Steinberg Cubase Pro - 9.5, Nuendo - 8.0, Cubase Artist - 10.5, Cubase 10.0, Cubase 9.0 User Manual

MIDI Devices

Revision and Quality Control: Cristina Bachmann, Marion Bröer, Heiko Bischoff, Sabine Pfeifer

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Table of Contents

5 MIDI devices

6 Introduction 7 The main edit windows 10 Operations in the Edit Panel window 13 Creating a control panel – a tutorial 18 Advanced Panel handling 22 Creating panels for VST Instruments 23 Exporting and importing device setups 23 SysEx messages 28 Defining a SysEx device – a tutorial 33 Important files

36 Index

Table of Contents

MIDI devices

Introduction

In this document, the creation of new MIDI Devices and Device panels is described. If you want to learn how to install and use MIDI Devices, please refer to the chapter “Using MIDI Devices” in the Operation Manual.

Defining a new MIDI device

If your MIDI device is not included in the list of pre-configured devices (and is not a “plain” GM or XG device), you need to define it manually to make it possible to select patches by name.

1. In the MIDI Device Manager, click the Install Device button.

The Add MIDI Device dialog appears.

2. Select “Define New…” and click OK.

The “Create New MIDI Device” dialog appears. For a description of all the options in this list, see “The Create New MIDI Device dialog” on page 6.

3. Activate the MIDI channels you would like the device to use in the Identical Channels list.

This means that the device will receive Program Change over any MIDI channel. For a description of Identical and Individual channels, see the section “The Create New MIDI Device dialog” on page 6.

4. Enter a name for the device at the top of the dialog, click [Enter] and then OK.

The device appears in the Installed Devices list, and the device node structure for the device is shown automatically in a new window.

5. Select Patch Banks from the pop-up at the top of the window.

As you can see, the list is currently empty.

6. Make sure the Enable Edit checkbox is activated.

Now you can use the functions on the Commands pop-up menu to the left to organize the patch structure of the new device.

The Create New MIDI Device dialog

When you select “Define New” in the Add MIDI Device dialog, the Create New MIDI Device dialog opens.

The dialog contains the following settings:

Item Description

Identical/ Individual Channels

Channel Settings

Preset Type Preset References contain the patch name and a corre-

Global Settings SysEx Parameters

Global Settings Snapshots

Here you can specify which MIDI channels you wish the device to use. Identical channels share channel settings and parameters, whereas Individual channels are “exclusive”. An example for this are GM/XG devices – in these devices, the channels are all identical, except channel 10, which is always the drum channel.

This specifies which MIDI messages should be supported by the MIDI device (for each Identical channel).

sponding MIDI message (typically Program Change/ Bank Select). Snapshots also contain a patch name but in addition complete parameter settings, which are reset when such a preset patch is recalled. For more information about snapshots, see “Working with snapshots” on

page 21.

Activate this checkbox if you wish the device to use System Exclusive messages. For more information about SysEx messages, see “SysEx messages” on page 23.

This specifies whether the device supports global snapshots, which memorize all parameters in a device. For more about snapshots, see “Working with snapshots” on

page 21.

MIDI devices

Once you set the attributes (identical/individual channels, snapshots) here, changes can only be applied with major effort like direct editing in XML, see “Edit-

ing the device setup XML files directly” on page 34.

However, there is a little workaround for channel settings, see below.

Ö If you create identical channels with the Channels setting “Snapshot” and delete one of them and create a new channel instead, this channel will be individual and without the snapshot ability! For more information about the Snapshot options, see “Working with snapshots” on page 21.

The main edit windows

To edit device panels you use two main windows; the Device and the Edit Panel window. In this section we will describe the main working areas of these edit windows and what they are used for.

The Device window

1. Select a device in the Installed Devices list in the MIDI Device Manager and click Open Device.

The Device window opens with a node structure in the left half of the window. In this example, the top node represents the device and the subnodes the MIDI channels used by the device.

2. Click on a node.

Now three areas appear to the right of the node structure: Device Node, Panels and Variables.

