Steinberg Cubase Ai 5 Manual

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MIDI processing and quantizing 

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MIDI processing and quantizing
Introduction
This chapter describes the various MIDI processing func-
tions available on the MIDI menu. They offer various ways 
to edit MIDI notes and other events, either in the Project 
window or from within a MIDI editor.
MIDI functions vs. MIDI modifiers
In some cases, the result of a MIDI function can also be 
obtained by using MIDI modifiers (see “MIDI realtime pa-
rameters” on page 166). For example, the operations 
“Transpose” and “Quantize” are available both...

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Setting up quantize on the toolbar
At its most basic, setting up quantizing consists of select-
ing a note value from the Quantize pop-up menu on the 
toolbar (in the Project window or a MIDI editor).
This allows you to quantize to exact note values (straight, 
triplet or dotted notes) only. 
Setting up quantize in the Quantize Setup 
dialog
If you want more options than those available on the pop-
up menu, select “Quantize Setup…” from the MIDI menu 
(or “Setup…” from...

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MIDI processing and quantizing
Presets
The controls in the lower left corner of the dialog allow you 
to store the current settings as a preset, which will then be 
available on the Quantize menus on the toolbars. The 
usual preset procedures apply:
To store the settings as a preset, click the Store button. 
To load a stored preset into the dialog, simply select it 
from the pop-up menu. 
This is useful if you want to modify an existing preset.
To rename the selected preset, double-click on the 
name...

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MIDI processing and quantizing
Iterative Quantize
Another way to apply “loose” quantization is to use the Iter-
ative Quantize function on the MIDI menu. It works like this:
Instead of moving a note to the closest quantize grid posi-
tion, Iterative Quantize moves it only part of the way. You 
specify how much the notes should be moved towards the 
grid with the “Iterative Strength” setting in the Quantize 
Setup dialog.
Iterative Quantize also differs from “regular” quantization 
in that the...

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MIDI processing and quantizing
Transpose
The Transpose item on the MIDI menu opens a dialog with 
settings for transposing the selected notes.
Semitones
This is where you set the amount of transposition.
Scale Correction
Scale Correction transposes the selected notes by for-
cing them to the closest note of the selected scale type. 
This can be used for creating interesting key and tonal 
changes, either by itself or in conjunction with the other 
settings in the Transpose dialog.
To activate Scale...

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MIDI processing and quantizing
Dissolve Part
The Dissolve Part function on the MIDI menu allows you to 
separate MIDI events according to channels or pitches:
When you work with MIDI parts (on MIDI channel “Any”) 
containing events on different MIDI channels, activate the 
option “Separate Channels”.
To separate MIDI events according to pitch, activate the 
option “Separate Pitches”.
A typical example would be drum and percussion tracks, where different 
pitches usually correspond to separate drum...

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MIDI processing and quantizing
Other MIDI functions
The following items can be found on the Functions sub-
menu of the MIDI menu:
Legato
Extends each selected note so that it reaches the next note.
You can specify a gap or overlap for this function with the 
“Legato Overlap” setting in the Preferences (Editing–MIDI 
page).
When using Legato with this setting, each note will be extended to end 
5 ticks before the next note.
When you activate “Legato Mode: Selected Only”, the 
length of the note will...

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Minimum Velocity
When the Minimum Velocity checkbox is activated, the ve-
locity of notes is taken into account, allowing you to re-
move weak notes. You specify the minimum velocity (for 
notes to be kept) in the value display.
Remove when under
This setting is only available when both Minimum Length 
and Minimum Velocity is activated. By clicking in this field, 
you select whether both the length and the velocity criteria 
must be met for notes to be deleted, or...

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Fixed Velocity
This function sets the velocity of all selected notes to the 
Insert Velocity value on the toolbar in the MIDI editors.
Thin Out Data
Thins out MIDI data. Use this to ease the load on your ex-
ternal MIDI devices if you have recorded very dense con-
troller curves etc. 
You can also manually thin out the controller data by using 
the quantize function in the Key Editor.
Extract MIDI Automation
This is an extremely useful function as it allows you to...