When you want to use a hardware device or a plugin in your project, the recommended procedure is to use the project start page to import a device definition file from the Podium library. Definition files contain an organized collection of device mapping, preset and parameter objects, enabling you to fully control the device in your arrangements.

If the Podium library does not contain a file for your hardware device, you can alternatively import the widely available Cubase patchname script files. Searching the internet for scripts for your device will likely provide you with links to sites where you can download the files.

If you have a plugin that is not available in the Podium library, you import it by locating the installed plugin file. This will automatically create device mapping objects for all the supported IO configurations and create program presets and VST parameters as declared by the plugin. The VST specification does not provide a means for the plugin to declare its MIDI parameter support, so if you want to use MIDI automation you will have to configure these parameters manually.

Device definition objects are simple folder objects that act as containers of preset and parameter objects. They can be found in the folder page view of projects but not on the project start page.

In the Device Mapping Properties dialog you select a device definition object to create a link between the mapping and a compatible collection of presets and parameters. Podium uses this relation to make it possible to create several mappings for a particular device and only keep one copy of the device definition folder in the project.

By using the project start page to import device definition files, you don’t need to go into the details of configuring device objects. If on the other hand you have a device that is not available in the Podium library, you may want to create a library file for it.

For starters it would be a good exercise to load some of the existing library files and browse the project hierarchy to examine their structure. When you want to create a new library file, use the New Project command on the Project menu to start out with a blank project. Click Cancel in the New Arrangement Properties dialog.

Switch from the project start page to the folder view of the project by clicking the round button at the top right corner of the page. (If you want to switch back to the project start page from the folder view: make sure the active tab is the tab named after the project and click the round button again.)

To create a definition file for a hardware device, the best approach is to import a Cubase patch script file for the device using the Import File... command on the File menu (or by pressing Ctrl+I). When you import a Cubase patch script file all presets will be configured correctly. Script files do not contain definitions for parameters, so Podium will create a set of default MIDI controller parameters. You may want to customize the parameters according to the MIDI specification of the device. If you cannot find a script file for the device, the next best approach is to import one of the generic library files and customize the objects.

To create a definition file for a plugin, select Import Plugin... on the File menu (or press Ctrl+Shift+I) and locate the plugin. Podium creates a device mapping and a definition folder for the plugin. If you browse into the definition folder you should see a “Library” folder. Depending on the type of plugin you may also find a “VST Parameters” folder and/or “MIDI Parameters” folder. The “VST Parameters” folder contains preset and parameter objects created from information provided by the plugin. The “MIDI Parameters” folder contains MIDI parameters created by Podium assuming they are supported by the plugin. This is the folder where you create additional MIDI parameters supported by the plugin.

Before creating additional MIDI parameters, check the plugin documentation to determine what MIDI messages are supported by the plugin. The plugin should preferably provide a preconfigured setup of MIDI controllers. If the plugin only supports user-assignment of controller numbers to certain parameters, then the library file will most likely not be compatible with other users’ setup.

The easiest way to create new MIDI parameter objects is to copy an existing parameter and paste it for each new parameter. Open the Parameter Properties dialog for the new parameters and edit the Parameter name and Control change number. See the parameters page for a more detailed explanation of the various parameter configurations.

If there are many VST or MIDI parameters you should group them into subfolders. Create folders for things like Osc, Filter, Amp, Effects etc. Organizing the parameters into folders will help you with the overview and navigation in the track inspector parameter panel. It is also recommended to order the parameters according to the layout of the user interface.

When done, browse up to the main project and open the Project Properties dialog to enter a proper name for the project. The naming convention used in the Podium library is “manufacturer name - product name”. Optionally add a stickie note to the device definition or mapping objects with details about configuration of the external device, website links, version number of the plugin etc. Save the project file in the proper library folder with a file name matching the project name. The file is now ready to be imported into any of your future projects using the import commands on the project start page.