Meanwhile, I must say I'm very unimpressed by Steinberg's support. I submitted a question 6 days ago and still haven't received an answer. With the Steinberg forum being equally unresponsive it doesn't bode well...

bartveld
Can someone give me some pointers about setting up a control surface in Cubase? Where to start, for one thing. I haven't reached that part of the manual yet.

 
Which control surface?  There are device-specific videos on YouTube for quite a few.
 
Generally, control surfaces are added via Cubase > Device Setup... > Remote Devices.  Hit the "+" (plus) button to reveal a drop-down list of ~20 supported control surfaces, including "Generic."
 

bartveld
Can someone give me some pointers about setting up a control surface in Cubase? Where to start, for one thing. I haven't reached that part of the manual yet.

Start with 'Studio', 'Studio Setup', and then MIDI port setup.  Make sure your devices midiports are there.  I have some experience with Cubase and MCU PRO, VS-100 and TouchOSC.  Once you have your midiports checked, then go to 'Remote Device' just under the MIDI port setup.  Click on the '+' at the top of the page and add a device.  Multiple choices including Mackie, generic and so on.  

Thanks to you both. bwbalint, I see you also have VS-100, like I do. Do you happen to have an xml-file to import?

bartveld
Thanks to you both. bwbalint, I see you also have VS-100, like I do. Do you happen to have an xml-file to import?

I have an .xml that I made for the VS-100.  Right now it has transport controls, the two track select buttons, mute, solo, record enable, and controls for the foot pedal, which is what I primarily use it for.  I haven't been able to find a 'Shift' command to use with it, which doesn't mean it isn't somewhere in the possibility tree.  
 
PM me and I will send it to you.  

I'm still finding my way around and I've still got a ton to learn about Cubase. So far I've only run into a few examples of what I'm already calling the 'German' way of doing things. 

The interaction with the audio interface is the first one. I installed the software, it found my RME interface and easily let me select it. I loaded a soft synth and boom, I  had sound. It found and used my interface just as you'd expect. Well not so fast there piggy. Yes we found your 32 input/output interface. But we know that a dumb piggy like yourself will never use more than the first two input channels and the first two output channels so that's all we'll make the software configure. If for some oddball stupid reason, you have the nerve to want to use more inputs or outputs than that, you'll have to figure out to configure them on your own piggy. Its a feature. Enjoy.

And then there's monitoring inserts. If you load up a soft synth and the patch an effect like a delay into the insert, you can hear that effect as  you play the plugin. This is just what you'd expect to happen. 

But now lets say you want to plug in a guitar. Well first piggy you'll need to wrestle with setting up inputs before the software will even acknowledge that your guitar exists. But now I've got my guitar signal feeding a channel. Ok lets load up an amp plug and get some sound going. Not so fast piggy. You can monitor effect inserts on soft synths but not on audio inputs. Why? Because piggy, no one should want to do that ever. Its a feature. Enjoy.

So we go to the Cubase forum to ask for help. Oh we'll let you join piggy, no problem. Oh but you want to actually speak? Oh no no piggy, we can't let you do that. We'll have to approve your post piggy. And we'll take our time to do that. Check back in six to eight weeks I guess. Welcome to Cubase piggy. Enjoy.

Yeah I'm going to miss Sonar. A lot. But I'm also glad I'm doing this now and not waiting until Sonar is completely broken before trying to learn the German way of doing things.

I'm enjoying Cubase thus far.  Even as a newbie, I've been able to figure out most things fairly quickly.

JohanSebatianGremlin
I'm still finding my way around and I've still got a ton to learn about Cubase. So far I've only run into a few examples of what I'm already calling the 'German' way of doing things. 

The interaction with the audio interface is the first one. I installed the software, it found my RME interface and easily let me select it. I loaded a soft synth and boom, I  had sound. It found and used my interface just as you'd expect. Well not so fast there piggy. Yes we found your 32 input/output interface. But we know that a dumb piggy like yourself will never use more than the first two input channels and the first two output channels so that's all we'll make the software configure. If for some oddball stupid reason, you have the nerve to want to use more inputs or outputs than that, you'll have to figure out to configure them on your own piggy. Its a feature. Enjoy.

And then there's monitoring inserts. If you load up a soft synth and the patch an effect like a delay into the insert, you can hear that effect as  you play the plugin. This is just what you'd expect to happen. 

But now lets say you want to plug in a guitar. Well first piggy you'll need to wrestle with setting up inputs before the software will even acknowledge that your guitar exists. But now I've got my guitar signal feeding a channel. Ok lets load up an amp plug and get some sound going. Not so fast piggy. You can monitor effect inserts on soft synths but not on audio inputs. Why? Because piggy, no one should want to do that ever. Its a feature. Enjoy.

So we go to the Cubase forum to ask for help. Oh we'll let you join piggy, no problem. Oh but you want to actually speak? Oh no no piggy, we can't let you do that. We'll have to approve your post piggy. And we'll take our time to do that. Check back in six to eight weeks I guess. Welcome to Cubase piggy. Enjoy.

Yeah I'm going to miss Sonar. A lot. But I'm also glad I'm doing this now and not waiting until Sonar is completely broken before trying to learn the German way of doing things.

