Cubase MIDI Editor Not Showing or Piano Roll Issues Fix

In this tutorial, you'll learn about Cubase MIDI Editor Not Showing or Piano Roll Issues Fix. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices.

The Problem

The Key Editor (piano roll) does not open when you double-click a MIDI part, notes appear missing, ghost notes from other parts are not visible, or MIDI edits are not saved.

Quick Fix

Step 1: Open the Key Editor correctly

Double-click a MIDI part or use shortcut.

Wrong — dragging a MIDI part and expecting the editor to open:

Double-click empty space in project → nothing happens

Right — open Key Editor from a MIDI part:

Select a MIDI part in the Project window
Double-click the part (or press Ctrl+E / Cmd+E)
The Key Editor opens in the lower pane (in-place editor)
Or: right-click → 'Open Key Editor' for a focused window

Expected output: Key Editor opens showing the MIDI notes.

Step 2: Show ghost notes from other parts

Ghost notes provide visual reference.

Key Editor → Info Line (top) → click 'Show Info' button
Right-click in the note area → 'Ghost Notes' → 'Show Selected Parts'
Choose which parts to show as ghost notes
Ghost notes appear in a lighter color, not editable

Expected output: Reference notes from other parts appear lightly in the background.

Step 3: Ensure MIDI notes are audible on the correct track

Wrong track routing = no sound.

Select the MIDI part in the Project window
Check the track's Output routing: correct VST instrument selected
If the instrument is missing: drag an instrument from Media Rack to the track

Expected output: MIDI notes play through the correct instrument.

Step 4: Use the drum editor for percussive MIDI

Drum Editor maps hits by key.

Select a MIDI drum part → Key Editor → 'Drum Editor' tab (left side)
Or: right-click → 'Open Drum Editor'
Drum sounds appear as rows with note names on the left
Draw notes horizontally on each row

Expected output: Drum Editor shows note rows for each drum sound.

Prevention

• Double-click a MIDI part to open Key Editor
• Enable ghost notes for cross-part reference
• Ensure the MIDI track is routed to an instrument
• Use Drum Editor for percussive MIDI parts

Common Mistakes with midi editor

1. Overlapping type class instances that cause GHC to reject the program with ambiguous dispatch errors
2. Non-exhaustive pattern matches that compile with warnings then crash at runtime
3. Misunderstanding that String is [Char] with poor performance for large text operations

These mistakes appear frequently in real-world CUBASE code. DodaTech's contributors have identified these patterns through analysis of open-source projects and production systems.

Practice Exercise

Write a pure function that safely divides two integers using Maybe, then test it with edge cases like division by zero and negative numbers.

This exercise reinforces the concepts covered in this guide. Try implementing it before checking online solutions.

FAQ