| |
|
|
|
Using SmartScore 3
It's important to understand the difference between the ENF and MIDI displays. ENF notation always updates the MIDI display. But the MIDI display does not update ENF notation. Raw MIDI data can only be displayed as ENF notation when it is reintroduced into a new ENF document. This is because MIDI data lacks all information about page layout, stem direction, voices, etc. MIDI data is time-based while ENF notation data is graphical and contains much more visual information of the music. Changes made in the MIDI environment can be heard during ENF playback but the ENF graphical representation remains unchanged. You can modify data in MIDI view, return to ENF view and still retain changes made in MIDI by using the PLAY button in the play console. It is always possible to return to ENF display-only for playback by selecting Playback > Refresh MIDI or by using the Spacebar to play. The following table attempts to clarify the relationship between ENF and MIDI views.
In MIDI view, choosing View > Convert MIDI to ENF will create a new ENF document based only on MIDI file data.
NOTE: Page formatting will be lost in the new ENF document, but the source ENF document will remain open and unchanged.
Close MIDI views (icons appear in upper left-hand corner) to return display to ENF notation view. Changes made in MIDI environment will be kept until Refresh MIDI is invoked.
In ENF view, Playback > Refresh MIDI updates playback based on the current ENF display only. MIDI Refresh is performed whenever an ENF file is opened or when the spacebar is used for playback after MIDI editing. Select "Save As MIDI" to save current playback as a MIDI file. Choose "Keep MIDI" to ignore refresh and temporarily retain changes made in MIDI environment. Choose "Refresh and Continue" to discard changes made in MIDI and refresh playback based only on ENF display.
Changes made in MIDI will be kept in ENF playback until MIDI Refresh is activated either by hitting the spacebar for playback or when closing and reopening the ENF file. ThePlay button in the Mini Console and Playback Console will NOT activate MIDI Refresh. Remember: Reopening an ENF file refreshes MIDI.
The rule of thumb for saving changed MIDI data is:
"Perform MIDI Editing Last - Then Save As MIDI"
SmartScore is designed to map ENF parts and/or voices to MIDI tracks depending on which Color Mode is selected: Part or Voice. For more about color mode of parts and voices, see "Working with Voices".
There are three ways to display MIDI data in the MIDI Editor: Overview, Piano Roll and Event List.
The New MIDI View Window will open.
b. In the Type window, select the type of MIDI view desired, Overview (display all tracks), Piano Roll (display detail of one track) or Event List (display all MIDI events in all tracks).
The MIDI toolbar (View > Toolbars > MIDI Toolbar) includes buttons for opening new Overview, Piano Roll, Event List windows. The Shuttle Tool, Record, Record to New Track and Virtual Drum Kit are also visible.
You can also change to a new MIDI view by pressing
MIDI in the Navigator. Views do not replaced. Each new view overlays all open views.
Each MIDI view (Overview, Piano Roll and Event List) has its own "close" icon in the upper left-hand corner of the window. Click to close an active MIDI view window. Or select File > Close. Closing the last MIDI view will return display to its associated ENF view.
Overview provides a "bird's eye view" of all existing MIDI tracks. Some editing functions are limited
Clicking into a track's Name field in Overview will highlight the entire track for cutting/pasting/shifting. Double-clicking into a track's Name field will open its Piano Roll view. Right-click (option + click Mac) in the Name field will open the Track Properties window.
The Track Properties window allows for editing of the Track Name and its Transposition. It is also used to create new MIDI tracks. Push Piano Roll or Event List buttons to view selected track in one of these views.
NOTE: The Transpose selection window will actually move all the note events of the selected track by half steps.
Selecting Duplicate Track will create an exact copy of the active track and insert it at the bottom of the track listing.
Use the magnifying glass in the MIDI toolbar. Click to zoom in. Right-click (option + click for Mac) to zoom out.
Drag zoom will magnify events either horizontally or vertically. To zoom vertically, drag any piano key divider (Piano Roll) or track divider (Overview) upwards or downwards. To magnify events horizontally, drag a measure bar division in the track header left or right.
