5.0

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The MIDI editors
• The value display can be hidden from view by clicking the
“Show List Value View” button on the toolbar, so that it is
not lit.
Working with System Exclusive
messages
SysEx (System Exclusive) messages are model-specific
messages for setting various parameters of a MIDI device.
This makes it possible to address device parameters that
would not be available via normal MIDI syntax.
Every major MIDI manufacturer has its own SysEx identity
code. SysEx messages are typically used for transmitting
patch data, i.e. the numbers that make up the settings of
one or more sounds in a MIDI instrument.
Cubase AI allows you to record and manipulate SysEx
data in various ways. The following sections point to vari-
ous features that help you manage and create SysEx data.
Bulk dumps
Recording a bulk dump in Cubase AI
In any programmable device, the settings are stored as
numbers in computer memory. Change those numbers,
and you will change the settings.
Normally, MIDI devices allow you to dump (transmit) all or
some settings in the device’s memory in the form of MIDI
SysEx messages. A dump is therefore (among other
things) a way of making backup copies of the settings of
your instrument: sending such a dump back to the MIDI
device will restore the settings.
If your instrument allows the dumping of a few or all of its
settings via MIDI by activating some function on the front
panel, this dump will probably be recordable in Cubase AI.
1. Open the Preferences dialog from the File menu (on
the Mac, this is located on the Cubase AI menu) and select
the MIDI–MIDI Filter page.
This allows you to govern which MIDI event types should be recorded
and/or thru-put.
2. Make sure that recording of SysEx data is not filtered,
by deactivating the SysEx checkbox in the Record section.
The SysEx checkbox in the Thru section can be left as it is
(by default activated).
This way, SysEx messages will be recorded but not echoed back out to
the instrument (which might lead to unpredictable results).
3. Activate recording on a MIDI track and initiate the
dump from the front panel of the instrument.
4. When done recording, select the new part and open
the List Editor from the MIDI menu.
This allows you to check that the SysEx dump was recorded – there
should be one or several SysEx events in the part/event list.
Transmitting a bulk dump back to a device
1. Make sure the MIDI track with the System Exclusive
data is routed to the device.
You may want to check your device’s documentation to find details about
which MIDI channel should be used, etc.
2. Solo the track.
This might not be necessary, but it is a good safety measure.
!
If your MIDI instrument does not offer a way to initiate
a dump “by itself”, you have to send a Dump Request
message from Cubase AI to start the dump. In that
case, use the MIDI SysEx Editor (see “Editing System
Exclusive messages” on page 211) to insert the spe-
cific Dump Request message (see the instrument’s
documentation) at the beginning of a MIDI track.
When you activate recording, the Dump Request
message will be played back (sent to the instrument),
the dump will start and be recorded as above.