Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

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2. Click the “+” sign in the top left corner and select the “Generic Remote” 
device from the pop-up menu.
When the Generic Remote device is added in the Device Setup dialog, you can open 
the corresponding window by selecting “Generic Remote” from the Devices menu.
3. Select the Generic Remote device in the Devices list to the left.
The settings for the Generic Remote device are displayed, allowing you to specify 
which control on your device should control which parameter in Cubase.
4. Use the MIDI Input and Output pop-up menus to select the MIDI port(s) to 
which your remote device is connected.
5. Use the pop-up menu to the right to select a bank.
Banks are combinations of a certain number of channels, and are used because most 
MIDI devices can control only a limited number of channels at a time (often 8 or 16). 
For example, if your MIDI control device has 16 volume faders, and you are using 32 
MixConsole channels in Cubase, you would need two banks of 16 channels each. 
When the first bank is selected you can control channel 1 to 16; when the second 
Bank is selected you can control channel 17 to 32.
6. Set up the table at the top according to the controls on your MIDI control 
device.
The columns have the following functionality:
Column Description
Control 
NameDouble-clicking this field allows you to enter a descriptive name for the 
control (typically a name written on the console). This name is 
automatically reflected in the Control Name column in the lower table. 
						

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• If you find that the table at the top holds too many or too few controls, you can 
add or remove controls with the Add and Delete buttons to the right of the 
table.
• If you are uncertain of which MIDI message a certain controller sends, you can 
use the Learn function.
Select the control in the upper table (by clicking in the Control Name column), 
move the corresponding control on your MIDI device and click the Learn button 
to the right of the table. The MIDI Status, MIDI Channel, and Address values 
are automatically set to those of the moved control.
• If you use the Learn function for a control that sends a Program Change value, 
the “Prog. Change Trigger” option is automatically selected on the “MIDI 
Status” pop-up menu. This allows you to use the different values of a Program 
Change parameter to control different parameters in Cubase.
If this does not give you the result you want, try using the “Prog. Change” value 
instead.
7. Use the table at the bottom to specify which Cubase parameters you want to 
control.
Each row in the table is associated to the controller in the corresponding row in the 
first table (as indicated by the Control Name column). The other columns have the 
following functionality:
MIDI 
StatusClicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing you to specify 
the type of MIDI message sent by the control (e. g. Controller, Prog. 
Change Trigger).
The NRPN and RPN controllers are part of the MIDI specification and 
present a way to extend the available control messages. The “Ctrl 
JLCooper” option is a special version of a Continuous Controller where 
the 3rd byte of a MIDI message is used as address instead of the 2nd 
byte (a method supported by various JL-Cooper remote devices). For a 
description of the Ctrl-Houston status value, see the Steinberg Houston 
hardware manual.
MIDI 
ChannelClicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing you to select the 
MIDI channel on which the controller is transmitted.
Address The Continuous Controller number, the pitch of a note, or the address of 
a NRPN/RPN Continuous Controller.
Max. 
Va l u eThe maximum value the control will transmit. This value is used by the 
program to “scale” the value range of the MIDI controller to the value 
range of the program parameter.
Flags Clicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing you to activate 
or deactivate three flags:
• Receive – activate this if the MIDI message should be processed on 
reception.
• Transmit – activate this if a MIDI message should be transmitted when 
the corresponding value in the program changes.
• Relative – activate this if the control is an “endless” rotary encoder, 
which reports the number of turns instead of an absolute value. Column Description 
						

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8. If necessary, make settings for another bank.
NOTE
Note that you only need to make settings in the bottom table for this bank. The table 
at the top is already set up according to the MIDI remote device.
If necessary, you can add banks by clicking the Add button below the Bank pop-up 
menu.
Clicking the Rename button allows you to assign a new name to the currently 
selected bank, and you can remove an unneeded bank by selecting it and clicking the 
Delete button.
9. When you are finished, close the Device Setup window.
Now, you can control the specified Cubase parameters from the MIDI remote device. 
To select another bank, use the pop-up menu in the Generic Remote window (or use 
a control on the MIDI remote device, if you have assigned one for this).
Column Description
Device Clicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, used for determining 
which device in Cubase is controlled. The special “Command” option 
allows you to perform certain command actions by remote control. One 
example of this is the selection of remote banks.
Channel/ 
CategoryThis is where you select the channel to be controlled or, if the 
“Command” Device option is selected, the Command category.
Value/ 
ActionClicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing you to select the 
parameter of the channel to be controlled (typically, if the “VST Mixer” 
Device option is selected, you can choose between volume, pan, send 
levels, EQ, etc.).
If the “Command” Device option is selected, this is where you specify 
the “Action” of the category.
Flags Clicking in this column opens a pop-up menu, allowing you to activate 
or deactivate three flags:
• Push Button – When activated, the parameter is only changed if the 
received MIDI message shows a value unequal to 0.
• Toggle – When activated, the parameter value is switched between 
minimum and maximum value each time a MIDI message is received. 
The combination of Push Button and Toggle is useful for remote 
controls which do not latch the state of a button. One example is 
controlling mute status with a device on which pressing the Mute 
button turns it on, and releasing the Mute button turns it off. If Push 
Button and Toggle are activated, the Mute status will change between 
on and off whenever the button is pressed on the console.
• Not Automated – When activated, the parameter will not be 
automated. 
						

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Importing and exporting remote setups
The Export button in the top right corner of the Generic Remote Setup window 
allows you to export the current setup, including the Control configuration (the table 
at the top) and all banks. The setup is saved as a file (with the file extension “.xml”). 
Clicking the Import button allows you to import saved remote setup files.
NOTE
The last imported or exported remote setup will automatically be loaded when the 
program starts or the Generic Remote control is added in the Device Setup dialog.
Track Quick Controls
If you have an external remote control device, you can set it up to control up to eight 
parameters of each audio track, MIDI track or instrument track, using the Track 
Quick Controls feature in Cubase.
RELATED LINKS
Connecting Quick Controls with Remote Controllers on page 605
The Remote Control Editor
Often, the automatic mapping of plug-in parameters to remote control devices 
appears rather random, and not very intuitive. The Remote Control Editor allows you 
to define your own mapping of VST plug-in parameters to the controls of the 
supported hardware controllers.
• To open the Remote Control Editor, right-click the plug-in panel of the plug-in 
that you want to remote-control and select “Remote Control Editor”. 
						

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Layout Section
The main area of the editor is the Layout section. Layouts represent the hardware 
devices that are used to remote-control the plug-in parameters. Like these devices, 
a layout can have a number of pages. These pages contain a number of cells, which 
in turn contain controls. The available controls are a text label, a knob, and two 
switches.
You can perform the following editing operations:
• Change the parameter assignments
• Change the name in the text label
• Set up the cells
• Arrange the order of cells and pages
When you open the editor for the first time, the Standard Layout is shown.
Inspector Section
The Inspector contains the settings and the parameter assignment for the selected 
cell. The upper section contains settings for the text label. The lower section 
contains settings for the knob and the switches. 
						

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Status Bar
When you position the mouse pointer over an element in the editor window, the 
status bar shows information on what you can do with this element.
Setting up the Standard Layout
Click the “Set up Cell Layout” button to open the Cell Layout Configuration panel. 
Here, you can make the following settings:
• Use the pop-up menu to specify the number of cells per page.
• In the lower section, select the switch layout that you want to use for the 
pages.
You can specify the number of switches for a cell by activating/deactivating 
them.
Defining the Controls
You can define the operation for a particular switch or knob. This includes changing 
the LED ring or changing its behaviour, from continuous value representation to 
on/off, for example.
Right-click the control and select a new control style in the settings window or 
select the control and select a style in the inspector.
NOTE
• To be able to make settings for a control, it has to be assigned to a function.
• Not all hardware devices support all control type settings. 
						

