Note recording details

Note events can be recorded for instrument devices and are contained in note clips. Performance controller events, such as Mod Wheel, Pitch Bend and Aftertouch events, can also be recorded for instrument devices, and be contained in note clips, but they are described separately in “Parameter automation recording details”.

Setting up the instrument track

To record notes for an instrument device - or for an external MIDI instrument - on a track in the sequencer, you need only create an instrument track as described in “Creating an instrument track”. The instrument track will automatically have Master Keyboard Input and the note lane will automatically be record enabled. Since you will only be recording MIDI events on the instrument track - and no audio - there is no need to adjust audio levels etc. These can always be adjusted afterwards.

If you want to control an external MIDI instrument, simply create an External MIDI Instrument device and select the appropriate MIDI port and channel on the device panel. See “External MIDI Instrument” for more details.

About “Quantize During Recording”

The Q Record (Quantize During Recording) button on the Transport Panel.

It’s possible to quantize MIDI notes as they are being recorded. This will automatically align the start positions of the recorded notes to a pre-defined grid. Refer to “Quantize” for more details.

Recording notes

1.	Set up the instrument track according to the description in “Setting up the instrument track”.

2.	Record the track according to the description in “General recording procedure”.

3.	When the recording is finished, the note clip on the lane shows the recorded note events in a piano-roll fashion inside the clip:

A note clip with note events.

The note clip’s start and end boundaries will automatically snap to the closest bar to make it easier to arrange (move etc.) later on.

If no MIDI events (notes and/or performance controllers) were recorded, the empty note clip will be automatically removed from the lane after you have clicked Stop.

It’s also possible to manually insert notes by drawing them with the Pencil tool. Refer to “Drawing notes”.

You can also use Player devices to automatically generate various types of MIDI Note sequences, patterns and chords when you record your instrument, see “Working with Players”.

Recording notes in Loop mode

Recording on a note lane in Loop mode allows you to continuously add new notes in a defined section of your song:

1.	Set up the instrument track according to the description in “Setting up the instrument track”.

2.	Set the Left and Right Locators to span the desired part of your song.

3.	Enable the Loop function by pressing [L] or by clicking the Loop On/Off button on the Transport Panel:

Loop mode activated on the Transport Panel.

4.	Click the L button on the Transport Panel to move the Song Position Pointer (play head) to the Left Locator.

5.	Record the track according to the description in “General recording procedure”.

When the Song Position Pointer has reached the Right Locator, the recording starts over from the Left Locator again and you can record additional notes. Any new recorded notes will be added to the previously recorded ones and all notes will be heard during the recording.

Continue recording for as many loop cycles you like.

Recording over or into an existing note clip

Recording over or into an existing note clip will simply add new note events to the previously recorded events in the note clip as described in “Recording notes in Loop mode”. However, If the new recording should start before the original clip, and expand into the original clip, a new clip will be created and will engulf the original clip. Let’s have a look at the following example:

In the picture below, we have the original note clip spanning bars 4-13 on the track:

A note lane with an existing clip.

Now, we’re going to record an intro which is going to span the first four bars:

A new note clip recorded on bars 1-4 on the same note lane.

The new clip is partly recorded over the original clip. The part of the original clip that has been recorded over is incorporated in the new clip; the events from the original clip are now contained in the new clip, and the start of the original clip has been moved to bar 5, where the new clip ends.

If you’re recording over or into a masked clip and the new clip engulfs masked events, the masked events will be permanently deleted! See more about masked events in “About masked recordings and events”.

Another, perhaps more convenient, way of overdubbing on an instrument track is to create additional note lanes and record new clips on these using the New Dub or New Alt functions described in “Recording notes using the “Dub” and “Alt” functions”. This way, you will get a better overview of exactly what you added in each of your recordings.

Recording notes using the “Dub” and “Alt” functions

A practical way of recording additional MIDI events on an instrument track is to use the “Dub” and “Alt” functions.

The “Dub” function

The “Dub” function creates additional record enabled note lanes on which you can record “overdubs”. This is the function to use when you want to add new notes in the same section of the instrument track but want the notes to end up in new clips on additional note lanes instead of in the original clip. All note lanes will play back together.

The “Dub” function used for creating two additional lanes for overdub purposes. Loop mode is Off.

The “Dub” function used for creating two additional lanes for overdub purposes in Loop mode.

Creating a new note lane using the “Dub” button can also be done on-the-fly while recording.

The “New Alt” function

The “Alt” function creates additional record enabled note lanes on which you can record alternative takes. At the same time, the previous note lane will be muted. Only the most recently added note lane will play back.

Note that if Loop is activated and the Song Position Pointer is between the Locators, the clips between the Locators will be muted (instead of the lanes).

Here are two examples where the “Alt” function has been used:

The “Alt” function used for creating two additional lanes for alternative takes. Loop mode is Off.

When using the “Alt” function with Loop mode off, the previous note lane will be automatically muted.

The “Alt” function used for creating two additional lanes for alternative takes in Loop mode.

When using the “Alt” function in Loop mode, the clips between the locators will be muted - not the entire note lane. If the locators are placed over an existing clip, as in the example above, clicking the “Alt” button in Loop mode will split the clip and mute the clip between the locators.

Creating a new note lane using the “Alt” button can also be done on-the-fly while recording.