Possible to "lock" Hardware/Midi faders to mixer Audio faders via protocol (Generic Remote, Mackie, Eucon etc.)?

Cubase
1

Hello Community,

I’m working in rather large projects (200-300 tracks) and I want to control the mixer/volume faders of the submix group audio channels (i.e. strings, woods, brass, etc.) via 8 pre-defined, “locked” hardware midi faders (i.e. Korg NanoControl, etc.).

Trying to achieve this, I set up a Generic Remote, where I have the option to assign specific hardware midi faders to specific audio channels. The problem with this is, that when I add or delete, say, 1 audio track before (in regard of the channel number) the submix group channels - which I constantly do -, the channel numbers are reassigned, and the fader will then control a different channel. Meaning, when I assigned the hardware/midi fader to control, say, “audio channel 200”, after adding a channel before, it will then control “channel 201”, whereas, when i delete one, it will then control “channel 199”.

Hence the question if it is possible to lock hardware/midi to audio channels using another protocol than Generic Remote (Mackie, Eucon, etc.), since with this it doesn’t seem to be possible.

Hardware-wise, I don’t think I would need anything more than a Korg Nanocontrol (which, I read, also uses a “slimmed down” version of the Mackie protocol), but - especially if it’s not possible with this - I’m also open for any further recommendations.

Side-note:
I know, a workaround would be to move the bus channels to the very start of my projects so they would have fixed channel IDs 1-8, but for a number of reasons I’d much rather like to keep them at the end of my project.

Thanks in advance!

2

Hi,

This is not possible. Your can do this with for example with Avid Artist controllers.

I would go for the workaround you mentioned. I would change the order only in the MixConsole 1 (which is the one, hardware is linked with), which wouldn’t be in sync with other MixConsoles and the Project window. For editing in Cubase I would use MixConsole 2, which could be in sync with the Project window.

3

hey martin,

thanks for the speedy reply (especially considering it’s the weekend)!

I did some research/testing and can’t seem to find out, how to change the channel order of the MixConsole you mentioned. The only thing I can change is their the “visibility”, keeping tracks locked to the left or right border of the mixer. This doesn’t influence the channel IDs, though, which is the parameter which relates to the hardware/midi controller #. Would you please specify how to achieve what you’ve suggested?

Apart from that, I did some research on the AVID controllers. Apart from lots of reports about stability and compatibility issues on Windows, Avid has also announced end of support in the near future, so this is definitely not the best option, especially considering their steap pricing, and the fact that actually any cheap controller would also do the job for me. Is EuCon the only protocoll which is able to “lock faders”, or is this also possbile with any (i.e.) Mackie-based protocols?

Also, I was thinking another work-around. In Generic Remote, I have the option to lock a midi fader to the “selected channel” in the project window. So selecting the first of my 8 bus channels would let me control the #1. Is there a way to lock bus #2 to "selected channel +1, bus #3 to selected channel +2, etc.? This would be totally sufficent for me!

Another thought, if this maybe could be achieved via the Logical Editor?

If it helps, I’m working with Novation Impulse 61 with Automap, yet, in Automap there is also no option to lock faders with changing IDs - they will always control fixed Channel IDs.

Thanks in advance & kind regards!

4

Hi,

You are right, I was wrong, you cannot change the Channels order individually from the tracks order.

I was thinking the Zones are transferred to the controller, so if you lock them Channels to the Left Zone, you should see it on the hardware. But I’m probably wrong.

Avid Artist EuCon is the only one protocol I know where you can lock the channel. Mackie Protocol can’t do this, same as Generic Remote.

Logical Editor if useful for some static changes. You have some data and you process it once. You cannot keep Logical Editor to observe your channels constantly.
Unfortunately in the Generic Remote you cannot choose “Selected +1” channel. If you select multiple Channels, the very 1st one from the selected list should be taken as the “Selected” one by Cubase.

5

hey martin,

thanks again for looking into this. i’ll be going with the workaround for now, even though it comprises some disadvantages. i’ll be posting again, should i find a more practical solution.

6

The workaround (move the bus channels to the very start of my projects so they would have fixed channel IDs 1-8) wiil work in cubase 10.5 if you use the generic remote for this, and then create a visability preset without them in mixer 1, and use a mackiecontrol for mixer 1. In the generic remote they will still be at ch 1-8, while not visable in your mixer 1 AND in the mackie mixer!. Now setup mixer 2 to only show groups…voila
I do this with my fx returns, mixer 2: groups and All vca’s, mixer 3 FX returns and FXvca’s. In the generic remote my fx returns are always the first 12 channels, then always 8 groups, then a flex number of VCA’s