StreamDeck Cubase plugin information

StreamDeck Cubase plugin

FAQ / Troubleshooting

The plugin can't find my Cubase folder, or uses the wrong Cubase folder.

The StreamDeck Cubase plugin by default locates the highest installed Cubase version and uses key and midi definitions from that version. You can view the status of this search for Cubase folders if you expand the status list at the bottom of the editor:

The plugin has located a Cubase folder for what it determines to be the highest installed version.
You have configured a manual path to the Cubase folder to use (as described below), but there is something wrong with that path.
The plugin cannot find any Cubase folder.

Cubase folders are stored at %appdata%\Steinberg\ (Windows) / ~/Library/Preferences/ (macOS)

If the plugin fails to locate the correct Cubase folder, you can change the behavior through the file "StreamDeckCubaseUserSettings.xml". As installed during the plugin installation, this file looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Settings>
    <CubasePath></CubasePath>
    <GenericRemoteName></GenericRemoteName>
</Settings>

If you want to use this file, you must first make a copy of the file to the folder Documents/Trevliga Spel.

Create the Documents/Trevliga Spel folder if you don't have it. ("Trevliga Spel" - two capitalized words with a space in between.)
Copy the file from "%appdata%\Elgato\StreamDeck\Plugins\se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdPlugin" / "~/Library/Application Support/com.elgato.StreamDeck/Plugins/se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdPlugin" to Documents/Trevliga Spel. (The file installed in the plugin folder is a template only and is never accessed by the plugin in this location.)
In the copy, change the <CubasePath></CubasePath> line to include the path to the correct Cubase folder. Examples:

Windows: <CubasePath>%appdata%\Steinberg\Cubase 12_64</CubasePath>
Mac: <CubasePath>~/Library/Preferences/Cubase 12</CubasePath>

Changes to this file are immediately read by the plugin.

In the Key Command action, the Command dropdown is empty.

First, verify that the correct Cubase folder has been found, and if not - change it as described above.

If the plugin has problems finding the key commands configuration even though the correct Cubase folder is found, it may be due to how Cubase handles the configuration file for Key Commands. The configuration file for Key Commands isn't created until you change the default Key Commands setup.

Try to make any change to the Key Command setup in Cubase, and hopefully, this will solve the problem. You need to exit the Key Commands window in Cubase since the file isn't updated until you do. You can undo the change later if you don't want it; the file will remain even if you revert to the default setup.

In the Midi action, the Command dropdown is empty.

First, verify that the correct Cubase folder has been found, and if not - change it as described above.

In the unlikely case, you have just installed Cubase and haven't made any configuration change in Cubase; please make some change - any change - to the Cubase configuration. The configuration file that the plugin reads isn't created until you change the default configuration.
Steinberg saves the Cubase XML files in a format that is not fully compliant with the XML standard, and in rare cases, this causes the plugin to be unable to read the file. The issues I've seen are all about installed plugins or interfaces with names with characters that need special coding when used in XML files. If you get this problem, please enable extended logging and restart the Stream Deck program. Please send the log file from the plugin folder and the Defaults.xml file from the Cubase folder to help troubleshoot the cause.
If you have not yet created a Generic Remote device in Cubase, the plugin cannot (for obvious reasons) read the configuration file for the Generic Remote device. Please create a Generic Remote device in Cubase.
If the file for the Generic Remote device somehow has become corrupt or deleted, the plugin will fail in reading it. Make a change to the Generic Remote device configuration in Cubase and exit the configuration window (to update the file).
If all actions to locate and read the Generic Remote configuration are successful, and you still do not have anything in the Commands dropdown, you have probably not yet defined any commands in the Generic Remote setup.

