Ultimate Midi learn "how to" list

[aMUSEd]

Thanks but where is the function "cc map" - its not available to me by rightclicking or from any of the menus in the main window or sequencer.

Its in the left lane of the screen in the main window (not in the sequencer) on any comp (in the header)...

When you select a parameter you want, it appears there and you can simply middle-click to activate midi-learn...

I can see it in the file menu but can't seem to activate any sort of midi learn though I can assign cc's manually (depending on whether I know which number a knob is). Middle clicking seems a strange way to enable a function (anyway where do you middle click - on the cc window or ??)

[aMUSEd]

Project 5 V2:

Have tried to use midi learn but it seems only to work for host functions like transport settings

1) Right click on transport button or other item you want to control
2) Select Midi remote control
3)Click learn
4) Move controller
5) Click stop learning

That's it - easy but should work for instruments and effects too.

Hi there,

It actually does work for effects and instruments. You just have to expand the controls for the respective instrument or effect in the Device Inspector pane on the left hand side of the interface. Then you can Midi learn controls using the method you describe in your post. You can even save these various control setups within each Device Chain you create.

Now that is bloody good - I like Project 5 v2 more and more - it has some of the best Player features of any host and that just makes it better.

Now tell me about Sonar - is it similar??

[aMUSEd]

Project 5 V2:

Have tried to use midi learn but it seems only to work for host functions like transport settings

1) Right click on transport button or other item you want to control
2) Select Midi remote control
3)Click learn
4) Move controller
5) Click stop learning

That's it - easy but should work for instruments and effects too.

Hi there,

It actually does work for effects and instruments. You just have to expand the controls for the respective instrument or effect in the Device Inspector pane on the left hand side of the interface. Then you can Midi learn controls using the method you describe in your post. You can even save these various control setups within each Device Chain you create.

Now that is bloody good - I like Project 5 v2 more and more - it has some of the best Player features of any host and that just makes it better.

Now tell me about Sonar - is it similar??

Oh there seems to be a problem with some synths only showing a few features (and not the ones I want to control). e.g Triangle 2 is only showing Osc waveform, detune, transpose and multi on/off but nothing else (not even cutoff, resonance etc) How can I expand the panel to include all the controllable elements?

[aMUSEd]

Anymore additions - still a few hosts to cover (especally Cubase SX/Nuendo as I hear they are particulary complicated)

[orange2k]

I can see it in the file menu but can't seem to activate any sort of midi learn though I can assign cc's manually (depending on whether I know which number a knob is). Middle clicking seems a strange way to enable a function (anyway where do you middle click - on the cc window or ??)

After you've selected the control you want to automate, its slider will appear on the left part of the screen. You have to middle click this slider to activate midi-learn...

[aMUSEd]

It doesn't. All that happens is I select add and select a parameter but it doesn't do anything else. This is the latest beta - maybe its buggy.

[Brandon Ryan]

Oh there seems to be a problem with some synths only showing a few features (and not the ones I want to control). e.g Triangle 2 is only showing Osc waveform, detune, transpose and multi on/off but nothing else (not even cutoff, resonance etc) How can I expand the panel to include all the controllable elements?

You can edit the .ini file to show more controls but you should be able to reassign the controls that do show up (8 I believe) to whatever you want by right-clicking on the control itself. Hope that helps.

[BoksteR]

can anyone explain how to do it in cubase Sx3?

[aMUSEd]

Oh there seems to be a problem with some synths only showing a few features (and not the ones I want to control). e.g Triangle 2 is only showing Osc waveform, detune, transpose and multi on/off but nothing else (not even cutoff, resonance etc) How can I expand the panel to include all the controllable elements?

You can edit the .ini file to show more controls but you should be able to reassign the controls that do show up (8 I believe) to whatever you want by right-clicking on the control itself. Hope that helps.

Yes thanks though in some synths (Dimension for example) the list that comes up is so extensive it's hard to find the right knob. I still think a simple click learn button - tweak hardware knob - tweak software knob - play, is best (as in Bidule and in a slightly more roundabout way Chainer), no messing around trying to match obscure cc control to obscure menu item.

[Sascha Franck]

can anyone explain how to do it in cubase Sx3?

It's nearly impossible.
There's a function called "generic remote" - but as the word says, it's a generic (read: global) setting, not a song based one. Probably good enough in case you're using, say, some motormixer or so, absolutely senseless for controlling synths or any creative work.

That's why I recommend using Energy XT in addition.

[aMUSEd]

That's a surprise - you'd think after so many iterations they would have come up with some sort of a system at least. It seems to have been designed to work well with hardware in other respects.

[Sascha Franck]

That's a surprise - you'd think after so many iterations they would have come up with some sort of a system at least. It seems to have been designed to work well with hardware in other respects.

It's not a surprise at all to me. Since when did Steinberg care about useability?
I really hate it to get into these things again, but they managed to make Cubase one of the most bloated pieces of software there is while at the same time completely messing up a whole plethora of essential functions (MIDI learn not even being one of them, there's way more essential things they don't get right at all).
FWIW, another disadvantage of the generic remote is that you can only record parameter movements as automation data - which might be ok for mixing, but for creative work you want tweaking options (such as stretching controller parts, etc.) and those just don't exist for automation data.

[soma]

If any developers are watching this... the 3 things that make this the easiest and most powerful.

1) use the GUI to pick the parameters you want to learn, and incoming MIDI to pick the controller. Selecting from a list takes longer and is dependant on the developer naming their parameters correctly.

2) Allow users to learn more than one parameter while in learn mode. For instance if I click learn, I would like to learn 3 or 4 parameters and then turn learn off.

3) Allow users to remap incoming CC to a new curve. For instance it should be easy to to edit the min/max, invert, or even add a curve to the output values of incoming midi CC's. (e.g. using an x/y map for incoming vs output).

[Sascha Franck]

3) Allow users to remap incoming CC to a new curve. For instance it should be easy to to edit the min/max, invert, or even add a curve to the output values of incoming midi CC's. (e.g. using an x/y map for incoming vs output).

Yeah, highly seconded! Min/max values are VERY important and curves could be a great thing to have as well.

[aMUSEd]

If any developers are watching this... the 3 things that make this the easiest and most powerful.

1) use the GUI to pick the parameters you want to learn, and incoming MIDI to pick the controller. Selecting from a list takes longer and is dependant on the developer naming their parameters correctly.

2) Allow users to learn more than one parameter while in learn mode. For instance if I click learn, I would like to learn 3 or 4 parameters and then turn learn off.

3) Allow users to remap incoming CC to a new curve. For instance it should be easy to to edit the min/max, invert, or even add a curve to the output values of incoming midi CC's. (e.g. using an x/y map for incoming vs output).

Not sure about the third but certainly the first 2 are what I like about how Bidule handles it - out of all hosts I still think it'd approach is the simplest and most intuitive. I suspect it can do the third as well but I've not had it long enough to get to grips with everything yet.

I'm using Bidule VSTi to wrap synths in other hosts now (especially as I can also add Rewire devices this way)