Chapter 23: MIDI Editing. Avid Pro Tools HD 6.9, Pro Tools LE 6.9

Chapter 23: MIDI Editing

Pro Tools provides powerful MIDI editing tools.

You can create and edit individual MIDI notes and controller events with the Pencil, Trimmer, and Grabber in the Edit window. You can also use the various MIDI operations (such as Quantize, Transpose, Change Velocity, and Change

Duration) to transform groups of MIDI notes to affect pitch, timing, and phrasing. For information on region-specific editing for both MIDI

and audio, see Chapter 17, “Working with Regions and Selections.”

2 Select a Pencil tool shape.

Pencil tool shapes available for

MIDI

The Pencil Tool

The Pencil tool is useful for creating and editing

MIDI data. The first five Pencil tool shapes (Freehand, Line, Triangle, Square, and Random) can be used to enter pitches with varying durations and velocities (note velocities are determined by the Pencil shape). The various Pencil tool shapes can be particularly useful for drawing and editing different types of MIDI control data—for example, try using Line for volume, Triangle for pan, Freehand for pitch bend, and Square or

Random for velocity.

To select the Pencil tool shape:

1 Click the Pencil tool icon in the Tool Bar for the Pencil tool shape pop-up menu.

Pencil tool shape pop-up menu

Freehand

When in Note view, the Freehand shape inserts a single MIDI note whose velocity is defined by the Default Note On Velocity MIDI preference

(in the MIDI Preferences page). The pitch, location, and duration of the note are determined by where on the MIDI track you click and release with the mouse.

Chapter 23: MIDI Editing 393

When editing MIDI velocities or continuous controller data, the Freehand shape draws freely according to the movement of the mouse. The shape is reproduced as a series of steps according to the Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing

Controller Data MIDI preference (in the MIDI

Preferences page).

Line

When in Note view, the Line shape inserts a series of MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities are defined by the Default Note On Velocity

MIDI preference (in the MIDI Preferences page).

The duration of each note is determined by the current Grid value.

When editing MIDI velocities or continuous controller data, the Line shape draws in a straight line from click to release. MIDI continuous controller values change in steps according to the Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing

Controller Data MIDI preference (in the MIDI

Preferences page).

Triangle

When in Note view, the Triangle shape inserts a series of MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities oscillate between the defined Default

Note On Velocity MIDI preference (in the MIDI

Preferences page) and 127 according to a triangle pattern. The duration of each note is determined by the current Grid value.

When editing MIDI velocities or continuous controller data, the Triangle shape draws a triangular pattern that changes direction according to the current Grid value. MIDI controller values change in steps according to the Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Controller Data MIDI preference (in the MIDI Preferences page).

Square

When in Note view, the Square shape inserts a series of MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities alternate between the defined Default

Note On Velocity MIDI preference (in the MIDI

Preferences page) and 127. The duration of each note is determined by the current Grid value.

When editing MIDI velocities or continuous controller data, the Square shape draws a square pattern that repeats at a rate based on the current Grid value.

Random

When in Note view, the Random shape inserts a series of MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities change randomly within the range between the defined Default Note On Velocity

MIDI preference (in the MIDI Preferences page) and 127. The duration of each note is determined by the current Grid value.

When editing MIDI velocities or continuous controller data, the Random shape draws a series of random values that change at a rate based on the current Grid value.

Custom Note Duration

The Custom Note Duration command lets you define the default note duration for inserting notes manually.

To select a Custom Note Duration:

1 Click the Pencil tool icon in the Tool Bar for the Pencil tool shape pop-up menu.

394 Pro Tools Reference Guide

2 Select Custom Note Duration. A note icon will appear below the Pencil tool icon in the Tool

Bar.

2 From the Grid Value selector, select a note value (such as 1/4, 1/8, or 1/16).

3 Verify the default session meter and tempo

(see “Setting the Default Meter” on page 160

and “Setting the Default Tempo” on page 161).

For more information on Grid mode, see

“Grid” on page 233.

Pencil tool with note icon

3 Click the note icon for the Custom Note Duration pop-up menu, and select a note duration.

The note icon changes to show the selected note value.

Inserting MIDI Notes

In addition to recording, step recording, and importing MIDI into Pro Tools, you can manually insert MIDI notes using the Pencil tool.

