New to MIDI: Exporting MIDI Tracks from Cubase AI 7

Cubase
1

Forgive the basic newbie question, but here is what I’ve done:

Attached a Roland SH-201 synth to both the MIDI IN/OUT on my Steinberg UR22. I also have TS cables going into the Audio Inputs on the UR22 from the SH-201’s audio out. The UR22 is connected to my Windows 8.1 PC via USB.

If I want to record a track in Cubase (sounds generated by the synth) I’ll set up a MIDI track setting the input to “All MIDI Inputs” and the output to the UR22. Also I create an audio track with the input/output set to the UR22 Stereo IN/OUT. I’ll record some sounds from the synth that way in Cubase and I get a waveform on the audio track, and midi data showing up on the MIDI track respectively.

Now, here is the dumb question, but just to make sure I understand how this works: when I export that track to a flac file the Synth has to be connected and turned on to convert the midi data to sound. If the settings on the synth change then the sound will change accordingly. So, if I want to work on a song this way, then finish the song some time in the future I have to remember the settings on the synth to get the same sound as I did when creating the track. Is there a way to just be able to export to flac without even connecting the synth at the time of export? If the answer is “NO” then I suppose the advantage of recording the sounds from my synth via midi is so that I CAN change them in the future. And, if I do not want the ability to change them I need to simply use the audio output on the synth and record it as an external instrument - no MIDI data? And, is it the same for for VST Instruments like Halion Sonic? Will Cubase remember which VST instrument was chosen every time I load the project?

Thanks in advance.

2

If you recorded the audio out of synth into an audio track—you said you can see the waveforms—then the synth’s job is done. Export Audio Mixdown to FLAC, and that will be the mix of the audio track(s).

As for remembering the setting on the synth, well, that’s an age-old problem. You can either write the settings down in the audio track’s Notepad, so you can manually call the patch back up later, or break out the manual and find out how to send the correct program changes via MIDI to your synth, and add those to the start of your MIDI channel’s clip (via List Editor

3

Thanks for confirming. I have a project with tracks from 2 sources. 2 midi tracks, and 2 audio tracks. 1 midi/audio track pair is from the synth, and the other is a VST instrument. I might have been doing something wrong because - at first - I couldn’t export the synth audio track to flac unless the synth was on and plugged in. After reading your post I copied and pasted the two waveform tracks into another project, and exported to flac from that new project with no problem. Maybe a setting somewhere, . . .

4

The only thing I can think of to cause that issue would be that, in Export Audio Mixdown dialog, you’ve got “Batch Export” selected up top and it’s only bouncing certain tracks. Otherwise, if it’s going out your main output bus, and that’s what’s selected in mixdown dialog, it HAS to be printed!