How Do I Set Up a Reaktor Effect in Cubase?

This article explains how to load a Reaktor effect in Cubase. The second chapter explains how to configure a Cubase MIDI track to use a MIDI-controlled effect like The Finger, The Mouth, or Molekular.

Loading a Reaktor effect in Cubase

  1. Create an Audio or Instrument track, for which you would like to process the audio output with a Reaktor effect.
  2. Click the Edit Channel Settings button.
  3. On the Channel Settings window, click on the first Inserts Slot on the left side of the window or the first Sends slot, depending on whether you want to use your Reaktor effect as an insert or send effect.
  4. Select Reaktor 6 FX from the drop-down menu.
  5. Reaktor FX is now loaded as Insert FX on our Audio Track. To load the effect you want to use, select its folder in the Reaktor Browser and double-click the .rkplr file to load the effect. In our example, we load The Finger from the Player tab of the Reaktor Browser, so we click The Finger R2 folder and double-click the TheFinger.rkplr file beneath to load it.
  6. Press play in Cubase. As you can see in the Input and Output level meters, the Audio from the Audio Track is now being processed by the Reaktor effect.

Setting Up a MIDI Track for the MIDI-controlled effect

In contrast to common effect plug-ins, the parameters of MIDI controlled effect can be controlled via MIDI, i.e. by playing a MIDI keyboard. To control a MIDI-controlled effect like The Finger, The Mouth, or Molekular, you will have to create a MIDI track and send its MIDI data to the effect. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click on the empty Track List surface beneath your Audio or Instrument Track, and select Add MIDI Track... from the context menu.
  2. In the Add MIDI Track dialog, you can name your MIDI track. Once done, press Add Track to Proceed.
  3. Select the MIDI Track. Click on the MIDI Input Routing Slot and select your MIDI Device from the context menu. In this example, we choose our KOMPLETE KONTROL S25 Port 1 keyboard.
  4. Click the MIDI Output Routing slot and select the Reaktor FX loaded on the Audio Track as the MIDI destination. In our example, it is AUDIO TRACK: Ins 1. Reaktor 6 FX.
  5. Make sure your MIDI track is record enabled or monitoring MIDI input by activating the corresponding buttons. Start playback and play your MIDI keyboard or draw some notes on the MIDI track. This will cause the MIDI-controlled effect to change the audio material on the audio track, depending on the note you send to it. Please read the corresponding MIDI-controlled effect documentation to learn more about its operation.