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Control Type Settings for Knobs
The following control types are available for knobs:
Standard
A standard knob with undefined LED style.
Toggle Switch
This is best used for parameters with two states, like On/Off buttons.
LED Ring
An LED ring is shown around the knob. The setting increases clockwise.
LED Ring (counter-clockwise)
An LED ring is shown around the knob. The setting increases 
counter-clockwise from right to left.
Center Width
The LED ring starts at the top center position and when the settings increase, 
an LED is shown growing in both directions.
Center Neutral
The dial starts at the top center position and can be moved left or right, like a 
pan control, for example.
Single Dot
As “LED Ring”, but showing only a dot to indicate the current value.
Control Type Settings for Switches 
						

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The following options are available for switches:
Momentary
The assigned function is active for as long as you keep the switch pressed.
Increasing Stepwise
Pressing the switch steps through the available settings until the maximum is 
reached.
Decreasing Stepwise
Pressing the switch steps through the available settings in reverse order until 
the minimum is reached.
Increasing Stepwise (cycle)
Pressing the switch steps through the available settings, starting over with the 
minimum value when the maximum is reached.
Decreasing Stepwise (cycle)
Pressing the switch steps through the available settings in reverse order, 
starting over with the maximum value when the minimum is reached.
Smart Switch
This changes between two states every time you press the switch, like an 
On/Off button. Furthermore, if you keep the switch pressed, you enter 
Momentary mode, that is, the corresponding function stays active for as long 
as the button is pressed.
Invert Control Value
This inverts the control state/value.
Hide Control When Inactive
Hides plug-in parameters when they are inactive or disabled.
Assigning Parameters to Controls
PROCEDURE
1. Click the L button on the toolbar to activate Learn mode for the editor.
2. In the editor, select the control that you want to assign to a plug-in parameter.
A colored frame around a control shows that this control has the Learn focus.
3. Click on a parameter on the plug-in panel.
This assigns that parameter to the control.
You can also double-click on a control in the editor to open the list of available plug-in 
parameters, and click a parameter to assign it to the control. 
						

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4. Click on another control to set the Learn focus to that control and assign a 
parameter to it.
5. Press [Esc] to end Learn mode.
Removing the Parameter assignment
• To remove the parameter assignment for a cell, activate Learn mode, select 
the cell, and press [Delete] or [Backspace].
• To remove all assignments, click the “Remove All Assignments” button.
Assignment Status
You can show the current assignment of all cells in a layout by activating the “i” 
button in the top right corner of the editor. This is useful to get a quick overview of 
the parameters that are assigned to the available controls.
Editing the Layout
In the Layout section, you can perform a number of editing operations and arrange 
the pages to your liking.
Making Name Settings for the Cells
The top three text fields in the Inspector can be used to specify the names for a cell.
This is useful if you are working with hardware devices that have value fields that 
only display a limited number of characters, for example. The first text field shows 
the long name, as it is shown in the cell. In the second field, you can enter a name 
that can contain up to 8 characters, and up to 4 characters in the third. 
						

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Rearranging the order of a page or a cell
• To copy the settings of one cell to another, select a cell, press [Alt]/[Option] 
and drag it to another cell.
• To move a cell, drag it to an empty cell.
• To swap the contents of two cells, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and drag one cell 
to the other.
NOTE
Drag and drop also works between different pages.
Navigating
• You can use the cursor keys to navigate in all directions.
• When Learn mode is active, pressing [Shift] allows you to step between the 
controls within the cells.
• To step forwards or backwards through the different layouts, use [Tab] and 
[Shift]-[Tab].
Adding/Removing Pages
• To add a page to a layout, click the “+” button on the right of a page.
• To remove a page, click the corresponding “-” button.
NOTE
A layout always contains at least one page.
Adding/Removing a New Hardware Layout
• To add a hardware layout for a particular hardware type, click the “+” button 
to the right of the tabs.
• To remove a hardware layout, click the “x” icon of a tab.
Changing the Settings in a Layout
• To modify an existing layout, save the new settings by clicking the Apply 
button in the top right corner of the editor.
If the hardware supports this function, the changes are immediately reflected 
on the hardware controllers.