Steinberg Cubase Le 4 Manual

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Working with System Exclusive
messages 
						

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Working with System Exclusive messages
Introduction
SysEx (System Exclusive) messages are model-specific 
messages for setting various parameters of a MIDI device. 
This makes it possible to address device parameters that 
would not be available via normal MIDI syntax.
Every major MIDI manufacturer has its own SysEx identity 
code. SysEx messages are typically used for transmitting 
patch data, i.e. the numbers that make up the settings of 
one or more sounds in a MIDI instrument.
Cubase LE allows you to record and manipulate SysEx 
data in various ways. This chapter points to various fea-
tures that help you manage and create SysEx data.
Bulk dumps
Recording a bulk dump in Cubase LE
In any programmable device, the settings are stored as 
numbers in computer memory. Change those numbers, 
and you will change the settings.
Normally, MIDI devices allow you to dump (transmit) all or 
some settings in the devices memory in the form of MIDI 
SysEx messages. A dump is therefore (among other 
things) a way of making backup copies of the settings of 
your instrument: sending such a dump back to the MIDI 
device will restore the settings. 
If your instrument allows the dumping of a few or all of its 
settings via MIDI by activating some function on the front 
panel, this dump will probably be recordable in Cubase LE.
1.Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu (on 
the Mac, this is located on the Cubase LE menu) and se-
lect the MIDI–MIDI Filter page.
This allows you to govern which MIDI event types should be recorded 
and/or thru-put.
2.Make sure that recording of Sysex data is not filtered, 
by unchecking the the Sysex checkbox in the Record sec-
tion. The Sysex checkbox in the Thru section can be left as 
it is (by default activated).
This way, SysEx messages will be recorded but not echoed back out to 
the instrument (which may lead to unpredictable results).
3.Activate recording on a MIDI track and initiate the 
dump from the front panel of the instrument.
4.When done recording, select the new part and open 
the List Editor from the MIDI menu.
This allows you to check that the SysEx dump was recorded – there 
should be one or several SysEx events in the part/event list.
!If your MIDI instrument doesn’t offer a way to initiate a 
dump “by itself”, you have to send a Dump Request 
message from Cubase LE to start the dump. In that 
case, use the MIDI SysEx Editor (see “Editing System 
Exclusive messages” on page 203) to insert the spe-
cific Dump Request message (see the instrument’s 
documentation) at the beginning of a MIDI track. 
When you activate recording, the Dump Request 
message will be played back (sent to the instrument), 
the dump will start and be recorded as above. 
						

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Working with System Exclusive messages
Transmitting a bulk dump back to a device
1.Make sure the MIDI track with the System Exclusive 
data is routed to the device.
You may want to check your device’s documentation to find details about 
which MIDI channel should be used, etc.
2.Solo the track.
This might not be necessary, but it is a good safety measure.
3.Make sure the device is set up to receive SysEx mes-
sages (often, receiving SysEx is turned off by default).
4.If necessary, put the device in “Standby to Receive 
System Exclusive” mode.
5.Play back the data.
Some advice
 Dont transmit more data than you need. If all you want is a sin-
gle program, dont send them all, it will only make it harder to 
find the one you want. Usually, you can specify exactly what 
you want to send.
 If you want the sequencer to dump the pertinent sounds to 
your instrument each time you load a project, put the SysEx 
data in a silent “count-in” before the project itself starts.
 If the dump is very short (for instance, a single sound) you can 
put it in the middle of the project to re-program a device on 
the fly. However, you can achieve the same effect by using 
Program Change. This is definitely preferable, since less MIDI 
data is sent and recorded. Some devices may be set up to 
dump the settings for a sound as soon as you select it on the 
front panel.
 If you create parts with useful “SysEx dumps”, you can put 
these on a special muted track. When you want to use one of 
them, drag it to an empty unmuted track and play it back from 
there.
 Do not transmit several SysEx dumps to several instruments at 
the same time.
 Make a note of the current device ID setting of the instrument. 
If you change this, the instrument may refuse to load the dump 
later.
Recording System Exclusive 
parameter changes
Often you can use SysEx to remotely change individual 
settings in a device, e. g. open a filter, select a waveform, 
change the decay of the reverb etc. Many devices are also 
capable of transmitting changes made on the front panel 
as SysEx messages. These can be recorded in Cubase 
LE, and thus incorporated into a regular MIDI recording.
Heres how it works: lets say you open up a filter while play-
ing some notes. In that case, you will record both the notes 
and the SysEx messages generated when you opened of 
the filter. When you play it back, the sound changes exactly 
like it did when you recorded it.
1.Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu, se-
lect the MIDI–MIDI Filter page and make sure that SysEx is 
recorded, i.e. the Sysex checkbox in the Record section is 
deactivated.
2.Make sure the instrument is actually set to transmit 
changes of front panel controls as SysEx messages.
3.Record normally.
When you’re done, you can check that the events were recorded pro-
perly in the List Editor.
Editing System Exclusive messages
While SysEx events are shown in the List Editor, their en-
tire content is not (only the beginning of the message is 
displayed in the Comment column for the event). Also, you 
cannot edit the event (other than moving it) as you can 
with other event types in the List Editor.
Instead, you have to use the MIDI SysEx Editor for this. 
						

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Working with System Exclusive messages
To open the MIDI SysEx Editor for an event, click in the 
Comments column for the event in the List Editor.
The display shows the entire message on one or several 
lines. SysEx messages always begin with F0 and end with 
F7 with a number of arbitrary bytes in between. If the mes-
sage contains more bytes than fit on one line, it continues 
on the next. The Address indication to the left helps you 
find out on which position in the message a certain value 
resides.
You can edit all values except for the first (F0) and last one 
(F7).
Selecting and viewing values
To select a value, either click on it or use the cursor keys. 
The selected byte is displayed in various formats:
 In the main display, values are shown in hexadecimal format.
 To the right of this, values are shown in ASCII format.
 At the bottom of the dialog, the selected value is shown in 
binary and decimal formats.
Editing a value
The selected value can be edited directly in the main dis-
play or in the decimal and binary displays. Just click on it 
and type in the desired value as usual.
Adding and deleting bytes
Using the Insert and Delete buttons or their corresponding 
computer keyboard keys, you can add and delete bytes 
from the message. Inserted data will appear before the se-
lection.To delete the complete SysEx message, select it in the 
List Editor and press [Delete] or [Backspace].
Importing and exporting data
The Import and Export buttons allow you to get SysEx data 
from disk and to export the edited data to a file. The file 
has to be in “MIDI SysEx” (.SYX) binary format. Only the 
first dump in a .SYX file will be loaded.
This format should not be confused with MIDI files, which 
have the extension .MID. 
						

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Working with the Tempo track 
						

