Currently I’m a developer of several Hardware Synth Editors. Everything is working right with DAWs like Reaper. So what is the problem with Cubase and Plugins to choose individual MIDI-In and MIDI-outs? Why there is no possibility to create “clean” MIDI VST3(i) Plugins? Even under Windows the situation is even worse: You cannot use an external editor, because Windows won’t allow you to use more than 1 program for the same MIDI ports concurrent. (I know it’s changing….sometimes (or even closer to release: About Windows MIDI Services - Windows MIDI Services ) and MORE of this “sometimes” Cubase will implement it). This is just a MINOR thing to implement and Steinberg has stubbornly refused to allow this for ages.
Use something like loopMIDI to install virtual midi ports on your Windows computer. Or use the new services for Win11. They have virtual ports and multi-client midi suppport built in.
There is a developer section here:
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NO! This is exactly the point: I do not use any shady workarounds with virtual MIDI cables, because Cubase DO NOT want to route MIDI In AND Out while using a VST3 Instrument, there is no excuse for this inadequacy and there must be a damned amount of vanity among the programmers/developers that this fundamental problem has been ignored for years.
I do not need the VST SDK section, because this is the fundamental problem that Cubase has as the only DAW with MIDI and plugins.
My point is, why are you asking us? We are just users, not developers. I provided you with the link to the section of the forum where you can put your question to the developers of the VST3 standard.
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Use “MIDI Sends.” Ta-da!
Ok, fine. So what’s your question?
“MIDI sends” is only for closed source Steinberg “mini midi” plugins and not open for VST3
sorry, ok, my fault. I thought this is a forum FROM Steinberg with Steinberg developers where you can make suggestions and reporting bugs. Read many threads in the Dev section and indeed: Steinberg is ignorant. The idea behind my complaining:: There is a trend (again, history repeating) going to hardware synths, many of them lacks of “full recall” but using patches in sysex format. so it’s an easy step creating editors / patch loader for such synth as VST3-instruments (or effects, doesn’t really matter). So in many other DAWs you can define an explicit Midi In and Midi out for the plugin, but not in Cubase, you have to create “dummy tracks” routing the midi data from the plugin to midi and vice versa. This is completely confusing and not a particularly bad workflow. Even in Logic 5 (and before on Atari ST) you were able to build hardware instrument editors. Nowadays VST3 should be the key for such solutions - done for all other DAWs. On Mac Cubase you have the workaround, because you can use external editors, while you can choose the same MIDI in/out device several times. On Windows it’s restricted to one distance: Horrible solutions like virtual MIDI device loopbacks were the result.
There would be just a totally easy cure: let the user choose separate MIDI in and OUT for each plugin. (Being cynical, I don’t believe that Midi 2.0, which is coming out for Win 11 in February, will work very well; the bug list on GitHub is already too long and MIDI in a production setup must be 100% working.)
But if people are using your VST in Cubase, that’s how you send them. You asked “the problem with Cubase and plugins to choose…”. That’s how you choose. Again, rather than all the personal insults and complaining, you could spend your time asking a question clearly, and in the right forum.
And with that, I’ll leave you to it. Good luck.
If anyone else thinks that MIDI tracks should also be able to use regular VST3 plugins, please upvote this post: