QUESTION: Can you see MIDI events as audio in the project window?

Cubase
#1

Hello,
Can you see MIDI events as audio representations in the project window of Cubase? I know you can see them as notes, but it would be really useful to generate an audio representation instead of the notes in order to align the transients better, especially for percussion libraries. Is it possible? Or you should work this in another way?

Thank you!

PS: I’ve been using Studio One 5 demo and it does EXACTLY what I asked here (you have to freeze in order to make it happen, but it happens).

When you freeze and instrument (you make it into audio) the Midi Clips are displayed as audio clips and you can move them for better sync. You can unfreeze then the track and the changes you did remain. This is exactly what I would like to see in Cubase.

#2

No, MIDI notes are just instructions to an instrument to play something.
Cubase has no idea what instrument will be played hence what the audio will look like (sharp attack/slow attack etc).

If you want to see the waveforms you need to render the track to audio.

#3

Or use an oscilloscope.

#4

Not even when you freeze a track? I mean, when you freeze a track you are actually rendering it, but you still see the MIDI. I wish I could see the audio and work with the track in order to align it well, and then be able to further MIDI edit if I need to.

ilmoto, did you say that with an oscilloscope you can do what I wish to be able to do? How would you do it?

Thanks

#5

to stupid to answer it…
MIDI is only musical information and is not audio
we do this discussion since 30 years now

#6

An oscilloscope will render the waveforms in real time. It won’t really help for lining up other tracks but it certainly helps when you want to see the waveform without having to render to audio.

I use Sugar Audio Oscarizor. You can see waveforms from multiple tracks simultaneously so actually this might help with lining up audio with each other. Maybe check it out.

#7

I’ve seen some of you’re answers and I don’t think you undestand me well. I’m sorry.

First, I do know that MIDI is not audio. That’s why used the word “representation”.

What I want is a representation of the audio output of an instrument track in order to see the transients to be able to align and then still modify the MIDI if I wish too. So I don’t really want “audio”, I just want a “picture” that you could generate like you render in place a track.

Actually, you can do what I want to do. You just have to use “RENDER IN PLACE” and then you have an audio event below the MIDI event and both events are the same size. You can move both to align them well and then you can delete the rendered track and work with your instrument track if you want. However, this generates a lot of audio files you don’t really need. I just need the picture. Do you understand what I want now?

I’m sorry for the inconvenience :frowning:

PS What you do now to AUDIO with VARI AUDIO and AUDIO WARP is by far much more complex that the simple thing I wish I could do with MIDI.

#8

Always understood what you wanted and told you how it could be accomplished, which you very possibly already understood.
The track would have to be rendered (or at least analysed for rendering) to do what you want though. It’s true that the audio could be rendered, the image that we see generated and then the actual audio deleted but I’d guess it’s a pretty niche requirement. I can see it would sometimes be useful.

It’s certainly not anything I’ve see requested before though.

You can always put it in the requests/suggestions forum and see how many people go for it. It might work.

Freezing does exactly the same and hence also creates a file, it’s just that it doesn’t put it in the pool so you don’t see it.

#9

Thanks planarchist. I’ll do that. It was something I thought it may exist already in Cubase (because it is not so “hard”). I’ll do the audio thing. :slight_smile:

#10

By they way, I’ve been using Studio One 5 demo and it does EXACTLY what I asked here.

When you freeze and instrument (you make it into audio) the Midi Clips are displayed as audio clips and you can move them for better sync. You can unfreeze then the track and the changes you did remain. This is exactly what I would like to see in Cubase.

#11

Steinberg are flying so low under the radar these days it’s actually stupid. It’s been way too long since any maintenance update without a peep. Why am I telling you this? I dunno, just had to vent to someone! But seriously, who else feels that Steiny have just vanished?

#12

The entire world has vanished, so…

#13

Pft. just that. Pft.

#14

+1

#15

Don’t agree at all. Many software companies are still coming up with updates even during this corona thing. I just think it’s been way too long since we’ve heard from Steinberg. Can only hope that they’re focusing on development and not the public for now.

#16

A) It’s a dark joke for dark times
B) Steinberg is always quiet before a release
C) Based on recent history (and a leaked doc) a release seems imminent