Best Control Surface Controller for Steinberg Cubase (2025)

Full Cubase Integration: Transport, Channel Strip, and Mixer Control

The MP Controller offers immediate access to essential channel strip functions. You can adjust track volume, pan, and sends, and toggle arm/solo/mute for the selected track without touching your mouse. The device's layout includes dedicated encoders and buttons mapped to these functions, ensuring that the Cubase channel strip is always at your fingertips.

Need to navigate your project?
The MP Controller lets you control Cubase's transport (play, stop, record, etc.) and even move the timeline playhead or set zoom levels directly from the hardware. This means you can handle recording and navigation from the controller itself, staying in the creative flow.

Mixer Control with Multiple Channels

Unlike controllers that focus on one channel at a time (for example, the Panorama CS12's single motorized fader), the MP Controller can manage multiple channels concurrently. In Mixer view, you get an overview of 8 tracks per page, with the ability to adjust volume and pan for each track using the top and bottom encoder rows.

The on-screen mixer interface follows your track selection in Cubase automatically – if you select a different track in Cubase, the MP Controller's display updates to show the relevant track (and its neighbors) in the mixer. This bi-directional sync means the hardware and software are always on the same page.

With the MP Controller, you essentially have an 8-channel Cubase mixer controller on your desk, allowing hands-on mixing of multiple tracks at once. This is a significant advantage over both the Avid Artist Mix and Nektar Panorama CS12, which have more limited control capabilities.

Advanced Plug-in & Instrument Control for VSTs

The MP Controller excels at controlling plug-ins – whether they are Cubase's built-in plugins or third-party VST instruments and effects. It introduces a dedicated Channel Strip view for plug-ins, where you can select any instrument or effect on your track (Cubase native or third-party) and instantly tweak its parameters.

This can be done via the first page which syncs with 8 Quick Controls, or pages 4 and 5 which are dedicated pages for controlling audio effects - p4 and instruments p5.

Thanks to dynamic parameter mapping, all of Cubase's own instruments and audio effects are pre-mapped to the controller's knobs. This provides a true plug-and-play experience: load up a Cubase EQ or a software synthesizer, and its key parameters automatically spread across the MP Controller's encoders for immediate hands-on control, with no manual mapping needed.

Beyond Cubase's native devices, the MP Controller is also a powerful VST instrument controller via the MP Host plugin which has an automatic parameter mapping feature.
Using the intuitive 15.6-inch touch display, you can link plugin parameters on the fly – for example, touch a filter cutoff knob on a synth plugin's GUI and turn a hardware encoder to assign it.

Large Integrated Touchscreen for Plugins

A standout feature of the MP Controller is its built-in 15.6-inch touchscreen display. This high-quality screen can display your plugin interfaces. You get visual feedback and context for every parameter you adjust, effectively bringing your Cubase plugins out of the computer and into your hands.

For instance, you can view a full EQ curve or synth panel on the MP Controller's screen while turning the knobs, an experience far superior to the small screens on competing controllers. The Avid Artist Mix has 8 small OLED displays, while the Panorama CS12 only has a 3.5-inch color TFT display, neither of which can show full plugin interfaces.

The MP Controller's large display not only makes it easier to see what you're controlling at a glance, but also enables touch interactions – like using an on-screen fader or XY pad – that complement the physical encoders. This combination of touch and tactile control gives a hardware-like feel to all your software instruments and effects, blurring the line between software and hardware control.

High-Quality Encoders for Precision Mixing & Automation

At the heart of the MP Controller are its 32 endless rotary encoders, each offering control over your parameters. The encoder's sensitivity can be adjusted on the fly per encoder using the touch screen. 10 different sensitivity settings are available in the MP Host so that you can fine tune a parameter when you need it. Enable higher sensitivity with a touch of a button on the touch screen.

This level of precision is a huge boon for tasks like mixing and automation. You can smoothly ride a vocal fader or finely adjust an EQ frequency with zero stepping or jitter. 

Whether you're writing volume automation or tweaking a synth filter, the MP Controller's knobs respond with smooth precision.

Assignable Touchscreen Buttons for Custom Shortcuts

Beyond knobs and faders, the MP Controller significantly enhances your workflow with its array of assignable touchscreen buttons. In the dedicated Key Command view, you have access to over touch-sensitive assignable buttons that you can configure to send any CC message or key commands to Cubase both from Mac and Windows.

This effectively turns the MP Controller into a control hub for not just mixing and plugins, but also for triggering actions in Cubase that normally require menu navigation or memorizing key commands. For example, you could set up buttons for common tasks like opening the mixer, toggling the metronome, setting locators, undo/redo, switching screensets, or even complex macros – all at a single tap.

Each button can be labeled with custom text or even an icon, so you'll have a visual palette of Cubase shortcuts tailored to your workflow.