MIDI n-T Chat.

All sorts

I’ve used n-Track for around five years, jumping in on the cusp of V’s 5 and 6.
I’ve used MIDI since it’s birth in the early eighties. I’m no MIDI expert - I get bored when the topic wanders too far from the creative aspects of music making but I am enthusiastic about it’s complexities. I’ve familiarised myself with most forms of hardware and software sequencing over the decades and still make full use of new technology in my hobby of music making, at least, as far as funds will allow;-)
The MIDI abilities of n-T has had a curious history and has a reputation for being it’s lame twin. I’ve certainly had a few niggles with it over the years/builds and have had to jump through hoops on occasion to resolve the odd issue but I feel that n-T’s MIDI is so close to being perfect that it’s worthy of a proper discussion.

Unbalanced!? I’d be interested in your views?

I’m somewhat confused, are you talking about MIDI as editing a time line/instruments with MIDI notes or are you talking about Midi control surfaces?

PACO

Hi, Paco. Notation and editing within n-T.

I rely heavily on the midi part of Ntrack since so many of my hardware’s parameters are controlled by it.

It takes me quite a while to edit midi, everything from automated faders on rack mixers to compressors or guitar FX but when I get a song done and can play along to the control track it is like having a midget behind the rack gear pushing buttons and faders all at the right time.

I really wish Ntracks midi looping capability was a little more advanced, other than that I can’t complain.

dontcare :cool:

Hi dontcare. Thanks for your feedback.
With features you think could be usefull to improve MIDI looping capability?

oh, where to begin,

the ability to have an omni midi track (16 channel) set to a specific length that would output all 16 channels notes at once, record to all 16 channels at once (or able to receive notes or other midi data on whatever channel they are coming in at and send them back out on the same channel.

When I say “specific length” I mean like “32 beats 164 beats” stuff like that.

this way users would not have to highlight the looping area and zoom way in to make sure it ends on a whole beat.
Also one could use the looping feature more in a live setting sending data in and receiving it right back out at the beginning of another loop play regardless of the channel being played. (you won’t have to jump all around from track to track when recording different channels).

I guess a “scene” feature would be nice too,

Let’s say for instance you wanted one loop that is 32 beats at 116bpm and you wanted to switch to another “scene” at 120bpm with a 64 beat loop length you could save these settings to “scenes” and step through them from scene 1. scene 2. ect. and back to scene 1 to go back and forth from the scenes with a Midi CC trigger #.

obviously, if you have a midi track already with different tempos in it and you loop the first area (eg. 166bpm at 32 beats) you can send it a signal to end that loop and continue playing onto the next area, but that does not automatically loop the next segment (with a different bpm and length) neither would it return back to the first segment if you wanted it to.

dontcare :cool:

Well you asked :laugh:

A guess a Looping GUI is what I am describing,

you could break the top timeline into beat numbered segments(measures) (with a range from 1-164) a simple start up would be 16(measures) of 32 beats each, in 4/4, with each measure at 120 BPM the length would be 4:16 sec, but you could change the length of each segment/measure so if you changed one of them to say 118 BPM and 64 beats the song length would then be 4:32, and so on and so forth…completely get rid of the master BPM and allocate each measure it’s own bpm tab, depending on which measure is selected (armed) that is where the incoming midi notes would record to.

but I digress…

dontcare :cool:

Hi dontcare.

A specific looping GUI has not yet been developed but we’ll analyze your suggestions.
However, n-Track already support the interval selection without dragging. You can select the interval you need using the “Selecton dialog box” button presents in the top toolbar.

Some nice ideas here Jerm. It’s got to be said that n-Track is looping, generally, much better than it ever did through

I’d like to mention a few things.

A “problem” appeared with n-T7 that wasn’t in v6 - when copying, pasting, step-writing etc midi notes into piano roll track, the corresponding area of the same track in the timeline doesn’t automatically expand as new notes are added and needs to be dragged out manually.

Pasting multiple copies from the props into a piano roll track box can result in off-set alignment drift.

I often have to replace notes to improve volume drawing etc behavior.

Quote: (TonyR @ Dec. 17 2012, 3:42 PM)

Pasting multiple copies from the props into a piano roll track box can result in
off-set alignment drift.

I have noticed wherever the Timeline happens to be that is where the midi paste occurs.

so if the timeline is not exactly at the beginning of a beat it will paste the notes off beat.

Also once you have pasted a series of notes into the sequencer you can highlight those notes and move them left or right (all of them move together) until they are in line.


dontcare :cool:
Quote: (dontcare @ Dec. 19 2012, 3:45 PM)

Quote: (TonyR @ Dec. 17 2012, 3:42 PM)

Pasting multiple copies from the props into a piano roll track box can result in
off-set alignment drift.

