User manual

35
VST Connections
External instruments/effects (Cubase only)
2. Enter a name for the external instrument and specify the number of required mono
and/or stereo returns.
Depending on the type of instrument, a specific number of mono and/or stereo
return channels is required.
• You also need a MIDI device that corresponds with the external instrument. You
can then click the “Associate MIDI Device” button to connect the two.
You can use the MIDI Device Manager to create a new MIDI device. For
information about the MIDI Device Manager and user device panels, see the
chapter
“Using MIDI devices” on page 460.
3. Click OK.
This adds a new external instrument bus.
4. Click in the Device Port column for the “left” and “right” ports of the Return Bus
and select the inputs on your audio hardware to which you connected the external
instrument.
5. If you like, make additional settings for the bus.
These are found in the columns to the right. Note that you can adjust these while
actually using the external instrument – which may be easier as you can hear the
result. The following options are available:
Ö Note that external device ports are exclusive, see “Connecting the external
effect/instrument” on page 32.
How to use the external instrument
Once you have set up the external instrument in the VST Connections window, you
can use it as a VST instrument. Open the VST Instruments window and click on an
empty instrument slot. On the Instrument pop-up menu, your external instrument is
listed on the External Plug-ins submenu.
Setting Description
Delay If your hardware device has an inherent delay (latency), enter this value
here. This allows Cubase to compensate for that delay during
playback. Note that you do not have to take the latency of the audio
hardware into account – this is handled automatically by the program.
Return Gain Allows you to adjust the level of the signal coming in from the external
instrument.
Note however that excessive output levels from an external device may
cause clipping in the audio hardware. The Return Gain setting cannot
be used to compensate for this – you have to lower the output level on
the device instead.
MIDI Device When you click in this column, a pop-up menu opens where you can
disconnect the instrument from the associated MIDI device, select a
MIDI device, create a new device or open the MIDI Device Manager to
edit the MIDI device.
Used Whenever you insert the external instrument into a VST instrument
slot, this column shows a checkmark (“x”) to indicate that the
instrument is being used.