Essential Cubase Key Editor Overview. Best MIDI editing capabilities of any DAW!

Make sure to watch my Cubase basics videos as well if you’re completely new to Cubase!
Part 1: • Intro to Cubase: The B...
Part 2: • Intro to Cubase 10: Th...
Cubase stock sounds song: • Chill Hop song with st...
Music theory basics: • Music theory basics ev...

[@btenkink]

In 8 years post-secondary Jef was the best professor I ever had. So glad these videos are here! If anyone ever gets the chance to learn from him I recommend it!

[@jefgibbons]

Hey Byron!! That was a long time ago ;) Looks like you're doing well with the little one there! Hope things are great!

[@MaxTooney]

Mastery of the shortcuts makes all the difference with Cubase. Great video, Jef!

[@nomorebushz]

Excellent presentation.

[@aeroplod]

I'm getting so much stuff from your videos. Logical clear and precise instruction. Brilliant!

[@jefgibbons]

Thanks Stu!

[@skyshipmusic363]

Best ever tutorial I've found on this subject. Thanks.

[@lambadalasse]

awesome tutorial- thanks

[@virgilsstudio]

So many tidbits Jef covers here that helps me streamline my workflow in Cubase - the only people that say Cubase is not a powerful DAW obviously have not gone deep enough down into the tunnel with explorers like Jef! Thank you sir - I seem to keep coming back here to learn more things!

[@jefgibbons]

Glad to hear it!

[@soulstalgiarecords77740]

Many thanks for awesome tutorial.

[@mariusjansen3528]

Great video. Valuable tips. Thanks a lot! Possible idea for next video could be: what you can do with Cubase "Key commands" which are not default and what functions you have assigned on your Cubase setup and find useful.

[@jefgibbons]

That Key Command video is essential... I have a whole bunch and I'd love to hear the ones others use!

[@Jvssvl]

Please more cubase videos. Thanks in advance!

[@LongCaoOfficial]

Thank you for your video. But all things you showed here could be done in Studio One and even easier. So not the best midi editing capabilities in any mean ;)

[@moltasstopyra9406]

Great tutorial. The modulation trick you showed has really helped me. Thanks!

[@jaranth]

Very nice, succinct presentation! Looking forward to more!

[@desmondweston490]

Hi Jef! Thank you for your content. Your videos and explanations are top notch! I wish KZbin would have recommended your channel to me much sooner. I am on my Cubase learning journey and your channel will be a tremendously helpful resource! Thanks a billion!

[@DAVIDJCARON]

That's an awesome looking monitor. do you have any info or video on the spec and how to set it up?

[@TSOmac]

Thanks for the tutorial Jef. You're awesome.

[@jefgibbons]

Much appreciated! Loads more to come...

[@orrinbynum5978]

Hi Mr. Jef Gibbons. This was a very interesting and informative video. Ive learned a lot this morning. I learn things from your videos every time I watch any of them. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful time and ideas with us all. I wish you continued success with all of your future musical endeavors. Thank you again for sharing everything.

[@jefgibbons]

And thanks to you for the comments! Makes a huge difference 👍🏻

[@michaelm5926]

Your videos are great value! Thank you for your time and effort. 👍👍👍

[@AMBIOSIS]

Thanx Jef. Certaily opened my eyes to a few little tricks I never knew about. 😀😀😁

[@BenCaesar]

Really wish Ableton has the colour options 😭 I'm going to start using cubase and that's one of the reasons lol

[@oldsandface]

Please! Do a tutorial on program changes in both the key editor and the line editor! This has been stopping me dead in my tracks for months. I have many midi files that need program changes within individual tracks and I keep getting anomalies where things change by themselves! Your teaching is so clear and understandable to me (Do you do individual tutoring?)that I hope that you can find the time to do the requested tutorial. Thanks so much, I've learned a lot from you.

[@nilutpalsaikia1324]

Awesome video..❤❤❤

[@alexomeltschenko2193]

This guy has got to be the most pleasant guy on the internet...

[@davedaddario]

thank you

[@SudhanshuPandeyy]

Hey plz also make a video on the Midi Logical Editor.

[@aspirativemusicproduction2135]

How does it compete with FL Studio midi editing. I am so used to FL midi editor everything else looks stupid. It feels so uncomfortable using other DAW I just decided I am never going to leave Image Line. Your first DAW may be the last. Magix was my first but it has some serious bugs that never get fixed. So I basically don't thing that this relationship counts.

[@domtoulon6202]

Why someone would thumbs down is beyond me.. Honestly Jef.. I am so grateful for you taking the time in creating these amazing tutorial videos while carefully explaining all these otherwise hidden features in Cubase so brilliantly. I started producing back in 89 with the Alesis HR-16 drum machine & MMT-8 so whenever you get into MIDI I'm taken back to those early years with a new excitement for creating music again and have you to thank for this! Keep up the wonderful work and speaking of the Alesis HR-16 which I haven't played with since 1993.. I just purchased the Maschine Mk3 because of you!

[@smwadud6590]

Very nice n fantastic. Thank you very much.

[@rich_in_paradise]

Nice one, Prof G :)

[@jefgibbons]

Thanks Rich ;)

[@photonomist6345]

Jef, this is exactly what I needed, having moved from using Logic Pro and needing to familiarize myself with Cubase as quickly as possible. Clear, comprehensive and presented engagingly with professional presentation (both the audio and video aspects). Terrific - so thank you very much. I have subscribed and will be listening to your other videos. Greetings from Wales, UK.

[@jefgibbons]

Thanks so much! Glad it’s helping!

[@skelligringphotographyandw7012]

Most helpful overview of the Key Editor I've found so far. Thank you.

[@HiFi-Yeah]

Fantastic quick tutorial. This midi editor destroys Maschine in ease of use and power. Trying to select individual notes in Maschine and move them around is super annoying, plus not musical with tools like "acoustic feedback." I've decided to record/edit all my midi in Nuendo, with a Kontrol S-49, and just abandon Maschine except for certain things like drum programming.

[@smithx97]

Hello, I have a track with 2 MIDI inserts. Chorder and Arpache 5. I made a basic sequence of chords with 1 note from chorder and modified it to a single note melody with Arpache and i need score editor to display the melody made with Arpache 5. When I open Score Editor I cant seem to find the sequence of individual notes made with Arpache 5. Is there a way to read the MIDI inserts changes with Score Editor? I cant seem to find any info. Thanks a lot.

[@chrisyking]

Wish the listen function would work in the key editor. The keyboard shortcut doesn't work.

[@JamesLloydKeyboardist]

Coolness, thanks for these 🎹!

[@jefgibbons]

You're welcome!

[@LuvHrtZ]

I've been using Cubase since it first came out but I have tended to fall into patterns of workflow which aren't all that optimal. Watching your video has been quite the refresher course. Cheers. On another 'note', I'm currently using 3 large monitors but I think I prefer your setup. Can you tell me what your monitor spec is, Jef?

[@lahattec]

The word you were looking for regarding scaling the velocities was "proportional" scaling. :)

[@DoctorJRx]

outstanding !!

[@musicbounty]

Jeff , what monitor or tv or you using ? Great tutorials!

[@xinyutu]

First of all should be: where to open the editor! Editor is NOT available by default. That is strange thing for Cubase. Cubase does really a good job, to make it hard to use.

[@christianhammer8118]

Hi Jef, slightly off topic question...what computer monitor are you using? Looks gorgeous!

[@davedaddario]

THANK YOUUUU

[@gavinfraser5784]

What is that monitor you have? Looks amazing.

[@cali3168]

Thanks Jef. I never understood why people only showed Pitch instead of Velocity in the editor, but your explanation made perfect sense - thanks for the tip. Do you have any suggestions on how to efficiently edit Sustain data, especially if it's a long piano piece? My pedal playing is not perfect and that seems to take a significant amount of time to edit.

[@michaeltreser1435]

Thank you, that was verry helpfull.

[@Feedyyy]

hello i would like to know if cubase already has piano roll strumizer? thanks

[@jaketanner109]

Hi. how on earth do I overdub notes, yet replace CC automation?

[@Jack_Sparrow_1]

Hi! Thanks for the video! What's the display's resolution?

[@jorgesb1145]

hello, how do you change the key signature of the notes from sharps to flats?

