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How do I change MIDI channel of specific notes on track


winkpain

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I have been unable to figure out how to do this on CW.

Is it possible to change the MIDI channel of a track throughout the course of playback, or does every separate channel require its own separate track??

For an example of my issue: I am writing orchestral music to be played thru Kontakt with various string patches (Violin legato, pizzicato, tremelo, etc.) loaded and accessed thru different MIDI channels within the Kontakt instrument.

I would like my music for the Violin I, say, to be all contained on one single track with certain notes calling on specific differing loaded patches on different channels. This requires a MIDI channel change at various times on a single track. I can not find how to do this successfully in CW. The desired function is similar to what in other instruments would be a "Program/bank change" within the track, but a channel change seems not possible. Going into Event inspector or context menu of the notes in question and changing the MIDI channel there has no effect, oddly. The notes continue to only play back on the initial MIDI channel as set in the track strip for that track.

 

How can this be done?

 

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48 minutes ago, winkpain said:

Going into Event inspector or context menu of the notes in question and changing the MIDI channel there has no effect, oddly.

If changing the embedded channel of events has no effect, you must have a 'forced' output channel assigned in the track header that's over-riding the event channels. Clear that, and changing channels by either of those methods should work.

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3 minutes ago, David Baay said:

If changing the embedded channel of events has no effect, you must have a 'forced' output channel assigned in the track header that's over-riding the event channels. Clear that, and changing channels by either of those methods should work.

Ahhhh! Yes, that's it! Setting the MIDI channel to "None" in the track strip (or header) does the trick!  Bloody hell, it's been years of not knowing that! I remember reading in the reference manual somewhere that these track strip MIDI settings where just the initial settings for the track, taking precedence only when RTZ or if not changed throughout track.

NOW I know. Thanks!

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23 minutes ago, winkpain said:

I remember reading in the reference manual somewhere that these track strip MIDI settings where just the initial settings for the track, taking precedence only when RTZ or if not changed throughout track.

That's true for controls that work by sending Continuous Controller events, but since channel is embedded in the note events, the forced output channel assignment is always in effect.

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6 minutes ago, David Baay said:

That's true for controls that work by sending Continuous Controller events, but since channel is embedded in the note events, the forced output channel assignment is always in effect.

There is, for me, ALWAYS more to learn about the nuts and bolts of MIDI. Thank you all again!

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Here is a MIDI Channel data in file header side question.  Can Cakewalk by Bandlab or another program edit file header channel assignments in the file header?

For example lets say a midi file header has a marimba (patch # 12) assigned to midi channel 6 and I want to change the midi channel 6 patch assignment to Choir Aahs (patch # 52).

If Cakewalk can't do it, what kind of program can change header data?

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That isn't really an accurate way of describing what's in the MIDI file. The MIDI file contains a generic MIDI patch change message telling any synth that's set to repsond to channel 6 to  load patch #12 from its internal patch library into whatever working memory space is assigned to respond to channel 6. What sound actually gets loaded (or even whether it responds to patch change messages at all) is determined by the synth's programming.  So I don't think it's accurate to refer to program change messages as being part of the .MIDI file 'header';it's part of the MIDI data stream just like any other MIDI message, and there can be more than one at different points in the sequence.

Ultimately the answer to your question is to open the file in any MIDI editing program, and add or change the relevant Program Change message in the appropriate view. In the case of Cakewalk, if you want just a single initial patch number to be set, you can enter it in the Patch field of the track header, and it will be written into the MIDI file as a Program change event when the file is saved. Or you can enter it directly in the sequence via the Event list view or by Insert > Bank/Patch Change in other views.

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