MIDI Devices
Revision and Quality Control: Cristina Bachmann, Marion Bröer, Heiko Bischoff, Sabine Pfeifer The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media except as specifically allowed in the License Agreement.
Table of Contents
5 MIDI devices 6 6 14 14 17 20 23 29 33 34 34 39 44 47 Background MIDI devices – general settings and patch handling About Device panels (Cubase only) Overview (Cubase only) The main edit windows (Cubase only) Operations in the Edit Panel window (Cubase only) Building a control panel – a tutorial (Cubase only) Advanced Panel handling Building panels for VST Instruments Exporting and importing device setups (Cubase only) SysEx messages (Cubase only) Defining a SysEx device – a tutorial (Cubase only) Impor
1 MIDI devices
Background banks, each bank containing 128 programs. If your instruments support MIDI Bank Select, you can use the Bank field (Bank Selector) in the Inspector to select a bank, and then the Program field to select a program in this bank. The MIDI Device Manager allows you to specify and set up your MIDI devices, making global control and patch selection easy. But the MIDI Device Manager also features powerful editing functions that can be used to create MIDI device panels (Cubase only).
Installing a MIDI device Cubase Studio: This is the list of MIDI devices you have connected. The first time you open the MIDI Device Manager, this list will be empty. To install a preset MIDI device, proceed as follows: 1. Click the Install Device button. These buttons let you manage the list of installed devices. A dialog appears listing all pre-configured MIDI devices. For now we assume that your MIDI device is included in this list. 2. Locate and select the device in the list and click OK.
About Patch Banks The Patch Banks list in the left half of the window shows the patch structure of the device. This could simply be a list of patches, but it’s usually one or several layers of banks or groups containing the patches (much like a folder structure on a hard disk for example). Depending on the selected device, you may find that the Patch Banks list is divided in two or more main banks. Typically, these are called Patches, Performances, Drums etc.
Selecting a patch for an installed device Renaming patches in a device If you return to the Project window at this point, you will find that the installed device has been added to the MIDI Output menus (in the track list and the Inspector). Now you can select patches by name, in the following way: The pre-configured devices list is based on the factorypreset patches, i.e. the patches included in the device when you first bought it.
Patch Structure • To change which Program Change value should be sent out to select the patch, adjust the number in the Value column for the Program Change event. Patches are structured as follows: • Banks are the main categories of sounds – typically patches, performances and drums, as described above. • Each bank can contain any number of groups, represented by folders in the list. • The individual patches, performances or drum kits are represented by presets in the list.
2. Use the Range column to set up either a fixed value or a range of values for each event type in the list. Cubase: 1. In the MIDI Device Manager, click the Install Device button. This requires some explanation: If you specify a single value in the Range column (e.g. 3, 15 or 127), all added presets will have an event of this type set to the same value. If you instead specify a value range (a start value and an end value, separated by a dash, e.g.
The Create New MIDI Device dialog Item When you select “Define New” in the Add MIDI Device dialog, the Create New MIDI Device dialog opens. Global Settings Activate this checkbox if you wish the device to use SysSysEx tem Exclusive messages. For more information about Parameters SysEx messages, see “SysEx messages (Cubase only)” on page 34. Ö If you are using Cubase Studio, this is where you can enter a name for the new device and specify which MIDI channels you want the device to use.
To build the MIDI connection, you have to activate the Create Multiple option in the Add Subnodes dialog. 6. You can now test the resulting configuration by adding a parameter to channel 1. The parameter will appear in every channel from 1-12, because of their identical setting, but not in the channels 13-16. Proceed like in our following example: 1. Select the device in the list to the left. 2. Click on the Add Subnodes button. 3. Enter a name for the Subnodes, e.g.
About Device panels (Cubase only) Although these powerful editing features are there if you need them, you do not have to use them to use MIDI devices. Seasoned Cubase users may recall the MIDI Mixer, which allowed you to create similar control setups, called Mixer maps. Third-party developers created Mixer Maps for hundreds of popular devices at that time.
4. Click Open. The Import MIDI Devices dialog appears where you can select one or several devices for import. 8. Select the device from the “Out” pop-up menu for a MIDI track. A device setup file can contain one or several MIDI devices. Note that for some devices, you may have to set the MIDI channel to “ANY”. Now the Device panel can be opened by clicking the Open Device Panels button in the Inspector or in the channel strip for the corresponding track in the Mixer. 5. Select a device and click OK.
2. Select a panel by double-clicking it in the list. 4. Double-click to select a panel. The panel opens in the Inspector. The panel is now shown in the extended section of the channel strip. Ö If you can’t see any panels in the “Panels” folder, although you have successfully set up a MIDI device with several panels, make sure you selected the correct channel from the Channel pop-up menu, preferably “Any” to see all device panels.
The main edit windows (Cubase only) 2. Activate Write automation on the device panel. You can automate the device by either moving knobs and sliders on the control panel or by drawing curves on the automation track for a selected parameter. 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.
Device node The Add Panel Dialog 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 18.
The Edit Panel window Edit area Objects areas Device structure Device item properties (Device Node, Views, Variables) All Templates list Parameter assignment area 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.
