MIDI automation with Neural DSP Quad Cortex

Hello Steinberg Community & Staff,
First post ever in this community, please be gentle.
I’m posting this because I couldn’t find any answer to what I’m actually looking for.

I have a Neural DSP Quad Cortex and to record my music I normally use Cubase Elements 10,
the Quad Cortex can send and receive MIDI messages, so I’d love to take advance of this function and use Cubase to send messages to my quad cortex in order to switch between presets and have them automated while I record any track.

Could you please help me to figure out how MIDI works in Cubase and the QC in order for me to switch scenes and record?
This is the first time that I use a MIDI device and I’m not really familiar on how to do this.

Thanks in advance to whoever replies,
Regards,
Gaetano

1 Like

Hello Abbgae, and welcome to the forum.
And might I add, congratulations on the NDSPQC.

To send MIDI to the QC, you need to have it’s MIDI in accessible within Cubase.
Go to Studio Setup, and MIDI and make sure it is there and visible.

Then in the Project window, create a MIDI track, and set it’s input to the controller you are using.
Out of curiosity, do you have a foot controller, and which one? I have an FC-300 and love it. (I am 100% in the box, so don’t have a QC)

Set the output of the MIDI track to the QC.
Now when you record, record on the MIDI track as well as the Audio tracks you will be receiving from the QC. Remember to capture the clean track as well as the main output from the QC, you are going to want that for mixing!

That’s about it.

You can link the MIDI track and the audio tracks to record, or you can create a Macro which changes their state together.

1 Like

Hi oqion,

First of all thanks a lot for the detailed explanation,
unfortunately I don’t own a foot controller… yet eheh :slight_smile: but surely I’m gonna add it to my setup since I’m really having tons of fun with cubase and the qc lately,

I just have one last thing that I forgot to mention previously, I normally use a focusrite clarett as audio interface instead of the qc, I run an xlr cable from the qc to the clarett and use it this way although I can use the QC as an audio interface itself, what if the audio interface is the focusrite? I tried to create a MIDI track by setting the clarett as input and output but I only have audio from the audio track and none from the MIDI one if I do this way, so I can only do this if I use the QC as main interface?

Also I managed to link the MIDI track with the audio in the mix console but how do I access to the link group settings as the picture?

Thanks again for the explanation and availability.

Hello Abbgae,

If I had a QC I would use it as the interface. Especially if your Scarlet only has 2 inputs, you wouldn’t be missing anything, and you wouldn’t need to run midi from the QC to the scarlet. You have to step up to the 4i4 before you get MIDI interface on the Scarlet.

If you do not have a 4i4 or greater, then you are going to need to run the USB from the QC to the computer anyway, and you will still have a second audio interface through the QC.

Put simply, the part you are missing is the MIDI running to and from the computer.
Using QC, just run the USB cable to the computer.

Using a 4i4, run in and out MIDI cables from the back to the QC to the back of the 4i4. (in goes to out, and out goes to in)

With the QC you don’t need a foot controller. You can plug an expression pedal directly into the QC.
(It’s such a nice device for a guitarist)
https://neuraldsp.com/news/quad-cortex-expression-pedal-compatibility?gclid=CjwKCAiAgbiQBhAHEiwAuQ6BklurZ1ASWDmCeGBH-hZDGvGNe7C5bijg2mM6gsxfbF-9iPzmvL41kRoCmkIQAvD_BwE

The QC inputs:
Dual Combo Inputs: TS, TRS, and XLR, variable impedance and level controls, built-in microphone preamps, and phantom power supplies.

So you have 2 there already. Unless you need more than the Guitar and one other input, and you only have a 2 input Scarlet, Just go full through the QC, you don’t loose anything that way.

To link the tracks you select all of the tracks you want to link, and press the “Link” button you can see in the image at the top that is Orange. It will open the Link Group Settings. You will probably only want to check Record /Monitor as shown.

Both the input and output or that MIDI track would then go to the QC.

IMPORTANT: For USB MIDI operation on Windows®
computers, it is necessary to download and install the Quad
Cortex ASIO® driver, available from our website. There is no
driver installation necessary if you’re using an Apple Mac
computer.

If you set it up to record Clean, AMP+effects, MIDI, then you can link all 3 tacks for record.
But if you want to re-amp the clean track, you will want a separate non-linked track to record the re-amped signal on.

To re-amp, mute the AMP+effects recorded track, unmute the MIDI track and the Clean track, and do not set the linked group to record. Monitor and Record on the re-amp track.

That’s the way I would do it.

Also note that if and when you re-amp, you might want to perform the MIDI again. In that case, You would want to either not have the midi track linked with the audio tracks, and Mute it (yes mute it, muting midi only mutes what is already recorded on the track) and set it to record. Or, you can have them linked, mute and not monitor the MIDI track, and have yet another MIDI track to record when re-amping.

It’s complex.

I don’t actually link the tracks myself in these cases, instead I write an even more complex set of Macros and PLEs and have multiple tracks set up in a folder all for the guitar. And then I set the “mode” for all of those tracks with buttons on a Launchpad. I don’t use outboard gear any more so it’s all “in the box” and that simplifies it a bit, but it’s very complex. Nice once it’s done, but hard to get your head around and learn.

So to keep it simple, linking the tracks for recording, and then having two separate tracks for re-ampling is probably best.

Tracks:
Clean, Amped, Midi,

Perform: Monitor the Amped Track, Mute the clean and MIDI
Record: Record and Monitor one of the Clean, Amped, Midi tracks, and the rest will follow. Mute the Clean track (It will still record) and mute midi track.
Play recording: mute the Clean and Midi tracks and not monitor or record the linked group.

Tracks for reamping: Reamp, Midi Reamp.

Re-amp with recorded MIDI: Mute the Ampled track, not monitor or record the linked group, unmute the MIDI track and the clean track, record and monitor the Reamp track.
Re-amp just the MIDI: Mute the mid track and the Amped track, not monitor or record the linked group. record and monitor the Reamp MIDI and the Reamp track. Unmute the clean track.

Yes, it gets complex. if you aren’t re-amping, then it’s not so bad though.

When I have time, I will come back with pictures etc.

1 Like