Mackie - T2 - User's Guide

Chapter 6: MIDI clips

6.1 The MIDI clip tools and MIDI editor

The MIDI clip tools are broadly similar to the audio clip tools, with the exception that the fade-in/out tool is not present. You should review the section on audio clips in the previous chapter if you are unfamiliar with the audio clip tools.

The User’s Guide details how to use the MIDI editor. The next section serves as a reference only. If you are looking for a guide to using the MIDI editor, please consult your Tracktion User’s Guide.

When MIDI clips have been stretched or zoomed to a sufficient vertical size, Tracktion switches to the MIDI editor, or “piano roll” mode. You can switch to the MIDI editor very quickly by either double-clicking on the clip to be edited, or pressing the Z key when a MIDI clip is selected. Figure 6.1.1 shows the MIDI editor and its associated tools.

The MIDI editor is made up of a number of lanes that run horizontally along the clip. Each of these lanes represents a note on a musical scale. The piano keyboard graphic shows the note that each lane represents.

To change the octave(s) shown in the editor:

Drag the piano keyboard vertically with the left mouse button.
or
When the ALT key (CTRL for Mac users) is held down, you can drag anywhere in the MIDI editor to adjust the currently visible octave(s).

To zoom into or out of the octave spread:

Drag the piano keyboard with the right mouse button.

A default octave range can be set for the piano-roll. Click the “options” button in the control-section and, from the pop-up menu, select the “default midi editor vertical scale” option. This displays a sub-menu from which you can select whether the piano roll should display two octaves, four octaves, six octaves, or a full-scale view.

Velocity: When this button is clicked, the velocity editor pane is shown.

Control: When this button is clicked, the control-change editor pane is shown.

Pencil tool: When the pencil tool is selected, clicking on the editor will insert new MIDI notes. Clicking in the control editor pane inserts a new control change. Keyboard shortcut: D.

Eraser tool: When the eraser tool is selected, clicking on a note or control change removes it from the clip. Keyboard shortcut: E.

Selection tool: When the selection tool is active, a note, or group of notes, can be highlighted for editing. In the control-change editor pane, this tool allows existing continuous controller events to be edited. Keyboard shortcut: S.

Line tool: This tool allows you to draw a line of MIDI notes, or control-change events.

Colour tools: The colour tools allow you to assign colours to the selected MIDI note(s).

Vel: This field shows, and alters, the velocity of the currently selected note(s). When entered by hand, new notes are created with the velocity shown here. If the “use incoming velocities for MIDI step entry” option (available from the “options” button in the control section) is not selected, this velocity is also applied to notes entered in step-entry mode.

Len: This field shows, and alters, the length of the currently selected note(s). New notes are created with the length shown here.

Step: When this option is selected, an external MIDI controller can be used to incrementally enter notes into the clip.Speaker: When the speaker option is selected, notes are transmitted as they are entered and edited.

6.2 The MIDI clip properties

When a MIDI clip is selected, the following properties are shown in the properties-panel:

Tip: You can easily selected (or lasso) a number clips at once. With the mouse in the arrange area, hold down the ALT key (CTRL for Mac users) and the mouse pointer changes to a cross-hair. Now simply click and drag a rectangle across all of the clips you wish to select.

Name: The name is shown at the bottom of the clip in the arrange area.

Start/end: These are the points on the time-line at which this clip begins and ends. You can adjust these fields manually.

Offset: View/edit the relationship between the start of the MIDI data and the start of the clip.

Colour: You can assign a colour to the selected clip(s).

Show/hide midi editor: Click this button to show or hide the MIDI editor for the selected clip(s). Keyboard shortcut: Z.

Channel: This option allows you to set the MIDI channel that events in this clip are transmitted on.

Volume: This setting allows you to scale the note velocities in the selected clip(s). 0 dB leaves the velocities untouched, lower values reduce them.

Insert program change: When this button is clicked, a pop-up menu (Fig. 6.2.2) appears. From this menu, you can edit program change messages associated with this clip.

Set the program for this entire clip: This option sets a program for the clip. The program change will be transmitted at the start of the clip each time the clip is played. Use this option carefully as many MIDI devices require a few seconds for program changes to complete and MIDI notes sent during this period may be ignored.
Insert a program-change at the cursor position: This option inserts a program change event into the clip at the position of the play-head cursor.
Remove all program-change messages from this clip: This option removes any program change messages from the clip. If the clip seems to be behaving strangely during playback, it is always worth using this option to ensure no rogue program changes have crept in.

Delete content: This button displays a pop-up menu (Fig. 6.2.3) that provides options for removing content from MIDI clips.
Note: These options are all destructive.