To insert a MIDI note:

1 Set the MIDI track to Notes view.

2 Select the Pencil tool and make sure it is set to

Freehand. The cursor will change to the Pencil when located over the playlist area of a MIDI track in Note view.

Custom Note Duration pop-up menu

Setting the Grid Value

When inserting MIDI notes with the Pencil tool, the Grid Value determines the duration of each note, or other characteristics, based on the Pen-

cil tool shape (see “The Pencil Tool” on page 393).

To set the Grid value for MIDI editing:

1

Set the Main Time Scale to Bars:Beats (see “Setting the Main Time Scale” on page 242).

Pencil tool set to Freehand

3 To insert quarter notes on the beat, set the

Time Scale to Bars:Beats, and set the Edit mode to Grid and the Grid value to quarter notes

(0|1|000).

4 Move the Pencil into the playlist area for the

MIDI track. Use the Edit window’s Ruler and the track’s mini-keyboard to locate the pitch and time location you want.

When using the Pencil, the Current Cursor display in the Options Bar provides information about its time location.

Current Cursor display


5 When you reach the pitch and time location you want, click to insert the note.

Adjusting the duration for an inserted note

MIDI note inserted with the Pencil

With the Smart tool active (see “The Smart

Tool” on page 300), Start-click (Windows)

or Control-click (Macintosh) to change the cursor to the Pencil tool and insert MIDI notes; Option-Control-click (Macintosh) or

Alt-Start-click (Macintosh) to delete notes.

With the Grid mode enabled, the start point of the MIDI note snaps to the nearest Grid boundary by default. Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) with the Pencil to temporarily disable snap to grid.

The velocity for inserted notes is determined by the Default Note On Velocity MIDI preference

(in the MIDI Preferences page). When in Grid mode, the duration of the note is determined by the Edit window’s Grid value. The duration of the note can also be determined by the Custom

Note Duration value (see “Custom Note Duration” on page 394).

If the “Play MIDI Notes when Editing” preference is enabled (in the MIDI Preferences page), each inserted note will sound.

The Pencil can be dragged after clicking (and before releasing) to adjust the note’s pitch or duration. Click and drag right to lengthen the note without changing its start point. Click and drag left to shorten the note without changing its end point.

With the Grid mode enabled, the end point of the MIDI note snaps to the nearest Grid boundary by default. Control-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Macintosh) with the Pencil to temporarily disable snap to grid.

The Line, Triangle, Square, and Random Pencil tool shapes can be used to enter a series of identical pitches with varying velocities. The length and spacing for the inserted notes are determined by the current Grid value, or by the Custom Note Duration value. The note velocities are determined by the Pencil shape.

Use the Square shape for alternating velocities of loud and soft. Use the Triangle shape for a ramp up and down of velocities. The Line shape enters notes with identical velocities.

To insert a series of notes with random velocities:


2 Select the Pencil tool and make sure it is set to

Random.

Pencil tool set to Random

3 Set the Time Scale to Bars:Beats. In addition, set the Edit mode to Grid and the Grid value to quarter notes (0|1|000).

With these settings, the inserted notes will be spaced one quarter note apart.


4 Click at the point where the first note will be inserted and drag to the right until you have the number of notes you want.

When using the Grabber, if any portion of the rectangle touches a note (either its start or end point), the note is included in the selection. Selections made with the Grabber do not include underlying controller and automation data for the MIDI track.

– or –

■

With the Selector, drag across a range of notes.

Inserting a series of notes with the Pencil

Manually Editing MIDI Notes

All aspects of a MIDI note can be edited from the

Edit window, including start and end points, duration, pitch, and velocity. The Grabber, Pencil, and Selector can operate on individual notes or groups of notes.

Selecting MIDI Notes

MIDI notes must be selected, before they can be edited.

To select MIDI notes:

■

With the Grabber or Pencil, Shift-click each note.

– or –

■

With the Grabber, move the cursor to where there are no notes (the Marquee appears) and click and draw a rectangle around the group of notes.

Selecting notes with the Selector

When using the Selector, a note’s start point must be included in order for it to be selected.

When a MIDI track is in Notes or Regions View, selections made with the Selector include underlying controller and automation data.

