Nord User Forum

[mjbrands]

I have no experience with Cubase, but I was wondering about something: does Cubase consider your Nord a 'controller'?

In both Ableton Live and Logic Pro, I can add any external MIDI device I like but for those I can also choose whether I want those individual devices to 'control' the DAW software. For example, if I connect a keyboard to Live and set it as a controller, keys I press will be sent to any track I happen to have selected, regardless of what MIDI channel is selected as a source for those channels. In Logic it works in a similar way. This works especially well with using the Nord with Local Control turned off (on the Nord).

So if I had an external MIDI sequencer with which I wanted to control a single (software) instrument, I would only configure Live to receive MIDI messages from this device. These incoming MIDI messages would then be sent to any track that had this device set as a MIDI source, but not to any other. If I'd do the same with my Nord, pressing the sustain pedal should only be sent to those tracks. If I also used the Nord as a controller (configured as such in the DAW), the sustain pedal would both be sent to any track which has it selected as a MIDI source (input) but also to the one I happen to have selected.

I hope this makes sense: maybe Cubase is trying to be smart, because it thinks you (always) want to use your Nord as a 'controller'.

[kojo1234]

I've had similar issues with Ableton Live and Logic as well, unfortunately it looks like if you're sending midi messages it's sending it to all the midi tracks (as far as I've seen anyways) so the only way around this would be to flatten your midi tracks once you're happy with them and just treat them as audio. This way the sustain pedal won't affect these tracks anymore.

[kojo1234]

Not sure if the feature exists in Cubase but there must be something similar. I came from Logic and now mostly use Live. What I'm talking about is once you're happy with the recorded midi track, convert it to audio so your controller (Nord) won't be sending the unwanted midi signals to it. The only other way as far as I know is to have a different controller for your separate midi tracks (one keyboard per track/ vst/ part) so there is no conflict. Easily done in Live but again not sure about Cubase.

[kojo1234]

yes and yes. My suggestion works for a "keyboard live looping" setup with just a few VST's or virtual instruments. Not so much for a larger project but in a larger project you benefit from having more time in which case creating the audio tracks and either muting or deleting the midi tracks shouldn't be as much of a problem.

[RedLeo]

The other way was to set the Nord Patch up via SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE. i pressed Record (in Cubase) and then PATCH DUMP (on the Nord) and the information was sent. However, i am not at all sure how relaible this method would be. And also i would need to leave some kind of gap at the start of the song in order for the SYS EX to be Transmitted to the Nord (and set up the Patch) ??

You can either insert a MIDI Program Change at the beginning of the song to reselect (or reset as you put it) the Program, or use the method you've described here. Both methods work fine. The advantage of using a Sysex dump is that the sound data is then always contained in the Cubase song (handy if you ever decide to come back and redo or remix the song at a later date), whereas using a Program Change means that you would have to keep track of the Program you used in the Nord itself. On the other hand, reloading the Sysex dump may take a little longer, so a good place to record (and playback) the Sysex data would be during the count-in. Cubase's track parameters allow you to set a Program Change at the beginning of the song if you prefer to do it that way.

One issue with using the Sysex data dump is that, if you edit the Program at all during your session, you would have to remember to re-record the altered Program data as a fresh Sysex dump.

[mjbrands]

But it seems to recreate the Patch configuration in which ever LOCATION i currently have selected.

Yup, that's how it works on all my synthesizers that support this kind of functionality. However, none of them actually save the program so you don't overwrite it.

If the Nord Sys Ex Dump was made using (say) Patch #01 which is a Piano Patch, and then i select (say) Patch #22 which is an Organ Patch, when i press PLAY on Cubase it transmits the Sys Ex to the Nord but it recreates the original Patch configuration at Location #22 (ie the location i have currently selected). In other words it changes the Organ Preset into the Piano Preset which was dumped via Sys Ex. i thought it would make the Nord simply jump back to Location #01 which was where the original Preset is stored and which was the Location in operation during the Sys Ex Patch Dump ??

You could start record, change the program to the one you want and then dump it via Sysex. That would first make it switch to the right program and then load the settings.

But why bother? As long as it has the right settings, isn't the program number just arbitrary?

One downside of dumping a program via Sysex is that it only works properly for piano and synth sounds (using samples) as long as you don't change those pianos or samples.

[RedLeo]

One downside of dumping a program via Sysex is that it only works properly for piano and synth sounds (using samples) as long as you don't change those pianos or samples.

Well spotted - I completely missed this. My bad.

@monsterjazzlicks: What actually happens with a Sysex single program dump is that it is loaded into a "buffer" in the Nord, which is a separate temporary program storage area. This is why, as mjbrands correctly said, it doesn't matter what program location the Nord is set to, the Sysex data won't overwrite any programs.

[RedLeo]

What do people mean when they say 'chasing' in relation to Sys Ex ?? Its in relation to the transmission of this data between the Nord and Cubase. And is to do with Cubase creating the original Patch in which ever location is current. Is this called CHASING ??

No, that's not chasing. Chasing is about when you fast forward, rewind, or otherwise jump to a location in Cubase. Rather than Sysex, think about MIDI CCs. For example, if you had recorded Sustain pedal, Mod wheel data, or Program Changes, and then jumped to a different location, say back to the beginning of the song, Cubase scans through and resets these controllers to where they should be. This is chasing. If it didn't do this, things could get muddled, as jumping to a location could leave these controllers in the wrong position and without chasing, Cubase would have no idea how these controllers should be set at the new location.

(Sorry, that's a late night bare-bones description. There's a lot more to say on the subject).

[mjbrands]

*edit*

Removed wall-of-text on non-related subject

[RedLeo]

Just to be clear, I think mjbrands is talking about an entirely different concept here that just happens to have the same name.