FA-06 and Cubase 9.5 annoyances

[endust]

Hello Roland Clan,

Decided to give the new Cubase a try (just LE version for now). There are a couple of things I can't seem to figure out when using Cubase as a MIDI sequencer for the FA-06. When I change a part in my studio set, say part 6, if I have a track selected in Cubase, say track/channel 4, it will also change part 4 of my studio set to whatever I changed part 6 to. I discovered a workaround was to simply not arm the Cubase channel for recording (and turn it off by default). However is there a better way of preventing this behavior?

The second thing is, now that I have auto track arming off, I can't hear the FA unless local switch is on, because in Cubase when a track is disarmed no signal passes through it. Is there a workaround to this?

Thanks for the help, it's been well over a decade since using Cubase. I'm coming from Reaper which didn't pose these issues (though it has it's own unique quirks).

[Skijumptoes]

MIDI local is supposed to work like that, You may be able to midi monitor and not record - but check Cubase for that functionality.

Also, on the FA itself in the system settings screens you can disable Program Change transmit and receive messages to prevent them from being sent/received from cubase, it's one of the end menu screens in system settings.

Remember to system write to keep the changes on the FA too.

[endust]

MIDI local is supposed to work like that, You may be able to midi monitor and not record - but check Cubase for that functionality.

Thanks I'll look for it.

Also, on the FA itself in the system settings screens you can disable Program Change transmit and receive messages to prevent them from being sent/received from cubase, it's one of the end menu screens in system settings.

That did the trick. Much appreciated!

[stevel]

Hey endust, I'm not sure you're using the "typical" way of working...

Here's what I do:

First, do you have the Patch Script for the FA so you can select sounds from Cubase?

I have a "blank" Studio Set that was just an INIT SS (like #512) where I saved it with nothing but Patch #1 (Grand Piano) on all 16 parts and turned off the pads for this one - so I have 16 identical Parts in the SS on channels 1-16 - the volumes, effects, everything, is the same on all 16 parts. No TFX on, etc.

So basically it's a "blank slate".

In Cubase, when I select MIDI Track 1 (I have a template set up so Track 1 goes to Channel 1, and the inputs and outputs are already set to the FA for all 16 of the tracks in my template) I can then choose from the Patch List what sound I want to use. Clicking on it "loads up" the sound into that Part in the SS on the FA.

In this way, the FA sort of more or less acts as a "playback module" just sticking sounds in parts, and then I do all of the sequencing part in Cubase itself.

I find this way much more convenient - in effect it's like using the FA as simply a keyboard controller, and then using VSTs in Cubase - except my VSTs are really the sounds in the external FA if that makes sense.

Of course I still have to deal with the Local issue as if signal is passing through Cubase to the FA, it'll trigger any sound you play twice (and slightly out of phase) - once from the key press and once from the signal passing through Cubase.

But doing it this way - i.e. not changing sounds on the FA itself, means that turning Local off would be the only setting I'd need to change (I actually use another input keyboard as a controller).

It also means all my tracks stay 1:1 - when I select Track 5 in Cubase, it's sending to Channel 5, which plays whatever sound is in Part 5 on the FA which makes it much easier to select and audition sounds, as well as go back and re-record previously recorded tracks, or change sounds on Parts, etc.

[husker]

Definitely use a patch script! It makes things a ton easier. I actually uploaded a patch script for the FA series awhile back.