Steinberg Cubase Le 4 Manual
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151 MIDI realtime parameters and effects Installing a MIDI device To install a MIDI device, proceed as follows: 1.Click the Install Device button. A dialog appears listing all pre-configured MIDI devices. For now we as- sume that your MIDI device is included in this list. 2.Locate and select the device in the list and click OK. If your MIDI device isn’t included in the list but is com- patible with the GM (General MIDI) or XG standards, you can select the generic GM or XG Device options. When you select one of these options, a name dialog will appear. Enter a name for the instrument and click OK. The device appears in the Installed Devices list to the left. 3.Select the new device in the list and pull down the Output pop-up menu. 4.Select the MIDI output that is connected to the device. You can rename a device in the Installed Devices list by double-clicking and typing – this is useful if you have sev- eral devices of the same model, and want to separate them by name instead of by number. To remove a device from the Installed Devices list, se- lect it and click Remove Device. The device will be deleted immediately. About Patch Banks Depending on the selected device, you may find that the Patch Banks list is divided in two or more main banks. Typically, these are called Patches, Performances, Drums etc. The reason for having several patch banks is that dif- ferent “types” of patches are handled differently in the in- struments. For example, while “patches” typically are “regular” programs that you play one at the time, “perfor- mances” may be combinations of patches, which could e. g. be split across the keyboard, layered or used for mul- titimbral playback. For devices with several banks, you will find an additional button labeled “Bank Assignment” at the top of the win- dow. Selecting this opens a window in which you can specify for each MIDI channel which bank it should use. The selection here will affect which bank is displayed when you select programs by name for the device in the track list or Inspector. For example, many instruments use MIDI channel 10 as an exclusive drum channel, in which case you would want to select the “Drums” (or “Rhythm Set”, “Percussion”, etc.) bank for channel 10 in this list. This would then let you select between different drum kits in the track list or Inspector. Selecting a patch for an installed device If you return to the Project window at this point, you will find that the installed device has been added to the MIDI Output menus (in the track list and the Inspector). Now you can select patches by name, in the following way: 1.Pull down the Output menu (in the track list or Inspec- tor) for a track that you want to play the installed device, and select the device. This directs the track to the MIDI output specified for the device in the MIDI Device Manager. The bank and program fields in the track list and Inspec- tor are replaced by a single Programs field that currently reads “Off”. 2.Click the Programs field to display a pop-up menu, hi- erarchically listing all the patches in the device. The list is similar to the one displayed in the MIDI Device Manager. You can scroll the list up and down (if required), click the plus/minus signs to show or hide subgroups, etc. You can also use a filter function here. For this, enter the search term in the Filter field, e.g. “drum”, and press [Re- turn] to display all sounds with “drum” in the name. 3.Click a patch in the list to select it. This sends the appropriate MIDI message to the device. You can also scroll the program selection up or down, as with any value. Renaming patches in a device The pre-configured devices list is based on the factory- preset patches, i.e. the patches included in the device when you first bought it. If you have replaced some of the presets with your own patches, you need to modify the de- vice so that the patch name list matches the actual device: 1.In the MIDI Device Manager, select the device in the In- stalled Devices list. 2.Activate the Enable Edit checkbox. When this is turned off, you cannot edit the pre-configured devices. 3.Use the Patch Banks display to locate and select the patch you want to rename. In many instruments, the user-editable patches are located in a separate group or bank. 4.Click on the selected patch in the Patch Banks list to edit its name. 5.Type in the new name and click OK.
