Can you "draw" velocity changes in MIDI tracks?

[wonder]

I have been using MIDI VI's for quite some time ... albeit, I've never had to get REALLY into programming and such.

I've been doing more and more drum Vi's for projects and often I'm finding myself editing snare rolls, tom fills, etc. note by note ... i.e. manually increasing the velocity of each note one by one.
If you're doing a pressure or drum roll ... it gets old real quick.

I've never found a way to manually DRAW in velocity changes ... is there a way to do this? I've tried it in the MIDI Editor, Drum Editor, etc but can't figure it out.

Is this possible?

[FMiguelez]

Then you will be extremely pleased by the RESHAPE tool. Check it out!

You can use many different shapes. There are shortcuts for this, so you never waste time mousing around to get the tools and shapes you need.

Check also the "paint brush" tool for the Drum Editor (I think that's what it's called).

[FMiguelez]

BTW, it works for MIDI as well as audio, and it's just as powerful for the latter.

Learn how to use it and you will have killed 2 birds with one shot.

[wonder]

Then you will be extremely pleased by the RESHAPE tool. Check it out!

You can use many different shapes. There are shortcuts for this, so you never waste time mousing around to get the tools and shapes you need.

Check also the "paint brush" tool for the Drum Editor (I think that's what it's called).

I'll check it out!

I just got privy to the DRUM EDITOR and I love it so far.

[wonder]

Then you will be extremely pleased by the RESHAPE tool. Check it out!

You can use many different shapes. There are shortcuts for this, so you never waste time mousing around to get the tools and shapes you need.

Check also the "paint brush" tool for the Drum Editor (I think that's what it's called).

Just figured it out. Thanks! This is going to save so much time!

[bayswater]

If you haven't already, I suggest you learn to use the Velocity commands as well as the many reshape shapes. The Velocity command options, including add, subtract, compress, scale, etc, can do a lot very quickly.

[Shooshie]

The tool palette and all its contents belie the amazing power of the tools therein. Each tool has keyboard equivalents that operate on this principle:

• Hold down the key and the cursor changes to that tool until you release the key.
• Double-Tap the key and the cursor changes to that tool until you choose another tool.

Learn the keys. Currently, in the DP8 manual, the key chart appears on page 308. Really; memorize these. Even though the toolbar is very handy at all times, work moves so much faster (and wrists will love you) if you don't have to keep zipping up there, selecting a tool, then zipping back to your selection. Just hold down a key or tap it twice.

You still have to go back to the toolbar to select functions within a tool, such as freehand drawing vs. straight line vs. parabola, etc., or setting the reshape modes with set, add, scale, maximum-limit, or minimum-limit, but those functions aren't the kind of thing you typically change with each edit.

DP has extremely powerful MIDI editing capabilities. Occasionally I see it criticized for lacking tools for professional editing, and immediately I know that the author doesn't know jack about DP, and probably doesn't know jack about MIDI or editing in general.

Velocities are a mixed bag these days. As our instrument libraries have matured, the velocity-based patch or sample has one foot over in dinosaur-land. Now, velocities are more often used to select the sample layers while a MIDI Control Change stream is in charge of actually expressing the loudness. Percussive instruments still use Velocity as their primary loudness control, since it's a one-strike thing. In either case, you've got the tools to reshape velocities into expressive lines, just as you do for CC's.

For some libraries, velocities and CC's cross-fade for more realism without giving up the more familiar (to keyboardists) expressive capability of the velocity-based patch envelope. All of the above spells "lots of editing." DP can get you there.

Shooshie