Hi, just wondering how I can get Cubase to send a MIDI start and stop message to the sequencer on my Roland SE-02 synth? Essentially I’d like to be able to start and stop a sequencer pattern I have created on the SE-02 during a track.
I believe I have the correct settings on the SE-02 to allow it to be controlled externally via the MIDI in. It is connected with both MIDI in and out to my audio interface. Normally I would use the SE-02 on an instrument track in Cubase and have the MIDI part sent and returned from the SE-02.
So I found out how to get it to send start and stop, I just needed to go into transport - project synchronization set-up, then on the destinations tab tick my SE-02 in the MIDI clock destinations box.
Only issue now is that I can’t get the sequence to play in a specific part of the track its just starts and stops with playback.
Cubase will send a Start MIDI System Realtime Message when playback begins, and a Stop Message when playback stops. There is no way to alter this behaviour. I did however figure out a way to circumvent this using Bome Midi Translator Pro.
I’m using a BeatStep Pro that can send SysEx MIDI Machine Control (MMC) Messages, but doesn’t accept them. It does, of course, accept MIDI System Realtime Messages. You can create SysEx MMC Messages in MIDI Parts in Cubase Pro with the List Editor, but you can’t create MIDI System Realtime Start and Stop Messages.
So, in Bome I added a translator that swallows all incoming MIDI Message - Start Song messages (that is, the System Realtime Message Start command that Cubase sends). This way, my BeatStep sequencer doesn’t start when I begin playback in Cubase, but does stop when I stop the playback.
Then I added translators that upon receiving MMC Start and Stop Messages, translate them to System Realtime Start and Stop messages respectively, that my BeatStep will follow and consequently start and stop its sequencer (this step is unnecessary if your external gear supports MMC Messages).
Bome creates a virtual MIDI port that I add as the output of the MIDI track I want to trigger BeatStep with. In Bome I create a MIDI Thru routing from the virtual MIDI Port to my BeatStep input. Then I make the BeatStep output the input of an Instrument Track.
Then, at the beginning of the MIDI part I want to play with my BeatStep, I create a SysEx MMC Start message with List Editor. At the end of the part, I create a MMC Stop message.
In my example I only have the SysEx events in the MIDI part as I triggered the virtual instrument (in my test Groove Agent) through my BeatStep’s sequencer.
I kept Cubase as the Timecode Source, and set the virtual Bome Midi Port as the destination for MIDI Clock and Timecode.