To select a single pitch for the entire length of a track:

■

On the mini-keyboard, regardless of the currently selected edit tool, Control-Shift-click

(Windows) or Command-Shift-click (Macintosh) the note.

Selecting a pitch from the mini-keyboard

To deselect one or more notes from a selection:

■

With the Grabber or Pencil, Shift-click the notes so they become deselected.

Selecting notes with the Grabber


Transposing Notes

MIDI notes can be transposed by dragging up or down with the Grabber or Pencil. If several notes are selected before dragging, each is transposed.

To transpose a MIDI note:


2 Select the Grabber or Pencil.

3 While pressing Shift, drag the note up or down.

To move a MIDI note:


2 With the Grabber or Pencil, drag the note left or right (press Shift while dragging to preserve the note’s pitch).

As the note is dragged, the Current Cursor display indicates the new start point.

If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged note snaps to the nearest Grid boundary. If the Edit mode is set to Spot, the Spot dialog opens.

To copy the selected notes, leaving the originals intact, press Control (Windows) or

Option (Macintosh) while dragging.

Transposing with the Grabber

The Shift key ensures that the transposed note retains its start point. While dragging, each new note sounds and the Current Cursor display indicates the number of semitones and direction

(+/–) for the transpose.

To transpose a copy of the note, leaving the original unchanged, press Control (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) while dragging.

Moving Notes

Like regions, MIDI notes can be dragged left or right with the Grabber or Pencil to change their start point. If several notes are selected before dragging, each is moved.

The placement of MIDI notes can also be

adjusted with Shift (see “Shift Command”

on page 291) or Nudge (see “Nudging” on page 289).

Trimming Note Start and End Times

Like regions, start and end points for MIDI notes can be adjusted with the Trimmer tool. If several notes are selected when performing the trim, each note is changed.

The trimmer tool can also be used on MIDI

regions. For more informations, see “TCE

Trimmer Functionality on MIDI Regions” on page 402.


To change the start or end points for a group of

MIDI notes:


2 Using the Grabber or Pencil, Shift-click each note you want to trim.

3 Select the Trimmer. For TDM systems, make sure the Standard Trimmer is selected in the

Trimmer Tool pop-up menu.

Trimmer tool set to Standard

– or –

Use the Pencil tool.

4 Move the cursor near the beginning of any of the highlighted notes, so the Trim cursor appears. Drag right to shorten the notes, or drag left to lengthen them.

– or –

Move the cursor near the end of any of the highlighted notes, so the Trim cursor appears. Drag left to shorten the notes, drag right to lengthen them.

If using Grid mode, the dragged start or end point snaps to the nearest Grid boundary. If using Spot mode, the Spot dialog opens, where you can enter the new location for the note’s start or end point.

When in Grid mode, you can use the Control key (Windows) or the Command key

(Macintosh) to temporarily disable Grid mode.

Notes can also be trimmed with the Trim To Se-

lection command (see “Trim To Selection Command” on page 274) and the Trim To Insertion

command (see “Trimming with Nudge” on page 276).

Manually Editing Note Velocities

When a MIDI track is set to Velocity view, each note’s attack velocity is represented with a velocity stalk. The taller the velocity stalk, the higher the velocity value (0–127).

To edit MIDI velocity:

1 Set the MIDI track to Velocity view.

2 Select the Grabber tool.

Changing note end times with the Trimmer


3 Drag the top (diamond) of the velocity stalk up or down.

3 Click at the beginning of the note range, near the bottom of the velocity range, and drag to the right and up until the line encompasses the range of notes you want to include in the fade.

Dragging a velocity stalk

– or –

If two notes have the same start time (with velocity stalks on top of each other), Control-drag

(Windows) or Command-drag (Macintosh) the actual note up or down.

Editing simultaneous velocities

Drag up to increase the velocity value, or down to decrease it. While dragging, the diamond turns blue and the associated note becomes selected. The dragged velocity values are reflected in the Current Cursor display.

The velocities for a range of notes can be edited with the Pencil tool, either by Freehand or with any of the Pencil tool shapes.

To draw velocity values that fade in:


2 Select the Pencil tool with the shape set to

Line.

Changing velocities with the Line shape

You can also use the Trimmer tool to scale the velocities for all selected notes. This is useful if you like the velocity relationship between the notes, but want them to be louder or softer.

