Shooshie
••••••••••••CONTROL KEY TIPS••••••••••••
Category - MIDI Editing, Mixing
The PROPORTIONAL DRAG
"CONTROL-drag"
and other tricks accomplished with the CONTROL KEY
Works: MIDI Editor Window - Single or Multiple Tracks; Sequence Editor (appropriate layers)
The Control Key does many things in the MIDI Graphic Editing window:
First, Vertical and Horizontal Proportional Dragging:
- 1) •••••• CONTROL-Compressing MIDI Velocities
In the Control Point Lane at the bottom of the MIDI Editor, or in the Velocity or Control Point layers of the Sequence Editor, select your notes by dragging over the velocities. Grab the tallest "V" icon among the ones you selected. Hold down the CONTROL key for proportional dragging. Use the SHIFT key to contrain your movement only to the vertical. Drag up or down, and the entire selection will adjust proportionately, having the effect of compression or expansion of MIDI velocities.
Why is this useful?
Because when you change patches, almost invariably the response envelope will be different. In some patches, the "meat" of their dynamic response will be from about 10 to 30. Anything higher will not produce louder sound. In others, the working range may be 20 to 90. The Yamaha Disklavier, an actual MIDI'd grand piano, functions best between 30 and 98, with the average working range at 40 to 65. So, when you change patches, you have to adjust your velocities. You can do that with the Change Velocity plugin, but sometimes I prefer the visual of dragging the velocities, so I can see their relative loudness compared to other lines. This way, there is no guesswork.
Of course, it's also useful just to expand your dynamics. But that's obvious.
2) •••••• CONTROL-Rhythmic (Time) Augmentation and Diminution
As described above, select the notes or continuous data icons you want to change, proportionately to each other. Hold down the CONTROL KEY, and use the SHIFT KEY to constrain it to horizontal motion, only. Drag the Velocity/CC icons horizontally, and the notes/events will move proportionally in time, augmenting their relative attack times, while retaining the same note-lengths. This is functionally different from "Scale Time" because note lengths are not altered.
Useful applications:
1) fill up a predefined amount of space with an existing selection of notes or music.
2) altering large amounts of Continuous Controller data that needs to fit a certain space
3) Correcting rushed or dragged performance; you can quickly bring a rushed bar in time this way.
etc.
You have a full-keyboard arpeggio, and you changed your mind. You need all the notes to start together. Select them, hold down CONTROL, then drag the attack (left end of the notebar) of one of the notes to the left or right. Dragging to the left will extend all notes toward the beginning of the bar, making them all start together. Dragging to the right will shorten all notes, making them start together with the last of the notes selected.
•••••• CONTROL-Extend arpeggio, chord (or any notes) so that all notes cut off simultaneously
Select the notes, hold down CONTROL, and drag the CUT-OFFS (right end of the notebars) to the right. All notes will now cut off together wherever you leave them.
This is useful for any group of notes (arpeggio or not) which need to release together. It's a quick fix for a ragged cutoff.
________
Shooshie
----------------
----------------
•••••• Create Groups, Change Takes on Multiple Tracks Simultaneously
Works in: Tracks Overview Window plus Mixing Board
To create groups for performing operations such as switching takes on several tracks at a time, for instance, when recording multiple tracks at once:
- 1) CONTROL-N in the mixing board,
2) click on the tracks you want to group.
3) Hit "RETURN."
4) A dialog box pops up, and you select the actions you want to operate as a group.
5) Choose "Switch Takes" in the dialog, and/or Create New Take, etc.
6) Go to the Tracks Overview Window and change a take, and all tracks in that group will change their takes.
To turn off groups, CONTROL-COMMAND-G, or do it through the Track Groups window (Project Window)
_________________
musicarteca
--------------------
--------------------
Category: Setup
Moving Tracks in the Tracks Overview Window
Moving Multiple Tracks
Moving Tracks to Top of a Column or Folder
Move Selected Tracks to be Together
Works in: Tracks Overview Window
• Move track(s) up or down: Select a tracks or multiple tracks. Hold down the CONTROL key and press "Page Up" or "Page Down" to move your selection up or down by one line in a list. If there are gaps between the selected tracks, the selection moves up or down WITH the gaps "preserved" in place.
• Move selected track(s) to top/bottom of list or folder. Hold down the CONTROL key and press "home" or "end". If there are gaps between selected tracks, the gaps are preserved.
• Move selected tracks to be together: After selecting non-contiguous tracks you want to bring together, press OPTION-CONTROL HOME. The tracks will become contiguous in the list, beneath the top-most track of the selection. (Gaps in selection are eliminated)
• These commands are undo-able.
_________________
Shooshie
--------------------
--------------------
Category: Navigation
Zoom Levels in Editor windows, using keyboard
Works in: Graphic Editors
Many of the zoom commands involve the Control key. You can set three zoom levels in the edit windows, then zoom to those levels with keyboard commands. See the Mini-Menus under "Zoom."
_________________
Shooshie
--------------------
--------------------
Category: Playback, Mixing, Editing
Playing a Selection
Works in all Graphic Editors and Tracks Window
Select a few notes in a track, or some notes from several tracks which you want to hear.
To play, press CONTROL-SPACEBAR to hear them in context with all play-enabled tracks.
Press OPTION-SPACEBAR to hear them alone, without any other notes except those that are selected.
_________________
Shooshie
--------------------
--------------------
••••••••••••End of CONTROL KEY TIPS••••••••••••