Hi,
Just recently updated to the latest versions of MGP and Metaserver. Loving the Plugin Manager implementation and have started incorporating those into my Grids. But have been observing these things after the update on my end:
The biggest one, ‘Selected Channel’ control surface has been disappearing every time Cubase exits. I have to add it again for the next start up.
Toggle From External Sources, which used to change Latch states in certain staple buttons like ‘Edit Channel Settings’ and ‘Edit VST Instrument’ which correctly reflect the selected track’s status if these windows were open, no longer does that.
Running the Plugin Manager to insert VST Instrument has some inconsistencies. I have a button to replace the VST Instrument on the selected track with the one specified via MGP. The ‘Editor’ button is kept on. If the selected track doesn’t have an existing instrument i.e it’s in the NO VST Instrument’ state, MGP correctly inserts the Instrument plugin and opens the editor. But, if the track already had a VST Instrument, then MGP correctly changes the instrument, but it does not open the plugin editor. If the plugin editor was already open, then you can see it change as MGP changes the instrument
Thank you for the detailed report. There appear to be three separate symptoms here, so I would like to verify the exact versions before treating them as one issue.
Please provide the exact MetaGrid Pro build, MetaServer build and Cubase version you are currently using. Please also confirm whether you reinstalled the latest bundled Selected Channel script after updating MetaServer.
MetaGrid Pro 1.7.4 contains improvements to incoming MIDI state restoration, including correct port-aware state replay for latching switches. Once 1.7.4 is available, please check whether this restores the Toggle From External Sources behavior for Edit Channel Settings and Edit VST Instrument.
The Selected Channel device disappearing after Cubase exits remains under investigation as a persistence issue.
For the Plugin Manager case, please repeat both operations during the same session with the Editor option enabled:
Insert an instrument into an empty slot.
Replace an instrument already present on the selected track.
If replacing the existing instrument still changes the plugin without opening its editor, please attach a short screen recording or screenshots. That will allow us to investigate the replacement and editor-opening sequence separately.
MetaGrid Pro 1.7.4 and the companion MetaServers are now publicly available. Here is the production status of the three items reported in this topic.
Toggle From External Sources
MetaGrid Pro 1.7.4 includes the incoming-MIDI cache replay correction. Port identity and MIDI channel matching are now preserved when a grid is displayed, allowing latching switches to restore the latest state received from the configured MIDI source.
Please repeat the original test with Edit Channel Settings and Edit VST Instrument after updating.
Selected Channel disappearing after Cubase exits
MetaServer Windows 6.0.4 includes recovery for stale or temporarily unopenable Windows MIDI Services endpoints. Please test several Cubase start/quit cycles with MetaServer and Windows MIDI Services left running and confirm whether the Selected Channel surface remains available.
If it disappears again, please capture a MetaServer support package before restarting anything and check whether the relevant MetaGrid ports are still visible in Cubase.
Plugin Manager replacement does not open the editor
This behavior is separate from the 1.7.4 hotfix. Please let us know whether it still occurs with the production release and include the exact Cubase version, instrument being replaced and whether the editor was open or closed before the replacement.
This topic will remain open until the three behaviors have been verified independently.
Please quit Cubase first and make a backup of your existing script. Extract MetaGrid Pro_Selected Channel.js from the ZIP and replace the existing file at:
For Nuendo, use the equivalent path under Documents/Steinberg/Nuendo/.
Then restart Cubase and confirm that the Selected Channel MIDI Remote surface uses the Metasystem - Cubase Sync input and output ports.
The new bidirectional mappings are:
Edit Channel Settings: MIDI channel 4, CC 21
Edit VST Instrument: MIDI channel 4, CC 23
MetaGrid Pro stores MIDI channels internally from zero, which is why the existing command definitions identify these as channel index 3.
For each button:
Set the button’s target application to Cubase Sync.
Make sure the macro name begins with Cubase Sync:.
Use value 127 for the outgoing command.
Enable Toggle From External Sources for both states and enter the matching channel and CC:
active/on state: value 127
inactive/off state: value 0
There is no port selector inside Toggle From External Sources. MetaGrid Pro resolves the Cubase Sync port from the button’s target and Cubase Sync macro. This is the same mechanism used by the existing Record, Cycle and Metronome controls.
Please verify the following:
Tapping each button in MetaGrid Pro opens and closes the corresponding Cubase window.
Opening or closing the window directly in Cubase updates the button state in MetaGrid Pro.
Opening or closing it with a Cubase key command also updates MetaGrid Pro.
Edit VST Instrument behaves correctly when switching between instrument and non-instrument tracks.
Please do not use MetaServer’s Reinstall action while testing, because the current production MetaServer would restore Selected Channel script 1.1.4.
After positive verification, this update will be bundled with the next MetaServer releases for Mac and Windows.
Thanks for the troubleshooting steps. I replaced the selected channel script as suggested but the Selected Channel missing when Cubase restarts has come back on my end with 1.7.5. I’m not sure if this was due to MGP update or me replacing the script. Also, I couldn’t follow certain steps. Could you please clarify:
Did you mean the Macro Title field has to begin with ‘Cubase Sync:’ ?