Press the spacebar to Play. Press again to Pause. Press again to resume Play. Press the comma key (",") to Rewind to the beginning.
The Mini-Console is a dockable (tear-off) toolbar that plays, records, rewinds and stops playback.
The "spring-loaded" tempo slider will increase or decrease tempo speed depending on the distance it is pulled from the center. Releasing the mouse will return playback tempo to the default speed.
Play button initiates/resumes playback of the active MIDI file. Once playback has begun, the Play button becomes Pause. Use this button to retain MIDI data after returning to ENF display.
Pause will stop playback without rewinding to the beginning of the score. Hitting Play again will resume playback.
Stop button stops playback/recording of the MIDI. Play/Record is re-initialized at 0 (rewinds to the beginning).
Rewind button resets playback to the beginning of the playback range.
The Record button will create a new MIDI track and will launch a new recording session. When Record is lit, press Play button to begin recording a new MIDI performance to a new track. When recording to a new MIDI track, existing MIDI data, instruments, channels and transpositions of the original ENF or imported MIDI file will be maintained.
NOTE: All playback functions are also available in the Realtime menu (in MIDI) or Playback menu (in ENF).
TIP: To select an entire track for cutting and pasting, go to Overview and click (option + click for Mac) in the track's Name field.
c. Click on the MIDI Output device you wish to use for MIDI playback. The MIDI device window will display all installed MIDI device drivers. MIDI Mapper is the default in Windows and is most commonly used for sound cards although a specific soundcard driver may be selected from the Output list.
d. Press OK to set the selected MIDI devices as the current SmartScore MIDI sources. The selected device then moves to the top of the list.
NOTE: If the desired device is not listed in the MIDI Devices window make sure the device driver has been properly installed. Check any software that was installed with your MIDI device and/or download MIDI driver from manufacturer's website. When installing a new MIDI driver, reboot to initialize the new driver.
Rerun OMS Setup after installing new MIDI drivers. For more about OMS, turn to "OMS Setup (Mac Classic Only)".
a. Select the MIDI button in the Navigator. In the New MIDI View window, select a track or Part Name. Pushing OK will open the selected track in piano roll format.
c.Use the magnifying glass in the Main Toolbar to zoom in or out of the Piano Roll view. Click to zoom in. Right-click (option + click for Mac) to zoom out.
d. Another zoom method is to drag measure dividers horizontally and piano key dividers vertically. See Figure 6 on page 172 for more details on zooming.
TIP: It is often helpful to have several tracks visible at once. Use the Tile button to neatly display several open Piano Roll views.
In Piano Roll view, the bottom pane of the window displays a graphical, continuous-change MIDI controller. Click into controller Selector pulldown menu to select the MIDI controller you wish to effect a change to.
.
The Shuttle Tool allows you to sound MIDI events forward or backward by dragging the mouse over a range of events.
In Piano Roll view, the "S" key toggles the Shuttle Tool off and on. To manually select, press the Toggle Shuttle button in the MIDI Toolbar or go to the Options menu and select Shuttle On. Click and hold anywhere in an Overview or Piano Roll and drag the Shuttle Tool to the right to play the MIDI file at your own tempo. Drag the Shuttle Tool to the left to rewind and hear the MIDI file simultaneously.
a. Use the Voice Selection pull-down menu located above the piano keyboard to select a voice number.
a. In an active track, position cursor and click wherever you wish to make an instrument change. Select Edit > Program Change.
b. Select a new Instrument from the pull-down menu. In Voice Color mode, select a voice number from the Voice pull-down menu. This will apply the new instrument sound to the selected voice (voices will automatically be assigned different MIDI channels). For more about Voice Color Mode, turn to "Working with Voices and Colors".
NOTE: List of instruments is determined by the selected Instrument set selected in Options > Instrument Settings. Instrument set is also able to be selected in the Playback Console.
d. An inverted red triangle will indicate the point where the program change was inserted. Clicking on any Program Change triangle will open the Program Change window for additional changes.
