Cubase 12 MIDI Remote Manager

I was hoping that the announced new remote control features in Cubase 12 should add some exciting new possibilities. Still, when looking at the MIDI Remote Manager, I can't really see how to use that with the Cubase plugin.

It's a kind of catch 22 since the Cubase plugin is designed to learn from Cubase, while the new MIDI Remote Manager is designed to learn from the device.

The Midi plugin can be used to manually create a number of Stream Deck buttons and then create a remote device that learns from those buttons, but it's much easier to use the Mackie Control remote device unless you're after something that isn't covered by the Mackie Control protocol.

What are your thoughts? Given that the Midi plugin can be used to access all features of the new MIDI Remote Manager, do you see any killer scenario where the Cubase plugin is used together with the MIDI Remote Manager?

So Cubase abandoned the Generic Remote setup in Cubase 12?

No, it's still there. They have just added the MIDI Remote Manager.

The Midi Remote Manager might be useful if you want to manually create a controller set for a specific VST or instrument that uses preselected CC functions. like Arturia's Analog Lab,  SpitFire Audio VST... etc., and useful also with the Streamdeck Pedal added. 

Alternative to the Mackie Controller is to be able to make a separate controller to MIDI learn specific CC for Track Quick Control and VST Quick controls.

The Midi Remote Manager will undoubtedly add features not available with the generic remote control, and all of them will be accessible using the Midi plugin.

The Cubase plugin is built to integrate with Cubase and make commands available on the Stream Deck without any configuration (on the Stream Deck). The Cubase plugin is built to learn everything from the Cubase configuration, while the Midi Remote Manager is built to learn everything from the device.

If I were to add functionality to the Cubase plugin to integrate with the Midi Remote Manager, I really don't know what that would look like.

Steinberg has done the "Midi Remote API" for the "Midi Remote" devices that users can add in Cubase 12/13.

Official page of the API:
https://steinbergmedia.github.io/midiremote_api_doc/

With the Midi Remote API you can program everything, importing names of the tracks, communication of the faders, pans, everything.

So, I think you Gunnar could create a new "Mackie Control" without the limitations of the Mackie Control protocol, with 3 things:
  - a custom Midi Remote device for Cubase (users could import them to Cubase)
  - an API program to communicate with Cubase and SD+
  - a Cubase plugin to communicate SD+ with the API

Thanks for the tip, but for now, I'll skip it.

The API programming is in Javascript, a language I'm not very good with. Once Midi 2.0 is airborne, I hope it will do similar things for all daws.

SideshowFX has done an excellent job creating a Midi remote device and mapping it to the Midi plugin, so I will leave that to them.