I upgraded to Cubase 14 and have been looking at the new pattern editor. I like how well it is integrated into Cubase vs. using VST’s but it does have a few holes in it. I wanted to offer some feedback which I hope can be used to improve it.
Need the ability to add ranges of notes and/or scales to step lanes. Current functionality is oriented towards drums. The pattern editor could be used for other instruments, but it is tedious to add more than one note at a time. You could add an option to add multiple lanes at a time, where it asks low note, high note, and what scale it is in. So you could add A minor from A-2 to A-4 and boom all the notes are there.
Need to be able to re-order the step lanes, either manually or just sorting it low-to-high / high-to-low.
Editing the color of step lanes is not intuitive, why not just right-click on the color instead of having a separate dialog for it?
Being able to drag a pattern into the track view, and specify repeats, is great, just like audio sample loops. Can we get the same for MIDI clips, so we can make a loop (capture MIDI or edit in piano roll) and use it as a “pattern” which can be dropped in the track in multiple places, specify repeat X times, and so on just like the Pattern Event and sample loops?
You can convert a Pattern Event to a MIDI Part but not the other way around. Ideally you could select an existing MIDI block and convert it to a pattern, or drag-and-drop a MIDI drum pattern into the pattern editor, and it would add any required step lanes to turn it into a pattern.
Ability to save/load patterns to files, making it easier to share between projects.
Can we name patterns rather than just numbers? It gets hard to organize especially since you can’t reorder them.
Please add 6th and 8th to “generate steps” or an option to customize.
I would like to see a note length / gate length parameter lane. However the repeat parameter lane steps would have to take priority over gate length steps otherwise you would get weird sounding randomized repeats.
please add a Step Tie Mode so we can manually tie, for instance, steps 14 and 15 in the process of creating bass grooves. Changing the number of steps won’t allow those 16th groove manipulations. thank you !
How about some kind of presets so when you use it with another drum sampler and rename all the lanes, it can be recalled. It doesn’t even save it with track presets (I tried it).
Ultimately, it would be great if you could attach a mapping to a particular VSTi and then Cubase would recall it all when you open the Drum Machine/Sampler, whatever you have it attached to.
Kind of like when you open a plugin and your remote mapping gets recalled.
I agree to other users: The pattern editor should be bidirectional (i.e. from midi back to pattern mode). I also miss the option of using the pattern editor in other time signatures, for example in 6/8 time to create a blues pattern. Am I missing the point or is it only possible to work with the pattern editor and the presets it provides in 4/4 time?
Currently it uses Drum Maps. So if you create a Drum Map for the other drum samplers you can assign the map to the track you’re working on.
If the plugins support the VST3 specs in this area, creating a drum map takes two mouse clicks.
I am not using any drum plugins other than the Steinberg ones, so my knowledge is limited.
However, I know that transmitting drum names from the plugin to the host:
Pitch names are intended to be used with drum kit programs where the different drum sounds are addressed by note pitches. In order to display the name of the drum instrument assigned to a pitch in a drum editor, for example, the host calls Steinberg::Vst::IUnitInfo::hasProgramPitchNames to determine if pitch names are supported and Steinberg::Vst::IUnitInfo::getProgramPitchName to query the pitch name of a single note.
Yes can we have Scale Assistant features in the pattern mode for use with instruments and synths not just drum parts. Would be great not have to think about what notes in the scale when picking each note. Would be nice for it to just show only notes in that scale.
Also, the ability to do a legato/tie on a note within the pattern editor.