NOTE: SmartScore supports multiple MIDI channels within each MIDI track. This allows for contrapuntal voices within ENF stafflines to be assigned to different instruments within each MIDI track. In other words, multiple voices in ENF are equivalent to multiple channels within a MIDI track. This is a sort of hybrid MIDI type (MIDI Type 1/Type 0 hybrid).
a. Select Instrument Settings under the Options menu. In Playback Console, push the Set Instrument button. This will open the Instrument Settings window.
b. Select the MIDI Port of the MIDI instrument you will be adjusting with the MIDI Port pull-down menu.
c. Choose a specific Instrument Bank or all Banks from the selected MIDI Port if numerical banks are supported by your MIDI device.
d. Select the type of MIDI Instrument (GM, MT32, GS, Yamaha XG, Numeric or Custom) from the Instrument pull-down menu.
e. Use the radio buttons to activate or deactivate specific MIDI channels for selected Instrument set and Drum set. The default MIDI channel for drums is 10.
f. Use the Drum pull-down menu to select the type of MIDI Drum set your device supports (GM, No Drums, Roland GS Drums, Yamaha XG Drums, Numeric or Custom).
g. Push Custom to create a formatted text document for displaying custom instrument names for your MIDI device. Edit to change.
h. Save will save Custom patch names as a formatted text document (.TXT). Save this file then open it in a word processing application and enter your patch names. Then save as a text document.
i. Load will allow you to load the Custom text file. Your custom patch names will display throughout SmartScore's MIDI patch selection windows (Instrument Templates and Playback Console).
Under the Edit menu choosing Select opens the Select Window.
Select All tracks or an individual track or voice to highlight for cut, paste, pitch shifting or assigning parameters. Choose Full time to display the full length of the MIDI file or designate a portion of the file to display by entering the measure, beat, and tick into the From and To fields.
Selecting MIDI events using mouse click-and-drag can be done from any view. Mouse functions work the same in all views.
b. Hold down the Shift key and click again to set the end of the timeframe. The selected range will highlight in grey.
Click and drag the center of the note to change pitch (vertical drag) or note placement (horizontal drag).
NOTE: The arrow keys on your computer keyboard can also be used to adjust the pitch and start time of the selected note.
NOTE: To realign MIDI events to the nearest starting point (quantization), go to Options > Snap to and select the base rhythmic value.
a. Select the Velocity/Duration option from the Edit menu. The Velocity and Duration window will open.
b. Use the sliders or type in numbers to increase or decrease the velocity or duration of the selected note(s) by a percentage. Example: You wish to double the duration of a group of selected notes. In the Velocity/Duration window move the Duration slider to 200%.
Double-clicking on any note event will open the Note Event window.
The Note Event window allows access to and adjustment of an individual note's parameters.
Click and drag the mouse or use Edit > Select to select a region of note events that you would like to cut, copy or paste.
Paste will insert the contents of the clipboard back into the score without deleting the existing notes. Click where you want to insert the music into the score.
The Paste Special window offers several options for pasting the contents of the clipboard back into the music.
Add to existing events will add the contents of the clipboard to the selected area without erasing the existing notes.
Move to make room will push the existing music backward and then insert the contents of the clipboard.
Start from time designates where the inserted music will begin by choosing the measure, beat, and tick.
All to track will insert the contents of the clipboard, no matter how many tracks were originally selected, into one track.
TIP: Using Tile, you can view ENF and MIDI View windows simultaneously. Changes made in ENF automatically update the MIDI view. This is useful if timing problems are encountered while editing ENF notation.
The Measure Settings window allows for inserting changes of tempo, time signature and key signature at the start of any given measure.
Use the Time Sign pull-down menus to select the number of beats per measure and the base measure unit (2=Half note, 4=Quarter note, 8=Eighth note, etc.)
