Hope you're doing well!

Recently I've been wondering if there is any way to assign Quick controls to midi cc parameters but without having a midi controller.

Hope this question doesn't sound weird tho.

This question is mainly because I want to move some knobs of the vst instruments within the piano roll without having to go to Cubase automation. It is so much quicker to use CC to control stuff and draw it while I'm using the piano roll, but unfortunately the plugin itself doesn't have a Midi assign function. The only way I see it could work is by using QC, but I don't find a way to use Midi cc as QC without having a midi controller. I don't care is there is a way to use Midi cc with the plugin knobs that is not by QC.


I'm looking forward for seeing some solutions!

Thanks

 

Last edited: Jul 4, 2024

I would really really really appreciate everyone's help

 

Im not in the studio right now but am vaguely remembering that might be possible. Have you checked the QC setup page? Device setp or somethin... right bellow Remote Control setup I think. Also did you try selecting cc where QC are in Inspector? I might help more tomorrow

 

Also as some1 using Cubase for 20 years proffesionaly I would advice you to drop the idea as you might find the QC performance not very good for what you want to do...as I did find. If VI doesnt have midi learn just hit WRITE and move/perform the knob and choose 'show used automation' (something like that) in options...and you ll have that automation lane popped out. Further, you can draw curves in automation in a similar fashion to cc. Also... you might get higher resolution as well as automations dont have midi 127 points limit. I get you are accustomed to cc lanes qnd they do have their pros but what you are trying is very finnicky in my expirience. Some1 else might have great exp tho

 

Hey, thanks for your response!

Yeah, I tried almost everything, but I do feel there must be a way as well. First though setup page generic remote control, Quick controls... I don't know why, but it didn't work.

Then, right click on Quick controls to assign midi cc, but it always sends me to Midi Remote, and as I don't have a Midi controller I can't do anything.

 

Umm, that makes sense.


I also thought about that in some degree, but what you said put it so much clearer.


However, Midi CC lanes are so handy for me specially because I didn't need to go out the page of the midi roll, just draw the midi signal while seeing the midi notes. Going out the midi roll and using Daw's automation killed my work flow.

But I can open the vi without going out the piano roll an write the automation as you said! Good alternative, I'm so grateful for your answers.

 

Im not sure I did understand 100% what you need, but lets try

are you familiar with the QC assignment "hidden menu" on top of VSTi or plugins?
Like this (random photo from the net, not in my studio now)


If not, just click on the QC icon where you see "1 in red" on top right, you will see a new menu with the 8 knobs for the 8 QC

Now, according to a modern and well developed VSTi, you should find the complete list of parameters under everyone of those 8 knobs

click UNDER one of THE KNOBs, in the photo I posted, where you read "microtune"

it will open the LONG LIST of all the parameters available for that instrument, including MIDI CCs (BUT AS STATED DEPENDS by THE SPECIFIC VSTi)

you can now assign manually i.e. using the mouse without need of learn on a hardware controller

if this is not related with what you need just ignore it.

 

Sure, I knew about that feature. The problem is not how to assign VI's parameters to QC, but to assign that parameters to a midi cc when the VI doesn't have the midi learn function. I want this to manipulate the VI's knobs without having to leave the piano roll window. I also know I can draw the automation with Cubase, but that would mean having to leave the piano roll window and it just slows my work flow. I searching for that knob of the VI to be in a piano roll lane, like this:

I thought I could assign first the VI's knob to the quick controls as you said, and then assign those QC to a Midi CC, but there is when I get stuck.



Anyways, any answer is welcome.

Thanks

 

ok, thats also about my bad english, it's hard to catch every nounce, sorry
I feel that we have a solution for your problem, I just have to think about it better. And also understand better lol
I am thinking about the "midi transformer" function in Cubase, I will tell more about it soon

in the mean time something comes to my mind about this

do you know the edit in place function?
while you are in the project window press CTRL+SHIFT+i

you will see the piano roll in the project window, so you can edit automations while having the piano roll in front of you


this is a workaround, not a solution for your needs, but I am trying to brainstorm. I am pretty sure that we have a proper solution somewhere there in Cubase. Lemme think.

 

about this:

do we need QC then? : ) if I am understanding we dont need the QC to let you assign "a knob on a VSTi to a choosen CC"

it's all about midi project window (piano roll), midi parameters and the instrument
maybe thats what I dont understand 100%, lets think at it and bypass the QC?

you wanna work like in the "old days" lol so you need a proper midi map of the choosen instrument, so you will have to map CCs for every instrument you need. Ok about this?

so I also add: let's keep as example a particular VSTi, which one we should use?
Padshop is ok for you? Lets use as tester a cubase native but not halion or GA, too many parameters

 

I think I once stumbled with that function. But actually I got scared of it 'cause I didn't know how it got toggled and so I didn't know how to get rid of it.

Now I know, thanks

A lot of love for you sir! Thanks.