Device structure

On the left is a hierarchical view of the device’s structure, which can consist of nodes, subnodes, and parameters. By default, the structure of a newly created device (or a device with no panels added yet) will either be based on the MIDI channels that have been activated in the Create New Device dialog (see “The Create New MIDI Device di-

alog” on page 6) or, as in this case, on one of the preset

devices, which all have the same structure (all 16 MIDI channels activated).

In the Device structure, you can easily move parameters between nodes by clicking and dragging them to the other node. This is very handy if you want to restructure your parameters for the panel assignments.

You can also delete empty nodes and parameters by selecting them and pressing [Delete] or [Backspace].

Device node

This shows the name of the selected node. You can rename some or all nodes, for example if the device is a typical GMcompatible synth you may want to rename “Channel 10” to “Drums”.

Panels

In the Panels window area a list of panels assigned to the selected node will be shown (currently no panels are assigned).

• The “Add Panel” button opens the Add Panel dialog, see “The Add Panel Dialog” on page 8.

• When an existing panel is selected in the Panels window area, the “Edit Panel” button will open the panel for editing in the Edit Panel window, see “The Edit Panel win-

dow” on page 9.

Variables

• The “Add Variables” button lets you define variables. Variables are useful when you’re working with multiple instances of the same panel. A typical example is when you

The Device window

have a multi-timbral synthesizer with 16 parts, where each part is identical in terms of features and functions, and all that distinguishes them are the MIDI channel numbers. So you create multiple subnodes where the variable is named “part” and the variable range is 1–16. This way you can repeat the same objects and parameters across all parts.

MIDI devices

• The “Add Parameters” button opens the “Add Parameter” dialog where you define the parameters that will be used in the Panel. A parameter defines how the setting of the connected device can be modified, what the valid range is and what the current state of the parameter is. Parameters are assigned to objects (see “Control to pa-

rameter assignment area (bottom middle)” on page 10),

i.e. knobs, faders, switches or data entry fields on a panel.

• The “Add Subnodes” button lets you create subsidiary nodes. This is useful when you wish to create multiple panels for one node. When you build a device panel you may want to break it up in several parts, or “subpanels” – e.g. one for the Envelope section, one for the Filter section and so forth. By creating all panel sections under separate subnodes, you can show the different sections in the Inspector or channel strip. From these subpanels you can later build a large main panel using the subpanels, see

“Creating complex panels” on page 19.

The Add Panel Dialog

Clicking the “Add Panel” button in the Device window opens a dialog where you select the size and enter a name for the new panel. You have three default sizes to choose from:

• General Size (352*352 pixels by default).

This is the largest view, which is to be used in a separate Panel window. The size is customizable, as you often need more than 352 by 352 pixels to fit all controls of an entire instrument into one screen.

• Inspector Size (157*342 pixels).

The standard size for a Panel to be used in the Inspector.

• Channel Strip Size (84*322 pixels).

The standard size for a panel to be used in a Mixer channel strip.

MIDI devices

The Edit Panel window

Parameter assignment area

Edit area

Device structure

All Templates list

Objects area

Device item properties (Device Node, Views, Variables)

After selecting a name and a panel size in the Add Panel dialog, click OK to open the Edit Panel dialog. When a panel has been added, you can switch between all edit windows (Device/Edit Panel/Patch Banks) by using the pop-up menu at the top of the window.

The Edit Panel window contains the following areas:

Device structure (top left)

This is the device “tree” where you can navigate the device structure and its nodes, subnodes and parameters. It is the same as shown in the Devices window, but without the possibility to move or delete nodes or parameters.

Edit area (top middle)

This is the “stage” where you build the panel from various object components. Above the edit area are the Panel Edit settings which affect the operations you perform in the edit area.

Objects area (right)

This area contains the predefined objects which can be dragged and dropped into the edit area. At the top of this area there is a pop-up menu where you can select Object categories; backgrounds, faders, knobs, data entry, switches and labels, see “The available objects” on page 10.

MIDI devices

Properties area (bottom left)

This contains all data and options pertaining to the currently selected node, subnode or parameter.

• When a node or subnode is selected in the device structure, you can rename it and add or remove parameters or variables and add subnodes. (Subnodes can only be removed in the Device window.)