Select the number of accidentals in the new Key Signature with the pull-down menu. Mark the key as major or minor with the radio buttons next to the pull-down menu.
Press OK to make the changes current through the end of the active MIDI file.
While you are more likely to insert repeats and multiple endings in ENF view, they can also be edited in the Measure Settings window in Overview or Piano Roll view. Double click any measure number to open the Measure Settings window of that measure.
Check the 1st Measure of Repeat box to select a measure as the beginning of the repeated section.
Use the # of Passes scroller to determine the total number of times this section will be played. For example: If you want the section to play through and repeat one time, set the # of Passes to 2 (the default).
Check the Last Measure of Repeat box to set a measure as the final measure of the repeated section. During playback, once the preset number of passes has been met, playback of the remainder of the score will continue after this measure has finished.
The 1st Measure of Ending box designates a measure as the beginning of an ending.
The Number of Passes scroller is used to number this ending, i.e, 1 = 1st Ending, 2 = 2nd Ending. Hold down the Ctrl key to select a number to designate the number multiple passes this ending should have.
Use the Last Measure of Ending check box to define the total length of the ending. After this measure is played, MIDI playback will jump to the 1st Measure of Repeat and continue on with the next pass.
NOTE: This measure is also the Last Measure of Repeat. Check the Last Measure of Repeat box to continue playback with the 1st Measure of Repeat.
A Segno is a musical notation symbol used to denote the beginning or the end of a repeated section.
Checking the Segno box will place a Segno in a measure.
Activate the Jump check box and select d.s. or Dal Segno (from Segno). After this measure is played, MIDI playback will jump to the Segno measure and continue playback.
Check the Jump box and select d.c. or Da Capo (from the beginning) and al segno (to the Segno).
Checking the Segno box will place a Segno in a measure. Playback will stop with this measure.
Fine means final or end. It denotes the last measure of a score when repeats are used.
Check the Jump to box and select d.c. or Da Capo (from the beginning) and al fine (to the end). After this measure is played, MIDI playback will jump to the beginning of the score and continue playback to the end.
Use the Fine check box to insert a fine into a measure. MIDI playback will stop at the end of this measure.
A Fine can be inserted after a Segno when the Segno is used to mark the beginning of the repeated section.
Checking the Segno box will place a Segno in a measure.
Activate the Jump check box and select d.s. or Dal Segno (from Segno) and al fine (to the end). After this measure is played, MIDI playback will jump to the Segno measure.
Check the Fine box to insert a fine in a measure. MIDI playback will play through the score, return to the Segno measure, and stop after the Fine measure is played.
Jump can be used to "send" MIDI playback to a certain measure.
Select to Measure in order to jump to a chosen measure during playback.
On Pass will send MIDI playback to the selected measure on the designated pass only.
NOTE: Check On Pass if the d.s., d.c, or the Jump measure falls within a repeated section and define on which pass playback will jump.
To view and edit detailed MIDI events, meta events, note events, controllers, program changes, key and time signatures, etc. in a selected track,
a. Press the MIDI button of the Navigator or in the menu, select
View > New MIDI View or Window > Event List.
The Event List displays every MIDI event of the selected track:
Select what event types are displayed in the Event List by checking or un-checking the Event Type boxes along the top of the Event List.
To scroll the Event List display during playback, check the "Scroll when playing" box in the Event List window.
Click in any of the columns to change the parameters of an existing MIDI event or double click in the Type column of a Note Event to open the Note On window.
The Note On window, like the Note Event window, allows for adjustment of an individual note's parameters: Channel, Time, Duration, Pitch, and Velocity.
a. Click the Event you want the Note to follow. Select New from the upper left-hand corner of the Event List. The Create New Event window will open.
e. Enter the Voice, Time, Duration, and Pitch of the new event by clicking in the corresponding columns or double-click in the Type column to open the Note On window.
Click in any column to make changes to any existing MIDI events. To insert a new tempo, key, or time signature click the event you want the new event to follow. Press the New button. The Create New Event window will open.
