The Sound Board

Hello everyone, I am setting up a new large scale template and I am trying to make my life a bit easier but I have run into a dead end.

I would like to set-up certain channels up in a way so that no matter at what velocity I play my keyboard, Cubase should always 'record' it at a fixed velocity. My idea is to stick to one legato transition type (fast) on CSS/CSW and set the negative delay so I don't have to deal with manually setting the velocity levels.

Now, I can do this with MIDI modifier, compressor and transformer. However, as these are MIDI plugins - it does not actually print higher velocity notes in the MIDI data. It is simply transforming it. The issue is that for starter non-legato notes, I would like to have the ability to lower the velocity manually so that I can access the soft attacks. With these MIDI plugins, the value gets fixed and changing it in the MIDI data makes no difference obviously.

With CC1 dialed way down, an argument can be made of letting go of the soft attacks as they won't be as noticeable but it does make a difference and it would be nice if I can make this work somehow.

Any suggestions?

Actually it is possible to print the output of midi effects. Look in the inspector panel and drag that weird bar looking thing - effects that are above it will get recorded into the track, effects below will transform midi going out from the track, if that makes sense.
That's how it looks in Cubase 13. I don't have the previous versions installed anymore, but my memory is it used to look very different - instead of a draggable bar, you have a record button in the effects list. Record-enable that on the transformer you're using and you should be good.

I made a little test here with a single transformer fx that does this:
Recorded midi (guess the tune!) looks like this no matter how hard/soft I play:
And I can edit it afterwards and it plays back properly at whatever velocity I set it at, with the transformer having no further effect post-recording. Is this basically the behavior you're after?

scherzo wrote: ↑Jul 09, 2024 2:14 pm Actually it is possible to print the output of midi effects. Look in the inspector panel and drag that weird bar looking thing - effects that are above it will get recorded into the track, effects below will transform midi going out from the track, if that makes sense.

midi-fx.gif

That's how it looks in Cubase 13. I don't have the previous versions installed anymore, but my memory is it used to look very different - instead of a draggable bar, you have a record button in the effects list. Record-enable that on the transformer you're using and you should be good.

I made a little test here with a single transformer fx that does this:

image.png

Recorded midi (guess the tune!) looks like this no matter how hard/soft I play:

image.png

And I can edit it afterwards and it plays back properly at whatever velocity I set it at, with the transformer having no further effect post-recording. Is this basically the behavior you're after?

Thanks so much Scherzo! Once I dragged the bar under the plugin, it works exactly as I had intended. It will print the desired MIDI modification but also allow me to change it later.

Thanks also for putting in the time to show it in the transformer. It works both ways!

Hmm...I wonder where I have heard that tune before!

Happy to be of assistance! And best of luck with your template-building endeavors. Hope you'll share the results with us when you're done. It's always a pleasure hearing your work

That's a real result - I didn't know this either, thanks scherzo!

scherzo wrote: ↑Jul 09, 2024 2:14 pm (guess the tune!)

Minuet in G by Christian Petzold (it's in the notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach). I was surprised to notice that I can apparently read the piano roll as fluently as notation.

I have assigned a keyboard shortcut to set fixed velocity for notes. I just open the editor, select all the notes and press the shortcut keys. All velocities are set to 100. I use low latency - fast for CSS and CSW. This is the key command I use. But again this is an approach to be done after you play. Scherzo's method is fantastic!

Linos wrote: ↑Jul 09, 2024 4:42 pm Minuet in G by Christian Petzold (it's in the notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach). I was surprised to notice that I can apparently read the piano roll as fluently as notation.

It is indeed! And bonus points for not ascribing authorship to Bach himself It was one of the first things I learned to play, and now it's almost like an ingrained reflex to bang that one out every time I sit down at the piano.

Anyways, glad people found the transformer thing helpful!

scherzo wrote: ↑Jul 09, 2024 3:01 pm Happy to be of assistance! And best of luck with your template-building endeavors. Hope you'll share the results with us when you're done. It's always a pleasure hearing your work

Thanks Scherzo! I have not been able to write much orchestral music in the last few months but I am going to get back to it starting with this new template. Hopefully, I can share something on the board and get some feedback!

Tanuj Tiku wrote: ↑Jul 10, 2024 6:14 am

scherzo wrote: ↑Jul 09, 2024 3:01 pm Happy to be of assistance! And best of luck with your template-building endeavors. Hope you'll share the results with us when you're done. It's always a pleasure hearing your work

Thanks Scherzo! I have not been able to write much orchestral music in the last few months but I am going to get back to it starting with this new template. Hopefully, I can share something on the board and get some feedback!

How are you setting it up Tanuj? Individual tracks per articulation or using expression maps?

srkrishnan wrote: ↑Jul 10, 2024 10:08 am

Tanuj Tiku wrote: ↑Jul 10, 2024 6:14 am

scherzo wrote: ↑Jul 09, 2024 3:01 pm Happy to be of assistance! And best of luck with your template-building endeavors. Hope you'll share the results with us when you're done. It's always a pleasure hearing your work

Thanks Scherzo! I have not been able to write much orchestral music in the last few months but I am going to get back to it starting with this new template. Hopefully, I can share something on the board and get some feedback!

How are you setting it up Tanuj? Individual tracks per articulation or using expression maps?

Still going with one articulation per track more or less because it's easier for me to work in that format and have some control. I never got used to expression maps for some reason!

Tanuj Tiku wrote: ↑Jul 11, 2024 1:25 pm

srkrishnan wrote: ↑Jul 10, 2024 10:08 am

Tanuj Tiku wrote: ↑Jul 10, 2024 6:14 am

scherzo wrote: ↑Jul 09, 2024 3:01 pm Happy to be of assistance! And best of luck with your template-building endeavors. Hope you'll share the results with us when you're done. It's always a pleasure hearing your work

Thanks Scherzo! I have not been able to write much orchestral music in the last few months but I am going to get back to it starting with this new template. Hopefully, I can share something on the board and get some feedback!

How are you setting it up Tanuj? Individual tracks per articulation or using expression maps?

Still going with one articulation per track more or less because it's easier for me to work in that format and have some control. I never got used to expression maps for some reason!

Got it. Thanks Tanuj!