• When a parameter is selected in the device structure, you can edit its name, value and transmission type (Control Change or SysEx messages).

At the top you can see and edit the node name. In the Views area, you see the list of panels assigned to the current node. Using the buttons to the right of the list, you can add a new (blank) panel to a node and edit or remove an existing panel.

The way to reach a particular panel or subpanel is to select a node in the device structure area, and then select the desired panel in the Views window area. If you click the Edit Panel button, the panel will open in the edit area.

Alternatively, you can click on an entry in the All Templates list (see below), which directly opens the respective panel.

• It is also possible to drag a subnode’s panel from the “Views” area into the panel of a parent node, see “Creat-

ing complex panels” on page 19.

Control to parameter assignment area (bottom middle)

This area has two functions:

• You can link parameters with controls, see “Assigning

parameters” on page 10.

• You can see to which node a panel element belongs, see “Identifying the nodes and templates” on page 20.

All Templates list (bottom right)

As panels are created, they are added to the All Templates list.

• You can switch between templates, copy objects that you need, switch back to the panel you’re currently editing and paste the objects into that panel.

The available objects

On the Objects pop-up in the top right corner you can select between object categories. Faders, knobs, data entry and switches are control objects, i.e. you have to define a parameter assignment to them when inserted into the edit area, whereas labels and backgrounds are only graphic elements. The object categories are as follows:

Object category Description

Backgrounds Here you can select various background colors and

Faders There are four basic horizontal and vertical fader/slider

Knobs Various types of knobs, with and without title fields and

Data entry Various types of data entry fields for entering values.

Switches Switches can only send two values. There are three ba-

Labels Labels of various sizes and styles.

borders.

types, each with three options: basic, with title field, and with title field and min-max values.

min-max values.

There are data entry fields for direct entry, and data entry types for using up/down arrows or sliders (or both) to set values.

sic types of switches: on/off, momentary and one shot. Momentary switches change to the second value as long as the switch is pressed and revert back when released. One shot switches activate a command, e.g. resetting a value to a default value.

Operations in the Edit Panel window

On the following pages, we will describe the basic operations in the Edit Panel window. For a more “hands on” description of how to create panels, see “Creating a control

panel – a tutorial” on page 13.

Creating a panel

1. Either create a new MIDI Device (see “Defining a new

MIDI device” on page 6), or select a preset device from the

Add MIDI Device dialog, see “Panels” on page 7.

2. In the MIDI Device Manager dialog, select the device

in the Installed Devices list and click the Open Device button.

Now the Devices window opens with the Device structure to the left.

3. Select the node, subnode or parameter you wish to

add a panel to.

4. Click the Add Panel button, and select a name and size

for the panel, see “The Add Panel Dialog” on page 8.

The Edit Panel window opens.

When you have created a new panel you will see a light blue rectangle which defines the size of the panel. When you click on the rectangle, resize handles will appear. These allow you to customize the Panel size.

Ö If you are creating a specific Inspector or Channel Strip panel you should not resize the panel.

Adding objects

You build a panel by dragging objects from the Objects area on the right hand side of the window into the rectangle in the edit area.

Assigning parameters

Parameters can be assigned to control elements (switches, faders, etc.). This is done in the Control Parameter Assignment dialog. This dialog is opened automatically when you add a control object, but you can also open it later to change the assignment for existing objects.

MIDI devices

• When you add control objects, the Control Parameter Assignment dialog is opened:

In this dialog you can create and define a name for the parameter and set the parameter value range and a transmission message (see below). On the left, you can also select any parameters that were defined for this subnode. When you have set up the parameters as desired, click OK to close the dialog.

• To open the Control Parameter Assignment dialog for an already existing control object, double-click on the element.

If you want to assign an already defined parameter from another node, proceed as follows:

1. Click on the control object.

2. Select a parameter in the device structure area on the

left.

The parameter data is displayed on the bottom left.

3. Click on the Assign Parameter button in the Control Assignment area (below the Edit area).

Editing parameters

You can either edit parameters in the Control Parameter Assignment dialog or you click on the Parameter in the Device structure on the left to display its Parameter data (see “Properties area (bottom left)” on page 9) and edit them in the following sections:

Parameter name

Here you can enter or edit the parameter name.

