Hi,
Logic has a fundamental flaw that you can only input MIDI channels 1-16, and the MIDI interface is stripped out (e.g. all MIDI ports are combined into those 16 channels). I need to have a DAW MIDI backend to Dorico, so simple question: for a VST channel strip, can I specify both the MIDI interface, and the MIDI channel on that interface which shall input to this strip? Does this work for both simple playback, and record?
Thanks -
This was a big issue for me in Logic too, and why i moved away from Logic.
In Cubase you can select by MIDI port (interface as you call it), but to filter by MIDI channel per track you need to be on Cubase Pro editon (Maybe artist too?) and use the input transformer to ‘pass’ the specific channel(s) on a track-by-track basis:-
It’s not ideal, but it’s pretty straight forward. A Pull down box under the MIDI input selection would be nice. I’ve circled the input transformer up the top, as it’s not something which is at all obvious when you’re new to Cubase! 
This will work for live monitoring and for recording - i use it all the time, and you won’t have to do any of the ‘auto-demixing’ tricks in logic, you are free to record enable/input monitor as many MIDI tracks as you want without unwanted MIDI data spilling in.
On the plus, you can also add in MIDI velocity increases and such like into that transformer, which is handy for me as i use a Maschine controller and can raise the velocity so i haven’t got to hit the pads hard.
Edit: Just checked and the input transformer is on Cubase Artist too, although they’ve called it “Tranceformer” on their comparison page - whoops!
Yes. Cubase lets you select which MIDI Device is used as an input on each individual Track. It also has a mechanism that lets you assign whatever mix of MIDI Devices to “All MIDI Inputs” which will combine them like Logic is - except you decide what gets included in that mix.
Looks like this
Thanks skijumptoes, but here’s something I didn’t make clear – I need to use multiple interfaces - I need more than 16 channels. Imagine I have a 100 track project, and each track needs to be on a different interface/channel. Possible in Pro?
Thanks raino, could you take a shot of the dialog for assigning an interface and channel to a track? I need to be using more than one interface simultaneously, up to 100
Yup, you just select the interface, and within the input filter you setup the channel passes (1-16) into the tracks you need. I’ve done around 20 channels across 3 different interfaces before and was fine. Don’t know about 100, of course.
So you could end up with all varieties of combinations as you require, i.e.:-
Track 1 - PORT A > Pass Channel 1
Track 2 - PORT A > Pass Channel 2
Track 3 - PORT A > Pass Channel 3
Track 4 - PORT B > Pass Channel 7
Track 5 - PORT B > Pass Channel 11
Track 6 - PORT C > Pass Channel 2
Just remember that ‘interface’ is referred to as port within the DAW, as a MIDI Interface could have multiple ports.
Ah thanks so much, that’s what I need!
Don’t know about 100, of course.
In reality it’ll be something like 40-50 midi tracks, plus 8 channels of live audio all simultaneously recording. I assume Cubase can handle that on a good machine.
Are you going to be routing them via a MIDI virtual port driver?
Music is composed in Dorico, and during playback is routed to MIDI Endpoints. These are mapped to the (Apple) IAC driver (virtual port), which then input to the DAW. Once the music is finalized Dorico will be driving the VI’s and external Moog synths (when called for) - that is the live audio tracks. So in a sense Dorico will do a final MIDI ‘print’ to Cubase, which then will turn it into an engineering job of the mixing, and maybe some final CC tweaking.
Just remember that ‘interface’ is referred to as port within the DAW, as a MIDI Interface could have multiple ports.
Thanks! That was a small point of confusion. So could I have
InterfaceA (20 ports) + InterfaceB (10 ports) = sum to 12 ports that can be spread across 30 tracks?
Specifically I have
Ah ok, gotcha. Cubase won’t struggle with that data coming in - i’m pretty sure of that.
However, i’ve never pushed that much data across the IAC bus before to know how the OS would transmit internally via a virtual interface - so as a test i would download a free trial of REAPER and just see if the channels record into that without getting out of sync or causing your machine to struggle. I mean, it really comes down to the amount of data being transported as to how stable it will be (I guess?).
You can select per interface (port) and per channel very easily:-
Thanks! That was a small point of confusion. So could I have
InterfaceA (20 ports) + InterfaceB (10 ports) = sum to 12 ports that can be spread across 30 tracks?
Could you explain why you would want to split into 20 and 10 ports, but sum as 12? I can’t understand that.
Personally, i woulld just work in blocks of 16 to get to your total - so if you wanted 30 tracks you would have 3 virtual ports setup in IAC, each with 16 channels (total of 48 channels). And that would be my virtual bus between Dorico and Cubase.
If you’re throwing in actual hardware into the mix then you would simply pick them up from within Cubase as MIDI outputs from the various IAC bus ports that are coming in. You wouldn’t need anything special there.
I’ve got it working right now in Logic just fine (2013 Mac pro 128GB RAM). I had to do some painful Environment hacks to get it to work but it’s just playback, the sequencer strips out all interface information and sums it all to 16 channels stupidly. So no MIDI recording > 16
You can select per interface (port) and per channel very easily:-
https://www.untidymusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Screen-Shot-2014-10-15-at-11.28.22.png
Thank you!
Could you explain why you would want to split into 20 and 10 ports, but sum as 12? I can’t understand that.
I didn’t explain it well and my math was wrong b/c I changed the example. IAC allow me to set up ports, each which has 16 channels. So take the Percussion for example, there are so many I need two ports for a total of like 25. So I have PercA (Timpani, snare, Gong, etc) and PercB (Triangle, Anvil, …). That’s all it is, they all need to go to different tracks.
Personally, i woulld just work in blocks of 16 to get to your total - so if you wanted 30 tracks you would have 3 virtual ports setup in IAC, each with 16 channels (total of 48 channels). And that would be my virtual bus between Dorico and Cubase.
Yeah that’s fine. I break them up into orchestra choirs because that’s how I think. It leaves some blanks too which is handy when I want to add some oddball.
Thanks so much, looks like it’s Cubase for me. Given that my main tool is Dorico, and I’ve bought my last Apple hardware in 2013 I’ll ever buy, it was inevitable anyhow. Just needed to make sure this will work.
