Jazz chords on chord track

Cubase
1

Is there a way to get the chord track to properly display jazz chord symbols?

I mainly use chord tracks to add chord symbols to the arrange window, the key edit window and to the score window. (not to play midi chords) But it doesn’t seem to support some standard chords types, and often doesn’t follow standard naming conventions. For example:

Try adding a Eb11 (Eb7 with added 11), the 11 seems to be blocked on chords containing a major 3rd. Minor 3rds can co-exist with 11 though, weird.

If you put in a Cadd9 (Cmajor with 9th added on the top but no 7th), it gets displayed as C9 which is confusing because usually a C9 would have a “dominant” tonality including a 7th (Bb). Which functions very differently to an Add9 chord.

Any extended chord symbol gets over complicated by explicitly naming the 7th, which would usually be implicit. eg. Bbmaj9 becomes Bbmaj7/9. G#min13 becomes G#min7/9/11/13 (although obviously I can omit the 9 and 11 to tidy it to G#min7/13. But it still doesn’t look right).

Any advice appreciated. Is there a tick box I have missed?

I could add markers and give them a chord name, and add text to the score window, but would be better to use the chord tracks as they are designed for this!

Thanks!

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Hej, I doubt you missed sth. The Chordtrack has its own “rules” of naming and renaming chords, at least afaik. I tried to figure out this once on my own and asked here in the forum but then a friendly (seriously!) steinberg administrator told me thats the way it is and that I would have to live with it.
That was some time ago - maybe it changed by now…
If there is a trick I would love to know it too!!

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Oh just found that in Preferences > Event Display > Chords & Pitches (in Cubase 12) you can create custom chord symbols, and these seem to work for some of my chords!

Annoyingly it wont work for with 11ths because the chord symbol editor doesn’t allow a major chord to have an 11th! such a weird limitation.

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This isn’t the first time the subject of chords have come up. You’re right, the way Cubase handles chords is confusing and in some cases just plain wrong.
I don’t recall seeing a single post agreeing with the way chords are displayed but it’s been this way since its inception. Hopefully, by keep raising the subject, someone from Steinberg will finally catch wind and do something about it.

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