Steinberg Cubase 8 Manual

							Expression maps (Cubase Pro only)
Using expression maps
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Expression maps that were saved separately
You can also define your own expression maps. To load these, proceed as follows:
PROCEDURE
1. In the Inspector for the selected track, select the Expression Map section, 
open the pop-up menu and select “Expression Map Setup…”.
The Expression Map Setup window opens.
NOTE
If the Expression Map section is not shown in the Inspector, right-click on another 
Inspector section and select “Expression Map” from the context menu.
2. In the Expression Maps section on the left, click the Load button.
A file dialog appears.
3. Locate and select an expression map and click Open.
The expression map is added to the Maps list.
4. Repeat the steps for all the maps that you want to make available, and close 
the dialog.
All loaded maps are available on the Expression Map pop-up menu in the Inspector.
RELATED LINKS
Creating and editing expression maps on page 785
Expression maps in the Project window
In the Inspector for MIDI and instrument tracks, the Expression Map section is 
available. This indicates whether an expression map is used for a track. It also shows 
the sound slots that are active for playback and for realtime input.
1) Indicates that an expression map is used for the track.
2) Shows which remote key is being pressed.
3) Marks the slot that is currently played back. 
						

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The possibility to monitor the active slots is especially useful when recording 
articulations with an external device, such as a MIDI keyboard. This way, you can 
see whether the correct sound slot, i.
 e. the right articulation, is used.
Expression maps in the Score Editor
In the Score Editor, the articulations that are part of an expression map can be 
inserted like other symbols. There is a special tab in the Symbols Inspector, 
containing all articulation symbols of the current expression map.
• To insert a symbol, click on it in the Expression Map tab, and click at the 
desired position in the note display.
• To delete an articulation symbol from the score, select it and press [Delete] or 
[Backspace].
You can also click on it with the Eraser tool.
NOTE
In the Preferences dialog (Score–Colors for Additional Meanings page), you can 
specify a color for Expression Map symbols. This way, you can easily distinguish 
them from other Score symbols.
Articulation editing in the Score Editor is the same as regular symbol editing.
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
In the Score Editor, it is possible to insert symbols for a single note that in fact 
cannot be combined in a musically meaningful way. So when entering articulations, 
make sure that they do not conflict with other articulations.
RELATED LINKS
Working with symbols on page 1206
Expression maps in the Key, Drum, and In-Place Editors
If an expression map is used for a MIDI or instrument track, its articulations are 
shown in the note events in the Key Editor display, provided that the vertical zoom 
factor is high enough. If the horizontal zoom factor is high enough, the attribute 
description (the text in the Description column) is also shown. 
						

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You can insert and edit articulations in the Key, Drum, and In-Place Editors using 
the controller lane. This is much like regular controller lane editing.
• To display the articulations set up in the selected expression map, open the 
pop-up menu to the left of the lane and select “Articulations/Dynamics”.
• When “Articulations/Dynamics” is selected for a controller lane, the note 
beginnings are displayed as thin vertical lines in the controller display.
• All articulations that are specified for the selected expression map are 
available on the controller lane. They appear on different rows one above the 
other. The order in which they are listed is the same as in the expression map.
The different groups (1 to 4) are also reflected here. They are separated by 
black lines. Articulations belonging to the same group are shown in the same 
color.
• Directions are displayed as bars in the controller lane. They begin at the 
insertion point of a direction and end at the insertion point of the next 
articulation from the same group (or at the end of the part if no more directions 
follow). Attributes are inserted at the note beginning.
You can assign a maximum of one attribute per group to each note.
RELATED LINKS
Editing Articulations on page 788
Using the Controller Display on page 716
Editing Dynamics (Cubase Pro only) on page 722
Groups on page 789
Editing on the controller lane
• To insert new directions on the controller lane, select the Draw tool and click 
at the desired position in the respective row, i.
 e. where you want the direction 
to start. Note that you have to click at the exact position of the first note that 
you want to apply this articulation to or to the left of it.
Instead of selecting the Draw tool, you can also hold down [Alt]/[Option] and 
click at the desired position.
• To insert new attributes on the controller lane, select the Draw tool and click 
at the respective note line in the corresponding row of the controller lane.
Instead of selecting the Draw tool, you can also hold down a modifier key (by 
default [Alt]/[Option]) and click at the desired position. 
						

