Can someone explain DAW control to an idiot please?

[ericuk]

Hi,

I've adopted a D8B and have been trying to control cubase faders via the desks faders. I have suceeded in sending midi to the PC and sure enough, cubase faders can be controlled from movements to the line faders... however this is a one way relationship and cubase cannot control the desks faders

Am I flogging a dead horse? Everyone is talking about D8bridges and Proboxes, but the threats seem to die and DAW control seems to be possible by only a few folks. Once again with little info.

Cheers in advance.

[arjepsen]

First off - do you have version 5.1 installed?
You need that to use the the d8b as a daw controller (as far as I know).
I really haven't been using the HUI part of the d8b myself, as it seemed to be somewhat limited in functionality as far as I understood - like only being able to control 8 channels at once....
So instead I recently bought the probox.
With the probox you have much more functionality.
You can try to download the manual for the probox and read through it - it should give you an idea about what it can do.

[FrankH]

Make sure you have MIDI going to and from your DAW to the D8B

On the D8B, open the MIDI Map Window and set it like this, starting with the Controller column. This example is for setting up two faders that will move Cubase faders and visa versa.

IMG_0508 .JPG (Array KiB) Viewed 1424 times

In Cubase, open Device Setup and add a Generic Mixer (if it isn’t already there) and set it like this, starting with the MIDI Status column. This example is for two VST Instrument faders.

IMG_0509.JPG (Array KiB) Viewed 1424 times

Note the MIDI in/Out assignments. You only deal with the top window to match the controllers with the D8B. The bottom window is for picking what faders are assigned to the top window. None of this will work until you click APPLY and close the window. This will look different from your Generic Mixer because it's my setup.

In order to get the Flags column to read R, T,, you need to check both Transmit and Receive in their dropdown.

In this example, the Generic Mixer will make the Faders 1 & 2 on the D8B control my first two VST instrument faders and visa versa (Cubase faders will move the D8B faders).

As to Mutes, they are a separate issue and need to be assigned Note values instead of Controllers in the D8B. Scroll down the Generic Mixer top window and you'll find the Mutes. You'd need to add more MIDI assignments in the D8B's MIDI Map window for mutes. I didn't have time to set that up for these screenshots.

The problem with mutes is that they are a one way street. Mute Cubase and the D8B will follow. There is either a bug in 5.1 or Cubase: Cubase doesn’t read MIDI note info sent from the D8B. The D8B only reads MIDI note info sent from Cubase. At least it does on my setup. I’ve never gotten that to work properly.

Beyond this, I can’t help you. Figure out what you specifically need by reading the Cubase manual on The Generic Mixer like I did. As you figure it out, don't forget to save what you do in both the D8B and Cubase.

[ericuk]

I really appreciate the replies.

I am pretty much there in what you guys have mentioned.

I have 5.1 software, midi in/out from the D8B to my Audio interface.

I've already set up the midi map on the desk and Generic mixer in Cubase in the way Frank details, but the desk channels will not be controlled by Cubase.

That said, oddly, without any change to settings, the start/stop/fwd/rev from cubase is controlling the desk....it never used to!

I noticed your Cubase midi in/out says D8B, where as mine is selected as my Moto 828. Did you have to install any drivers of any kind for the D8B into cubase?

[Bruce Graham]

Hey all;

Can someone supply the link to Ralph's Probox manual?

I have had no luck finding it. There a man things out there called "Probox".

Thanks
Bruce

[arjepsen]

I think you can get it here:
http://www.probox-controller.com/

[Bruce Graham]

Thanks. Got it.

[FrankH]

My settings say D8B because I named them that way in my Macs Audio MIDI setup, which Cubase sees and mirrors. In reality, there are two MOTU MIDI Express 128s hooked up with 16 MIDI sources plugged in. One of them is the D8B.

The reason Cubase’s transport is controlling the D8B is because Cubase is set to send MMC to the D8B from Cubase’s Sync menu.

Just a brief explanation of how DAW/D8B transport works: when you hit any transport control on the D8B, it sends a corresponding MMC command to the DAW, which in turn, starts rolling. At this point the DAW can now send MTC back to the D8B and the D8B starts “rolling” (timecode display shows activity). The other way around is if the DAW is set to transmit MMC and MTC, then any transport control on the DAW will run the D8B.

As to your D8B not responding to Cubase fader movement, this is most likely because you have not assigned the correct fader from Cubase’s mixer to the Generic Device’s top window from the bottom window. Trust me, the D8B will respond to Cubase fader and mute data if the Generic Device is set correctly. As previously mentioned, the only thing that doesn’t work is the D8B sending mute data to Cubase.

You need to explore what the Generic Device’s two main windows do (what their jobs are) and what functions in each column are capable of selecting from the upper and lower windows. Crack the manual open, pal. Time for trial and error until you finally get a grasp on what’s going on.