Solved: Can Some Answer This: Is There An Option Missing?

Cubase
1

Ok, so after re-reading the manual regarding setting up MIDI devices, it seems that the option to specify MIDI channels 1-16 is not there for my keyboards & sequencer inputs in the Devices>Setup>MIDI ports set up page.

The way it reads to me, there is supposed to be an additional option for this along side the ‘In All MIDI’, but there isn’t. There’s an empty bunch of slots next to it, and right or left clicking all around & everywhere does nothing.

Now matter what I try, nothing works, and the tracks all show the same MIDI activity as if I had clicked ‘All MIDI’.

I do have the options for output channels on my MIDI devices & modules, but absolutely nothing for any incoming channels/devices.

So whether I play the keyboard, and use different MIDI channels, or send different MIDI tracks from my sequencer, the same thing happens - they all echo the same note on/off messages in all tracks as if just one track is playing to all of them - a.k.a OMNI mode.

To double check that this isn’t my keyboards, I quickly opened Sonar, added a MIDI channel, and play the same keyboard without changing a single thing in either DAW.

Then I switched MIDI channels and it worked just as it should. Individual MIDI channels were available from 1-16 in the DAW as I changed them on the keyboard, where I can pick & choose any one of 16 in Sonar’s MIDI track.

I have the OMNI option there as well.

In Cubase, it is operating in OMNI only [In ‘All MIDI’], so something is definitely missing in the MIDI Ports Set up page.

I must admit I’m new to seeing ‘Direct Music’ & ‘Windows MIDI’, which are automatically displayed there - perhaps that’s the problem.

According to the script in the ‘Help button section’, there should also be ‘MIDI System’
as well, but there isn’t.

Anyone else have this problem?

My devices: Yamaha P-200 Piano - MIDI Channels 1-16; Novation ReMote 37 SL - MIDI Channels 1-16 -[doubles as a MIDI interface]; Roland MC-50 Sequencer - MIDI Channels 1-16, TC Electronics SK48 Audio/MIDI Interface; Roland UM-550 MIDI Interface.

I’m not willing to believe that Cubase can’t see or recognize 16 separate incoming MIDI Channels from common MIDI devices, [especially the Yamaha P-200 - hello!], so any help would be greatly appreciated, as I’m assuming there’s something simple that I know not about in this DAW verses my other 2 that have no issues with this task.

My 3rd DAW - not a newb by any means other than just new to Cubase.

Thanks,

James

2

I’m not sure what you read in the manual… but what you’re trying to do (if I understand you correctly) isn’t done in the MIDI port setup page. All the MIDI port setup page does is allow you to assign which MIDI devices are visible for selection as inputs to your MIDI tracks, and which devices will be part of the “All MIDI Inputs” selection for input.

If I understand you correctly, you are trying to tell Cubase to only listen to one particular MIDI channel for each device you have connected, correct? The thing is, it doesn’t work quite that way. First of all, you can select each midi input individually for each MIDI track. So one MIDI track can take input from your sequencer, while another one takes input from your keyboard, etc. This may (or may not) eliminate the need to isolate specific MIDI channels in the first place, depending on what you’re trying to do. MIDI tracks default to input from “All MIDI Inputs” when they are created, but they obviously don’t HAVE to be set to listen to “All MIDI Inputs”. They can be assigned a particular device. (See pages 124-125 in the Cubase 7 manual).

Additionally, you can also tell each individual MIDI track to only listen for a specific MIDI channel. This is done using the input transformer. See the page 595 in the Cubase 7 manual. There are presets for the input transformer for isolating specific MIDI channel data, so it’s super easy. And the input transformer can be set either locally (just for that track) or globally (for ALL MIDI tracks).

Does that help? Or… am I muddying the waters?

3

Right, a MIDI device generally lets you operate (i.e. output MIDI events) on one MIDI channel, while often being able to receive on multiple MIDI channels.

I think few people change the transmitting MIDI channel (on the hardware) on a recurring basis, and rather just do it once while configuring their setup.

It is often too cumbersome to change the transmitting MIDI channel on a device, and therefore rather more convenient to deal with channels during playback in a consistent manner, by changing the MIDI channel on a MIDI Track.

If I have misunderstood what you are asking or want to accomplish, please accept my apologies in advance.