Parameter value

In the “Min” and “Max” fields you can set the value range for the parameter. The Default value determines what the value will be when you open the device.

Transmission

Here you set the parameter assignment. Clicking in the value field opens the Transmission pop-up menu where you can select either “Channel Messages”, i.e. MIDI Control Change messages, or SysEx messages.

If you wish to create custom SysEx messages, click the “Create SysEx” button to open the respective dialog.

For information on SysEx and SysEx editing, see “SysEx

messages” on page 23 and “Working with System exclu-

sive messages” in the Operation Manual.

Object handling

Selecting objects

You select an individual object by clicking on it.

• Select multiple objects by pressing [Shift] and clicking on each object in turn.

• You can also click in an empty area and drag a selection rectangle around one or more objects to select them.

• To select the complete panel, press [Ctrl]/[Command]+[A]. This way, the panel items also “remember” their place in the panel arrangement.

Moving objects

Simply click-drag an object to a new location and drop it.

• You can also use the arrow keys to move a selected ob-

ject one pixel horizontally or vertically.

• If you press [Shift], the arrow keys will move the object

in steps of 10 pixels.

Using cut/copy/paste

You can use standard key commands ([Ctrl]/[Command] + [X], [Ctrl]/[Command]+[C], [Ctrl]/[Command]+[V]) or the corresponding Edit menu items to cut, copy and paste selected objects.

Deleting objects

Select any object(s) and hit [Backspace] or [Delete] or select “Delete” from the context menu.

MIDI devices

Resizing objects

Click on any object to make resize handles appear. Click and move the handles to resize the object.

Sending objects to front/background

Select an object and right-click (Win)/[Ctrl]-click (Mac) to bring up the context menu.

• Choose “To Front” to make the selected object the topmost one.

• Choose “To Background” to place the object behind all other objects.

Editing text

Double-click on any text (text object or text label on a control object) and enter the text.

Aligning objects horizontally/vertically

Select multiple objects, then right-click (Win)/[Ctrl]-click (Mac) to open the context menu.

• For horizontal alignment, your options are Left, Center and Right.

• For vertical alignment, you can choose Top, Middle and Bottom.

Spacing objects evenly

Select multiple Objects and open the context menu. Select “Space Evenly Horizontally” or “Space Evenly Vertically” to place the objects in a row or column with identical distances between the objects.

Edit object parameter

Double-click on a control object (knob, fader, data entry, switch) to open the Control Parameter Assignment window, see “Editing parameters” on page 11.

Panel edit settings

Test Template

Puts the currently edited panel into live test mode. All controls will be fully functional, transmitting MIDI data to the device when an output is set. Activate this mode when you want to try out the panel to make sure that all parameters are set up correctly or if you want to take snapshots of your settings (see “Working with snapshots” on page 21).

Ö You cannot edit objects while in test mode.

Depth Focus

Making objects the same size

Select multiple Objects and resize one of them. All selected Objects will be resized in accordance with the source Object.

Import Bitmap

You can use bitmaps (pictures) as backgrounds as well. Open the context menu and select “Import Bitmap…”. You can import custom bitmaps in the following formats: PNG (Portable Network Graphics), PSD (Photoshop) or BMP (Windows bitmap).

Ö To change an imported bitmap in the panel, doubleclick on the bitmap. The Select Resource dialog opens, where you can choose a bitmap from the list of already imported bitmaps or import a new one.

MIDI devices

This is useful when editing very complex panels, or panels featuring nested views (subpanels). By enabling Depth Focus, you get a red rectangle around the area whose level is currently in edit focus. By double-clicking inside a subpanel, the red rectangle will mark the boundaries of the subpanel and you can only edit objects inside the focus area. For each double-click, you go down one level. To go up one level, press [Return].

Use Raster

This activates an invisible grid that objects will snap to when moved. The value (5 by default) dictates the resolution of the grid. With a value of 20, the raster will be made up of squares of 20*20 pixels in size. The raster is anchored in the top left corner of the actual panel (not in the edit area).

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