CUBASE SX tutorial BEGINNERS 4

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Description

CUBASE SX tutorial Series One – Volume Four danDont.com MIDI commands and automation in Cubase SX Introduction Automation is a very extensive feature found in Cubase SX. You can automate everything from mixer functions to effects to instruments. This usually means creating a controller data lane to the Main Project Window and selecting the proper command from the list. This might sound tricky but once you get into it there’s no turning back… MIDI interfacing A musician usually wants to get his hands on a controller: this is where all your external gear gets involved as most of them could be equipped with MIDI connectors. This means a lot of inside and outside the program can be fully automated. The usual case is that you play your keyboard to draw notes to the sequencer: simply connecting your keyboards MIDI out connector to your MIDI interfaces MIDI in, creating a MIDI control track to the Main Project View in Cubase and selecting the MIDI input device from the list to receive note commands. MIDI is a standard communication protocol (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) which gives you control over a device that understands MIDI. Beyond just playing notes on your keyboard, you can assign a parameter to a knob, slider, switch…anything you can get your hands on! W hen you look the note data you’ve created (in the key editor) p laying and recording your keyboard you will find there can be lots o f parameters that you have created ...

Informations

• Publié par: Nuzong
• Nombre de lectures: 16
• Langue: English

Extrait

CUBASE SX tutorial Series One – Volume Four danDont.com MIDI commands and automation in Cubase SX Introduction Automation is a very extensive feature found in Cubase SX. You can automate everything from mixer functions to effects to instruments. This usually means creating a controller data lane to the Main Project Window and selecting the proper command from the list. This might sound tricky but once you get into it there’s no turning back… MIDI interfacing A musician usually wants to get his hands on a controller: this is where all your external gear gets involved as most of them could be equipped with MIDI connectors. This means a lot of inside and outside the program can be fully automated. The usual case is that you play your keyboard to draw notes to the sequencer: simply connecting your keyboards MIDI oI interfaces MIDI in, creating a MIDI control track to the Main Project Vg the MIDI input device from the list to receive note commands. MIDI i protocol (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)  whichgives you control oves MIDI. Beyond just playing notes on your keyboard, you can assign a, switch…anything you can get your hands on!

When you look the note data you’ve created (in the key editor) playing and recording your keyboard you will find there can be lots of parameters that you have created during play. The Key Editor in Cubase is a very nice tool to see what parameter was assigned under a knob or a slider when you recorded the part and moved it. The Editor is the Key There are few ways of approach in editing and controlling MIDI data. Maybe the most visual way of accessing a parameter is using the Key Editor. There you will be able to find a regular control message number and access the parameter editor visually (Picture 1). (Picture 1) right: Key editor view of the recorded controller 74 data. Note that you can add as many parameters to a single MIDI controller lane by clicking the “+”.

In the view you will find a vertical piano roll at the left part of the editor and under that column you will find a drop-down menu where you can choose to view a desired parameter. For instance, the usual filter “cutoff” is found under the number 74 and is called “brightness” in the editor. If you recorded a knob movement under command 74 you will see an asterisk (*) visualizing that you have recorded data under that parameter. If you have a MIDI controller keyboard you can probably assign a knob or a slider to follow control number 74 and this way access the parameter through the keyboard.Every controller is different so be sure to read the instructions on how to change a control parameter on your hardware controller. Controlling a VST instrument When you open up new project in Cubase and select a new VST instrument (F11 to access the panel) you will see that a special lane (or few lanes depending on the plug-in) is created under the Main Project Windows’ VST instruments category. This means that you can access VST instrument specific data for editing and automation here beyond the regular note specific data (Pictures 2 and 3).

(Picture 2 and 3) Accessing the VST instruments parameters in the controller lane under the VST instruments category. Locating and selecting VST instrument parameter is done by accessing a menu from the first lane under the selected instrument. It is the one with a circled keyboard icon at the top right; An instrument usually creates at least two controller lanes to the sequencer window, the top one usually accessing instruments command parameters and the lower one accessing instruments channel strip functions which can be automated. Basic principle in accessing a control of a parameter is that it is located under a control number (cc) which can be 0-127. You can always look in your VST instruments manual and see if there’s a chart where these commands are defined.

When using a VST instrument you might see a controller moving on its interface during play. This indicates that a knob was turned during play or there was a drawn automation on the sequencer lane. Note that you can access a VST instrument parameter from the MIDI Key Editor or from the VST instrument category on the Main Project Window (Picture 4). If you plan on using external gear later, it might be wiser to make a MIDI track to follow a control instead of drawing it to a VST instrument control.

(Picture 4) Multiple controllers on a single instrument. From the top: instrument notes, command 74 data (brightness) and under the VST instrument category - T-Pulse resonance level automation. The danDon’t Team http://www.dandont.com/invision