I use quite a bit of hardware synthesizers and equipment here and I have never bothered with input channels on any MIDI sources at all. It’s all handled by Cubase from my choices on the Tracks. (I’ve used Cubase since before it was called Cubase.)

4

Thank you for the replies.

Let me respond to ‘Elektrobolt’ first:

So you just leave, say, MIDI Channel 1 set on one keyboard output, and maybe MIDI Channel 2 for another, and record into a MIDI track from either using ‘In All MIDI’ - then change the output to which ever of 1-16 going out from there then?

This seems easy enough, and the logical default set up, especially when ‘In All MIDI’ is selected in the MIDI Ports setup Page.
…
@ SLD Music

…Does that help? Or… am I muddying the waters?..

I think that might help a great deal, and I believe you both understand me quite correctly.

…Additionally, you can also tell each individual MIDI track to only listen for a specific MIDI channel. This is done using the input transformer…

That’s exactly what I want to do.

I’m Ok with Elektrobolt’s method above, and can work with that, but what would be ideal for my particular case is:

Not only from my 2 keyboards, but if possible, I’d like to play in real time, my hardware MIDI sequencer which has 2 MIDI outputs, mainly with one recorded MIDI Channel on each:
ie: Sequencer Track 1 = MIDI Channel 1; Track 2 = MIDI Channel 2, and so on up to 16 channels.

I’ve set up the sequencer as Slave & Cubase as the Master, but I believe that SLD Music’s advice maybe just what is needed, as the tracks currently all jamb together in Cubases’ MIDI tracks - not separate.

I’ve only installed Cubase just a few weeks ago, and was not aware of the Input Transformer on page 595. [But I have been at page 124 a few times now.]

In essence, having all the options available would suit me best, as I have numerous songs recorded on the sequencer that I’m ready to transfer, edit & add vocals & guitars to.

I’ll spend some time at this now that I’m aware, and will report back later today or tonight.

Thanks Buds,

James

5

Yes, and you don’t even have to change the default (or transmit) MIDI channel on the keyboards at all. Since it is all routed inside Cubase anyways.

6

Cool, well as you are, I’m sure, aware, there are inevitably 47 different ways to do similar things in Cubase. It just depends on what exact workflow you are looking for. If you are indeed wanting to send MIDI data out through multiple channels at once with your sequencer or keyboard, and want to have your MIDI tracks record from those midi channels independently, it sounds like the input transformer is your ticket.

Like I said, it should be super easy because the input transformer has pre-made presets that allow you to ignore all data except that coming in on a specific channel. So once you set up your MIDI tracks with LOCAL input transformers for each track isolating the MIDI channels you want them to listen to, you should be most of the way there.

And as Elektrobolt said, Cubase doesn’t inevitably care what channel the MIDI comes in on, because it will transform it to output on whatever channel you select at the MIDI track output. So in certain workflows, you might not care what channel your keyboard or sequencer is transmitting on since you can just output to the tone generators or VST instruments whatever channel you specify at the output of the MIDI track. It sounds like with your ideal workflow you DO care, though, and that’s what the input transformer is for.

Anyhoo–report back and let us know if you got it working / have more questions.

7

OK, so I’m back with some results!

I spent hours & hours reading the manual yesterday, and although I started back at page 124 & then onto 595 as suggested, I decided to jump around to the other suggested pages within as I was making my way through.

Sure enough this took me from 595 all the way back to 440, 449, 460, 580 and so on.

So I did indeed learn about the ‘Input Transformer’ and discovered just how very in depth this & the other options are in this DAW, which are quite impressive, and I’m even more pleased now about purchasing it.

And although I may have eventually stumbled upon this in the manual, I was only at page 293 so far in my reading, and I must admit I do have a history of starting to read things, but not necessarily always finishing them. :blush:

It would’ve been weeks before I’d get to that page in the manual, if at all.

In addition to which, even after getting there in the manual, I may not have attributed the ‘Input Transformer’ to be what I needed for some of my MIDI needs, so a huge thank you to ‘SLD Music’ for pointing this out to me. :smiley:

So I set up a few templates with the ‘Input Transformer’, tried it and it looks like this will work for me.

I must say it does seem a bit odd to me to have to block out the 15 MIDI Channels I don’t want in each track, as opposed to just picking the one that I do want, [like in Sonar], but that’s ok, now that I know how to work it, and set up templates if I want to.

