Multiple Synths through Mixers to audio interface

I have a large number of hardware synths and not enough inputs on my audio interface to handle them so I use mixers that send stereo pairs to my interface. I have been using this setup with a different DAW but would like to get it working with Cubase. The setup works like this…

  1. Multiple synths are plugged into an analog mixer and routed out the main mix to a stereo pair on my audio interface.
  2. I have a midi channel going to each of my synths so can select which synth I am recording.
  3. I only want to record the audio from the synths and not the midi performance.
  4. I use a new audio track, attached to the input channel from the mixer, to capture the performance of the synth I am playing.

But here is the problem…
I only want to record the audio track, not the midi track.

So my question is… How do I send midi to a synth without recording the performance??

Hope I have explained the setup clearly!!

Any ideas would be appreciated.

If you don´t want to record a MDI track, don´t create one, or don´t set it to record ready

From where? Cubase?

If I don’t have a midi track, then how do I get the midi signal from my controller keyboard to my Rack mount synth modules?

With your fingers hitting the keys on the controller keyboard…? :wink:
Sorry I’m not exactly sure about your setup.
You are playing the controller keyboard’s MIDI data into a cubase MIDI track and from there with different MIDI channel information (set on the MIDI track) back out into the synths?
If so, just don’t record enable the MIDI track !?

OK… It’s been a while since I have used my Cubase. Just press the Speaker Icon and the midi gets to the synth, no need to press the Record enable button… Dumb me.

Hit F4, and create an instrument input for your Mixer. Do NOT assign a MIDI device from this place…leave that empty.
Now you’ll get an option in the “Instrument Track” to throw your mixer faders into the CuBase project.

You’ll choose MIDI devices from each track’s inspector. CuBase will then send the MIDI events to the proper MIDI port(s) defined in your synth profiles. If you don’t use CuBase synth profiles, then you can route directly to the relevant MIDI port, and you get little forms in the track inspector to type in bank and program changes.

Alternatively, you could just route your mixer into a regular audio input (also done from F4). In this case the mixer just shows up, and you don’t need to add it to the Instrument Rack. Again, don’t define a MIDI port when assigning inputs in F4.

Yes, you will need at least one MIDI track for each of your rack synths that you intend to use, in order to route the MIDI stream from your playing controller to the instrument(s)/channels of your choice. You’d need to either arm it for recording or monitoring to ‘play’ and hear things.