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. Object category Description Data entry Various types of data entry fields for entering 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.
Adding objects Editing parameters 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.
Using cut/copy/paste Import Bitmap 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. 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).
Depth Focus • “Testing the template and exiting the panel dialog” on page 29 • “Using the new device panel in the Inspector” on page 29 Installing a Device 1. Open the MIDI Device Manager window, and click the Install Device button. Here you can choose from a list of pre-defined devices, or define a custom device. In this example we will use a Triton (Korg) preset. This is useful when editing very complex panels, or panels featuring nested views (subpanels).
Adding a panel 2. Stretch this background so that it covers the entire panel area. In this example, we will select Channel 1 to add the panel. 1. Select the Channel 1 node and click the Add Panel button. Now you can set a size for the panel – see “The Add Panel Dialog” on page 18 for details. 2. For this tutorial, select “Inspector size” and click OK. The main Panel Edit window will now open. The blue rectangle is the panel edit area. All objects, both backgrounds and other, can overlap.
Adding control objects 7. If the knob type you have chosen has a text label, you can edit this by double-clicking on the label under the knob. Enter an appropriate title in the window that appears. 1. Select “Knobs” from the Objects pop-up menu. This brings up an assortment of rotary knobs. Now the knob is finished, and we can use it as a starting point for additional knobs. 2. Select one and drag it into the panel.
Aligning control objects 1. Click the Add Parameters button to open the Parameter window and create two new parameters, “EG Intensity” (CC 79) and “EG Release” (CC 72). You may find that the knobs aren’t properly aligned, horizontally and/or vertically. The Panel Editor can assist you with this. 2. When you’re done, duplicate the two existing knobs and place the copies in an empty space.
Adding more background elements 5. Drag another background like the one we just added and drop it in the empty space below the existing group. 1. Go back to Backgrounds on the Objects menu and drag one of the backgrounds to the edit area. Since the most recently added object automatically ends up on top of all others, we must rearrange the order here. 2. Select the object you just added, then right-click (Win)/[Ctrl]-click (Mac) to open the context menu. 6.
Adding control objects – faders 5. Instead, click on the previously defined parameter “Value” in the list and then click OK. The Triton has a slider called “Value” (commonly known as a data entry slider), whose function is doubled by two buttons, increase and decrease. To mimic these controls we need a Fader and a Data Entry object. 1. Switch to Faders on the Objects menu, then drag and drop a vertical fader into the edit area. The Parameter window appears. 2.
Testing the template and exiting the panel dialog Done! Now the device panel is displayed in the Inspector and ready for automation recording. 1. Activate the test mode by checking the “Test Template” option at the top of the edit area. This will make the panel “go live” and transmit MIDI data over the output port when you move the controls. If everything appears to be functioning OK, we can consider the panel completed, and it’s time to start using it! 2.
2. Add a channel strip panel with the name “Channel” to the first channel. To this, add a background and a volume slider and assign the parameter CC: Main Volume to the latter. Proceed as follows: 1. In the All Templates list, select the template (panel) you want to copy. 2. Select the panel elements that you want to copy and press [Ctrl]/[Command]+[C]. When selecting various elements with the mouse, it can happen that the order of the elements gets lost.
The Channel panel is also listed under “All Templates”. 2. Repeat this for Channel 2 and 3 by dragging and dropping the Channel panel into the MotifMixer panel. This results in the following arrangement for the MotifMixer panel: Combining subpanels It is now possible to drag a subnode’s panel from the Views area into the panel of a parent node, thus assembling a complex panel by referencing the subpanels. 1. Click on the node “MotifMixer” and add a new panel in general size.
Combining subpanels of individual channels The nodes correspond to templates (panels) of the same name. For example, click on “Fade” in the All Templates list to see only the Fade panel. In the example above, we assembled a MIDI device panel by building only one panel for 16 identical channels. However, you often may want individual channels (nodes), each coming with its own panels and parameters.
Ö Therefore, even if you set up e.g. ten channels at first with the Snapshots option activated in the Channel Settings, once you manually add new channels, the Channel Snapshots option is always deactivated for those new channels. Building panels for VST Instruments It is also possible to build panels for internal VST instruments.
Exporting and importing device setups (Cubase only) At various points it is necessary to convert hexadecimal numbers to decimals and vice versa, so you may need a translation-table or a calculator that is able to make this conversion. Under Windows, you can use the calculator found under Start/Programs/Accessories. Clicking the Export Setup button allows you to export your complete MIDI device setup as a separate XML file. The file can then be imported using the Import Setup button.
Input data for SysEx messages 4. In the Transmission area, click on the Create SysEx button on the right of the Transmission list. Let’s have a closer look at the Create SysEx window. • The Length is the length of the SysEx message in Bytes (counting each pair of numbers), for example 9: F0 23 12 6B 10 02 11 0B F7 In this case, the bytes are numbered from 0 to 8 in the table.