 

Last edited: Jul 5, 2024

You're right, QC is not the main concern. But I thought it was the only way, or at least the quickest. Now I'm not feeling so sure about it.

Yeah, just like that! E.g., Midi CC 11 controls the vibrato speed of the instrument if I want it like that . Actually, I just have this problem with one VI, 'cause the other ones just have the assign midi function.

Ok, Padshop could be a good example for the sake of solving this.


Again, a lot of thanks.

 

I haven't used Cubase in years, I use Logic. They both copy one another to a good extent, so I am hoping the Cubase Latch Automation Recording is the same as Logic. Or close enough you can figure out the differences. But this is how I would approach this in Logic.

If we have a track set to Latch Mode and selected, you can hit play on transport and during playback you can write automation data using the knobs and sliders on the GUI of the plugin. It creates an automation lane for each of them, and puts them into the dropdown list. That way, you could begin playback, move the controls for all you want to draw data into, and then stop playback. Disable Latch Mode and all the lanes will be created and linked to the controls you used. You have to move each a little bit during playback to write some values into that lane.

It is doing the work of looking up any CC numbers for you and linking them from that newly created lane to your GUI controls. None of them are NRPNs, you just don't know what CC channel they are already using. If you also have Touch mode, it should be the same thing. The difference is wether the CC parameter will overwrite the same value until the end of the lane, when you stop playback. Or not.

 

Last edited: Jul 5, 2024

oh ok! we getting it then

i'm trying with padshop, but I realised that it has not a classic midi CC list because it has the learn function, so it doesnt need a fixed list. Thats the problem we have now: modern VSTi doesnt have generally a fixed list, so we have to assign the CC

as an example I made this gif, as you can see it works easily



because i know that my padshop attack slider reacts to CC44, your problem is solved here,
but you dont have the same CC44 lol because I assigned it to my padshop via hardware controller, and as far as I understand you cant do this

but we are halfway, we have 2 roads

1. if we have the midi CC table for the VSTi you wanna automate you have just to see in it which is the CC assigned to the parameter you need, like a hardware synth

2. we have to "midi monitor" the VSTi we need

now tell me if you wanna do it with a specific VSTi, which one?

 

Last edited: Jul 5, 2024

in the meantime I am investigating, and I have found news, and its good and bad at same time for you

I ask, no offense intended, to read this post from Cubase official forum does it sound weird, strange, too difficult for you?
Because here we have the solution, a complex routing with a virtual midi port to "midi monitor" the midi CCs for any instrument

I used to do it many MANY M A N Y AGES ago lol but with modern VSTi we dont need thanks to modern midi learn, but in certain scenarios it is valid yet

read this and let me know if it sounds alien or familiar lol

 

Ok, thanks. That sounds like the write function of Cubase.

Hahaha, ok. Ngl, it's turning a bit uncanny to me

Someone also recommended me wrappers, but I don't know... I mean, they kind of make the job done, but using them becomes complicated, so there is no point of using it anyways as I can use Cubase automation.

For me it's a shame that I can't just map QC to midi cc without a midi controller, it's sound as the quickest and easiest solution.


And hey, I appreciate your time!
Thanks

 

I understand, but the midi loopback is the solution though, because you can monitor the midi CC that the VSTi is sending and then open it in the piano roll

exactely, thats another workaround, not a complete solution, but it's preetty easy and quick, I would use the midi loopback though. But if you are interested in this you will need the Blue Cat Patchwork, it's a very very useful plugin for billions of situations

here you are confusing the things, because we can actually do it but we cant change it in the instrument that "has the midi learn" lol I dont know if you understand this....problem, which is also something good lol it's confusing. As I wrote, if you HAD a VSTi with a midi CC list the job would be done. But modern VSTi dont have lists anymore, because they have the midi learn. Only hardware synths have a list in the manual.

I can give you the last solution

I already asked you "which VSTi do you need to be mapped"

if I have that VSTi, I can assign the midi CC for you, then save the Cubase prj and send you. This way you can load that VSTi via "track preset", so the VSTi will have the MIDI CC mapped and it will work in your piano roll

thats my workflow, it's very quick and comfy, lemme know if you need it

 

Sounds promising, nonetheless, I'm confused. Don't know how it could work (To be honest, don't understand what's the idea behind it ).
I hope I'm not bothering you if you explain me a bit of it.

Yeah, I see many people recommend it. Maybe I should learn how to use it someday.

Oh, sorry. I was testing the new Odin III vst. It has plenty of parameters, which is quite nice, so I tried to map them to midi cc. That's the problem


And of course, if that's your workflow it could be nice to learn more about it, maybe fit mine!

 

havent used cubase for a while but manual says you can assign midi cc without using midi learn.
by doing it under generic remote.

 

Hey! Actually doing a bit of research I found out that I can use the phone as a midi controller. In that way I can control the VST parameters easier. Not a complete solution, but definitely something useful.