Delete notes beyond the start / end of the clip: Use these options to remove any MIDI events that exist beyond the boundaries of the current clip.
Delete all notes from clip: Use this option to remove all notes from the selected clip.
Delete all controllers from the clip: Use this option to remove all control-change messages and program changes from the clip.
Delete all sysex messages from the clip: Use this option to remove any sysex data contained in the clip. Sysex data is a type of manufacturer specific MIDI data that can be used to control low-level features of a MIDI device. Typically, these kinds of features are not easily controlled through standard MIDI events (sysex is used to transmit instrument presets for example). Because sysex is heavily manufacturer specific, it is generally not meaningful to other devices. Some MIDI keyboards can generate large amounts of sysex data, which takes up unnecessary memory, and may even cause problems for other devices. Use this option to remove the unwanted sysex data.

Quantise: The clip-level quantise is used in tandem with the “amount” field to tighten the groove of MIDI notes contained within the selected clip(s). The start and end times of notes are pulled towards the quantising grid selected for this option. Ideally the quantise grid should be equal to the smallest note timings in your clip, i.e., if your clip contains notes that are spaced at 16ths, you should choose the “1/4 beat” option. Notice that the grid is defined in terms of fractions of a beat, rather than fractions of a bar.

The visual locations of the notes within the selected clip will change in response to changes in quantise settings. Clip level quantising is non-destructive.

Amount: Select how much the notes in this clip should be pulled towards the quantise grid (described above). 100% gives rigid quantising, whereas 0% would have no effect.

Groove: Select or edit groove templates. When a groove template is selected, Tracktion applies the groove to notes in the selected clip(s). Unlike with quantise, you will not see changes to note positions when a groove template is chosen. The groove template editor is discussed later in this chapter. Groove templates are non-destructive.

Select clips: This button displays a pop-up menu that provides handy shortcuts for selecting groups of clips.

Auto tempo: Use this to set the tempo of the edit to match the clip. Clicking this button displays a pop-up menu (Fig. 6.2.4) with two options:

Set the edit’s tempo based on this clip’s length: Select this option to calculate the tempo from the length of the clip. When this option is chosen, a further menu is shown from which you can select how many beats this clip contains.
Set the edit’s tempo based on the marked region: Select this option to calculate the tempo from the distance between the loop-markers. When this option is chosen, a further menu is shown from which you can select how many beats the loop region contains.

Split clips: Use this option to split the selected clip(s) into two parts. Clicking this button displays a pop-up menu (Fig. 6.2.5) with three options:

Split clips at cursor position: Any selected clip(s) that straddle the current play-head cursor position will be split into two parts. Keyboard shortcut: /.
Split clips at mark-in point: Any selected clip(s) that straddle the loop-begin marker will be split into two parts.
Split clips at mark-out point: Any selected clip(s) that straddle the loop-end marker will be split into two parts.

Copy marked section: This option takes the section of the clip between the loop markers, and copies it to the clipboard.

Move clip: This option provides tools for moving the clip(s). Clicking this button displays a pop-up menu (Fig. 6.2.6) with four options:

Move the selected clips earlier to meet the end of the previous clip: The selected clip is pushed up against the end of the preceding clip in its track.
Move the selected clips later to meet the start of the next clip: The selected clip is pushed up against the start of the next clip in its track.
Move the start of the selected clips to the cursor position: The selected clip will be moved to the current play-head cursor position. Keyboard shortcut: J.
Move the end of the selected clips to the cursor position: The clip to be located before the current play-head cursor position, with its end located at the cursor position. Keyboard shortcut: K.

Delete region: Clicking this button displays a pop-up menu (Fig. 6.2.7) with five options for deleting regions from clips. All of these options are non-destructive.

Clear marked region of selected clips: This option replaces the marked region of selected clips with silence. Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + K (CMD + K for Mac users).
Delete marked region of selected clips and move up any selected clips: This option removes the marked region of selected clips. If a gap was created in the selected clips, the remainder is moved back to close it. Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + L (CMD + L for Mac users).
Delete marked region of selected clips and move up all subsequent clips in the same tracks: When this option is selected, the marked region on all selected clips is removed, and the gap is closed. Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + J (CMD + J for Mac users).
Delete any parts of clips which overlap the selected clips: This option causes any clips overlapping the current clip to be trimmed accordingly.
Delete parts of selected clips which overlap other clips: This option causes any parts of this clip that overlaps any others, to be trimmed accordingly.

Delete: Click this button to remove the clip. Keyboard shortcut: DELETE or BACKSPACE.