When in Velocity view, the Trimmer tool can be used to trim note durations in addition to changing velocities.

To scale velocities with the Trimmer:


2 Using either the Selector or Grabber, select the range of notes to be edited.

3 With the Trimmer, click near the range of selected notes and drag up or down. Dragging up increases the velocities for each note; dragging down decreases them.

Changing velocities with the Trimmer


Typing in Note Attributes

When an individual note is selected with the

Grabber or Pencil, its attributes are displayed in the Event Edit area.

Selection Indicators

Pitch

Attack Velocity

Release Velocity

Event Edit Area showing MIDI track information

Pitch is listed by note name and octave number.

Attack and release velocities are listed with their

MIDI values (0–127). Times for Start, End, and

Length are displayed in the Main Time Scale.

To change an attribute for a MIDI note:

1 In the MIDI track’s playlist area, select the note with the Grabber or the Pencil.

2 Click in the Attributes text box and do one of the following:

• Enter the new value on the numeric keypad.

• Press the Up or Down Arrow to scroll to the new value.

• Drag up or down to scroll to the new value.

• Play the new note value on your MIDI controller keyboard.

Press the slash key (/) to move between the fields in the Event Edit area.

Multiple Notes and Event Edit Area

When multiple notes are selected, you can enter values in the Event Edit area fields to affect all selected notes. A triangle (delta symbol) to the left of the displayed note indicates that multiple notes are selected.

A new value in the Start field moves the first note in the selection to that location, with all other notes moving with it.

Multiple notes in the Event Edit area

Values entered in the pitch and velocity fields add to or subtract from the values for all selected notes. For example, to transpose all selected notes down an octave, enter a value of –12 for pitch.

Deleting MIDI Notes

In addition to deleting selected notes with the

Clear command in the Edit menu, individual notes can also be deleted with the Pencil tool.

To delete a group of MIDI notes with the Clear command:

1 Using the Grabber or Selector tool, select the

notes to be deleted. For details, see “Selecting

MIDI Notes” on page 397.

2 Choose Edit > Clear to delete the selected notes. The track’s underlying controller data remains intact.

– or –

Press the Delete (Backspace) key.

When deleting MIDI notes within a time range selection, all underlying controller and automation data is also deleted.


To delete a single MIDI note with the Pencil:

■

With the Pencil tool selected, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) so the tool changes to an Eraser, then click the note to delete it.

With the TCE Trimmer, you can move the MIDI region’s start or end point to expand or compress the region, scaling the MIDI data accordingly.

Deleting a note with Pencil

Program change events and Sysex events can also be deleted by Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Macintosh) them with the Pencil tool.

Before trimming

TCE Trimmer Functionality on

MIDI Regions

(Pro Tools 6.7 and Higher Only)

The TCE Trimmer is a convenient tool for matching a MIDI region to the length of another region, a tempo grid, or any other reference point.

Trimmer set to TCE

After trimming

Scaling a MIDI region with the TCE Trimmer

Using the Time Trimmer in Grid Mode

The Time Trimmer can be used in Grid mode to match a region to the tempo of a session or a section of a session, or to create “double time” or “half time” performances.

To use the Time Trimmer in Grid mode:

1 Set the Edit mode to Grid.

2 Set the Track View of the MIDI track to Regions.

3 Select TCE Trimmer from the Trimmer pop-up menu.


4 With the Time Trimmer, drag the MIDI region’s start or end point to compress or expand the region to the Grid (for example, by quarter notes). A new region is automatically created, which appears in the playlist and in the Regions

List.

Using the Time Trimmer in Slip Mode

To use the Time Trimmer in Slip mode:

1 Set the Edit mode to Slip.



4 With the Time Trimmer, drag the MIDI region’s start or end point to compress or expand the region freely. A new region is automatically created, which appears in the playlist and in the

Regions List.

Using the Time Trimmer in Spot Mode

In Spot mode, clicking with the Time trimmer in a region opens the Spot Dialog. You can specify the location you want the region to start or end at, or the duration of the region, and the region is automatically compressed or expanded as specified.

