Switching Spitfire Articulations Via MIDI Device Panel

Cubase
1

My goal is to create a simple and elegant way to switch to different initial articulations in Spitfire Symphonic Strings using their UACC (triggered by cc32). I have an Expression Map made for this, and it works fine. But you can’t select an articulation (like an initial articulation) from the track Inspector, which is something I wish you could do in Cubase. You can see what the articulation is, but can’t simply change it right there unless you use remote control for the Expression Map, or pencil it into your track.

So, I thought I would make a MIDI Device Panel and do one of the following:

  1. Make a grid of small buttons that would send out the appropriate cc32 values to make the switches in SFSS

  2. Edit the patch list in the Device Panel to send out cc32 values that correspond with the SFSS articulations

The issue I run into is that I can’t select my MIDI destination (VE Pro playing the SF instrument in Kontakt) for the MIDI Device Panel. Conversely, I can’t open that MIDI Device Panel within the VE Pro track that plays SFSS. So - I have a Device Panel, I have a destination that isn’t a true external MIDI instrument, but can’t get the two to work with each other.

Can anyone think of a way I can do this? I know you can create a Device Panel for a VSTi, but you are limited to certain parameters in the VSTi. I just want a simple Device Panel that I can access within different tracks. Seems like that should be easy.

Thanks for any suggestions you may have.

2

Hi,

Are you sure, you can’t click on the articulation in the Key Editor Inspector (sorry, I’m not with Cubase, right now)?

Myself, I would use an external utility, which woukd behave like a hardware. So I would send the MIDI data from outside. Myself, I would make this utility in MAX/MSP. It’s a question of one hour, I would say. If you are interested in, send me a PM.

3

Hi,
Thanks very much for your reply. You can pencil in an initial articulation in the Key Editor, but I was looking for something I could click and choose as a “starting point” articulation right from the Tracks window without having to take an extra step of having a dummy object in the track and penciling in an articulation (and prior to even recording anything). To view and select the SF articulations as a patch list of sorts was what I was hoping for. Max/MSP, TouchOSC, Lemur, etc., are all terrific options, but I was aiming for something right within the track inspector without going outside Cubase.

Unless there is a way to connect a MIDI Device Panel with VE Pro/Kontakt, my best second option is to send program changes from my keyboard as the remote input for the Expression Map. I was just looking for something one step more direct and visual.

4

Hi,

Sorry, I thought, you can really click to the articulation in the Expression Map. But you can’t.

5

That would make everything too easy and sensible. :slight_smile: