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MIDI Editing and Sequencing

Underlying MIDI data of an ENF score can be viewed and manipulated in one of three MIDI views: Overview, Piano Roll and Event List.

MIDI Views
Selecting MIDI views
To open MIDI environment from ENF and select a MIDI view,
a.

Press the MIDI button in the Navigator or choose View > New MIDI View (Ctrl +I / Cmnd+I (Mac)).

The New MIDI View Window will open.

New MIDI View
b. In the Type window, select the type of MIDI view desired, Overview, Piano Roll or Event List).


Overview

This view displays all MIDI tracks (parts) found in the open Score-Part.



Piano Roll

This view displays all MIDI note events found in the selected track.



Event List

This view lists all MIDI events and every detail associated with them.

The above MIDI view buttons are accessible from the MIDI toolbar.

MIDI Toolbar

The MIDI toolbar (View > Toolbars > MIDI Toolbar) includes buttons for opening Overview, Piano Roll, Event List views. Also visible are the Shuttle, Record, Record to New Track and Virtual Drum tools.



MIDI Toolbar
Closing MIDI 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.

Track Overview

Overview provides a "bird's eye view" of all existing MIDI tracks. Some editing functions are limited

Track Overview window
Selecting tracks and MIDI events

Right-clicking (option + click Mac) into a track's Name field in Overview will display the track properties. Double-clicking into a track's Name field will open its Piano Roll view..

MIDI Track Properties

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.
New Track will create an empty new track.
Selecting Duplicate Track will create an exact copy of the active track and insert it at the bottom of the track listing.
Delete Track will erase the highlighted MIDI track completely.
Playback
Spacebar
Press the spacebar to Play. Press again to Pause. Press again to resume Play. Press the comma key (",") to Rewind to the start.


Mini-Console

The Mini-Console is a dockable (tear-off) toolbar that plays, records, rewinds and stops playback.

Mini-Console Transport

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.


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 range.


The Record button will be active only when a MIDI Out deveice is selected. Pushing 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.
MIDI Devices
To set the MIDI input and output devices,
a. Select MIDI Devices from the Options menu. The MIDI Devices window will open.

Options > MIDI Devices
b. Click on the MIDI Input device / interface you will use for recording new MIDI data.
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.
Playback Range
To specify part of the score for playback,
a. Select Set Play Range from the Realtime menu.


Set MIDI Play Range
b. Set the first measure and last measure of the Play Range.
c. Mark Play All to play the entire score.
d. Check Loop to continually repeat the assigned playback range.
Piano Roll

In the familiar MIDI piano roll view, it is possible to alter MIDI note events and fine tune other playback parameters. MIDI events are only editable when "Show Actual Playback" option in the View menu is checked off. When "Show Actual Playback" is checked, articulations (trills, tremelos, etc.) display but cannot be edited since articulations are controlled by Properties. The Piano Roll view is track-based.

Selecting MIDI tracks
To move from track to track, click the Track Paging buttons located in the Main Toolbar.


To select and display a track in Piano Roll view:
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.


Overview - Selecting a track
b. Select the MIDI track you wish to display and press OK.
c.

Select the magnifying glass from the Main Toolbar. Right click to zoom in and left click out (option + click for Mac) of the Piano Roll view. Click to zoom in. Right-clickto zoom out.


MIDI Piano Roll View
d. Another method of zooming in or out is to drag measure markers horizontally. Dragging to the right zooms in and dragging to the left zooms in.


Horizontal zoom by dragging measure markers
Tiling ENF and MIDI views



Using the Tile Windows feature, you can view both ENF and MIDI windows simultaneously. This is useful if timing problems are encountered while editing ENF notation. By switching to MIDI Piano Roll view and pushing the Tile Windows button, it is possible to examine underlying MIDI events while referring to the same region as notation in the associated ENF window.

To tile all open document windows,
Push the Tile Windows button located both in the Main Toolbar and in the Navigator palette.


ENF / MIDI Tile View (with floating Zoom window)
Velocity and Tempo Graphical Controllers



In Piano Roll view, the bottom pane of the window displays a graphical, continuous-change MIDI controller. Click into Controller Selector pull-down menu and select a new MIDI controller you wish to view.