152 MIDI realtime parameters and effects 6.Rename the desired patches in this way, and finish by deactivating Enable Edit again (to avoid modifying the de- vice by accident). ÖYou can also make more radical changes to the patch structure in a device (adding or deleting patches, groups or banks), see below. For example, this would be useful if you expanded your MIDI device by adding extra storage media such as RAM cards, etc. Patch Structure Patches are structured as follows: Banks are the main categories of sounds – typically patches, performances and drums, as described above. Each bank can contain any number of groups, represented by folders in the list. The individual patches, performances or drum kits are repre- sented by presets in the list. The Commands pop-up menu contains the following items: Create Bank Creates a new bank at the highest hierarchical level of the Patch Banks list. You can rename this by clicking on it and typing a new name. New Folder Creates a new subfolder in the selected bank or folder. This could correspond to a group of patches in the MIDI device, or just be a way for you to categorize sounds, etc. When you select this item, a name dialog will appear, al- lowing you to name the folder. You can also rename the folder afterwards by clicking it and typing in the list. New Preset This adds a new preset in the selected bank or folder. You can rename the preset by clicking it and typing a new name. When the preset is selected, its corresponding MIDI events (Program Change, Bank Select, etc.) are shown in the event display to the right. The default setting for a new preset is Program Change 0 – to change this, use the fol- lowing procedures:To change which Program Change value should be sent out to select the patch, adjust the number in the Value column for the Program Change event. To add another MIDI event (e. g. Bank Select) click di- rectly below the last event in the list and select a new event from the pop-up menu that appears. After adding a new event, you need to set its value in the Value column, as with Program Change. To replace an event, click on it and select another event from the pop-up menu. For example, a MIDI device may require that a Bank Select message is sent first, followed by a Program Change message, in which case you would need to replace the default Program Change message with a Bank Select message and add a new Program Change after that. To remove an event, select it and press [Delete] or [Backspace]. Add Multiple Presets This opens a dialog, allowing you to set up a range of pre- sets to be added in the selected bank or folder. Proceed as follows: 1.Add the event types required for selecting a patch in the MIDI device. This is done just as when editing the settings for a single event: clicking in the event display brings up a pop-up menu from which you can select an event type. 2.Use the Range column to set up either a fixed value or a range of values for each event type in the list. This requires some explanation: If you specify a single value in the Range column (e. g. 3, 15 or 127), all added presets will have an event of this type set to the same value. If you instead specify a value range (a start value and an end value, sep- arated by a dash, e. g. 0-63), the first added preset will have an event set to the start value, the next value will be incrementally raised by one and so on, up to and including the end value. ÖThe number of added presets depends on the Range setting.!For details on which MIDI events are used for select- ing patches in the MIDI device, consult its documen- tation. !Different devices use different schemes for Bank Se- lect. When you insert a Bank Select event, you should check the device’s documentation to find whether to choose “CC: BankSelect MSB”, “Bank Select 14 Bit”, “Bank Select 14 Bit MSB-LSB Swapped” or possibly some other option.
153 MIDI realtime parameters and effects 3.Specify a Default Name below the event display. The added events will get this name, followed by a number. You can re- name presets manually in the Patch Banks list later. 4.Click OK. A number of new presets are now added in the selected bank or folder, according to your settings. Other editing functions You can move presets between banks and folders by drag- ging them in the Patch Banks list. You can remove a bank, folder or preset by selecting it in the Patch Banks list and pressing [Backspace]. If you specify more than one bank, a Bank Assignment item will be added to the pop-up menu at the top of the window. Use this to assign banks to the different MIDI channels (see “About Patch Banks” on page 151). Defining a new MIDI device This section describes how to define a new MIDI device. If your MIDI device is not included in the list of pre-config- ured devices (and is not a “plain” GM or XG device), you need to define it manually to make it possible to select patches by name. 1.In the MIDI Device Manager, click the Install Device button. The Add MIDI Device dialog appears. 2.Select “Define New...” and click OK. A dialog appears. 3.Enter the name of the device and the MIDI channels you would like the device to use and click OK. The device appears in the Installed Devices list. 4.Select the device in the list. As you can see, it currently contains only an Empty Bank item. 5.Make sure the Enable Edit checkbox is activated. Now you can use the functions on the Commands pop-up menu to the left to organize the patch structure of the new device.
155 MIDI processing and quantizing Introduction This chapter describes the various MIDI processing func- tions available on the MIDI menu (see highlighted entries below). 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 There are MIDI functions that have no MIDI modifiers counterpart, and vice versa. In some cases, however, the result of a MIDI function can also be obtained by using MIDI modifiers. For example, the operations “Transpose” and “Quantize” are available as MIDI modifiers as well as MIDI functions. The main differ- ence is that MIDI modifiers don’t affect the actual MIDI events on the track in any way, while MIDI functions change the events “permanently” (although recent changes can be undone). Use the following guidelines to decide which path to choose for operations that are available both as modifiers and as functions: If you want to adjust a few parts or events only, use MIDI func- tions. The MIDI modifiers affect the output of the whole track. If you want to experiment with different settings, use MIDI modifiers. MIDI modifiers settings are not reflected in the MIDI editors, since the actual MIDI events aren’t affected. This can be po- tentially confusing; if you’ve e.g. transposed notes using mod- ifiers, the MIDI editors will still show the notes with their original pitch (but they will play back at their transposed pitch). Therefore MIDI functions are a better solution if you want to see the effects in the MIDI editors. What is affected by the MIDI functions? Which events are affected when you use a MIDI function depends on the function, the active window and the cur- rent selection: A MIDI function may only apply to MIDI events of a cer- tain type. For example, quantization affects notes only, while the Delete Controllers function obviously applies to MIDI controller events. In the Project window, the MIDI functions apply to all selected parts, affecting all events (of the relevant types) in them. In the MIDI editors, the MIDI functions apply to all se- lected events. If no events are selected, all events in the edited part(s) will be affected. The Quantizing functions What is quantizing? Quantizing in its fundamental form is a function that auto- matically moves recorded notes, positioning them on ex- act note values: For example, if you record a series of eighth notes, some of them may end up slightly beside the exact eighth note positions. Quantizing the notes with the quantize grid set to eighth notes will move the “misplaced” notes to exact positions.
