Channel Number for Non-note MIDI Events

[Keith Wilby]

Hi all,

If I import some MIDI from a Yamaha file it very often has a channel number other than 1. I can do a global change to the channel number using the "Events" toolbar item, but it only affects the notes. Sustain (for example) won't change. Is there a way to do this? There are often many "sustain" events as I'm sure you can imagine 🙂

Thank you.

[Promidi]

What I do is create a MIDI track and set its MIDI channel to a specific channel.

Also in Preferences  - File - Initialisation File (Advanced), I add the option to RechannelMIDI to 1.

Then when I bounce MIDI clips in that track to a single MIDI clip, it changes the channel of all events in the resultant MIDI clip to the MIDI track’s MIDI channel.

You can also use the Event Inspector to change the MIDI channels of all selected MIDI events to a single MIDI channel.

[David Baay]

On 10/7/2022 at 2:02 AM, Keith Wilby said:

I can do a global change to the channel number using the "Events" toolbar item, but it only affects the notes.

Hmmm... yes, that actually seems like a bug. Never noticed it before. Used it recently, but there were no controllers on the track so it wasn't a problem. 

Easy way to do this is with Process > Find/Change. OK the first dialog as-is, change the Min/Max channel values to the desired channel in the second dialog, and OK.

Another way is to set a forced output channel on the track, and then Bounce to Clip(s). But you have first set RechannelMIDI=1 in %AppData%\Cakewalk\Cakewalk Core\Cakewalk.ini.

Rehcanneling on bounce used to be the default behavior, but someone complained, and now you have to go out of your way to set the variable; it defaults to 0. 

Edited October 9, 2022 by David Baay

[rfssongs]

Use Process Find/Change

Set first dialog to the channel you want to change & the second dialog to the channel you want to change to.

Not sure why you want to though, the suggestion above to change the track channel is pretty easy.

[Keith Wilby]

On 10/7/2022 at 10:32 PM, Promidi said:

You can also use the Event Inspector to change the MIDI channels of all selected MIDI events to a single MIDI channel.

That was the reason for my question because that method will only change note events and not control events, which David has now commented might be a bug.

[rfssongs]

On my test here it changed all events. Did you only change the channel dialog & nothing else ?

[David Baay]

2 hours ago, rfssongs said:

On my test here it changed all events. Did you only change the channel dialog & nothing else ?

I changed only the channel. 

I just re-checked in another project with the same result. CC64 stays on channel 1 when I select the whole clip and change to 2.

Also, when selecting just a single controller,I noted that the Event Inspector continues to show the channel and other attributes of the first note event in the previous selection rather than the channel of the controller, indicating it's not considering controllers.

I I did a wuick search and found references going all the way back to the old forum that Event Inspector doesn't change contollers, and the Ref Guide makes reference only to note events so it seems consistent. Lools like the the Bakers never anticipated using it to change channel of an entire clip.

I mostly use Find/Change to make bulk changes so could have easily missed this all these years. 

 

[rfssongs]

Just did it again same thing - couldn't say why you are getting a different result.

I am changing an entire midi track. Notes, CC 64, pitch bend & mod wheel all changed.

I am selecting the entire track by double clicking on the number at the left of the track in track view.

Is it possible that for some reason you have not selected everything ?

[Promidi]

Just did a test. 

I created multiple MIDI events (notes, CCs, NRPNs) with different MIDI channels in the same MIDI track

I then selected the track.  I then used the Event Inspector to change the MIDI channels to the same channel - it only changed the Notes - even though the CCs, NRPNs events were also selected.

In all this time I never noted this - probably because I don't use the Event Inspector to change MIDI channels.

The reason I don't use the Event Inspector to change MIDI channels is because I do a lot of bouncing of MIDI clips.  Because of my configuration that always rechannels all events in all selected tracks to match the channel of the MIDI track that the events are in.

If changing MIDI channels via the Event Inspector is important to you then lodge a ticket with CW support.

[David Baay]

13 hours ago, rfssongs said:

Just did it again same thing - couldn't say why you are getting a different result.

I think there's been some confusion and you're using Process > Find/Change while we're talking about the Event Inspector.  Find./Change will work, Event Inspector won't

[Promidi]

Just tried it with Splat......  Event Inspector only changes the MIDI Channels of Note Events there as well.....

[msmcleod]

Whether rightly or wrongly, Event Inspector only changes the MIDI channel of note events - the text in the help module says as much.

This usually isn't an issue as most users will change the MIDI channel, which will override the channel of all recorded events in any of the track's clips.

Alternatively, as @rfssongs suggests, you can use Process Find/Change. 

[Promidi]

2 minutes ago, msmcleod said:

Whether rightly or wrongly, Event Inspector only changes the MIDI channel of note events - the text in the help module says as much.
 

Yes, Just checked the docs and you are right.  (I am ok with this as I have another method of rechanneliing MIDI events on a track)

I am wondering if the “Event Inspector” should be renamed to “Note Inspector”.

It is very likely that any newcomer to Cakewalk, would probably expect an “Event” Inspector to operate on all MIDI Events, regardless of whether those events are  note, CC, RPN, NRPN , etc. vents.

Though, I can forsee a feature request coming up to enable the Event Inspector to change the MIDI Channel of all selected MIDI events that can have a Channel assigned.