Velocity and Tempo controllers in Piano Roll view
With the pencil mouse pointer, click and drag a curve over the range you wish to apply the effect.
Shuttle Tool

The Shuttle Tool allows you to sound MIDI events forward or backward by dragging the mouse over a range of events.

To operate the Shuttle Tool,



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.

To insert or change the voice assignment of selected note event(s):
a. Use the Voice Selection pull-down menu located above the piano keyboard to select a voice number.
b. Right-click and drag to create a note event.
Inserting program changes (Assign MIDI instrument)
To insert a Program Change (MIDI patch change) for any given voice:
a. In an active track, position cursor and click wherever you wish to make an instrument change. Select Edit > Program Change.

MIDI Program Change (Piano Roll)
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 Contrapuntal Voices".
c. Press OK.
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 (see "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).
MIDI Instrument settings
To change MIDI instrument parameters,
a. Select Instrument Settings under the Options menu. In Playback Console, push the Set Instrument button. This will open the Instrument Settings window.

Instrument Settings
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).
MIDI event selection

Under the Edit menu choosing Select opens the Select Window.

Select Event 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.

NOTE: Edit > Select All is only available from a Piano Roll or Event List view.

Selecting MIDI events using mouse click-and-drag can be done from any view. Mouse functions work the same in all views.

To select a note or group of notes:
Click on the individual note or click and drag to Group Select many notes.
To add note(s) to the Group:
Hold down the Control key and click on the unselected note(s).
To select note events within a given time frame:
a. Click in Piano Roll to mark the beginning of the time frame.
b. Hold down the Shift key and click again to set the end of the time frame. The selected range will highlight in grey.
Changing MIDI event characteristics
To change the start time of selected note event(s):
Click and drag the left edge of the note(s) to the position you want.

Editing MIDI note on/off events
To change the duration of selected note event(s):
Click and drag the right edge of a note to change a note's duration.
To change the velocity (loudness/note attack) of selected note event(s):
Drag the top and bottom edges of a note adjust the note's velocity.

Editing MIDI note velocities and pitches
To change the pitch or position of selected note event(s):
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.
To delete selected note event(s):
Hit the Delete key to remove any highlighted notes.
To change the velocity and/or the duration of selected note(s):
a. Select the Velocity/Duration option from the Edit menu. The Velocity and Duration window will open.

Velocity and Duration window
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%.
c. Press OK.
Note Event window

Double-clicking on any note event will open the Note Event window.

Note Event window

The Note Event window allows access to and adjustment of an individual note's parameters.

Raise or lower the Pitch of the Note Event
Start Time changes when the Note Event begins
The Duration of the Note Event can be shortened or lengthened
Increase or decrease the Velocity of the Note Event
Select a different Voice for the Note Event
Cut/Copy and Paste

Click and drag the mouse or use Edit > Select to select a region that you would like to cut, copy or paste.

Cut removes the highlighted notes from the score and places them in the clipboard.
Copy stores the selected notes to the clipboard without removing them from the score.
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.
Paste Special will open the Paste Special window.

Paste Special

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.
Replace existing events will replace the existing music with the contents of the clipboard.
Move to make room will push the existing music backward and then insert the contents of the clipboard.
Use Repetitions to determine the number of times the contents of the clipboard will be inserted.
Start from time designates where the inserted music will begin by choosing the measure, beat, and tick.
Select Start from track to paste to a selected track number.
All to track will insert the contents of the clipboard, no matter how many tracks were originally selected, into one track.
Measure Settings

The Measure Settings window allows for inserting changes of tempo, time signature and key signature at the start of any given measure.

To open the Measure Settings window in Overview or Piano Roll view:
Double-click on the measure number where you wish to insert a change in key, time, or tempo.

Measure Settings
To insert a change of Tempo:
Adjust tempo with the Tempo slider.
To insert a change of Time Signature:
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.)
To insert a change of Key Signature:
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.

Setting Repeats and Multiple Endings

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.

Simple Repeats



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.
Segnos



A Segno is a musical notation symbol used to denote the beginning or the end of a repeated section.

Starting from a Segno

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.

Ending at a Segno

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

Fine means final or end. It denotes the last measure of a score when repeats are used.

d.c. al fine

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.

d.s. al fine

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

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.
Event List

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.
b. Choose Event List from the Type pull-down menu
c. Select a track to view and press OK.

The Event List displays every MIDI event of the selected track:

Event List
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.


To page from track to track, click on Track Paging buttons in the Main Toolbar.
Changing parameters of selected notes
To change parameters of a group of selected notes:
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.

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.

Inserting note events
To insert new events in the Event List view,
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.
b. Scroll to Note On in the Event Type menu.
c. Press OK.
d. A Note On event will be inserted into the Event List.
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.
Editing Key, Time and Tempo

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.

Create New Event window

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.

Inserting Non-Note Events

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.

To insert a non-note event in the Event List view:
a. Select the event you want the non-note event to follow.
b. Press the New button.

The New Event window will open.

c. Use the Event Type menu to select the event to be added.
NOTE: Some events, such as Control Change and Meta Event, have Subtype event listings. Choose one if applicable.
d. Press OK.
Program Changes

Program Change inserts a MIDI event that changes the instrument playback for a given channel / voice.

To insert a Program Change of the voice/channel in Create New Event:
a. Program Change is the default New Event, so simply press OK.

The selected Program Change will be inserted into the Event List.

b. Use the Voice pull-down menu to designate the voice to which the Program Change applies.
c. Use the Other pull-down menu to select a new instrument.
Control Changes

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

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

Playback Console

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.
Adjusting Playback Console Settings
General;
Adjust global playback volume using the General Volume slider.
Adjust channel volumes using individual Volume sliders.
Use Pan to adjust stereo balance for each channel.
Default resets all MIDI tracks to their original settings.
The Close button will close the Playback Console.
Mute any voice while all others continue to play or Solo a single voice for playback.
Change the MIDI Instrument or Channel of any voice.
To play back at a given point in the file;
Use the Measure / Beat slider and scroll to the desired measure and beat in the score.
To select the MIDI output device;
Use the Port pull-down selector.
To transpose playback globally;
Use the General Transposition pull-down selector.
To transpose an individual track / voice;
Use the Transposition pull-down selector in any track / voice.
Display Controls
Time
To choose whether the timing of MIDI note events is displayed by Measure: Beat: Tick or by Tick Number;
Go to the Options menu and select Time Format.
Choose by Measure: Beat: Tick or by Tick Number.
Velocity
To choose whether the velocity of MIDI note events is displayed with absolute numbers (0-127) or as percentages;
Go to Velocity Format under the Options menu.
Choose by Value (0-127) or Percent.


MIDI Recording
Recording Options

To activate the Record mode and adjust the recording options choose Record from the Realtime menu.

Synchro Start

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.

Thru

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.

Metronome

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.

To make changes to SmartScore's metronome;
Choose Metronome Settings from the Options menu. The Metronome Settings window will open.

Metronome Settings
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.

Snap to

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.

Recording New Tracks / Voices
To Record a new track to a MIDI file,
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.

Selecting Track to Record
b. Select an existing track to record a new voice within the same track.
NOTE: The new MIDI data will be added to the existing track without overwriting any material.
c. Select New Track to record a brand new MIDI track.
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.
d. Use the Playback Console to assign the MIDI parameters for the new track / voice.
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).
While recording:
Pause (spacebar) will temporarily halt recording.
Play button (spacebar) will resume recording the same track / voice
Stop will end the current recording session. SmartScore will return to the standard MIDI editing environment.
External Timer
To run SmartScore's MIDI recording from an external timer, select External Timer from the Realtime menu.
Setting Punch In and Punch Out points

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.

Check Punch In to start recording at the beginning of this measure.
Check Punch Out to set this measure as the last measure for recording.

The Punch In and Out points are marked with red triangles in the Overview and Piano Roll displays.

Step Time Recording

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.

To activate Step Time Recording,
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.)
b. From the Realtime menu, select Step Time Record.
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.
d. Press OK.
e. A floating window representing the computer keyboard number pad and associated note durations appears. Record is now staged.

Step Time recording (Number Keypad)
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.
g. Press the Play button of the Mini Console. Recording will begin at Measure 1.
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.
i. To insert a rest, choose a note value and hit Enter or right arrow.
Virtual Drum Kit

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.

Playback Considerations after MIDI Editing

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.

MIDI to ENF

SmartScore accepts any Standard MIDI file and converts it to an ENF file.Turn to "MIDI to ENF" for details.

Saving MIDI Files

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).
b. Push the Save button. A window appears saying the following:

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.

c. Choose Remove or Keep Articulations according to your need.

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