OK, your instrument setup should work if its MIDI ports were being seen.
It would appear that the EWI5000 can generate its own sounds. It does this via audio.
Is this the mix you wish to bring into Cubase, or are you wanting to use it as a MIDI controller to trigger other sounds inside Cubase?
My understanding based on a quick glance of the manual, is that the wireless transmitter isn’t sending MIDI controller information, but rather audio information.
You have 4 options on how to connect.
- Wireless transmitter using USB Audio to computer.
- Wireless transmitter using analogue cable to audio sound-card.
- Headphones: Doesn’t involve the computer at all.
- As a MIDI controller device over USB.
If you want that audio stream coming into Cubase, it might be a bit complicated over USB (option 1). It’s possible, but you will have to opt for alternative audio drivers such as ASIO4ALL to aggregate the AKAI audio in with the Yamaha/Steinberg audio. I personally do NOT recommend this option.
Instead, I would go with option 2 and use audio cables into your Steinberg Interface.
To use the audio inputs of your Steinberg interface on the Cubase Mixer:
Tap F4
This will bring up a window called “Audio Connections - Inputs”
Click the Inputs tab.
If there is already a Bus listed, make sure it is set up to use inputs from your Steinberg Audio interface. Add more buses if your Interface has more than one set of inputs. I.E. Maybe you have other microphones or instruments plugged into the Steinberg interface as well. Assign them all here.
Now you should be able see the input meters bounce when you play.
Assuming you set up outputs and can hear other things in Cubase (this is also done in the F4 “Audio Connections” window, I recommend monitoring through the ‘control room’ attached to your Stienberg outputs to an amp/speakers)…you can hear playing on your EWI if the respective channels on your Cubase mixing console have ‘listen’ enabled.
You may also create an audio track, link it to the audio inputs of your EWI, and ‘record’.
Another option you have is if you would like to use the EWI as MIDI controller to trigger different sounds hosted in Cubase. In this case, you go with option 4 in the User Manual. You skip wireless reciever, and plug a USB chord directly from the EWI controller into your PC.
Page 7 of the User Guide:
To play EWI5000 as a “wired” MIDI controller
When connected this way, you should find that the EWI is listed as a MIDI Device/port. It should be able to then trigger sounds hosted as Cubase Track or Rack instruments. In this case, you’ll most likely want to DISABLE the native EWI sounds that it can produce on its own.