MIDI Gating in Cubase Tutorial with NuBorn

Chop it up! Explore the endless posibilities making MIDI gating effects using Cubase with our Psytrance experts Nuborn.

First import the sample or instrument you want to gate into Cubase. We find that most sounds work well if they are quite bright/ mid range as when they are chopped up they groove really well. In this case we’ve used an atmosphere sample, however this technique works with VST’s or any sound you choose.

{modmmp3} {mmp3}atmosphere_before.mp3{/mmp3}

Add a Midi gate as an insert on the atmosphere; Inserts -> Dynamics -> Midi Gate. As you can see in the screen shot we have left three open spaces above the midi gate in the inserts, this is so we can decide later whether to add effects before or after the gate has been applied. Once you have added the midi gate press the ‘note on’ button in hold mode, and then bring the hold & release all the way down as shown in the picture.

Add a MIDI track into your sequencer, name it and connect it to the midi gate as if you were adding a VST. Once you have done this the atmosphere sample (or VST/ other sound you are applying this to) is ready to be gated.

In the MIDI track you have just made draw a pattern in as if you were writing notation, don’t worry about the key. This is the pattern which the sound will follow.

{modmmp3} {mmp3}Gatedatmosphere_step4.mp3{/mmp3}

You have now successfully gated your sound, if you want a more fluid sound you can go back to the Midi gate; atmosphere sample -> Inserts -> Midi gate, and adjust the release very slightly (We’ve set it to 0.032).

As we explained in Step 2 we left open spaces either side of the midi gate in the inserts area. Now you have successfully got a gated sound you can apply effects to get it either darting between speakers adding ambience or filtering  for example. We’ve automated a band pass filter before the Midi gate and added a delay after to demonstrate the way it could sound as a finished article.

{modmmp3} {mmp3}Gatedatmospherewitheffects_step_.mp3{/mmp3}

Nuborn

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