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Working with the Tempo track
Background
The tempo can either be fixed through the whole project 
(this is called “Fixed tempo mode”) or follow the Tempo 
track (this is called “Tempo track mode”), which may con-
tain tempo changes.
To switch between Fixed tempo mode and Tempo track 
mode, use the Tempo button on the Transport panel:
When the Tempo button is lit (and the text “Track” is shown), the tempo 
follows the Tempo track; when it is deactivated (and the text “Fixed” is 
shown), the Fixed tempo is used (see “Setting the Fixed tempo” on 
page 209). You can also switch tempo mode in the Tempo Track Editor 
(see below).
In Tempo track mode, the tempo cannot be changed on 
the Transport panel, i. e. the tempo information here is for 
display purposes only.
The Tempo track also contains time signature events. 
These are always active, regardless of whether Fixed 
tempo mode or Tempo track mode is selected.
A note about audio tracks in a tempo-based project
The start time position of audio events depends on the 
current tempo setting. However, it is important to realize 
that the actual audio (“within” the events) will play back as 
recorded, regardless of any tempo changes you make. 
Therefore, it’s good practice to make the proper tempo 
and time signature settings before you start recording 
tempo-based audio.
ÖTo make an already recorded audio track follow the 
tempo changes, you can use the Hitpoints and Slicing fea-
tures, see “Working with hitpoints and slices” on page 122.
How well this works depends on the character of the audio recordings, 
since the Hitpoint detection feature works best with fairly rhythmical ma-
terial.
The Tempo Track Editor – Overview
To make changes to the actual Tempo track, you need to 
open the Tempo Track Editor by selecting “Tempo Track” 
on the Project menu.
The toolbar
The toolbar contains various tools and settings. The tempo 
and time signature displays to the right allow you to view 
and edit the value of the selected tempo curve point or time 
signature event, much like the info line in other editors.
Tools
Tempo track on/off
Autoscroll Snap on/offSnap pop-up
Curve type selector
Curve type for new tempo eventsTime signature
The selected tempo 
						

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Working with the Tempo track
The ruler
The ruler in the Tempo Track Editor shows the timeline. As 
in other windows, you can select a display format by click-
ing on the arrow button to the right of the ruler and select-
ing an option from the pop-up menu that appears.
The two additional items at the bottom of the menu have 
the following functionality:
If “Time Linear” is selected, the ruler, time signature area 
and tempo curve display will be linear in relation to the 
timeline.
This means that if the ruler shows bars and beats, the distance between 
the bar lines will vary depending on the tempo.
If “Bars+Beats Linear” is selected, the ruler, time signa-
ture area and tempo curve display will be linear in relation 
to beats.
If the ruler shows bars and beats, the distance between beats will be 
constant.
The time signature area
The area below the ruler contains time signature events. 
The tempo curve display
The main display shows the tempo curve (or, if Fixed tempo 
mode is selected, the Fixed tempo – see “Setting the Fixed 
tempo” on page 209). To the left of the display is a tempo 
scale to help you quickly locate the desired tempo.
Note that the vertical “grid lines” correspond to the dis-
play format selected for the ruler.
Operations
Zooming
Changing the magnification is done using any of the fol-
lowing methods:
By using the zoom sliders in the lower right corner of the 
window.
By using the Magnifying Glass tool.
This works according to the standard procedures.
By using the Zoom submenu on the Edit menu.
The options on the menu work as in other windows. 
						

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Working with the Tempo track
Editing the tempo curve
Adding tempo curve points
1.Use the “insert curve” pop-up menu in the toolbar to 
select whether you want the tempo to change gradually 
from the previous curve point to the new one (“Ramp”) or 
change instantly to the new value (“Jump”).
2.Select the Pencil tool.
3.Click at the desired time position in the tempo curve 
display, and keep the mouse button pressed.
If Snap is activated on the toolbar, this determines at which time posi-
tions you can insert tempo curve points, see “Snap” on page 210.
When you click, the tempo display in the toolbar shows the tempo 
value.
4.Drag the curve point to the desired tempo value (indi-
cated in the tempo display), and release the mouse button.
The tempo curve point is inserted. The result depends on whether you 
selected “Ramp” or “Jump” in step 1 above.
You can also just click and draw a tempo curve with the 
Pencil tool, so that curve points are inserted while you draw.
For this, the “Ramp” Insert Curve mode is useful.
Instead of using the Pencil tool, you can press [Alt]/[Op-
tion] and use the Arrow tool. 
This will only insert a single point (i.e. you cannot draw a curve with the 
Arrow tool).
Selecting tempo curve points
Selecting curve points is done using any of the following 
methods:
Use the Arrow tool.
The standard selection techniques apply.
Use the Select submenu on the Edit menu.
The options are:
You can also use the left and right arrow keys on the 
computer keyboard to go from one curve point to the next.
If you press [Shift] and use the arrow keys, the current selection will be 
kept, allowing you to select several points.
Editing tempo curve points
Curve points can be edited in the following ways:
By clicking and dragging horizontally and/or vertically.
If several points are selected, all of them are moved. If Snap is activated 
on the toolbar, this determines to which time positions you can move 
curve points, see “Snap” on page 210.
!This section assumes that you are working in Tempo 
track mode, i.e. the Tempo button must be activated 
on the Transport panel.
Insert curve set to “Ramp”
Insert curve set to “Jump”Option Description
All Selects all curve points on the Tempo track.
None Deselects all curve points.
In Loop Selects all curve points between the left and right locator.
From Start
to CursorSelects all points to the left of the project cursor.
From Cursor
to EndSelects all points to the right of the project cursor. 
						

