7.5

565
Note Expression
Introduction
Note Expression offers a very intuitive way of controller editing in Cubase. As an
alternative to working with controller lanes in the Key Editor, controller data can be
viewed and edited Directly on the associated MIDI note events in the event display.
With Note Expression, a note and its associated controller data are treated as a unit.
When you quantize, move, copy, duplicate, or delete notes, all their associated
controller information will follow. This allows for a very intuitive and accurate editing of
note-related data. The Note Expression values can be edited in various ways, see
“Editing Note Expression data” on page 572. Furthermore, by superimposing the
corresponding data curves in the event display, you can view all the Note Expression
data for a note simultaneously, which gives you a good overview.
Note Expres-
sion curves in
the Key Editor
When working with Note Expression, it is important to distinguish between VST 3
controllers and MIDI controllers:
VST 3 controllers
VST 3 controllers are provided by the VST instrument. Therefore, different controllers
can be available, depending on the instrument.
VST 3 controllers provide articulation information for each individual note. Unlike MIDI
controllers (which are channel-specific), VST
3 controllers are note-specific and are
suitable for polyphonic contexts. Articulating each note in a chord individually creates
a much more natural feel. Furthermore, VST
3 controllers allow for a value range that
exceeds the MIDI range of 0 to 127, which offers a more comfortable value editing
and fine-tuning.
To be able to work with VST controllers, you need a VST instrument that offers this
kind of controller parameters and is capable of playing back these controller
messages. Included with Cubase is HALion Sonic SE, which is compatible with Note
Expression, see
“HALion Sonic SE” on page 579.