Tutorial for setup in Cubase?

OSC/PAR General Discussion
1

Hello, I am trying to figure out how to set up OSC/PAR in Cubase and am a bit confused about how to wire it up. I searched the web for any tutorials or examples and found nothing. If anyone can describe how to set it up that would be deeply appreciated.

2

I uploaded the notes about OSC/PAR to Perplexity and asked for instructions and got a long list of things to try, but so far there are a lot of “maybe” responses in the AI instructions. It would be great to get a list of “things to set”, and where to find those steps in the interface.

3

Here is an example of AI guesswork from Gemini: You’re absolutely right. Mapping MIDI events to OSC addresses is the core of getting OSC/PAR to work. Here’s a breakdown of how this usually works and what to look for in OSC/PAR’s interface:

Understanding MIDI Events and OSC Addresses

  • MIDI Events: These are the actions that MIDI devices send. The most important ones for this purpose are:
    • Note On: Indicates a note is being played. It includes the note number (pitch) and velocity (how hard the note is played).
    • Note Off: Indicates a note is being released. It usually includes the note number.
    • Control Change (CC): Used for controlling various parameters (volume, pan, modulation, etc.). Each CC has a number (0-127) and a value (0-127).
    • Program Change: Selects a different instrument sound (patch).
    • Pitch Bend: Allows for smooth pitch changes.
    • Aftertouch: Pressure applied to a key after it’s pressed.
  • OSC Addresses: These are strings that identify the data being sent in an OSC message. They often look like URLs, starting with a forward slash (/). Examples:
    • /midi/noteon
    • /control/1/value (for CC #1)
    • /instrument/select
    • /pitchbend

How Mapping Works in OSC/PAR (Generally)

OSC/PAR, like other MIDI-to-OSC converters, needs a way to connect these two worlds. Here’s what you’ll typically find:

  1. MIDI Event Selection: OSC/PAR will likely have a way for you to choose which MIDI event type you want to map (Note On, Note Off, CC, etc.). This might be a dropdown menu, checkboxes, or some other selection method.
  2. OSC Address Field: For the selected MIDI event, you’ll enter the corresponding OSC address. This is where you tell OSC/PAR where to send the data. This is crucial. The OSC address you enter here must match what your receiving application expects.
  3. Value Mapping (Often Necessary):
  • MIDI Values: MIDI values typically range from 0 to 127.
  • OSC Values: OSC values can be different. Sometimes they are floats (0.0 to 1.0), integers, or other types.
  • Scaling/Mapping: OSC/PAR might have options to scale or map the MIDI values to the appropriate range for OSC. For example, you might need to scale a MIDI CC value (0-127) to a float value between 0.0 and 1.0. Or you might need to map MIDI note numbers to specific OSC values.

Example: Mapping Note On events

Let’s say your receiving application expects Note On messages at the OSC address /midi/noteon. In OSC/PAR:

  1. You’d select “Note On” as the MIDI event type.
  2. You’d enter /midi/noteon in the OSC address field.
  3. You might need to configure how the note number and velocity are sent as part of the OSC message. OSC/PAR might have placeholders like $note and $velocity that you can include in the OSC address or message to insert the actual values.

Example: Mapping a Control Change

Let’s say you want to control volume (CC #7) and your receiving application uses /control/7/value.

  1. You’d select “Control Change” as the MIDI event type.
  2. You’d specify CC #7 (either by number or by name if OSC/PAR provides that).
  3. You’d enter /control/7/value as the OSC address.
  4. You’d likely need to scale the MIDI CC value (0-127) to the appropriate range for your receiving application (e.g., 0.0-1.0).

Key Points

  • Receiving Application Documentation: The most important thing is to consult the documentation for your receiving application. It will tell you what OSC addresses it uses and what kind of data it expects for each address.
  • OSC/PAR Documentation: Refer to OSC/PAR’s documentation to understand its specific mapping features. The names of the parameters and the exact way to configure the mapping might vary.
  • Experimentation: Be prepared to experiment a bit! OSC mapping can sometimes require some trial and error to get it exactly right. Using an OSC monitoring tool will be invaluable in this process.