156 MIDI processing and quantizing However, quantizing is not only a method of correcting er- rors, it can also be used creatively in various ways. For example, the “quantize grid” does not have to consist of perfectly straight notes, some notes can automatically be excluded from quantizing, etc. ÖWhen quantizing MIDI, only MIDI notes are affected (no other event types). However, you can choose to move the controllers together with their re- spective notes by activating the “Move Controller” option in the Quantize Setup dialog, see “The Move Controller setting” on page 158. 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). By default, 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 the Quantize pop-up menu) to open the Quantize Setup dialog. The grid display in the middle of the dialog shows one bar (four beats), with blue lines indicating the quantize grid (the positions that notes will be moved to). Value changes in the grid, presets and quantize options will be graphically reflected here, see below. The Quantize Setup dialog contains the following settings: Straight note values Triplet note values Dotted note values !Any settings you make in the dialog are immediately reflected in the Quantize pop-up menus. However, if you want your settings permanently available on the Quantize pop-up menus, you have to use the presets functions (see “Presets” on page 157).
157 MIDI processing and quantizing The Grid and Type pop-ups These are used to determine the basic note value for the quantizing grid. In other words, these have the same func- tionality as the Quantize pop-up menu on the toolbar. Swing The Swing slider is only available when a straight note value is selected for the grid and Tuplet is off (see below). It lets you offset every second position in the grid, creating a swing or shuffle feel. When you adjust the Swing slider, the result is shown in the grid display. A straight eighth note grid compared with a grid with 60% swing. Tuplet Allows you to create more rhythmically complex grids by dividing the grid into smaller steps. Magnetic Area This allows you to specify that only notes within a certain distance from the grid lines should be affected by quantiz- ing. When the slider is set to 0%, the Magnetic Area func- tion is deactivated, i.e. all notes are affected by quantizing. If you move the slider gradually to the right, you will note how the mag- netic areas are shown around the blue lines in the grid display. Presets The controls in the lower left corner of the dialog allow you to store the current settings as a preset, available on the Quantize menus in the toolbars. The usual preset proce- dures apply: To store the settings as a preset, click the Store button. To “load” a stored preset, showing the stored settings in the dialog, just 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 and type in a new one. To remove a stored preset, select it from the pop-up menu and click Remove. Apply and Auto These functions allow you to apply quantizing directly from the dialog, as described below. !If you don’t want to apply the quantizing you have set up in the dialog, you can close the window by click- ing its standard close box. You can also leave the di- alog open while you continue working. Only notes within the indicated zones will be affected by quantizing.
158 MIDI processing and quantizing The Non Quantize setting This is an additional setting that affects the result of the quantizing. It allows you to set a “distance” in ticks (120ths of sixteenth notes). Events that already are within the specified distance from the quantize grid will not be quantized. This allows you to keep slight variations when you quantize, but still correct notes that are too far from the grid. The Random Quantize setting This is an additional setting that affects the result of the quantizing. It allows you to set a “distance” in ticks (120ths of sixteenth notes). Events will be quantized to random positions within the specified “distance” from the quantize grid, thus creating a more “loose” quantizing. Much like the Non Quantize setting, this allows for slight variations, while at the same time keeping notes from ending up too far from the grid. The Iterative Strength setting Here you specify how much the notes should be moved towards the grid when using the Iterative Quantize func- tion, see below. The Move Controller setting When this is activated, controllers related to notes (pitch bend, etc.) are automatically moved with the notes when these are quantized. Applying quantize There are several ways to apply the quantize: The standard method is to select “Over Quantize” from the MIDI menu (or using a key command, [Q] by default). This quantizes the selected MIDI parts or notes according to the current Quantize pop-up menu setting. You can also apply quantizing directly from the Quantize Setup dialog, by clicking the “Apply Quantize” button. If you activate the “Auto” checkbox in the Quantize Setup dialog, any change you make in the dialog is imme- diately applied to the selected MIDI parts or notes. A great way of using this feature is to set up a playback loop, and adjust the settings in the dialog until you get the desired result. The Auto Quantize function If you activate the Auto Q button on the Transport panel, all MIDI recordings you make are automatically quantized according to the settings you have made in the Quantize Setup dialog. Iterative Quantize Another way to apply “loose” quantization is to use the It- erative 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 operation is not based on the notes’ original po- sitions but on their current, quantized position. This makes it possible to repeatedly use Iterative Quantize, gradually moving the notes closer to the quantize grid until you’ve found the desired timing. !When you apply quantize, the result is based on the original position of the notes. Therefore, you can freely try different quantize settings with no risk of “destroying” anything. See also “Undo Quantize” on page 159.
