VST Inst Channel Vs. Inst Track

I need to rewind and understand something basic about MIDI. I have an Oxygen 25, plugged it in and it needed no tweaks to show up as ‘Oxygen 25’ in the inspector below ‘All MIDI Inputs’ in my Cubase 5. Ever anxious to get started making music I merely created Instrument Tracks, some with Omnisphere as the VST, others with Trillan, or Stylus RMX.

My Oxygen 25 was not ‘added’ as an MIDI device because it was not listed and I didn’t know how to define it -should I add it?

I was happy with my first couple songs until I was in the manual looking up something else and stumbled across the section discussing VST Instrument Channels and how I’m not utilizing my Multi Timbral Instruments correctly…?

So, the Omnisphere sounds that are being created from a particular Patch or Multi are not being heard in their entirety on my Instrument Tracks?

If a MIDI device has 16 MIDI channels, can they all be summed to 1 channel?

When I did create a VST Instrument Channel, I was only given 8 channels to work with?

What is coming out of each channel? How can I find out or modify that?

Are ‘Voices’ the same as channels?

Am I not understanding MIDI, Omnisphere, Cubase, or all three?

Bottom line, I want to hear and record the all of the sounds that my VST’s are making, how do I do this?

Am I limited to 8 tracks?

MANY THANKS!

There are 2 ways to add VSTInstruments in Cubase.

1. An Instrument Track.
2. Using the Instrument Rack.

The 1st way (which sounds like what you tried) Is the MIDI in, VST Instrument and the audio out all rolled into 1. You should have been able to select you Oxygen 25 is an imput to the instrument track. An instrumnet track is limited though. Only a single audio output.

The 2nd way is to add an instrument to the ibstrument rack. In the rack there is a smalll arrow next to the instrumnet that allows you to choose the number of outputs to be used by that instrument. At this point a VST Instrument Channel shows up along with a channel for each output.

You then add a midi track (if you haven’t already). Make the source of the MIDI track your Oxygen 25 and the destination the VST Instrument that you added to the rack.

Set up your VST instrumnet to map the MIDI channels to the various outputs as desired.

Ron

Thanks Ron,

Specifically, the Cubase manual implies that creating an Instrument Track is not the best option because it will not utilize -I will not hear- Multi-Timbrel sounds from Omnisphere…?

I will need to study the Omnisphere materials to see how sounds are routed, but I assume some factory patches are split or routed in such a way that only a VST Inst Channel will ‘hear’ the entire sound?

Could you explain the interaction of the Midi Controller and the VST Instrument (Omnisphere)? Midi controller sends info to Omnisphere, and Midi info returns to controller? Is that Midi-thru? I assume that Omnisphere sounds are output from the VST as stereo sounds? If Midi controller has many channels how are these channels routed when selecting any particular patch in Omnisphere? Is Omnisphere sending Midi mapping to the controller, or is the controller…

I’m not asking my questions in a coherent way, sorry. I’m not understanding what Midi channels are and how Omnisphere interacts, and ultimately what ends up coming through my headphones.

thnx

OK - so if I understand you correctly, you are loading omnisphere into the rack. It also sounds like the basic issues have to do with Omnisphere and not Cubase. Every VST implents their mapping their own way. I am not familiar with Omnisphere so I’m not the best personn to help you there.

But in general, you have 16 midi channels coming into Omnishere. Somehow in Omnishere you map one or more midi channels to one or more patches or something like that.

You probably also specify how many audio outputs that Omnisphere will put out. It mat be an output for each patch, or there may be some internal mixer in Omnisphere that combines the patches to a single output. Once agian I do not know the specifics of Omnisphere so its hard for me to say. Anyhow, Once you set you outputs up, you will be able to enable them in the Rack.

Now to try and answer your questions one at a time.

Could you explain the interaction of the Midi Controller and the VST Instrument (Omnisphere)? Midi controller sends info to Omnisphere, and Midi info returns to controller? Is that Midi-thru?

By controller I assume you mean a keyboard controller (as opposed to something like an MCU). In general the midi commands are one way. They are mostly note on/off etc. Info can go the other way but I’m guessing in your case it is not. And no that is not Midi-thru. Midi-thru is a way of daisy-chaining midi devices so that one may respond on one midi channel while the second may respond on a different midi channel.

I assume that Omnisphere sounds are output from the VST as stereo sounds?

Depends. I have VSTs that have mono outputs, some have stereo outputs and some have a combination of both. For instance BFD2 (drums) I have the kick come out on a mono track, but the cymbals are internally mixed within BFD and then sent to a stereo output.

Midi controller has many channels how are these channels routed when selecting any particular patch in Omnisphere?

I don’t know as I am not familiar with Omnisphere.

Is Omnisphere sending Midi mapping to the controller, or is the controller…

I don’t believe Omnisphere is sending anything to the controller. I could be wrong though. Think of the controller as a keyboard to a computer (with letters & numbers not to be confused with black and white keys) . In general the keyboard allows you to type and is a one way communication. Although there is some feedback (caps lock and num-lock LEDs).

Note there are controllers such as an Mackie Control Unit that is used for mixing, etc. that definitely has 2 way communication. But a simple Keyboard Controller (the one with the black and white keys this time) is mostly one way.

Ron