Inserting a few measures at a select point in timeline.

[Sridhar Raghavan]

All

Preface

I am creating Style Files for Korg PA600 using MIDI (instead of using the On board Sequencer, which is a tedious and unreliable to my taste, and I cannot use my Laptop Big Monitors, and for so many other reasons.. and yes there are many..)

Consider that all the tracks are MIDI.  I know the issues when Audio is also mixed with MIDI. I will keep that out for now.

This has implications also for the arranger, automation tracks etc. Just assume that expanding/shrinking regions will add allied empty region (for expand), and cut out the allied  in case of shrink. 

Somehow I feel that this may be too basic MIDI editing and would be nicely supported in Cakewalk..

I am thinking

Select a Vertical Slice spanning all the tracks (how), Copy, Paste Special with "Slide Over Old To Make Room", for example... Or Macro/Scripts?

One of you is going to say quickly "How do you miss this?"

Thanks in advance

Sri.

 

Discussion

 

Sorry for starting this topic without thorough diligence on searching for the past posts on this topic. Since this capability is critical for me and I want to get it right and do it most productively and reliably I am starting this topic. Hopefully the thread can be closed fast with tips from the in-the-know long timers and developers.

See the screenshot below for reference. 

You see a highlighted region on the Time Ruler. The cursor head is on Measure 3.  How do I 

a) Say add two (or N)  measures here at the Cursor, so everything in the right is properly pushed out. 

b) Another variation of this, is how to expand the Highlighted region by "N" measures?

c) Another way to look at this, is how to Move the Starting Marker or the End Marker of that region to Shrink/Expand the region.  The operation is not "just Moving the Markers' but is an expand/shrink the region using the Markers as hooks. 

 

 

[msmcleod]

1. Place the now time where you want to insert the measures
2. Select "Insert Time/Measures" from the Project menu
3. Enter the number of measures in the "Insert" box, make sure the "Measures" radio box is selected and all the checkboxes under "Slide" are checked (they should be by default), then click OK.

[Sridhar Raghavan]

Thanks McCleod for the precise steps and the fast response. Perfect for my needs.

a) I was looking for this in the Edit Menu! And it is under Project Menu.

Noted that only Integral Measures can be inserted.. cannot do M B T string, especially n-Beats.

For Fine grained Ticks/Frames have to be used.. just changes the Units for thinking. Not an easy arithmetic to do on the fly.

Seconds are also Integers. Would be nice to have it in Milliseconds or in ) 0.1 increments (though I understand that minimum time resolution is limited by TPQN).

b) I also checked out the Delete.

Selected a Region on the Time Line.  The region is highlighted on all the tracks.

Edit->Delete remains silent.  But Edit->Delete Special with Hole Checked does the job.

Similarly with Edit->Cut/Special.

c) Is there a Remove measures counterpart for Add Measures?

So cut/delete can be done precisely to the left or the right of the Cursor Line?  Instead of having to precisely select the region.

 

d) Would be nice to  see "add/delete measures region" item, with the above additional expressive ability to the Context Menu or be able to add as part of Customization. Certainly it would be an optional Frill. 

[Promidi]

2 hours ago, Sridhar Raghavan said:

Noted that only Integral Measures can be inserted.. cannot do M B T string, especially n-Beats.

If you wish to insert beats, then use ticks instead of measures. 

To work out the number of ticks, use the formula (Ticks per Quarter-Note) multiplied by the number of beats required.

The project’s Ticks per Quarter-Note (this is a per project setting) is found in Preferences - Project - Clock (Advanced) > Clock

[Sridhar Raghavan]

Promidi

If you wish to insert beats, then use ticks instead of measures. 
To work out the number of ticks, use the formula (Ticks per Quarter-Note) multiplied by the number of beats required.
The project’s Ticks per Quarter-Note (this is a per project setting) is found in Preferences - Project - Clock (Advanced) > Clock

Yes.  I already mentioned that in my note.

For Fine grained Ticks/Frames have to be used.. just changes the Units for thinking. Not an easy arithmetic to do on the fly.

I also created a small handy HTML app to do the translations from one Unit to the Other. Faster and reliable over doing it mentally.

Sri.

[msmcleod]

It's worth mentioning this isn't the only way to insert measures:

Using Arranger Sections
1. Create an arranger section starting at the point you want to insert, and ending at the end of the project. 
2. Make sure "Select Events with Sections" is enabled either in the Selection Module, or under the Track View Options menu.
3. Drag the section by the amount you need.

Using Ripple Edit
1. Enable Ripple Edit All
2. Select the area you want to move further in time (e.g. CTRL +A to select all, then drag the start of the section to the time you want the time inserted)
3. Drag any part of the selection by the amount you need.
4. Turn Ripple Edit off !

[Starship Krupa]

7 hours ago, Sridhar Raghavan said:

I was looking for this in the Edit Menu! And it is under Project Menu

I've been complaining about this for years. IMO, it should be in the Insert menu. Project would be the last place I'd think to look.

I hoped Sonar might be an opportunity to clean things up in the Global Menu, but so far, no go.

BTW, I like your theme. 😉

[57Gregy]

On 4/14/2024 at 5:09 AM, Starship Krupa said:

it should be in the Insert menu.

It was, for decades!

[Starship Krupa]

1 minute ago, 57Gregy said:

It was, for decades!

Wait, whut??

Why on Earth would it have been changed? I've always thought that it being there was some sort of oddball leftover. Moving it was deliberate?

I've been lobbying for the things that are in the Insert menu to be moved down to the Track View menu and all of the insert operations that are now on the Project menu to be moved to the Insert menu.

So far it looks like nothing's going to change in the Global menu with the new Sonar.

[57Gregy]

This is from SONAR Home Studio 6, the next most-recent version I have on this computer.
I'm pretty sure it changed with CbB.

 

[David Baay]

The Project menu was introduced with Skylight in X1. Not sure why exactly except possibly just to keep the Insert menu from getting overloaded.  All the "Insert items" in the Project menu are related to the timeline where the Insert menu is more about adding content. Works for me.

[Starship Krupa]

4 hours ago, David Baay said:

All the "Insert items" in the Project menu are related to the timeline where the Insert menu is more about adding content. Works for me.

I'm glad it works for you.

I still contend that the stuff from the Insert menu rightly belongs down on the Track View's own menu. Where the action is, so to speak. Those items are in the Console's Track (sic) menu. Should be the same for the Track View. Well, in the Tracks (sic) menu....

[Sridhar Raghavan]

Thanks for these Interesting exchanges.  Just reading but do no have anything significant to add.

I see references to  SONAR Home Studio 6. 

What is its relationship to Cakewalk Free Version (I am using). 

Is that a paid version, a past discontinued one, or the one that is current with on-going roadmaps?

Sri.

[57Gregy]

On 4/16/2024 at 11:38 AM, Sridhar Raghavan said:

I see references to  SONAR Home Studio 6. 

Yeah, it's an old version from around 2005 which I still use. Cakewalk once had programs with varying degrees of difficulty and more features as they got more expensive.
Starting with Music Creator, then Home Studio and then SONAR at that time. I say I "still use" it, but that may be over now. I can't find the Driver Mode utility that corrects a glitch in SHS 6 that wouldn't allow you to select ASIO for the driver. I'm sure it's on one of my back-up devices; I just have to go deeper.