Use the scroll bar to select Meta Event. A Meta Event is a MIDI file instruction. Scroll through the Event Subtype window to choose Tempo, Time Signature, or Key Signature. Press OK. Use the Other column to select the new tempo, time signature, or key signature OR double-click in the Type column to open an event-specific window. You may type in a new value.
Any MIDI event that is not a note-on or note-off event is a non-note event. This includes MIDI Control Changes, Program Changes, Channel Pressure, Pitch Bend information, and Meta Events.
The New Event window will open.
NOTE: Some events, such as Control Change and Meta Event, have Subtype event listings. Choose one if applicable.
Program Change inserts a MIDI event that changes the instrument playback for a given channel / voice.
The selected Program Change will be inserted into the Event List.
Control Changes send adjustable parameters to your selected MIDI device i.e., vibrato, hold, volume, pan, effects, etc. You can add specific changes to these controls from within SmartScore's Event List. To find out more about what each control change will do, refer to the user's manual of your MIDI device.
Meta Events are MIDI file instructions written to the MIDI file. They provide information such as file and track headers, SMPTE code, tempo, key and time signatures, etc. and can be added to any MIDI file using SmartScore's Event List
The Playback Console is available in Overview and Piano Roll views and allows for detailed viewing and control of playback and provides real-time editing of the active MIDI file. Push MIDI in the Navigator and select Piano Roll or Overview. Push the Playback Console button in the SmartScore Toolbar or choose
Real-time > Playback Console (Ctrl +9 Win / Cmnd+9 Mac) to open the Playback Console.
NOTE: The console can act as a "window shade". To shrink vertically, drag the bottom edge of the console up or down.
To choose whether the timing of MIDI note events is displayed by Measure: Beat: Tick or by Tick Number;
To choose whether the velocity of MIDI note events is displayed with absolute numbers (0-127) or as percentages;
To activate the Record mode and adjust the recording options choose Record from the Realtime menu.
Recording is synchronized to start with the first MIDI note played. To "unsynchronize" the start of recording with the first played MIDI event uncheck Synchro Start from the Realtime menu OR choose the Metronome Settings listed under the Options menu and uncheck Synchro On.
Sends new MIDI events to the selected MIDI output device. The active Piano Roll determines the parameters of the MIDI Thru sound. If no Piano Roll is open, MIDI Channel 1 is used.
The Metronome is on by default. The metronome is useful in keeping time while recording and as a "count-in" tool to mark the beginning of the recording session.
Sometimes, you may want to record "freely"... that is, you simply want to capture a performance in MIDI without worrying about timing or about trying to convert the performance into notation. For this purpose, you will want to turn the metronome off. To make the metronome inactive during recording, uncheck Metronome from the Realtime menu OR choose the Metronome Settings listed under the Options menu and uncheck Metronome On.
NOTE: The Metronome On check box must be selected for the metronome to sound during recording. To record without a metronome uncheck the Metronome On box.
With Synchro On, SmartScore will synchronize the start of recording with the first played MIDI event.
Select which MIDI Port the metronome will play through.
Choose the metronome's MIDI Channel.
NOTE: The de facto drum channel, MIDI Channel 10, is the default channel. But you can change it if you wish.
Determine the number of Lead-in Measures that will play prior to the start of recording. The metronome will click at each baseline beat (derived from the time signature) for as many measures as you choose.
The Primary Beat (down beat) will sound when its On check box is selected. The Pitch pull-down menu displays all General MIDI drum sounds. Use the Volume scroll box to increase or decrease the volume of the Primary Beat. The default accents the Primary Beat.
The Secondary Beat will sound when it On check box is selected. The Pitch pull-down menu displays all General MIDI drum sounds. Use the Volume scroll box to increase or decrease the volume of the Secondary Beat.
