How To : automate scope mixing

Liquid Len · Post by **Liquid Len** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 6:11 am

This is an article on how to automate the Scope mixers from Cubase. After saying that it could be done, I got some requests to explain HOW. And since I'm just about to move into that territory anyways, I figured writing up an article would clarify to myself the best ways to accomplish this. This article explains how to do VOLUME automation. Automating other arbritrary parameters will be left to another time.

Part 1

The first step is to set up the scope mixer to receive and transmit MIDI messages to automate the volume sliders. You can automate just about everything else in the scope mixer of course - in fact, since effects parameters don't have a MIDI in, the only way to automate them (that I can think of) is to load them into effect slots in a Scope mixer. The Scope mixers have a MIDI in and MIDI out - just hook them to a controller. For instance, a sequencer or a hardware controller hooked up to the scope's MIDI ins.

- This example explains how to use both, but if you don't have a hardware controller, you can still assign unique controller IDs to the scope mixer's channel faders easily enough.
- If you want to assign hardware MIDI controllers to adjust the parameters of a scope synth like Minimax (nice to be able to tweak cutoff & resonance with knobs) the procedure is the same.

[If you have a hardware controller]
The first thing to do is hook a hardware controller to the ins/outs of the mixer, so when you move a hardware fader, it sends messages to the scope mixer, and if you move the mixer's fader, it sends MIDI messages back to the controller (assuming you have an automated mix controller, I'm using a Behringer 3216 mixer, and it works fine). Right-click on the scope mixer's fader and you'll see a box that reads "MIDI Ctrl Assignment". Move the hardware fader you want to control this slider. The "New" box should get a number, which is what the fader is sending. Click on the "MIDI +" button to assign this. Now you should be able to move the hardware fader and adjust the scope mixer. If you have automated hardware mixing, you should be able to send MIDI from the scope mixer back to the hardware one, so moving a scope slider similarly adjusts the hardware.

[If you just want to use Cubase to read & send automation data]
If you don't have a hardware controller, right click on the fader, but then click on the blue 'Open Control Ranger' button, then double click on the MIDI controller message you want to associate with the scope mixer fader.

Do this for each channel in your mixer. Now each Scope mixer channel has its own MIDI controller assigned.

Part 2

To accomplish the next step, using Cubase or some other sequencer to automate, you might want to use a separate sequencer MIDI in/out than the one you use to control your MIDI hardware (like say you have a EMU proteus that you use for some midi tracks). By default you should have at least two different MIDI sends from Cubase (I get Creamware MIDI In/Out 1 and 2).

If you haven't already, select Software IOs/Sequencer MIDI source, then Sequencer MIDI dest, this will give you modules marked "Sequencer MIDI Source 2", "Sequencer MIDI Dest 2". Now hook these into your Scope mixer (Seq Source 2 -> MIDI in on the scope mixer, Seq Dest 2 -> MIDI out on the scope mixer). Use the MIDI merge modules in case you have a hardware mixer too.

Create a folder track in Cubase and label it 'automation'. Now create as many MIDI tracks as you have channels to mix, placing them in the folder. Label each of the tracks (to set them apart, use names like a-kick, a-bass, a-snare), set their MIDI ins and outs to Not Connected and their MIDI channels to 1.

Go to Device Setup, and if there isn't a Generic Remote item, go to 'Add/Remove' tab and add one. On the generic remote screen, you'll see two panes. At the top of the screen is a MIDI input/output, set those to use "Creamware MIDI In/Out 2". To the right are some buttons you won't need to use, except click on 'export' after you're all done setting the Generic Remote up.

You need to configure the top pane first. You should see 'fader 1' through 'fader 24' or something like it. (You can add or delete lines to make it match your setup.) Set each midi channel to 1, set the addresses to match your MIDI cc's (I'm using 1,2,3,4). Max value should be 127, and the flags should be [R,T,].

Once that is done, go to the second pane, and set each line to use "Midi Mixer", set the channel/category column to each MIDI automation track (a-bass, a-kick), and set value/action to 'Volume'. Now export the settings to a file, and you're done. Click on OK.

(There's another set of buttons on the screen, to handle 'MIDI banks'. I don't have to use banks because the controller I use sends a different MIDI cc for each slider, but they're all on the same channel. If your midi controller has a different MIDI channel per parameter, you can only use 16 parameters at once before you run out of channels and have to start putting controllers into banks.)

Now go to the track view of the A- tracks, and click on the R and W button for each. Now when you press play you can automate the tracks. Ta da da. Moving a slider in Cubase, in scope, or on your controller should all work simultaneously.

I find that Cubase's automation handling is somewhat glitchy, there's no way for the program to know when your finger is on a hardware slider, and whatever method they're using to detect the same using a mouse click isn't 100% accurate. When you want to repair or remove some garbage automation, right click on the track and select 'Show Used Automation'. I have automation data shown for each of the A- tracks, and keep the folder containing the A-tracks collapsed.

Part 3

One last thing, is a SFP routing example. I admit it gets kind of complicated, routing MIDI signals around so that every base is covered and there's no feedback loops or doubled messages, etc. As far as I can tell this routing setup works stably. This allows me to use Cubase to automate a Scope 2448 mixer, and also incorporates a automated hardware mixer (Behringer 3216) at the same time. The top picture shows the SFP connections, and bottom picture shows the settings of each MIDI filter, from left to right. The mixer receives and transmits on channel 1, which lets you use channels 2-16 for other things (like triggering outboard MIDI gear).

manfriday · Post by **manfriday** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 8:14 am

Hey Len,

Thanks so much for postnig this! I tried a while ago to work something like this out for samplitude but I could not get rid of the midi feedback issues. I'm not so good with midi stuff yet. Im just a dumb skin basher.

Anyway, this works great with Samplitude as well. In fact I found that in samplitude I dont need to create seperate tracks for each channel I want to automate. I just use the vst automation curves in each track. Way easy!

But I couldn't have figured that out without your post working me thru the midi feedback issue.
You are a credit to humanity sir!

Liquid Len · Post by **Liquid Len** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 8:27 am

I bask in the reflected light of my platform. This makes up for that antigen-shifting virus I created out of javex and scotch tape.

AndreD · Post by **AndreD** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 2:57 pm

...just remeber an old thread

http://www.planetz.com/forums/viewtopic ... ght=stupid

Liquid Len · Post by **Liquid Len** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 3:20 pm

... I'm such an idiot. You don't have to add extra MIDI tracks, just use the output busses directly. i'll have to edit that later..