The Logical Editor and Project Logical Editor are very specific to working with and utilizing what is in the program as already existing functions. I would much rather see continued and more extensive development within this context, rather than more open ended scripting languages.
+1.
Macros, the LE and the PLE should all be text editor scripts. Even with no new features, being able to simply copy/edit/paste commands would be a tremendous improvement.
It’s been on my list of Annual Requests for over a decade. But then… there have been so few improvements to -any- of the ‘macro’ features in Cubase it’s hard for me to see this ever happening.
Often we have some small needs that are not possible to achieve, therefore we need to do other 5 manipulations, but some other are not possible at all. One example is what someone asked yesterday in Facebook page - substract some value from Kick drum note if in there is Snare drum near. I would say it’s very simple from script view, but not possible in existing functionality. Of course this is needed if you record whole song live and it’s more simplest if you use shared copy of drum pattern (edit one and it will be the same in all copies). So better would be to allow scripting and maybe not only in Logical Editor, rather than we tell our small but obvious needs.
Another example would be - a script attached to a track - “if output of this track, specified group or main out is reaching exact level, lower this track’s volume by specified value”. Simple, isn’t? Maybe not the best example, but it’s worth to think in that deep.
yeah, those examples sound unnecessarily complicated and pointless… like, you should be making websites instead of music.
I could see some use, for a MIDI scripting plugin like in Logic… but for the most part, giving users this kind of open ended scripting sounds like an unnecessary headache that has no use for 99.99%. of people. It would be quicker for you to figure out how to use the existing program as is, quicker, than it would be to code what you want.
I get the cool nerd factor of the request, I’m with you there, but it’s not practical, I’m not sure it’s what Cubase is really about, and there are other programs that can do this for you. Cubase can host some of those programs. Just not sure it would be practical.
I think better effort spent, would be lobbying for Steinberg to put more resources into further developing the Project/Logical Editor and Macro system as it is. There are simple improvements to be had here.
The scripting should not be confined to the Logical Editor(s) and should include Key Commands & Macros.
While several things come to mind, number one by a loooooong shot for me is scripting around setting focus to specific Windows, fields within those Windows & manipulating alphanumeric text to put in those fields. For example, right now I can easily have Key Commands to go to Marker 4 or 9, but Marker 11 is out of reach***** because there is no mechanism to specify the value of X when using the KC “To Marker X” without having a dialog box open and hand entering “11” - scripting opens a whole world of possibilities for dealing with things like selecting Presets which are totally dependent on focus and text input.
Also scripts would allow us to use variables which would be very useful in the LE & PLE.
***** Not 100% true as I can use Metagride to intermix KCs and Text, but totally within Cubase - no.
They are not mutually exclusive, I think scripting in Cubase should be more an adjunct to those tools rather than an alternative. The Logical Editors, Macro system and scripting should all be one integrated toolset. Most of the current restrictions in the LEs become non-issues if scripting were available.
A pretty limited scripting language would be all that’s needed: Constants and variables, basic math functions (including boolean), control structures (if/then, case) and communication hooks to Cubase Key Commands and the Logical Editors.
I agree. Although I have even lower expectations. I just think being able to copy/paste text with the -existing- functions would be pretty great for repetitive macros. And the thing is… I’m 100% sure that sort of parser is already buried -somewhere- in Cubase.
Quite so. Also, whatever solution should include the ability to test property states. That would at last provide a solution for creating macros that are not possible because, although there might be a key command to toggle some property, there are none to explicitly set or reset that property.
If you had the choice between LUA scripting, or say, 10-20 new basic components/features/utilities/improvements in the PLE, which would you want?
The PLE can do more than people seem to know, improving it slightly could go a long way.
Not against the idea of LUA (imo, I’d rather see a MIDI scripting plugin), but it might be more immediately useful to focus on what is already available… And I’d rather focus on music rather than scripting and instead have Steinberg script what I need.
Me too. But I know if it would be possible, I’ll make my workplace once and then use it. So scripting job will take one-two days for a workflow of one-two years.
Both might not be a reality, there is only so much time and resources… I’m not even sure what incorporating a more open-ended sandbox scripting protocol into an already existing program really consists of - is that easy? I have no clue.