Hi, how can I set the focus to the mixer window by using key commands without using “mixer”-key command which toggles between hide and show mixer.
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alt+TAB ? or just good old F3 then use tab to move between the different sections?
works just fine for me,
Well, yes, that works – thank you.
But what I am searching for is a key command that directly brings the focus to the mixer window, no matter where the focus currently is. Without this it is impossible for example to create a macro that always works – since the macro would not be aware where the “alt TAB” started, in other words, what the currently active window is/was.
BR, Ernst
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And as a side remark: The „issue“ is related to the problems that result from having “toggle” commands only instead of as well having “on” and “off” commands. It is all about commands that work without being aware of the context they are evoked in.
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I don’t know of a way of doing that inside Cubase or even with a midi remote control command.
And I wholeheartedly agree with you about the limitation of many Cubase Commands being implemented only as toggles and not also a specific ON and OFF commands. In addition to limiting Macros, it also severely limits what one can do with remote controls including the Generic Remote.
That being said, I’m curious what the end goal of your Macro is? Just in case, there might be another way to get done what you want to?
Hi Nico5,
I think the conceptual flaw (one of some…) is that “toggle” requires to know the current state in order to work usefully. Steinberg obviously buit these for buttons where Cubase is aware of the state, so toggling seems to be sufficient…the user invokes it and sees in advance whether it makes sense or not…
This is a very, very basic and fundamental design flaw – often implemented by engineers that are specialized on certain technical aspects (audio in our case) but miss key conceptual thinking (formal logic) – as being taught in computer science. I could write books about these things – not only or primarily concerning Steinberg. We have too many programmers and too less engineers on a conceptual level on this planet ;o).
But now to your question: I am using some remote controllers – Avid Artist Mix, Avid Artist Control, Avid Artist Transport, a tablet with the Avid Control App, a Novation Zero SL MK2 (and an AKAI MP16 just for drums). I am setting up a project template for recording from my Motif XF. I did that (recording from my XF) lot in the past, but never took the time to create a clever template for optimized workflow. Now I am taking the time. One thing I want to accomplish (it works now) is to monitor-enable and/or record enable two adjacent tracks/channels by a single keypress – starting from a situation where the first track/channel is already selected. In other words: add the neighbor to the selection and then couple/link them if needed and then evoke “monitor” or “record enable”.
There are some ways to achieve that. One idea was to use “include next track in selection” (it might be that in English this is called differently – I am using the German version of Cubase), then Q-Link and so on. Now: To enable Q-Link the mixer window has to be in focus. Plus: Due to a bug concerning Q-Linking an audio channel with a midi channel (which has something to do with track selection behaving invisibly different between Mixer and Project window) it is necessary to bring the project window to the front (focus) in order to make the Q-Link work as expected (this is not necessary when Q-Linking two audio channels btw.)
As a side remark: When I say “Macro” I am sometimes referring to a Cubase macro and sometimes to a sequence of commands from the EUCON-Controllers (Avid) which also allow to set up command sequences.
BR, Ernst
Hi Ernst,
Thanks for explaining the context of what you’re trying to do.
I wonder, if it might be possible to incorporate the PLE (Project Logical Editor) for operations on multiple tracks, rather than Q-Link?
This may not work for every use case, but it seems to work for Record Enabling and Monitoring of tracks - I’ve just tested it with 1 audio track and 1 midi track selected.
And once you have created and saved a PLE command, you should be able to incorporate it in a Macro if needed.
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Hi,
thank you for the hint. I tried PLE in a different context and I must confess that I always tend to forget about it… don’t know why…
It has a great potential and will follow your hint – since this will most likely also circumvent the “focus”-thing.
I hope Steinberg enriches the PLE with more properties and variables. And most importantly: A great manual with all the information that is hidden there. (I hope for a great manual for the new remote control integration they are working on as well).
BR, Ernst
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Hi Ernst!
Totally agree, I know this problem, it keeps me from creating some useful macros on my Metapad. I caught a sentence in some video once (or maybe in a new-feature-list somewhere), that this will be solved in Cubase 11, so that in Midi Generic Remote it won’t be a toggle but a direct focus to the mixer window. Can anybody confirm that? (I’m still on 10.5 since my cheesegrater MacPro can’t be upgraded to Mojave).