Where do I need to do this? I’ve already assigned the MIDI channel, CC and the On/Off state values in the Toggle From External Sources but I couldn’t understand the “127 for the outgoing command” step
Also, only more recently I saw that even, the Activate/Deactivate Write Automation is also not getting synced up (currently CC 23 Channel 10 : 127/0)
It would be nice to have a central consolidated list of these MIDI Channels & CCs used for syncing that one can refer which you guys can update if something gets changed from your end. Apologies, if it’s already there and I’m not aware
Sorry for the delay, and for the unclear instructions in the previous reply.
Macro Title: yes, that is the field we meant. Use a name such as Cubase Sync: Edit Channel Settings, and set the macro’s target application to Cubase Sync. The title helps MetaGrid identify the Cubase Sync source when restoring a button’s feedback state.
Outgoing value 127: this refers to the Val. field inside a MIDI CC action in the macro editor. It is separate from Toggle From External Sources, which defines the incoming messages that update the button. For direct MIDI CC control, send 127 to open/enable the control and 0 to close/disable it. If you are using a named Cubase command instead of a MIDI CC action, please show the macro so we can check that specific setup.
Here are the current Selected Channel mappings relevant to your questions, using the channel numbers displayed in MetaGrid:
Control
MIDI channel
CC
Edit Channel Settings
4
21
Edit VST Instrument
4
23
Automation Read
10
18
Automation Write
10
19
For Toggle From External Sources, use the corresponding channel/CC with 127 for the active state and 0 for the inactive state. Your Write Automation feedback setting should therefore be channel 10, CC19, rather than CC23. This refers to the selected channel’s Write state, rather than the global Write Automation commands.
For the surface disappearing after restart, please manually assign Metasystem - Cubase Sync - In as its input and Metasystem - Cubase Sync - Out as its output on Mac. Save the setup, leave MetaServer running, and quit/reopen Cubase. If the surface disappears again, please capture its port assignments and a MetaServer support package before restarting MetaServer, and include your current app/server versions.
We’ve also noted your request for a consolidated MIDI mapping reference.
Thanks for the detailed clarification. No stress on the delayed response as this Toggle thing is just a visual bug and wasn’t really a showstopper of any kind. It’s fine.
I’ve tried the recommended steps but unfortunately, all issues still persist. Here are the pointers.
Selected Channel Surface Disappearing
The Selected Channel Surface disappears every time Cubase restarts. Attaching the Metaserver support package as recommended. MGP (1.7.7 Build 35839) / Metaserver (6.1.6 Build 4346) MetaServer-Logs-20261001-102449.zip (181.6 KB)
The good thing is that the surface stays intact between different projects as long as Cubase itself isn’t closed. I usually just start and close Cubase once a day and change between different project files. So the annoyance of doing this is only once a day
Toggle From External Sources
I’ve renamed Macro Title starting with “Cubase Sync:” as suggested
I’v been using the named Cubase commands and the Toggle From External Sources . Based on your suggestions I tried using direct MIDI control. But for some reason, the direct MIDI CC control doesn’t work at all for any of the functions. Even if we keep the the Toggle functionality aside, using direct MIDI CC in the Macro do these operations aren’t working for me. I reverted back to using the named Cubase commands as they are working at least. Attaching some screenshots.
Thanks for the logs and screenshots. We found a possible reason Selected Channel does not return after a Cubase restart: the bundled script looks for a MIDI port named exactly “Metasystem - Cubase Sync,” while MetaServer creates separate “- In” and “- Out” ports on your Mac.
Here is a test ZIP for Selected Channel 1.1.5 that also detects those Mac port names. It keeps the editor feedback bindings and is not yet a confirmed fix. Please follow the ZIP’s readme: check the loaded Script Info path, back up your current script, install the test file, then restart Cubase twice with MetaServer running. Before adding the surface manually, let us know whether it appears and connects after each restart. If it does not, a screenshot of MIDI Remote Manager at that point would help. Please avoid MetaServer’s script reinstall command during the test, as it would replace this file.
Your screenshots also exposed a detail we missed: for Edit VST Instrument, set Latch Off to channel 4, CC 23, value 0, and Latch On to channel 4, CC 23, value 127. Your current values are the other way around. You can keep the named Cubase commands that already work; there is no need to change them to direct MIDI CC actions. Once the surface is connected, please tell us whether opening and closing the editor in Cubase makes the latch follow.
We’ll keep the Plugin Manager replacement/editor behavior as a separate issue.
I’m very happy to report back that this test script(1.1.5.1) solves both issues for me !!
The Selected Channel Surface now remains persistent across Cubase restarts (checked by quitting-reopening Cubase multiple times as suggested) And, the Edit VST, Edit Channel Settings and Automation R/W, all correctly sync with the states in Cubase.
Hoping that the Plugin Manager replacement/editor issue can be patched soon too.
Thanks for testing this through several Cubase restarts and confirming the results. It’s great to hear that Selected Channel now stays connected and that Edit VST, Channel Settings and Automation Read/Write correctly follow their states in Cubase.
We’ve added the port-detection fix to the planned MetaServer Mac 6.1.7 release. Please keep using the test script for now and avoid reinstalling the scripts from MetaServer 6.1.6, as that would replace it with the earlier bundled version.
The Plugin Manager replacement/editor issue remains open and separate from this fix.