[@TheCubeMusic]

How do you compose with midi

[@martin.ilek_studio]

Great Job! Thank You!

[@shtreebun]

Great tips, man! Thank you!

[@mimikoss]

is there another way to strumming midi notes except using the trim tool?

[@mitchiemasha]

Can we assign a short cut key to acoustic feedback yet?

[@BlueJavaTN]

Thanks Jeff! Would love to see how you use key switches / expression maps in Cubase.

[@jefgibbons]

Yeah, good call! I'll put it on the list...

[@yadinmichaeli12]

Dude your studio is amazing!❤️

[@oscaradam985]

There’s no an easy way where we can link maschine to cubase? I know u have a video on your channel but i was wondering nothing has changed since last time!

[@willyvanjaarsveld2912]

Hello I am willy van jaarsveld and live in the Netherlands so my English language is not that good. But I like to look at your vidio,s about qbase very professional with a clear explanation and good vidio images and your voice can also be Perfect to heard thank you for that

[@jefgibbons]

Thanks Willy!

[@virusbeatsfl]

Excellent Video. Can you do a in depth video on the Logic Editor? Thanks

[@jefgibbons]

Thanks Dave! I must confess I never do use the Logic Editor!

[@thecoastCoverband]

Hi Jef can I humanize the note's?

[@in2gadgets]

Thanks so much Jef!!

[@DAUBSKI]

Can i select 2 or more midi notes and here them as chord?

[@RaeWilliams]

Jef - Great video. Im a long time Cubase user (I think first version was like 6 Professional). I have noticed in 10.5 that i cant select audio events and operate on them, while the play head is going. Is this something that changed? I used to be able to grab events and open the note editor, etc while the song was playing back, but now Cubase is resisting the selection while play is running.

[@effectsworks2106]

Great tutorial, thanks!

[@Sakensingerkz]

🙋🏻‍♂️📲 Nomer

[@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios]

Jef, PLEASE HELP!!! PLEASE explain time signature. I don't understand how to create a song with particular rhythms. I get 4/4 and the simple divisibles, but I began writing a song which turned out to be clearly country (that's been happening to me for some reason lately) and when I hear it in my head, it sounds a certain way. I am not interested into forcing it to be what it's not. So I need to figure out how to give it a certain swing which I can only imagine is in time signatures.

[@bjazz68]

Thank you very much.

[@davidmarshall5665]

Hi Jeff would it be possible for you to do a video on how we could use the maschine mk3 as a controller for Logic Pro x so I don’t need a keyboard as well as my maschine controller. Thanks in advance David.

[@alphabetentertainment5873]

Would you mind donating your Adams good sir? - jk great tutorial. Used Logic / FL studio for years now on Cubase and it's so advanced it's hard for me to wrap my head around - but in the best way like finally I can do everything with ease all under one umbrella.

[@alaindubois1505]

So much essential information, and so fast. I will be returning to this several times. It's also great to hear that you had missed out some of this 'for years' yourself. One essential problem was isolating one or two tracks. I always thought that it was the 'solo' on the main page that was supposed to do this - but of course that didn't work, and I realised it had to be via the Key Editor using its Solo button. Yes, it was about time to use the 'other lanes' for modulating the volume of sustained notes such as strings. I've visual/cognitive problems - and I had to hear someone tell me about it - as I would not see so many extremely small functions that Cubase has. All I need to remember is - search for 'Jef Gibbons and Key Editor' when I get to edit the strings. I also just enjoyed the Kontact tutorial - and how I may have to conserve CPU eventually. [I got my MSI laptop last year - just for music, but I'm not sure of how much capacity one needs for a whole orchestra of instruments with a range of modulation, mixing and other data. [I'm in my sort of second restart with music composition - the first was just MIDI without wave files in Atari C-Lab. Extremely cumbersome stuff in the late eighties! I still hope the builders will arrive to fix the shed up for a proper music studio to set up the old MIDI keyboards - not used in over 15 years.] My immediate 'problem' is still selecting the right complementary range of VST instruments - in one go - and not duplicate stuff. Guy Michelmore uses a Spitfire for 'sketching'. but is this necessary? Wouldn't a complete Kontact library be the most inclusive of orchestra, big band and ethnic sounds? Or do I compliment this with separate orchestral sections of strings, brass etc. - that give a more complete range of articulations? Even off the Internet, having the instruments sampled in a room setting - sounds so much better for real orchestra, piano etc. Yes, many are after free, or low budget purchases, but what should one spend for a range of software that works for professional recordings? Would it be more than US/CAN/AUS $3,000? Or more than $5,000? [I'll still be looking through more KZbin videos, but there's always new things coming out. Oh, I also would like vocal modulation and correction - especially to layer 'backing vocals', choirs etc. - I'm not sure if you've covered vocal stuff. Maybe, I just have to search through all of your KZbin clips.

[@derekfarmer7444]

how do you edit lengths of notes?

[@2shytalk]

Hi Jeff , thanks again very useful information, I have the same speakers a you do you have any tips as to setting them up on the back IE: volume ,db etc: Thanks.

[@Stillsurfing]

Brilliant video......

[@storsender2032]

How can I loop a piano roll midi when set over several bars? E.G. I set 4 bars from 1 to 5 and set one midi piano bar at the first bar only, so the other three will repeat?

[@AndreasvanHaren]

Hi Jef, with film scoring, is there a way to create a macro that adds a marker and reassigns the markers's ID, so reorders them again when adding a marker?

[@mitchellf76]

Thanks Jeff... this is great, I learned some really valuable workflow tips. A question: what is the best way to build off a note? What I mean is, say I want to make a chord. I have the root and I want to add a third in above it. Everything is how I want it with the root note, I want to copy that note and replicate all the details in the same position but higher or lower. Is there a way to select a note, copy it and move it easily? Doubling an octave would be a good example of this. Right now it seems difficult, but I think I am missing something. Thank you for your help.

[@Cael2x]

How can I make the piano keys at the bottom of VST visible?

[@papankunci]

My biggest problem with page scroll in edit mode is the disappearing hair cursor bug (cursor turn grey).. so far no workaround for me except use the stationary mode.

[@kennethjackson4858]

Waiting to upgrade my Mac, but I have to buy a new one and they are not cheap. If I was thinking of getting a PC which one or have one built? I use Logic, but does Cubase run in Logic and is it more interesting to use than Logic itself?

[@sanjajancic3713]

Thank you so much!!! :)

[@LearnWithStephen]

Hey jeff. I don't know what the chances are that you're going to see this, but I recently upgraded to Cubase 13 Pro. I've been following you for years and your tutorials are always something I save and refer to. I wonder if you might have some suggestions about a variety of preferences for the mini editing part of the program for pc like Windows 10. I've got a feeling you have Apple products so I'm not sure what I'm asking for is even very likely. I'm trying to use my midi and I'm coming across some odd things that don't jibe with online tutorials. I think I need some basic setup tips to get the most out of this thing. Thank you in advance if you have any videos to which you could direct me.

[@jefgibbons]

Hey Stephen! Your best bet is the Steinberg forums… there you can post pics of your problems and get some specific help. I’m on Mac but things should be pretty similar with MIDI… anything specific you can mention here?

[@LearnWithStephen]

@@jefgibbons thank you jeff. I will Avail myself of the Cubase forum, and probably Greg ondo's webcast. I've been watching that for a long time as well. You know it's silly because last summer my version of 10.5 (with steinberg interface) stopped working in the lower midi window so I decided to upgrade to 13 pro. A couple things come to mind. When I tried to change the beats per minute on a project the Midi didn't change. Also my metronome for some reason was picking up my halion Sonic instrument sample.

[@MichaelHankinson]

These are by far the best, most professional tutorial videos on KZbin. Thank you very much.

[@alaindubois1505]

Hi, Jef. I've returned to revue this. I still have to open two tracks into one key editor - to change harmonies, or see which notes are 'clashing'. Because of flat ninths, grace notes etc. I wouldn't use the chord track for this. I'm finding on careful listening, just because notes are playing the right notes in a chord, the chord or arpeggio/rhythm may be the wrong inversion of the chord or need the more irregular seventh or augmented fifth chord notes etc. rather than the tonic, third or fifth note of a scale. Often, I need to delete notes or reduce their volume in chords. Using full [block] chords may be a bad habit from organ lesson days, rather than the arpeggios that piano pieces have. Even when several parts, such as bass and treble clef on the same piano, are recorded together on one track, I find I want to separate them on different tracks to later assign different instrumentation. From one piano track, I can then reassign piano bass to a bass instrument or copy and edit a second bass to strengthen that. I then can use the iterative quantise on the length of the bass in the Inspector window, or highlight parts of it in the editor page. [I haven't worked out if I have a reasonable compressor free with Cubase to use on a booming bass yet. However, I'm highlighting groups of bass notes to uniformly reduce the volume levels. I'll rewatch this video again, as I need to see where I switch this to a percentage reduction of note volume. With visual problems in the area of small icons, I appreciate that someone can tell me where all the stuff is, such as iterative quantise. I have a problem of accidently changing settings. Except for the occasional grace notes or similar irregular notes off the beat, to get a clear sound in the mix, it seems clear that one can't over-quantise - if our playing skills tend to be ahead or late in timing. However, it's good to see what kind of a rhythm or swing one is trying to make naturally. Quantising may place a note in the wrong groove. As for colours, I'm getting used to the irregular spacing of notes over the octave in the key editor and also have the notes large enough to have the name on them. Even though the volume at the bottom of the page appears fine to view volume levels, for me, it is the colouring of their volume that alerts me the note volume levels are often too high from the start and restricting the volume range. I will find how to change editing volume to a percentage. There are just so many small grey-toned icons in Cubase that need practising to become automatically used. Thanks for all the very useful stuff - that can't be taken for granted. [P.S. Where I do like to use colour creatively is when colourising the chord track chords. perhaps if the note editor used our own chord colour-schemes, we'd be able to see if notes are in the right chord. However, I'm at the stage of just listening to what I've put together, and finding many clashes, not just with wrong or extra notes - but notes that are wrong for an instrument with odd or individual overtones [timbre] etc.]

[@fredrikoscar4741]

Superfast info. Not extremely easy to follow....

[@jefgibbons]

I’ll keep it in mind… try the .75x speed!

[@BlezzBeats]

MIDI king since Atari

[@jefgibbons]

No doubt... I keep seeing that Commodore box on your floor... I wonder if they ever did MIDI!

[@BlezzBeats]

@@jefgibbons Yeah I've got a MIDI box for it! PSU and cables got stolen for the C64 though. Been meaning to try out SidWizard for it, and messed around in MSSIAH before but it's really pretty messy when it tries to be a complete GUI, I think a tracker suits it bettee. Lol imagine reading this with 0 technical experience.

[@donaldtavares3069]

you buy the material acoustic behind the adam speakar? I need something like this to absorve the bass (Whoof) against the wall!

[@mauriyamayamauri8148]

thank you so much!!

[@davestead617]

Hi Jeff great as always, any chance of explaining EQ settings I know you've done some stuff on this before,but I'm referring to setting every instrument to a different frequency so they don't clash IE if you have a sub bass , a bass guitar , and a synth bass rather than just guessing is there a figure EG: 80 hertz etc. that you can input. thanks again.

[@leanbiera]

Very useful information Jeff! Thank you! I haven't used Cubase for 5 or 6 years, so it helps me a lot to get back on track

[@themattgawlik]

Thank you for this video! I'm transitioning to Cubase and this was exactly what I was looking for.

[@HAKKOSAMPLER]

step recording

[@Krishantha.Ranasinghe]

Thank you sir ❤❤❤

[@dannah2093]

Thank you a lot.

[@precisekeys8898]

Just what I was looking for in the Key Editor. You're a lifesaver💯🙌🏾

[@thaexception3406]

Insightful

[@vernoncarlson213]

Very helpful. Great tutorial. Thank you very much.

[@luigimarti]

You're the best, one video to another you are simply, direct and the most greater teacher ever! Thanks to you and your best videos on youtube!

[@nzprojects]

Nice, you should do more of Cubase videos and tutorials and key commands :)

[@angelbeatzonthetrack1701]

NICE

[@maciej74174]

Very useful content. Thank you.

[@jefgibbons]

Most welcome!!