To use the Time Trimmer in Spot mode:

1 Set the Edit mode to Spot.



4 Click the MIDI region near its start or end point. The Spot Dialog opens. Using any Time

Scale, enter a new start or end time (or duration) for the region, then click OK. A new region is automatically created, which appears in the playlist and in the Regions List.

Using the Time Trimmer in Shuffle Mode

In Shuffle mode, the trimmed region will always begin at the original region’s start point regardless of whether you trim from the front to the rear or from the rear to the front.

To use the Time Trimmer in Shuffle mode:

1 Set the Edit mode to Shuffle.



4 With the Time Trimmer, drag the MIDI region’s start or end point to compress or expand the region freely. A new region is automatically created, which appears in the playlist and in the

Regions List.

Continuous Controller Events

Continuous controller events for MIDI tracks are displayed in the form of a line graph with a series of editable breakpoints. Controller events for MIDI tracks differ somewhat from automation data for audio tracks in that the breakpoints are stepped (instead of vector-based), where each breakpoint represents a single controller event.


MIDI track displaying volume events

Continuous controller events that can be inserted and edited in Pro Tools include:

• volume

• pan

• pitch bend

• aftertouch (mono)

• MIDI controllers, 0–127

Polyphonic aftertouch cannot be viewed in the Edit window. To view polyphonic aftertouch in Pro Tools, use the MIDI Event List

(see Chapter 25, “MIDI Event List”).

MIDI controller #7 (volume) and #10 (pan) are treated by Pro Tools as automation data. This means that these controller events (along with

Mutes) can be recorded and automated from the

Mix window; in addition, each MIDI track’s automation mode affects how these events are played back and recorded. While a MIDI track’s volume and pan (and mute) events can be suspended, all other controller events in the track always play.

To avoid overwriting existing MIDI volume and pan automation data, record in MIDI Merge mode. When recording in MIDI Merge mode, existing volume and pan data will play back while recording new MIDI data.

Continuous controller events (including volume and pan) can be recorded from an external

MIDI controller (such as a keyboard or control surface), and they can be inserted in a MIDI track’s playlist using the Grabber or the Pencil.

Inserting/Editing Controller

Events

Continuous controller events can be edited with any of the following methods:

◆ Individual breakpoints can be dragged with the Grabber to adjust their location or value.

◆ A group of selected breakpoints can be scaled up or down with the Trimmer.

◆ New controller events can be drawn in with the Pencil tool to replace existing events. Events can be drawn with the Pencil set to Freehand, or using any of the shapes (Line, Triangle, Square, or Random).

◆ Controller events can be copied and pasted, nudged, and shifted.

To copy continuous MIDI controller events and paste to a different MIDI controller, use

Special Paste: Control+Start+V (Windows) or Command+Control+V (Macintosh). For example, you might want to use the same control data for volume and a cut-off filter, or for pan and pitch bend. For more infor-

mation, see “Special Paste Function for Automation Data” on page 522.

For details on these editing procedures, see

Chapter 28, “Automation.”

Edits to volume data affect all tracks within an enabled Edit Group. This is not the case, however, for other controller playlists (such as pan). To insert and edit other controller types across all tracks in an Edit Group, press the Start key (Windows) or Control

(Macintosh) while performing the edits.


Resolution for Inserted Controller

Events

When inserting controller events with the Pencil, the density of the events is determined by the MIDI preference for “Pencil Tool Resolution

When Drawing Controller Data.”

To set the Pencil tool resolution:

1 Choose Setups > Preferences, then click the

MIDI tab.

2 Enter a value for “Pencil Tool Resolution

When Drawing Controller Data.” The value range is from 1 to 100 milliseconds.

3 Click OK.

To edit a continuous controller event with the

Pencil tool, the controller first has to be added to the Automated MIDI Controllers list. In

Pro Tools 6.7 and higher, the controller is automatically added to the Automated MIDI Controllers list when you record controller information from an external device.

To manually enable a continuous controller for automation:

1 Click the Track View Selector for the MIDI track you wish to edit, and select Add/Remove

Controller from the controllers pop-up.

3 Choose the continuous controllers that you wish to automate from the list on the left, and

Click Add.

Automated MIDI Controllers dialog

4 Click OK to close the Automated MIDI Controller dialog.

In Pro Tools 6.7 and higher, when you record continuous controller information from an external MIDI device, the controller is automatically added to the MIDI Controllers list.

