-<h2>Adding new notes</h2>
-<p>
- In general, most MIDI editing will probably be done with the mouse in object
- mode. This allows to select notes, copy, move or delete them and alter their
- properties (see below). But at some point, <em>adding</em> notes to a MIDI
- region using the mouse will mean dragging with the mouse. Since this would
- normally be a selection operation if the mouse is in object mode, there needs
- to be some way to tell Ardour that the user is trying to <dfn>draw</dfn> new
- notes within a MIDI region. Ardour provides two ways do this. One is to leave
- the mouse in object mode and <kbd class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>-drag. The
- other, useful to enter a lot of notes for a while, is to switch the mouse into
- <kbd class="menu">Draw Notes</kbd> mode, which will now interpret any drags
- and clicks as requests to add a new note. For obvious reasons, Draw Notes mode
- can not be used while using region-level editing.
-</p>
-
-<p>So, to summarize:</p>
+<p>
+ MIDI notes can be added a few different way in Ardour:
+<p>
+
+<h2 id="add-new-notes-using-the-mouse">Using the mouse</h2>
+
+<p>
+ Drawing notes with the mouse requires that a MIDI track <a
+ href="@@create-midi-tracks">exists</a>, and a blank MIDI region has
+ been <a href="@@create-midi-regions">created</a> in this track.
+</p>
+<p>
+ In either <em>Draw</em> or <em>Internal Edit</em> <a
+ href="@@toolbox">Mode</a> new notes can be added with a click or
+ drag: a mouse <em>click</em> creates a note at the pointer location
+ (or the nearest grid anchor if grid is enabled), and its duration is
+ one <a href="@@grid-controls">Grid unit</a>. A mouse <em>drag</em>
+ creates the note like a click does, but allows continuously setting
+ the duration of the note until the mouse button is released.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+ The toolbar available in the <dfn>Draw</dfn> mode helps drawing notes
+ of exact length, in a certain MIDI channel, with predefined velocity:
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+<img style="width:75%" src="/images/midi-draw-toolbar.png" alt="MIDI draw toolbar">
+<figcaption>MIDI draw toolbar</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>
+ While the <dfn>Velocity</dfn> drop-down list only displays presets,
+ you can hover it and use mouse wheel scrolling to increment the current
+ value by 1. Scrolling above the other two drop-down lists will cycle
+ through the presets.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+ The <dfn>Auto</dfn> option in three drop-down lists works differently
+ in all three cases:
+</p>
+
<table class="dl">
- <tr><th>Selecting, moving, copying, trimming, deleting <em>regions</em></th>
- <td><kbd class="menu">Note Level Editing</kbd> disabled, using object,
- range or other mouse modes</td></tr>
- <tr><th>Selecting, moving, copying trimming, deleting <em>notes</em></th>
- <td><kbd class="menu">Note Level Editing</kbd> enabled, and using mouse object mode</td></tr>
- <tr><th>Adding new notes</th>
- <td>enabling "Note Level Editing" and then either
- <ul>
- <li>using mouse object mode and <kbd class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>-drag, or</li>
- <li>using mouse draw mode.</li>
- </ul>
- </td></tr>
+ <tr>
+ <th>Length</th>
+ <td>The length will be defined by the grid snapping setting</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <th>Channel</th>
+ <td>This value will be inherited from the closest note</td>
+ </tr>
+ <tr>
+ <th>Velocity</th>
+ <td>The value will be an interpolation between two closest notes,
+ the position of the newly added note relative to either of the two
+ notes will also be taken into consideration</td>
+ </tr>
</table>
+
+<h2 id="add-new-notes-using-step-entry">Using Step Entry</h2>
+
+<p>
+ The <a href="@@step-entry">Step Entry editor</a> allows to enter a
+ melody in sequence along time, using a virtual keyboard and specific
+ controls. It can be a very handy and fast way create MIDI lines, in a
+ kind of typewriter way, all the more when using its different
+ keyboard shortcuts.
+</p>
+<p>
+ The Step Entry window is shown by <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd>
+ clicking the record button in the <a
+ href="@@midi-track-controls">MIDI track header</a> and selecting <kbd
+ class="menu">Step Entry</kbd>. This will automatically create a MIDI
+ region to type into at the playhead position, which will automatically expand at each step.
+</p>
+
+<h2 id="add-new-notes-using-the-virtual-keyboard">Using the Virtual Keyboard</h2>
+
+<p>
+ The <a href="@@virtual-keyboard">Virtual MIDI Keyboard</a> — or
+ a real MIDI keyboard plugged in as the tracks input — can be
+ used to record MIDI, as a microphone would record audio.
+</p>
<p>
- Note that is also a <a href="@@step-entry">a step entry editor</a> allowing to
- enter notes from a virtual keyboard and lots more besides.
+ It can be started by choosing the <kbd class="menu">Window >
+ Virtual Keyboard</kbd> menu. Exactly like for audio recording, the
+ track(s) must be armed for recording, the main record engaged, then
+ the transport started. As for the Step Entry, a MIDI region will be
+ auto-generated at the playhead position, and expanded as long as the
+ recording lasts.
</p>
projects / ardour-manual / blobdiff