MIDI processing and quantizing

Introduction

This chapter describes the various MIDI processing functions 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 and effects (see “MIDI realtime parameters and effects” on page 342). For example, the operations “Transpose” and “Quantize” are available as MIDI modifiers as well as MIDI functions.

The main difference is that MIDI modifiers and effects 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 or effects and as functions:

•If you want to adjust a few parts or events only, use MIDI functions. The MIDI modifiers and effects affect the output of the whole track (although they can be made permanent in a specific area with the Merge MIDI in Loop function).

•If you want to experiment with different settings, use MIDI modifiers and effects.

•MIDI modifiers and effects settings are not reflected in the MIDI editors, since the actual MIDI events aren’t affected. This can be potentially confusing; if you’ve e.g. transposed notes using modifiers, 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 current selection:

• Some MIDI function only apply to MIDI events of a certain 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 selected 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 automatically moves recorded notes, positioning them on exact 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.

However, quantizing is not only a method of correcting errors, 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.

Ö When quantizing MIDI, only MIDI notes are affected (no other event types).

However, you can choose to move the controllers together with their respective notes by activating the “Move Controller” option in the Quantize Setup dialog, see “The Move Controller setting” on page 355.

Setting up quantize on the toolbar

At its most basic, setting up quantizing consists of selecting a note value from the Quantize pop-up menu on the toolbar (in the Project window or a MIDI editor).

Straight note values

Triplet note values

Dotted note values

Setting up quantize in the Quantize Setup dialog

If you want more options than those available on the popup menu, select “Quantize Setup…” from the MIDI menu (or “Setup…” from the Quantize pop-up menu) to open the Quantize Setup dialog.

The Quantize Setup dialog contains the following settings:

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 functionality 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 quantizing.

• When the slider is set to 0%, the Magnetic Area function is deactivated, i.e. all notes are affected by quantizing.

If you move the slider gradually to the right, you will note how the magnetic areas are shown around the blue lines in the grid display.

Only notes within the indicated zones will be affected by 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, 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.

•You can also create presets by extracting existing grooves from a MIDI part.

Just select the desired MIDI part and drag it on the grid display in the middle of the Quantize Setup dialog or open the Advanced submenu on the MIDI menu and select “Part to Groove” (see “Part to Groove” on page 356).

Apply and Auto

These functions allow you to apply quantizing directly from the dialog, see below.

If you don’t want to apply the quantizing you have set up in the dialog, close the window by clicking its standard close box.

The Non Quantize setting

This additional setting 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 additional setting 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 function, 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, by default [Q]).

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 immediately 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.

When you apply quantize, the result is based on the original position of the notes. Therefore, you can freely try out different quantize settings with no risk of “destroying” anything. See also “Undo Quantize” on page 356.

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 Iterative Quantize function on the MIDI menu. It works like this:

Instead of moving a note to the closest quantize grid position, 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 positions 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.

Advanced Quantize functions

Quantize Lengths

This function is only available from within the MIDI editors.

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 editor 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, Tuplet 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 370), 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 quantized 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 quantized 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 positions. To make this possible, select the notes in question and select “Freeze Quantize” from the Advanced Quantize submenu. This makes the quantized positions permanent.

After you have performed a Freeze Quantize for a note, you cannot undo its quantization.

Part to Groove

With this function, you can extract the groove from a selected MIDI part and turn it into a Quantize preset.

You can also extract grooves from audio, using e.g. hitpoints (see “Creating groove quantize maps” on page 283), or audio parts, rex parts or drum parts that have been processed with the Detect Silence function. Since audio contains no velocity information, velocity will remain unchanged after applying a Groove that you extracted from audio.

In both cases, the resulting groove appears on the Quantize menus and you apply it as you would any Quantize preset. You can also view and edit the resulting quantize settings in the Quantize Setup dialog.