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Working with the Tempo track
By adjusting the tempo value in the tempo display on 
the toolbar.
For this to work, a single tempo curve point must be selected.
Adjusting the curve type
You can change the curve type of a tempo curve segment 
at any time, using the following method:
1.Select all curve points within the segment you want to 
edit.
2.Pull down the Curve pop-up menu on the toolbar and 
select “Jump” or “Ramp”.
The curve sections between the selected points are adjusted.
Removing tempo curve points
To remove a curve point, either click on it with the Eraser 
tool or select it and press [Backspace]. The first tempo 
curve point cannot be removed.
Setting the Fixed tempo
When the Tempo track button is deactivated, the Tempo 
track curve is greyed out (but still visible). Since the Fixed 
tempo is constant throughout the whole project, there are 
no tempo curve points. Instead, the Fixed tempo is dis-
played as a horizontal black line in the tempo curve display.
There are three ways to set the tempo in Fixed mode:
Drag the tempo line up or down with the Arrow tool.
Adjust the value numerically in the tempo display on the 
toolbar.
On the Transport panel, in Fixed tempo mode, click on 
the Tempo value to select it, enter a new value and press 
the [Enter] key.
Adding and editing time signature events
To add a time signature event, click in the time signature 
area with the Pencil tool. 
This adds a default 4/4 time signature event at the closest bar position. 
You can also do this by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and clicking with the Ar-
row tool.
To edit the value of a time signature event, select it and 
adjust the value in the signature display on the toolbar.
Note that there are two thumbwheel controls for the signature display; 
the left one adjusts the numerator and the right one adjusts the denomi-
nator.
!Dragging tempo curve points with a time-based dis-
play format (any other format than “Bars+Beats”) may 
lead to confusing results. This is because moving a 
point will change the relationship between tempo and 
time. For example, let’s say you move a tempo point to 
the right and drop it on a certain time position. When 
you release the mouse button, the mapping between 
tempo and time will be adjusted (since you have 
changed the tempo curve). As a result, the moved 
point will appear at another position. For this reason, 
we recommend that you use the Bars+Beats display 
format when editing tempo curves. 
						

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Working with the Tempo track
You can move a time signature event by clicking and 
dragging it with the Arrow tool.
Again, note that time signature events can only be positioned at the start 
of bars.
To remove a time signature, either click on it with the 
Eraser tool or select it and press [Backspace].
The first time signature event cannot be removed.
Options and settings
Snap
You activate or deactivate Snap by clicking the Snap icon 
on the toolbar. The behavior of the function depends on 
the display format selected for the ruler:
If “Bars+Beats” is selected, tempo curve points will 
snap to the set resolution on the Snap pop-up.
If this is set to 1/1, curve points will snap to the start of bars.
If any other display format is selected, tempo curve 
points will snap to the vertical grid lines in the tempo curve 
display.
The spacing of the grid lines depends on the horizontal magnification.
Time signature events can only be positioned at the start 
of bars, regardless of whether Snap is activated or not.
Autoscroll
When this option is activated, the tempo curve display will 
scroll during playback, keeping the project cursor visible.