I have noticed wherever the Timeline happens to be that is where the midi paste occurs.

so if the timeline is not exactly at the beginning of a beat it will paste the notes off beat.

Also once you have pasted a series of notes into the sequencer you can highlight those notes and move them left or right (all of them move together) until they are in line.


dontcare :cool:

Yes, I'm aware of this but it doesn't account for drift. It's as though the bpm isn't locked to the grid.
Quote: (TonyR @ Dec. 19 2012, 4:04 PM)

Quote: (dontcare @ Dec. 19 2012, 3:45 PM)

Quote: (TonyR @ Dec. 17 2012, 3:42 PM)

Pasting multiple copies from the props into a piano roll track box can result in
off-set alignment drift.

I have noticed wherever the Timeline happens to be that is where the midi paste occurs.

so if the timeline is not exactly at the beginning of a beat it will paste the notes off beat.

Also once you have pasted a series of notes into the sequencer you can highlight those notes and move them left or right (all of them move together) until they are in line.


dontcare :cool:

Yes, I'm aware of this but it doesn't account for drift. It's as though the bpm isn't locked to the grid.

is it possible your paste function is also copying the space before the first note in the sequence?

do you mean drift as in the whole copied part is offset forward or backward at the same increment

or drift as in it starts out on tempo and gradually goes off the further along you observe the pasted part?

dontcare :cool:

"or drift as in it starts out on tempo and gradually goes off the further along you observe the pasted part?"

Yeah, but only with large copy numbers, although, I haven’t tested it for a few builds - no time to waste.

are these copied from another sequencer that generated it?

the reason I ask is each hardware device has it’s own quartz as do computers and their timings rarely are the same.

dontcare :cool:

Nope, all ‘in the box’. It’s been a prob’ on my setup all along. I’ve got used to pasting smaller quantities, and being fastidious with cursor position with each click.

Quote: (TonyR @ Dec. 19 2012, 5:35 PM)

Nope, all 'in the box'. It's been a prob' on my setup all along. I've got used to pasting smaller quantities, and being fastidious with cursor position with each click.

that is Odd.

I don't use the cursor to paste tho.

I just right click Paste and where ever the timeline is at the time (I usually set it at the beginning of a measure) that is where it paste to.

it sounds like you are using the cursor to highlight the area you want to paste into, is that true?

what are you using system timer or wav timer?

I'm trying to approach this as Spock would

'Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth'



dontcare :cool:
Quote: (dontcare @ Dec. 14 2012, 7:24 AM)

I guess a "scene" feature would be nice too,

Selecting "View" on the top menu you can find and open the "Save/Recall selection" window.
n-Track has the possibility of save and recall different interval selections during playback.
It's not properly a scene, but it could be useful to improve looping capability.
Quote: (dontcare @ Dec. 20 2012, 8:54 AM)

Quote: (TonyR @ Dec. 19 2012, 5:35 PM)

Nope, all 'in the box'. It's been a prob' on my setup all along. I've got used to pasting smaller quantities, and being fastidious with cursor position with each click.

that is Odd.

I don't use the cursor to paste tho.

I just right click Paste and where ever the timeline is at the time (I usually set it at the beginning of a measure) that is where it paste to.

it sounds like you are using the cursor to highlight the area you want to paste into, is that true?

what are you using system timer or wav timer?

I'm trying to approach this as Spock would

'Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth'



dontcare :cool:

Sorry, J, when I say cursor, I do in fact mean clicking on the time axis at the desired pasting point - but - just to be clear - do you work your midi editing in a piano roll or as a timeline track?
Quote: (TonyR @ Dec. 20 2012, 4:01 PM)

Quote: (dontcare @ Dec. 20 2012, 8:54 AM)

Quote: (TonyR @ Dec. 19 2012, 5:35 PM)

Nope, all 'in the box'. It's been a prob' on my setup all along. I've got used to pasting smaller quantities, and being fastidious with cursor position with each click.

that is Odd.

I don't use the cursor to paste tho.

I just right click Paste and where ever the timeline is at the time (I usually set it at the beginning of a measure) that is where it paste to.

it sounds like you are using the cursor to highlight the area you want to paste into, is that true?

what are you using system timer or wav timer?

I'm trying to approach this as Spock would

'Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth'



dontcare :cool:

Sorry, J, when I say cursor, I do in fact mean clicking on the time axis at the desired pasting point - but - just to be clear - do you work your midi editing in a piano roll or as a timeline track?

piano roll.

is there any other way?

sorry for the stupid question, but that's always how I have done it.

dontcare :cool: