VST MIDI Routing

Hans Adamson

New member
Hello Guys,

I am new to Cubase so this may be evident to most. How can I load a VST3 plugin and route the MIDI output to another track?

Thanks in advance.

/Hans
 
You need to explain what you are trying to do? what kind of plugin is it? A processing plugin, or an instrument one - or something else?

Essentially as you mention MIDI, I assume an instrument but why would you want to send an output to another track? Normally, MIDI comes in - you do something with it, and audio comes out, OR, MIDI exits the computer and goes to an external synth or something? So what is this MIDI out you then want to go somewhere else? Not really sure what you're doing?
 
You need to explain what you are trying to do? what kind of plugin is it? A processing plugin, or an instrument one - or something else?

Essentially as you mention MIDI, I assume an instrument but why would you want to send an output to another track? Normally, MIDI comes in - you do something with it, and audio comes out, OR, MIDI exits the computer and goes to an external synth or something? So what is this MIDI out you then want to go somewhere else? Not really sure what you're doing?

It is an internal MIDI processing VST3 plugin. I need to route the MIDI output to tracks containing VSTi instruments. /Thanks
 
Like Rob, I'm not sure of what you are trying to do. Also, I'm not familiar with Cubase.

But the general practice is to create a track, record or load a midi file to it, and insert a VST on the track as an FX.

However, there are a number of ways of doing it.
 
well - that's not much help really, but if it does processing there are two possibilities. One is that it processes the MIDI stream directly (like the modifiers box in the inspector does, so you can create a track for it, you see in the inspector there are in and out boxes, so you set it's input to your controller, then you create the track for the instrument, and in the input box, select the output of the plugin. Alternatively in cubase, create the instruments and then in the mix window, patch the effect plugin as an insert, or pre/post fade send as required. In Cubase, in the inspector, you should see in the input window every MIDI source selectable, and in the output window, all your available outputs. What appears here is dependent on the plugin - some are very flexible, others less so.

Same thing with instruments - you can create a MIDI track, then send it's output to another instrument track, or you create an instrument track, and just patch a MIDI input to it. The only real difference is that the VST instrument can have audio sends and routing, while a MIDI track can only have MIDI VST plugins as inserts or sends - as it's data only.
 
Thanks. Very helpful!

So the "inspector" is a patch bay that can be called up. Are there inspector instances for each track or is it a central patchbay for all tracks? How do I open the inspector?

Thanks,
/Hans
 
The inspector has been the key feature in every cubase version since black and white on an Atari 520 in black and white. It's not really a patch panel, but a quick way of accessing all manner of things. You can, depending on version, do useful things to the things the channel is doing. If it's a MIDI channel, you can select what specific input, or even all of them you wish to use, you can add or subtract values from the MIDI controllers - so making quiet notes louder, and louder notes even louder too. you can adjust various MIDI controllers like volume, expression, pan and others. you can shift the track forwards or backwards in time to cope with sounds that are a bit laggy, or somehow wrong. Have a look at the inspector - you can change the key of your MIDI tracks, going up or down. the audio one is different from the MIDI one in some areas, but so much can be done in that simple panel. I have a favourite bass patch but it plays an octave too low. Adding 12 into the transpose box quickly shifts it up. you can of course do these things elsewhere - but the inspector is non-destructive. That C3 playing at C4 has just been modified - the actual note is unchanged. Handy for repairing. Some of it's capabilities I never ever use - but other people will.

Have a play with it and explore.
 
The inspector has been the key feature in every cubase version since black and white on an Atari 520 in black and white. It's not really a patch panel, but a quick way of accessing all manner of things. You can, depending on version, do useful things to the things the channel is doing. If it's a MIDI channel, you can select what specific input, or even all of them you wish to use, you can add or subtract values from the MIDI controllers - so making quiet notes louder, and louder notes even louder too. you can adjust various MIDI controllers like volume, expression, pan and others. you can shift the track forwards or backwards in time to cope with sounds that are a bit laggy, or somehow wrong. Have a look at the inspector - you can change the key of your MIDI tracks, going up or down. the audio one is different from the MIDI one in some areas, but so much can be done in that simple panel. I have a favourite bass patch but it plays an octave too low. Adding 12 into the transpose box quickly shifts it up. you can of course do these things elsewhere - but the inspector is non-destructive. That C3 playing at C4 has just been modified - the actual note is unchanged. Handy for repairing. Some of it's capabilities I never ever use - but other people will.

Have a play with it and explore.
Thanks Rob,

I will check it out! :)

/Hans
 
Thanks. Very helpful!

So the "inspector" is a patch bay that can be called up. Are there inspector instances for each track or is it a central patchbay for all tracks? How do I open the inspector?

Thanks,
/Hans

It is the window at the far left. It has all of the tools you need for routing on every individual track.

It really is the main control area for Cubase routing.

It is likely in your best interest to watch some videos. Asking where the 'Inspector Window' is like asking if 'a' comes before 'b' in the alphabet.

You have to do some initial basic learning of the software before asking questions. There will be more later that you might need answers for.

No DAW is easy to learn. The first and easiest entry level startup video for Cubase will tell you what you need to know.
 
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