Mobile companion
Drive Flow from your phone. Scan a QR code, pair, and switch articulations from across the room.
The mobile companion turns your phone into a remote for Flow. Useful when:
- You're at the keyboard with both hands busy.
- You want a glance-able articulation grid without looking at your monitor.
- You're conducting a session in the room and someone else is driving the DAW.
How it works
The desktop Flow page is in charge; your phone connects to it directly and the two stay in sync. Switch an articulation on either one and the other follows; the phone always shows the same track selection as the desktop.
The phone does not talk to Cubase directly. The desktop is still the link to Cubase — the phone is just a remote control for it. So Cubase needs to be connected on the desktop side; the phone only needs to be able to reach your desktop (the same Wi-Fi works best, but it can also connect over the internet).
Steps
Open Flow on the desktop
Pick a template and load it. Confirm the status bar shows Connected to Cubase.
Open the phone link
Click the QR / phone icon in the Flow toolbar. A QR code appears in a modal.
Scan with your phone
Open the camera app on your phone (any modern iOS or Android). Point at the QR. Tap the notification — your phone's browser opens the pairing URL.
Confirm pairing
The desktop modal flips from "waiting" to "paired" once the phone connects. The phone now mirrors the desktop's track list and articulation grid.
Tap to switch
Tap any track on the phone's rail — the desktop follows, and Cubase selects the track. Tap an articulation cell — the same switch fires through the desktop into Cubase.
What persists
- Pairing lasts for the session. Refreshing the desktop tab or closing the phone browser ends it.
- The connection survives the phone sleeping — wake it within a few minutes and it reconnects on its own.
- Nothing to install on the phone, and no separate account. The phone link is just a web page.
Network details
- Same Wi-Fi is best — the most direct connection and the lowest latency.
- Different networks work too — the phone can reach the desktop over the internet, with slightly more latency and the odd brief drop on poor connections.
- Some corporate or guest Wi-Fi blocks the connection — a known limitation. Tether the phone to your own hotspot as a workaround.
If something went wrong
- QR scan opens a "session not found" page → the desktop tab was closed before pairing finished. Reopen the QR code and try again.
- Phone connects but doesn't see the grid → the desktop tab fell asleep in the background (some browsers throttle inactive tabs). Bring the desktop tab to the front.
- Lag between tap and switch → make sure the desktop Flow tab is the active, frontmost tab.