Manually entering MIDI notes

Using this method, you can manually draw notes on a grid called the Piano Roll view (often referred to as the PRV). This is the preferred method if you're not much of a keyboard player or don't have access to a MIDI controller. It allows you to edit every detail of a performance.

To get to the PRV, you first need to select the track you would like to see in it. Simply click the track icon once so that it changes color. Next, go to Views > Piano Roll View to open the PRV. The PRV opens in the MultiDock below the Track view. To expand the MultiDock, double-click the PRV tab in the MultiDock, or press SHIFT+D.

The ruler at the top of this view represents musical measures and beats. The keyboard image on the left represents what notes are being played.

Click on the Smart tool in the Control Bar. You can also enable this tool by pressing the F5 key on your computer keyboard. To draw a note with the Smart tool, drag on the grid, or hold down the ALT key and click on the grid.

To create a note, click on the grid at measure 1.

If you click on various sections of a note, the Smart tool performs a different function:

Left edge. Adjusts the start time.

Right edge. Adjusts the end time or the duration.

Top. Adjusts the velocity of the note, which indicates how hard the note is played.

Bottom. Allows you to move the note to another location on the PRV grid.

Try to create a melody using this technique. You can create notes of any duration. If you want 32nd notes or triplets, specify the desired Musical Time resolution in the Control Bar’s Snap module.

The Snap module contains the following settings.

Figure 22. The Snap module.

You can now draw notes at shorter distances from each other.

To specify the duration of new notes, select the desired duration in the Control Bar’s Tools module.

Figure 23. The Tools module.

What if I already have a project that contains MIDI tracks?

If you already have a MIDI track that you would like to play through a software instrument, the steps are a bit different.

Let's start by opening a sample project.

1.	On the File menu, click Open.

2.	Navigate to C:\Cakewalk Content\SONAR X3 [Producer or Studio]\Tutorial Projects\Tutorial Projects.

3.	Click on the file named Latin.cwp and click OK.

If you press Play, you are not likely to hear anything. That's because this project does not contain a software synth for the MIDI tracks to play through. Since there are 11 tracks in this project, it would be best to use one synth track and route them all to the same instrument. Some instruments, such as the Cakewalk TTS-1 can output more than one type of sound. These instruments are known as multi-timbral synths. They know what notes are played through each sound based on the MIDI channel they are sent over. If you examine each track in this project in the Track Inspector or Console view, you'll notice that each one is set to its own channel. No two tracks share the same channel.

Let's insert the Cakewalk TTS-1.

1.	Go to Insert > Soft Synths > DirectX > Cakewalk TTS-1.

The Insert Synth Options dialog box appears.

2.	In the Create These Tracks area, click First Synth Audio Output.

3.	In the Open These Windows area, click Synth Property Page.

Note: If you would like a detailed explanation of each option, click Help.

4.

Click OK.

A new synth track is inserted in your project.

On some computers, the tracks may play back through the TTS-1 at this point. However, on computers that have hardware MIDI outputs available, you may need to specify the TTS-1 as each track's output. Here's a fast way to do that:

1.	Hold down the CTRL key and click each track number to select the tracks.

The tracks are highlighted to indicate they are selected.

2.	Hold down the CTRL key and click any selected track’s Output control and select Cakewalk TTS-1.

All selected tracks are assigned to the same output.

Note: If you do not see the Output control, click the Track Control button at the top of the Track pane and choose All. For more information, see Configuring Track view controls.

Press Play to play back the project. If you'd like to add your own track to play through the TTS-1, click Insert menu and select MIDI Track. On your new MIDI track, set the output to Cakewalk TTS-1. Remember, it needs to be on its own discreet MIDI channel. In this project, MIDI channels 1-11 are already used, so let's assign this track to channel 12 in the Track Inspector or Console view. You can also select the sound via the track's Patch control. Then use one of the methods described above to create MIDI data. You can also add MIDI data to your new track from the Browser. See Tutorial 2 for details about the Browser. Another option is using the Staff view as an alternative to the Piano Roll view. That will be covered in the next tutorial: Tutorial 5 - Working with music notation.

 

See also:

Tutorial 1 – Creating, playing, and saving projects

Tutorial 2 – Using the Browser

Tutorial 3 – Recording vocals and musical instruments

Tutorial 5 – Working with music notation

Tutorial 6 – Editing your music

Tutorial 7 – Mixing and adding effects

Tutorial 8 – Working with video

Tutorial 9 – Exporting, CD burning and sharing