it’s drums) so that the recording doesn’t sound like a computer/robot did it. To be off a 32nd note on every other note is human, but hard to edit when you’re done.
Any keyboard that will connect your computer will do this. I personally would not use another keyboard to manage the note values, but rather a MIDI control surface like the Korg Nanopad which is more compact (cheaper) and best to do the job.
If you want to know more on how to set this up, please consult the first link in my sig. We have a new section about MIDI terms, setup, and use.
Well perhaps i was a little too enthousiastic about this new workflow for note entry.
It is rather labourious to use the step input, especially the blue vertical line positioning on the right position.
Better is maybe to use in real time in the key/score editor ( both open at the same time )
The note lenghts and Quantisize grid values do need a assigned keycommand too in this workflow …the same as for the stepinput
With your mouse you can move in horizontal direction the vertical line of the quantisize grid and at the desired position give a keystroke for the notelength and chance the quantisize grid to as neccessary with a keystroke
What workflow is preferable ? : step entry or real time in keyeditor?
Ofcourse is for score composing with the new expressionmaps the score editor not suitable…it takes ages to get a composition and experimenting too with it.
I hope that Steinberg will improve this score composing, than it is really a powerful tool for classical composing and people who go to Finale or Sibilius etc, choose for it.
Well a very stong point is that you can see the notes in the score… so working in the keyeditor you must first translate the keynotes to a score note value…that is cumbersome.
Working in the stepmode in the score …you can do it only with keycommands on the nanopad and left/right on the computerkeyboard and note entry with the mouse
So at the end i am coming back in favour for the score stepeditor and not the key editor real time, it seems that the score stepmode the only way Cubase offers for the classical composer
I hope Steinberg comes with a improvement on the score editor in the future to unleash the real power of the expression map feature.
So i must now buy a korg nanaopad
Do get the 1st one. It’s cheaper ($30) and you can assign more than 48 commands to the 12 pads using the scene buttons. (I’m already having trouble telling the pads apart, imagine if you get the second one with 16 pads…)
Also, it’s worth it if you’re a drummer; you get EZDrummer Lite and a big discount on Ableton.
Yes indeed step input is still rather cumbersome, but if you have the note values assigned to different pads, it’s not really as bad. It took me hours to record a composition in this method when I was using my mouse to choose the values from the extended toolbar. Are you using a MIDI keyboard? Using my 61 key keyboard is working nicely for me.
Also, I’d be interested to know what you would suggest to make scoring faster during composition.
I also want to recommend assigning two pads to left and right so that you can manipulate the line from your controller like you can with your computer’s arrows.
I do have also a Korg nanokey keyboard for note step entry
The problem with the step editor is that the blue line is static…the position depends not of the input of the note value.
It should be handy if the blue line gets automatic to the right quantisize position after a note input of the nano keyboard, but perhaps is this practical not workable?
I have read that the nanopad 2 is capable of connecting a 2nd usb korg nano controller… so on this way you can use 2 korg nano controllers for step note entry maybe?
one for note/quantisize values and blue line position
In regards to your first question, that is how it works with Quantize Link set under the Quantize field. But like I said many times this is undesirable, especially when working with dotted values.
In the future, maybe quantize link should respond to dotted values differently. For instance, if I had a dotted quarter note, I would expect the line to move as if an eighth note was in the length q field. Because really, how many times are you going to skip the next eighth note value after the dot? You aren’t. You’ll put either another eighth note there or maybe another dotted quarter. Times when you would not fill in that space would be few and far between.
I see how it might seem desirable for Cubase to be smart automatically detecting what value you need according to blank spaces, but many times we do some things outside the box we wouldn’t be able to do if Cubase made that quantize value for us (for instance overlapping notes). I hope that makes sense.
The laboriuos problem is to count all the time where the new note position is in the (new?)quantisize grid.
In theory when all possible note entry are in the automatic detectionsystem considered, than a algorihtm must be possible.
It is waiting on the dat that Steinberg improve the score editor …like in Finale,sibilius, notion and others
I have considered Finale/Sibelius for my scoring needs (remember I’m still stuck with Cubase Essential’s basic score editor), but haven’t had the time to trial them yet.
One reason for your frustration I would bet is using the nanokey for note input. If you do alot of scoring go pick you up a true keyboard with more keys, that way it’s easier to cover different octaves all at one time. Trust me, I would never try to compose using a nanokey.
I am disappointed that Cubase has not yet a easy score composer input
No that’s not the problem, …the nanokey has a [oct-] and [oct +] buttons , so it is really easy to get all octaves on the 2 octaves default keyboard
Default octaves range are C2 and C3
It is a existing controller nanaokey that i used before i bought Cubase, but i do have also a bigger keybord with 4 octaves, but that is not really comfortable working because it takes some space.
I don’t have a studio with a big chair and i am not a professional composer too.
I just got the nanopad, a bargain because normally price 55 to 59 Euro and now for 39 euro and free shipping ( a offer for this month )
It is toy playing time later here and look how they can interact the 2 nano’s in the scoreeditor,
I was sure the nanokey could cover all the octaves with an up/down button, I just don’t see that being convenient. I just put my keyboard on a stand in a corner and set my laptop on my desk to the left with the nanopad right in front; it works great for me.
Whatever works best for you is what counts. Have fun with your pad!
I’don’t know yet what works the best, but the nanokey2 was present before Cubase, but can also use bigger midi controller keyboard
But do you steprecord more than just alone note on and note off messages… also velocity ?
But do you steprecord more than just alone note on and note off messages… also velocity ?
Not sure exactly what you’re asking there. Note on seems to record velocity, but my keyboard can’t change note off data.
Personally, when I use step input, I simply record pitch data. If I want to adjust the dynamics later, I normally do so using the Key Editor or MIDI Input in the Score Editor.
I ask you this, because you are so strong connected(positive) with your keyboard, perhaps you can do than more on your midikeyboard than a korg nanokey controller ? …that is what i try to ask you here before. (curious to that )
How do you connect the triggerpads of nanaopad 2 to the notevalues, quantisize values and transport stepcursor?
Well i getting closer…
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