The "MCR-8" was the clue... So inside Cubase, I go to Devices -> Device Setup... then inside that I believe there is a little "+" button that allows you to add devices... there you should be able to add a Roland MCR device! From there, you should be able to configure it's MIDI ports for that specific remote device. I can't remember which ports do the trick, but try them all, and that should be enough info to get you to the right place. Then, once the device is set up, it seems to work fine as a controller in Cubase. Make sure the MCR is on preset 3, and your remote device in Cubase is a Roland MCR8, plus make sure the midi ports are correctly assigned, and you should be good to go!Even the little transport controls on the PCR300 work. I think it took a while for me to figure it out, and I had to read through the Cubase documentation, and do a lot of trial and error, but the steps above should get you on the right path.
On top of that, you can load up the PCR Editor to program each of the 16 preset patches inside the PCR300... and you can assign every button to whatever midi control code you want to. If you load up PCR Editor, then take a look at what preset 3 contains (the Cubase/MCR preset) you'll see how they assigned the codes. Then you can reassign the codes as needed to however you work. Once you get into it, it actually is quite well done, for a BASIC controller.
Nothing like Automap of course, but far easier to use than most other controllers I've used. The little PCR Editor software (found on the install CD that comes with the PCR) is ultra-simple, but effective.
If you can get the control codes for some of the other controllers out there, I guess with the PCR Editor, you could theoretically program the PCR300 to emulate one of those other controllers too. I haven't tried that, nor do I intend to, but once you get a feel for the simple PCR Editor and the way presets work in the PCR, it really does function pretty well for a basic controller.
Hope that helps!!!
The sad thing is that the marketing is very misleading when it talkes about Dynamic Mapping... that's a real shame, since the product is quite good. It may get a bad rap just for the misleading marketing. The thing is that the Dynamic Mapping is really just the built-in ACT plugin in Sonar... and like I mentioned earlier, it really does work well. In minutes in Sonar, for example, I was easily reassigning VSTi controls to the knobs and sliders without even reading the manual. So the Dynamic Mapping's full potential is only realized in Sonar.