6.3 The right-click options

When you right-click on a MIDI clip, a pop-up menu appears (Fig. 6.3.1) displaying the following options:

Cut: Select this to perform a standard “cut” operation. The selected clip(s) will be removed and added to the clipboard. Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + X (CMD + X for Mac users).

Copy: Select this to perform a standard “copy” operation. The selected clip(s) will be added to the clipboard. Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + C (CMD + C for Mac users).

Copy marked section: Select this to copy any part(s) of the selected clip(s) that is located between the loop-begin and loop-end markers.

Paste: Select this to perform a standard “paste” operation. The contents of the clipboard will be pasted after the current clip. If this option is performed a number of times, each new paste will be placed after the one preceding it. Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + V (CMD + V for Mac users).

Paste after selected: Select this option to paste the contents of the clipboard at the end of the selected clip.

Paste (inserting at cursor position): Select this option to paste the contents of the clipboard at the play-head cursor position. If the cursor is located over this, or another clip on this track, the clip will be split to make room for the pasted material. Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + I (CMD + I for Mac users).

Delete: Select this to remove the clip from the edit. Keyboard shortcut: DELETE or BACKSPACE.

Delete (+ delete source files): When this option is selected, the clip and its source material are deleted. Using this function will affect any other clips that reference the source file, so use this with caution. Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + M (CMD + M for Mac users).

Bring obscured clips to front: If this clip is placed over another clip, you can use this option to bring the hidden clip forward. Keyboard shortcut: B.

Show clipboard contents: This option displays the contents of the clipboard in the properties-panel. Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + ALT + X (CMD + CTRL + X for Mac users).

Note: In addition, if the MIDI editor is visible, the pencil, select, eraser, and line tools are also available from the right-click menu.

6.4 The selected note properties

When notes are selected, their properties are shown in the properties-panel (Fig. 6.4.1).

Pitch: Here you can view or alter the pitch of the selected note(s).

Start / end time: These fields show the start and end time of the note in relation to the clip.

Velocity: View or edit the velocity of the selected note(s).

Delete midi note: This button deletes the selected note(s). Keyboard shortcut: DELETE or BACKSPACE.

Transpose: This button displays a pop-up menu from which you can select amounts in semi-tones by which to transpose the selected note(s).

Quantise: This option allows you to destructively quantise the selected note(s). When this button is clicked, a pop-up menu is shown from which you can select the quantise grid.

Apply groove: This option allows you apply a destructive groove quantise to the selected note(s). When this button is clicked, a pop-up menu is shown from which you can select the groove pattern.

Equalise: When two or more notes are selected, equalise allows you to force them all to the same velocity or length. The new velocity/length will be an average of the current velocity/length values for the selected notes.

Mirror: When two or more notes are selected, mirror allows you to flip the notes vertically or horizontally. Applying this function to existing MIDI clips can be a useful way to find inspiration.

Select notes: This option displays a pop-up menu providing shortcuts for selecting groups of notes that share common properties, such all notes with a given pitch, length, or velocity.

6.5 The groove editor

The groove editor can be opened by either:

Clicking the “groove” option on the MIDI clip properties-panel, and selecting the “groove editor” option.

or:
Clicking the “snapping” button in the control section, and selecting the “groove editor” option.

Each column in Figure 6.5.1 represents a time division, where the size of the division is defined by the “each note =” drop-down list. In Figure 6.5.1, the time divisions have a size equal to 1/2 a beat. There are eight columns, so the whole pattern is 4 beats long (eight times 1/2).

The columns each contain a horizontal line. This line controls how the timing of a note at each given time-division is altered. In the first column, the line is located at the halfway mark (the point between the two shaded regions). This means that there is no time offset. Notes that fall into this division will be played with their current timing. In the second column, however, the bar is about two thirds of the way into the upper region. As such, notes that fall into this time division will be played early.

Quite literally, if you imagine a MIDI clip with eight notes, all spaced at equal 1/8ths of a bar, then you dragged every other note forward in time a little, you would have the groove pattern shown above (a simple swing groove).

Applying this groove pattern to a MIDI clip with eight equally spaced 1/8th notes would add a corresponding swing groove to the clip.

The amount of divisions available can be set from the “pattern length” field.

In addition to the groove editing tools, the groove editor window has the following options:

Create new template: Click this button to add a new template the list.

Rename template: Click this button to rename the selected template.

Reset template: Click this button to return the template to the default form.

Delete template: Use this option to remove the selected template from the list.

Import template: Use this option to load a previously exported template file.

Export template: This option allows you to save a template as a file. You can use this to back-up templates, or to share them amongst your collaborators.