159 MIDI processing and quantizing Advanced Quantize functions Quantize Lengths This function (on the Advanced Quantize submenu on the MIDI menu) will quantize the length of the notes, without changing their start positions. At its most basic level, this function will set the length of the notes to the Length Quantize value on the MIDI editors’ toolbar. However, if you have selected the “Quantize Link” option on the Length Quantize pop-up menu, the function will resize the note according to the quantize grid, taking the Swing, Tu- plet and Magnetic Area settings into account. An example: 1. Length Quantize set to “Quantize Link”. 2. Some 1/16th notes. 3. Here, the quantize value has been set to straight 1/16th notes with Swing at 100%. Since Snap is activated (see “Snap” on page 171), the quantize grid is reflected in the note display’s grid. 4. Selecting Quantize Lengths will adjust the note lengths according to the grid. If you compare the result to the first figure above, you will find that notes that started within the odd sixteenth note “zones” show the longer grid length, and notes in the even zones have the shorter length. Quantize Ends The Quantize Ends function on the Advanced Quantize submenu will only affect the end positions of notes. Apart from that, it works just like regular quantizing, taking the Quantize pop-up menu setting into account. Undo Quantize As mentioned above, the original position of each quan- tized note is stored. Therefore, you can make the selected MIDI notes revert to their original, unquantized state at any time by selecting Undo Quantize from the Advanced Quantize submenu. This is independent from the regular Undo History. Freeze Quantize There may be situations when you want to make the quan- tized positions “permanent”. For example, you may want to quantize notes a second time, having the results based on the current quantized positions rather than the original po- sitions. To make this possible, select the notes in question and select “Freeze Quantize” from the Advanced Quantize submenu. This makes the quantized positions permanent. 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. !This function is only available from within the MIDI editors. !After you have performed a Freeze Quantize for a note, you cannot undo its quantization.
160 MIDI processing and quantizing 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 Correction, click the checkbox. Select a root note and scale type for the current scale from the upper pop-up menus. Select a root note and scale type for the new scale from the lower pop-up menus. Make sure to select the correct root note if you want to keep the result in the same key as the original notes, or select an entirely different key if you want to experiment. Keep Notes in Range When this checkbox is activated, transposed notes will re- main within the Upper and Lower Barrier values. If a note ends up outside the barriers after transposition, it will be shifted to another octave, keeping the correct transposed pitch if possible. If this isn’t possible (if you have set a very narrow range between the Up- per and Lower Barrier), the note will be transposed “as far as possible”, i.e. to the Upper or Lower Barrier note. If you set the Upper and Lower Barriers to the same value, all notes will be transposed to this pitch! OK and Cancel Clicking OK performs the transposition. Clicking Cancel closes the dialog without transposing. Permanent settings with Freeze MIDI Modifiers The MIDI Modifier settings in the Inspector do not change the MIDI events themselves, but work like a “filter”, affect- ing the music on playback. Therefore, you may want to make them permanent, i.e. convert them to “real” MIDI events, for example to transpose a track and then edit the transposed notes in a MIDI editor. For this, you can use the “Freeze MIDI Modifiers” command from the MIDI menu. This applies all filter settings permanently to the re- spective track.The “Freeze MIDI Modifiers” function affects the following settings for MIDI tracks: Several settings on the main tab of the Inspector (program and bank selection and the Delay parameter). The settings on the MIDI Modifiers tab (i.e. Transpose, Veloc- ity Shift, Velocity Compression and Length Compression). The following settings for MIDI parts are taken into ac- count as well: The Transpose and Velocity settings for parts displayed on the info line – please note that the Volume setting is not taken into account. To use the “Freeze MIDI Modifiers” function, proceed as follows: 1.Select the desired MIDI track. 2.Pull down the MIDI menu and select “Freeze MIDI Modifiers”. The Inspector settings will be converted to MIDI events and inserted at the beginning of the part(s). All notes of the part(s) will be modified ac- cordingly and the Inspector settings will be reset. Dissolve Part The Dissolve Part function on the MIDI menu has two sep- arate uses: When you work with MIDI parts (on MIDI channel “Any”) containing events on different MIDI channels. Dissolve Part separates the events according to MIDI channel. When you want to separate MIDI events according to pitch. A typical example would be drum and percussion tracks, where each pitch usually corresponds to a separate drum sound. ÖWhen dissolving a part into either separate channels or separate pitches, you can automatically remove the si- lent (empty) areas of the resulting parts by activating the “Optimized Display” checkbox in the Dissolve Part dialog. Dissolving parts into separate channels Setting a track to MIDI channel “Any” will cause each MIDI event to play back on its original MIDI channel, rather than a channel set for the whole track. There are two main situ- ations when “Any” channel tracks are useful: