CUBASE NOTES

Cubase's Controller Editor provides quick and easy tools for modifying synth parameters in real time, not to mention automating mixes and effects.

The Controller Editor. The left-hand pane shows the Controller types available for the selected Part (in this case a MIDI part), while the right displays any Controller data. Cubase's automation data is stored in a single Audiomix Part for the entire Song, so data for all the VST Mixer Channels is available in the same Controller Editor window.

When one thinks of sequencing in Cubase, one tends to think in terms of recording, programming and arranging 'musical' events, such as notes, chords, melodies, and so on. However Cubase is also capable of recording, creating and editing data that is not musical in the traditional 'crotchets and quavers' sense of the word at all. This information is usually called MIDI Controller (or 'Continuous Controller') data and, in later versions of Cubase, it has its own dedicated Editor.

The Controller Editor is similar to the Controller strip that runs along the bottom of the Key Edit window, except that it allows a good deal more flexibility. It can also be used to create or edit automation data on Mixer tracks, making it an invaluable tool to precisely control any virtual 'flying faders' or automated effects you may want to use, in either the MIDI or audio mixers.

The Controller Editor is opened by selecting a Part or Track, and then choosing Controller from the Edit menu. If you select an ordinary MIDI Part or Track, any edits you make will be written directly into the relevant Part(s) as normal MIDI Controller data. If you select a Mixer Track or Part, your edits will be written into the relevant Part(s) as Cubase automation data. If you select an Audio Part or Track, your edits will be written into an Audiomix Part on a Mixer Track, and if no such Track or Part exists, one will be created.

The Controller Editor window is divided into two panes. The left-hand pane displays a list of all the data types currently available for editing. For a MIDI Part or Track, this will be a short list of common data types (Pitch-bend, Program Change, Volume, and the like), together with a more exhaustive list of other MIDI Controllers. For a MIDI Mixer track, there'll be a list of all objects (knobs, faders, and so forth) in the currently active Mixermap. For Audio or Audiomix Parts or Tracks, there'll be a long list of every automatable object in the VST Channel Mixer, including Channel, Group and Master faders, Send levels, EQ parameters and many more.

To begin with, let's look at how you can use the Controller Editor to add some simple but useful automation to your mixes. With the Controller Editor you can quickly and easily create smooth, linear fades for multiple mixer channels, with a finesse that would be quite impossible to achieve by recording fader movements live.

The cross-hair tool allows you to draw straight lines within the Controller Editor, creating smooth ramps like this.

Open the Toolbox (right-click on the PC, Control-click on the Mac) and select the straight line tool (the one that looks like a cross-hair). Place the cursor at the Song Position and move it up or down until '0.00' is displayed in the small box to the right of the cursor position box, at the top of the Controller Editor window ('0.00' represents 0db, or unity gain for the mixer channel). Hold down Option (Mac) or Alt (PC), and drag the cursor to the bottom of the window at the point where you want the fade-out to end. When you release the mouse button, a smooth 'ramp' will be drawn between the start and end points of your fade-out.

Open the VST Channel Mixer, click on the Read button at its left-hand side and press Play on the Transport Bar... and watch in amazement as the fader on the first channel of the VST Channel Mixer travels smoothly down from '0.0' to '-(infinity)'! To copy the fade to other mixer channels, return to the Controller Editor window, select the normal pointer from the Toolbox, and click and drag a rectangular selection over the controller ramp you just created. Next press Control+C (PC) or Command+C (Mac) to copy the ramp to the clipboard, and click on the name of the Channel you want to copy the fade to (for instance, 'Volume 2-Ch 2'). Move the Song Position Pointer back to the point where you want your fade to begin, and press Control+V (Mac: Command+V) to paste in a copy of the ramp. Paste in copies for every mixer channel you want included in the fade-out, and there you have it!

Here, the Controller Editor has been used to 'gate' a MIDI synth using the MainVolume parameter.

The same technique can be easily applied to a variety of other mixing tasks. Smooth, automated panning effects can be created by expanding the Pan menu in the left-hand pane of the Controller Edit window, selecting the channel you wish to edit (they appear with names like 'Pan 4-Ch 4'), then creating a Controller ramp as before. Notice that when Pan Controllers are being edited, the right-hand pane of the Controller Edit window is divided by a horizontal line. This line simply serves a guide to indicate the centre point in the stereo field, with right-hand panning above the line, and left-hand panning below.

Try automating EQ frequency and gain, or experiment with gradual changes in effect send levels to create dynamic, evolving mixes that gradually warp from one state to another in the course of a song. The possibilities are practically limitless!

Of course, the Mixer is not the only thing you can automate in the Controller Editor. Most MIDI instruments respond to standard MIDI Controllers, and you can take advantage of this to come up with some interesting effects. For instance, there is probably a dozen different VST plug-ins devoted to creating gate effects (in fact Steinberg themselves now include one with Cubase VST 5.1), and those chopped-up, rhythmic 'on-and-off' gating effects have become a standard weapon for dance producers. However, you can use the Controller Editor to create identical effects without having to use up a channel insert, and without adding any additional load to your CPU.

Synth parameters such as filter cutoff can also be automated from the Controller Editor, provided you know which MIDI Controllers your synth or sampler responds to. Here, Breath Controller data is being used to create filter sweeps on an Akai S2000.

We can make the gated Part sound even more effective by adding some filter modulation. In order to do this, you'll need to know which MIDI Controller is used to control filter cutoff in your synth or sampler (consult your manual or the manufacturer's web site for more details). In the following example I'm using my Akai S2000, which is set so that Breath Controller data is mapped to filter cutoff. However, any MIDI Controller can be used. If, for example, you were using a synth which had MIDI Controller 31 mapped to filter cutoff, you would select '(Control 31)' in the Controller submenu; if modulation controlled filter cutoff, you'd select 'ModWheel', and so on.

Having chosen the appropriate Controller, set Snap to 64, select the pencil tool from the Toolbox, and place the cursor at the point where you want filter modulation to begin. Then, while holding down Alt or Option (on the Mac), simply draw a smooth curve -- or just a random wavy line you like the look of -- and release the mouse button. Play back the Part to hear how it sounds. If you're not happy with the end result, you can always go back and draw the curve again, or try using the straight line tool.

Have fun.

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