Cubase does not react when I press a Key Command button on Stream Deck

Verify that Cubase is in focus on your computer screen. As with regular computer keyboard input, characters are sent to the active Window.
Verify that Cubase is in a state where it will accept key commands. If Cubase is focused on a field that accepts character input (e.g., the Notepad or when the field for track name is open for edit), the characters will be routed to those fields instead of being treated as commands.
Verify that the Stream Deck program and Cubase execute in the same user context. Both programs must be run as your account, or both must be run as Administrator. If one program runs as Administrator and the other as your account, Windows will prevent connections between them.
If you are using macOS, a security setting can block Stream Deck from sending keystrokes.
Go to System Preferences => Security & Privacy => Accessibility and add Stream Deck to the list.
If you are using Windows, both programs (Stream Deck and Cubase) must run in the same security context; either none must be "Run as Administrator", or both must run as Administrator. If one is run as admin and the other as you, Windows prevent them from talking to each other.

I make changes to the key command configuration in Cubase, but Stream Deck doesn't update

Verify that the plugin reads the configuration from the same Cubase version where you make the changes. If you, e.g., have a StreamDeckCubaseUserSettings.xml file that forces the plugin to read the configuration from a specific version of Cubase, and you run a different version, the plugin will not be aware of changes you make.

Please note that the plugin will read the key command configuration from the (automatically found or manually configured) Cubase folder. Still, key commands will be sent to whatever Cubase version is in focus on the screen.

The Midi command dropdown says "Not a CC Command"

The Generic Remote device in Cubase can be configured to use any Midi protocol type for remote control, but only the Control Change protocol is implemented in the Stream Deck action. If the plugin finds a Generic Remote command defined to use something other than Control Change, it will warn about this with the [Not a CC command] in the dropdown.

Commands using other "MIDI Status" than "Controller" (as it is called in the Generic Remote configuration window) cannot be used by the plugin. If you intend to use the command with Stream Deck, please change the "MIDI Status" to "Controller."

When using Midi commands, Cubase acts weird

There are some known causes of weird behavior in Cubase:

Do not use the same Midi port for input and output.
You must define one port for the connection from Stream Deck to Cubase and another port for the connection from Cubase to Stream Deck. Using the same port for both directions creates a Midi loop that causes everything to fail.
Do not create multiple Generic Remote commands with the same name (within a single Generic Remote device).
The "Control Name" in the Generic Remote setup must be unique; otherwise, weird things may happen. The plugin will probably only display the first occurrence in the dropdown, while you may expect the behavior to be according to the last occurrence. The Cubase behavior with duplicates in the list is also somewhat undefined.
Do not create multiple Generic Remote commands with the same channel/CC value (across all used Generic Remote devices).
When the Stream Deck button is pressed, the plugin will send the defined CC value on the defined Midi channel. If multiple commands are configured with the same channel/CC combination (CC is called "Address" in the Generic Remote editor), they will all execute simultaneously. This may or may not be the expected behavior, but if you have not intentionally configured it this way, it may be a somewhat hard-to-diagnose situation. Please note that the plugin does not send a command to a specific Generic Remote device; it just sends the defined command on the specified channel. If you have multiple Generic Remote devices configured in Cubase, please verify that there are no (unintentional) channel/CC duplicates across all Generic Remote devices. (I recommend using a unique Midi channel for each Generic Remote device).
Do not route remote command ports to tracks.
If any of the Midi ports used for remote control is routed to midi/instrument tracks, just about anything can happen. Please verify that none of the remote control ports are marked as being in "All MIDI Inputs" in the Midi port setup. I also recommend setting the port Daw2StreamDeck (or however you have named it) as inactivated and invisible as input since the only purpose of the port is to send data to Stream Deck.

The Midi action warns about the Cubase port configuration

For some reason, midi port references are stored differently in Cubase configuration files in Windows and macOS. On Windows, the readable port name is stored, while on macOS, some internal numerical reference is stored.

This makes it impossible for the plugin to verify the used port names in macOS, and to avoid getting warnings about port configuration, you should clear the Verify ports checkbox.

The plugin says that the Defaults.xml file cannot be read, but the file does exist.