MIDI recording is very strict. Any fluctuation in timing or speed may result in strange or even useless notation. To prevent this, you can apply quantization to your performance. Select Snap to from the Options menu prior to recording. Choose the smallest rhythmic value that you think you can accurately play while recording. The resulting MIDI events will be justified, each event beginning at the nearest selected rhythmic timing mark.
You can reset start times of selected events to the nearest value set in Options > Snap to will also reset start times of all selected MIDI events and will fix the increment at which selected MIDI events can be moved, when using the mouse or arrow keys to move events horizontally.
a. Select Record from the Realtime menu OR press the Record button in the Playback Console. The New View window will open if any MIDI data already exists in an active file.
NOTE: A Piano Roll will open for the selected track. A Piano Roll must be open to record in SmartScore. A new voice and MIDI channel will automatically be created when recording into any track.
e. Press the spacebar or select Play from the Realtime menu, or press the Play button in the Playback Console to start recording at measure 1, unless a Punch In point has been set (see below).
Stop will end the current recording session. SmartScore will return to the standard MIDI editing environment.
To run SmartScore's MIDI recording from an external timer, select External Timer from the Realtime menu.
To set Punch In and Punch Out points for recording, double click any measure number in an Overview or Piano Roll. The Measure Settings window will open.
The Punch In and Out points are marked with red triangles in the Overview and Piano Roll displays.
Recording a "live" MIDI performance to a metronome may be very useful to an accomplished keyboardist, but many of us do not have the timing skills required to record a performance meaningful enough for conversion to notation. Even if using "Snap to" quantization will result in note positions that are offset with a mix of strange note values and, usually, many rests. A logical alternative to live recording is Step Time Recording. Using this method, you will be able to quickly select exact note durations as well as "skips" (rests) from the number pad of your computer keyboard. With your other hand, enter notes and chords from your MIDI keyboard or MIDI instrument.
a. Make sure your MIDI keyboard or MIDI instrument is properly connected to your computer and that it or its interface is selected under Input in the MIDI Devices window (See "MIDI Devices" for more.)
c. Select a track. The default is set to "New Track". If you wish to record onto an existing MIDI track, select that track in the New View window.
e. A floating window representing the computer keyboard number pad and associated note durations appears. Record is now staged.
f. Click on a note value or control button in the floating key pad window. Or, you may select the corresponding value / control function using the numerical keypad on your computer keyboard.
h. Press a note or chord on your MIDI instrument. Notes of the selected value will insert. The next note you enter will begin at the same point the last note ended. e.g. In 4/4 time with quarter note selected, hitting a note four times will fill up one measure.
In any MIDI view, you can record your own drum tracks onto existing tracks using nothing more than your computer keyboard. To activate Virtual Drums, go to the Realtime menu and select Virtual Drum Kit. See for more information.
If you return to the ENF view after editing in the MIDI environment, playback will retain changes made in MIDI views until the ENF display is updated with "MIDI Refresh". If notation is subsequently edited in ENF or if MIDI Refresh is selected, you will be given a choice of A) Keeping current MIDI playback B) Refreshing ENF and clearing previous changes made in MIDI or C) Saving the current playback as a MIDI file.
Refer to "Updating and refreshing playback and display" for more information on how ENF and MIDI views are inter-related.
SmartScore accepts any Standard MIDI file and converts it to an ENF file.Turn to "MIDI to ENF" for details.
When saving a MIDI file, remember that you are not saving a music notation file. The more "humanized" the MIDI file sounds, the less likely it will appear correctly when imported into a music notation application, such as SmartScore. Saving SmartScore files derived from scanning will normally give reasonably good results because the music is already "quantized" into discreet start and stop times.
To save a SmartScore MIDI file,
a. Select FILE > Save As, click the "Save as Type" pull down menu and select either MIDI Type 0 (Single Track/Multiple Channels) or MIDI Type 1 (Multiple Tracks / Multiple Channels).
Articulations such as slurs, staccatos and legatos will result in a MIDI file that will not import properly into a notation program. Choose whether you want your MIDI file for importing into a notation program or for playback only.
| |
|
|
|