Regards
Balazs
I think that pressing F3 in Cubase 11 moves focus to the mixconsole if the window exists. If it doesn’t exist, it opens the mixconsole and then focuses. I’m not at Cubase at the moment, so I can’t take an oath that it works like that, but that’s the impression I’m under because the way F3 worked at 10.5 nagged me a bit, but ever since 11 I feel it’s working fine.
Hy ggmanestrai,
you are right, F3 moves focus tot he mixconsole if it exists, if it does not it opens it and focusses it. The bad thing: When the mixconsole already HAS the focus, F3 closes it…
While this seems reasonable for a human interaction who sees the state of the window and decides to press or not press F3 this is not possible for a macro. Commands whose result depends on the current state would require a check of the current state before being evoked. The better approach is to make commands state-unaware.
Thx, Ernst
yada yada
Regarding the multiple ways to do something, except the case where something doesn’t work. 
For example, in the case above where you want to record arm two tracks at the same time.
1a. Go macro from project view. If the tracks are always two and you always select the first one: project>bring to front, navigate>add down, edit(?)>record enable.
This requires that you have mixconsole and project synced in case you select the channel from the mixconsole. Also, it requires that “record enable allows midi-thru” is activated (can’t remember what the preference is called exactly, sorry).
1b. Go macro from mixconsole. In this case, you need to make sure you kick-off the command from the mixconsole, selecting the channel there. And then Add Next Channel, Q-Link, record enable, monitor.
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Use the PLE. Using either color, track type, or name, you have the option to directly record enable the tracks, or just select them and then have a macro execute, or call the PLE preset from within a macro. A million ways to do the exact same thing!
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Directly assign the buttons to your controller through generic remote. If you have bome midi translator, you can use the computer’s keyboard to send midi to the generic remote, thus gaining access to commands not available normally, like Send 1 pre/post etc.
I know that you know all of this already, that’s why I’ve hidden them. And I agree that the mixer could use some more love when it comes to focus. There are some known issues in the mixconsole that have led me to decide that any channel operations should be done from the project window, unless it’s unavoidable.
+1 for on/off/toggle commands, but I think it’s going to be a while until we see them.
I found this thread while trying to find a solution to the same problem.
I want to invoke a Macro that selects the current mixer visibility, but the visibility selection only works in the window that has focus - and if that’s the Project window the Macro selects the visibility there instead - argh!
I tried the F3 option, but that closes the mixer if it has focus - sigh…
Strangely the MCU protocol works directly on the mixer, regardless of where focus is - but that behaviour can’t be emulated in other remote options.
So it looks like a few of us have been on this journey, yet I see no solution offered by Steinberg here, or elsewhere.
Hi, what I decided to do is to always start with a defined “focus-state”. The simplest way to accomplish this is to set the focus to the project window. From this point “F3” (mixer 1 focus) always works in a reasonable way, since it either opens and focusses the mixer or just focusses the already open mixer window.
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That’s a good idea. I’ll give that a try.
It’s a good idea for the time being, because you get access to visibility configs too.
My way consists of having two buttons. One for project focus (command Bring project to front), and one for mixconsole focus (macro Bring project to front, then Mixer (F3)).
Then, I press what button I need before giving a “global focus” command, like Visibility Configuration 1-8 (which allows me to use 16 independent configs), or track/channel filters, or whatever else.
It takes some getting used to it, but it’s working.
@Elien
I’m not seeing how to achieve this in my Macro. I can find no method to set focus to the Project Window.
Edit: Maybe I have it. Is it Project => Bring to Front?
Isn’t “bring project to front” the command that you would use?
But i just looked into C12 and strangely enough there does not seem to be a command… hm… I must have done something different … maybe it was an eucon thing…
sorry - maybe someone else could help?
Hi you, we dont seem to be able to find the “bring project to front” command any more… could you give us a hint?
Thx,Ernst
It’s in Project → Bring to Front
