Scale assistant issue

Cubase
1

Is this normal behavior?
If I have the scale assistant set to A major, Snap Live Input checked and Record in Key Editor on, the controller (Nektar Impact) will play the A major scale on all white keys except the G key, this will repeat the F key and I need to go to the G# key to play a G#. This happens with the relative shifts in any Key (ie, in G major the F Key plays an E and I have to hit the F# key to get an F#)
As I understand it the A major scale (or any scale) should play right across all the white keys? That’s sort of the whole point of it isn’t it?

I’ve faffed with all the midi input settings and what have you but nothing is changing.
I’ve watched a few vids and this doesn’t seem to be correct, can someone confirm that any scale should just play on all the white keys with Live Input enabled?

2

No, it doesn’t work that way for me either. It does what it says on the tin, but most people expect it to do a transposition instead, sooo…

I guess someone from Steinberg should clear this up for us and clearly explain the scope of this function. We’re just wondering at this point.

3

As @ggmanestraki points out, playing on white keys only is not the intention (please don’t shoot the messenger!).
Put simply,

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There is a trick to get it to work that way though. Use the input transformer to transpose the tonic to C. Now playing white keys only will have the tonic on the C.

So for A Major transpose down 3 semitones so hitting the C will sound an A:

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4

Thanks Guys.

Couldn’t get the Input Transformer to work as you described Steve but then I know nothing about it so not really a shock.

I’m a little surprised though, the online vids like the Dom Sigalis one say stuff like “Imagine if you don’t know how to play a keyboard” well why have it “almost working”? If you don’t know any music theory then why make one note in the scale awkward?

I have enough theory to get by (guitar player) but I can’t play the keyboard for toffee so this would have been handy, why not just have “Stoopid Mode” where the scale is completely mapped to the white keys? Chucking in one double note just confuses everything.

As a non-keyboard player I’m obviously missing something here but that repeat note will often not play so any rhythm you might get going is just interrupted making the whole thing pointless.
Seemingly anyway.
How do you add that Module 1 Tab Steve?

5

I don’t know why they present it that way- you’re not the first to point that out.

It doesn’t throw in one double note, btw- it simply replaces notes not in the key with one that’s in the key.

Cubase has many, many features, one really needs to be detail oriented to take advantage. If you don’t see module tabs, you’re in the wrong place.

This is the Input Transformer

6

Cheers for the help.
Just loaded up Scalar 2 and it does what I need with bells on. You can map chords and scales to white keys or mapped keys till the cows come home.
The scale assistant is a brilliant thing for lots of situations but if you just want to play chords and lead runs in key Scalar has it.

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