Do you edit Midi event list in your soft DAW?
- Thread starter kongwee
- Start date
Cheez
Moderator
Actually, the question to ask is, "HOW do you edit midi event in your DAW." (invididual note editing by changing the midi parameters/values, pencil tool, virtual fader, external controllers - and even that, different cc numbers). But the problem is that there are so many different ways to do it, even with the same set of editing tools. So that question is not easily answered. Some of the ways to go about it can be regarded as personal trade secret. Hence why few people who are into serious sequencing share their midi files. I for one never share my midi files - it shows everything I do within midi. 
I'm happy to tell people how I do it, but intricacies can only be seen by looking at the midi files themselves, which is something I never share. Well, at least not yet...
I'm happy to tell people how I do it, but intricacies can only be seen by looking at the midi files themselves, which is something I never share. Well, at least not yet... 
I will open midi event list to edit. I get used to it as I begin with a workstation keyboard. In other DAW, I will open the midi event list. I dial in to edit by mouse or keyboard. It is very useful to edit shuffle timing. Sometime some automation cannot been seem, and can be trace by midi event list.
It is other way to edit. Randomly select notes and move your mouse to the column you wanna edit, hold left mouse and move up and down.
logicdroid
New member
The most accurate way to edit.
logicdroid
New member
Jeremy, it's much, much more than that. You could program Logic to change song/screensets .. at any part of a song.. every sort of edit/detail in fact. Not at all an eye candy but the most accurate by far as it uses numbers.
Best.
Cheez
Moderator
What and how to edit midi events depend on the genre and the instrument/sound your midi is triggering.
I seldom open the midi event list unless I need to check something in detail. I would listen again and again to a particular phrase, then edit midi events note by note in the notation view on particular notes that I need changing. They are usually volume and duration editing. This is the most time consuming part since I would edit, play and listen, re-edit etc until it sounds right.
For expression, it's easiest to use the mod wheel. If I find expression (or cc11) needs editing, I would have to re-sequence again. And if it's really troublesome, I would sequence the note first without cc11. Then on top of that, record over the sequence only the cc11 so I can undo anytime just the cc11. That has pros and cons. Wind controller is another one I use. Editing it is not easy, so my wind controller is programmed first with all the cc controls I need for live recording. Then it's recording again and again until I get it.
For time changes (eg retard etc), I prefer the pencil tool. When I was using Logic, I really liked it. Now that I'm no longer using Logic, I really missed it.
Lastly, I hardly quantize at all. If I need to for any reason, I may have to edit that in the end to make it "less quantized".
I seldom open the midi event list unless I need to check something in detail. I would listen again and again to a particular phrase, then edit midi events note by note in the notation view on particular notes that I need changing. They are usually volume and duration editing. This is the most time consuming part since I would edit, play and listen, re-edit etc until it sounds right.
For expression, it's easiest to use the mod wheel. If I find expression (or cc11) needs editing, I would have to re-sequence again. And if it's really troublesome, I would sequence the note first without cc11. Then on top of that, record over the sequence only the cc11 so I can undo anytime just the cc11. That has pros and cons. Wind controller is another one I use. Editing it is not easy, so my wind controller is programmed first with all the cc controls I need for live recording. Then it's recording again and again until I get it.
For time changes (eg retard etc), I prefer the pencil tool. When I was using Logic, I really liked it. Now that I'm no longer using Logic, I really missed it.
Lastly, I hardly quantize at all. If I need to for any reason, I may have to edit that in the end to make it "less quantized".
. Hence why few people who are into serious sequencing share their midi files. I for one never share my midi files - it shows everything I do within midi.
I will share cos people around me dun wanna go through the sh*t process.:mrgreen:
Cheez
Moderator
Actually, sharing it won't help too much unless they know exactly what the tracks are triggering. I use 30-40 tracks minimum. And they are obviously not GM - so it's useless to others. And each sequence, the midi event is too complex due to multiple cc controls all happening simultaneously. Open the editor and it's more than just notes and duration - the cc events are moving all the time. It's just one large mess. That's one reason why the midi event view doesn't help for me unless I need to check something in detail. And that's also why sometimes I would seqeunce one cc control at a time so the sequencing are layered (and easily undone). That way, it's easier to locate and edit them individually. If 3 cc controls are sequenced at one time (simultaneously), open the midi editor and there's absolutely no way you can alter them without spending hours on just a few measures of work.
Sonar has pretty good midi editing functions - actually more powerful than some DAWs. Don't forget it's aimed more at musicians rather than studio producers (who really should be using Protools). Instead of pencil editing, they have midi envelope editing, which is similar to the pencil tool except you create nodes on event lines and drag them. This can be applied to multiple midi parameters. The only problem is that if I want a curve instead of a line, I'll have to create multiple nodes.
You can't compare to keyboard/hardware editing. They just lack midi editing functions.
Sonar has pretty good midi editing functions - actually more powerful than some DAWs. Don't forget it's aimed more at musicians rather than studio producers (who really should be using Protools). Instead of pencil editing, they have midi envelope editing, which is similar to the pencil tool except you create nodes on event lines and drag them. This can be applied to multiple midi parameters. The only problem is that if I want a curve instead of a line, I'll have to create multiple nodes.
You can't compare to keyboard/hardware editing. They just lack midi editing functions.
Normally, I will open Midi event list, then not so common to see like expression and pedal I will use the "pencil" tools method. Normally I adjust velocity in blocks and shuffle in blocks too to match my groove sampler shuffle timing. The region will be small to me to edit, but I get used to it. I see much small window on my workstation keyboard.
I never use the list view..in fact my sequencer doesn't have one. Sometimes if I'm debugging some midi problem I'll route the midi out of Ableton and into midi-ox. Midi ox has a pretty good midi monitor tool with filters so it's easy to see where the problems are. I use virtual midi cables which are really handy.
Lately I've been doing midi processing in puredata (which is like Max/msp) and routing that into Ableton. One thing I've been playing with is building midi LFO's in puredata and using them to control synth or fx parameters in Ableton. Routing a bunch of LFO's to a single parameter is pretty cool for ambient stuff and is difficult to replicate with a midi editor.
Puredata excepts Wacom tablet inputs too so you can use a graphics tablet to control a bunch of midi parameters simultaneous which is kind of fun but I mostly just end up making delay lama go oooeeeeoooeeiiiioooo
Lately I've been doing midi processing in puredata (which is like Max/msp) and routing that into Ableton. One thing I've been playing with is building midi LFO's in puredata and using them to control synth or fx parameters in Ableton. Routing a bunch of LFO's to a single parameter is pretty cool for ambient stuff and is difficult to replicate with a midi editor.
Puredata excepts Wacom tablet inputs too so you can use a graphics tablet to control a bunch of midi parameters simultaneous which is kind of fun but I mostly just end up making delay lama go oooeeeeoooeeiiiioooo