MIDI Controllers pop-up

2 Choose the MIDI controller range for the controller that you wish to automate.

Patch Select (Program and

Bank Changes)

Each MIDI track can have a default program change that is sent each time the track plays.

Additional program changes can be inserted at any point within the track.

About Program and Bank Changes

The MIDI protocol lets you choose from a range of 128 programs (0–127). Most MIDI instruments have several banks of 128 programs. To specify which bank you’re selecting from, a bank select message must be sent. Some instruments use Controller 0 to switch the bank while others use Controller 32; some use a combination of


the two. The Patch Select dialog in Pro Tools allows you to use either of these bank select messages when inserting a program change event.

Check the manufacturer’s documentation for your MIDI device to see which Controller it uses.

Some older MIDI devices (such as the Kurzweil K1000) use a program change instead of a Bank Select message to switch banks.

For these devices you may find it necessary to send two program change messages to access a particular program, where the first sets the bank and the second sets the program.

Default Program Change

The default program change for each MIDI track is specified by clicking on the Patch Select button, from either the Mix or Edit window. Once specified, the default program change message is sent to your instrument when playing the track.

To set the default program change for a MIDI track:

1 From the Mix or Edit window, click the Program button.

2 Do one of the following:

• In the Patch Select dialog, select a program number.

Patch Select dialog

– or –

• If you are using patch name files, choose a bank from the pop-up menu in the upper left of the Patch Select dialog and select a

patch name. See “Patch Names” on page 407.

Choosing a bank in Patch Select dialog

3 Click Done.

Once selected, the program number (or patch name) appears in the Program button in the Edit window.

Program button

Program button,

(Edit window)

Program button

Program button,

(Mix window) patch name

Program button, Edit window

Unlike recorded and inserted program change events, the default program change does not appear in the track’s playlist.

To clear the default program change, select

None in the Patch Select dialog.


Patch Names

Pro Tools supports XML (Extensible Markup

Language) for storing and importing patch names for you external MIDI devices. Pro Tools installs MIDI patch name files (.midnam) for the factory default patch names of many common

MIDI devices. These files reside in directories, sorted by manufacturer, in Program Files\Common Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch

Names\Digidesign (Windows) and /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch Names/Digidesign (Macintosh).

To import MIDI patch names into Pro Tools:

1 Verify the MIDI Device definition in the MIDI

Studio Setup (Windows) or Audio MIDI Setup

(Macintosh).

2 Verify the MIDI track’s output is correctly assigned to the MIDI device.

3 Click the MIDI track’s Program button.

4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change button.

Change button

Patch Select dialog

5 In the Open dialog, navigate to Program

Files\Common Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch

Names\Digidesign\<name of manufacturer>

(Windows) or /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch

Names/Digidesign/<name of manufacturer>

(Macintosh) and select the MIDI Patch Name file (.midnam) for the MIDI device.

6 Click Open.

7 The Patch Select dialog will be populated with patch names and the Patch Name Bank pop-up menu will appear in the upper left hand corner of the window.

Program button

Program button,

(Edit window)

Program button

Program button,

(Mix window)

Patch Select dialog with patch names


Once patch names have been imported into

Pro Tools, they will be available for that MIDI device in all sessions.

Pro Tools will not let you import a patch name file that does not match the model and manufacturer information that you have selected in the MIDI Studio Setup window.

To clear patch names:

■

In the Patch Select dialog, click the Clear button, and click Done.

MIDI patch name files (.midnam) can be edited in any text editor, or you can use third party patch librarian and editor software to create your own custom patch names.

Inserting and Editing Program

Changes

Program changes can be inserted into a track’s playlist with the Pencil tool. Existing program changes can be edited, moved, and copied and pasted.

On some instruments, changing programs during playback can interrupt playback. To avoid this, place program change events in the track where there are no notes sounding.

To insert a program change with the Pencil:

1 Set the MIDI track to Program Change view.

2 If you want the inserted event to snap to a grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.

3 Click with the Pencil in the track’s playlist at the point where you want to insert the program change.

4 In the Patch Select dialog, select a program number (or name) and, if necessary, specify a bank change value.

5 Click Done to insert the program change event in the track’s playlist.

Program change event

To edit a program change event:

1 With the Grabber or Pencil, double-click the program change event you want to edit.

2 In the Patch Select dialog, select the new program number (or name) and, if necessary, specify a bank change value.

3 Click Done.

To move a program change event:

■

With the Grabber or Pencil, drag the program change event left or right.