Definable values as variables Using definable values to set up a more flexible SysEx design The definable values (Var 1 and Var 2 in this example) are just that – definable as you like. This is done in the Formula column of the Add Parameter window. Using definable values with formulas allows for a more flexible SysEx definition because you can set up one common SysEx string for a whole set of SysEx messages.
Using normal values (Example) This results in: Sometimes, values higher than one byte are necessary to address something, e.g. sample numbers (Sample NR) from 0-255 (0000 xxxx to 0000 yyyy in binary). • 1/7 and a binary display of 0000 000x for byte 6 • 0/7 and a binary display of 0xxx xxxx for byte 7 In this case, the value x effectively consists of two bytes, called XX and YY here: F0 23 12 6B PT Fn XX YY F7 These two bytes need to be set up so that they result in one value.
In the following example we want to define two independent values in byte 6: 6. Click on the Bit Offset and go up to “4”. Now the byte has the binary content “0xxx xxxxx” defined with two values. • The first value is “LFO Type” and uses the first three bits (the very first bit of every byte is 0 per definition, except for the start and end byte of the SysEx message). • The second value is “LFO Phase” and uses four bits of the byte. This has to result in a byte 6 structure of “0xxx xxxx“.
Defining a SysEx device – a tutorial (Cubase only) Now, the Device window will open with an empty Roland JV-1080 device displayed to the left. In this tutorial, we will define a new MIDI device that provides access to the parameters of a Roland JV-1080 in the following steps: This is the “root” of the device, which stands for the device as a whole. • • • • • • • • 4. Click OK.
Adding parameters 3. Repeat the two steps above to create the subnode “System Common”, which is also a separate table in the MIDI Definition section in the JV-1080 manual and is referenced by the “System” table. 1. Now you’ll create parameters for the “Scale Tune” nodes. Click the “Add Parameters” button. The “Add Parameters” dialog appears. 2. According to the MIDI definition, the “Scale Tune” table contains 12 parameters.
Defining SysEx messages device’s parameters are in the range of up to 128 states, which can be transmitted with one data byte. So if you count the bytes, when using only one data byte you get a count of 12. Some devices can be edited by MIDI channel messages like Control Change, RPNs or NRPNs. In that case you’d only have to select the desired message by clicking in the MIDI message field next to the Create SysEx button and browse for it. But that is not true for the JV-1080.
Editing the Formula 7. Reduce the number of bits to “4” and enter “10” in the Hex row at position 2, because the device ID ranges from 10H to 1FH. 1. Click in the Formula column for the DevID and enter “DevID”, to set this value to a variable called “DevID”. As there is no “DevID” variable defined yet, you get “error” as a result. For now, this can be ignored. We will define the “DevID” variable later. 2. Now you need to set the right addresses.
As you may have noticed, the variable “x” is automatically assigned to the “Data” value. “x” stands for the value that is represented by this parameter and is always defined individually by each parameter. If you later assign a control like a fader to this parameter, this fader will control and modify “x”. “x” is automatically assigned to the last value of the message, but can be freely assigned to any other value. 2.
You can now set the Names, Min, Max and Default values for each of the parameters according to the specifications in the System Common table, as described earlier. 4. Activate the Create Multiple checkbox and enter a range of 0–81, because the System Common table in the manual of the JV-1080 contains 82 parameters, starting with an index of “0”.
Excerpt from a Device XML file For example, what you would have to do for the second case is the following: Yamaha XG Drum FX.xml 1. Open the original device (without identical channels), note down the patch banks and their structure, and export the device setup. 2. Create a new device with 16 identical channels, rebuild the main patch bank structure and export the device setup. This leaves you with two files, so that you can copy the patch banks from the original file into the new file. 3.
Patch name script text files Bitmaps are included with the tag , in this example the Bitmap “virus LOGO.bmp”. Patch name scripts are .txt files that e.g. are generated by the additional tool “Steinberg Scriptmaker”. In them, the banks and patches of a device are encoded. Controls have their own tags . Templates are encoded in sections that are tagged with . Excerpt: Snapshot XML files Snapshots are saved as separate XML files under the specified name, e.g. “Blues.
About Studio Connections (Cubase only) Studio Connections is the name of an initiative led by Steinberg and Yamaha. The initiative intends to create industry standards for totally integrated system environments using software and hardware products. If you have a SM2 component installed, there is an additional menu item in the Devices menu.
Total Recall When a MIDI Track is routed to such a device, the “Open Device Panels” button becomes available. Total Recall means that you can save and recall all settings of your hardware and software products by opening one integrated file in a DAW such as Cubase or Nuendo. Also you will have instant and organized access to hardware editors.
Index
B P Bank Assignments 8 Bank Select 6 Control Parameter Assignment 21 Copy Panel elements 29 Create Multiple option 13 Create new MIDI channel 13 Panel Creating 20 Panel XML File 45 Panels Complex editing 30 For VST Instruments 33 Patch Banks 8 Prg field 9 Program Change 6 D S Definable values 36 Device panels About 14 Edit windows 17 Editing 20 Device Setup XML File 44 Device structure 17 Device window 17 Double value Sysex message 37 Snapshots 32 Studio Connections 47 Studio Manager 47 Subpanels Co
