Re: Assigning Midi in Cubas and Kontakt 4 for Z-tar

I'm only talking about two instruments just now, my next plan is to have bass with drums in the same zone, guitar with high hat in a different zone, and lead guitar in the last zone. I think I need at least 3 devoted midi channels right?

Second example;
Bass (left hand) one channel/zone
Drums (left hand) one separate channel/zone (and a lot of re-mapping) unless you want your bass drum to always play with the bass. 

( I have tried this, and it's not so easy to have the instruments fall exactly on the keys that you need, in the bass riff...  A different riff, and hi-hat is playing snare parts, and bass drum is playing hi-hat. and it sounds as if the drummer has a drug problem or is playing backwards..  :-)
 
Guitar samples (right hand)  one other zone
hi-hat (right hand) one channel (presumably the same channel that the drum zone is sending to)  all notes in that zone fixed to either hi-hat open or hi-hat closed (or set this zone up as you prefer) 2 note options in this instance. 

so for the above example you need four separate zones and three separate channels.  I would use 4 zones and four channels for simplicities sake.  But if the notes in the hi-hat r/h zone must be set to either open or closed, then only 2 note options, (or three note options if you have 'half-open' as well. )
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For just 2 instruments, (or for any amount, use this test) ;Example;     left hand bass, and right hand solo voice, check first that Cubase is receiving on the correct midi channels.. Go into the mixer, and see if the meter ladders illuminate with each press of keys on that zone/channel.  If so, you are sending ztar on two discrete channels and receiving on 2 discrete channels of cubase, so that's OK.  If you then have problems in Kontakt, then Kontakt is not set up correctly..  I would get hold of a simple GM module, and check that all ztar channels are set properly and sending correctly (or use Midi Ox)  

  I don't know Kontakt, but download the manual and study!   if you are using more than one channel in cubase (to enable a VST's on those channels), then you always have to specify what channels you are sending on,   otherwise, Cubase re-maps them to channel one.  hence your problems..  I suggested that you record  a test, to see if you have zones appearing in Cubase on discrete channels.. You obviously don't.

Check your ztar patch also.. start with a clean one, and go thru all of the menus to see that nothing is on that you don't want to be enabled. (reverse volume fades for instance) 
Work methodically ..First Ztar , then Cubase and test channel separation and just record rubbish as a test.  Then Kontakt.  I only saw help for Kontakt 5, but presume it's the same output assignment procedure..

hope this helps..  

richard

bg