If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged event snaps to the nearest Grid boundary. If the Edit mode is set to Spot, the Spot dialog opens.

The placement of program changes can also

be adjusted with Shift (see “Shift Com-

mand” on page 291) or Nudge (see “Nudging” on page 289).


To delete a program change event:

1 With the track set to Notes view, click the program change event with the Grabber to select it.

– or –

If the region contains other events you want to delete, select the entire region with the Grabber

(when the track is displaying regions).

2 Choose Edit > Clear to remove the selected events from the track.

– or –


Individual program change events can also be deleted by Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Macintosh) them with the

Pencil.

Auditioning Programs

When the Patch Select dialog is open, you can have Pro Tools automatically scroll through the different patches for a track’s assigned MIDI device.

To audition patches:

1 If you want to audition patches for a MIDI track during playback, click Play in the Transport window.

2 Open the Patch Select dialog by clicking the

Program button, or by inserting or editing a program change event in a MIDI track.

3 Click a program number—the starting point from which you will scroll through the patches.

4 Enter a value for the number of seconds that will elapse between each program change.

5 Select the option for Increment Patch.

After the specified number of seconds, Pro Tools selects the next patch and transmits the program change to the track’s assigned MIDI device.

6 When you are finished auditioning settings, click Done to stop incrementing patches, and to close the Patch Select dialog.

System Exclusive Events

System Exclusive (Sysex) events can be recorded

to MIDI tracks in Pro Tools (see “MIDI Step Input” on page 193). Once the events are re-

corded, they appear in the track’s playlist as blocks when the Display Format is set to Sysex.

Sysex event block

While the contents of recorded System Exclusive events cannot be directly edited in

Pro Tools, the events can be moved or nudged, copied and pasted, or deleted.

To move a Sysex event:

1 Set the MIDI track to Sysex view.

2 With the Grabber, drag the Sysex event left or right.

If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged event snaps to the nearest Grid boundary. If the Edit mode is set to Spot, the Spot dialog opens.

The placement of Sysex event blocks can

also be adjusted with Shift (see “Shift Com-

mand” on page 291) or Nudge (see “Nudging” on page 289).


To delete one or more Sysex events:

1 With the track to Sysex view, click the Sysex event with the Grabber to select it.

– or –

If the region contains other Sysex events you want to delete, select the entire region with the

Grabber (when the track is displaying regions).

2 Choose Edit > Clear to remove the selected events from the track.

– or –


Individual Sysex event blocks can also be deleted by Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Macintosh) them with the

Pencil.

Note and Controller Chasing

Note Chasing

Note Chasing allows long, sustained MIDI notes to be heard when playing from a point after their start time. For example, if a note’s start time is at 1|1|000 and lasts for 8 measures (until

9|1|000), note chasing lets you begin playing from bar 5 and still hear the note that started at

1|1|000 as it continues to sustain until 9|1|000.

Note Chasing is something that can turned on and off individually for each MIDI track. By default, new MIDI tracks have Note Chasing enabled.

To enable Note Chasing for a MIDI track:

■

Click the track’s Playlist Selector and select the option for Note Chasing.

Note Chasing enabled in Playlist Selector pop-up

Make sure to disable Note Chasing when working with samplers that are playing loops. If a

MIDI track, for example, is triggering a 4-bar drum loop and you begin playing at bar 3, the loop will begin playing at the wrong time and be out of sync with the other tracks.

Controller and Program Chasing

Pro Tools always chases continuous controller events and program changes for MIDI tracks.

This ensures that controller values and patches for MIDI devices are always appropriately set.

For example, suppose a MIDI track lasting 32 measures starts with a volume of 127 and in the last bar fades the volume down to 0. If after playing the track in its entirety you attempt to play from bar 8, the initial volume of 127 is chased and sent to the track’s assigned device— otherwise the track would not be heard since the most recent volume event sent would have been 0.

Chasing also occurs for a MIDI track’s default program change, along with any program change events residing within the track. Therefore, if you have chosen a default program change for a track, when playing from any point within the track, the program change event is sent to the track’s assigned device.