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• To remove a direction, click on it with the Erase tool or select it and press 
[Delete] or [Backspace].
• To remove an attribute, click on it with the Draw tool.
Note that you cannot select attributes in the controller lane without 
automatically selecting the corresponding note, too. Therefore, you cannot 
delete an attribute by selecting it and pressing [Delete] or [Backspace] 
without deleting the note as well.
NOTE
If several notes are selected, you can use the Draw tool to insert or delete attributes 
for all of them in one go.
Editing on the info line
When a MIDI note is selected in the note display, the info line contains the 
“Articulations” option. This displays the note attributes (symbols) specified for the 
selected note. Click in this section to open the Articulations pop-up menu.
The following applies:
• All note attributes available in the expression map are shown on the pop-up 
menu, sorted by group.
• To add an attribute to a note, simply select it on the pop-up menu. Attributes 
that are active for a note are indicated on the menu.
If you click on an active attribute again on the menu, it is deleted.
• If you select another attribute from the same group for a note, the attribute 
replaces the previous attribute.
RELATED LINKS
Groups on page 789
Expression maps in the List Editor
In the List Editor, the Articulations can be viewed and edited in the Comment 
column. The options are the same as on the Key Editor info line. 
						

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Directions can be shown either as Text or as Graphic Symbols (like in the Score 
Editor). Either way, they are followed by the text “VST Expression” in brackets, so 
as to be easily recognizable and distinguishable from ordinary Score symbols.
Creating and editing expression maps
Creating an expression map from scratch
PROCEDURE
1. In the Inspector for a MIDI or instrument track, open the Expression Map 
section, open the pop-up menu and select “Expression Map Setup…”.
The Expression Map Setup window opens, allowing you to load and create 
expression maps.
NOTE
You can also open the Expression Map Setup window by selecting the “Expression 
Map Setup…” option on the MIDI menu.
2. To create a new map from scratch, click the “+” button at the top of the Maps 
list in the Expression Maps section of the dialog.
A new map named “Untitled” is shown in the Expression Maps section.
3. Click on the map name and enter a meaningful name (e. g. “Cello” to set up 
an expression map for a cello). 
						

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Creating and editing expression maps
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Creating expression maps based on the key switches used in an 
instrument
You can automatically extract mapping information from your connected VST 
instruments and convert it into a new expressio n  m ap .  T h i s m ak e s  i t  v e r y  e as y  t o  s e t 
up expression maps for the instruments you often work with.
PROCEDURE
1. Load the VST instrument you want to use and assign it to a MIDI or instrument 
track.
2. Select the track, open the Expression Map section in the Inspector, and select 
“Import Key Switches” on the pop-up menu. Note that this menu option will 
only be available when the loaded program contains key switches.
The Expression Map Setup window opens.
3. Make the desired settings for the created map and click the Save button.
The expression map is saved and can now be loaded via the pop-up menu on the 
Expression Map section of the Inspector.
RELATED LINKS
Creating an expression map from scratch on page 785
Adding sound slots
Now, you create one sound slot for each articulation that you want to add.
PROCEDURE
1. In the Sound Slots section to the right of the Maps list, a sound slot is added 
automatically when a new map is created.
This is the default slot that is used. You can specify an articulation for it or leave it 
empty, depending on your preferred default setting. 
						

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2. Click in the first Articulation column (Art. 1) for the sound slot and select an 
articulation from the menu.
A new entry is added in the Articulations section in the lower right corner of the 
window.
3. When adding articulations, the name of the sound slot is automatically set to 
the articulation. To change the name, click in the name field and enter a new 
name.
The names of the sound slots are displayed in the Inspector for the track.
4. To create a complex articulation, made of several different single articulations, 
click in the other Articulation columns (Art. 2-4) for the sound slot and add the 
corresponding articulations.
For each new articulation, an additional entry is added in the Articulations section.
• Apart from creating combined articulations, the Articulation columns also allow 
you to prioritize articulations, by sorting them into different groups.
When the program is looking for sounds and no exact match is found, the 
group setting defines the “closest match”, i.
 e. the sound which matches most 
criteria when searching from left to right is used. For example, if two sounds are 
found which have the same articulation in group 1, the sound that also matches 
group 2 is preferred and so on. For more information on groups, see below.
• If you cannot find the articulation that you want to add on the pop-up menu, you 
can define your own articulations by selecting “Add Custom Articulation”.
This adds a default articulation which you can define in the Articulations 
section, see below.
• Click in the “Col” column to assign a color to the current sound slot.
When working in the MIDI editors, you can color your events according to the 
color of the sound slots.
5. When you have made the desired settings, click the “+” button again to add 
another sound slot.
Add as many sound slots as you need.
In the Remote column, you can specify the key on your external device that triggers 
this sound slot.
RELATED LINKS
Expression maps in the Project window on page 781
Remote Key Settings on page 789
Output Mapping
When you have added sound slots, you can map them to certain sound characters 
or expressions of an instrument, e.
 g. a bowed violin or a pizzicato violin. The 
available sounds depend on the instrument that is selected for the MIDI or 
instrument track. Some of the more complex virtual instruments require multiple key 
switches or combinations of key switches and controllers to select a particular 
articulation. This can be accomplished by stacking multiple output events to a single 
sound slot. You can add a new slot by clicking the “+” button above the list. 
						

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You can make the following settings for the slots: In the Status column, you can 
specify a note-on, program change, or controller message. Additionally, you can 
make settings in the Data 1 and 2 columns (if applicable). If you have an instrument 
that uses key switches (for example Steinberg’s HALion Symphonic Orchestra), 
you can specify these key switches here. This allows you to switch between a 
bowed and a pizzicato violin, or to switch to another program containing a different 
articulation.
You can also create expressions by editing the incoming MIDI data, for example by 
changing the note length or velocity. For this, you can make the following settings 
in the lower part of the Output Mapping section:
Channel
Here you can specify the MIDI channel. When using HALion Symphonic 
Orchestra for example, this allows you to switch to a different program.
Length
Here you can specify the note length. This way, you can create staccato or 
tenuto sounds.
Velocity
Here you can specify the desired velocity. This allows you to create accents, 
for example.
Min. Velocity
If you are using an instrument that has different velocity ranges on the same 
key, you can specify a minimum velocity here, to make sure that the sample 
mapped to a particular range is used.
Transpose
This allows you to specify a transpose value. This can be used to select 
different articulations in some sample libraries, in which different articulations 
are located on different octaves, for example.
Controller 1/2
These allow you to set MIDI Control Change messages and their values for 
each sound slot.
Editing Articulations
In the Articulations section, the articulations you added for the sound slots are 
displayed.
The following settings can be made here:
Art.
Clicking in this column opens a context menu, where you can choose whether 
you want to insert a symbol or a text string. If you select Symbol, the dialog 
with the available symbols opens. If you select Text, you can directly enter the 
desired text. 
						

							Expression maps (Cubase Pro only)
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Type
In this column you specify whether you want to add an “Attribute” (which only 
influences a single note, e.
 g. an accent) or a “Direction” (which is valid from 
the insertion position until it is replaced by another articulation, e.
 g. arco and 
pizzicato).
Description
Here, you can enter a descriptive text. For example, this can be the name of 
the symbol (e.
 g. Accent) or the long name of a direction (e. g. pizz and 
pizzicato).
Group
This column allows you to specify the group, or importance of the symbol, see 
below.
Groups
You can sort the different articulations you define for an expression map into one to 
four groups. Groups can be used to combine directions and attributes in more 
complex musical expressions by choosing articulations from the different groups, for 
example to play a note arco AND staccato AND with an accent.
The groups themselves are exclusive. This means articulations residing within the same 
group cannot be used together. Since some of the articulations cannot be combined – 
for example, a violin cannot be played arco (bowed) and pizzicato (plucked) at the same 
time – these articulations should be placed in the same group.
Furthermore, the groups represent the musical importance, with group 1 having the 
highest priority (expressions in group 1 are more important than those in group 2, 
3, and 4). This setting is required when the expression map does not find an exact 
match for your data and tries to identify the closest possible sound. Let’s say you 
have added a staccato symbol and an accent to a note in an editor. In the expression 
map, you have specified that staccato is in group 2 and the accent is in group 3. 
The connected instrument, however, does not have a sample that corresponds to 
these settings. In this case, the program looks for a staccato sound, disregarding 
the accent.
Remote Key Settings
The remote keys specify which key on an external device is used to play a certain 
sound slot, i.
 e. these keys are then used to insert articulations instead of notes.
The active remote keys (if any) are indicated in the Inspector for the track.
NOTE
If you do not plan to record or trigger articulations via a MIDI input device, you do 
not need to specify remote keys.
RELATED LINKS
Expression maps in the Project window on page 781 
						

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Latch Mode
This setting determines whether the remote key function reacts to note-off messages.
• When Latch Mode is deactivated, the key you press on your MIDI input device 
is valid for as long as the key is held, i.
 e. the sound slot plays until the key is 
released.
On release, the default (first) sound slot is played again.
• When Latch Mode is activated, the key you press is valid until the next key is 
pressed.
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
Note that Latch Mode can only be generally activated/deactivated in Cubase, not 
for single expression maps.
Root Note
Here, you can specify the first key on your external device that you want to use as a 
remote key. This is useful, since it allows you to automatically adjust existing remote 
key assignments to suit your needs, for example when you are using a MIDI 
keyboard with a very wide or very narrow key range.
Set Remote Keys
Remote keys can be specified manually for each slot in the Sound Slots section of 
the window. However, you can also automatically assign a range of keys on your 
external device to the sound slots in the expression map.
PROCEDURE
1. Click the Set Remote Keys button.
A dialog opens.
2. Use the Start Key field to specify the first key on the MIDI input device that 
you want to trigger a sound slot.
3. On the Key Mapping pop-up menu, you can specify with which keys on your 
device you want to trigger the sound slots.
You can choose whether you want to use all keys on the keyboard as remote keys, or 
whether only the white or black keys are used.
4. Click OK to close the dialog.