Synchronized virtual keyboard

[daniel io]

It would be very nice to be able to synchronize the keystrokes of the PC keyboard with the Piano Roll through the virtual keyboard. This would facilitate direct typing in a much more agile way. Greetings.-

[abacab]

You can do this with the step recording method. Any MIDI input device, including the virtual keyboard, can generate one step at a time on the MIDI track and piano roll.

Each note that you play gets recorded, and then it pauses and waits for your next note.

The step record dialog allows you to choose the step size by note length.

https://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR&language=3&help=Recording.26.html

[daniel io]

It seems to me something simple to implement, most do it, Waveform, Reaper, Lmms.... FLStudio which I think gained a lot by directly creating melodies on the piano roll without even a virtual keyboard. I know you can record but it's not the same. Greetings.-

[abacab]

30 minutes ago, daniel io said:

It seems to me something simple to implement, most do it, Waveform, Reaper, Lmms.... FLStudio which I think gained a lot by directly creating melodies on the piano roll without even a virtual keyboard. I know you can record but it's not the same. Greetings.-

What you are asking for is a way to do it from a PC keyboard. There's a limitation of the PC keyboard, and the way MIDI works, not the piano roll software.

MIDI as its most basic level requires a "note-on", followed by a "note-off" message in order to record the pitch and duration in real-time.  MIDI controllers take care of this task automatically in real-time. The PC keyboard can only send a the first part, in step-time, so you need to pre-define the length of each note sent by the PC keyboard to effect the "note-off" piece, and/or edit the piano roll afterwards.

Step recording with pre-set note lengths is the only way to do data entry into the piano roll from the PC keyboard. Do yourself a favor and get a real MIDI controller.

All the best!

Edited November 16, 2021 by abacab

[daniel io]

It's not like that my friend, it's actually much simpler than that. I just want that when you play a key with the PC, the corresponding note is indicated on the piano roll. Is that understood? Almost all Daws do it, but not this one.

[abacab]

34 minutes ago, daniel io said:

It's not like that my friend, it's actually much simpler than that. I just want that when you play a key with the PC, the corresponding note is indicated on the piano roll. Is that understood? Almost all Daws do it, but not this one.

Ah! That's not the virtual keyboard you have pointed to with the question marks.

I was attempting to address your earlier statement that "It would be very nice to be able to synchronize the keystrokes of the PC keyboard with the Piano Roll through the virtual keyboard."

So, if you wish to enter notes directly into the piano roll it is done with the pencil tool and your mouse. You just click them into the grid. That keyboard on the left shows what notes are on what rows. If you have a virtual instrument inserted on that track, you will hear it play the pitch that you click with the pencil.

The only way to enter notes on the piano roll from the actual virtual keyboard (where you have circled the letter "F") is with step record activated.

[scook]

@abacab, I believe all the user wants is the label pane (the keyboard to the left of the notes pane in the PRV) to indicate which of the virtual keys is pressed like it does for other MIDI input options.

It appears the virtual keyboard is inserting data into the MIDI stream after the PRV label pane display.

For now, if one really needs this feature, it can be done by using the virtual keyboard in a MIDI/instrument track before the track to record and routing the track with the virtual keyboard to the recording track using either a virtual MIDI cable or plug-in that can output MIDI. Or use a third party virtual keyboard as they will come into the DAW like any other MIDI input device.

 

 

[daniel io]

Exactly, Scook, that option is in several Daws, and I am surprised that it is not by default in Cakewalk.  That would make my job a lot easier, typing notes manually and would speed up the process quite a bit. Regards.

[abacab]

Of the other DAWs mentioned, I do have Waveform Pro, and can confirm that the keyboard at the left of the piano roll in that DAW will enter notes in step mode. Although personally, I prefer using a MIDI controller rather than clicking in the piano roll. YMMV.

Edited November 17, 2021 by abacab

[daniel io]

Then I can enter the notes manually with that reference.-

[msmcleod]

I agree with @abacab - a MIDI controller is a far better option.

I use a M-Audio MINI-32 when I'm on the move. It's highly playable, velocity sensitive, and fits easily into my laptop bag alongside my laptop:

I stuck some larger rubber feet on the bottom, so it fits nicely over the keyboard or mouse-pad area of my laptop allowing me to use it on my lap when travelling by train.

The Korg nanoKEY is also a good option for portability:
 


Both are around the same price ( £40  / $50 ) and a similar size.

Here's my "on the move" setup:


I added a mini wireless keyboard as well so I can use keyboard shortcuts as well as using the mouse pad.
 

[daniel io]

Actually I'm doing the melodies in LMMS that has that function and I do the melodies easier and faster, I export MIDI and the import in Cakewalk and adapt a VST and already. It would be more advantageous to have everything in just program but at the moment it is what there is. Greetings.-

[abacab]

Sometimes it is just much easier to find tools that work the way you do, rather than expect tools to change to accommodate your workflow. 

Making a feature request is always encouraged, however it should be made with the awareness that only the most highly requested features ever get implemented. And even then, it could be a very long wait. Any community discussion of pro and cons is not a rejection of a request, but is intended to hammer out the level of usefulness of said feature to the largest number of users.

I have used Cakewalk for over 20 years, as well as a few other music programs, and change is usually evolutionary, with the exception of major bug fixes that have widespread impact.

[daniel io]

You are very right. But thanks to these insignificant functions, FLSTUDIO changed being the most mediocre DAW, in the most popular in the world, since a child who does not know anything about music touches a PC key and already emits a sound. Sometimes the details make a difference. Greetings.-

[abacab]

Cakewalk was never intended to be entry level. It was always a complex pro level audio/MIDI recording studio. BandLab acquired it to be available as a step up from the BandLab music program.

[daniel io]

It is very good, obviously each company has its differences and personal stamp. The function seems useful to me, but in terms of software I have nothing to reproach, rather than appreciate the completeness and how well the program goes. The proposal is already made and I do not expect much more.-