Ehhmm.. Are you using Cubase Pro? If so you can activate the Control Room, and you can use just as much outputs as you want, and can have up to 16 plugins in each output. You can also choose what channels are been monitored on each output. Very easy if you have more than one Monitor set, or if you want room correction on a monitor, and monitor emulation on a separate headphone output.
 
For inputs you just go to the inputs tab on VST connections, and you can add as much stereo or mono input channels as you wish (or your hardware is capable of). You can monitor each channel by setting it active and armed. You are not telling what setup configuration you want exactly, so I cannot give you more advise.
 
Yes - I am on the Cubase forum from time to time also, but I encountered mostly very helpful people over there. Yes - you have to let your first post being approved, but the reason for that is that the forum was spammed by one-time users that try to sell you latest kitchen or certain body-part enlargement pills. Rather than let the forum be filled with that kind of stuff, to be removed later, they simply made that first-time post check to make sure no garbage is posted (and "piggy"? - Please come on).
 
Anyway - I have my MOTU traveler running in Cubase 9.5 and can use all my inputs and outputs as much if I like. It can differ if you only have the Elements version. If I can remember well the number of inputs in Elements is limited to 8 (so 8 mono or 4 stereo inputs, or a combination of that). If you are uncertain how to do that, remember that Cubase has an good YouTube channel, where you can find things about setup, and also lots of tips and tricks.
 
Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcQBdibdDxH2ngu3kNPYOEA/featured
 
Setting up sound card: https://www.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10051
And found after some "Googgeling": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ir_GirqAx0
 
The latest is not for Cubase 9.5, but this setup has not changed in years, so it's still the same.
 
Hope this helps.

JClosed
 
Ehhmm.. Are you using Cubase Pro? If so you can activate the Control Room, and you can use just as much outputs as you want, and can have up to 16 plugins in each output. You can also choose what channels are been monitored on each output. Very easy if you have more than one Monitor set, or if you want room correction on a monitor, and monitor emulation on a separate headphone output.
 
For inputs you just go to the inputs tab on VST connections, and you can add as much stereo or mono input channels as you wish (or your hardware is capable of). You can monitor each channel by setting it active and armed. You are not telling what setup configuration you want exactly, so I cannot give you more advise.

 
Oh I never for a moment had any doubt I'd be able to use as many inputs and outputs as I'd care to want. You miss the point of what I was saying. Why would a DAW with the Pro in the name not have all available inputs and outputs on the selected interface routed and active by default? Why would a Pro product assume that I only want to use a single stereo input and output? Why do I have to pull my hair out to figure out how to do what most other DAW's do automatically? 
 

Yes - I am on the Cubase forum from time to time also, but I encountered mostly very helpful people over there. Yes - you have to let your first post being approved, but the reason for that is that the forum was spammed by one-time users that try to sell you latest kitchen or certain body-part enlargement pills. Rather than let the forum be filled with that kind of stuff, to be removed later, they simply made that first-time post check to make sure no garbage is posted (and "piggy"? - Please come on).
 

Again, way ahead of you but you're kind of missing the point. Forums get spammed, its pretty common. There are lots of other ways around that besides putting initial posts in a mod cue. But here's the bigger deal for me. It would be one thing if the Cubase forum was created owned and hosted by some random user who just happens to be a really big fan of the software. But that particular forum resides on Steinberg's commercial domain which at the very least suggests it is owned and maintained by Steinberg. Therefore when you create a post and days go by without it being approved, it kind of speaks to Steinberg's regard to customer service. Wouldn't you agree?
 
 

JohanSebatianGremlin
Oh I never for a moment had any doubt I'd be able to use as many inputs and outputs as I'd care to want. You miss the point of what I was saying. Why would a DAW with the Pro in the name not have all available inputs and outputs on the selected interface routed and active by default? Why would a Pro product assume that I only want to use a single stereo input and output? Why do I have to pull my hair out to figure out how to do what most other DAW's do automatically?

 
Just like I said. Cubase is highly configurable, and if all outputs would be channeled to the standard output, it would be even more work to change that all to Control Room outputs if you want to use those. Not everybody uses the same layout (and I am sure you will not use my configuration). You can configure several setups and give each it's own name, so you can switch very fast between configurations. I personally would not like it when I would have to undo the standard setup, and then change everything to my liking (Control Room routing). I then rather start with a clean state, but that's a personal opinion.
 
Anyway - I do not see the problem here. You only have to set it up once and it takes only a few minutes. After that you have years of using that program without having to configure anything.
 

JohanSebatianGremlin
Again, way ahead of you but you're kind of missing the point. Forums get spammed, its pretty common. There are lots of other ways around that besides putting initial posts in a mod cue. But here's the bigger deal for me. It would be one thing if the Cubase forum was created owned and hosted by some random user who just happens to be a really big fan of the software. But that particular forum resides on Steinberg's commercial domain which at the very least suggests it is owned and maintained by Steinberg. Therefore when you create a post and days go by without it being approved, it kind of speaks to Steinberg's regard to customer service. Wouldn't you agree?

As far as I know first posts do not take day's to be approved. Mine was approved within hours. However, keep in mind that the action to lower cross-license prices has probably attracted lots of new users. Steinberg is big, but not that big that great influx is picked up without some delays in other departments. That your first post has taken day's to be approved is not very common as far as my experience goes. I can understand you are a bit agitated about that, but don't you exaggerate a bit here?
 
Anyway - I am just another user, just like you, that has some better experiences with the forum. Hope to see you there.