How to use MIDI sustain like in FL Studio?

Hey guys. So I’ve been an FL Studio user since forever but recently decided to make the move to Cubase (Elements) because of its better video-audio synchronization, especially with changing tempo. I mainly work with the Kontakt sampling VSTi, so changing just my DAW wasn’t a big deal.

As expected, I’ve made some sacrifices concerning my already-established workflow, but so far I’ve been okay with that.

HOWEVER, I am having some serious issues recording MIDI with my sustain pedal. :angry:

Apparently, when recording MIDI tracks with a MIDI keyboard controller and a sustain pedal, every DAW besides FL Studio records shorts notes but their sustain pedal sends a CC 64 message indicating that the previously played notes are to be “sustained” until another CC 64 event kills it.

That’s cool and all, but many of my plugins don’t simply don’t sustain like that. Especially string legato sample libraries. They need the notes to HOLD like if your fingers were still pressing them, like a real piano does. That’s the way FL Studio does it; creating real long MIDI notes in the piano roll. It’s a feature called “Support hold and sostenuto” in FL Studio’s setting’s window.

I did find a menu command (MIDI > Functions > Pedals to Note Length) in Cubase that does exactly what I need. But I can only apply it to already-recorded MIDI notes. I need it to work live with my keyboard.

Is there any way to get Cubase to listen to my sustain pedal and actually hold the notes instead of using CC 64? How else can I use sustain with my legato patches in Kontakt?
:frowning:

Unless I’m misreading this it’s a setting in Kontakt you need to configure.
Spanner, instrument options, controller, and the top option should be for the sus pedal options.

Editing the Instrument Options in Kontakt only seem to partially work but not with Spitfire Audio’s legato patches. And the notes still come out short in Cubase which would require me to lengthen them in the Key Editor.

Spitfire legatos will be whole different thing. You won’t get sustain, for obvious reasons, so try the aptly named sustain patch.

The only “sustain” patches are the Long ones. I liked using sustain on legato patches so I could jump between far notes with one right hand and use the mod wheel with my left.

I find this issue quite serious so I’ve started to write my own virtual MIDI device driver. It’ll handle data from the original device and output corrected data for Cubase or any other DAW. :ugeek:

By the way, if anyone’s interested, I finished writing a program for this. I will upload it if anybody wishes it.