Merge issue?

[musicman691]

Most of the time Merge works fine for me; the times it hasn't have been due to pilot error. That is until now. In one project I have a bunch of MIDI tracks to feed a bunch of Instrument tracks. Everything is assigned no problem to where it's supposed to go. I looked at the sequence editor screen and saw I had two MIDI tracks playing the same instrument and articulation (but not at the same time) so I figured I'd merge the two MIDI tracks and have them play through one instrument track. One less MIDI track and one less Instrument track in the session, you know.

The first MIDI track had notes in the first 6 measures with 4 sustain events and nothing more the rest of the track. Second MIDI track had notes starting at measure 10 and onwards. So I select the second MIDI track (the entire track is highlighted from measure one to the end) and do a copy then I select the first MIDI track and do a merge. When I do that it deletes the sustain events but not the notes that are in the first track; it does merge the notes correctly from the second MIDI track. There are no sustain events on the second MIDI track that is being merged into the first MIDI track.

My first thought was I had mistakenly selected paste instead of merge so I hit undo and re-selected merge. Same problem. Did the same thing whether I selected Merge from the pull-down menu, used the hotkey shortcut or right clicked on the first MIDI track and selected merge from the context menu. The only way I was able to get the notes from the second track into the first without wiping out the sustain events in the first track was to select the notes inside the second track, copying and then merging the two tracks.

Am I doing something wrong or what? I always understood merge to be exactly that - you add the data from one track to what is on another track but you don't overwrite what is on the original tracks. Usually I do as I outlined here and things work just fine unless I fall prey to the aforementioned pilot error.

[stubbsonic]

I've done similar with piano tracks with sustain events, and haven't had problems. And I often use Merge to preserve such things.

Sounds like it might be a bug.

[musicman691]

I've done similar with piano tracks with sustain events, and haven't had problems. And I often use Merge to preserve such things.

Sounds like it might be a bug.

I hesitated to call it a bug but maybe it is. I just wondered if I was doing something wrong even though like I said my method has worked before in other instances. Thought maybe I got lucky before and this time - not so much.

[Shooshie]

Merge was always a rock-solid command, like Cut or Paste. If you're having problems, first try it in other files, but if it's not working then it's probably a new bug.

I haven't used it yet in DP9, but will probably see a need for it in the next week or two. I'll report back if something unexpected happens.

Shooshie

[musicman691]

Merge was always a rock-solid command, like Cut or Paste. If you're having problems, first try it in other files, but if it's not working then it's probably a new bug.

I haven't used it yet in DP9, but will probably see a need for it in the next week or two. I'll report back if something unexpected happens.

Shooshie

As I mentioned for me for the most part Merge has worked as it should; it's this one piece that did this. That's why I asked if there was something in the way I was working that could do what I described. I hesitate to report it as a bug until I can get it to repeat (or someone else can).

[bayswater]

What I see:

1. I have a track a pan event in the middle of bar 3 and another track with single pan events at the start of bars 2 and 4.
2. Select the time range 2-4 in the second track, copy, and then merge this at the start of bar 3 on the first track.
3. The original pan events in track one are gone. Notes from track 2 are added to track 1.

Is that what you mean?

[musicman691]

What I see:

1. I have a track a pan event in the middle of bar 3 and another track with single pan events at the start of bars 2 and 4.
2. Select the time range 2-4 in the second track, copy, and then merge this at the start of bar 3 on the first track.
3. The original pan events in track one are gone. Notes from track 2 are added to track 1.

Is that what you mean?

Similar but the events I'm talking about that get overwritten are before any events in the second track (if I select the whole second track). If I only select the notes in the second track and then merge it works okay. But if this is what you're seeing it's very close to what I'm seeing.

[Shooshie]

Are you saying that automation is not merging?

That brings up a question: can automation really be merged? Two tracks' automation would clash; you'd end up with a mess. Perhaps this was a judgment call by MOTU.

Shooshie

[musicman691]

Are you saying that automation is not merging?

That brings up a question: can automation really be merged? Two tracks' automation would clash; you'd end up with a mess. Perhaps this was a judgment call by MOTU.

Shooshie

I'm talking about MIDI cc events (sustain in this case) getting overwritten where there was no sustain events in the second track being merged into the first. Which had never happened to me before. I've always been able to merge tracks without MIDI cc events being overwritten.

[bayswater]

Are you saying that automation is not merging?

That brings up a question: can automation really be merged? Two tracks' automation would clash; you'd end up with a mess.

Usually, but not necessarily. Caveat Emptor, and all that.

Perhaps this was a judgment call by MOTU.

That's what it looks like. Is it recent? I merged pitch bend a long time ago to create an erratic sound with a patch that had several parameters mapped to PB. Maybe it wasn't DP.

[musicman691]

Techlink created; more if/when I know more.

[musicman691]

Here's an update:
Got a response to my Techlink on this and MOTU is able to repro the problem with a DP project I sent them so it is an apparent bug (their words, not mine) and it is being looked into.

More when I know more.