Er.... What do you mean by 'transport'? Are you talking about a car? Or a tape recorder?

Any device receiving midi data must have something to receive and interpret the midi instructions, which are nothing more than a sequence of numbers. Does the whatever you're thinking of have such facilities?

Geoff

oh, im talking about cubase, a music sequencer. The tranport is the cursor position. Stop, start, goto etc...

Aha, that makes sense now. I've never used Cubase - I suppose this is connected with the idea that Cubase is sort of simulating a tape recorder?

To answer my questions, Cubase will certainly be able to receive and respond to midi instructions, as regards music. I take it that you would like midi codes to replace, or maybe cause, computer keystrokes or mouse actions. Reasonable enough. I would have thought that such a facility, if possible, would be detailed in the manual for Cubase?

When you refer to 'pressing a key' are you talking about a key on your computer, or a key on your music keyboard? If the latter, how would the system know that the key pressed was not a note, but was to action something within Cubase?

Geoff

I think that is a good idea Steve, i will implement it for my sequenser using two of the CTRL knobs on my keyboard to scroll transport and boundary of selection, maybe even adjust size of them using four.
Have no idea if Cubase support such, but it seem versatile so probably. Have at least 8 knobs and 8 buttons on my UMX controller keyboard, but you probably would want some doubble button press to turn functionality on and off (because they have some standard GM meaning, you will want to set a mode to exchange/bypass those messages sent out).

Probably should do start, stop, pause rec using "buttons" to and why not scroll play using knob "notes played without pause when turning knob"..

Sure, there are plenty of MIDI Controller devices with "Transport Controls" that send Start, Stop Continue, etc. and most DAWs respond.

Some are mixing controllers.
Korg nanoKONTROL and Presonus Faderport are just 2 of many examples.

Most controller keyboards include Transport Controls.
Arturia KeyLab, Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol, are just 2 of many examples.

Some synthesizers have Transport Controls:
Yamaha MODX and Montage, Roland FA and Fantom and others.

A question to Mike, are the transport midimessages (play,stop,rec,pause) standardised or would you expect them to be different between different controllers?
I really have not dived into anything else then just messages from knobs and buttons on my UMX, but i see there are loads of things written at the keylevel. Well you have to have a microscope to read it....

I never got the keys to send anything but midinote messages though.
Probably should push assign... at same time?

Transport control messages are pretty standard. When you say UMX, i think you are talking about a Behring UMX610? I don't know anything about them but from what I see in a picture of a front panel, it doesn't seem to be able to send those MIDI messages.

Mike.

Sorry, I just reread your original question. I do not know of a keyboard that can end transport control messages form the keys themselves. All the products I mentioned have actual buttons for transport control.

I think that software vise there is not problem to have transports assigned to keys, it is just a matter of "define modes" for the keyboard. But it do require some button on keyboard, and maybe a double tap to tell the software "now you are in transport mode".

But if Cubase have it, well i have no idea, but i think the idea is sound. But probably if you have a controller keyboard you will use knobs and buttons to implement it rather then keyboard keys. But for an electric piano with just a button or two, one probably would do it the way you suggest using the keys.

And to Mike an UMX 490 so closei , but i actually do have at least one device with transport control a Tascam 1884, but also a Korg N364 and a Kurzweil K2000 and even a roland arranger RA-95. So lot of old hardware here, but i doubt the transport control is standard "maybe the Tascam controller board".

I do program a javascript sequenser/controller and the project a bit to big to handle, and my programming skills are rudimentary. To many ideas to little craftmanship, but i think what is now is great for implement control surfaces as <iframes>.

So if anyone want to join and make a virtual control surface for their device i think javascript is the way to go,i looked at CTRL a luna? script software. And it just far to complex to program.
Right now it only send channel, program bank info, and handle some standard GM parameters via sliders like pan, vol, reverb, chorus sustain and modulation for my soundcanvas 7 in the main program.
But i will try to implement control surfaces as iframes for the gear i own.

If anyone want to make something for their own gear, i can share the little i know. Or help out with the million of bugs coming out of fast but sloppy, just send me a message.

I may need to start a new forum thread. When using the term 'orchestration' I think of arranging individual instruments by starting and stopping at different times during the course of a composition. Yes, I can specify notes and long delays to achieve some of what I'm after. Today's synths frequently have a built-in sequencer. In some cases those sequencers have advantages over the primary sequencer which is at the top of the instrument hierarchy. [DAWless setup].
For example: A Polyend Play controlling various MIDI channels to which a Korg Volca Drum and Roland J-6 Chord sequencers are attached. MIDI communication is set up properly because when the Play/Stop button is pressed on the Polyend both the Korg and Roland start and stop. And individual notes sent to those devices get expected results.
What I haven't figured out is how to start and stop the downstream sequencers individually based on a given sequence step defined by the sequencer at the top of the hierarchy (Polyend Play).
I'm thinking of using an Arduino microprocessor to receive 'orchestration' requests in the form of MIDI cc or even simple note data, to translate and send downstream start/stop packets.