Need help with the stacked cycle MIDI record

Cubase
1

I want to say I had this working last night in a separate project. But as of now, I can’t get this to function the same way.

I know that cycle recording will introduce stacked layers. However, in my example, I have already recorded one MIDI item, but stopped the recording to play it back to see how I liked it. Then I decided to record another take, but as I’m recording, the previous take is also playing! I have the record mode set to “New/Stacked” in the transport bar, and I absolutely can’t figure this out.

I have seen other posts in hopes of finding a solution, but there’s never a solution posted.

2

Use the “mute” tool to mute your MIDI part.
HTH
J.L.

3

Thanks. I pretty much started doing that last night, but wondered if there was a way to make the previous takes mute automatically. Hopefully, SB implements this in the future.

4

I agree completely.

And along the same lines I would like an option to have only one MIDI Lane playing at a time - by default the last - as with Audio lanes.

This way one could do multiple takes of a part and keep them all - comping later if wanted.

To have this option ONLY in cycle mode is silly, IMHO.
This is a serious ommision for me.

Personally I like to take a quick breater between takes . . .

1 Like
5

I think it is good the way it is. If you don’t want to hear the part, mute it. If Cubase muted it automatically, how would you play along with the existing part? As soon as you hit record, your suggestion would mute the existing part and then you would have to race to unmute it so you can play along with it.

6

Unless they changed it in C7 (I’m on C6.5) you already have what you want.

I don’t see the difference between this and how it works currently, as long as you are willing to mute the existing part before you start recording again. Just record, take your breather, mute the part, record again, wash, rinse, repeat…
(In New/Stacked mode of course).

7

Total agreement with Hugh and the OP. It would make a lot of sense to offer this as an option. It’s been discussed on the forum - I hope it’s added at some point.

8

There are problems with that:

I many times do not retake the whule thing but only a certain section - whatever - and want to hear what I just did up to the punch point. In any case I want to be able to selectively retake - as with audio tracking - and then comp those takes.
Impossible with Cubase.

It’s really amazing to me that Steinberg designed things in this way. Tracking and listening back and punching a new piece and comping is just basic to recording - but very difficult with MIDI in Cubase despite it’s many MIDI features.

It’s as though they think 99.9% of users build up thier MIDI tracks a layer at a time. I never do it that way.

Hugh

1 Like
9

It’s not impossible. Cut at the punch in and punch out point then mute the desired part.
I do agree that your option would be useful in your case. But, it does need to be an OPTION because some people (or at least some people some of the time) do build their MIDI parts in layers and want to hear the existing part while recording the new layer.
J.L.

10

I know this is an old thread, and still an issue in C7, but after experimenting with “New/Stacked” I think I can clear up the way it works (but it’s still not exactly desirable). Then the next person who searches for this won’t be so confused. just a little mad.

It only mutes each previous take when they’ve all been recorded during a single cycle loop session. To make it work correctly - remove all takes and start with a clean track. Then start a cycle loop in record mode and each previous take will be muted, as advertised.

But once you stop recording, then go back and start a new looping session on that track, all previous take(s) will only be muted if you manually solo the current lane. Unfortunately also - there is not a mute button on the lanes, only solo buttons, which is really odd and inconvenient to me? There must be a technical reason that this is more desirable, but I can’t figure it out. Once I get to this point, if I have takes I want to save but not hear, I’ll move them to another track for awhile. I still think it should not play them.

jaslan suggested that it’s good to have the option to hear each previous take - that is a different option, you don’t use Stacked, you use a different record type: “Mix-Stacked (no mute)” which does exactly what he said. New/Stacked should work as advertised whether or not you’re going back to previous material and it doesn’t.

[edit] - wait, there’s a mute TOOL? I never realized that was there - I guess I never really needed it until I started doing tons of lane stacking like this particular style of playing requires. That does help matters a little.