User manual

32
VST Connections
Setting up external instruments
To set up an external instrument in the VST Connections
window, proceed as follows:
1. Open the External Instrument tab and click the “Add
External Instrument” button.
A dialog opens.
2. Enter a name for the external instrument and specify
the number of required mono and/or stereo returns.
Depending on the type of instrument, a specific number of mono and/or
stereo return channels is required.
• You also need a MIDI device that corresponds with the
external instrument. You can then click the “Associate
MIDI Device” button to connect the two.
You can use the MIDI Device Manager to create a new MIDI device. For
information about the MIDI Device Manager and user device panels, see
the chapter
“Using MIDI devices” on page 356.
3. Click OK.
This adds a new external instrument bus.
4. Click in the Device Port column for the “left” and
“right” ports of the Return Bus and select the inputs on
your audio hardware to which you connected the external
instrument.
5. If you like, make additional settings for the bus.
These are found in the columns to the right. Note that you can adjust
these while actually using the external instrument – which may be easier
as you can hear the result. The following options are available:
Ö Note that external device ports are exclusive, see
“Connecting the external effect/instrument” on page 30.
How to use the external instrument
Once you have set up the external instrument in the VST
Connections window, you can use it as a VST instrument.
Open the VST Instruments window and click on an empty
instrument slot. On the Instrument pop-up menu, your ex
-
ternal instrument is listed on the External Plug-ins submenu.
When you select the external instrument in the VST Instru-
ments window, the following happens:
• A parameter window for the external device opens automati-
cally. This may either be the Device window, allowing you to
create a generic device panel, an OPT editor window or a de
-
fault editor. For information about the Device window, the
MIDI Device Manager and User device panels, see the chap
-
ter “Using MIDI devices” on page 356.
The external instrument will behave like any other VST in-
strument in Cubase.
Setting Description
Delay If your hardware device has an inherent delay (latency),
enter this value here. This allows Cubase to compensate
for that delay during playback. Note that you do not have
to take the latency of the audio hardware into account –
this is handled automatically by the program.
Return Gain Allows you to adjust the level of the signal coming in from
the external instrument.
Note however that excessive output levels from an exter-
nal device may cause clipping in the audio hardware. The
Return Gain setting cannot be used to compensate for
this – you have to lower the output level on the device in
-
stead.
MIDI Device When you click in this column, a pop-up menu opens
where you can disconnect the instrument from the asso
-
ciated MIDI device, select a MIDI device, create a new
device or open the MIDI Device Manager to edit the MIDI
device.
When Studio Manager 2 is installed, you may also select
an OPT editor to access your external instrument.
Used Whenever you insert the external instrument into a VST
instrument slot, this column shows a checkmark (“x”) to
indicate that the instrument is being used.
!
To send MIDI notes to the external instrument, open
the Output Routing pop-up menu in the Inspector for
the corresponding MIDI track and select the MIDI
device to which the external instrument is connected.
This ensures use of delay compensation. The instru
-
ment will now play any MIDI notes it receives from
this track and return them to Cubase through the re
-
turn channel(s) you have set up.
Setting Description