Setting up an External Multi-Timbral Synth

Cubase
1

Hello All,

I’m a Sonar refugee. I am climbing the learning curve on Cubase Pro 9.5.

I have a Yamaha Motif XS8 and a Korg Kronos 1. Both have a mode where they will act as 16 independent synthesizers, one per midi channel (i.e. they can be truly Multi-timbral). For the Korg, you put it in “Sequencer” mode and you can send program changes and notes on each channel as if there were 16 instances of a “single channel” Korg.

What’s the best way to set this up in Cubase? I successfully migrated my KorgKronos.ins file from Sonar to the Cubase Patch Script Name *.txt file and “Installed” it successfully through the MIDI Device Manager.

Then I created an “External Instrument” through ‘Studio|Audio Connections…’ on the ‘External Instruments’ tab. This allows me to “pre-assign” the audio output channel and the Korg MIDI device I just setup with all the patch names. Now I can create an “Instrument Track” with the patch names immediately available and the audio bus correctly assigned, BUT I can only install 1 instance.

If I create a MIDI track, I have to set the MIDI output port. Here the Korg MIDI device I created above is available in addition to the actual MIDI port feeding my Korg. I select my Korg MIDI device and now I get the patch names in the Track Inspector. Nothing for audio yet, but if it is like Sonar, it seems like I need to add a separate audio track to capture the audio. It won’t combine the audio and the midi into one track (at least I don’t know how). BUT I can install many instances, one for each MIDI channel.

So the MIDI track method will work for multi-timbral modes, but doesn’t allow me to have everything just setup upon creating a track (I suppose I could use Midi track presets?). Plus it has separate audio tracks. Seems like “External Instrument” definitions and “Instrument Tracks” are the right way to do this, but it doesn’t seem to allow multiple channels for a true Multi-timbral synthesizer. Am I doing something wrong? Any advice? When does one use “Midi Tracks” and when does one use “Instrument Tracks”?

Thank you in advance!

2

Hi,

Your setup is correct.

Add an External Instrument. The Instrument track acts as a MIDI track and Audio Return Channel at once. So if you route another MIDI track to your External Instrument, the Audio Return comes over the Instrument Track (it’s Return Channel).