Cubase

Hauptwerk AU/VST Plug-in Tutorial

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Tutorial: Basic sequencing with Cubase on Mac OS X or Windows (with audio via the Hauptwerk VST Link, MIDI via the Hauptwerk VST Link) This tutorial features Steinberg's Cubase version 7.0.2

In this tutorial MIDI is routed between Hauptwerk and Cubase via the Hauptwerk VST Link. At the time of writing Cubase doesn't yet support MIDI sys-ex with VST plug-ins, hence some Hauptwerk registration changes might not be recorded/replayed with this method and we instead recommend using virtual (or real) MIDI cables, as covered in the previous tutorial.

Part 1: Setting up Hauptwerk and Cubase

• Launch Hauptwerk.

• Go to the 'General settings | MIDI ports | MIDI IN ports' screen tab. Make sure the MIDI ports that your MIDI organ console is connected to are ticked for 'Console MIDI IN'. Select 'Hauptwerk AU/VST Link ' for 'Sequencer MIDI IN':

• Go to the 'MIDI OUT ports' tab. Make sure the MIDI ports that your MIDI organ console is connected to (if your console needs MIDI output for solenoid-actuated/illuminated tabs, etc.) are ticked for 'Console MIDI OUT'. 'Hauptwerk AU/VST Link ' should be ticked for 'Sequencer MIDI OUT':

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It's important to understand that MIDI IN/OUT to/from your MIDI organ console goes directly to/from Hauptwerk, not via the MIDI sequencer. The sequencer is effectively side-chained via a MIDI loop (unlike conventional AU/VST instrument plug-ins where MIDI to/from MIDI keyboards would go via the sequencer to the AU/VST instrument).

• Go to the 'General settings | Audio outputs' screen. Make sure 'Hauptwerk AU/VST Link' is selected as the audio output device (if you want to record/play audio to/via Cubase and/or to apply reverb/convolver VST plug-in effects to Hauptwerk's output):

• Exit Hauptwerk (so that you can set up devices in Cubase to avoid conflicting with Hauptwerk).

• Launch Cubase (either 64-bit or 32-bit is fine, although 64-bit should give slightly higher performance). Select 'More | Empty' as the template when prompted by the Project Assistant:

• Click Create.

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• Go to the 'Cubase/File | Preferences: MIDI' screen node: Make sure that 'Chase Events: SysEx' is ticked and that 'MIDI Thru Active' and 'Reset on Stop' and 'Insert Reset Events after Record' are not ticked:

• Go to the 'Cubase/File | Preferences: MIDI Filter' screen node. Make sure all 'Record' and 'Thru' options are not ticked ('SysEx' is ticked by default). In the 'Controller' pane (bottom-right), highlight 'CC 123 (AllNoteOff)' if it's present in the small list pane and click Remove:

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• Click OK.

• Go to the 'Devices | Device Setup...: MIDI | MIDI Port Setup' screen node. Deselect all ports, so that all ports show as Inactive:

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• Still in 'Device Setup', select the 'VST Audio System' node. Select the audio driver for your audio interface (select the interface's manufacturer-supplied ASIO driver on Windows):

• Select the sub-node of 'VST Audio System' for your selected audio device and make sure that the audio interface channels you want to use are active:

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• Go to the 'Devices | VST Connections: Outputs' screen tab. Make sure the appropriate channels on your audio interface are selected for audio output:

• This step only applies if you're using Windows: go to the 'Devices | Plug-in Information | VST Plug-ins' screen tab:

• This step only applies if you're using Windows: click the 'VST 2.x Plug-in Paths' button. Make sure that the path Hauptwerk's VST plug-ins were installed to is present in the list, otherwise click the Add button to select and add it. The default installation location for Hauptwerk's VST plug-ins is: 'C:\Program Files\Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ VST Link Plug-In':

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• This step only applies if you're using Windows: click OK to close the 'VST 2.x Plug-in Paths' window and click the 'Update Plug-in Information' button on the parent 'Plug-in Information' window if you needed to add the path, thus refreshing Cubase's list of VST plug-ins so that Cubase sees the Hauptwerk VST Link-64bit (or 32-bit) plug-in:

• Go to 'Devices | VST Instruments' (note: you must add the Hauptwerk VST plug-in via this screen, not via 'Project | Add Track | Instrument', since that method doesn't allow you to set up MIDI and audio routing in the required ways):

• Click on the first slot and select the HauptwerkVSTLink entry (on Windows64-bit or 32-bit will be appended). You will be prompted to ask whether to create a MIDI track. Click Create:

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• The tracks will be created:

• With the bottom track (the MIDI track) highlighted, change the input selection in the left-hand pane from 'All MIDI Inputs' to the '1-HauptwerkVSTLink-MIDIOut 'entry (64-bit or 32-bit will be included in the name on Windows) and keep the output selection at its default of '1-HauptwerkVSTLink-MIDIIn '. Two rows below that change the MIDI channel from 1 to 'Any':

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• Go to 'File | Save as Template'. Name the template 'HauptwerkVSTLinkMIDIViaVST' (for example):

• Click OK.

• Use 'File | Close' to close the (template) project (don't save it again if prompted).

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Part 2: Creating a Cubase test project

• Go to 'File | New Project...' in Cubase. Select your new 'HauptwerkVSTLinkMIDIViaVST' template on the 'More' tab:

• Go to 'Project | Project Setup...'. Set the 'Sample Rate' setting to the same as that of the sample set (virtual organ) you will be using for this project (usually 48.000 kHz or 44.100 kHz; for St. Anne's you should select 44.100 kHz):

• Click OK.

• Launch Hauptwerk.

• Load St Anne's.

• Turn on some stops and click some keys. You should hear the pipes sound through Cubase and see the level meters move in Cubase's 'HW 01/02' track/channel strip.

• Highlight the MIDI track (the bottom one) and make sure the track's circular button is lit in red to arm recording for that track.

• Press a 'reset all' piston/button in Hauptwerk (for example, on the 'Audio, MIDI and Performance' large control panel), so that the MIDI recording will start from an all-off registration/state.

• Press the red record button on Cubase's transport bar:

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• Wait for the metronome's count-in to finish then turn on some stops in Hauptwerk and click/play some keys or play the St. Anne's default demo MIDI file.

• Press the stop button on Cubase’s transport bar, then the 'rewind to start' button.

• Reset Hauptwerk again, so that the piece will play back from an all-off registration/state.

• Press the play button on Cubase's transport bar. The actions you recorded should play back exactly as you recorded them: