I don't use this feature often - so I could have missed the mark, but ...

If you're using MODX Connect, there's an option for "Auto Sync" that you may want to turn off and see if that helps.

Hi Jason - I am absolutely using MODX Connect, and I'll give that a try. Thanks!

This is a setting "inside" MODX Connect.

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/music_production/synthesizers/modx/apps.html

I don't "like" automatic things and generally do things the hard way -- but I didn't think this should be periodically sync. However, since I'm not a user of this - it's a longshot.

Hi Bill - thanks for chiming in!

Before I answer you in detail, let me just say the settings I use are with the "quick setup" button for "Record MIDI with DAW".

Since everything else is working really just fine, (explained in my post) - - it's hard to think anything is "wrong" - like with a bad cable or out of date driver, etc. (Im using USB by the way).

I actually think this is a GOOD feature in that this is how the numerous settings and changed get imbedded and stored in Cubase. It's just that it happens too frequently for my taste.

Oh - - and Cubase doesn't "shut down" completely as I may have implied. It freezes, then un-freezes once the transfer is complete. Thoughts?

If you're on a Mac, this could be a background process called: coreaudiod doing its dastardly crap.

If you kill this process, it might give you 50 minutes to an hour of sanity, before becoming a problem, again.

This process is (amongst many other things) responsible for monitoring the inputs from microphones, which it uses to do automatic volume settings of speaker output and microphone levels, and noise suppression. It is the bane of anyone using a Mac made in the last half dozen years for anything to do with audio/visuals.

It's also somewhat responsible for monitoring inputs of audio through USB, which is where it becomes an absolute nightmare for professionals using a Mac, especially in conjunction with the security efforts of the T1 and T2 chips. This is part of Apple's Tim Cook driven focus on "security and privacy" and such a significant selling point (in their eyes) that they don't care much about how it affects what you're doing with a Mac for ears (audio).

The only/best way to minimise its negative impacts is to rollback to 10.13.6 (Mac OS High Sierra) and sudokill coreaudiod every 49 minutes.

This sounds like a bad joke, or hyperbole. But it's really where we're at, as tech gets worse as it adds more to do less.

Hi Andrew - I'm on Windows, but thanks for chiming in.

I believe this "synching" activity is normal, and the fact that Cubase freezes temporarily has to be accepted. But the solution is to turn auto synch off, but also to be sure to "back up" with manual synch every now and then. (or just live with the pauses).

@Peter, in that case, see if there's an "autosave" in Cubase that's causing this. Autosave in other apps causes this kind of pause. Dunno about Cubase. I stopped using it after the 11th time their licensing mechanism blocked access after a Windows update.

If turning off Connect's "Auto Sync" fixes the observed behavior then I wouldn't see this because, as an infrequent DAW user, I don't use Connect. If I were to use Connect, I would likely turn off Auto Sync because I prefer manual over automatic workflows. And in my limited use of Connect - I have turned off Auto Sync.

My normal workflow is to start with an "Empty" project (no Templates) and setup everything manually on the keyboard side.

That's just me - a DAW power user would be a better resource as to what to expect and how to deal with this if Auto Sync has undesirable behavior.