Default Controller Values and Chasing

Though new MIDI tracks appear to have default values for continuous controller playlists, this is actually not the case. For example, when viewing a MIDI track’s Mod Wheel playlist, you’ll see that the breakpoint line is set to a default of zero. However, since the modulation wheel on your synth may purposely be set to a different value, the default value in the track is not transmitted when playing.

This can cause some confusion, however, if you insert a fade (for example, from 0–90) in the

Mod Wheel playlist towards the end of the track. If you then play from the beginning of the track, or from anywhere before the fade, the

Mod Wheel value on your synth will be at 90 until the beginning of the fade data is reached— which is likely not what you want.

To ensure that the default controller value for a playlist is sent (and chased), click the initial breakpoint at the beginning of the track, move it slightly, and set it back to the default value.

Offsetting MIDI Tracks

Pro Tools can offset MIDI tracks globally or individually.

In Pro Tools TDM 6.7 and higher systems, when Delay Compensation is active, MIDI tracks are automatically delay-compensated to provide low latency monitoring. For

more informations, see “Delay Compensation for MIDI Tracks” on page 472.

Global MIDI Playback Offset

Pro Tools offers a MIDI offset preference that allows MIDI tracks to play back earlier or later

(than audio tracks) by a specified number of samples. The offset affects playback only and does not alter in any way how MIDI data is displayed in the Edit window.

This capability is provided in large part to compensate for the audio monitoring latency in

Pro Tools LE. If you are monitoring the output of your MIDI devices with an external mixer or sound system (or headphones), there is no latency. If, however, you are monitoring the output of your MIDI devices through a Digi 002,

Digi 002 Rack, or Mbox, your MIDI tracks will appear to play slightly later than your audio tracks. The larger the setting for the H/W Buffer

Size (128, 256, 512, or 1024 samples), the larger the latency.

By configuring the Global MIDI Playback Offset, you can get your MIDI tracks to play back slightly earlier (by a specified number of samples), thereby compensating for the latency in monitoring audio within Pro Tools LE.

To configure the Global MIDI Playback Offset:

1 Choose Setups > Preferences and click the

MIDI tab.

2 For the “Global MIDI Playback Offset” option, enter the number of samples (–10,000 to

10,000) for the offset. A negative value causes the MIDI tracks to play back earlier than the audio tracks; a positive value causes the MIDI tracks to play back later.

To allow for monitoring latency in Pro Tools LE, set the offset to a value that is roughly equivalent to the H/W Buffer Size.


3 Click Done.

The Global MIDI Playback Offset can also be set from the MIDI Track Offsets window.

Individual MIDI Track Offsets

You can offset individual MIDI track offsets in

Pro Tools to compensate for delays in MIDI devices (the time it takes to trigger events on a sampler or synth).

For example, if you have some kick drums that are being played by an audio track in Pro Tools and want them to be perfectly “in sync” with kick drums that are being played by a MIDI device, you may need to use a MIDI offset. In this example, it will usually take at least 5 ms to trigger the MIDI notes, and it could take even longer, depending on the MIDI device.

You can measure the latency for a MIDI device assigned to a MIDI track by recording its audio output back into Pro Tools. Compare the sample locations for the recorded audio events against the original MIDI notes to calculate the latency.

To configure a MIDI track offset for a track:

1 Choose Windows > Show MIDI Track Offsets.

2 Click in the Sample Offset column for the

MIDI track and enter the number of samples

(–10,000 to 10,000) for the offset. A negative value causes the MIDI tracks to play back earlier than the audio tracks; a positive value causes the

MIDI tracks to play back later.

The equivalent offset in milliseconds is displayed in the msec Offset column. This value cannot be edited, but updates when a new value is entered in the SMPTE Offset column.

3 Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) to accept the entered offset value.

To reset all offsets for all MIDI tracks, click the

Reset button in the upper left of the window.

Stuck Notes

If you encounter stuck notes with any of your

MIDI devices, you can silence them with the All

Notes Off command.

To turn off all stuck notes:

■

Choose MIDI > All Notes Off.

Press Control+Shift+period (Windows) or

Command+Shift+period (Macintosh) for the All Notes Off command.

MIDI Track Offsets


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