I do see the logic of having all inputs firing up in the tracks as the default mode though, and how this is much easier for most MIDI input tasks overall.
. . .
Now I do want to share an additional option I found in the manual last night just in case others are not aware of it, particularly for new comers not so familiar with MIDI.

So again, my main task here was to have my sequencer send individual MIDI tracks/channels to separate tracks in Cubase & record them that way.

But…instead of using the ‘Input Transformer’, there’s a much easier way to do this, which I tried last night & it works really well.

Instead of adding numerous MIDI tracks & trying to segregate each recorded sequencer MIDI Channel into them, I can just start with 1 MIDI track, and send the entire sequence to record into it in one pass.

If desired, set Cubase as the Master clock, the sequencer as the Slave, and record it all just into the one MIDI track.

Then…disable record, go up top to the ‘MIDI’ menu, down to ‘Dissolve’, and after reviewing the 4 options there, click ‘Ok’, and Cubase automatically reads the MIDI file, adds only the required number of MIDI tracks and then separates them, including setting up their respective MIDI Channel outputs right away.

Now how cool is that??? :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Some may already know of this option, but for those who don’t, it’s very quick & easy.

This alone will save me literally boat loads of time, as I have hundreds of MIDI sequences going back to 1996 that I’d like to use & continue on with.

So thanks for the help Buds.

I’m moving forward with the learning curve, and enjoying what I see already! :slight_smile:

James

8

Cool! Glad you got it working! Yes, dissolve part. That is quite an ingenious solution. I didn’t think of that, but indeed, that is another option (with its own set of up and downsides of course).

Indeed, the manual is very hard to read in a “cover to cover” way. I’ve never done it myself, and even if I did, most of the information would go in and out of my head if I didn’t have a way to directly apply it. I use it more as a reference guide, along with many, many other sources of information. :slight_smile:

9

Yes dissolve part is a good solution. I used to use this myself for separating invidual drum elements onto their own tracks. Lately I use GA1 on a VSTi track (midi channel 10) and separate the elements into individual audio output tracks beforehand (this allows me to use plugins on individual drums already in the tracking stage).
I also have a Halion Vsti track setup with mulitple instruments each on their own tracks and from my keyboard I switch midi channels to play each of the instruments (albeit not simultaneously in this case with one controller obviously).
So this i.e Instrument track (esp. with Halion), could be another solution you might try.

10

I agree about the manual, especially after dozens & dozens of pages - most goes in & out :unamused: unless I actually apply the steps in the DAW as I go along & see the changes made, but I do like to go through it when I get a new product if for no other reason than to see what’s available, as I’m always surprised to find much more within the details.

Then I’ll note certain sections that are pertinent to what I’m currently doing, and then read those areas in detail to get started.

…I didn’t think of that, but indeed, that is another option (with its own set of up and downsides of course)….

If I may ask, what would be the downsides?

11

Yes, I’ve tried this as well, which is ideal for me, because I drum out my parts on my V-drum set, [Roland TD-6 brain], and this is very handy, especially to quantize things, such as the kick drum & for evening out velocities, among other things. I also see that there is an option to separate into lanes within the same MIDI channel as well when using ‘Dissolve Part’.

This sounds ideal, particularly for the kick & snare, for things like compression, EQ, etc.

Is GA1 included in Cubase?

I will be trying that for sure - thanks for the tips!

12

Yes GA1 or more properly called “Groove Agent ONE” is included in Cubase. :wink:

13

O-key-doak - thanks!

14

This is exactly what I need to do, and have been struggling to work out how. I’d assumed it would be an obvious track setting somewhere, just “make this track listen only to channel X”, and I couldn’t find the button or the preference, but no dice.

This is done using the input transformer. See the page 595 in the Cubase 7 manual. There are presets for the input transformer for isolating specific MIDI channel data, so it’s super easy. And the input transformer can be set either locally (just for that track) or globally (for ALL MIDI tracks).

Does that help? Or… am I muddying the waters?

It helped me hugely, so thanks!

15

With the new Groove Agent SE 4 included, I’m beginning to realize it’s no longer necessary to break out the individual drums in the mixer, as the entire drum submix, complete with plugins can be done right in the GA application itself.