On focus of Plug-in window, select its track?

Cubase
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Hello, Cubaseers!

Is there a method we can use to do this?

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I haven’t found anything related, using the MIDI Remote graphical UI. So, I guess that, if it’s possible, scripting is involved and at this point, I can’t help you : I gave up trying to script, confused by the .js vs .json vs .midiremote files created at a point or another when using the MIDI Remote feature.

So, I’m staying strictly with the graphical UI : rather limiting, I know, but life is short… :neutral_face:

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I don’t think that such an option exists, but I’m not the most experienced user around obviously :slight_smile:

What you’re asking CAN be done partially and externally, by sniffing the active window’s title and then send the corresponding “select” midi message for the channel having this name. If, now, it’s out of your bankZone, you’re doomed unless you have a large bankzone already containing all of your tracks (not suggested). Another problem with this approach is if two or more tracks share the same name.

Out of curiosity, what do you want to achieve by that? :slight_smile:

EDIT: I have an idea, I’ll get back to you in the evening.

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I know, but spring is coming, so I feel somewhat immortal in this intoxicating endless cycle of life and death. :sweat_smile: After all, why? Why shouldn’t I dabble in scripting? [Insert Bilbo meme here]

Of course, we have Focus Quick Controls for this job I’m describing. But Quick Controls are just 8. So, let me explain a bit further in the vein of:

What I would like to achieve.

Have a page “Plug-in Control.” In this page, 16 encoders would control 16 parameters, and the 16 pushes would control another 16 parameters (switches), and my 9 faders another 9 parameters, for the plug-in currently in focus.

For this to happen, I need two things in advance.

  1. Have the proper track selected.
  2. Be in the right Inserts Viewer Bank.

Both are fairly easy to achieve manually, but I think it would be very convenient if they could be automated. I mean, the plug-in window has both clues in the header: Track name - Insert slot. (as MChantzi says)

Now, I know this not an exclusive responsibility of the MIDI Remote, but why not explore if some “core” Cubase function could ease the work expected of the MIDI remote.

For example, I love the preference: “Project & MixConsole - Select Channel/Track on Edit Settings” I have this ticked permanently. Instead of select track buttons, I have Edit Channel Settings buttons, because when I’m “selecting” a channel, I usually want to do something TO IT. So I need to see the Channel Settings window. And this little preference works like a charm for me!

Similarly, if there was a “Auto-Select Channel/Track, Auto-Follow Insert Viewer Bank on Plug-in Focus”, I would run with this preference “on” all the time, because that’s how I’m used to working. Have something on screen, tweak, dismiss. Go to another thing, do the same.

I need to be able to control a plug-in in both situations:

  1. Manually.
  • Select a track (button on controller)
  • Click on an encoder from 1-16 to open the proper plug-in in its slot (a case of encoder 1 calling selected Channel - Inserts Viewer - Reset Bank - Plug-in edit. [Not accurate, off the top of my head])
  • Control away.
  1. Automatically.
  • After having tweaked a plug-in, click somewhere else to do something else, on another track, anything.
  • Upon clicking on the plug-in window of the old track, re-assume control of THAT plug-in automatically. Have the track selected, have the insert viewer bank be the proper one automatically.

It’s sort of “what you see (in focus) is what you control”.

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I’m still using the Generic Remote for manipulating Audio Insert plugins of the selected track by position (1 through 16), since the Midi Remote can’t do it that way for Inserts.

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Not even with some trickery?
Like, for slot 1, reset bank
For slot 2, reset bank, Next bank
For slot 3, reset bank, Next bank, next bank…

And if reset bank doesn’t do what I think it does, wouldn’t

for slot 1, previous bank x16 times
for slot 2, previous bank x16 times, next bank.
etc.

work?

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It’s mReset (mResetBank resets the bank of the selected slot).
It can easily be done, BUT only with scripting, so @Nico5 is most probably right to stay with the GR as long as it has the 1-16 assignments already and doesn’t require a script to do it.

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That gets you the bank, but then you’d still need to turn a dial - so always 2 actions, rather than just a single action with the Generic Remote. With on/off buttons you might be able to bring it down to one action via writing an insane number of macros.

yes, with scripting, one can work around a lot of the current limitations of the Midi Remote - but it seems silly to have to resort to that for what should be pretty straightforward stuff.

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Ok, back to the topic.

Here’s an algorithm (algorithm in this case means the laziness to write down a snippet, however it might be educational as well):

  • Setup your mixerBankZone, and read the titles (track names) of your channels upon their change event

  • Engage the page.mHostAccess.mFocusedQuickControls

  • Inside the event quickControl.mOnTitleChange (where quickControl in this case is the byIndex Focused Quick Control)

    • Read the objectTitle
    • Iterate through your mixerBankZone’s channel names
    • Upon finding it, fire up a customProcessVariable which you have bound with the track (by index)

Now that I see it, perhaps I should write a snippet instead, not sure this was lazy enough :slight_smile:

Oh and don’t forget the problem that if you have two or more tracks with identical names, this won’t work as expected. A solution would be exposing not just the track name but also its unique ID but I guess that’s too much to ask from an API at least while there are other features with higher priority to add.

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