Steinberg saves XML files in a format that does not conform to the XML standard and includes characters and character strings that are not allowed. This causes any program that expects well-formed XML (not only the plugin) to have problems reading the files.

The plugin tries to handle this situation and has 250+ invalid strings and characters that it will replace if a format error occurs. Most cases are covered, but there may still be some invalid strings that I haven't encountered yet.

If you have a situation where the plugin can find the Cubase folder but claims it cannot read the Defaults.xml file (even though it does exist), the file may have some invalid string or character that the plugin is not yet prepared for.

Please send the plugin log file along with the Defaults.xml file to me for troubleshooting.

I can't install the plugin. There is an "Uninstall" button in the store but nothing happens when I press it.

There are two situations that can cause this problem; either the previous uninstall failed, leaving the plugin folder in an unusable state, or the Stream Deck software confuses the plugin with the icon pack.

If you have the Cubase icon pack installed, that's the probable cause. To fix it, proceed as follows:

Quit the Stream Deck software.
Delete the icon pack folder or rename it to something else (I normally add an extra ".hide" extension).

Windows: "%appdata%\Elgato\StreamDeck\IconPacks\se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdIconPack"
macOS: "~/Library/Application Support/com.elgato.StreamDeck/IconPacks/se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdIconPack"

Restart Stream Deck.
Install the plugin.
Install the icon pack, or restore the name if you renamed it, and restart Stream Deck.

If the above doesn't help, try removing the plugin folder:

Quit the Stream Deck software.
Delete the plugin folder.

Windows: "%appdata%\Elgato\StreamDeck\Plugins\se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdPlugin"
macOS: "~/Library/Application Support/com.elgato.StreamDeck/Plugins/se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdPlugin"

Restart Stream Deck.
Install the plugin.

Where can I find things?

Plugin folder

Windows: "%appdata%\Elgato\StreamDeck\Plugins\se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdPlugin"
macOS: "~/Library/Application Support/com.elgato.StreamDeck/Plugins/se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdPlugin"

Cubase folder

Windows: "%appdata%\Steinberg\_cubaseversion_"
macOS: "~/Library/Preferences/_cubaseversion_"

Plugin log file

Windows: "%appdata%\Elgato\StreamDeck\Plugins\se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdPlugin\pluginlog.txt"
macOS: "~/Library/Application Support/com.elgato.StreamDeck/Plugins/se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdPlugin/pluginlog.txt"

Stream Deck log file

Windows: "%appdata%\Elgato\StreamDeck\logs\StreamDeck0.log"
macOS: "~/Library/Logs/StreamDeck/StreamDeck0.log"

Enable extended logging
In the editor for any button using the Cubase plugin, scroll down to the end and click the little arrow left of the Help and logging text. In the section that opens up, mark the Extended logging checkbox. Logging is global for all buttons using the plugin; you can enable/disable logging on any button.

If the plugin has crashed, that checkbox will not work (even though it might look like it), so you need to do it the hard way: Create an empty file EnableLogging.txt in the plugin folder.

Windows: "%appdata%\Elgato\StreamDeck\Plugins\se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdPlugin\EnableLogging.txt"
macOS: "~/Library/Application Support/com.elgato.StreamDeck/Plugins/se.trevligaspel.cubase.sdPlugin/EnableLogging.txt"

What shall I do if I cannot find the answer here?

Check the forum if someone else has had the same issue, and if not...
Enable extended logging.
Restart Stream Deck. (this is important; there are many things I need to see that is only happening when the plugin starts)

In Windows: Right-click the Stream Deck icon in the notification area and select "Quit Stream Deck".
In macOS: Left-click the Stream Deck icon in the menu bar and select "Quit Stream Deck".

Start Stream Deck again.
Trigger the error situation (...but don't do much else to keep the log file focused on the case).
Disable extended logging.
Send the log file to me, along with a description of the problem.